unchangeable

This week we begin worship with:

Hebrews 6:17-18

So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. 

His oath was "Surely I will bless you and multiply you." (Hebrews 6:14).

It was quoted from:

Genesis 22:16-17
“By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore.”

While a promise was sufficient, God sealed it with a vow.  Why?  For us, our encouragement.  Nothing more.

We rest in the "unchangeable".

James 1:17

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

Teacher

This Easter morning we begin worship with:

John 20:11-16
But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).

John was very specific: two angels positioned one at the head one at the feet.  We will see two angels again at the Ascension.

Acts 1:9-11

And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” 

And we have seen them before, or at least a carved image of them on the mercy seat.

Exodus 25:21-22

And you shall put the mercy seat on the top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony that I shall give you. There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel. 

What John wanted to make sure was understood, this is not simply another resurrected man like Lazarus (John 11:38-44), but rather the Eternal Teacher, who commanded Moses from the Mercy seat, and who commanded us from the mountain:

Acts 1:7-8

He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Rabboni!

head

 This morning we begin worship with:

Psalm 24:8-10

Who is this King of glory? The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty

in battle! Lift up your heads, O gates! And lift them up, O ancient doors, that

the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts,

he is the King of glory!

This describes a portcullis, where the gate is lifted vertically with much effort by a rope and pulley system, the bottom edge of which was made to both look threatening and to be lethal if suddenly dropped.  When normally opened, the gatekeepers would only open it sufficient for the height of those entering and leave exposed that lethal bottom edge, which could be dropped in a moment by a sudden slash of the rope.

For the King, our King of Glory, however the gate needs to lifted so high that the top of the gate (its head) is visible above the wall, so the bottom edge would be hidden and the gate could be secured in place.  It is opened in this way so that the returning King may enter without fear of a coup by rouge gatekeepers.

The King, our King of Glory, does not enter alone, for too we enter with Him as part of this triumph.

2 Corinthians 2:14-16
But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?

blessed

 This week we begin worship with:

Genesis 1:27–28

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him;

male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to

them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have

dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over

every living thing that moves on the earth.”

When you hire an employee, you give them something to do.  It is their job, for which they are responsible.  

In this blessing (bāraḵ), we are given a job,  And that job has a purpose, to bring our part of the world under our care.  And that job has a primary method, to build a family and a heritage..  During the conquest of land of Israel, Moses said:

Deuteronomy 7:22

The Lord your God will clear away these nations before you little by little. You may not make an end of them at once, lest the wild beasts grow too numerous for you.

So, for whatever your scope (father, aunt, corporate executive officer, kindergarten teacher), bring your part of this world under that divine ordered care and expand your scope as you are able, for that is God's blessing to us.

authority

 This week we begin worship with:

Matthew 28:18-20

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

It is often said, when you see the word "therefore" you should look and see what it is there for!

Verse 19 starts with the phrase "Go therefore".  The reason we are to "go" is in verse 18 that "All authority" was given to Jesus.  So, let's briefly look at "authority":

• While the KJV translates it in our verse as "power" is it not dynamis, which is oft heard in sermon illustrations from which we get dynamite, where the source of authority is the individual's power.
• While it is true, this is not kratos, which is often used in doxologies as "dominion" (1 Timothy 6:16; 1 Peter 4:11; 1 Peter 5:11; Jude 1:25; Revelation 1:6; Revelation 5:13), where the source of authority is the hierarchy of business or government (The pyramid they sit upon gives them their authority).
• While again true, this is not ischys, where the source of authority is one's skill and ability, like the captain of a team.

This word is exousia, which has its roots in law.

Previously the Sanhedrin was the arbitrator of law (Matthew 12:10, 12:12, 12:2, 12:4, 14:4, 19:3, 20:15, 22:17).  

Now, Jesus is the judge!  He will sit on the throne of judgement.

Revelation 20:11-12

Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.

This is the reason we "Go".

acceptable

This week we begin worship with:

Hebrews 12:28

Let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let

us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe.

Because of this verse (and others) we follow the regulative principle of worship, understanding that how God is to be worshiped is laid out in scripture, as opposed to the normative principle of worship where any sort of worship that is not prohibited by scripture may be used.  

In Genesis 4:3-8, even prior to any such proscription, we see that Cain's worship was rejected as unacceptable while Abel got it right.  Cain had given the produce.  Abel sacrificed the producer.

We each receive an unshakable "kingdom".  We each receive 7 days a week.  And in gratitude for that gift, we are told in Exodus 20:8-11 to sacrifice one day, during which we could have been the producer.  We worship by sacrificing that day.  And during which we sing, pray, read scripture, receive instruction, and receive the sacraments.  

So strictly speaking, it is in duty, rather than worship, that we bring the tithes and offerings.  For our produce is never acceptable worship.

beautiful

 This week we begin worship with:

Ecclesiastes 3:11

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s

heart.

Reader, you are beautiful.  God loved you so much, He made you. He made you for this time and for eternity.

Job 14:14-16

If a man dies, shall he live again?

    All the days of my service I would wait,

    till my renewal should come.

You would call, and I would answer you;

    you would long for the work of your hands.

For then you would number my steps;

    you would not keep watch over my sin;

Reader, God loves us so much, He will call you into eternity.  He will not leave the beautiful work of His hands in a grave. 

Sevant

This week we begin worship with:

Luke 17:7-8

“Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him

when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? Will he

not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me

while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’?

This passage is strange by modern standards. I regularly thank my employees for what they have done (v9) and in a few weeks I will take my team leads out for a celebratory dinner. 

The servant here is doulos.  It means “slave” and comes from the word deō, which means to bind.  This is not the law we operate under in North Carolina, where employment is at will. Rather they are bound to their current circumstances. 

We too are doulos and serve God.  The point of this passage is that no matter how good we serve we are still a servant (Romans 6:22).

Luke 17:10

So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants;we have only done what was our duty.’”

Yet

This week we begin worship with:

Hebrews 10:37–39

“Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; but my

righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure

in him.” But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of

those who have faith and preserve their souls.

This is cited from the prophecy of Habakkuk:

Habakkuk 2:3-4

For still the vision awaits its appointed time;

    it hastens to the end—it will not lie.

If it seems slow, wait for it;

    it will surely come; it will not delay.

“Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him,

    but the righteous shall live by his faith.

It explains the simple thought that faith requires patience. If waiting was not required, neither would be faith. But it also gives the stern warning that shrinking back from that patient faith is the path to destruction.  

We need to start every day saying to ourselves “Yet a little while”.

 

 

despised

 This week we begin worship with:

Isaiah 52:7

How beautiful upon the mountains

    are the feet of him who brings good news,

who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness,

    who publishes salvation,

    who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”

This is the start of a victory song.  While the text points to a singular "him" that brings the good news, and may indeed point to John the Baptist, or our Lord Jesus himself, Paul rightfully expands this to every individual for it can point to anyone who brings the Good News.

Romans 10:15

And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 

The song ends with the victory march.  Slow, determined, safe, and well supplied.

Isaiah 52:12

For you shall not go out in haste,

    and you shall not go in flight,

for the Lord will go before you,

    and the God of Israel will be your rear guard. 

What prompted this battle?  Why did God bare His holy arm (v. 10)?

Isaiah 52:5b

. . . Their rulers wail,” declares the Lord, “and continually all the day my name is despised. 

I awoke this morning hearing in my dream the name of our Lord Jesus Christ being misused.  My response in the moment was "May He have all the glory and honor due His Name". 

according to

This week we begin worship with:

Isaiah 63:7

I will recount the steadfast love of the LORD, the praises of the LORD,

according to all that the LORD has granted us, and the great goodness to the

house of Israel that he has granted them according to his compassion, according

to the abundance of his steadfast love.

Oh, praise be to God who does not deal with us according to our merit!  Reread the verse and concentrate on the phrase "according to".

This introductory verse describes the intention of the prophet.  That to recount, which he does in Isaiah 63:7-14 how God, despite their rebellion, God carried them through the exodus all for His glory.

Isaiah 63:10a

But they rebelled

    and grieved his Holy Spirit;

 

Isaiah 63:14

Like livestock that go down into the valley,

    the Spirit of the Lord gave them rest.

So you led your people,

    to make for yourself a glorious name.

Nothing they did merited His gracious compassion and love.