July 29th, 2007

Difficult Bible Passages, Luke 14:15-24 (Matt. 22:1-14)

Intro…Anna (Powell) Garcia's wedding. Some of Kel's family didn't come…they missed out on a great and important life event.

Text: Luke 14:12-24 (same story in Matt. 22:1-14)

v. 15, The feast in the kingdom of heaven. The great banquet table. Isaiah 25:6

Jesus describes a great banquet (or wedding in Matt. 22) where quests are invited, but refuse to come.

The feast is a parable of the gospel and the blessings which it holds out to believers. The invitation to believe the gospel and all its blessings go out to all who hear it. However, not all who hear the call respond to it.

V. 18 reminds us of the many excuses people have for not coming to the banquet.

Those invited stay away for mundane and selfish reasons (v. 18). They slight the King, (in Matt.) whose invitation is both an honor and a command, and the marriage of whose son is a time for special joy.

What keeps people from the proper response once they've heard the invitation?

Pride, Inconvenience, Laziness, indifference, no urgency.

Matt: 22:4 reminds us that most often there will even be great food at weddings/banquets…but even that doesn't lure all.

Many are invited; but some refuse to come, and others who do come refuse to submit to the commandments of the kingdom and are therefore rejected.

So, what about those who do respond properly?

Those who respond are the "chosen", the predestined.

We've already talked about those who chose to reject the invitation and thus God's plan for salvation. That's the beauty (and curse) of free will.

Does God send people to Hell? It's really more about people not responding to his invitation.

No doubt this banquet hints at the great messianic banquet we will all experience in heaven someday.

In Matt. 22, the king's son is clearly a Messiah figure, not uncommonly represented as a bridegroom , (Matt. 9:15; Eph 5:25-32

If you are fortunate enough to come from a healthy family, you know that mealtimes can be rich, often the highlight of the gathering.

My family gathering in August…there will be 35, (plus maybe a few new girlfriends or boyfriends…) Our meal times will be crazy/fun…

Some of my best memories growing up were family meal times. We do the same with our kids today…compared to most of the neighborhood kids who fly in and out of the house at meal time or run around eating their dinner….

What we're talking about here is a "common call" (those who hear the gospel) and "effectual call," (those who actually respond).

Effectual calling is the work of God's spirit. Through that call we are made aware of our sin, enlightened in our minds to the knowledge of Christ, and renewing our wills, God persuades and enables us to embrace Jesus.

Enoch Powell:

"Few are chosen. This is an assertion that his salvation will not be for all, not even for the majority. Ignorance, incapacity, perversity and the sheer human propensity to error are sufficient to ensure a high rate of failure. They are sufficient indeed to ensure a 100% failure rate, but for the grace of God. When divine grace begins to operate, the situation is transformed."

John Calvin:

"If Adam's fall had the effect of producing the ruin of many, the grace of God is much more efficacious in benefiting many, since admittedly Christ is much more powerful to save than Adam was to ruin."

Romans 2:13

For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous

James 1:22

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

Luke 13:23

Someone asked him, "Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?"

Jesus refused to gratify their curiosity, he simply told them to make sure that they themselves entered through the narrow gate.

And that should be our concern today also. Instead of getting all freaked out over who is chosen and who isn't, make sure you are right with God, then do your best to communicate the gospel to others.

Head out into the mission field (which is a soon as you leave your front door) with the mentality that everyone you share the gospel with is predestined…

Otherwise, it's too easy to write 'em off and figure there is "no way" they'd end up in heaven.

(With the whole predestination/freewill argument…)

Remember, there is a general call of God to sinners inviting them to receive His salvation, and there is a specific election that brings some to Him.

To some degree we can affect that call, we can choose God.

I say "to some degree" because God's sovereignty is still in affect…

Yet at the same time, man is held responsible for rejecting Christ, whether from indifference, rebellion or self-righteousness.

To some degree, you do need to be either poor, crippled, lame or blind to come to Christ.

It's called recognizing your weakness, your stance before a holy and righteous God.

GOSPEL

Conclusion:

Matthew 22:14, Luke 13: 24-30, 14:12-14

SLIDE SHOW Banqueting table, from David Crowder

July 22nd, 2007

Difficult Bible passages, Mark 3:28-29 and Luke 12:10

Intro…VIDEO of Blasphemy challenge

Text: Mark 3:28-29 and Luke 12:10

I'm guessing that the audacious boldness of today's atheists are really nothing new. Since the begging of time mankind has been prideful and rebellious, convinced they can do life on their own.

To admit that you need help, (especially from God) is an act of humility. Most atheists that I've heard interviewed are very self sufficient and proud. To them it is preposterous to admit they need God.

Blaspheme: to speak of or address with irreverence.

If you've grown up in the Christian church and are familiar with these verses, it can cause stress, wonder and doubt as to the sincerity of your faith.

Some of you may have experienced the "multiple altar calls" or "committing your life to Jesus every time there was an invitation just to make sure."

We need to be reminded of 1 John 1:7

In reality, the fact that you are even concerned over having committed the "unpardonable sin" proves that you have not committed it.

Yet, I've heard many Christians over the years say, "Have I committed to unpardonable sin?"

What exactly did Jesus mean when he says this?

His words have been recorded in Mark and in Luke. Mark records these words in more of a narrative context and Luke records it as one of a series of sayings dealing with the Son of Man or the Holy Spirit.

According to Mark, scribes or experts in the Law came down from Jerusalem to Galilee to assess the work the Jesus was doing there, especially his work in exorcism (casing out demons from those who suffered under the domination).

The scribes came to a strange and interesting conclusion:

"And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, "He is possessed by Beelzebub! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons." Mark 3:22

(Beelzebub: the ruler of the abyss which is the abode of demons)

Jesus points out the absurdity of supposing that Satan's power could be overthrown by Satan's aid. Mark 3:23-27

From there he went on the charge those who had voiced the absurd conclusion with blaspheming the Holy Spirit, Mark 3:28-29

Why? Because they deliberately ascribed the Holy Spirit's work (through Jesus) as demonic. (That's a no no and will always get you in trouble.)

Now we turn to the passage in Luke 12:8-12. (

What Luke is doing here is placing the "blasphemy" statement between the Spirit's heavenly role as a defense for those who confess Christ and the Holy Spirit enabling confessors of Jesus to say the right words at the right time.

Luke is suggesting that blasphemy of the Spirit involves a refusal of his powerful help from denying him and thus committing apostasy.

Apostasy: renunciation of a religious faith, abandonment of a previous loyalty, defection.

Blasphemy in this context is not acknowledging God before men. (Luke 12:8-9.)

Hebrews 6:4-6

It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.

Why is it more serious to slander the Holy Spirit than Jesus?

Possibly because the identity of Jesus was veiled in his humanity, people might fail to recognize who he was.

But for those who recognized that Jesus was the son of God, began to follow him and then might deny him under stress, the Holy Spirit's aid was still available.

If they resisted the Holy Spirit and rejected his aid, then they are committing blasphemy.

Who remembers the story of Peter and his denial of Jesus?

Matthew 26:31-35 , 69-75 Peters mouth had momentarily turned traitor, but his heart did not apostate (he wept bitterly).

See Luke 22:21-32

How about Acts 5:3-9? They had sinned beyond the point of no return.

So, in Marks context, blasphemy involves deliberately shutting one's eyes to the light or truth and consequently calling good evil.

In Luke blasphemy is irretrievable apostasy.

If nothing else, we should be reminded today of the importance and seriousness of claiming Christ as Lord, as well as the seriousness of denying God.

"The blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the attribution of the works of Jesus to the very prince of demons. Moreover, this oral blasphemy involves not merely careless words but the expression of an incorrigibly evil heart. If dishonoring the Son of Man is such a serious matter as these scriptures indicate, then total rejection of God by insinuating that his "Holy" Spirit is "evil" is so much the worse. One may reject Christ and later, by God's grace, accept him; but there is no remedy for absolute and complete denial of the one holy God--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit."

If someone commits the sin of blasphemy and "doesn't know any better" that's one thing. In Mark 3:22-30 Jesus is proclaiming the kingly rule of God. His is bringing relief to those demon possessed souls. (Matthew 12:25-28)

"If someone were to look at the relief that Jesus brought these demon possessed people and thought he was doing so with the help of Satan, then their eyes were so tightly closed to the light that for them the light had become darkness and good became evil."

In today's context, there can be people (on the blasphemy challenge or not) that are so blind to the truth that they really don't know any better, and end up blaspheming God. I'm guessing that's the rare case though.

Compared to a legitimately naïve person, those on the "blasphemy challenge" may actually be in trouble.

We started off today with some disturbing video of people blaspheming God. How serious are they? No one really knows. That's between them and God.

Certainly some of that could be "showing off" in this age of YouTube etc.

I have no doubt that any of those people on the blasphemy challenge could come to their senses, repent and be accepted by God.

I do know that God's forgiveness is available to all…

Mark 3:28 and Luke 12:10.

We can use Paul as an example.

What about when he was killing Christians and tried to make them blaspheme? (Acts 26:11)

1 Timothy 1:12-13 tells us that he" acted ignorantly in unbelief and therefore received mercy."

But what if, on the Damascus road when God clearly was calling him he had continued to deny God? That would be blasphemy or rejecting God.

He wisely humbled himself and listened to God's leading.

Conclusion:

VIDEO of Christians on Blasphemy Challenge

July 15th, 2007

Difficult Bible Passages,

Matthew 10:34-39

Intro…weird illusions…

It came be the same way when you run across a passage like we see today.

Text: Matthew 10:34-39

We read a text like this and it can be confusing. So many other times Jesus clearly speaks of peace. John 14:27 Or what about Luke 2:14

Somehow we need to balance that with what we read today in Matt. 10 as well as Luke 12:51, "Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division, (families divided).

One thing is certain, Jesus did not advocate violence or conflict. He taught his followers to "turn the other cheek." Luke 6:29

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God." (Matt. 5:9, Sermon on the Mount, Beatitudes.)

God is a God of peace. Those who seek peace and pursue it reflect his character.

The message his followers proclaimed in his name after he left was called to "gospel of peace." (Eph. 6:15) or the "message of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:19.)

This peace Jesus speaks of isn't just doctrine we read about, it was and is a matter of experience.

The gospel message has the power to unite individuals and groups who may've been formerly estranged.

In today's passage when Jesus speaks of the tension within a family, he most likely is speaking from personal experience. Some members of his own family disagreed with his ministry.

Mark 3:20-21, "Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, "He is out of his mind." (He had just called the twelve disciples.)

John 7:5 tells us that even his own brothers did not believe him.

So when Jesus said the he had come to bring "not peace, but a sword" he meant that this would be the effect of his coming, not that this was the purpose of his coming.

Maybe some of you have experienced this in your own life. If your family comes from a different religious background than Christianity (or no religious background) and you are following Jesus with all your heart, that will cause tension and divide the family.

Or in marriage with a Christian spouse and a non-Christian…

We can't forget though that following Christ can and will cause tension with those who disagree. Why? Because it is a deeply held belief.

Jesus is the Prince of Peace , yet the world will so violently reject him and his reign that men and women will divide over him.

Religious wars have always been a part of our worlds history, for good and bad.

SLIDE "If you want to keep your friends, don't discuss religion or politics."

Holding strong to your belief in Jesus could bring tension, persecution and even death. The gospel can divide people, even families.

The only time the world will truly find peace again is when Jesus returns. (Isa. 2:4)

In our text today, Jesus warns us that our allegiance to him may cause conflict at home and possibly even getting kicked out of the home.

It's good though, cause then we can't say, "I never thought I'd have to pay this price for following Jesus."

Conclusion:

Look at the verse right before our passage today, (Matt. 10:32-33)…

Communion intro…GOSPEL

July 8th, 2007

Difficult Bible Passages Mark 10:11-12, Divorce and remarriage

Intro… Divorce stats...

The divorce problem has been going on since the time of Jesus (and before).

Text: Mark 10:1-12

This certainly is a difficult bible passage in light of the divorce rate today in and outside of the church. How to make sense of it?

Here Jesus is asked to give a ruling on a point of law which was debated in the Jewish schools. (See Deut. 24:1-4)

This law assumes that the divorce is already in process.

Yet, what about Malachi 2:13-16 where God says he hates divorce? Does that mean he hates people who get divorced? (No, he hates what divorce does to a couple and or family and what it does to the institution of marriage.)

This text in Deut. 24 states that a man may divorce his wife for "some indecency" or "something shameful." So, the disciples ask Jesus, what might this indecency be? (That justified divorce?)

Jesus gave them a straightforward answer: divorce and remarriage by husband or wife is adultery (v. 11).

How do we interpret these verses in light of the high divorce rate today, even among Christians?

There were two main schools of thought coming from the rabbinic teaching. One more stringently, one more broadly.

The stringent side was taught by a rabbi (Shammai) who lived a generation before Jesus who taught that a man could divorce his wife if in marrying her he thought she was a virgin and then discovered she wasn't. Deut. 22:13-21 speaks to that "indecency".

On the more broad side of the law was the teaching of Hillel (a contemporary of Shammi) that "some indecency" was anything her husband found offensive. (Now that's a broad interpretation for sure!) She could cease to find favor in his eyes (badly cooked food, less beautiful than other women.)

The rabbis who taught this liberal side of the law did not do so to make divorce easy. They were more concerned with the original intent of the scripture.

Against this diverse background, Jesus is asked for his opinion. Even the Pharisees who proposed the question were divided on this matter. (See Matt. 9:3)

If Jesus answered "yes" they wanted to know for what cause was divorce permissible.

Jesus wisely bypassed the traditional teachings of the rabbinic schools and went straight to the scriptures. (What did Moses command?)

Jesus reminds them that it was because of their hardness of heart, that Moses allowed this. (IOW, since things got so messed up with marriages, people cheating on each other etc., something had to be done.)

Jesus then goes back to the original intention or principle. (Mark 10:2-9) that is the beauty and sanctity of marriage. Gods design for marriage created a new unity for two people. There was no provision made for dissolving that unity.

Jesus isn't saying that every marriage is bliss and easy. The idea of marriage is made in heaven and starts with God's best intentions for a couple who fall in love and plan of spending the rest of their lives together. (Again there is God's high standard.)

Would we really rather that the Bible said, "Divorce is no big deal, just try not to let it happen."

So ideally, (Jesus says) there is not any cause that justifies divorce.

Jesus' answer takes both the man and women into account. The rabbis stringent and liberal interpretation of the law really only had the man in mind.

(What about the man's virginity before marriage or what it the man did something "indecent"? In today's context this could very well be more of an issue with men than women.)

So, Jesus (in speaking of the high place of honor that marriage has) is a friend of both men and women! In Gen. 1:27 when God created "man" in his own image that means both sexes. It is by God's ordinance that the two become one flesh in marriage.

" Jesus did what the rabbis refused to do: he recognized that a man could commit adultery against his wife. In rabbinic Judaism a woman by infidelity could commit adultery against her husband; and a man, by having sexual relations with another man's wife, could commit adultery against him. But a man could never commit adultery against his wife, no matter what he did. Jesus, by putting the husband under the same moral obligation as the wife, raised the status and dignity of women as well as the institution of marriage."

So the disciples are still confused, "Is divorce permitable under any circumstance?" (Evidently not, according the Jesus.)

In Matt. 19:9, unchastity is mentioned as a reason for divorce. Same thing in the sermon on the Mount

(Matt. 5:32). So what do we make of this clause? Is this your escape or way out of marriage?

Most likely this clause is in place because of the circumstances in the Gentile (non-Jewish) world. Sexual unions which may've been ok according the Gentile law were not according to Jewish law.

The Gentile mission presented new problems. They didn't think and act like "Christians" and most likely didn't care about Biblical laws. However, this was not a problem yet in Jesus' ministry.

So, on one hand Jesus very clearly and plainly is speaking against divorce, giving no exemptions.

Does that make divorce the "unforgivable sin?" (No, we're going to cover that one in 3 weeks, July 29th.)

Yes, divorce happens. Even to people in our church. God's grace covers all of us for the sins/mistakes we make in our lives.

If you have been divorced you can move forward, accepting God's forgiveness in your life, hopefully not letting it happen again.

"Instead of trying to find exemptions and clauses that allow for divorce, why not let the teachings of Jesus stand in their uncompromising rigor as to the ideal at which his followers ought to aim?"

These words of Jesus are a great reminder of the seriousness and sanctity of holy matrimony in God's eyes. Of the public vows you take. Of the hard work it is to make a marriage work. Of the careful thought one should take before committing to marriage.

(I need to make these verses a bigger part of my pre-marital counseling.)

This law reinforced by Jesus, however, has to make room for the hardness of men's hearts. (We're going to mess up and God gives grace when that happens.)

"Jesus shows a more excellent way then the way of legislation and supplies the power to change the human heart and make his ideal a practical responsibility." GOSPEL

Conclusion:

Over the years, I've done mostly pre-marital counseling. I have done my share of marital counseling thought with couples considering divorce. I've seen God heal marriages where infidelity is involved. I try not and give them the "easy out" and flippantly say, "Well because you cheated on your spouse, I guess they can just call it quits. What about working through the problem?

For you married folks… Are you still taking your vows serious? Are you consistently working through your problems? Are you holding your marriage in the same high regard as does Jesus?

For those thinking about getting married, are you now realizing the seriousness of the vows you may take some day? Hopefully you won't take lightly this step you are about to take.

For those who have been divorced, have you done your best to clear things up with God, accept his forgiveness and do everything within your strength to prevent it from happening again?

George Barna:
"While it may be alarming to discover that born again Christians are just as likely to experience a divorce, that pattern has been in place for quite some time. Even more disturbing, perhaps, is that when those individuals experience a divorce many of them feel their community of faith provides rejection rather than support and healing. But the research also raises questions regarding the effectiveness of how churches minister to families. The ultimate responsibility for a marriage belongs to the husband and wife, but the high incidence of divorce within the Christian community challenges the idea that churches provide truly practical and life-changing support for marriages . "

July 1st, 2007

Difficult Bible Passages

Adultery in the Heart, Matt. 5:27-30

Intro…me and my friend at a lake swimming when my dad overheard us talking about girls…and here we are at the beach today…we all fall into trap of lustful looks…maybe guys worse than girls.

In Matthew 5:27-30….Jesus has some direct words to say about the way we look the opposite sex…

Those are some crazy extremes, huh? Are we in danger of losing an eye or hand or else go to Hell?

(Cutting off or gouging out the offending part is a way of saying that Jesus' disciples must deal radically with sin.)

Living in a beach culture as we do, these verses are hard to take. Especially for us guys, since we are wired so visually.

Married folks…men would prefer their wives to parade around in lingerie…women would prefer to have the lights out and under the covers…

Men love to stare at women. It's been going on throughout history. Sex sells.

Jesus does a great job of making the law (Ex. 20:14, "You shall not commit adultery) even more stringent. He reminds us that the seventh commandment points in another direction--toward purity that refuses to lust.

Jesus helps us see the commonalities between the outward act and the inward thoughts and desires.

Why, because the thoughts in your mind are the seeds to actions…good and bad. We can't just make pretend the all-consuming thoughts don't sway our actions.

We tend to forget that the seeds of adultery are lustful thoughts….

In the cultural context of the original 10 commandments, this commandment forbid a man to have sexual relations with another man's wife. This was a capital offense and the penalty was stoning to death (as is still in some parts of the Near and Middle East today)

Another commandment is similar to what Jesus is saying: "You shall not covet your neighbor's wife." This could also mean coveting another man's wife for social and financial means as well as association with her family.

No matter what the level of covetousness, Jesus traces this act (even adultery) back to a lustful glance or thought.

That is where the rot starts. That is why we need to hold this action in check. It's all those seemingly innocent little actions that lead up to adultery or fornication.

You may be hearing this today and thinking that it's a bit extreme. Hey, what's wrong with looking? Sure I may dabble on the internet, or pornography, but I'm not one of those weirdoes…

Actually pornography is bad. The visual act of pornography can never really satisfy, never deliver what it promises.

Porno causes one to forget how relational urges were originally meant to be experienced. Porno is all about the visual. It's one sided and very unhealthy.

Unfortunately, it is joked about all the time today, taken lightly…

Remember Ted Bundy?

He was one of the most infamous serial killers in U.S. history. Bundy raped and murdered scores of young women across the United States between 1974 and 1978

Before he was executed he was interviewed by James Dobson .

During the interview, Bundy made repeated claims as to the pornographic "roots" of his sexually driven violence. He stated that, while pornography didn't cause him to commit his crimes, the consumption of violent pornography helped "shape and mold" his violence into "behavior too terrible to describe."

Even with you and I today, if the lustful thought is cherished or dwelt on, followed by fantasy, the commandment has already been broken.

Remember here Jesus is speaking about women (or men) in general, not just someone else's wife.

This may be a shocker to some of you married people, but you can commit adultery in the same sense with your spouse. To treat any woman or man as a sex object, always ready to satisfy your sexual needs is sinful.

So how do we keep all this in check? Do we walk around blindfolded? Or with horse blinders on? Yes…sort of…we need to be extra vigilant. The sexual visual temptations are everywhere.

Fill our hearts and minds with godly thoughts. GOSPEL Somehow avoid the onslaught of sex in the media.

Today's passage stays with the theme of the Bibles high, (really unattainable) standard. I'm ok with that…

Conclusion:

The guy who collects vintage boards and calls them his "other wives." Now that's a good discraction…