"The Girded Mind"

One Friend at a Time?

2012-02-10T17:37:00.002-06:00

One Friend at a Time?
Robert Wurtz II

And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused him. And Herod with his men of war set him at nought, and mocked [him], and arrayed him in a gorgeous robe, and sent him again to Pilate. And the same day Pilate and Herod were made friends together: for before they were at enmity between themselves. (Luke 23:10-12)

This passage is one of the most psychologically insightful passages that I am aware of in all of the Bible. It reveals the depravity of man in a way that could leave the reader in tears. Understand that these men did not apologize that day to one another; they agreed on the matter of the condemnation of Christ, and in that agreement against one man were made friends. Wicked men cannot love one another: this belongs to the disciples of Christ. (Clarke) So we have here a sort-of 'demonic propitiation'. They sacrificed Christ to mend their own fences. How sad it is that two people at odds have to make amends at a third parties expense, but it happens every day.

Illegitimate Reconciliation

This is what ungodly and carnal men and women will do rather than simply love one another. They will be at enmity one day, and then suddenly agree against another person the next day and become friends again. Have you ever seen this? Maybe you have done this? God forbid! Will you notice our passage, there is no apology. No, 'I'm sorry'. No, 'I was wrong'. No, 'How can I make this up.' No, 'I will try not to allow it to happen again.' None of those things. These two men put their hand and mouth together against a common enemy and then are suddenly 'made friends.' There is a strange mystery here. Paul touches it in Galatians 5:15; But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. Image biting and devouring people as a means of building yourself up. What dastardly behavior! But there it is. Men and women that really hate each other at heart need a steady stream of blood on the altar of their relationship. They cannot speak to each other except to destroy some other soul. They have no like for each other, so they find a common enemy and agree against her or him.

Illegitimate friendships

When a person recognizes that they are not eye to eye with another person, often they will seek to get back into favor. The question becomes, how will they do it? Like a child that spilled paint in the garage, they know that if they can get a gift for mommy she may not be as mad. What happens? The child picks a flower for mom to make her feel better about him. This is instinctive. We all have this inward sense that if we can just find the right price we can mend a broken relationship or regain favor with a person. Gifts are often used in this way. It is really a sad thing because the person giving is doing so typically out of a fearful and desperate sense of duty. This is a very human thing to do. Herod and Pilate were made friends as they put their hands against Jesus. He was a common enemy. This was the price needed to get back into each others good favor. If I might so say, this may happen among the unregenerate, but it ought not so to be in the churches of God.

Christian Reconciliation

Christians are to love one another and reconcile by forgiveness. No Christian should have to be propitiated in order to get back in the good graces of another believer. That is to say, they should not have to buy gifts or do some service to keep a relationship going. They need to simply love one another. People with bad attitudes need a steady dose of 'propitiations' to keep them in a good mood. In time it is realized that no price brings about a lasting result. You buy gifts, you do good deeds, and there is no change. This becomes a very high maintenance relationship. I often wonder if this is not how God is frequently treated; so long as the blessing flows the people praise the Lord; but when hard times come its, 'what have you done for me lately.' When God reconciles to us we cannot become high maintenance friends.

One Friend at a Time?

By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. (John 13:34ff)

I was watching a video today that was a satirical depiction of a young-girl bound up on the cellphone and Facebook, ridiculing life and rolling her eyes at everyone and everything. It reminded me of being in high school when I would see young girls (and sometimes young guys) have one friend one day, diss them and get another friend the next day. When I asked about the behavior I was always told, "It's because she can only have one friend at a time." This is no doubt diabolic as well. Jesus called the disciples His 'friends', but you never had to worry about him speaking evil about one of the friends to another friend. He was able to have twelve close friends at one time! He didn't betray even one of them. I'm persuaded to believe that Satan is the type of person that can only have one friend at a time; leaving all the others to continually feel betrayed while making the one feel special. I doubt if you were friends with the Devil he would allow you to befriend anyone else. How can we know? Look around. You see this behavior almost celebrated in our times. It's hard to be real in this generation. I'm thankful to have friends I can be real with; but not everyone is so fortunate. Why? Because multitudes are destitute of Godly friendships and have succumbed to the drama driven sassiness and would be pop-friendships depicted on soap operas and reality TV shows. God help us!

A Friend Indeed

A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. (Proverbs 17:17)

I think we need to ask ourselves at times, "What kind of friend am I?" Can I be trusted? Am I a high maintenance friend? Am I a 'yes' friend? Will I say or do whatever I have to do to maintain a friendship? Am I compelled to? I'm persuaded to believe these are not the type of friendships anyone needs. A friend does not laugh at you when you are embarrassed, they are there to pick you up (when you are ready to get up).

Jesus was not the type of friend that told you what you wanted to hear. He made many hard sayings, some of which tested the very limits of the Disciples allegiance. A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. (Proverbs 18:24)

Arm Your Mind

2012-02-09T23:12:00.000-06:00

Arm Your Mind
Robert Wurtz II

Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. (1 Peter 1:13-16)

In a previous entry entitled, "The Only Thing That Makes Sense" we discussed the significance of the word therefore in Romans 12:1. Peter takes a similar line in our passage with the use of the coordinating conjunction wherefore (Gk. duo). WHEREFORE, gird up the loins of your mind. This blog's name, "The Girded Mind" is derived from this passage. The word means, “Because of which thing,” i.e., the glorious free grace opened for Gentiles and Jews in Christ (verses 3-12, A.T. Robertson). The words 'gird up' (anazōsamenoi) is in the first aorist middle participle of anazōnnumi. This means it should be translated, Wherefore having girded up the loins of your mind, (1 Peter 1:13a YLT). In other words, it is something we need to have done and if we have not we are late doing so. Anazosamenoi (ä-nä-zō'n-nü-mē) is a late and rare verb found only here in the New Testament and in the LXX (Gk. Old Testament) in Judges 18:16 and Proverbs 31:17.

Gird Up in the history of Israel

It has been said that Bible words don't so much have definitions as they have histories. The first occurrence of our Gk. word for 'gird up' is found in Judges 18:16 LXX:

LXX Judg. 18:16 καὶ οἱ ἑξακόσιοι ἄνδρες οἱ ἀνεζωσμένοι τὰ σκεύη τῆς παρατάξεως αὐτῶν ἑστῶτες παρὰ θύρας τῆς πύλης, οἱ ἐκ τῶν υἱῶν Δαν.

NASB Judges 18:16 And the six hundred men who were armed with military implements were standing like pillars by the door at the gateway, those of the sons of Dan.

You will notice that our term is translated as 'armed' in the NASB. This is the language of warfare and should remind us of the seriousness of this Christian life. Young's Literal Translation renders it, men girded with weapons of war. It could be rendered as accoutered (equipped). Proverbs 31:17 speaks of the virtuous woman that has strongly girded her loins. She is ready to get busy and is serious about the task at hand. She makes sure there are no encumbrances to the task she is about to perform.

The Grace that Comes at the Revelation of Jesus Christ

... be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

We must be sober, that is to say to avoid coming under the influence of sin and compromise. A person can be drunk but not with wine, they can stagger but not with strong drink. Sober here is a metaphor. Alcohol and other means of drunkenness are ways in which the enemy can release our inhibitions. Anything that inclines us to act out of character is an enemy of our Christian sobriety. We then read, hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. We have discussed this subject in times past in articles such as "At Thy Word" and "Word Generated Faith", so we will not discuss it here. It is the Word of His grace that enables us to do what we could otherwise never do.

Prepare to Ascertain God's Will and then to Obey

As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance.

Obedience is a conscious decision. Christians in conflict need a tough-minded holiness that is ready for action. The strenuous mental preparation suggested by the three admonitions in verse 13 is needed so that Christians (4) do not conform to (συσχηματιζόμενοι, also used in Romans 12:1) the evil desires (1 Peter 1:14) of their past sinful lives (cf. Ephesians 2:3), when they were ignorant of God (cf. Ephesians 4:18). Rather as obedient children (lit., “children of obedience”) they were to mold their characters to (5) “be holy” in all they did (1 Peter 1:15). Their lifestyle was to reflect not their former ignorance (ἄγνοια), but the holy (ἅγιοι) nature of their heavenly Father who gave them new birth and called them (cf. “called” in 2 Peter 1:3) to be His own. First Peter 1:15-16 do not speak of legal requirements but are a reminder of a Christian’s responsibility in his inner life and outer walk. (BK Walvood, Zuck)

The Love We Had At First

2012-02-08T19:55:00.002-06:00

THE LOVE WE HAD AT FIRST

Robert Wurtz II

Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown. (Jeremiah 2:2)

God through the voice of the prophet makes use of anthropomorphism in conveying his feeling concerning the way in which Israel responded to Him in the wilderness. God said, I remember. As if He, in nostalgic human terms, is expressing to us in ways we can relate to as an appeal to our sense of sentimentality. We can't understand how God really 'feels' about things; but our passage drives home a truth that God in fact does remember the good times. They were brief. They seem to be as a speck of time in a long history, but He still remembers. He does not chastise them for centuries of compromise and infidelity, He calls to remembrance the former days. All eternity is ever before His eyes, but man has a way of forgetting. When God says, "I remember" He is causing us to remember along with Him.

I Remember Thee...

I remember thee. Here God is pointing the finger. Israel was His unique possession. It's as if the words of Moses in Exodus 33:16 were ringing in His ears, For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth. They had a desire for God. As the old timers used to say, they were in hot pursuit of God! He zooms in as if to savor every moment of this unique time when Israel really wanted their God. He didn't have to force them to serve Him; they did it willingly. God cries in their ears through the mouth of the prophet; I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wilderness.

Before the new wore off

The Jews were in sore bondage in Egypt before God intervened. God told Moses, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows. (Exodus 3:7) This is the condition of many people that are in bondage to sin and are oppressed of the Devil. Egypt is a type of this world and Pharaoh is a type of Satan. To follow the narrative with this reality in mind can be very convicting. There is no new thing under the Sun.

The Church at Ephesus

Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. (Revelation 2:4)

When we move into the New Testament we see a similar trend. The church at Ephesus had the greatest teaching available in the New Testament; especially on the subject of love. If tradition is to be believed, both Paul the Apostle and John the Revelator worked diligently with this church. Paul in the book of Ephesians writes to them, that we should be holy and without blame for Him in love (Ephesians 1:4) and commends the church for their love for the saints (Ephesians 1:15). In Ephesians 2:4 he reminds the people of the great love wherewith God loved us to quicken us with Christ while we were dead in sins. In Ephesians 3:17 Paul tells us that we should be rooted and grounded in love and verse 19 we read these words… And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. In Ephesians 4:2 we are admonished to “bear with” one another in love and to speak the truth in love (v15) until the body is built and edified in love (v16). Perhaps Ephesians 5:1, 2 are the most telling… Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. Three times Paul tells the husbands to love their wives as themselves, even as Christ loved the Church and gave himself for it (Ephesians 5:25, 28, 33).

Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit pens his epilogue… Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen (6:23,24). It can be noted that 1 Corinthians 13:1ff, that great love chapter, was written by Paul from Ephesus (1 Corinthians 16:8). John the Revalator spent much time at Ephesus and is believed to have written the Gospel of John from there. From Ephesus he penned the words “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son….” Ephesus was inundated with the teaching of love, both in word and in example.

The Departure

John the Revelator writing from the isle of Patmos saw visions of the great and mighty majesty and glory of God. As one of the first orders of business Christ gives a report on the condition of the seven churches of Asia. He begins with Ephesus. I very rarely ever quote from the Living Bible, but I think the paraphrase captures the sobering essence of what is happening… “I know how many good things you are doing. I have watched your hard work and your patience; I know you don't tolerate sin among your members, and you have carefully examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but aren't. You have found out how they lie. You have patiently suffered for me without quitting. "Yet there is one thing wrong; you don't love me as at first! Think about those times of your first love (how different now!) and turn back to me again and work as you did before; or else I will come and remove your candlestick from its place among the churches.” (TLB)

What horror John must have felt. They seemed to be doing everything right, but their motivation was all wrong. They had become as a sounding brass and a tinkling symbol; all these things profited them nothing. Their hearts were hardened. There was a lot of business, but no real fruit. They hated sin, but did not balance it with their love for Christ. If I might so say this is how a pharisee is born. When we forget what God has done for us... we are on the slippery slope. These Ephesians had abandoned their love for Christ that should have been chief and foremost (GK. protos). And if there is no real love for Christ we need not look for a love for the saints or the lost. (1 John 3, 4) After all the teaching on love and all the example set forth among them of what love truly is, they forsook the great love that they once had for Christ.

Hating Sin and the Sinner?

They, naturally, in an atmosphere such as this would have hated sin without having the heart of God’s love for lost souls. They would have been moved by contention, strife, fear, envy, resentment, jealousy, guilt or vain glory, but not by love to do Christ’s work (See Philippians 1:16). They would have condemned the guilty without considering their own sins (Galatians 6:1). Perchance they had so forgotten their sins that they may have thanked God that they were not like sinners such as the wretched publicans as did the Pharisee who prayed with himself (Luke 18:11). With them, yes, the Gospel is preached, and we can rejoice, but from the workers point of view it was all in vain because the motivation was not compassion (unmerited love). The fire in the end shall try every man’s work of what sort it is (1 Corinthians 3:13) and if it were birthed from a heart of great love, that work will not fail the test, because love never fails (1 Corinthians 13). It seems as if they condemned sinners and argued theology real good, but where was the compassion and love? The love of God once shed abroad in the heart had grown cold. The farther we get from God, no matter if its in the name of religion or service, the more UN-like Jesus we become. Works don't keep the heart tender before God; an up-to-date relationship does. Leonard Ravenhill once stated that every fall of a Christian can be traced back to their devotional live.

Retracing Your Footsteps

The church at Ephesus, like so many Christians, at one time had a great love for Christ; but they left it little by little. The law of the conservation of matter in physics guarantees that the love did not dissappear, it was redistributed somewhere else. This is a travesty in the body of Christ. The blood bought Saints of the living God begin to take the love that once belonged only to God and gave it to someone or something else. This is the true definition of harlotry. Take the love that belongs to the one and give it to another. How does this happen? It is simple. Jesus said that if you love me you will keep my commandments (John 14:15). In verse 16 Jesus says He will send the comforter and in verse 17 says that He (the Holy Spirit) is the Spirit of truth- which the world cannot receive because it sees Him not and does not know him. Why? Because they do not have a heart to obey the commandments of Christ (1 John 2:4). The passage says that if a person contends to love God and does not keep the commandments they are a liar.

So we see then that the Holy Spirit is sent to steer us and empower us to keep the commandments of Christ and in so doing He, by the grace of God, brings forth the fruit of the Spirit which firstly is love. What happens? The Saints begin to quench the Spirit and disobey the known will of God. They have a controversy with God; something riding on their conscience. This could be both sins of ommission (he that knoweth to do good and doeth it not) and sins of commission.

If I might say this in a figure, the more the Spirit of God is quenched the harder the “soil” of the heart gets. The harder the heart gets the less impact the word has when it is sown. The problem, then, is the soil (see Mark 4:8). Soon preachers preach in vain and teachers teach in vain. Why? Because the “soil” of the peoples' hearts are all hard and dried up from quenching the Spirit. God deals and deals and the first love experience is left behind like an ancient memory. Soon they have no fruit of the Spirit in their life and rather than love Christ and their neighbor they begin to love the world and the things of this world until the love of the Father is no longer in them (1 John 2:15). Their desires change and their attitude changes. They may still go through the motions, but the life of God has been left someplace and must be rediscovered.

Breaking Up the Fallow Ground

Both Jeremiah 4:3 and Hosea 10:12 deal with breaking up the fallow ground of the heart. In Hosea the Saints are depicted as going like a harlot after other lovers and abandoning God’s love. The prophet tells the people… Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you. Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity; ye have eaten the fruit of lies: because thou didst trust in thy way, in the multitude of thy mighty men (Hosea 10:12, 13).

How can a person break up their fallow (unplowed) ground? Simple. Go back and revisit what made it hard in the first place and repent. Let God, as the old timers used to say, turn the search light of heaven on upon your soul. This requires a time of reflection and examination before the Lord. We can't do it ourselves, God has to do the work. Our job is to present ourselves to Him for examination and correction. Jesus calls it in Revelation 2 “doing your first works.”

Sadly, many people never spend enough time in reflection of all their sins (that they can possibly recall) until their is a brokenness before God for what we have done. We really need to take time once in a while and just let God deal with us. Psychologists have people recall all the bad things that happened to them so they can blame others for their problems. God says to the backslidden “break up the fallow ground of your own heart.” If we will acknowledge our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us. (1 John 1:9) Recall when you quenched the Holy Ghost and made a hard spot in your heart and started the process of leaving your first love.

I Need to Plant a Seed There

Here is the crux of God’s argument against the backslidden people in Hosea, your heart needs to be as tilled up as would be a farmers field at seed time. Go back and repent and repent and repent until you are broken enough to be in a place where the seed of the good word will bring forth the fruit God designed. Who ever heard of a farmer sowing seed on unplowed ground? Plowing is a lot of work, but the indictment against the sinner is that they plowed all sorts of wickedness. They recklessly grabbed the plow and tore up with great pain and labor all sorts of God's working in their life. Now its time to reflect and do the first works of repentance. Modern Christianity says, "don’t think about what got you here, just keep on asking forgiveness." God says, get about the work of breaking up the fallow ground of the hardness of your heart. Go back and remember what God forgave you of so that your love for Him will not grow cold. Keep his great mercy ever before your eyes by continually considering yourself (Galatians 6:1). This does not dig up 'condemnation' (so-called), it digs up appreciation for what God has done and it keeps you humble before God. Heaven forbid that we would become like the pharisee sitting around wondering why the woman is crying all over the Lord and kissing his feet. It's because she knows her sin is GREAT and having recognized that she loves much. God forgive us of our arrogance and excuses for blocking out what Christ had done for us until we can't find it within ourselves to love Him as He deserves. Does God have to give us a new Cadillac before we can be thankful? Oh that men and women would ponder the love of Christ upward until we love like He deserves to be loved. May we go through our lives and liquidate all of our love and deposit back into God what we have given to undeserving things.

The Only Thing That Makes Sense

2012-02-07T20:54:00.002-06:00

The Only Thing That Makes Sense

Robert Wurtz II

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. (Romans 12:1)

I hope you don't mind me saying that when I read the book of Romans there is an imaginary line splitting Romans 11:36 and Romans 12:1. I draw this line because I believe Paul draws this line. For eleven chapters he gives us the closest thing we have to a systematic theology. He probes the mysteries of the Gospel and sets before us soteriology, the doctrine of salvation. He transitions with a simple phrase, I beseech you therefore. To some bible students it will be cliche, but when you see the word therefore you need to stop and ask what it is there for. It is a term that means 'consequently'. Therefore (Gk. oun) is an inferential participle that gathers up all the great argument of chapters 1-11 and places it before us. We have to reckon with it. What say you? It staggers the mind to consider the manifold wisdom of God. Now Paul turns to exhortation (parakalō), “I beseech you.”

I Beseech You

Our Greek word for beseech is Παρακαλῶ (parakalō) and it means to call alongside. Para is 'side' and kalo is 'call'. It carries the idea of urging someone earnestly to do something. It could be translated 'to beg'. To give a sense of the strength of the word we have some examples of its use throughout the New Testament. Urgent appeals (parakalō) to Christ for healing are made in Matthew 8:5; 14:36; Mark 1:40; 5:23; 8:22. Paul “pleads with” (parakalō) God for the removal of his “thorn in the flesh” in 2 Corinthians 12:8. Demons “beg” (parakalō) Christ to send them into a herd of swine in Matthew 8:31ff. In Acts 2:40 and 2 Corinthians 5:20, people are “urged” (parakalō) to be reconciled to God.

Therefore by the Mercies of God

Paul has effectively came alongside us to beg, urge, beseech us by the mercies of God. That is to say, all that Paul described from chapter 1-11 was a clinic on God's great mercy. Consider where we would be without grace. We would have no hope and would of all men be most miserable. Eternity without propitiation would be to face the wrath of God without mixture never-endingly. Consider the smoke of a sinners torment ascending up before God forever and ever. That's what we deserved. This is not something we should accept and then wipe our mouths as if we have done no evil. The sheer magnitude of our crimes, heightened by the light that we have sinned in, aggravated by a life of resisting the Holy Spirit, would paralyze one with fear if they had any sense at all. Yet God has chosen to cast our sins behind His back- never to be remembered against us again. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice...

The Language of Priesthood

Solomon was the great king that built God a house. He built it on the mount of the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite- where the angel had stayed his hand in slaying thousands after David numbered Israel. (1 Chronicles 21:1-18) He could have wiped Israel off the face of the earth and been justified in doing it. But, God showed kindness and grace to Israel. David remembered the mercy of God as He could have slew all down to the last man, but stopped at Araunah's threshing floor. David responded by buying the property with his own money. Araunah tried to give it for free to David. King David said, Nay; but I will verily buy it for the full price: for I will not take that which is thine for the LORD, nor offer burnt offerings without cost. (1 Chrononicles 21:1ff) Here are two initial pictures; one of the mercy of God and the other a right response of a grateful heart; a burnt offering that ‘costs’ the full price. It is also a picture of God’s separation (threshing) of wheat from chaff. What will you do with God's mercy? How will you respond to grace? Will you answer the call of Paul or sin that grace may abound? The threshing floor is a place of decision. All of these things are here. This is the place where Solomon built the Temple. Keep that in mind.

A Picture of a ‘Right’ Response to God

It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD; So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God. (2 Chronicles 5:13)

You will notice that their first response to God was to give thanks for His mercy in returning to the people with His authority and presence. They didn't deserve God. They deserved abandonment. In another place it is stated that they spoke as one as the Ark of the Covenant came in. They sang and shouted with lifted up voices in such a way that God saw fit to fill the house with His glory. This was the initial step. The people utterly recognized God’s mercy and desire for reconciliation and they responded to Him in tremendous excitement and thanksgiving. The LORD, then being well pleased, FILLED the house with His glory. So great was the glory of God that the priests were not able to stand to minister. God believed the people as they praised and offered thanksgiving and He responded by filling the house with His glory.

Holy and Acceptable

...present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God,

This, again, is the language of priesthood. We are called to be Temples of the Holy Spirit. The Old Testament is replete with examples of how not to treat the Temple and the artifacts within it. Were these things written for Israel's sake or where they not all together a figurative lesson for us, that would have the habitation of God by the Spirit? What about Belshazzar? How did God react to the way he defiled the artifacts of the Temple? The whole story is exemplary. It gives us forever God's estimation of abusing our bodies in sordid sin.

Reasonable Sacrifice

Solomon built and dedicated the Temple to God. It had one primary purpose in Israel; to be a place where the people could encounter God and offer up sacrifices to Him (temple cultus). Over 120,000 burnt sacrifices were inspected for purity and acceptability and then offered on the day of dedication. Solomon understood that until the altar was full of a holy and acceptable sacrifice the Fire of God would not fall and the dedication would be incomplete. After all, Moses already told of how empty it would be to exist as God's people without God being present. To some it may have seemed very reckless to bring a river of blood upon such a beautiful place; but to Solomon it was only reasonable to make such an offering to God in light of the mercy He had shown. When the altar was full and Solomon prayed- the Fire of God fell. This dedication was a ‘picture’ of New Testament life. Jesus came to send Fire on the earth and He would do so by baptizing His people with the Holy Ghost and with Fire. Men and women’s bodies would become temples of the Holy Spirit.

A Living Burnt Offering

Romans 12:1 is the beginning of all evangelistic efforts. Paul having explained the reality of what God has done in bringing salvation and reconciliation to man, says, “I beseech you therefore by the mercies of God…” Thinking of all that God has done; ‘therefore’ present your bodies as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable unto God which is your logical (the consequence of his well reasoned arguments) worship. This presenting of ourselves to our Great High Priest for inspection and acceptance that He might baptize us in the Fire is our reasonable worship. It’s the only response that makes sense in light of all that God has done. It is what God wants first and foremost. Without this process little else matters. It all begins here with a recognition of what God has done in Christ, and our responding reasonably to what we realize. Our lives are to be a perpetual living burnt offering for Him. It is the only thing that makes sense.

The Place of God's Rest (Part 1)

2012-02-05T08:06:00.004-06:00

The Place of God's Rest

(Part 1)

Robert Wurtz II

Heaven [is] my throne, and earth [is] my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what [is] the place of my rest? (Acts 7:49)

If I were to ask why Christ came and died on the cross what would your thoughts be? Typically the response would be along the lines that He died to save us from our sins; the implication being, to save us from eternal damnation (Hell). This is true in a sense, but it is not nearly the complete truth. Jesus Christ came that we might have eternal life; but what is eternal life? Is it merely to be saved from the wrath of God? Is it a future eschatological promise of a never ending blessing in the presence of the Lord? (Mark 10:30, Matthew 18:8, 9) Is it streets of gold and mansions bright? Jesus answers the question in John 17, As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. (emphasis added) We find here Christ's definition of eternal life and it stands in contrast to eternal death. We know that the second death is eternal death. Eternal death is to be eternally separated from knowing God in peace and being united with the wrath of God. Eternal life is to know the only true God and Jesus Christ. This is knowledge in the sense that we find in John 10:14ff- but for all eternity. For John he declared not only a future fulfillment of this promise, but a present possibility. We read, Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (John 5:24 emphasis added) This reality plays out after Pentecost in Acts 2:1ff.

Alienated From God

The Gospel is good news, but before one can appreciate good news they have to have a grasp of the bad news; that is, the conditions that render the good news as desirable and meaningful. It is commonly known and we have addressed this at length in other entries, that man fell in the Garden of Eden and was cast out of the presence of God. This meant a severing of the prelapsarian [pre+lapsus (Latin 'fall')+arian] condition in which God walked with Adam and spoke with Adam in the cool of the day. This was a wonderful state for man to be in, but it was only the beginning of what was in store for man. Nothing ever takes God by surprise. That is a simple thing to say, but it is utterly true. From eternity God knew man would fall; yet He still had His eye set on John 14:20 where Jesus states; At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. He would bring this day to pass though it would take a few thousand years to get man prepared.

Reconciled to God

God has always desired to restore and expand the fellowship He had with Adam and Eve in the Garden before they fell into Sin. God is holy and cannot remain in the presence of sin without bringing judgment. Keep that clear. When God began drawing near to man he would have to deal with the terrible defilement that sin brought. But before He could deal with the Sin problem, He had to establish a basis upon which man could come to Him in a right standing. He determined from eternity that salvation would come about by grace through faith. As it is written, the just shall live by his faith. (Habakkuk 2:4b) We touched on this subject in the entry "Word Generated Faith." God would strive with man in an attempt to turn man to Himself. He eventually used men such as Noah and Abraham to effect major strides towards His purposes. He called Abraham out of Ur of the Chaldees to be an example of a man who walked and lived by faith. After a few more generations God drew near to a people to whom He had made promises of being their God and made a covenant that we know as the 'Old Covenant'.

The Old Covenant for the Old Man

Keep in mind that every human being on earth is born in Adam no matter how great they are. Until a person is Born Again they are not "In Christ" as new creatures. The OT was designed for the old man; that is, for man as he is 'in' Adam. Later God would give the New Covenant tailored for those that are 'in Christ', the One New Man; that is, the last Adam. (1 Corinthians 15:45) God knew men would break these covenants so He set up a means by which the wrongs could be righted. This we know as a blood sacrificial system (more technically a cultus). Sins, individual transgressions of the covenant, have to be dealt with by blood sacrifice before God can draw near and remain near to a people on an ongoing basis. Otherwise, since the terms of the covenant were broken, He would just leave off.

God in a Building?

Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word (Isaiah 66:1, 2).

Although God appeared to man at different times and places, even moving among them in the Wilderness Tabernacle and Temple, He ultimately intended to make His dwelling place 'in' men. Not a building or a structure or a 'spot' on a map, but to this 'man' or to this 'one' will I look. God was looking to live in men and women. The first man God dwelled in in this sense was Jesus Christ. He was the Temple of the Living God when He walked the earth. (John 2:19) Yet He is quoted as making a stunning statement in Mark 14:58; I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands. Another temple made without hands? First, He was referring to Herod's Temple (with hands) and the Temple of the Body of Christ (without hands). Whether or not these religious leaders misquoted Jesus is beside the point, because the theology of what they said was spot on. Jesus Christ intended to pitch a Temple that was not the works of mens hands, but was and is the working of the Holy Spirit. (Hebrews 8:1ff) Post Pentecost God began once again to walk with man in sweet fellowship and communion- only this time the Garden of Eden was in the Temple of men and womens bodies. He desired to be worshipped in Spirit and in Truth and made that desire possible once He ascended into Heaven and sent the Holy Spirit to baptize those that truly believe into His One Body.

For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether [we be] Jews or Gentiles, whether [we be] bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. (I Corinthians 12:12)

So we, [being] many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. (Romans 12:5)

God's Path to the One Body of Christ

God always desired a place of rest. But since the Garden of Eden man has not been kind to welcome God or present himself as a holy dwelling place for Him. From Genesis 3 to Genesis 6 man was on the fast track to absolute destruction. The people did not like to retain God in their knowledge (Romans 1:28). They did not seek after God- in fact they fled from Him and resisted Him on every hand. In Genesis 6:3 God said that His Spirit would not always strive with man, but that his days would be 120 years. Some men began to call on the name of the Lord, but by the days of Noah there were only 8 people that would heed the call of God to repentance. The world was destroyed by water and Noah’s family then began to swiftly replenish the earth. But over time man drifted almost completely away from God again until there were only tiny pockets of people that feared the Lord.

This is a tragic fact, yet the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him (2 Chronicles 16:9). God found such a man in Abram and called him out of Ur of the Chaldees into the land that He swore unto him.

God Returning Among Men

God appeared to Abraham and started a process by which He would slowly bring man back into fellowship with Him on a large scale. God had to deal with man’s sin problem on the one hand and a rebellious nature on the other. Men typically seek a ‘personal peace’ and want to be left alone to do their own will unthwarted. But from time to time throughout the Old Testament God would find a person whose heart is perfect towards Him and would seek to reveal Himself.

Abraham was such a man. Abraham built altars and became a praying man. He sought the face of God in the mountain and from place to place. It was his desire to please God and do what was right. Abraham's nephew Lot, on the other hand, pitched his tent towards Sodom and filled his heart and mind with the vexing torments of other people’s sins. God could never be at rest in such a person’s life. So Lot never knew the closeness of fellowship with God that Abraham knew. He wanted a little bit of compromise in his life and God could not walk with him as a friend as He did with Abraham.

Lot could have chosen the path Abraham took. He could have shared in his altar experiences. But Lot wanted just enough Egypt to safely keep God on retainer, but never to have a close relationship with Him as did Abraham. Lawyers in our times are prepaid to be on retainer so they will come running when they are needed. This is how many people treat God. Lot was no different. He wanted to keep God at a safe distance so he could live in compromise.

Over time Abraham would have a promised son named Isaac and Isaac would have Jacob (Israel). Lot's life ended in disaster beyond words. The consequence of his compromise would be felt for generations. Each of these men had to come to their own personal decision to serve God. The God of their father’s had to become their God.

These Are Our Examples...

Jacob (Israel) had 12 sons that became the 12 Tribes of Israel. Most of these sons bore many children and did not walk in the way of their father Jacob, but Joseph feared the LORD and God showed Himself strong through him. The 12 Tribes of Israel were slaves in Egypt 400 years and multiplied into the hundreds of thousands. They remembered the God of their fathers and cried out to Him. God raised up a deliverer in Moses. With a mighty outstretched arm God delivered all of the children of Israel from Pharaoh and Egypt. At first they seemed to be happy to go, but soon they began to grumble and complain.

God cannot rest in an environment of unthankfulness and He will bring swift judgment. If He stays he has to judge the sin. If He does not deal with the sin then His unique presence has to leave. God drew very near to Israel when Moses went up on the mountain. He came down and his face was glowing with the radiance of God's glory. This was their opportunity. Did the people line up to see Moses' face? Did they long to look upon him with awe and wonder savoring every glimpse of God's majesty? Did they ask Moses' what it was like to be with God or perhaps they could get permission from God to come up? No on all counts. In fact, they tried to cover his face to shield themselves from any remembrance of God. The would accept the book, but they did not want God near.

When Moses came to the Mountain and God was seeking to draw near to his people once again- the people found out that they did not really want their God.

Finding God in Your Circumstances

2012-02-04T03:04:00.006-06:00

Finding God in Your Circumstances
Robert Wurtz II

Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” So we may boldly say: The LORD is my helper; I will not fear what man can do unto me. (Hebrews 13:5, 6)

It is unfortunate that in modern English we have moved away from the use of thee (second person singular accusative) and settled for the more generic you (second person singular or plural). By taking this route we lose the ability to point the finger at an individual. Modern translations read, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Here you is translated from σε ('se' second accu. sing.) and loses the personal sense of thee. Why does it matter? Some might say I'm splitting hairs here. Not so. Sometimes generalities just won't do. We need God to point His finger at us.

A Personal Address

There are seasons of our lives when what we really need to know is that God is there. When we are going through desperate times, and it seems that we have all but reached the end of our rope what makes the difference is to have an affirmation that God is with me; not just with the masses, but me personally. Even the most subtle gesture from God can reaffirm to our hearts that He cares about us.

When God Breaks the Silence

Many years ago I dreamed a dream of a very famous non- Pentecostal/Charismatic preacher I will leave unnamed. God had brought this dear man before me to show me he was going through a terrible trial. Strangely, it had been many years since I followed his ministry and he was a million miles from my mind until that night. At the risk of being misunderstood or even labeled a flake, I wrote a letter to this man telling him about the dream. I felt the Lord directing me to encourage him and his dear family with the words that God knew where he was and what he was going through. He and his immediate family had kept it a secret. Apparently, he kept on smiling and preaching (as so many pastors and preachers do) as if there was no issue. After all, this was the old-school way. Never let the people see you suffering. But God saw it and God cares.

Some time later I received a letter back from him explaining in general terms that it was true; he and his family were in a deep trial. He read the letter to his family and one of the family members wept. They received it as encouragement from the Lord. You see, God really cares about us. And when we are going through the valley he will often break the silence and in some way bring an encouragement.

God Bless You Both, Always

There was a time in my life about 10 years ago that I was going through a deep valley spiritually. I had come to think, though I never said it, that God had forsaken me. I began to wonder if God had had enough of all of my antics and just put me on the shelf someplace. I continued to teach and minister, but God seemed very distant, as if I was walking alone. Now, I realize that this is all subjective experience and I'm not trying to create doctrine here. I am simply relaying the facts as they took place.

One day I decided I would go eat lunch at the Ryan's Buffet about 4 miles from my work. It's as if the whole way there I was saying within myself, "Where are you God?" The bad thing is that I seemed to answer my own question with an aching, "I guess you have forsaken me." I knew Hebrews 13:5, 6, but that was all academic at this point.

I walked in and sat down at a small table facing a row of booths where people were eating. I was close enough to hear them. This was a bit odd because I almost never go to eat alone. I don't like eating alone. But here I was. I noticed that two of the men were ministers of some kind as they were talking about the ministry. About half way through the meal I saw a strange sight. A man stood up and turned to the booth behind him, pulled out his wallet, took out an offering and handed it to them! Wow, I thought. That was pretty wild. I was encouraged thinking that God wanted me to see this take place. It was little, but it was something.

A week or so later my brother Tim and I headed back to Ryans again. I had relayed to him this whole story on the way. When we came through the door a strange thing happened. A worker met us at the register and took us back and seated us. This had never happened before in all my times going there. Staggeringly, of the hundred or so tables in that large facility, she seated us in the exact booth where those ministers received that offering. At this point I am beside myself. The probability of this happening is very remote. But we got our food and ate talking more about God and His providence. I am feeling greatly encouraged at this point. What happened next sealed it for me.

As we were about to leave I looked down at the receipt on the table that the waitress had left for us. She had signed it simply, "God Bless you both, always!" Tim did not see it at first so I subtly pointed down at it. Look at this! It may seem silly to some and maybe there are a thousand mathematicians and skeptics ready to line up and tell me this was all a coincidence. But a man with an experience is never at the mercy of a man with an argument. I learned a lesson that day about the sovereignty of God. Our steps are truly ordered of the Lord. He knows where we are and if (and that 'if' is totally up to Him) He wants to He can reveal Himself. He will do it in a personalized way. He will point the finger.

How About You?

What are you going through? Are you walking a valley wondering if you are walking it alone? The Lord loves you and He knows where you are. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.”

Knowing the Time

2012-02-03T19:16:00.004-06:00

Knowing the Time
Robert Wurtz II

And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. (Romans 13:11, 12)

Our text deals with a hard reality; time is running out. It is running out for this world and it is running out for us as individuals. With each passing moment we have one less moment to be of use to God in showing forth His love on this earth (Romans 13:8ff). The Greek word for high time is hora and it means a definite period of time like a day or a season. The concept of night and day often refer to opposing opportunities depending on ones spiritual condition. For example, Paul writes, Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. (1 Thessalonians 5:5-8)

Casting off the Works of Darkness

Time means opportunity and in this sense it is the most precious thing any human being can possess. What would a man give to add just 6 more months to his life? I dare say he would give a king's ransom to add just one more day to his life. For the lost it means opportunity to repent and believe the Gospel. For the saint it means opportunity to be used of God in His will. This means we must consciously choose to follow Christ and do his will in this present time. It is interesting that Paul states, let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. This is a common concept Paul used as we find it before in 1 Thessalonians 5:8, But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. Two things: cast off the works of darkness (sin and compromise) and put on faith, hope and love.

Along for the Ride?

Is it enough just to coast along as the sand pours through each of our hour glasses? I dare say we need to give heed to Paul's words. In the words of the old-timers, 'we are burning daylight'. Paul had a desire to depart and be with Christ, but he knew it was needful for him to stay around until what God was doing with his life was accomplished. He didn't find a shelf some place and ride it out until death. He found God's will and moved in it. He knew that once he laid aside this earth suit there was no coming back for an encore. No regrets. No sitting around for the aeons of ages wishing he had done something differently. Some have translated knowing the time as because you already know the time. This is why we must cast off darkness and put on the armor of light. Eternity is never ending. This life is but a few short years. It is a fleeting breath that we are drawing. It is high time to awaken from slumber.

The Other Side of Justified

2012-02-02T18:04:00.000-06:00

The Other Side of Justified
Robert Wurtz II

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10)

What really matters to God? Do we ever stop to ask what He wants or what His will is? Do we read the scriptures looking for proof texts that fit our own desires? After all, we claim that God is sovereign and that He rules in absolute authority. No matter where a person comes down in the Calvinism/Arminianism/Finney-ism (Government of God) debate, we all have to come to terms with one reality; that God’s workmanship is ordained to result in walking in good works (cf. Titus 2:14; 3:8). Justification is essential in our eyes, because without it we would all end up in a Devil's hell. But sanctification seems to somehow be optional. Why? Because man wills it to be. It has nothing to do with God. Keep that clear. God through the shed blood of Christ has already bought the believer with a price and we are said to belong to God. This denotes ownership. It is common sense. So in reality we are sanctified at the time of purchase; that is to say we are bought by God for His purpose and are expected to glorify Him with what is rightfully His.

Prepared to Good Works

Justification is one side of a great Gospel; sanctification is the other side. We are justified by faith in Jesus Christ ALONE. God has already determined that man will be saved by grace through faith. It is not of works. But what does that have to do with God's will? If God wills something to be and makes preparation for that reality- why would a believer desire to resist that? It makes no sense. Sin is a burden and cancer on man and society, why would any man or woman seek a passport to sin? It would be akin to asserting our right to drink our own vomit or wallow in our own mud. Why would we want a theology that affirms our right to drink down something that made us as sick as a dog to begin with? The late A.T. Robertson, professor of New Testament interpretation at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary explains, "Afore prepared (proētoimasen). First aorist active indicative of proētoimazō, old verb to make ready beforehand. This verb is in the N.T. only here and Romans 9:23. Good works by us were included in the eternal foreordination by God. That we should walk in them (hina en autois peripatēsōmen). Expexegetic final clause explanatory of the election to good works." God has made it possible, why not walk in that possibility?

Positional Justification

Notice our text, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before prepared that we might walk in them. If we are positionally justified it is for the purpose of us walking in the path of good works that God enables by His grace. He covers us with grace so we can walk out this life in the person of Jesus Christ without having to fear being judged for our sins. But God forbid that we would adopt an attitude, 'let us sin that grace may abound!' It would be a disgrace to live a reckless life independent of God's will under the guise of having been justified. How shall we that are dead to Sin live any longer therein? This was Paul's question. It's not natural for a believer. It don't even make sense. In light of all that Christ has done- the only thing that makes sense is that we have a Romans 12:1-2 experience. This is why Paul begged us to present our bodies. Yes they were bought with a price and belong to God- but we still have to present ourselves to God. This is the language of priesthood. This is God's will.

I Am Come to Send Fire

2012-02-01T21:47:00.000-06:00

I AM COME TO SEND FIRE

Robert Wurtz II

(Luke 12:49) I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled?

Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest. (Matthew 9:38)

The late Mr. G.W. North has rightly pointed out that God’s answer to man’s problem upon the earth is the FIRE of God. If we add our passages together we can deduce that the Lord wants to send Fire- but apparently there are few that are on Fire to send. Mr. North continued to point out that Christ only sends Fire. The question then becomes, if He only sends Fire can He safely send us? Perhaps this is why so few are sent? He only sends Fire. Some send themselves, but Christ came to send Fire on the earth. The 120 in the upper room were not sent until He could send Fire. When the people were baptized in the Holy Ghost and FIRE- they went out. And they turned the world upside down. The late English Rev. Leonard Ravenhill observed a tremendous discrepancy between the millions that claim today to be filled with the Holy Spirit and the 120 that came out of that upper room.

Where is the Fire?

The Old Timers used to say that men and women are born and called in the Fire. If few are being born again and few are being called we ought to ask, “Where’s the Fire?” When we pray for laborers, whether we realize it or not, we are asking God to send FIRE. There is no such thing as a called, chosen and sent 'lukewarm' Christian. Based upon the words of Jesus to the Laodicean church, I have to wonder, what good is anyone to God without Fire? What good is any church to God if there be no Fire (candlestick)? The only hope for this world is the FIRE of God.

Baptized in the Fire

I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire. (Matthew 3:11)

When a person is baptized in water by total immersion they are utterly conscious of water. Our passage speaks of a baptism of Fire. This is an overwhelming sense of GOD and His manifest presence. There is no substitute for water and there is no substitute for fire. The churches of God do not need another strategy- they need the Fire of God. They don’t need more books and programs on church growth- they need FIRE. No doubt, FIRE has a 100% success rate. FIRE works every time to accomplish God’s purposes. Jesus came to send Fire. Many are trying to operate without Fire and have concocted all manor of replacements. Their candlestick has been removed and they have no Fire. God's builds His Church with Fire. They that operate as Aaron's sons, offerers of common (strange) fire before the Lord must know that theirs is the working of men for man’s glory and not God’s working for God’s glory. It has always been rejected. Why? Jesus came to send His Fire! Because God builds His Church with FIRE.

Getting Back to the Fire

What should they do? Repent and return to Christ. Most Churches today are trying to exist without the candlestick Jesus spoke of in the early chapters of the Revelation. He is outside the churches (and the people) standing at the door knocking and hoping to get in. And because there is no conviction or what the old timers called "fiery Holy Ghost preaching" the whole definition of salvation has had to be changed. But God calls folk from the FIRE- just like He did Moses. It's not just the Christian life, but more so the FIRE has been observed and rejected.

Lights in This World

Do we ever stop to realize that the only light source in biblical times was the result of some type of fire? The Fire, in our context, is the manifest presence of God working in us to make us lights in this world. In the 1^st century the only light that existed was the sun by day, a ball of fire lighting the world. Stars are balls of fire lighting the night sky. Candles and lamps of various sorts were used for thousands of years before the light bulb was invented. The only light on earth was the light caused by fire. Christ was the Light of the world when He walked the earth; people were manifest in their condition. Sinners' sinfulness was manifest. Yet in His teaching He told His disciples; YE are the light of the world, a city that is set on a hill that cannot be hid (Matthew 5:14) He may as well had said; ye are the lamps and candles of this world. These were the sources of light in the cities. But what good is a lamp without fire?

The Necessity of Fire

What good is a candle without a flame? No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light. (Luke 11:33) This is a perfect picture of salvation, calling and ministry. God does the lighting and God does the ‘putting’. We cannot light ourselves and we cannot place ourselves. We become lights when the Fire of God consumes our lives. This is not a one night or one week ordeal. It is not a one-off experience. When a person is lighted of God- their Fire will remain so long as it has a steady fuel source (as it were). The Fire in us will need to be tended as did the priests tend the candlestick in the Temple. God provides the oil and we provide the sacrifice (Romans 12:1-3). God called Moses from the Fire and then led Israel by the Fire. The Mountain was as if it were on Fire when Moses went up into God. When He came down the Fire of God- the residue of God’s glory was on His face. This was the evidence that he had been with the LORD. But we are called to be more than just a people that have the afterglow of God’s presence; we are called to be LIGHTS that are burning and on Fire for God.

The Altar of Fire

Solomon understood the altar, the sacrifice and the Fire. When he was ready to dedicate the Temple he took a page out of Abraham’s life. He offered a SACRIFICE, with a capitol 'S'. They had some much sacrifice going that the blood had been flowing like a virtual Armageddon. It seemed excessive and reckless. They had to designate an overflow area to contain them all, but they kept bringing the flesh and heaping it up. It was akin to when Abraham offered what was dearest to his heart unto God; his son Isaac. Solomon gave until it meant something.

Abraham's Example

Yet, this great man of God Abraham, probably the greatest man in the Old Testament save John Baptist, built many altars- but none were more important than this one where he offered his son. It was an act of obedience that challenged the very love of God in his life. When it was over Abraham had so offered his son Isaac to God that he was as good as dead in Abraham’s heart. Hebrews 11 tells us that he received him as if from the dead. God often asks from us what is dear to our hearts. The rich young ruler was asked for what was dear to his heart and he turned away from Christ. Another young ruler names Saul- later known as Paul laid it all on the altar and look what God did with his life? The FIRE fell and remained in him and God changed the world through his life.

When God's Authority Returns

Until men and women are prepared to start obeying God they can forget ever seeing a move of God. The ARK represented God's throne- the seat of both His authority and mercy. Many want the mercy seat but they don't want to submit to the throne. Solomon understood sacrifice and death at the dedication of the Temple. When the Ark was being brought back in it was symbolic that God was returning to His house in all His regal authority. The people were singing and praising God and the glory came in as much that the priests were not able to stand to minister. This is what the glory of God on a place does; it prostrates people. Solomon also knew that if the Fire of God were going to come that the altar had to be filled. He built a scaffold of bronze to overlook this massive altar filled with the multiplied thousands of offerings of the people. (2 Chronicles 6:1ff)

Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the LORD filled the house. And the priests could not enter into the house of the LORD, because the glory of the LORD had filled the LORD'S house. (2 Chrononicles 7:1ff)

First the altar was built and filled and offered to God in prayer. The Fire of God fell and consumed the sacrifice; and the glory of God came again. When the glory came the priests were not able to enter.

And when all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the LORD upon the house, they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever. (2 Chronicles 7:3)

Do You Need a New Start?

2012-01-29T07:46:00.000-06:00

Do You Need a New Start?
Robert Wurtz II

“But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!" (Luke 15:17)

Our text is commentary on a radical change of mind in the life of a familiar character we have come to know as the prodigal son. Simply put, but when he came to himself. He was just one of billions of people that have bought the devils lies only to end up in absolute despair and destitution. Our text suggests a sort of delirium or insanity prior to 'coming to himself'. His lust to move out and experience sin led to a craziness; a life of lunacy that in the end had him eating the slop of hogs. I wonder how many times along the way he dismissively passed by the fallen and with a fleeting turning of the head thought within himself, 'It happened to them, but it will never happen to me'.

A False Confidence

A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil: but the fool rageth, and is confident. (Proverbs 14:16) That confidence is only temporary. I have been at the death bed of many people, but one in particular stands out about them all. He had known the truth all of his life and rebelled against God. He believed that in the end he having burned the candle for sin and Satan, would blow the smoke in God's face. The problem was, when it came time to repent he could not convince himself that he was sincere. "I planned this... I planned it to end just... like... this! Now here I am and I know I'm just a hypocrite. How can God forgive me now." I tried desperately to tell this man God loved him, but he did not believe God could forgive his presumptuousness. He did not believe God forgave his scheme. The last time we spoke I mentioned the judgment. I'll never forget what he said to me. His curse word haunts me to this day; I cannot fully repeat in this entry, "I am scared _ _ _ _ less!" He went into eternity the following week.

Today is the Day of Salvation

Why think to wait until you are dying to come to the Lord? Do you need a new start? I know from experience that men and women that try to come to God in the end often struggle tremendously to do so. While you are well and have your good health, why not repent and turn to Christ? Shake off the lunacy for a moment and let the Lord bring you to yourself. The prodigal didn't make a change on his death bed, he made it while he still had a lot of living left to do. You can do the same. Time is running out. Don't believe the devil's lies as so many have before you. Come to yourself and come home today. He'll be waiting for you.

Vexed or Fulfilled

2012-01-28T19:00:00.002-06:00

Vexed or Fulfilled?
Robert Wurtz II

Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:

Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain. (Proverbs 30:8, 9)

Agur asks the Lord to help him avoid several serious pitfalls in this life. First, he asks the Lord to remove him from vanity and lies. Vanity simply means emptiness. Vanity is something that is futile and worthless. Vanity is what Solomon had estimated his great power, fame and fortune to be. Want to know what its like to be the richest man? How do you suppose the wisest man with over 900 wives and concubines thought about his life? One word, vanity. No doubt Solomon achieved all these things and felt as if he had been lied to. Why? They could not meet that inward need he had searched for. He couldn't get bombed out of his mind far enough to feel fulfilled. It's as if Agur begs God, remove far from me vanity... As if he is saying, lest I chase something all my life that is just out of my reach. I don't want to be the Devil's circus act! I don't want him leading me down the road to hell chasing some bait he's got on a string. In this way the devil leads all that give themselves over to empty promises and deceptions of happiness. How many men and women saw happiness in a bottle only to come away with cirrhosis of the liver and die with a swollen belly? I knew a 25 year old girl that left behind a young child having died of this very disease. As if a thousand hangovers were not enough. All because of alcoholism.

Remove from me lies

That is to say, remove far from me all put-ons, all false appearances of happiness and every vain expectation. Let me not set my heart on any thing that is not solid, true, durable, and eternal. (Clarke) Agur did not desire to fall prey to sin and compromise as it pretends to bring fulfillment and then leaves the person empty.

Just Enough

He continues, give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me. Give me just enough so that I have what I need and yet I still have to trust you for provision. Don't allow me to gain a sense of independence from you, Lord. In Agur's own words, Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain. He was concerned with how He effected God's reputation, as it were. He wanted his life to be a glory to God, not an embarrassment. He knew that riches were to the wealthy as their strong tower. He knew that wealth tended to give people a false sense of security. He knew that this security was only vanity; pretending to be peace and safety. Yet he also did not want to beg or steal as he likewise knew that God does not forsake the righteous or allow His seed to beg for bread.

Are You Vexed or Fulfilled?

Agur knew that only a close walk with the Lord could bring about true fulfillment in life. Solomon stuffed every worldly thing he possibly could into his life until he was bubbling over like an open sewer. He had an exaggerated dose of everything this world had to offer and yet he cried, Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. (Eccl. 1:2) The doubling up of the words is for emphasis. In the same sense that the Holy of holies was the ultimate holy place, vanity of vanities was the ultimate state of emptiness. It was where Solomon was. It was all a lie! He had bought the bill of goods. It all slipped through his fingers. We have the opportunity to contrast these two men and learn a great life lesson. Solomon died and lived chasing the dream. Agur chose the good part that could never be taken from him.

Looking Down a Long Nose

2012-01-27T19:23:00.001-06:00

Looking Down a Long Nose

Robert Wurtz II

But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. (James 4:6)

Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. (1 Peter 5:5)

Pride is perhaps the most dangerous of all sins. If a person is proud then God will resist them. The English rendering ‘resist’ here is exceedingly soft compared to the Greek word, which is a military term meaning to arrange in battle against (antitassō). This is a most sobering thing to ponder; that God withholds grace from the proud and effectively declares war on them. Pride calls out God’s armies. No wonder, therefore, that it “goeth before destruction. (Vincent) Our Greek word for ‘proud’ is Huperēphanois (huper, phainomai) is like our vernacular “stuck-up folks” (Romans 1:30), “haughty persons.” (A.T. Robertson) It is described as the error and condemnation of the Devil. (1 Timothy 3:6) It has been defined as excessive self-esteem. Pride is having an excessively high opinion of oneself or one's importance. It is a sense of exaltedness over ones fellow man. The bible describes that a person is lifted up with pride for some reason. For Satan it was his beauty and brightness; for others it can be their wealth, their position in life, their accomplishments, their education, their popularity or their talents. Proud people typically think that others envy them and believe envy and jealousy to be the true cause of why others are offended at them. “You just wish you could be me…" is what the proud in heart says within themselves.

The Deceptiveness of Pride

I have heard it said that, “Pride is the only sin about which the devil will not make you feel guilty.” Proverbs 16:18 reminds us, Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall. You will notice that people usually say, “Pride goes before a fall.” That is not what the Bible says. The Bible says, “Pride goes before destruction.” We cannot continue in that way, because the end is destruction. Pride is a danger to all of us. We have to be on guard any time we advance in this life. How will we handle success when it comes? Will we seek opportunities to lift ourselves up above others? How will we handle wealth, position in life, accomplishments, perceived advancements, knowledge or education, popularity or talents?

The One True Man

2012-01-22T09:06:00.002-06:00

The One True Man
Robert Wurtz II

But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him? Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands: Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. (Hebrews 2:8, 9)

Our question at the first is as old as biblical revelation, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? Job asked this question (Job 7:17) and so did the Psalmist (Psalm 8:4, 144:3). Why does God set His heart upon man? David gives context to his question, When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? The answer is to be found in the ancient decree of God to create man in His own image and likeness; to make man His representative on the earth. There is a sense in which a man is in the very image of God in his constitution as a unique expression of God above all other created beings (eikōn kai doxa theou; 1 Corinthians 11:7). This is a mystery. In one sense man was created to express God's sovereignty. In another sense mankind was intended to be a living expression of the moral nature of God. We must bear in mind that the angels are spectators of the church (1 Corinthians 4:9; Ephesians 3:10; 1 Timothy 5:21; cf. Psalms 103:20-21) and that God is setting forth a living demonstration of His manifold wisdom. To this will there is no shadow of turning in God. Adam, who represented man, fell in the Garden; but God never altered his design. When He said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness (Genesis 1:26) He absolutely intended to do it.

Shadows and Broken Images

We have taken up the fall of man in numerous entries so we will not visit it here except to try and demonstrate through the writings of C.S. Lewis how far Adam and subsequently man had missed God's design. In his classic fictional novel Voyage to Venus (Perelandra) Lewis depicts a man named Ransom as going to an unfilled planet (Venus) with an unfilled Adam and Eve figure to prevent their fall. Through a long process allegorizing many aspects of Christ's victory over Sin and Satan on Earth, Ransom prevails. It comes time to meet the King and Queen (Adam and Eve figure) and he falls to their feet, "Do not move away, do not raise me up," he said. "I have never before seen a man or a woman. I have lived all my life among shadows and broken images."

The Image of God

But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. (2 Corinthians 4:3-5)

Throughout the scriptures we have men of God that gave forth glimpses of the personality of God through their God-like actions. But none of these can compare to Jesus Christ who was the express image of His Person. In our times Hollywood tries to define man (men and women) as it sees fit. God's ideal man is not Rambo or John Wayne, He is Jesus Christ. He is the man found worthy of representing God in the earth and for all eternity. The person of Jesus Christ cannot be improved upon.

The Second Man

The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. (1 Corinthians 15:47)

The first man (Adam) had an earthly perspective, while the second man (Jesus Christ) had a heavenly perspective. In order to rightly represent God in the earth every Christian must maintain a Heavenly perspective. The first man (Adam) was self-seeking. Keep that clear. All that are in Adam share in this nature. Through this the enemy works to make man's thoughts earthbound. He works to get people caught up in the temporal moment, at the expense of eternal realities. Jesus Christ, the last Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45), came into the world to do His Father's will- that is, to destroy the works of the Devil. He was not self seeking. This is why He kept His cool when He was mistreated. This is why such wisdom poured forth from His mouth rather than railings in fits of anger. He was moving in eternal reality, not temporal circumstances. He could look past the events that were taking place in real time and see the big picture and what the Father was doing in a persons life. Men, often ignorant and indifferent to God's workings are apt to risk destroying those for whom Christ died for some of the silliest things. (1 Corinthians 8:11) In any event we have to know that God is always working on individuals to draw them to Himself; to accomplish in each and every human being what He set out to do in Genesis 1:26. He is mindful of man and sets His thoughts upon Him. Why? Because He loves His creation that He made in His own image and it brings Him ultimate glory when they fulfill His destiny for them. He gave forth the cry in Ezekiel's time, Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye. (Ezekiel 18:31, 32)

The Second Chance Perspective

The Gospel is the Good News of a second chance. Mankind received a second chance to return to His Creator and live in a right relationship with Him; enabled to fulfill God's destiny for him. On an individual level God gives us all that second chance. It is imperative that we as believers and ministers keep in mind that we all at some point needed a second chance, lest an ungodly attitude creep in and mar the image of God in us. Rather than forgive and forget, men begin to forget they were forgiven. A haughty attitude can become as a dead fly in the ointment. Jesus was forever dealing with people that thought they were better than some sinner He was trying to minister to. As if they had never sinned? This is a most destructive pride.

Son's of Consolation

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; (Eccl. 3:1-5)

Solomon wrote these words as he understood the difficulty of knowing what action to take in any given circumstances. There are different ways to approach situations and people and it takes the leading of the Spirit of God and a firm grasp of God's word to move rightly. Even then it can be difficult. There are times when it seems that both refraining from embracing and embracing both seem like the right thing to do. Such was a situation Paul and Barnabas dealt with on their journey with John Mark. Barnabas, whose name means son of encouragement desired to take John Mark again. Paul desired to leave him behind because he had deserted them on their previous trip. This caused a split between Paul and Barnabas. Who was right? They were probably both right. Reading these type stories and dealing with them in real life, in real time requires that we maintain a Heavenly perspective. God was working in John Mark's life. He needed both a strong hand of correction and a son of consolation (encouragement) to bring him along. This is what Jesus Christ always brought to the table, that ability to both correct and encourage in the same motion. He never lost focus. And in this we can find comfort knowing that God is bringing to bear many means of grace to see a person come to fruition. This is why we should never despise any person's right response to God no matter how small and insignificant it may seem to us. God is at work. We must trust Him and follow His leading in order to be an asset to the work and not a liability. We can be of use to God as He brings many sons unto glory; we can determine by His grace to be right representatives of Him on the earth.

Christ in You, the Hope of Glory

2012-01-12T19:38:00.000-06:00

Christ in You, the Hope of Glory

Robert Wurtz II

Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:25-27)

God desired to make known to the Gentile the great mystery of His plan to tabernacle in man. It had been hidden in times past, though in hindsight the early believers could see types and shadows of this mystery throughout the Old Testament. The consistent motif in the use of the concept of “tabernacle” in both Old and New Testament is that of God’s dwelling place (tabernacling) among his people.

In Genesis 28 Jacob is fleeing from his brother Esau that was angry over Jacob gaining the birthright. Passing through the land he grows tired and sets up some stones as pillows to rest his head. He dreamed a marvelous thing; behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. The Lord spoke from above this ladder and promised him the land and a seed much as He had promised Abraham. And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. (Genesis 28:16, 17) Jacob named this place Bethel.

The House of God

The word Beth-El means house of God. Jacob saw the ladder up to heaven with angels ascending and descending and called the place after this name. He knew he could reach God from the house of God. It was the gate of Heaven. God desired to tabernacle among His people as He had done with Adam before the fall, but even more so. As a sidebar it would be useful to point out that when Nathanael was taken by Jesus knowledge of him under the fig tree Jesus answered him; verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man. (John 1:49-51) This would serve as a sign that Jesus Christ was 'the gate of heaven'; that is to say, He was Bethel- the House of God. But we are getting ahead of ourselves.

A Mobile Palace

Later on after the time of Jacob God would give the Israelites the Wilderness Tabernacle as a mobile palace from which He could rule as King in the midst of His people Israel. The first covenant worship was dominated by ceremonies and sacrifices that the tabernacle (and later the temple) utilized. This palace was to be the Oracle; the place from which God speaks. Walking horizontally into the tabernacle was akin to ascending vertically up to the throne room of God. It was all figurative, but in a sense God was uniquely present in His Glory. The Ark of the Covenant represented His throne and the mercy seat was where the blood was offered. Keep this in mind.

A Covenant Agreement

The Old Covenant was a binding contract between God and Israel. It was loaded with 'if-then' clauses. If Israel obeyed God would dwell among them and they would be His people. His presence is what made Israel unique among the rest of the nations. The covenant was a means to an end. We have to understand this. The covenant did not make the people unique. Keeping laws was a limited means of making a distinction. The GREATEST distinctive feature of Israel was God's unique presence among them. And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth. (Exodus 33:15, 16) Nothing is holy if God is not present. (G.W. North)

A Broken Covenant

God always kept His end of the covenant, but Israel transgressed. So there had to be a way to keep the covenant functional by dealing with breaches in the contract. God designed that the covenant be maintained by the offering of blood for transgressions. Almost all things by the law were purged with blood and without the shedding of blood there was no remission. The covenant was serviced in this way in order to allow the relationship between God and Israel to continue. God's glory 'tabernacled' among the people so long as they kept His covenant.

The Glory Departs

When Israel sinned in the days of Eli and his wicked sons the Ark was carried away by the Philistines and had to be recovered later on. This recovery was made and later David danced before the Lord as there was great cause for celebration. David decided to purchase Arnon's threshing floor for the spot to build the Temple (though he could not build it himself). This is the place where the hand of God's wrath was stayed when he had numbered Israel. This is important. God can build His house in the brokenness and appreciation for God's forgiveness of our sins. (See Isaiah 66;1-2)

The FIRE of God

In time the Temple was built and Solomon dedicated it. He brought many sacrifices until an area had to be set aside to contain them all. When the altar was full and Solomon had prayed the FIRE fell. This is always how the Fire falls- when we get totally on the altar in such a way that God will believe us. Solomon understood the altar. He brought a sacrifice that to some might have seemed excessive or even reckless. This is the sacrifice God desires- all out dedication. When that animal was slain it was not coming back. When we come to God in utter offering of ourselves the Fire will consume us in love and zeal for Him. The Sacred Fire was rekindled there near the brazen scaffold for service by the priests. They needed this fire to offer burnt offerings, the incense and for the Menorah. The Glory of returned. God was there. But it would all be short lived.

The Temple Destroyed

Israel sinned again and would not heed many prophetic warnings. Eventually the Glory departed and the Temple was destroyed. This plays out in Ezekiel. The Ark was lost as it was all carried to Babylon. Here for 70 years Cyrus later sent the Jews to rebuild the Temple. This was called Zerubabel's Temple and never saw the glory of the previous temple. Herod expanded this temple but as far as we know God never showed up here in the way He did in Solomon's time. It was abandoned for the most part. God was not there. Yet they continued on oblivious to Moses' comments; For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? They created a religion that did not require God's Glory. Religion has been defined as worship in the absence of God. There was no Ark signifying that the authority of God was no longer in view. This was manifest much later when the Jews decided 'it is not in heaven' and usurped all authority from God and gave it to the Rabbis. God wanted to tabernacle among His people but they would not abide by the terms. God will not just dwell with people. There has to be an agreement and the people have to live by it. Yet God did not give up, His plan was right on schedule!

Destroy THIS Temple

When Jesus came into the world we have this language:

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)

Our language here is that of tabernacling. Jesus Christ was THE Temple of God while on earth. He said destroy this Temple and I'll restore it in three days. It was His body the Temple. John said it and later Peter said similarly, "We beheld His Glory". They saw the tangible evidence of the Shekinah Glory in the miracles, etc. They identified the Finger of God, ie., the ARK or authority of God being manifest in their midst. The Ark had returned in the person of Jesus Christ. Nathanael would see the angels ascending and descending upon Him.

Christ in You, The Hope of Glory

Jesus told the disciples that it was expedient for Him to go or the Comforter would not come. No man could be in Christ while Christ walked the earth. Our Lord's death on the cross enabled the 'Temples of men' to be cleansed by the blood and readied to receive the Holy Spirit in such a way as described by Steven in Acts 7 and Isaiah 66:1-2. Men always resisted the Holy Ghost and did not want Him near. This is still man's problem; they want to receive and resist at the same time. It is impossible. To those that truly 'receive Him' He gives the authority to become the sons of God. He transforms them by the Spirit by baptizing them into His Body by the Spirit. Simply put, regenerate man is now the Temple in one sense and living stones in the Temple in another sense. Yet for all this Ephesians tells us it is only the EARNEST of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession. It is what the New Covenant provides.

The Celebration of God's Will Fulfilled!

God is now focused in the lives and spirits of regenerate New Covenant believers. Our bodies are viewed as the 'tabernacle' or 'tent' (Hebrew booth), that is, a temporary shell that will pass away at physical death and allow the human spirit to enter into the heavenly dwelling of God and Christ. We will then be resurrected and receive a 'spiritual body' like unto His Glorious Body. This is the spiritual reality to which the old covenant tabernacle pointed. Zechariah 14 points to a time when there will no longer be a need to distinguish between Holy and Profane as it is described in the Old Testament. God will put away evil and sin. ALL will be Holy. Christ having died on the Cross for our sins supersedes any animal sacrifice, so we know that is not in view here. My hypothesis is that the Prophet is foretelling of a time when all things will be cleansed and we can perpetually offer ourselves holy and acceptable to God (Romans 12:1-2) unthwarted. We will celebrate the fact that God has accomplished what He said out to do from the beginning.

Notice how in Zechariah 14 the phrase "in that day" is used seven times (v. 4,6,8,9,13,20, 21). Compare that with John's words:

At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. (John 14:20)

In that day (en ekeinēi tēi hēmerāi). The New Dispensation of the Holy Spirit, beginning with Christ’s Resurrection and the Coming of the Holy Spirit at pentecost. Shall know (gnōsesthe). Future middle of ginōskō. Chapters 1 to 3 of Acts bear eloquent witness to these words. (Vincent)

I Don't Have Time To Understand!

2012-01-11T22:08:00.001-06:00

I Don't Have Time To Understand

Robert Wurtz II

Paul suffered a great many persecutions because his opposition refused to take the time to carefully listen to and think through his teachings. It is a hard saying, but it's almost like today, many don't have time to learn. Why do so many have time for three hour football games by the dozens and all kinds of time consuming recreational activities, but don't have time for God when it comes to learning essential truths? This is why there is so much misunderstanding of the things of God. Many folks just don't have time. They feel pressured as if under torture to learn something that could save their immortal souls. Man will sacrifice for nonsense, but not give ample time for their own eternity. Sure, books that puff man up sell and those type preachers captivate their audiences. 'Your best life now' sells a trillion copies, but the pour soul writing a book or teaching and expounding the wonders of the New Covenant can hardly get the time of day. Sin and compromise always sells, but if we are to move into Christian reality we are going to have to make for some serious study and prayer. Surely our soul is worth it.

Willfully Obtuse

I find it disingenuous for Paul's opposition to be so willfully obtuse as to slanderously accuse him of saying things like, "let us do evil that good may come." (Romans 3:9a) Paul never said anything like that. They no doubt had to have what we call 'selective hearing'. It's almost as if Paul started preaching and they shut him out in their minds; lah dee dah, lah dee dah,... not listening Paul! They needed ten megaphones in their ears and probably they still would ignore the truth. Then they took their selective comments out of context and blasphemed the Gospel. Surely these people will answer to God for their stubborn ignorance. Paul said it, "whose damnation is just." (Romans 3:9b) Men are expected to know what we are able to know and will answer to God for obscuring truth when they could have understood it. This is too sobering to ignore. Shadows are gathering and death beds are coming, they are coming for you and for me. We will be judged with a stricter judgment that teach and preach. What would possess a person not to take time and understand what God has said knowing that we will soon give an account? It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God.

Paul takes time to explain

Paul carefully explained (and the writer to the Hebrews carefully explained) how the Old Covenant (first covenant) was to be replaced by the New Covenant. A primary aspect of the Old Covenant was circumcision. In fact, this dated back to Abraham. It was a figurative practice pointing to an eventual Spiritual reality of circumcision of the heart. Paul was careful to show that even circumcision of the flesh was 'added' until the Seed should come. Galatians, uniquely written with Paul's own handwriting, addressed how coming under these type laws meant that Christ would profit us nothing. One of his strong statements, that could easily apply in this thread: "Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?" The First Covenant (Old Covenant) in relation to the New Covenant is shown by analogy to be as Ishmael that persecuted Isaac. Paul's response to them?

Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.

So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. (Galatians 4-5)

Listen at Paul's strong language here. Cast out the bondwoman and her son! for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. Paul goes on to UNDO the damage done by those that BEWITCHED the Galatians by asking them more questions.

But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?

Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.

I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain. (Galatians 4:9-11)

Paul was horrified by what was going on and declared anathema on those causing the confusion. The Galatians were in danger of coming back under the beggarly elements of the Law. It is a subtle danger that sounds spiritual, but is fleshly and carnal. We need to turn our hearing aid up when we read Galatians. Paul tells us clearly that we cannot take a carnal commandment, designed for the Old Man and make him a Spiritual man with it. The Law cannot produce the Fruit of the Spirit. John Baptist, that preacher of righteousness told the people that the ax is laid to the root and if the tree does not bear fruit it is cast into the fire. God had been winking at ignorance for several thousand years, but a new day had arrived with a new possibility. This Gospel was preached to the Disciples and became a reality at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was sent and men could be Baptized into the Body of Christ by the Spirit. All that Christ accomplished on the Cross is available to those that are IN HIM. Therefore if any man be in Christ He is a New Creature, old things have passed away and all have become new.

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (Romans 8:2-4)

This is the key. It is useless to suggest Christians are antinomian (lawless) because they do not keep the Mosaic Laws. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. God's design in the New Covenant is a New Creature. Jeremiah 31:33 tells us God will write His laws in our hearts and minds. We are to receive a new spirit and a new heart. We become dead to the Sin and alive unto God. He works IN those that are IN Christ to both will and do His good pleasure. The indwelling Spirit makes possible the bearing of fruit that John Baptist said without which the tree would be hewn down. Paul continues and deals his opposition a deadly blow:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. (Galatians 5:22, 23)
This is the key to understanding Paul's teaching on the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. There is no law against the behaviors exhibited by those that walk in the Spirit. The Law was never made for righteous men and that is what men and women become that are TRULY born of God. They do by nature those things contained in the law that relate to the image of God in man. Not the carnal ordinances, but the outworking of the personality of God akin to how it was manifest in Christ.

Evidence of a Seared Conscience

2012-01-07T08:18:00.003-06:00

Evidence of a Seared Conscience
Robert Wurtz II

"Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself"—Matthew 19:19

The whole law can be summed up in the one verse. The Jews would eventually codify this law into 365 negative and 248 positive commandments. God gave the law in one sense to teach us what love is and what love is not. Simply put, God has commanded; thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. That is as straightforward as anything. Rather than trending in the realm of WWJD, let us ask a more biblical question; "how would I want to be treated?" This is a very important consideration as the conscience must not be seared in this area if we are ever to rightly reflect Jesus Christ.

The 'Self-Love' Factor

By way of illustration, lets say that Bob owns a car almost identical to Tom's; same make, model, year, mileage and condition. When Bob is asked what Tom's car is worth he condescendingly replies, "I wouldn't give you $1000 for that junker". Later on Bill is asked if he will sell his car. His answer? "I wouldn't take less than $1500 for this jewel!" If we do the math, we find that all things being equal, Bob has a self-love factor of 1.5 (1500/1000). In other words, he thinks half again more about himself and his own belongings than he does his neighbor. What gives rise to this inflated view of oneself is the subject of another discussion. In this entry I am only interested in pointing this attitude out as one evidence of a seared conscience.

The Springfield Hyperbole Correction Theorem

Some friends and I many years ago discovered that sometimes folks like to exaggerate the great deals they find so as to exalt themselves. No matter how great a deal you found, to hear them tell it you were ripped off. Why? Because they could have gotten it cheaper. The best deals always seemed to be in Springfield, MO. No matter how good the deal was in St. Louis or Chicago, the Springfield deal trumped it. Obviously Springfield did not have the best deals, so we came up with a way of correcting exaggerated figures so as to ascertain the truth. If the good deal was for $100 we would run that number through the Springfield Hyperbole Correction Theorem (aka the Springfield Formula) and get, let's say, $75. If the first figure was excessively exaggerated we would run it through the formula twice. I have no idea how accurate this was, but it gave rise to an important concept. People exaggerate to exalt themselves. Why? Because there is this worldly desire to feel superior to our neighbor. It is called the pride of life. It is bearing false witness. It is sin. To continue in this practice is evidence of a seared conscience. The conscience always checks our figures. If we inflate 100 to 120 we are lying. Folk know when they are hearing exaggeration. Response, "Wow, we need to run that through the Springfield formula."

Silly Recklessness

A squirrel is an interesting creature. In our part of the country they will risk life and limb (yours and theirs) trying to gather and store up all they can for the winter. Our side streets are often littered with these furry creatures that didn't quite make it across the road. They are reckless in their attempt to get theirs. Sadly, they make up a high percentage of roadkill in the fall. You have to always be watching out for them. They don't care if they cause a three car pile up, they have to get that acorn. They have a one track mind, 'get mines'. They are willing to mindlessly put at risk all kinds of property for a small morsel of food. It is their sustenance. It is their nature. They don't have reasoning skills to think through things. If they did they would temper their diligence with wisdom. But what are we to make when human beings exhibit this reckless selfishness? "I don't care what I have to put at risk to get what I want!" It arises from only being able to see things from your own personal perspective and not your neighbors.

The Sin of Expectation

In former years they were described as folk that think the world "owes them a living". Nothing could possibly be more unbiblical. One of the first things God told Adam was that he was to work by the sweat of his brow. Nobody owes us anything that we did not earn. Grace is God giving us salvation without merit, but grace does NOT carry over into the material world. If we expect to make a living in this world, we are going to have to earn it. To be in the habit of expecting things for free is a sure evidence of a seared conscience. Expectation is the enemy of thankfulness.

Pay You For What You Borrow From Me?

In an age of entitlement sometimes the conscience can become so seared that a person is not even reasonable. I have known of people to borrow a vehicle for a few months and complain the whole time. Never mind that they had no car to drive. If they had to put any money other than gas into the car they complained as if they were being ripped off. I don't know if it was easier to act out than say 'thank you' or what. They were borrowing it for free, driving the life out of it, with an attitude of expectation. Can you imagine someone then bringing it back complaining they had to buy a tire for it or put oil in it? Can you imagine them wanting to be reimbursed? What if they complained because they had to clean the mess they made inside of it as if they were doing you a favor? If that were their car they would be checking it out for scratches, but because its your car they borrowed, suddenly it a junk pile (refer to self-love section above). This is what people do when they have a seared conscience. They love themselves but not their neighbors as themselves. They would not tolerate being treated that way for a moment, but they do it to others. Someone loans them their property, they take value out of that property, return it with not as much as a 'thank you' but with a list of complaints. They then mean mouth your car telling everyone how big a piece of junk it was. Amazing expression of non-love! But this is the world we live in today. There is a generation with their conscience seared with a hot iron.

An Old School Example

Old timey preachers of bygone centuries used to preach very specifically how to love and not love your neighbor. A preacher I will leave unnamed once wrote, "When you can be in the habit of borrowing and using your neighbor's tools, without perceiving and feeling the injurious tendency of such conduct, and without realizing the pernicious principle on which such a practice turns, it is because you have a seared conscience. Many persons act as if they supposed that conscience had to do with but one side of this question--that it is the lender exclusively, and not the borrower, who is to look to his conscience, and see that he/she is serving a charitable rather than a profit-making purpose. But let us look at the principle contained in this. If you borrow money of a man, you expect to pay him interest, or at least to restore the same amount you borrow; but if you borrow a man's coat or tools, that are injured by wearing, it is the lender and not the borrower, that has to suffer the loss, and often a significant loss. Many a man has loaned his tools, and paid at the rate of twenty-five per cent for the 'privilege' of lending them. Now suppose a man has a hundred dollars in money. Money is scarce, and a hundred men desire to borrow it, every one in his turn. And now suppose each one should wear a dollar out of it. The man's hundred dollars are soon used up. But suppose a man should come to you and ask you to lend him money, and insist upon it that you should pay him interest, instead of his paying you interest, and you should say, "Why, I never heard of such a request! Do you want me to lend you money and pay you interest for the money you borrowed from me?" Now any man would be crazy, and would have reason to be ashamed, to make such a request; and his naked selfishness would in such a case be most manifest to every one. And who would think of accusing the lender of selfishness, in such a case, if he should refuse to let his money go for nothing, pay interest besides, and finally take the trouble to go after it. And yet this involves precisely the same principle upon which many persons conduct, in the neighborhoods where they live, in continually borrowing and using up their neighbors' tools, and perhaps compelling them to go after them, and that too without compunction or remorse. Nay, so far are they from feeling compunction or remorse, and perceiving that they are actuated by the most unpardonable selfishness, that they would complain, and suppose themselves to have a right to complain of the selfishness of a neighbor who should refuse to indulge them in acting upon such principles."

Summary

We can talk about loving our neighbors and being good Christians until the cows come home, but there is a reality that has to be lived out. "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself". Treat others as you would want to be treated. We must put ourselves on the same level with everyone else. We are not special. Everyone puts their pants on one leg at a time. We really need to ask ourselves if we would tolerate being treated as we treat others.

Does God Believe You?

2012-01-03T04:36:00.001-06:00

Does God Believe You?
The Faith of the Fickle
Robert Wurtz II

Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man. (John 2:23-25 KJV)

Our passage is a sobering reminder at how straightforward our Lord can be. He does not beat around the bush here. Because Jesus knew what was in man, although they were believing in His name, He did not trust them. We have in verse 23, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did. Here the word believed is the Greek verb ἐπίστευσαν (episteusan) and it is in the aorist indicative, meaning it is very much like our simple past tense. It is translated as believed, trusted. We then have our Lord's response to their response to the miracles; But Jesus did not commit himself unto them. Here we have the exact same Greek Verb except instead of being in the aorist indicative it is in the imperfect, meaning it was His continuous settled attitude towards them. He was not believing them. Why? He knew what was in man.

Fickle and Faithless

What is in man? It would be easy to say something like, 'original sin' and then explain it. But, I think we have a situation where mens hearts are laid bare right out in public. As if they were walking around pretending God was fooled by their fickle ways. Fickle can be defined as, changing frequently, especially as regards one's loyalties, interests, or affection. These people believed when they saw the miracles, but when things stopped going 'their' way they stopped believing. Jesus saw this from the word go, and He was not fooled for a minute. In modern evangelism there would probably be a celebration of 'X' number of people that 'responded to the invitation' and 'got saved' but here we see God in a different mode of operation. He is moving in absolute reality- not wishful thinking. He is not self-deceived. He saw what was in man.

What is in man?

Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. (John 6:26)

Man is a chronic 'what have you done for me lately' type of creature. This is The Sin manifest in man. He forgets past benefits and focuses on the very latest thing going on. When the miracles dry up or the free lunch ended the people stopped following Jesus. When He stopped dancing to their drum they stopped singing His praises. When He quit performing they quit believing. What else do they do? They become censorious (Matthew 7:1). That is to say, they start fault-finding. Before you know it He goes from a hero to a zero in their eyes. Why? Because they are self-centered sinners that have no regard for anything but their own self love. They didn't care about God's plan, they wanted their own will carried out.

I'm Mad at God!

It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. (Lamentations 3:22)

It is sobering to realize that the final verses of inspired scripture from the Old Testament read, And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse. (Malachi 4:6) This is what God left man to ponder for some 400 years during the inter-testamental period. Mankind was staring down the barrel of some kind of curse from God that he more than deserved for his treatment of His Creator. Do you think the people had this verse front and center in their minds in AD 30? God may very well just CURSE us? He is liable to just CONSUME us? And why didn't He? It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. Rebellion overlooks what it deserves and expects the blessing of a righteous man. What if God gave us each what we deserved? We would not last a millisecond on earth, but would be thrust into the bottomless pit to be sealed up in a fiery judgment of smoke and flame for all eternity. Do you think this is front and center in the average human beings mind? In no wise. What is there? Expectation. Anger that God has not danced to our little drums. Resentment and grumbling because we suffer even one iota of what is deserved. Pitiful. That my friend, is what is 'in man'. Selfishness to the core.

I'm Mad at My Fellow Man!

Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? (Matthew 7:1-3)

When your behavior is agreeable to your fellow man he will bless you abundantly, but when you cross him/her they will blast you. Jesus experienced this first hand. He passed out thousands of free meals in a single setting and healed numerous people. He asked them at one point, Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me? (John 10:32) At the end of the day all of His past goodness could not stop their hate. Note, it is a sad thing that a man would have to constantly placate his fellow man with good deeds or gifts of some kind in order to secure his love and respect. Why should anyone have to appease another in order to retain their friendship or affection? But there it is. This bullying attitude in the bosom of lost men was never more clear than when Jesus walked the earth. These people were prepared to stone Jesus and they deserved damnation themselves. This diabolic attitude is so entrenched in some that they will at the last be thrust into hell cursing God along the way in spite of the hundreds and thousands of times that He showed them mercy on the earth. He will blame his fellow man and accuse God for not getting as many chances as some 'other guy' that received more than him/her. Consider this madness. As if God owed any man mercy at all. What he is really saying is, I resent the fact that you did not give me more opportunities to sin against you. Selah.

Does God Believe You?

And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favour in thy sight; and let me not see my wretchedness. (Numbers 11:5)

This is the heart cry of fallen man, let me not see my wretchedness. Let me see the wretchedness of others so I can condemn them and censure them, but don't let me see my own wretchedness. I feel so much better about myself calling everyone else a hypocrite; but God please, let me not see my wretchedness. As long as I can blame everyone else I can keep on sinning and blame you God if at last I am damned to hell; because I found others sinning more than me and you showed them more mercy than you showed me? How could God ever believe a people that had an attitude like this? The only way He could is if there came about a radical change of heart. Man would have to recognize that the thing he/she deserves is not more mercy, but utter destruction and perdition. Stop thinking you have one up on God because He did something you don't like or that you perceive is 'unfair'. It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. (Lamentations 3:22) Mercy is defined as compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm. If it is in a person's power to punish you when you justly deserve it, it is an act of mercy. Keep that clear. If we receive mercy our response is not to say, 'You better have given it to me' or ''that's what I thought, huh!' Our attitude must be gratitude. Our attitude can never be expectation. This is a trap that many fall into. They receive mercy so often that they somehow think God will owe it to them forever. The attitude becomes, "He will show me mercy so I can be presumptuous" pr "It's easier to get forgiveness than permission." In other words, knowing that you can't get permission to do wrong you you believe you can get forgiveness for doing wrong. What wretchedness is in a person when they do wrong and EXPECT to get by with it?

Taking Responsibility

Man has to take a long look in the mirror and stop the finger pointing. He has to get the beam out of his own eye so he can see himself. He needs to see his own wretchedness. He has to recognize that what he needs is to do is acknowledge his own sin and stop accusing God in his heart. Let God be true and not ourselves. Stop justifying our own sin and confess it and forsake it. Then God can believe us.

The Final Authority (expanded edition)

2011-12-31T19:51:00.004-06:00

The Final Authority

Robert Wurtz II

And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount. We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts. Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. (II Peter 1:18-20)

Our passage is the beginning of a discourse on false teaching and false teachers that Peter continues describing saying, and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. (II Peter 2:3 NASB) He continues on well into the chapter describing them as deceivers... having eyes full of adultery that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed children. (II Peter 2:14 NASB) This is a sobering account that dominates almost 3 chapters of II Peter. Yet we find in chapter 3 the solution for the deception; (I want you) to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the commandment of our Lord and Savior spoken through your apostles. (II Peter 3:2 ISV) The rightly divided word of God is the final authority upon which we are to base our doctrine and practice. Many things have been used in the former days as well as our day to try to authenticate doctrine and practice, but the FINAL authority must be the rightly divided word of truth.

An Appeal to the Conscience

Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart. But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. (II Cor. 4:1-2)

There is a sense in which as Paul was preaching he was not ministering towards the heart for affirmation of what was being said as truth- but towards the conscience. This is important. Whenever we hear some doctrine or message being presented we have an inner witness that is hard wired into our being. That inner witness is like a judge that weighs words and concepts against what we believe to be true. For those that truly desire truth and are willing to allow the word of God through the power of the Holy Spirit to teach them- they will come to the knowledge of God rightly. But if there are secret shameful desires lurking under the surface then those desires will be at work distorting what the person is willing to accept as truth. This is critical. Solomon stated in Proverbs 4:23, Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Corruption and deception walk hand in hand.

Idolatry = Candidate for Deception

The word 'worldly' is one that is no longer in vogue in many circles. But there is a great danger to giving ones self over to the pleasures of sin and compromise in this world. That primary danger is found in Paul's writings to the Thessalonians; And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (II Thess. 2:11-12) Any thing or any person that we cause God to be subject to in our lives is an idol and must be thrown down. If we desire anything above our desire for truth we are a candidate for deception.

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. (Hosea 4:6)

There is a price to pay for refusing to forsake this present world and the things of this world. Not only does the person's heart deceive them, but the risk is that God may in fact also send a strong delusion. This may well explain why many people seem to fall into deception after deception; they are trying to learn the ways of God without fully submitting to His authority and that is not possible. The deceptions get passed down to the children until God must reject them as well. Dear reader consider your ways and how you teach those you influence. If you have small children understand that you are responsible for training them in the ways of God. If you allow things of this world or people to alter your perceptions of truth you will answer to God for your misleadings. Every parent and leader should tremble at the thought that they will give account to God for a reckless, slapdash, communication of Divine truth. How many women (and men) have damned the souls of their children (or at least set them on track for such) by marrying someone that did not bear witness to the truth of God's word as it is? She came under his authority and abandoned her faith. (1 Timothy 5:11) She rejected knowledge for a partner in life and the result? Seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. (Hosea 4:6b) This was more common of women in former years, but in our times men are as vulnerable to leaving God for a mate as the woman.

Symptoms of Deception

Some are not so subtle, but grow brazen in their defiance of God. One of the aspects of this behavior is that their sinful ways are openly revealed for all to see. They do not cover it- they celebrate it. Notice II Peter 2:13; They take pleasure in wild parties in broad daylight. The level of highhandedness of their compromise will dictate their level of deception. The more froward they are in worldliness and sin- the more deceived we can expect them to be. In fact, they even take it upon themselves to speak evil of celestial beings. We read in II Peter 2:10; Bold and arrogant, these men are not afraid to slander celestial beings. (Exodus 22:28) This is a characteristic of many in Charismatic circles today, for example. It is evidence of an underlying pride in which neither God or His word is revered. Folk usurp God's authority by railing upon the demonic rather than submitting themselves to God and resisting the devil. There are even songs that are sung that border on 'railing' and by no means can they please the Lord.

False Authentication

Crafty words are not evidence of authority. Signs and wonders cannot be used as a measure for truth. A large following is no evidence of anything. Words of prophecy and other use of the prophetical gifts cannot authenticate matters of doctrine or practice. How I 'feel' about something is irrelevant. Emotions and feelings are like the wind. These matters must be reserved for the rightly divided word of God alone. Peter states it plainly when he reminds us that he had a glorious experience in which he heard the voice of God as it spoke of Christ. Yet he states; We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place. The word of God is of more value than an eyewitness account- especially in regards to fulfilled prophecy. We are told even by our Lord to 'search the scriptures...' InActs 17:11 we read; These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. There are two things here:

1) They received the word with a readiness of mind (an open mind)

2) They searched the scriptures 'daily' to ensure what Paul said was true

This must be our attitude in this crisis hour. The enemy is working deception after deception, while their is a readiness to receive everything false in many cases. Again we are warned that the coming of the lawless one will be accompanied by the power of Satan. He will use every kind of power, including miraculous signs, lying wonders, and every type of evil to deceive those who are perishing, those who refused to love the truth that would save them. (II Thess 2:9-10) This is an ongoing danger within the churches. But we have a more sure word of prophecy that we do well to give heed. We need a readiness of mind and a willingness to search the scriptures diligently in these deceptive times. We need an attitude that desires to know the truth rather than 'some new thing.' There are many false teachers in the land and it is our responsibility to make sure we do not fall prey to them.

Pride Before Destruction

We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up (1 Corinthians 8:1b)

Notice our text, knowledge puffs up. This is a straightforward statement. We see it all the time, a man or woman once small in their own eyes gets a little education and suddenly they are arrogant and unteachable. They become a law unto themselves. Yet Paul tells us clearly that this is not God. It is false. To have knowledge may cause a person to think more highly of themselves than they ought to think; opening the door to deception. "I am too smart and wise to be deceived." Nonsense. The enemies work is made easy in a proud mind and heart. As the saying goes, if you want to please the devil admire yourself. When a proud person hears another praised they feel themselves injured. They want to be seen as greater than others. "Pride thrust proud Nebuchadnezzar out of men’s society, proud Saul out of his kingdom, proud Adam out of paradise, proud Haman out of the court and proud Lucifer out of heaven." (Thomas Adams) The solution? We must humble ourselves. We must recognize that our sufficiency is of God and not ourselves.

From Born in Sin to Born Again (Part 6)

2011-12-14T17:12:00.001-06:00

From Born in Sin to Born Again (Part 6)
Divine Enabling
Robert Wurtz II

But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. (1 Corinthians 15:10)

If I were to use the word grace, what would come to mind? The standard Evangelical definition is divine favor (favour). This is true, but it is only a partial truth. It leaves some with the impression that God has a favorable attitude towards certain people unconditionally and an unfavorable attitude towards other people unconditionally. This cannot be true because it is not consistent with God's revealed character. So we see then that if grace is not understood properly in each scriptural context we will arrive at wrong conclusions about God and how He does things. Let's look at some examples.

When Paul frequently said, "grace be unto you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ...", what did he mean? Did he pray or somehow wish that God would merely feel favorably towards the people? Certainly it must be that and even more. Grace makes provision. Grace is the opposite of prevent. Simply put, we might say that grace must be expressed with an act of giving. Why? Because love gives. It is not grace if it is merely a feeling. We might see a need and 'feel' but we are not exercising grace until we feel and then give what is needed. This is critical to understand. Our Greek word for grace is χάριν; charin, not a lot different than the Latin caritas from which comes the French word charite and our word English word charity. What is charity? It is giving to a perceived need. What is favor, is it merely a feeling of approval and supportiveness? Favors are something we do for people above and beyond what is owed or deserved.

What about the passage, And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him. (Luke 2:40) Does this mean that God merely liked (favored) Jesus more than be liked other people? And if grace is indeed unconditional, are we to understand that God the Father merely favored Jesus unconditionally? Think of the implications of that. Fallen men may need God's unmerited favor, but Jesus Christ was worthy of everything He received; yet He is still said to have been 'full of grace'. Although many have already written the last chapter of their theological terms, it appears we have a long way to go yet. I think it not a stretch to say that grace towards Jesus Christ was simply God's supernatural enabling. The idea of 'unmerited' and 'unconditional' has no place in the definition when applied to Jesus Christ. Jesus always needed God's grace, He never needed God's mercy. Keep that clear.

Grace to Help

What did the writer to the Hebrews say? Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: for our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:28, 29) and again... Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16) Notice first that we obtain mercy. This is for past sins. So we have mercy for past failure and sin, and grace for future acceptable service. Our former text says plainly, that grace is the means whereby we can serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. By grace we are capacitated to do God's will.

Grace for our Inability

Returning now to our opening tests I have selected these passages in order to discuss what we might call the fruit motif that we find beginning with John Baptist and continued on by Jesus and later Paul the Apostle. We must preface this subsection with a reminder of the words of our Lord, for without me ye can do nothing. (John 15:5) Obviously Jesus is not saying 'nothing' in the absolute sense; but rather we can do nothing acceptable to God. God is only accepting good fruit. We also notice in John 1 how the writer emphasizes how Jesus Christ is in effect the Creator as he parallels Genesis 1 with, "In the beginning..." (Genesis 1:1, John 1:1). Matthew, written much earlier, parallels the fruit motif in Genesis 1:14-30. It is an axiom of scripture and nature that creatures bring forth after their own kind. Keep that clear. Trees are used metaphorically throughout the bible for persons (Isaiah 10:33, 14:12, 61:3, Daniel 4:14-16, etc.). We cannot bring forth fruit unto God unless we are in Christ. We cannot bring forth fruit in our own strength. It is what God requires.

From Born in Sin to Born Again (Part 5)

2011-12-13T18:03:00.000-06:00

From Born in Sin to Born Again (Part 5)
Forfeiting the Candlestick
Robert Wurtz II

Our picture is taken from the Titus Arch in Rome. It was built in around AD 81 in part by some of the Jews that were taken captive by Titus when he took Jerusalem. The sobering aspect of this picture is the carrying away of the Golden Lampstand. It had stood to signify that Israel in the Land was to be a light to the nations. To a large degree they failed, and there was nothing left but to sweep the last vestiges of the Old Covenant system away to make way for the New Covenant. From this point forward there would be absolutely no way to maintenance the Covenant. Bear in mind, though many Jews view the Old Covenant as a 'constitution'(in much the same way that liberal judges view the US constitution a living document), it is a COVENANT. The Torah so called is law, not merely teaching. When the covenant terms were broken the sacrificial system was in place to make provision. Otherwise God would be just to simply abandon the people. The Tabernacle, Temple(s), priesthood, etc were for this purpose. Once Herod's Temple was plowed under by the Roman's the covenant was done for. But God did not end here, He had already set into motion the True Temple throughout the whole earth through the outpouring of His Spirit at Pentecost; baptizing those that received Christ into His one Body. Again, I refer to Stephen's sermon in Act's 7 and it's key text Isaiah 66:1ff.

A Quick Look Back

We have discussed in our previous entries that at the time of Christ the Temple was void of the Ark of the Covenant, Sacred Fire and Shekinah Glory. Herod had greatly expanded this Temple after it was destroyed by Babylon. Yet Jesus Prophesied that not one stone would be left on another until all were thrown down. This great event took place circa 70 AD when Vespasian and later Titus besieged Jerusalem to crush what we have now come to know as the First Jewish Revolt led by the Zealots. It brings to pass the words of the writer to Hebrews, In that he saith, A new [covenant], he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old [is] ready to vanish away. (Hebrews 8:13) They had no sacred fire to burn on the Lampstand. Same is true for the altar of incense and the sacrifices. What the unbelieving Jews (as distinguished from the believing Jews) did not understand is that Christ is the Light of the World. When He walked the earth in the Land He was a living lamp stand shedding forth light upon the people (See John 1:9, 3:19, 8:12, etc. )

As Long As I am in the World

As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. (John 9:5)

Our Lord's revelation of Himself in John is in keeping with the Tabernacle and Glory motif that we explored in a previous entry. He said, as long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. This statement is conditional; that is, it is subject to His being in the world. He is saying in effect, "I am the Lampstand". Israel failed to be the Lampstand, so I am here being the True Israel. Compare these texts.

Hosea 11:1	Matthew 2:14, 15
When Israel was a youth I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My Son.	And he arose and took the Child and His mother by night, and departed for Egypt; and was there until the death of Herod, that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, “Out of Egypt did I call My Son.”

By inference we understand that Jesus Christ would not always be the light of the world in the sense He was in the first century because He personally and bodily would not always be in the world. He would soon ascend into heaven. This is why He also stated:

Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. (John 2:19)

He is obviously pointing to His own body, not the Temple of Herod as some understood Him. He was the Temple and He was the Lampstand. What about after the ascension? Who or what will be the Light of the World then? We will need to fast forward for a moment.

After our Lord ascended into Heaven and the Holy Spirit was sent into the whole earth, we no longer have the 7 Lamp Menorah that was planted only in Israel, but rather, the Book of the Revelation describes Christ as walking in the midst of the 7 Golden Lampstands. Jesus had already told the Disciples that they were the light of the world a city set on a hill that cannot be hid. Understand that what allows any person to be a light is that they have the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit in them. Notice carefully, IN, them. Continuing in the Tabernacle motif in John Jesus states, If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. (John 14:15-18)

Notice Jesus explains to them their current state and then tells them of their future state. The Holy Spirit is with but shall be in. This Baptism into Christ by the Spirit is not the same as the multiplied fillings with the Holy Spirit that others experienced under the Old Covenant. Why? Because Baptism into Christ appropriates to us all that Christ accomplished on the cross. This was effectively a cleansing of the Temple and a coming of the Holy Spirit with power and great glory. This is what enables a person to be a true light in the world. Moreover, when a group of believers gather together in the name of Christ so as to constitute a local church the Lord walks in the midst of then enabling them as a unit (local church) to be a lamp as well. This is an awesome consideration that transcends the mundane gatherings that we are often accustomed to. He is the Great High Priest whose job it is to tend the Lampstand. He will do it.

From Born in Sin to Born Again (Part 4)

2011-12-12T20:54:00.004-06:00

From Born in Sin to Born Again (Part 4)
No God - No Glory
Robert Wurtz II

It is useful to point out that after the exile to Babylon, the Children of Israel changed radically in their approach to religion. It is said that they believed the exile was the result of their disobeying the Law (Torah) so measures were put in place to make sure this did not happen again. It sounds like a wonderful plan, but the problem is that it created a dead religion as opposed to a living relationship they once enjoyed with their God. Religion has been defined as worship in the absence of God. Certainly this seems to have been the case when Israel started this whole new brand of religion. It is difficult for an Evangelical Christian to understand these times because the Jews standard approach to God was superficial on one hand and very strict on the other. Jesus met this ideology head on. The Jews were becoming more and more independent of God and doing it in the name of God.

The Zugot

From the time of the Maccabean Revolt until the time of Jesus there is said to have been five pairs of spiritual leaders in Israel. The Jews refer to this time period as that of the Zugot and it went on from roughly 515 BC until 70 AD when the Temple was destroyed. The focus of these times was on learning and scholarship. The greater the learning the greater the respect or authority. The greatest two teachers of the time period (the Zugot) stood at the head of the 71 member Jewish Supreme Court (the Great Sanhedrin) judging the application of the Law of Moses. We will say Law of Moses at this juncture because it is not my belief that an actual Oral Law existed during these times (the so-called second law or Torah). The last of these groups were comprised of Hillel and Shammai. After the Temple was destroyed by Titus and his army in 70AD, the Pharisees fled to Jamnia (Yavneh) and started Rabbinical Judaism. The Sanhedrin followed them to Jamnia at first, but their authority was later supplanted by the Rabbis.

A Wrong Focus

According to Josephus, during the time of Jesus there were four philosophies in Judaism in Israel; the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Essenes and the Zealots. The Pharisees (perusim: a term that means set apart) are the only surviving philosophy; in fact, pharisaic beliefs became the basis for Rabbinic Judaism, which ultimately produced the so-called normative traditional Judaism which is the basis for all contemporary forms of Judaism except for Karaism. Karaism is different from other Judaisms in that Karaite Jews reject the Oral Law, Talmud, etc. (the authority of the Rabbi's) and accept only the Tanakh. It would seem that in the time of Jesus there were Jews that struggled to decide what path they would follow. Some followed the Pharisees (religious leaders) and some seemed to respond to the scriptures and prophetic voice of God alone. The decision was one of focus; will we turn our hearts towards God or will we submit to the authority of the religious leaders? This is at the heart of Stephen's sermon in Acts 7.

Rabbi/Scribe and Pharisee

We must point out that our Lord put His finger right on the heart of the subject when He stated in effect that the Scribes and the Pharisees loved to be called Rabbi, Rabbi (ῥαββί ῥαββί). He went on to say, But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master (Teacher), even Christ; and all ye are brethren. (Matthew 23:8) Do you supposed that stopped them? It did not. Just like He told them again, And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. (Matthew 23:9) The Romanists went right out and did just the opposite. A close observation reveals many parallels between Romanism and Rabbinism, but we must digress. The issue boils down to those that are in Adam lusting for power just as does Satan. (John 8:44) It is part of fallen human nature and all that are in the first Adam, but expelled from those that are in the last Adam Jesus Christ (see Philippians 2:5-10).

Purity

A primary obsessive theme of the Scribes and Pharisees was that they always focused on ritual purity. There is no Glory over the Temple, no Sacred Fire or Prophetic voice, no Ark of the Covenant but they are concerned with washing hands and dipping in the Mikveh as needed. They once asked Jesus, Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? (Matthew 15:2, 3) Notice how our Lord calls them out for a practice they were doing and continue to do until this very day; and proudly I might add. They even gave the practice a name, Takkanah (Takanot plural). Yet what was worse is that their focus was on outward things when the trouble was inward. God was planning to move inside of man, but man was filled with all manor of uncleanness. Jesus went on to say, Hear, and understand: Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. (Matthew 15:10, 11) The disciples were concerned that this angered the Pharisees. Jesus said, But he answered and said, Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch. (Matthew 15:13, 14) Notice they were not the planting of the Lord. Some assert there were good Pharisees as there certainly were a few, but generally they were not and Jesus comments are well within the margin of error. Why were they blind? They were not of God. And because of that they could not receive what Jesus was saying. Here these men were worried about dirty hands when they had rotten filthy hearts where only a devil would live. God was about to pour His Spirit out and INTO the people to make them Temples of the Living God.

What Really Defiles a Person?

They needed cleaned out. They needed the mess pointed out so He could clean it up. He continued, Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man. (Matthew 15:16-20) Jesus is telling the people where the focus needs to be, but being blind as they were they focused on hand washing and other similar petty things (outward things). They had an external religion with no view to an internal relationship. They had no desire for it. Ramping up the revelation Jesus went on to say plainly, Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. (Matthew 23:27) They were called to be Temples of the Living God; He was preparing the Children of Israel for this reality, but instead they were content to be sepulchres.

From Glory to Death to Glory

Paul tells us plainly that if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious. (2 Corinthians 3:11) The Old Covenant had within it a certain glory, but that glory is now gone. The New Covenant that remains is far more glorious. Why? Because God lived in Tabernacles and Temples with man in the Old Covenant, but He tabernacles in men in the New Covenant. What could be more awesome than that? While the Pharisees were always resisting the Holy Ghost (as did their fathers); circumcised in the outward flesh on the 8th day, but uncircumcised in heart and ears every day, God was moving closer and closer and closer to those that would receive Christ. At Pentecost He mad His grand arrival! To the rejectors He shook the dust from His feet as they trod His blood under foot. But as many as received Him to them He gave the right to become the very sons of God. Let us not boast, but fear.

By One Spirit

We mentioned in an earlier entry that Jesus Christ was the Temple of God as He walked the earth tabernacling among men. In fact, He is the Chief Cornerstone of a Great Temple of hears to the righteousness of God that is by faith. And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:20-23) John said of Christ, "We beheld His glory the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth..." (John 1:14) while the writer to the Hebrews reminds us that God is bringing not just Christ, but many sons unto glory (Hebrews 2:10). How? For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:13)

From Born in Sin to Born Again (Part 3)

2011-12-11T08:44:00.004-06:00

From Born in Sin to Born Again (Part 3)

The Only Children of God

Robert Wurtz II

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
(Matthew 3:7-10)

The specific times in which Jesus Ministered are worth taking a moment to describe. The Jews had been carried away beyond Babylon in the centuries before and had returned to become only a shell of what they were before. Alexander the Great had conquered much of the world spreading Greek language and culture. This created a concern among the religious Jews that Hellenism (Greek influence) was seriously infiltrating Judaism. Although there were some 10 levels of purity between the land of Israel and the Holy of Holies, the Shekinah glory of God was gone from the inferior rebuilt Temple (in process of being expanded by Herod), the Ark of the Covenant was gone (The High priest flicked the blood into the air behind the vail or towards the vail on the day of atonement), as well the sacred fire was gone and strange fire (common fire) was the norm. Since the Shekinah glory was gone they had to essentially redefine what the Shekinah glory of God was- so as to say that even when exiled and unclean the Shekinah was with them. This wishful thinking would plague the unbelieving Jews all through the ministry of our Lord. (See Ezekiel 8-11) In our previous study we examined how Jesus Christ (among many things) was a living manifestation of God's glory.

Covenant or Constitution?

Let us note that as this time the Jews were no longer considering the Law (Torah) as a covenant between the people and God in the sense that we understand it. The Pharisees had risen to power and the Law was taught as a code of conduct to be altered as necessary. In fact, once the Temple was destroyed in 70 CE the Pharisees fled to Jamnia (Yavneh) and started Rabbinical Judaism. They taught that there were two Torahs, the written and the oral. The Oral Law (codified circa 200 CE) trumps the written because it deals with life application. The Talmud(s), a commentary of the Toras, are loaded with alterations and additions to the Law. Other Rabbis after the Talmud(s) came along and made their alterations as well. At first this practice of altering and adding to the law was done through the Sanhedrin, but later the authority was passed to Rabbi's. (See NOT IN HEAVEN in the Appendix of this entry) They transformed themselves from a group of unauthorized outsiders to the holders and/or guardians of all authority in heaven and earth. (D. Gruber)

Understand that authority was given to men based on their perceived learning. Study was considered an act of worship. The people did NOT consider themselves as God's people based upon their keeping of the Covenant, but because they were Abraham's seed. Keep that clear. So the Old Covenant to the Jew is not the same thing as it is to an Evangelical Christian. The Rabbis made a habit of making void the Law by their traditions, additions, subtractions, and other innovations. They believed that it was their God-given right to do it. Therefore, practicing Jews in the time of Christ and beyond viewed themselves as Abraham's seed by birthright. Our passage deals handily with that view and we must note that it is one of the first concepts that was shot down. It is a valid approach even today.

Establishing the Law

Do we then make void the law through faith God forbid- yea we establish the law. (Romans 3:31)

The Rabbis answer to difficult questions about the Law was to alter it, void it or make additions to it. God knew the Law had limitations and this is why it was temporal. It was in effect until the Seed should come. The Jews that rejected Christ have continued to cut and paste the Law until it bears absolutely no resemblance to what Moses wrote whatsoever. In the second century the so-called Oral Law was added giving the Jews two Torahs and it has been all down hill since. There have been so many halachic rulings (halacha) on individual texts by various Rabbis that it is a mass of confusion and has no power to be the schoolmaster it was designed to be. The Law through the eyes of 2000 years of Sages could not possibly lead a person to Christ. In fact, it is designed to do the opposite. They are left without a clue as to what God has done.

Abraham's Seed or God's?

Those that do not rightly understand God's purposes in bringing many sons unto glory falsely assume that those that are in Christ as heirs to the righteousness that is of God by faith are somehow lawless or have made 'void' the Law. This is what the Rabbis have done, not the true Born Again believers. They made void the Law. Understand that this was a common misconception in Paul's day and it is common today; otherwise Paul would not ask and answer his own question. The Jews were concerned with keeping the people under the authority of the Rabbis, so they used these type slurs to that end. Understand what is happening here. The Pharisees (who later started Rabbinic Judaism) wanted to retain their power and authority. They were moving as enemies of God totally oblivious to what God was doing. They were ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. God wanted to bring forth a righteous seed through His Son, 'The Seed'. The Pharisees didn't have a clue and still don't.

God's Law Perfect- Man Imperfect

It is important to stay zoomed out when discussing the issues concerning salvation so as to keep in mind God's ultimate purpose in creating man knowing that He knows what He is doing. We don't have to second guess God as if He has not thought through His own plans. We don't have to modify the Old Covenant to keep it up to date. It is expired and God has moved on to the New Covenant. Through this New Covenant God is working to bring many sons unto glory. He is working to make man in His image and in His likeness.What does this mean? Does it mean we dress ourselves in prayer shawls and Kippahs (skull caps). The Kippah is an innovation dating back around 800 years, sanctified as part of the tradition of the Pharisees.

The True Image of God (Identity with God)

How can a man identify with God? Certainly it is not by adhering to sanctified traditions. There is a sense in which on a physical level a man as the male figure has been made in the image of God. We read in I Corinthians 11:7 For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God. When God formed man from the dust of the ground the clay was fashioned fearfully and wonderfully. Yet the inward man could not be formed quite so easily- for God had given man a free will. To mold the inner man would be a job that required man's cooperation with God. There would have to be a synchronization of natures. Two cannot walk together unless they are agreed. (Amos 3:3) This would require the submission of the created to his/her Creator. When Adam sinned and Sin entered the mind became carnal and the carnal mind is at enmity with God. (Romans 8:7) It is not subject to the Law of God and is hostile towards God. So a person may comply with the Law for various reasons, but that is not the same as desiring and doing by nature those things that are written in the Law. God wants more than compliance- He wants agreement.

The Enemy Within

There have only ever been or ever will be two Adams. Adam of the Garden of Eden was the first Adam and Jesus Christ is the last Adam. (I Corinthians 15:45) It is important to point out that there are recorded only these also (Adam and Eve and Jesus Christ the last Adam) that were ever tempted face to face of the devil. The first Adam desired to be like God having believed the lie of the devil that told him he would be as God knowing good and evil if he partook of the Tree of Knowledge. The truth was Adam was about to transform into something opposite of God. Adam did not need to 'know' good and evil He needed to love righteousness and hate iniquity. How do we know this? Because the last Adam is our example of what God intended for the first Adam. (Hebrews 1:9)

The First Adam was about to assume a nature that loved iniquity and hated righteousness. This nature left unrestrained worked in man such evil and hatred within a relatively short time (Adam to Noah) that it repented the Lord that He had made man on the earth. Can anyone fathom the depths of sin that men plumbed in bringing God's sorrow down to the grave? God created man good but Adam opened the door and Sin entered the human race and death by Sin. Sin would work in harmony with Death in men so as to by Sin destroy literally every relationship until even families were without natural affection. (compare Matthew 24:37 and II Timothy 3:3) Iniquity abounded until the love waxed cold. In time the whole race had corrupted its way and filled the earth with violence. What meanness? What evil? What wickedness proceeded out of the hearts of multitudes to bring about measures so terrible that God wiped the very remembrance of them from the earth. He wiped the slate as clean as when He destroyed Sodom.

God Made Man Upright-

God did not create man this way! God made man innocent and upright! Before Sin entered there was no murder in the earth or violence. God could trust Adam to be about his business tending the Garden- but no sooner did Sin enter and God had to place the whole creation in a state of inutility to force man to work where before he used to 'tend' and manage a whole Garden of free food. God set Adam about redeeming the time because they days had become evil. Yet those 'in Adam' filled with the spirit of disobedience turned a perfect world upside down for evil. It is impossible that any amount of outward temptations could bring about such diabolic behavior as the human race was and is capable of. Many measures have been taken by God to slow the progression of iniquity. And yet for all that we have read about in the history books our minds have yet to see save in the full expression of hate towards Christ on the cross what those that are 'in Adam' are capable of once the restraining influences of God's many measures are finally brought to an end. We are seeing it happen in our times.

Contrasting the Two Adam's

God knew man was of a sinful nature so he banned him from the Garden of Eden lest he eat of the Tree of Life and be ratified eternally in a carnal mind living naturally as a slave to Sin. Cain is an example of the rebellion that entered man. The spirit of a hate filled murderer was in Cain. (I John 3:12-15) He was of the devil and so also was and is the whole human race because they are born 'in' the first Adam. (John 8:44) The last Adam, Jesus Christ, lived a life well pleasing unto God. (Luke 3:22 Mark 1:11) Those that were in Adam were baptized into Moses in the cloud and the sea with the added benefit of spiritual food and drink; yet, unlike Christ, God was not well pleased with them because their hearts were set on evil things. (I Corinthians 10:1-6) In Adam and 'in' Moses men may have somewhat desired to do good but how to perform it the could not find. (Romans 7:18-24) This was the shape Paul found himself in and having discovered Christ counted all but loss that he might be redeemed from this condition. (Philippians 3:8)

The Example of Christ

Jesus Christ was born of the Holy Spirit and not only was not born in Adam- but was Himself the Last Adam. He is the only man that has ever not fallen short of the glory of God. He is the only 'real' man that ever lived; real in the sense that He was the full demonstration of man as a son; a child of God born of God. Jesus Christ in His incarnation and humanity is all that God intended man to be. He is the 'perfect man' that is, the measure of the stature of what God meant when He stated, "Let Us make man in our own image and in our likeness." (see also Ephesians 4:13)

The Generations of Adam

There were many generations of the first Adam, but there would only be one generation of Jesus Christ. (Matthew 1:1) There will never rise a generation that is in Jesus Christ that knows not the Lord; (Hebrews 8:11) for all that are in Him are there by their own free choice. They are in Him because God dealt with them by His grace and they responded rightly to Him. John 4:34 perhaps expresses the attitude of Christ when He describes doing the will of the Father as His 'meat' or His 'food.' It is what He lives for. It is His reason for being. As food is to us- so is doing the will of the Father to Christ. That is the level of agreement of mind and heart that God is working towards in bringing many sons unto glory. This is not the nature of Adam or those that are 'in' Adam. God's estimate of Adam is simple. As if the Lord had done as with Christ so with us we can almost hear the voice from heaven:

The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one. (Psalm 14:3)

And again...

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:6)

Born in Adam ... Born Again in Christ

When Jesus stated in John 3:3 that 'ye must be born again' logic would have it that there was something wrong with our first birth. The problem with our first birth was the first Adam. The answer to the problem is second birth into the Last Adam. (Jesus Christ) We are born in Adam and we are born again 'in' Jesus Christ. This is not simply a theological concept- it is a real life experience. As surely as it was a miracle for Lazarus to come forth from the grave so also is the Divine Miracle of the New Birth. We gain an entirely new history. Before Christ we traced our ancestry back to Adam, but in Christ HE is our ancestor. He is our heritage. He is the well spring from which we have our new nature. This is the miracle of the New Creature. In our next entry we will look closer at what it means to be 'In' Christ and later we will discover by what means one is Born Again 'In Christ'.

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Appendix

NOT IN HEAVEN

Babylonian Talmud: Tractate Baba Mezi'a

Baba Mezi'a 59b

R. Eliezer declared it clean, and the Sages declared it unclean; and this was the oven of 'Aknai.¹ Why [the oven of] 'Aknai? — Said Rab Judah in Samuel's name: [It means] that they encompassed it with arguments² as a snake, and proved it unclean. It has been taught: On that day R. Eliezer brought forward every imaginable argument,³ but they did not accept them. Said he to them: 'If the halachah agrees with me, let this carob-tree prove it!' Thereupon the carob-tree was torn a hundred cubits out of its place — others affirm, four hundred cubits. 'No proof can be brought from a carob-tree,' they retorted. Again he said to them: 'If the halachah agrees with me, let the stream of water prove it!' Whereupon the stream of water flowed backwards — 'No proof can be brought from a stream of water,' they rejoined. Again he urged: 'If the halachah agrees with me, let the walls of the schoolhouse prove it,' whereupon the walls inclined to fall. But R. Joshua rebuked them, saying: 'When scholars are engaged in a halachic dispute, what have ye to interfere?' Hence they did not fall, in honour of R. Joshua, nor did they resume the upright, in honour of R. Eliezer; and they are still standing thus inclined. Again he said to them: 'If the halachah agrees with me, let it be proved from Heaven!' Whereupon a Heavenly Voice cried out: 'Why do ye dispute with R. Eliezer, seeing that in all matters the halachah agrees with him!' But R. Joshua arose and exclaimed: 'It is not in heaven.'⁴ What did he mean by this? — Said R. Jeremiah: That the Torah had already been given at Mount Sinai; we pay no attention to a Heavenly Voice, because Thou hast long since written in the Torah at Mount Sinai, After the majority must one incline.⁵

R. Nathan met Elijah⁶ and asked him: What did the Holy One, Blessed be He, do in that hour? — He laughed [with joy], he replied, saying, 'My sons have defeated Me, My sons have defeated Me.' It was said: On that day all objects which R. Eliezer had declared clean were brought and burnt in fire.⁷ Then they took a vote and excommunicated him.⁸ Said they, 'Who shall go and inform him?' 'I will go,' answered R. Akiba, 'lest an unsuitable person go and inform him, and thus destroy the whole world.'⁹ What did R. Akiba do? He donned black garments and wrapped himself in black,¹⁰ and sat at a distance of four cubits from him. 'Akiba,' said R. Eliezer to him, 'what has particularly happened to-day?'¹¹ 'Master,' he replied, 'it appears to me that thy companions hold aloof from thee.' Thereupon he too rent his garments, put off his shoes, removed [his seat] and sat on the earth, whilst tears streamed from his eyes.¹² The world was then smitten: a third of the olive crop, a third of the wheat, and a third of the barley crop. Some say, the dough in women's hands swelled up.

1. This refers to an oven, which, instead of being made in one piece, was made in a series of separate portions with a layer of sand between each. R. Eliezer maintains that since each portion in itself is not a utensil, the sand between prevents the whole structure from being regarded as a single utensil, and therefore it is not liable to uncleanness. The Sages however hold that the outer coating of mortar or cement unifies the whole, and it is therefore liable to uncleanness. (This is the explanation given by Maimonides on the Mishnah, Kel. V, 10. Rashi a.l. adopts a different reasoning). 'Aknai is a proper noun, probably the name of a master, but it also means 'snake'. ([G]) which meaning the Talmud proceeds to discuss.

2. Lit., 'words'.

3. Lit., 'all the arguments in the world'.

4. Deut. XXX, 12.

5. Ex. XXIII, 2, though the story is told in a legendary form, this is a remarkable assertion of the independence of human reasoning.

6. It was believed that Elijah, who had never died, often appeared to the Rabbis.

7. As unclean.

8. Lit., 'blessed him,' a euphemism for excommunication.

9. I.e., commit a great wrong by informing him tactlessly and brutally.

10. As a sign of mourning, which a person under the ban had to observe.

11. Lit., 'what is this day (different) from yesterday (or to-morrow)?'

12. Rending the garments etc. were all mourning observances. (In ancient times mourners sat actually upon the earth, not, as nowadays, upon low stools.) — The character of R. Eliezer is hotly contested by Weiss and Halevi. The former, mainly on the basis of this story (though adducing some other proof too), severely castigates him as a man of extreme stubbornness and conceit, who would brook no disagreement, a bitter controversialist from his youth until death, and ever seeking quarrels (Dor. II, 82). Halevy (Doroth 1, 5, pp. 374 et seqq.) energetically defends him, pointing out that this is the only instance recorded in the whole Talmud of R. Eliezer's maintaining his view against the majority. He further contends that the meekness with which he accepted his sentence, though he was sufficiently great to have disputed and fought it, is a powerful testimony to his humility and peace-loving nature.