Tag: Travis Peterson

1 Kings 18:31-39 (ESV)

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

36 And at the time of the offering of the oblation, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. 37 Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.” 38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God.”

 

            The confrontation between Elijah and the prophets of Baal on mount Carmel is the stuff of legend.  It is sort of a biblical showdown at high noon.  The prophet stands alone atop a mountain against 850 worshippers of a false god.

 

            What is not often at the center of our thinking as we analyze this event, however, is Elijah’s strategy.  The contest itself is interesting.  The meticulous steps Elijah goes through to build the altar is worthy of note.  But it is Elijah’s use of water and his prayer that have my attention this morning.

 

            Remember, this is a test of fire.  Whoever’s deity burns up the offering on the altar is the winner.  Somebody needs to tell Elijah that water and fire don’t go together.  The strategy he uses seems counter-productive to say the least.

 

            But then Elijah prays.  He says, “let it be known this day that you are God in Israel…  answer me, that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God.”  Elijah’s whole point is to show the people that God is the one, the only one, who is responsible for what happens.  Elijah doused the offering with water so that nobody could think in any way that Elijah had anything to do with making the fire.

 

            What does God do?  God answers with fire from heaven.  Nobody who saw this could have doubted it was God.  There was so much water poured over the wood that it simply could not have burned by natural means.  They saw the power of God, and the people fell down and worshipped.

 

            What are your strategies to prove to the lost that our God is the real God?  Do your strategies leave no doubt that, if people are won to Christ, it was Christ who did it?  Does your church make the preaching, the proclamation, of God’s word central, even though this world thinks that a poor modern strategy?  Or are your ways of convincing people of the gospel ways that would “work” regardless of whether not God is real?  Is the power of God necessary for your plans to succeed?  If your plans succeed, will God have the glory, or will he be forced to share it with your cleverness, your talent, your ingenuity?

 

            I know, I know, I’m sounding more and more curmudgeonly with each paragraph.  I don’t want to promote laziness or thoughtlessness in ministry.  We need to put forth every effort and use all of our wisdom and giftedness to get the gospel to the nations.  My point, however, is that the gospel is the gospel.  We cannot modify it.  We cannot enhance it.  We cannot remove repentance from it.  The gospel, if it is the gospel of the Bible, is foolish, even offensive,  to those who are perishing.  We cannot convince them by any means other than by the clear, Scripture-laden proclamation of truth.  It must be God who changes hearts.  It must be God who does the impossible.  Why?  It must be God who gets all, absolutely all, of the glory.

 

            Elijah poured and poured water over the offering.  Nobody thought that made sense.  But Elijah kept pouring the water so that, when the work was done, God got all the glory.  If the plain and honest proclamation of the age-old gospel is water poured on the offering of your church, keep pouring the water.  If the strategy is not “working,” but if the strategy is the bible, keep pouring the water.  Preach the true Gospel.  Preach it in love.  Preach it without compromise.  Preach it prayerfully.  But preach the genuine gospel, pour the water, pray, and let God answer and show the world that he is God.

Genesis 3:4-5

 

4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6

 

Genesis 4:3-4

 

3 In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, 4 and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, 5 but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell.

 

        I see in these two very different passages a running theme that is frightening to behold.  The theme is scary, not because it happened 6,000 years ago, but because it is still happening today in our world.  In fact, if we are honest, we are tempted by this sin right now.

 

        In Genesis 3, we see the fall of man.  The serpent tempted Eve with the ability of  “knowing good and evil.”  The reason this tempted her, as we see earlier in the serpent’s words, is that such an ability makes one “like God.”  In fact, the one with the ability that Eve wanted would be a sort of mini-god all to himself or herself.

 

        Now, look at chapter 4.  Cane’s offering was rejected by God.  Something about Cane’s heart and his offering was not right to the Lord.  How did Cane respond?  He was angry. 

 

        Can I experimentally ponder this morning that these two sins might be the same?  Look at Cane.  He wanted to have the right to tell God what was good and evil.  He wanted to tell God what offering should be acceptable.  He wanted to know good and evil in such a way as to be the god who determines what is right and what is wrong.  Go back to Eve.  She wanted to be “like God, knowing good and evil.”

 

        Whether my little mental exercise would bear up under scrutiny aside, is it not true that we today still try to sit in the place of god?  is it not true that we want to not only know what is right and wrong, but we believe ourselves to have the authority to say what is right or wrong?  When we look at a command of Scripture and weigh in our hearts whether we like it or not, are we not saying to God that we, better than he, know what is right and wrong?  When we delve into commands that do not make sense to us in order to find a justifying reason for that command to be good, are we not, in a small sense, trying God’s commands by our own standard of good versus evil?

 

        Perhaps one of the key differences between pre-fall and post-fall humanity is that we now believe that we have in ourselves the ability to judge what is good and what is evil.  Watch the atheist and skeptic.  Watch such people respond to the claims of Christianity by weighing in their own man-centered judgment, whether the faith is good or evil. 

 

        A whole solid discussion could also be had, were we to take the time, on how this ought to affect our evangelism.  It seems that many of our modern apologetic strategies include inviting the lost to evaluate God’s commands and promises to see if they meet the lost person’s approval.  Christ is not, however, a toy on a Wal-mart shelf with a “Try me” button.  God has simply commanded all men everywhere to repent and trust in Christ for salvation.       

 

            Perhaps it would do us all good to examine ourselves.  Are we placing ourselves on the judge’s bench to examine the rightness or wrongness of God’s commands and claims?  We need to remember that God is God and we are not.  His words and ways are perfect.  We will never have the right to judge him or his ways.   

John 20:21-23

 

21     Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 22     And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23     If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”

 

            Here Jesus gives a form of the Great Commission to the disciples.  Just as the Father sent Jesus out, with his authority to accomplish his mission, so Jesus is now sending out his disciples.  They are sent under Jesus’ authority.  They are sent to accomplish his mission. 

 

            Then Jesus blows out or exhales and tells the disciples to receive the Holy Spirit.  It will actually be around fifty days in the future when the Holy Spirit will truly come upon the disciples and empower them for the task that Jesus has just given them.  But Jesus lets them know that, coming soon to their lives, they will experience the presence of God’s Spirit to help them to accomplish his plan.

 

            Next Jesus says something that may be the most difficult phrase in John’s gospel to interpret.  Jesus says, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”  Scholars have debated for years about what these phrases mean.  Is Jesus authorizing the disciples to grant people forgiveness or unforgiveness at their whim?  Is Jesus granting a kind of power to the disciples as church leaders to offer or withhold forgiveness?  Is something else in view?

 

            If we take verse 23 all by itself, it is a very difficult passage to understand.  That is why it is crucial to study the scripture in context, taking into account the verses around the passage in question.  Once we understand what is going on, it will make far more sense how we are to understand the words that Jesus has used here.

 

            Remember, Jesus has just done two things.  He has commissioned the disciples to go out and accomplish his mission just as his Father sent him out to accomplish a mission.  He also has told them to do this work in the power and presence of the Holy Spirit.  They will not be able to fulfill the Great Commission if they are not personally filled with God’s Holy Spirit. 

 

            In the light of the commission and the promise of the Spirit, it makes a little more sense as to what Jesus is saying.  As the disciples go out and work to accomplish their mission in the authority of the Father and the Son and in the power of the Spirit, they are to proclaim the message of the Gospel, the good news.  The disciples are to go out and tell people that they are sinners before a holy God.  They are to tell people that they stand before God without God’s forgiveness unless something changes.  They are to tell people that Jesus died to purchase the forgiveness of anyone who will repent and turn to Jesus for forgiveness.  And so, it only makes sense that these men with God’s Spirit and God’s message would be able to declare with accuracy whether or not a person is forgiven.

 

            Let’s make this as simple as we can.  Suppose you are talking to a man named Bob.  You, like the disciples, have the Spirit of God living within you and the commission of God to take the message of Jesus to everybody.  So, you ask Bob if he has ever come to faith in Christ.  Bob says, “No, I don’t believe in Jesus at all.”  You can say, with absolute accuracy, “Bob, I want to warn you that you stand before God unforgiven.  You are lost and in danger of suffering God’s wrath for your sin.”  Now, let’s suppose that your words mixed with some study of the scripture shake Bob to his vary foundation.  He weeps before you, believes in Jesus, and cries out to Jesus for mercy and forgiveness.  You then can proclaim, with great accuracy, “Bob, you now stand forgiven before God because of your faith in Jesus Christ.”

 

            Christians, we have the same responsibility that the disciples had 2,000 years ago.  Christ is sending us out on a mission.  We are to take God’s word and God’s Holy Spirit with us, and we are to share the good news of Jesus with a lost world.  If they will not trust in Christ, we must declare them unforgiven.  If they will turn from their sins and trust in Jesus, we must declare them forgiven.  It’s that simple.  This is not just the job of pastors and revival speakers; this is your job.  Become a spirit-filled witness for Jesus Christ.

John 19:38-39

 

38     After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body. 39     Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight.

 

            Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus have several things in common.  According to the other gospels, both are part of the Jewish counsel, likely the Sanhedrin.  Both were following Jesus secretly, afraid that the Jews might harm them somehow if they found out about their devotion to Jesus.  And, both of these men were so changed by Jesus’ death that they boldly chose to take responsibility for burying Jesus.

 

            We saw Nicodemus earlier in this book.  In chapter 3, he came to Jesus by night to ask him some questions about his identity.  In 7:50, Nicodemus spoke up in the counsel demanding that the Jews give Jesus a fair trial before condemning him.  Now, we see Nicodemus bringing a large amount of valuable spices to be used in the wrapping of Jesus’ body for burial.

 

            Joseph of arimathea is someone we see in all four gospels, but we know very little about him.  He was from a town about twenty miles or so away from Jerusalem.  He was wealthy.  And he was actually the owner of the tomb in which Jesus was placed.  Joseph actually had the courage to stand before Pilate and ask him for the right to bury Jesus’ body instead of having Jesus thrown in the common grave of the criminals.

 

            Both Joseph and Nicodemus were clearly changed by what they saw in Jesus’ suffering and death.  Before Jesus’ death, these two men were afraid to allow anyone to know that they were following Jesus.  Now they step out of the shadows and declare their loyalty.  Even though Jesus is dead.  Even though it looks like the Jews have won, Joseph and Nicodemus stand up and are counted as followers of the man who so recently died on the cross.

 

            We want to learn from the example of these two.  No longer is it acceptable to follow Jesus from the shadows.  Those who truly know Jesus are willing to stand up and be counted.  If you are a believer, no one should have to wonder where your loyalties lie.  Allow the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus to make you more bold to follow him and to obey his commands in front of a hostile world.

John 19:31

 

Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away.

 

            The weekend of Jesus’ death is the weekend that follows the Passover.  Jesus and his disciples celebrated the Passover on Thursday evening.  It is now Friday afternoon, and the crowds that celebrated the Passover are still in Jerusalem.  The celebration continues and the coming Saturday, the Sabbath, will be considered to be a very special Sabbath day.

 

            Back onto the scene stride the Jewish religious leaders.  Remember these guys?  These are the same men who in chapter 18 were willing to lie, bribe, cheat, and manipulate in order to have Jesus unjustly put to death while they themselves were unwilling to enter the building where a gentile was staying.  They were willing to break God’s law and murder an innocent man, but they did not want to be made ceremonially unclean so as to have to wait a month to eat the Passover.

 

            We do not want to be like the religious leaders we see here.  Instead of claiming to love God on the one hand while sinning against God on the other, we want to be people who love God with all our lives.  We want to be consistent as we follow our Lord.

 

            Why am I so hard on the religious leaders?  The religious leaders go to Pilate and ask him to have the men killed quickly and taken down from the crosses.  Why?  They are following the command of Deuteronomy 21:23 which says that men who are hanged on trees must not remain over night so as not to defile the land.

 

            Again, catch the irony.  The men who just had the Messiah, the Son of God, put to death through political pressure and conniving, are now telling the governor that the men ought not hang on the trees over night, because that would be a dishonor to God in the land.  They are hypocrites.

 

            I urge you to examine your life.  What kinds of evil do you too easily tolerate?  What kinds of evil do you do while keeping your religious duties in check in other places?  Don’t be like the Jewish leaders.  Love God in every area of life.  If you are a follower of God, he has the right to rule you in every area, not just the religious area of Sunday morning.  Love God, and avoid religious hypocrisy.

Job 37:14-24

 

14 “Hear this, O Job;

stop and consider the wondrous works of God.

15 Do you know how God lays his command upon them

and causes the lightning of his cloud to shine?

16 Do you know the balancings of the clouds,

the wondrous works of him who is perfect in knowledge,

17 you whose garments are hot

when the earth is still because of the south wind?

18 Can you, like him, spread out the skies,

hard as a cast metal mirror?

19 Teach us what we shall say to him;

we cannot draw up our case because of darkness.

20 Shall it be told him that I would speak?

Did a man ever wish that he would be swallowed up?

21 “And now no one looks on the light

when it is bright in the skies,

when the wind has passed and cleared them.

22 Out of the north comes golden splendor;

God is clothed with awesome majesty.

23 The Almighty—we cannot find him;

he is great in power;

justice and abundant righteousness he will not violate.

24 Therefore men fear him;

he does not regard any who are wise in their own conceit.”

 

            For most of the book that bears his name, Job has been complaining that God has not treated him fairly.  Job has suffered, but he has not been living in rebellion against God.  While I’m sure that Job knew he was not absolutely perfect, sinless in the depth of his heart, Job did know that he was always quick to repent, to offer sacrifice for his sins, and to obey God.  Job had treated others rightly and been generous toward the needy.  Why, then, was Job suffering?  It was not fair.

 

            Here at the end of the speech of Elihu, we see a completely different way of viewing the question.  It is as if Job asked, “What color is the sky,” and Elihu answered, “Seven.”  Elihu took the question of God’s fairness to Job in a completely different direction, and Elihu was right.

 

            Elihu begins and ends his argument with one simple assumption: God is perfect.  All that God does is right.  It is God’s nature and character to be right.  Were God to do what is wrong, God would not be God.  But if God has done something, it by  bent of fact, is right—completely and absolutely right.

 

            If all that God does is right, what happens when we feel like what God has done is wrong?  The answer that Elihu is trying to get Job to see is that our feelings, not God’s rightness, is what must be questioned.  We do not know as much as God.  We cannot do the things that God does.  We did not create the heavens.  We do not command the rain and snow.  We cannot even find God if we search for Him.  God is perfect.  We are tiny, next to nothing, in comparison. 

 

            As the scene draws to a close, Job and Elihu look.  A storm is approaching—the source for many of Elihu’s metaphors.  Yet, there is something unique.  In this storm, the presence of God is manifest.  God is about to come and speak with Job.  God is about to answer Job’s queries.  How will Job answer?  He will answer with the line of reasoning that Elihu has already taken.  God will show Job that God is perfect and Job, little, tiny, puny Job, cannot possibly understand the deep workings and ways of the one and only true and holy God.

 

            What about you and me?  Is God unfair to us?  Have we been treated unfairly by God.  Do we try to make God prove that his ways are right?  Do we try to examine God’s commands for the reasoning behind them?  Do we try to subject God to our approval as if we have the right to sit in judgment over God’s decisions?  Be careful.  Be very careful.  God is holy.  We are not.  God is omniscient.  We are not.  All that God does is right.  We only do right when God helps us.  Let us remember the holiness of our God and tremble at his awesome majesty.  Let us bow before him and acknowledge that, regardless of what we can understand, his ways are perfect.

Amos 8:4-7

 

4 Hear this, you who trample on the needy

and bring the poor of the land to an end,

5 saying, “When will the new moon be over,

that we may sell grain?

And the Sabbath,

that we may offer wheat for sale,

that we may make the ephah small and the shekel great

and deal deceitfully with false balances,

6 that we may buy the poor for silver

and the needy for a pair of sandals

and sell the chaff of the wheat?”

7 The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob:

“Surely I will never forget any of their deeds.

 

                     Much of the book of Amos is God’s promise of judgment for the northern kingdom of Israel.  The people of the north were, on the whole, not seeking after God’s heart.  They were willing to abuse and hurt others for their own selfish gain.  God was rightly and justly furious with them for their neglect of his laws and his commands to love him and to love others.

 

                     In the middle of a section in which God is pronouncing judgments against the people for their actions, I notice something interesting.  God points out that some of the people had a habit of waiting for the Sabbath day to be over so that they could get back to sinning.  It is as if the people knew that they had to do the outward religious ritual, but they were not willing to let that have anything to do with how they lived their lives for the rest of the week.

 

                     In our culture, we do not tend to focus on Sabbath regulations.  Christians observe the Lord’s Day on Sundays, but are not nearly so restricted as was the Hebrew community.  Yet, if we are not careful, we will see similarities.

 

                     Often those connected to the Christian community will think that church attendance, being present for Sunday morning worship, is what makes a Christian OK with God.  This is a false assumption.  As God did not find it impressive when the people of Israel wanted the Sabbath to get out of the way so they could go on sinning, God is also not impressed with empty worship attendance that does not also lead to a changed life during the week.

 

                     Do you go to worship only to get it out of the way?  Do you live one way for an hour-and-a-half on Sunday morning, but totally differently for the rest of the week?  Do you think that your church attendance impresses God?  Think again.  God is not and has never been fooled by empty devotion.  God wants our hearts to be his.  God wants our lives to show love for him through sincere obedience.

 

                     Worship attendance is good.  Sabbath keeping for the Israelite was good.  But if there is no heart behind that action, the action is empty and meaningless.  The solution is not to avoid worship.  No, on the contrary, the solution is to repent.  Ask God to change your heart.  Ask God to help you to worship rightly.  Then go out, live for Jesus, and obey from Day-to-day.