(Blog version of a two-part message preached at Bible Believers' Baptist Church, Madison, AL, on 26 May 2014.)
Text: Eph. 4:17-21
There are three words in the Bible that consist of only one letter: a/A, I, and o/O. The first of these is called an article, the second a pronoun, but the third functions as an address in some cases (“O King”; “o man of God”; etc.) and as an exclamation in others (“O that they were wise; “O the depths of the riches..”; etc.). It’s interesting that although “a” or “o” can be lowercase or uppercase in scripture, “I” is always uppercase. There may be nothing to that, but “I” is certainly the part of us that needs to be “lowercase” and not “uppercase.”
The word “O” appears 972 times in scripture, 917 in the old testament (OT), and 55 in the new (NT). [The word “oh” appears 37 times, all in the OT.] Of the NT references, 18 of these are in connection with the apostle Paul, either in the Acts chronology (5) or in his epistles (13). A survey of the usage of “O” throughout scripture shows us that it is an expression connected with deep feeling, almost invariably. Since Paul is our pattern and example in the church age, I think that it behooves us to note the things that moved him deeply and examine ourselves as to whether we share his sentiments. Likely those sentiments, if we share them with him, won’t reach the depth that his did, due to the abundant grace that he received as our pattern, but my assertion in this study is that those sentiments should be there, and if they are not, we should allow God to produce them in us. Scripture warns us against becoming “past feeling” (Eph. 4:19), and although it’s a reference to the Gentiles, it’s possible for Christians to become hardened as well, especially in the last days (1 Tim. 4:1-2).
We’ll look at a total of 11 passages, with brief comments on each.
1. Hindering seekers from hearing the truth (Acts 13:10). On the first leg of Paul’s first missionary journey, the apostle encounters a wicked Jewish sorcerer named Bar-Jesus who attempts to keep Sergius Paulus from hearing the truth. Paul becomes righteously indignant (note “righteousness” and “right”) in the Holy Ghost, and the anger is so deep, that the first word out of his mouth is “O…” It should move us deeply when people, lost or saved, try to hinder others from hearing the truth, since the truth brings us life (John 14:6), sanctification (John 17:17), and spiritual freedom (John 8:32). Christ rebuked the Pharisees for the same thing in Mt. 23:13, “But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.” Notice the exclamation point. Christ is deeply moved by this sin and pronounces woe on those that commit it, and Bar-Jesus is a solemn example of such woe at the beginning of the church age.
2. Presence of earthly powers (Acts 26:13, 19). In his defense before Agrippa, Paul twice uses “O” in reference to the king, showing the deep feeling produced by this audience. Why the deep feeling, since he was merely an earthly sovereign? Well, all earthly sovereigns “are ordained of God” (Rom. 13:2) and therefore stand in the place of God, and believers should give them the honour due them (Rom. 13:7). If the heathen respect earthly power (cf. 25:26), shouldn’t we much more, who know the Lord that empowered them (1 Pt. 2:13-14)? Luke addresses the “most excellent Theophilus” (Luke 1:1) this way in Acts 1:1, out of respect for his office. If we really believe that these people sit in the place of God, shouldn’t we have a deep sense of awe and respect toward them?
3. Sinners’ self-righteousness (Rom. 2:1-3). In Rom. 1:18-3:20, Paul shows how all men are guilty before God, Gentiles and Jews, and in need of the gospel. Although some may be following the light they have (i.e. creation, conscience, and law), there is a higher light that is the final solution to their sin problem: the gospel of Christ. Paul anticipates men’s arguments, including the self-justification of the “moral” Jew or Gentile (2:1-11). This self-justification, which Paul no doubt has encountered personally many times before writing this epistle, moves him to address such men personally with great feeling in vv. 1 and 3. One can see why since those justifying themselves by condemning others are also guilty of things worthy of condemnation (e.g. 1:29-32). For example, they may not have performed the act of adultery, but secretly lusted after someone else’s wife in their heart or divorced their wife loosely (Mt. 5:27-32). Paul is rightly stirred by their self-righteousness, as other godly men are in the scriptures. For example, Elihu, the mysterious “fourth man” that reproves Job and magnifies God in Job 32-37, is angered by Job’s self-justification and Job’s three friends’ unjust condemnation of him (Job 32:1-3), quite similar to what we see in Rom. 2:1-3. Self-justification should be abhorrent to all of us, since Christ condemns it (Luke 16:15), and rightly so since, compared with God’s absolute holiness, our best works “are as filthy rags” (Is. 64:6). Small wonder then, that Paul addresses such people so strongly, since God is opposed to men’s self-justification, which exalts them instead of him (Luke 7:29-30).
4. His own inner corruption (Rom. 7:24). In this poignant passage, especially vv. 14-25, Paul describes the struggle of the two natures, which begins at regeneration and continues as long as the believer resides in this “body of death” (v. 24). A believer never reaches a point where the sinful nature does not oppose the desires of the new nature to do good (7:21-23), since this counteraction is said to be a “law” (cf. Gal. 5:17). The burden of this perennial struggle evokes a deep groan from the spirit of Paul, which longs to be free from the evil influence of the flesh. Though he cannot escape its presence until death, he has been delivered from its power by a greater law, that of the Spirit now resident in him through salvation (Rom. 8:1-4). What a tremendous comfort that, even though our regenerated spirits are “trapped” within sinful, corruptible flesh, a greater power is available to mortify its influence, the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:13; Gal. 5:16).
5. Men questioning God’s righteousness in election (Rom. 9:20).
Romans 9-11 is Paul’s explanation of dispensational changes associated with the mystery program and their bearing on Jews and Gentiles. Some Jews believe Paul’s gospel (referred to as “the election” in 11:5, 7), while others don’t. Paul reminds his Roman audience, which includes Jews (4:1, 7:1), that being the physical seed of Abraham does not make them children of God (9:7-8). That comes by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ (9:30, 33). Examples of God preferring spiritual seed over physical are provided from the old testament (Isaac and Ishmael; Jacob and Esau). If any would question the righteousness of this election due to foreknowledge (v. 11), before any works are done, Paul is further willing to defend it. God decides who he will show mercy to and who he will harden and execute wrath upon, but not capriciously. Note carefully in vv. 11, 22 that doing good and evil are involved. God determines that certain will be blessed and cursed, but it’s not arbitrary. The respective “vessels” (vv. 22-23) have to respond appropriately to get the blessings (belief), or inappropriately to get punished (v. 22). Someone questioning God’s righteousness in all of this evokes deep anger from Paul, who is using all the scripture he can to show how God is right in all aspects of election, in any age.
6. God’s wisdom in saving all men through Israel’s fall (Rom. 11:33). This is one of only two times that Paul uses exclamation points (cf. 2 Cor. 7:11). Here Paul is greatly moved by grasping the wisdom of God’s plan to save all men through Israel’s fall. Although on the surface things look pretty bad for Israel (only a remnant believe Paul’s gospel and the rest are blinded; cf. 11:5-10), God reveals to Paul that their fall brings spiritual riches to the Gentiles (vv. 11-12). But God’s wisdom doesn’t stop there. His intention is not only to save the Gentiles through Israel’s fall, but to conversely use the Gentiles’ salvation to provoke the Jews to jealousy and trusting in Christ themselves (v. 14). When Paul grasps God’s two-sided plan to save all men in this age, as summarized in vv. 30-32, he cannot but burst out in praise for a Being so wise. There are two other places where Paul praises God for his wisdom (Rom. 16:25-27; 1 Tim. 1:17). The greatness of this wisdom should move us deeply and produce praise in our hearts and lips (Ps. 147:5).
7. Allowing unbelieving spouses to depart (1 Cor. 7:16). Paul’s use of “O” in this passage surprised me the most. It is aimed at believing spouses with unbelieving partners. In 1 Cor. 7:15, Paul says that the voluntary departure of an unbelieving partner is a legal divorce, and the believing partner is then free to marry again, in the Lord of course (7:39). It may seem like a strange thing for Paul to be deeply moved about, but it magnifies the importance of peace in the Christian home, if that home and its church is going to be what it ought to. In a sense, he’s saying “Let the unbelieving go; you don’t know whether you’ll save them (cf. 9:22, “…that I may…save some”), and God has called you to peace, which their presence may keep you from. The deep emotion in v. 16, I think, springs from Paul’s desire for the peace God has called all believers to, including those married to unbelieving partners, to be present in believing spouses' lives.
8. 1 Cor. 15:55 (believers’ victory over death). This verse is a free quotation of Hos. 13:14, which refers to the resurrection of Israel at the second coming, but the depth of feeling is retained in Paul’s prophecy here. The verse rings like a challenge to death and the grave, in the assurance of our future glorification. Considering how strong and painful sin is (v. 56), shouldn’t we be deeply moved at the prospect of being completely victorious over it?! As most of us have been taught, trusting Christ as our Saviour delivers us immediately from the penalty of sin, and yielding our members daily to Christ delivers us from the power of sin still latent in our members (Rom. 6, 7). But our glorification will, at long last, deliver us from the very presence of sin, so that it will never trouble us again. Blessed day! “Till all the ransomed church of God be saved to sin no more…” wrote Cowper in “There is a Fountain.” That’s a reference to glory, where sin and its exceeding sinfulness will be cast off forever and everything we do thereafter will be right (1 John 5:17). What a day that will be and what deep feeling that should arouse in us when we consider what’s to come!
9. Believers’ indifference toward spiritual fathers (2 Cor. 6:11). This verse provides a great example of what “O” signifies: an opened mouth from an enlarged heart. Paul’s heart is enlarged toward the Corinthians (v. 11), his spiritual children (v. 13), but theirs is not toward him (v. 12). I think that vv. 3-10 imply that Paul’s apostolic authority was being questioned by some of the Corinthians, hence this listing of credentials long after he had led them to Christ. He does the same thing in 11:23-33 and in 12:1-12. 2 Cor. 6:10 is a great lead in to his outburst in v. 11. Paul himself, like his Saviour (8:9) had made himself poor so that the Corinthians could be rich, and rightly feels that this should enlarge their heart toward him, their spiritual father. But here the flesh rears its ugly head in the church, and the very people that Paul led to Christ seem to be repaying him not with affection, but by questioning his apostolic authority. Isn’t the flesh great?! One can easily see, then, why Paul would be so moved.
If his dialogue with the Corinthians has a happy ending, his ministry does not, except on a personal level. In 2 Timothy we read how the church as a whole, and Paul’s ministerial associates, have forsaken him by the time of his death. But God in his grace, perhaps in response to Paul’s intercession in 2 Tim. 4:16, allows the church age to continue, despite the early church’s shameful treatment of the man who led them all to Christ. We tend to look at the early church “through rose-coloured spectacles,” but Paul’s ministry was a fight, from start to finish, against foes outside and inside the church (Acts 20:29-30). The Corinthians’ indifference is, in a way, a precursor to even greater difficulties later in his ministry.
10. Believers’ folly in lapsing into legalism (Gal. 3:1). This outburst follows Paul’s account of Peter’s lapse into legalism, but Christ shows the same deep feeling re: the folly of Cleopas and his companion on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:25), “O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken…” The deep emotion here reminds me of that he showed toward Bar-Jesus’ opposition in Acts 13. If God is a God of truth, which he’s called (Ps. 31:5), and he lives in us, which he does (1 Cor. 6:19), then shouldn’t lies and perversion of the truth move us deeply? Ever wonder why there’s so much in the Bible about false doctrine, false prophets, and false teachers? Because God’s very nature is truth and consequently he abhors lying (Ps. 119:163). That stuff may not seem important or “relevant” to you, but it deeply moves a God who is absolutely holy and true (1 John 1:5; Rev. 6:10), and if we’re in tune with him, it should deeply move us too.
11. 1 Tim. 6:11, 20 (minister’s need to flee covetousness and keep his charge). 1 Timothy 6 is perhaps Paul’s strongest words against covetousness. Elsewhere he does call it idolatry (Eph. 5:5; Col. 3:5). It can lead to false doctrine (v. 5) and the general destruction of those who follow it (vv.9-10); hence Paul’s emotional exhortation to Timothy in vv. 11-12 to flee it and follow graces in its place. Note the expression “lay hold of eternal life” in vv. 12, 19. The context of v. 19 is giving (v. 18), and by comparison with vv. 11-12, I think that Paul is exhorting Timothy to give also, in lieu of coveting, and so lay hold on eternal life himself. Lastly, he charges Timothy to keep the charge committed unto him and avoid false doctrine, bringing us full circle from 1 Timothy 1:3, where Paul reminds Timothy of why he left him in Ephesus: to contend for pure doctrine within the church.
In conclusion, then, the life of the apostle Paul is characterized by deep feeling, shown in part by his use of the exclamation “O.” These aren’t the only places he expresses deep feeling (cf. Rom. 9:1-5), but they are indicative of it. Although our faith is not based on feelings, it should produce feelings, even deep ones, about various things, as Paul demonstrates. If we’re not deeply moved by the things Paul was, perhaps it’s because we don’t understand the Christian life very well and our affections are in the wrong place. Paul tells us in Col. 3:1-2, “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection (your feelings) on things above, not on things on the earth.”
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
If Thou Wilt Be a Servant: Rehoboam's Choice
Text: 1 Kings 12:1-20
(Blog version of a Message Preached at Faith-Grace Vietnamese Baptist Church, Stone Mountain, GA, on 18 May 2014)
I want to talk to you about the power of choices. Someone said that all of us are the product of our own choices in life, and I believe that.
• Even if you are under someone’s authority, which most of you are, you still have choices to make. For example, you can choose to obey or disobey your parents. You can choose to listen in church or not listen. You can choose to have a good attitude, or a bad one.
• Everyone in this world, even those who we might call slaves, have the power of choice. And it’s a tremendous power. Although God is all-powerful, he still gives every one of us a free will to exercise as we wish. Wonderful, isn’t it? Yes, but also very serious.
• Our original parents, Adam and Eve, had the power of choice, but they chose to disobey God, and the world as we know it today is a product of that decision: poverty, war, disease, death…all of these came from that choice.
• But thank God someone else came into the world 2000 years ago and made this choice, “Not my will, but thine be done.” Who was that?
Here in 1 Kings 12, the new king of Israel, Rehoboam, has a big choice to make. His father, King Solomon, has died, and left a great kingdom to his son, but we find out in this chapter that Solomon put heavy burdens on his people to enjoy the fabulous wealth and power that he did. That’s what Jeroboam and the people are talking about when they say, “Thy father (i.e. Solomon) made our yoke grievous…” A “yoke” is defined as “service” in the next phrase. Farmers put yokes on cattle to attach them to plows and keep them in place to do their work. So the people are weary will the burdens that Solomon gave them and they come to the new king, led by his servant Jeroboam, to ask for relief.
So Rehoboam has a big choice to make. Will he continue to put the same burdens on the weary people that his father did, or will he lighten them at this own expense?
What I’d like to show you in this message are three things:
A. What to do when making a big choice
B. What not to do when making a big choice
C. Effects of our choices on us and on others
All of these things are covered in this passage.
A. What to do when making a big choice
1. Take time to think and pray (v. 5); Rehoboam asks for three days; it’s too serious a decision to make in just one day
2. Seek counsel from others (v. 6)
a. Group of people (Prov. 11:14)
b. Begin with older people; in family if possible
i. Older people are usually more mature and have more wisdom
ii. His father wasn’t there, so he sought people like his wise father
iii. So far so good, but the next verse is the most critical in the passage, and that’s why I centered the message on it
3. Take lower position, instead of trying to be on top
a. Old men gave him the right counsel; the outcome proves it
b. Since Solomon had demanded hard service from the people, the way to make peace was for Rehoboam to make himself a servant to them and do what they asked, instead of expecting the same service (or even more rigorous) from them that they gave his father
B. What not to do when making a big choice
1. Don’t reject counsel just because it crosses you
a. Much, if not most, of the good counsel you’ll receive in life will show you where you’re wrong or coming short and need to change
i. Prov. 6:23—the way to spiritual life is accepting reproof or correction from God and others; for example, you can’t be saved until you agree with God that you’re lost, which is very humbling, if you’re self-righteous, which many people are;
ii. 2 Tim. 4:1-2—much of preaching is negative (reprove and rebuke), and that’s why Paul said that even believers would turn away from it in the last days; when men get on TV and tell you how great you are and don’t say anything about you’re sins, they’re not preaching…they’re lying! If we’re all so good, then we don’t need a Saviour; but the fact that God did let Jesus die for us proves that we are guilty and deserve punishment
2. Don’t make a final choice before hearing all of your intended counselors (v. 8)
a. The passage doesn’t say that Rehoboam forsook the old men’s counsel after he had counseled with the younger men; he forsook it even before he went to the younger men; note where v. 8 is placed—seems like it should come after his discussion with the young men, but it doesn’t…
b. He had made up his mind that he was not going to make himself a servant to anyone; notice what he says to the young men—he emphasizes to them that the people want a lighter load; I think that he knew the character of these men, that they were immature and foolish, and that emphasizing the people’s wish for a lighter load would stir them up (he doesn’t emphasize it to the old men); it certainly does, and they foolishly counsel to stand up to the people and threaten them, instead of humbling himself before them; now, there’s a time for a king to take a stand, but this was not one of them; the old men knew this, but the young men were foolish and couldn’t tell the difference; Rehoboam follows the young men’s counsel, however, and look at the terrible results
C. Effects of our choices
1. On ourselves
a. Bring us closer or farther from God; at this point, he was serving God; afterward, he turns to false gods and commits and tolerates terrible sins
b. Bring us good name or bad name (v. 16; cf. Prov. 22:1); most of the nation loses respect for Rehoboam and his family (the house of David)
c. Bring us peace or trouble (v. 18); Rehoboam nearly loses his life by proudly denying the people’s plea and then insulting them by sending his chief tax collector, Adoram, to collect money from them
2. On others
a. Individuals can be helped or hurt; Adoram is killed when Rehoboam sends him to the angry 10 tribes; this man was simply following orders, but since Rehoboam was foolish, it cost Adoram his life
b. Groups can be helped or hurt; the older counselors lost their stature since Rehoboam ignored their advice; it’s unlikely that he’d ever consult with them again, so he not only missed the wisdom they offered here, but the rest of the wisdom he could have gained from them the rest of his reign as well
c. Nations can be helped or hurt; the kingdom of Israel is split in two, and the leaders of both divisions turn from God and their subjects follow them, with terrible results: (1) the king of Egypt invades and spoils the southern kingdom; (2) the two kingdoms fight—in one battle, the southern kingdom kills 500,000 soldiers from the northern kingdom (2 Chron. 13:17); (3) the northern kingdom never comes back to God until it’s conquered by Babylon at last and the people are carried away captive
d. All of this, because one man would not make himself servant to others! you see what a huge difference one man’s choices can make?! we’ve got to learn the necessity of serving others in life, the earlier the better; life is about serving God and others, not serving yourself; Rehoboam wanted to be served, but he ended up losing everything and carrying countless people down with him
e. Don’t follow this man! the Bible not only provides us good examples to learn from, but also bad ones, and Rehoboam is one of the bad ones; he starts out on the right track to making a good choice, but this situations shows that his heart wasn’t right, so he could not make the right choice as long as it was; what he should have done is humbled himself before the old men and the people and he could have held the kingdom together under God; instead, he puts himself before everyone and ends up losing everything and making so many others lose everything too.
f. So when you’ve got choices to make, think about how others will be affected, because they will be, whether you believe it or not
g. In conclusion, this message is mainly aimed at young people that already know the Lord; If you do, his wisdom is available to you through the word of God, the Holy Spirit, and the church (including your family, if they are saved); these resources can help you not to make selfish choices, but rather choices that will please God and bless others; if you’re not saved, however, your tendency will always be to put yourself first, since that’s the nature you’re born with; that’s why the Bible says that we need to be born again, by receiving Christ as our Saviour; when we do, we receive his nature (Holy Spirit), which enables us to deny and overcome our old nature and live for him instead of ourselves; receiving Christ is the first thing you need to do, if you hope to make the right choices in life, and I encourage you to do that today if you’ve never done so
(Blog version of a Message Preached at Faith-Grace Vietnamese Baptist Church, Stone Mountain, GA, on 18 May 2014)
I want to talk to you about the power of choices. Someone said that all of us are the product of our own choices in life, and I believe that.
• Even if you are under someone’s authority, which most of you are, you still have choices to make. For example, you can choose to obey or disobey your parents. You can choose to listen in church or not listen. You can choose to have a good attitude, or a bad one.
• Everyone in this world, even those who we might call slaves, have the power of choice. And it’s a tremendous power. Although God is all-powerful, he still gives every one of us a free will to exercise as we wish. Wonderful, isn’t it? Yes, but also very serious.
• Our original parents, Adam and Eve, had the power of choice, but they chose to disobey God, and the world as we know it today is a product of that decision: poverty, war, disease, death…all of these came from that choice.
• But thank God someone else came into the world 2000 years ago and made this choice, “Not my will, but thine be done.” Who was that?
Here in 1 Kings 12, the new king of Israel, Rehoboam, has a big choice to make. His father, King Solomon, has died, and left a great kingdom to his son, but we find out in this chapter that Solomon put heavy burdens on his people to enjoy the fabulous wealth and power that he did. That’s what Jeroboam and the people are talking about when they say, “Thy father (i.e. Solomon) made our yoke grievous…” A “yoke” is defined as “service” in the next phrase. Farmers put yokes on cattle to attach them to plows and keep them in place to do their work. So the people are weary will the burdens that Solomon gave them and they come to the new king, led by his servant Jeroboam, to ask for relief.
So Rehoboam has a big choice to make. Will he continue to put the same burdens on the weary people that his father did, or will he lighten them at this own expense?
What I’d like to show you in this message are three things:
A. What to do when making a big choice
B. What not to do when making a big choice
C. Effects of our choices on us and on others
All of these things are covered in this passage.
A. What to do when making a big choice
1. Take time to think and pray (v. 5); Rehoboam asks for three days; it’s too serious a decision to make in just one day
2. Seek counsel from others (v. 6)
a. Group of people (Prov. 11:14)
b. Begin with older people; in family if possible
i. Older people are usually more mature and have more wisdom
ii. His father wasn’t there, so he sought people like his wise father
iii. So far so good, but the next verse is the most critical in the passage, and that’s why I centered the message on it
3. Take lower position, instead of trying to be on top
a. Old men gave him the right counsel; the outcome proves it
b. Since Solomon had demanded hard service from the people, the way to make peace was for Rehoboam to make himself a servant to them and do what they asked, instead of expecting the same service (or even more rigorous) from them that they gave his father
B. What not to do when making a big choice
1. Don’t reject counsel just because it crosses you
a. Much, if not most, of the good counsel you’ll receive in life will show you where you’re wrong or coming short and need to change
i. Prov. 6:23—the way to spiritual life is accepting reproof or correction from God and others; for example, you can’t be saved until you agree with God that you’re lost, which is very humbling, if you’re self-righteous, which many people are;
ii. 2 Tim. 4:1-2—much of preaching is negative (reprove and rebuke), and that’s why Paul said that even believers would turn away from it in the last days; when men get on TV and tell you how great you are and don’t say anything about you’re sins, they’re not preaching…they’re lying! If we’re all so good, then we don’t need a Saviour; but the fact that God did let Jesus die for us proves that we are guilty and deserve punishment
2. Don’t make a final choice before hearing all of your intended counselors (v. 8)
a. The passage doesn’t say that Rehoboam forsook the old men’s counsel after he had counseled with the younger men; he forsook it even before he went to the younger men; note where v. 8 is placed—seems like it should come after his discussion with the young men, but it doesn’t…
b. He had made up his mind that he was not going to make himself a servant to anyone; notice what he says to the young men—he emphasizes to them that the people want a lighter load; I think that he knew the character of these men, that they were immature and foolish, and that emphasizing the people’s wish for a lighter load would stir them up (he doesn’t emphasize it to the old men); it certainly does, and they foolishly counsel to stand up to the people and threaten them, instead of humbling himself before them; now, there’s a time for a king to take a stand, but this was not one of them; the old men knew this, but the young men were foolish and couldn’t tell the difference; Rehoboam follows the young men’s counsel, however, and look at the terrible results
C. Effects of our choices
1. On ourselves
a. Bring us closer or farther from God; at this point, he was serving God; afterward, he turns to false gods and commits and tolerates terrible sins
b. Bring us good name or bad name (v. 16; cf. Prov. 22:1); most of the nation loses respect for Rehoboam and his family (the house of David)
c. Bring us peace or trouble (v. 18); Rehoboam nearly loses his life by proudly denying the people’s plea and then insulting them by sending his chief tax collector, Adoram, to collect money from them
2. On others
a. Individuals can be helped or hurt; Adoram is killed when Rehoboam sends him to the angry 10 tribes; this man was simply following orders, but since Rehoboam was foolish, it cost Adoram his life
b. Groups can be helped or hurt; the older counselors lost their stature since Rehoboam ignored their advice; it’s unlikely that he’d ever consult with them again, so he not only missed the wisdom they offered here, but the rest of the wisdom he could have gained from them the rest of his reign as well
c. Nations can be helped or hurt; the kingdom of Israel is split in two, and the leaders of both divisions turn from God and their subjects follow them, with terrible results: (1) the king of Egypt invades and spoils the southern kingdom; (2) the two kingdoms fight—in one battle, the southern kingdom kills 500,000 soldiers from the northern kingdom (2 Chron. 13:17); (3) the northern kingdom never comes back to God until it’s conquered by Babylon at last and the people are carried away captive
d. All of this, because one man would not make himself servant to others! you see what a huge difference one man’s choices can make?! we’ve got to learn the necessity of serving others in life, the earlier the better; life is about serving God and others, not serving yourself; Rehoboam wanted to be served, but he ended up losing everything and carrying countless people down with him
e. Don’t follow this man! the Bible not only provides us good examples to learn from, but also bad ones, and Rehoboam is one of the bad ones; he starts out on the right track to making a good choice, but this situations shows that his heart wasn’t right, so he could not make the right choice as long as it was; what he should have done is humbled himself before the old men and the people and he could have held the kingdom together under God; instead, he puts himself before everyone and ends up losing everything and making so many others lose everything too.
f. So when you’ve got choices to make, think about how others will be affected, because they will be, whether you believe it or not
g. In conclusion, this message is mainly aimed at young people that already know the Lord; If you do, his wisdom is available to you through the word of God, the Holy Spirit, and the church (including your family, if they are saved); these resources can help you not to make selfish choices, but rather choices that will please God and bless others; if you’re not saved, however, your tendency will always be to put yourself first, since that’s the nature you’re born with; that’s why the Bible says that we need to be born again, by receiving Christ as our Saviour; when we do, we receive his nature (Holy Spirit), which enables us to deny and overcome our old nature and live for him instead of ourselves; receiving Christ is the first thing you need to do, if you hope to make the right choices in life, and I encourage you to do that today if you’ve never done so
Sunday, May 4, 2014
The Grace of Zeal (2 Cor. 7:11)
(Slightly edited transcript of Bible study lesson taught at Landmark Baptist Church, Locust Grove, GA, on 4 May 2014.)
In this study, I would like to survey the biblical references to zeal in its three forms (zeal, zealous, and zealously). One of my previous lessons dealt with the grace of gentleness, which we saw was associated with spiritual strength. Even though zeal is quite different than gentleness, it’s also an aspect of holiness, associated with spiritual strength, and something that needs development in our spiritual lives.
INTRODUCTION
By way of introduction, let’s take a quick look at the statistics concerning usage of this word and its forms in the scriptures and establish a definition of zeal.
• Usage. This word and its forms occurs 26 times in the scriptures, 12 in .the old testament (OT) and 14 in the new testament (NT). So it’s more prevalent in the NT, comparatively. It’s also noteworthy that 11 of the 14 NT references are connected with Paul, which I don’t think is a coincidence. Paul is a great example of zeal before and after his conversion, and he also taught that zeal should characterize the life of every Christian, as we’ll see later.
• Definition. Before we proceed, though, let’s track down the definition of zeal in the English text. In 2 Cor. 7:11, Paul mentions zeal in the context of “vehement desire,” connecting it with desire. But what about vehement? What does that signify? So in order to define zeal, we must also define vehement, and so when we’re done, we’ll know the definitions to two unfamiliar words. Vehemence is connected with fire, wind, and water: (1) fire: Song 8:6, “strong…a most vehement flame”; (2) wind: Jonah 4:8, “vehement east wind…beat upon”; and (3) Luke 6:48, “the stream beat vehemently upon…” So vehemence is connected with strength, and if zeal is a vehement desire, then it’s a strong desire. But that’s not all…
• Lust is also a strong desire, isn’t it? So what’s the difference between the two? Well, I think when you consider all of the references to zeal in scripture, you’ll find that it’s a strong desire to do what one perceives to be right. I emphasize perceives, since there are examples of people in the Bible who were zealous, but they weren’t right.
• How about the two Sauls? In 2 Sam. 21:1-2, we learn that King Saul, during his reign, “sought to slay [the Gibeonites] in his zeal to the children of Israel and Judah,” but he was wrong to do so, since Joshua had sworn to protect the Gibeonites for ever. Saul of Tarsus said, “Concerning zeal, persecuting the church;” (Phil. 3:6). He was doing what he perceived to be right. He told the council in Acts 23:1, “Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day…” and Agrippa “I verily thought with myself that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth” (Acts 26:9).
• Also, the Jews who rejected Paul’s gospel were said to “have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge” (Rom. 10:2; cf. Acts 22:3). I believe that, in context, these are Christ-rejecting Jews, since Paul says in Rom. 10:3 that they ignore and refuse to submit to God’s righteousness, which wouldn’t apply to believing kingdom saints in Israel (cf. Acts 21:20).
• So zeal is more than just a strong desire. It’s a strong desire to do what someone perceives to be right; sometimes the zeal is on target, as we’ll see, and sometimes it’s not, as we’ve already seen.
ATTRIBUTE OF GOD
So with these statistics and definition in hand, the first thing to note about zeal is that, like gentleness, it is an attribute of God. Most people, even those who don’t know God, would agree that zeal is a virtue and desirable. Any desirable human behavioral trait (kindness, fidelity, patience, etc.) can be traced back to the ultimate good, which is God. Small wonder, then, that, along with references to human zeal in the scriptures, we find references to divine zeal.
Zeal is ascribed to each member of the Godhead, though it’s clearer for the Father and Son than for the Spirit.
• Father. Zeal is ascribed to the Father in several places. One that’s probably familiar to most of my readers is Isaiah 9:7, “Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.” The LORD with capitals is the English form of Jehovah, which refers to the Father. In Ps. 110:1, we read, “The LORD (the Father, speaking) said unto my Lord (the Son), Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.” So the Father is zealous; in context, to put his Son on the throne of the universe for ever. Amen!
• Son. Zeal is ascribed to the Lord Jesus Christ in John 2:13-17, when he purges the temple for the first time, showing that Ps. 69:9 is a Messianic reference.
• Spirit. It’s more difficult to find a reference to the Spirit’s zeal, but I think that Rev. 3:19-22 reveals it. Note in Rev. 3:19 that the Laodiceans in the tribulation are told to “be zealous therefore and repent,” and according to v. 22, it’s the Spirit that says this to them and the other churches. In my thought, the Spirit wouldn’t tell them to be zealous if he wasn’t zealous himself.
So zeal is found to be another aspect of the nature of God, with clear reference to its presence in each member of the Godhead. Zeal is one aspect of the glory and holiness of God: glorious in him, but also latent and desirable in us, because of his indwelling.
KINGDOM GRACE
The grace of zeal is evident throughout the kingdom/prophetic scriptures. Three men, in particular, exemplify it, besides the Lord (as we saw in John 2), under the kingdom program:
1. Phinehas (Num. 25:6-15). The first mention of “zealous” (not “zeal”) in scripture refers to Phinehas, Aaron’s grandson, and his execution of Zimri, prince of the Simeonites, and Cozbi, his Midianite wife. Seeing Zimri strut this sinful union before the tabernacle, where the penitent Jews were weeping over the plague in their midst, Phinehas is filled with righteous anger and a strong desire to rectify the situation, which he did…with a javelin! Since the weapons of spiritual warfare could be carnal in those days, God commends Phinehas’ zeal and promises him eternal rewards for it. Application: Holy zeal in this life can bring you eternal rewards. The Jews who stood by careless or unwilling to act did not gain the rewards that Phinehas did. Do you see the application here? The rewards go to the zealous, folks, not the lazy, careless, or indecisive.
2. Jehu (2 Kings 3:1-2; 10:16, 28-32). By a strange dispensation of grace, Jehu shows a strong desire to rid his kingdom from all Baal-worship. Jehoram, Ahab’s son “put[s] away the image of Baal that his father had made,” (2 Kings 3:1-2), but he does not rid the land of Baal worshippers, which Jehu assays to do and ultimately succeeds (2 Kings 10:28). Jehoram and Jehu both fall short, however, of full reformation, since they refuse to renounce idolatry altogether for the worship of God, cleaving to the calves of Jeroboam (2 Kings 3:3; 10:31). I see Jehu’s failure as the beginning of the end for Israel, since 10:32 says, “In those days the LORD began to cut Israel short: and Hazael smote them in all the coasts of Israel…” If Jehu had cleaved to the LORD instead of the calves, things might have gone quite differently for Israel, but he was content with executing judgment on the house of Ahab and the Baalites, rather than “walk[ing] in the law of the LORD God of Israel with all his heart…” (10:31a).
3. David (Ps. 69:9). In Psalm 69, David mentions his zeal for God’s house. By comparison with Ps. 119:139, which also mentions zeal, we see that “consumed” is defined as “eaten up.” There are multiple applications here. Historically, zeal for God’s house could be David’s zeal for his people, the house of God in the OT; and for the temple itself. Prophetically, this applies to Christ and his zeal for Israel and the temple (John 2:19) and the same for a saint in the great tribulation (note other Jews in 69:8).
MYSTERY GRACE
If the Godhead is living its life out through members of the body of Christ, as Paul affirms it is in various scriptures (Rom. 8:10; Gal. 2:20; and Phil. 2:13), of course zeal should characterize our walk and ministry.
1. Walk. Titus 2:14 tells us that our overall manner of life should be zealous, since Christ was so zealous to save us! Rom. 12:1 confirms this: we should present our bodies to God since Christ did the same for us. Paul commends the Corinthians believers for being “zealous of spiritual gifts” in 1 Cor. 14:12, but he encourages them to aim higher by seeking to “excel to the edifying of the church.” Since the miraculous spiritual gifts are no longer operative, our zeal today should be directed toward edifying the church with the means of grace at our disposal: scripture, music, prayer, and giving. Paul mentions zeal in connection with giving in 2 Cor. 9:2, encouraging the Corinthians that their “zeal [in giving] hath provoked very many.” But there’s one other zeal that should characterize our walk under grace, found in 2 Cor. 7:11: the zeal to make things right after conviction and repentance of sin. That’s the sense of “revenge” at the end of v. 11: not hurting someone, but setting things right about their own sin. Are these types of zeal manifest in your life? If they are, you’ll probably here about it from other people eventually. If a man love God, the same is known of him (1 Cor. 8:3). If a man is zealous, the same is known of him as well.
2. Ministry. Col. 4:12-13. Since ministry is the product of our daily fellowship with God, it follows that a zealous Christian life will produce a zealous ministry. Epaphras, the Colossian evangelist, is a fine example of this. Possibly a convert of Paul, Epaphras evangelizes his own people (Col. 1:6-8), but his ministry doesn’t stop there. He apparently leaves Colossae to see Paul in Rome (Col. 4:12) and was imprisoned at some point (Phile. 23), but it looks like he returns to Colossae, since Paul salutes him through the letter to Philemon, a Colossian. In any case, Paul witnesses his zeal for the Colossians and their neighbors in Laodicea and Hierapolis, especially through Epaphras’ intercession for these saints’ perfection. Here is something to note about Christian life and ministry: all saints should be zealous about prayer for other saints (Eph. 6:18), as well as for the lost (1 Tim. 2:1-2); and zeal in Christian ministry will include continued, fervent prayer for saints’ maturity. E.M. Bounds pounds on this in Power Through Prayer, asserting that a minister’s ministry is not complete without fervent prayer. In Col. 4:17, toward the close of this passage, Paul exhorts Archippus to fulfill his ministry, the general sense being to complete it, but on a practical note, his ministry would not be complete without the type of intercession exemplified by Epaphras.
CONCLUSION
Zeal, then, is an attribute of the Godhead and is manifest in the lives of saints in both the kingdom and mystery programs. The scriptures show Father, Son, and Holy Ghost all to be zealous by nature, and Phinehas, David, Christ, Paul, and Epaphras were zealous. Good role models, amen? Phinehas is given “the covenant of an everlasting priesthood” for his holy zeal (Num. 25:10-13) in the OT. To follow Christ and Paul in the NT is to be zealous (John 2:17; Gal. 4:18-19).
It’s noteworthy that zeal is the only noun in scripture beginning with the letter “Z.” To me, that’s not a coincidence. When all is said and done, we should be zealous, and that until the end of our lives. People talk of “youthful zeal,” and it’s true that zeal normally characterizes youth, but shouldn’t it characterize old age as well?
I’d like to close this lesson with a favorite passage on old age found in Ps. 92:12-15. I share this passage with elder brethren in Christ quite often, and although it doesn’t mention zeal specifically, I think that it’s implied. Doctrinally, it applies to the millennial kingdom, when longevity will be greatly increased, but I think that it can be spiritually applied to the body of Christ. Note esp. v. 14, “They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing.” Not just some fruit, but much fruit. And much fruit comes from much zeal, normally. What’s the secret to this fruitfulness and flourishing? I think it’s found in v. 13: they are planted in the house of the LORD. They are grounded in Christ, including the church, which is the LORD’s house in this age. I think that you’ll find the most fruitful elderly folks in church, in spirit if not in body, not off by themselves. You’ll find them zealously serving others the best that they can, until they can serve no more.
Let’s be followers of our Lord, our apostle, and other great saints from both testaments by being zealous, strongly desiring to do what’s right, no matter the cost, knowing that lasting rewards await us.
In this study, I would like to survey the biblical references to zeal in its three forms (zeal, zealous, and zealously). One of my previous lessons dealt with the grace of gentleness, which we saw was associated with spiritual strength. Even though zeal is quite different than gentleness, it’s also an aspect of holiness, associated with spiritual strength, and something that needs development in our spiritual lives.
INTRODUCTION
By way of introduction, let’s take a quick look at the statistics concerning usage of this word and its forms in the scriptures and establish a definition of zeal.
• Usage. This word and its forms occurs 26 times in the scriptures, 12 in .the old testament (OT) and 14 in the new testament (NT). So it’s more prevalent in the NT, comparatively. It’s also noteworthy that 11 of the 14 NT references are connected with Paul, which I don’t think is a coincidence. Paul is a great example of zeal before and after his conversion, and he also taught that zeal should characterize the life of every Christian, as we’ll see later.
• Definition. Before we proceed, though, let’s track down the definition of zeal in the English text. In 2 Cor. 7:11, Paul mentions zeal in the context of “vehement desire,” connecting it with desire. But what about vehement? What does that signify? So in order to define zeal, we must also define vehement, and so when we’re done, we’ll know the definitions to two unfamiliar words. Vehemence is connected with fire, wind, and water: (1) fire: Song 8:6, “strong…a most vehement flame”; (2) wind: Jonah 4:8, “vehement east wind…beat upon”; and (3) Luke 6:48, “the stream beat vehemently upon…” So vehemence is connected with strength, and if zeal is a vehement desire, then it’s a strong desire. But that’s not all…
• Lust is also a strong desire, isn’t it? So what’s the difference between the two? Well, I think when you consider all of the references to zeal in scripture, you’ll find that it’s a strong desire to do what one perceives to be right. I emphasize perceives, since there are examples of people in the Bible who were zealous, but they weren’t right.
• How about the two Sauls? In 2 Sam. 21:1-2, we learn that King Saul, during his reign, “sought to slay [the Gibeonites] in his zeal to the children of Israel and Judah,” but he was wrong to do so, since Joshua had sworn to protect the Gibeonites for ever. Saul of Tarsus said, “Concerning zeal, persecuting the church;” (Phil. 3:6). He was doing what he perceived to be right. He told the council in Acts 23:1, “Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day…” and Agrippa “I verily thought with myself that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth” (Acts 26:9).
• Also, the Jews who rejected Paul’s gospel were said to “have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge” (Rom. 10:2; cf. Acts 22:3). I believe that, in context, these are Christ-rejecting Jews, since Paul says in Rom. 10:3 that they ignore and refuse to submit to God’s righteousness, which wouldn’t apply to believing kingdom saints in Israel (cf. Acts 21:20).
• So zeal is more than just a strong desire. It’s a strong desire to do what someone perceives to be right; sometimes the zeal is on target, as we’ll see, and sometimes it’s not, as we’ve already seen.
ATTRIBUTE OF GOD
So with these statistics and definition in hand, the first thing to note about zeal is that, like gentleness, it is an attribute of God. Most people, even those who don’t know God, would agree that zeal is a virtue and desirable. Any desirable human behavioral trait (kindness, fidelity, patience, etc.) can be traced back to the ultimate good, which is God. Small wonder, then, that, along with references to human zeal in the scriptures, we find references to divine zeal.
Zeal is ascribed to each member of the Godhead, though it’s clearer for the Father and Son than for the Spirit.
• Father. Zeal is ascribed to the Father in several places. One that’s probably familiar to most of my readers is Isaiah 9:7, “Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.” The LORD with capitals is the English form of Jehovah, which refers to the Father. In Ps. 110:1, we read, “The LORD (the Father, speaking) said unto my Lord (the Son), Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.” So the Father is zealous; in context, to put his Son on the throne of the universe for ever. Amen!
• Son. Zeal is ascribed to the Lord Jesus Christ in John 2:13-17, when he purges the temple for the first time, showing that Ps. 69:9 is a Messianic reference.
• Spirit. It’s more difficult to find a reference to the Spirit’s zeal, but I think that Rev. 3:19-22 reveals it. Note in Rev. 3:19 that the Laodiceans in the tribulation are told to “be zealous therefore and repent,” and according to v. 22, it’s the Spirit that says this to them and the other churches. In my thought, the Spirit wouldn’t tell them to be zealous if he wasn’t zealous himself.
So zeal is found to be another aspect of the nature of God, with clear reference to its presence in each member of the Godhead. Zeal is one aspect of the glory and holiness of God: glorious in him, but also latent and desirable in us, because of his indwelling.
KINGDOM GRACE
The grace of zeal is evident throughout the kingdom/prophetic scriptures. Three men, in particular, exemplify it, besides the Lord (as we saw in John 2), under the kingdom program:
1. Phinehas (Num. 25:6-15). The first mention of “zealous” (not “zeal”) in scripture refers to Phinehas, Aaron’s grandson, and his execution of Zimri, prince of the Simeonites, and Cozbi, his Midianite wife. Seeing Zimri strut this sinful union before the tabernacle, where the penitent Jews were weeping over the plague in their midst, Phinehas is filled with righteous anger and a strong desire to rectify the situation, which he did…with a javelin! Since the weapons of spiritual warfare could be carnal in those days, God commends Phinehas’ zeal and promises him eternal rewards for it. Application: Holy zeal in this life can bring you eternal rewards. The Jews who stood by careless or unwilling to act did not gain the rewards that Phinehas did. Do you see the application here? The rewards go to the zealous, folks, not the lazy, careless, or indecisive.
2. Jehu (2 Kings 3:1-2; 10:16, 28-32). By a strange dispensation of grace, Jehu shows a strong desire to rid his kingdom from all Baal-worship. Jehoram, Ahab’s son “put[s] away the image of Baal that his father had made,” (2 Kings 3:1-2), but he does not rid the land of Baal worshippers, which Jehu assays to do and ultimately succeeds (2 Kings 10:28). Jehoram and Jehu both fall short, however, of full reformation, since they refuse to renounce idolatry altogether for the worship of God, cleaving to the calves of Jeroboam (2 Kings 3:3; 10:31). I see Jehu’s failure as the beginning of the end for Israel, since 10:32 says, “In those days the LORD began to cut Israel short: and Hazael smote them in all the coasts of Israel…” If Jehu had cleaved to the LORD instead of the calves, things might have gone quite differently for Israel, but he was content with executing judgment on the house of Ahab and the Baalites, rather than “walk[ing] in the law of the LORD God of Israel with all his heart…” (10:31a).
3. David (Ps. 69:9). In Psalm 69, David mentions his zeal for God’s house. By comparison with Ps. 119:139, which also mentions zeal, we see that “consumed” is defined as “eaten up.” There are multiple applications here. Historically, zeal for God’s house could be David’s zeal for his people, the house of God in the OT; and for the temple itself. Prophetically, this applies to Christ and his zeal for Israel and the temple (John 2:19) and the same for a saint in the great tribulation (note other Jews in 69:8).
MYSTERY GRACE
If the Godhead is living its life out through members of the body of Christ, as Paul affirms it is in various scriptures (Rom. 8:10; Gal. 2:20; and Phil. 2:13), of course zeal should characterize our walk and ministry.
1. Walk. Titus 2:14 tells us that our overall manner of life should be zealous, since Christ was so zealous to save us! Rom. 12:1 confirms this: we should present our bodies to God since Christ did the same for us. Paul commends the Corinthians believers for being “zealous of spiritual gifts” in 1 Cor. 14:12, but he encourages them to aim higher by seeking to “excel to the edifying of the church.” Since the miraculous spiritual gifts are no longer operative, our zeal today should be directed toward edifying the church with the means of grace at our disposal: scripture, music, prayer, and giving. Paul mentions zeal in connection with giving in 2 Cor. 9:2, encouraging the Corinthians that their “zeal [in giving] hath provoked very many.” But there’s one other zeal that should characterize our walk under grace, found in 2 Cor. 7:11: the zeal to make things right after conviction and repentance of sin. That’s the sense of “revenge” at the end of v. 11: not hurting someone, but setting things right about their own sin. Are these types of zeal manifest in your life? If they are, you’ll probably here about it from other people eventually. If a man love God, the same is known of him (1 Cor. 8:3). If a man is zealous, the same is known of him as well.
2. Ministry. Col. 4:12-13. Since ministry is the product of our daily fellowship with God, it follows that a zealous Christian life will produce a zealous ministry. Epaphras, the Colossian evangelist, is a fine example of this. Possibly a convert of Paul, Epaphras evangelizes his own people (Col. 1:6-8), but his ministry doesn’t stop there. He apparently leaves Colossae to see Paul in Rome (Col. 4:12) and was imprisoned at some point (Phile. 23), but it looks like he returns to Colossae, since Paul salutes him through the letter to Philemon, a Colossian. In any case, Paul witnesses his zeal for the Colossians and their neighbors in Laodicea and Hierapolis, especially through Epaphras’ intercession for these saints’ perfection. Here is something to note about Christian life and ministry: all saints should be zealous about prayer for other saints (Eph. 6:18), as well as for the lost (1 Tim. 2:1-2); and zeal in Christian ministry will include continued, fervent prayer for saints’ maturity. E.M. Bounds pounds on this in Power Through Prayer, asserting that a minister’s ministry is not complete without fervent prayer. In Col. 4:17, toward the close of this passage, Paul exhorts Archippus to fulfill his ministry, the general sense being to complete it, but on a practical note, his ministry would not be complete without the type of intercession exemplified by Epaphras.
CONCLUSION
Zeal, then, is an attribute of the Godhead and is manifest in the lives of saints in both the kingdom and mystery programs. The scriptures show Father, Son, and Holy Ghost all to be zealous by nature, and Phinehas, David, Christ, Paul, and Epaphras were zealous. Good role models, amen? Phinehas is given “the covenant of an everlasting priesthood” for his holy zeal (Num. 25:10-13) in the OT. To follow Christ and Paul in the NT is to be zealous (John 2:17; Gal. 4:18-19).
It’s noteworthy that zeal is the only noun in scripture beginning with the letter “Z.” To me, that’s not a coincidence. When all is said and done, we should be zealous, and that until the end of our lives. People talk of “youthful zeal,” and it’s true that zeal normally characterizes youth, but shouldn’t it characterize old age as well?
I’d like to close this lesson with a favorite passage on old age found in Ps. 92:12-15. I share this passage with elder brethren in Christ quite often, and although it doesn’t mention zeal specifically, I think that it’s implied. Doctrinally, it applies to the millennial kingdom, when longevity will be greatly increased, but I think that it can be spiritually applied to the body of Christ. Note esp. v. 14, “They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing.” Not just some fruit, but much fruit. And much fruit comes from much zeal, normally. What’s the secret to this fruitfulness and flourishing? I think it’s found in v. 13: they are planted in the house of the LORD. They are grounded in Christ, including the church, which is the LORD’s house in this age. I think that you’ll find the most fruitful elderly folks in church, in spirit if not in body, not off by themselves. You’ll find them zealously serving others the best that they can, until they can serve no more.
Let’s be followers of our Lord, our apostle, and other great saints from both testaments by being zealous, strongly desiring to do what’s right, no matter the cost, knowing that lasting rewards await us.
Saturday, May 3, 2014
Is Christ our Master?
Although the title "Master" is only given to Christ twice in Paul's epistles (Eph. 6:9; Col. 4:1), it is not unscriptural for us to regard Christ as our master for a few reasons: (1) we are servants of God, as well as sons, in the sense that we are called to do his will (Rom. 6:22; 12:1, 11); and (2) Master is very similar in sense to "Lord" (cf. Mt. 10:24; John 13:13-14).
In both passages where Paul uses "Master" as a title for Christ, he is reminding earthly masters that they are under authority to a heavenly Master, the Lord Christ (Col. 3:24). It's not only Christian masters, however, that have Christ as Master, but rather all saints. I think that this title may not be used as much since the title "Lord" magnifies Christ's Deity more.
But it's perfectly fine for a believer to refer to the Lord this way, even in a devotional sense. "Master" was Frances Ridley Havergal's favourite title for Christ, and you can find this title in her hymns ("Master, speak! Thy servant heareth") and writings (Kept for the Master's Use). This reminded me of another use of "master" in reference to Christ, though not as a title, in 2 Timothy 2:21, "If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work." What a blessing to be under this Master and not the cruel ones that preceded him (Acts 26:18; Rom. 6:17; Eph. 2:2)!
In both passages where Paul uses "Master" as a title for Christ, he is reminding earthly masters that they are under authority to a heavenly Master, the Lord Christ (Col. 3:24). It's not only Christian masters, however, that have Christ as Master, but rather all saints. I think that this title may not be used as much since the title "Lord" magnifies Christ's Deity more.
But it's perfectly fine for a believer to refer to the Lord this way, even in a devotional sense. "Master" was Frances Ridley Havergal's favourite title for Christ, and you can find this title in her hymns ("Master, speak! Thy servant heareth") and writings (Kept for the Master's Use). This reminded me of another use of "master" in reference to Christ, though not as a title, in 2 Timothy 2:21, "If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work." What a blessing to be under this Master and not the cruel ones that preceded him (Acts 26:18; Rom. 6:17; Eph. 2:2)!
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