Reorient Your Perspective

~ pjwenzel ~ 2 Comments

Last night I had the opportunity to teach through a small section of Luke 6, and several themes were covered.  One of the most challenging things we read was how Jesus prayed all night long before picking his apostles.

How much prayer time do we devote before a big decision?

The second major theme we encountered came in Jesus’ teaching of what is commonly referred to as ‘The Beatitudes’. What seemed to come out of the text more than anything else in our discussion last night was how Jesus wants us to reorient our desires around those things which are not seen – heavenly things.

I hope you enjoy the notes!

6:12-16 In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. [13] And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles: [14] Simon, whom he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, [15] and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot, [16] and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

Here we have an account of how Jesus selected His disciples. The one shining principle that we ought to note, and to adopt with great zeal is the manner in which Jesus made decisions.

What was the first thing Jesus did before choosing His disciples? He prayed. And not just a little, but all night long He prayed. He did this in three parts:

  1. He selected the place – a mountain where He would feel comfortable and His thoughts would be undisturbed. It might be reading too much in to this to say that He wanted to be in a place of height, near to God, or that He wanted to be in a place where great imaginative scope would be available to Him. While this might be going too far in terms of reading into His motives, I do not think its going too far in suggesting we ought to think about where we go away to pray (strategically).
  2. He prayed alone – this flows from the first point, because it is likely that He picked this place for its solitude. He didn’t want to be distracted, or interrupted. His goal was to be alone with God, not to show off His holiness before other men, as the Pharisees often did.
  3. He prayed all night – this was no mere 10-minute prayer. We have difficulties even praying for 1 hour, much less all night long!

There is much to learn from this example. If we are to do real battle, and make real big decisions, we ought to spend great amounts of time in prayer. Our forefathers followed this example. Before coming ashore to the New World, the pilgrims spent a day in prayer aboard the Mayflower. Shore was within reach, and they had been at sea for weeks and weeks, yet they were intent on stopping, and spending a whole day in prayer in preparation for the great work in front of them.

Lastly, often we think of time set aside to pray as time we cannot afford. For example, we would never take a vacation day from work simply to pray, would we? Perhaps we ought to value prayer more highly than we do today, and stop wondering why we fail to gain guidance from the Lord on important matters.

6:17-19 And he came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, [18] who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. [19] And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came out from him and healed them all.

So Luke sets the scene here. There’s a “great crowd” a “great multitude” and people from all over the place – Judea, Jerusalem, Tyre, and Sidon to name a few. In other words, there’s a TON of people around. Jesus is being thronged by people from all over the place.

He’s selected His disciples, and right away its mission critical.

More than simply an oddity, or a curiosity, many people were coming to him in hopes of finding any way possible they could be healed of their diseases.

When you consider this, and put yourself in their place, I think you begin to realize the desperation they might feel. Think of how enraged 75% of Americans were when they learned that President Obama had (essentially) lied about whether Americans could keep their healthcare plan or their doctor if they preferred that option under Obamacare. What was it that was fueling such rage? Of course liberals claim its racial, but I don’t buy that for a moment – I don’t even buy that it’s a partisan issue.

No, what was at stake in this situation was deeply personal, and touched on the most sensitive of emotions – the ability to be treated for a health problem. This (rightfully) spawns desperation in a remarkably quick fashion.

Put yourself in their shoes. You have a child with an incurable disease. Your wife is sick. You are a leper and are made to sit outside the city walls, left longing to see your family and in complete agony. You hear a whiff of a rumor, something spoken of by passing men at the city gates, that a man named Jesus is healing many, many people.

The only question left to ask is this: What do you have to lose? The question answers itself, does it not? If I were there, at that time, and I heard of what Jesus was doing, I would walk anywhere, do anything, and go to great lengths to meet this man Jesus. Nothing is stopping me. Nothing.

Now imagine you finally arrive at this location. You get to where Jesus is, and this is the scene: Hundreds upon hundreds are thronging at his feet…there’s no way to even see this man! You hear the moans and all the cries “Jesus! Over here!” This isn’t a doctor’s waiting room, after all. There’s no line. It’s just a stadium full of people wanting to see Him, lifting up their voices to try desperately to get His attention.

You begin to wonder how this is going to work. What will He do? You notice there are some really unsavory people up near Him. They look like their out of their minds – they must be demon possessed! There’s no way anyone would act like this if they weren’t deeply troubled.

And the most astounding thing begins to happen…the moaning turns to another sound. It’s similar to the sound you’ve heard at the gates of the great city of Jerusalem when a foreign king enters in his splendor. A sort of exclamatory “awe” is beginning to ripple back to your vantage point. It’s just then that you begin to get a glimpse of those same people who were writhing in pain and acting in very disturbing ways, are now jumping up in down with tears of joy in their eyes.

There’s a noticeable change in the mood of the entire crowd, as if working its way out from Jesus joy is spreading like a great tidal wave whose momentum shows no signs of stopping.

This is likely the scene. And it is upon the waves of this healing work that Jesus signals to the crowd listen to what He’s about to say…

6:20-23 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said:

“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. [21]“Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. “Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. [22] “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! [23] Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.

Jesus speaks some of the beatitudes that we find in Matthew 5.

He says it is blessed to be poor, to be hungry, to weep, and to be hated on account of Him. In fact, He says that because of these things our reward will be great in heaven.

But He doesn’t stop there. He continues, and gives the inverse. We must take these verses together before we unpack them.

6:24-26 “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. [25] “Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry. “Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. [26] “Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.

Jesus says it is woeful to be rich, full, to laugh, and to be spoken well of by others – all the inverse of what He said was a blessing.

How do we read these things? Even a cursory reading of the NT would rule out taking them strictly literally. For instance, Paul tells us in Philippians 4 that he knows “how to abound and how to be brought low” – basically saying there’s spiritual difference between the two. Each has its own challenges; neither is intrinsically evil or good.

But we also dare not be overly flowery in our interpretation. We can’t miss what Jesus is saying. In a very real way humans are tempted to be content in their riches, their fullness, their mirth, and the shallow praise of men.

The reality is that 99% of all human beings experience being poor, hungry, and having little joy or comfort in the praise of other men. And for those people, and for all people in every century, there is a cost associated to following Christ.

Putting it All Together…

Taken together, we must remember the context. Jesus has just healed hundreds (more?) of these people. Now he is pointing to their condition in life and instead of saying, “I’m going to give you riches, and food, and everything you ever wanted”, He’s saying, in effect, “True joy doesn’t come from riches, food, or the praises of other men.”

Let us conclude with two points:

  1. Note that He isn’t telling us not to have desires for great things, but rather to reorient our desires to even greater things! This is about reaching for what will really satisfy us as opposed to what is not nearly as good.

Listen to what C.S. Lewis said in his famous sermon ‘The Weight of Glory’:

The New Testament has lots to say about self-denial, but not about self-denial as an end in itself. We are told to deny ourselves and to take up our crosses in order that we may follow Christ; and nearly every description of what we shall ultimately find if we do so contains an appeal to desire. If there lurks in most modern minds the notion that to desire our own good and earnestly to hope for the enjoyment of it is a bad thing, I submit that this notion has crept in from Kant and the Stoics and is no part of the Christian faith. Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.

Therefore – THEREFORE – let us rejoice in God who is our provision and to join our hearts to that instruction of our Lord to “leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven.”

  1. Let us look to what is unseen, though just as tangible. This is what Paul articulated to the Corinthians when he said the following:

Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak, [14] knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. [15] For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. [16] So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. [17] For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, [18] as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:13-18)

Dear Christian – tonight we have afflictions that have weighed us down, but let us join with Paul and agree in the Spirit: “Do not lose heart”! Look to what is unseen, and prepare your mind and your heart for the riches that are eternal – that are yours now, in fact!

So let us reorient our minds around these truths. Let those realities govern your mind. Let those realities saturate your heart. Let those truths spill out onto your tongue and bless the lives of those around you.

The Commissioning of the Disciples: John 20:19-23

~ pjwenzel ~ Leave a comment

Below are my notes on the commissioning of the disciples. Jesus has been resurrected from the grave, and now suddenly appears before His followers. Read on to learn what happens…

20:19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

Walking Through Walls?

It is still Sunday, only now the day has reached its conclusion and evening has come. The disciples – this could be a group comprised of more than those later known as “Apostles” – are huddled in a meeting room when Jesus arrives on the scene.

Our author notes that far from the great alacrity with which we hope to meet our Lord upon His return, these men were fearful. John tells us the reason why – they feared the Jews. When Jesus suddenly appears in their presence, this must have given them a great start. Already on high alert, suddenly this man seemingly comes from out of nowhere.

Jesus, it is said by some, must have walked through the locked doors of this gathering place. As MacArthur presumes, “The locked doors were no deterrent to Him; His glorified resurrection body simply passed through the walls.”

But I think Morris, Hendriksen, are correct to urge caution to readers, that we might not jump to the immediate conclusion that we know exactly how He entered the room. Carson, usually very thorough on these kinds of things, agrees with MacArthur, though he actually gives a reason where as MacArthur (in his usual confident style) simply assumes the fact. Carson says,
“The function of the locked doors in John’s narrative, both here and in v. 26, is to stress the miraculous nature of Jesus’ appearance amongst his followers. As his resurrection body passed through the grace-clothes, so it passed through the locked doors and simply ‘materialized.’”

He has a point – at least contextually. And I believe that though the passage doesn’t explicitly say how Jesus got into the room, it seems implicit from the context that He arrived through some spectacular means.

That being said, I think this is a perfect example of a passage where we must read up to a certain point and then stand back in awe of the Lord, without pressing it or adding to it in such a way that it would bring judgment upon us. Therefore some, for example, who use this passage as a way to say that one day we will have some sort of translucent or metamorphic powers. It is not wrong to look forward in hope to the glorious new body Christ will clothe us in upon the resurrection, but those who presume to confidently erect an entire scheme of eschatological physiology based on this verse alone ought to temper themselves, and leave such things in God’s hands.

The Peace of God

Jesus (the embodiment of peace) then greets the disciples with the customary greeting – this would have been salom alekem in the Hebrew. It seems pretty normal, but as Carson wisely points out, Jesus says it twice. Therefore most scholars agree that there is more than a simple greeting here. As J.C. Ryle says, “He who ‘spake as never man spake,’ said nothing without meaning.”

This leads us to ponder two things in particular.

First, the gentleness with which Jesus addresses His disciples. These men have been cowering in fear. They’ve completely abandoned His grave – unlike the brave women and two influential members of the Sanhedrin, they don’t seem to have been spending a lot of time at the tomb.

But as Ryle points out, “’Peace’ and not blame, ‘peace’ and not fault-finding, ‘peace’ and not rebuke, was the first word which this little company heard from their Master’s lips, after He left the tomb.”

Secondly, this leads us to ponder the fulfillment of the promises He made before His death:

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. (John 14:27)

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

Thus the first thing He says to His disciples after defeating death has a tinge of the fulfillment of that great promise He made, and the reminder that because of His work they (and all who come to believe in Him – see Ch. 17!) would have everlasting peace. Indeed Paul saw this clearly:

…remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. (Ephesians 2:12-16)

It is significant in my own mind that the first thing Jesus says to our souls when we come to Him in repentance and seeking protection is “peace be with you.” As Christians we have that peace, and that rest. We simply come into His presence, we ask for forgiveness, we ask for His power and His peace, and He will be faithful to not withhold what He so enjoy to give:

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13)

20:20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.

He’s Really Real

He is not an aberration – there is a physical body, this is a real resurrection, He is not merely a Spirit. In John’s day, the Docetists were claiming that Jesus hadn’t really appeared on earth with a real human body. They felt that the physical world (much like the Gnostics) was evil, or corrupt, and they didn’t think that God would have subjected Himself to such an evil.

They believed that though He appeared to be human, He was really only spirit – not only post-resurrection, mais après as well.

John lays out the case against this simply by recording historical fact. Jesus, for His part, shows His disciples unparalleled love and kindly condescension. He wants them to know that He is not a mere aberration, but the One they love and have followed these past three years. This is the Lord.

20:21-23 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” [22] And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. [23] If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”

The Commissioning

This seems to be a very difficult passage, but I believe the main theme is found in this commissioning of the disciples. Their commission is ours, and is an extension of the Son’s mission, just as the Son’s mission is an extension of the Father’s plans for His creation and chosen people, and that mission is given to the church as a whole to be carried out by individuals empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Jesus makes this plain when He uses the words “as” and “even so” – these words are what remind us of the fact that He is the vine and we are the branches. Without Him we can do nothing.

What a thrilling charge! No sooner has Jesus arisen from the grave than He says, “its go time! Let’s roll. We have a great mission in front of us.” We.

And what I want to just point out here is that once Christ’s “peace” has come upon us, we are commissioned in a similar way. We are to be “doers” in the missional sense of James’ words. He has commissioned the church for action. Now what is that action? We’ll come to that in a minute…

Empowered by the Spirit – A Preview of Pentecost

First, I want to note that this commissioning is grounded in the reality that the disciples were empowered to carry out the mission. They are empowered by the Holy Spirit. They couldn’t do this job alone, and neither can we.

John Owen rightly said that there is a “natural popery in man,” by which (and I believe Tim Challies is right on this account) we naturally want to work our way through ever sin, every problem and every mission of life, depending very little on help from others or from God.

So let us not fall into that trap. As Christians we are commissioned for the spreading of the Gospel and the living of a victorious life. That only happens when we walk in the Spirit.

Now, there is an interesting situation here which scholars of all stripes have long disputed. The scene as we have just read it, involved Jesus breathing on His disciples. He breathes on them and says, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” Only then does He commission them for action.

Some have said that there is a conflict between this mini Pentecost, and the one in Acts 2. How can we reconcile these two events?

Because of the context, and the order of what Jesus says and does here, I believe that He is grounding this imperative (the charge) in the indicative (the receiving of the Spirit). The Bible never asks us to do anything without giving us the help and power to do so. This is the case in numerous examples throughout the New Testament especially because of the New Covenant promise of the Spirit.

A perfect example of this is found in Philippians:

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12-13)

Note that there is a command, which is promptly followed by the reassurance that it is God “who works in you.” So the imperative is grounded in the comfort of the indicative.

With all of this in mind, I think that this breathing on of the Spirit is symbolic of what will happen soon at Pentecost (Acts 2) – it is anticipatory of that event, just as the commissioning is anticipatory of their upcoming mission (this view of the anticipatory nature of the “breathing” is taken by Schreiner, and fits well with my own contextual interpretation of the commission as a whole). Note that He will later instruct them to remain in the city until the Spirit comes upon them.

Therefore He commissions them with instructions grounded in His own promise to help through yet another “extension” of the Trinity – the Holy Spirit. This all anticipates the day they will be sent into all the world to fulfill the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18).

Second, I think this breathing is symbolic because the disciples don’t immediately show fruit of being filled with the Holy Spirit. As Carson points out:

There is too slight a demonstration within the Gospel of John that this alleged bestowal of the Spirit made the slightest bit of difference in the lives of Jesus’ followers. The disciples still meet behind locked doors (vs. 26) and the natural inference is that they are still afraid of the Jewish authorities (vs. 19). When Thomas comes to faith, it is not because of the promised witness of the Spirit (15:26-27), but because he sees the risen Jesus for himself. Those who accept John 21 as part of the Gospel, even if it is cast as an epilogue, cannot fail to observe that the disciples are sliding back to their old employment (21:1-3), sorting out elementary reconciliation with the Master (21:15-19), and still playing ‘let’s compare-service-record’ games (21:20-22). All this is not only a far cry from the power, joy exuberant witness, courageous preaching and delight in suffering displayed by the early Christians after Pentecost, in Acts, it is no less distant from the same virtues foretold in John’s farewell discourse, where the promise of the Spirit receives such emphasis.

Carson goes on to say that if this is really John’s version of Pentecost, it’s really disappointing! And I agree with him. This must be a preview, an anticipation of what is to come.

The Instruction

Now looking at the instruction itself, He tells them that, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” This can only make sense if we understand that He is not talking to the individual (like priests or the pope etc.), but to the church as a whole (cf. Morris).

Furthermore, to understand this we must touch on that foundational truth we just discussed about the Spirit. Our work is grounded in the work of God – our power is assumed to come from Him. And this is the same here as it pertains to forgiveness. Those the church forgives are forgiven, but not because the church has a mystical power outside of God’s prerogative to forgive whomever we want, but rather because the church (when operating in a Spirit-filled manner) agrees with God’s Spirit to forgive, or not to forgive.

Some denominations – Catholics and others – have taken this to mean that priests have the right of “absolution”, but if we are to truly understand the ancient practice of ablution we must understand it to mean that form of agreement with God that reassures a church member that he/she has been forgiven (see esp. Sproul on this).

The Catholic “church” has in recently centuries enumerated unto itself such “powers” as were never meant in this practice (or ought not to have been meant in any case). Catholic priests say now, “et ego auctoritate ipsius te absolvo”, which is to say, “and by His authority I absolve you.”

In sum, the church can bind and loose, can forgive and hold back forgiveness, because it is a Spirit-filled institution, the very bride of Christ, and His body. So long as the church is connected to Him as His branches, we will agree discerningly with Him in all His judgments as we proclaim the gospel of forgiveness and the warning of eternal punishment to all who reject this free offer. What Jesus is saying here is none other than that the church has the commission to preach the gospel to all people in power endued by the very God who had just raised Him from the grave.

For as Peter would later recall…

God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it…This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. (Acts 2:24, 32-33)

Weekend Reading: September 19, 2014

~ pjwenzel ~ Leave a comment

It’s that time again – to catch up on some reading for the week.  So flag this email and scroll through it as you enjoy some time off from the daily grind.  Here’s what’s shaking now, and what you might have missed this week…

First off, the top three stories of the week were undoubtedly the Congress’ decision to send President Obama money and permission to arm Syrian rebels, the Alibaba IPO, and the decisive “NO” vote on Scottish secession.

And this week’s MUST READ article comes from Al Mohler who writes to Christians about how Biblical Theology (a way of reading the Bible) ought to inform our thinking on sexual morality (among other things I’m sure).

The new rage is now ‘coffee-naps’ for those who have the constitution and schedule availability to nap in the middle of the day…perhaps not me (though I wish it were). What came to my mind was remembrance of great men like Ronald Reagan and Winston Churchill who used mid-day naps in order to essentially create two working days from one. There are other bizarre nocturnal resting habits out there as well…

This was a quick and amusing article on how people in America talk – I say “quick” because it’s not worth reading the entire thing, but is worth a quick scroll.

Along similar lines, there’s a neat mapping feature that Pew Research has setup that will allow you to see migratory flow in different countries.  Click on the USA and you’ll notice immediately that as of 2013 over 45million people currently living in America were born in other countries…12million from Mexico etc.

There’s a great (and not too long) article in the American Thinker that quickly dispels the myth that oceans are “eating” the earth’s heat (which is one of the excuses die-hard climate change cultists use to explain away the lack of skyrocketing global warming recently).

The ‘Thinker’ also has a fabulous article called ‘The Mysterious Moderate Muslim’, which I enjoyed immensely, but all the more because expert researcher Fritz Wenzel was quoted!

Speaking of the fringes of intellectual reasonableness, someone is now making art from iPhone smudges…I refuse to attempt an explanation, you’ll just have to read it.

And speaking of phones and technology, Tim Challies has a new app he’s recommending to enrich your prayer life…check it out. As they say, “there’s an app for that…”

Here is a simply fascinating video on ‘How Wolves Change Rivers’ (4min – h/t Fritz Wenzel).

An interesting news piece from Business Insider was posted this week about the growing field of Nurse Anesthetics (h/t proud N.A. Rebecca Petzinger)

Hilarious (if not a bit crass – you’ve been warned) article to get the weekend started with a laugh. The author riffs off the old euphemism “happy as a clam” and asks the vital question: ‘Why are Clams so Damn Happy???’

A little more seriously, Challies reposted the Cripplegate’s little ditty on the Death of Thomas Cranmer, which is a nice little piece of historical encouragement.

And along the lines of standing up to the bullies of ignorance, Bill Maher found himself in the ironical position of standing up for Christians of all people…in so doing he exposed Charlie Rose as a dithering leftist buffoon of the most embarrassing variety.

On the opposing side of ignorance is Monergism.com who announced this week that they’re offering 125 free eBooks (of the Christian theological variety).

Also, in a fight against not only ignorance, but that attitude which pervades much of our society – Apathy – Paul Maxwell over at Desiring God has a column addressing the topic. 

And, in what was probably the most useful post for me this week, Tim Challies makes another appearance on my list of links with this helpful column on ‘Preaching the Gospel to Yourself.’  I assure you that this one is worth bookmarking.

That’s it for this week – enjoy your coffee and your reading!

PJW

PS – I have an entire stack of articles, videos and blog posts that many of you have sent to me to check out. If you don’t see your article, it may be that I’ve simply not been able to read or listen to it yet – so thank you for the suggestions, and keep them coming!

Weekend Reading: September 12, 2014

~ pjwenzel ~ 1 Comment

Happy weekend! I’m writing to you from the road on the way to the North Carolina coast, where we’re spending a few days enjoying a family wedding. This week was PACKED full of interesting stories, and world-changing events.

So flag this email for later, or grab a cup of coffee and pick out a few links that interest you.  Let’s begin with the anniversary of 9/11…

Here’s a great little youtube documentary on 9/11 from the eyes/perspective of President Bush, who, as it turns out, had an eerie prediction of the situation we now face in Iraq.  FoxNews had a short 13-slide timeline of the day’s events 13 years ago. For you Twitter lovers, you need to check out former Press Secretary Ari Fleischer’s feed from the Wednesday. He tweeted out the memorable events from 13 years ago as if they were live. His perspective is interesting to say the least. Lastly, here was the President’s speech standing atop the rubble 13 years ago – the bullhorn speech! 

President Obama gave a speech about taking the war on ISIS to Syria on Wednesday evening…not quite Churchill’s Famous ‘Fight on the Beaches’ speech…Assuming you read your quota of those stories, check out this interesting perspective from a muslim who wants us to consider Saudi Arabia’s role in supporting terror networks like ISIS and Al Qaeda, and gives some history of their genesis.  Also Robert H. Scales, a retired Army major general and former commandant of the U.S. Army War College, had an Op-Ed in the WaPo this week about how to defeat ISIS that I found worth the read….and if all that wasn’t enough, apparently the President has fallen victim to a good ol’ fashioned caption contest! (h/t Tracy Lear).

Meanwhile, on the home-front, the wealthy aristocracy of New York City are pondering whether its worth an extra million for a parking spot in NYC.

Speaking of the ridiculous, this actually happened…

Now back to something encouraging…Pastor Tim Challies has a great little summary on chapter 2 of John Owen’s classic ‘Overcoming Sin and Temptation’ in which he boils some things down very nicely.

I’m sure you’ve heard, thought about, discussed the new iPhone this week. Apple announced their new iPhone (the 6th edition), iWatch and Apple Pay and I think critics were pretty much satiated that the technology giant had really moved the ball forward for the first time in a few years. Of course there are haters who disagree with my generous assessment. 

Speaking of tech, the net neutrality battle is heating up in case you didn’t notice….AND in addition to his work on Owen, Challies penned a short 5 point list on how to protect your information online which I found very helpful.

Continuing in that genre, not all technology is thrilling the masses these days…meet the simple technology that some say has ruined baseball. 

If that story doused your inner tech spark, then scroll through this one which is sure to ignite it again: advanced DNA technology solved the 126 year old mystery of Jack the Ripper this week!

On to TV…PBS has partnered with Ken Burns once again, this time on a documentary featuring the Roosevelt family. I have no clue if its going to be good or not, but its worth taking a peak…Burns will always find a place in my heart for the ‘Civil War’ and some really love his exhaustive (and exhausting) ‘Baseball’. 

This past week, Kate and I took in a little series posted to YouTube called ‘Tales from the Green Valley.’  Even if you just watch one episode of the 12 part series, you’ll enjoy watching 5 experts try and run a farm with all 17th century technology, clothes, and food. Fascinating stuff, and lots of little things you’ll learn you never new before. (h/t Katie W.)

Now some random stuff…

I appreciated this little piece on titled ‘The Problem with Reclining Airplane Seat Design’

Now THIS is cool – Whole Foods is a pretty hip grocery story, now they’re bringing hip to your door – check it out!

How to pay for all that food?  Well check out what John Piper has to say about ‘How to Decide About Your Next Job’.  Great little resource here. If you don’t read it now, file it away for a rainy day.

Vitamins or no vitamins? Nate Silver’s blog is advocating in the negative – mostly because of the way the results/benefits of vitamins are tested. This is a story for you stats geeks out there.

And…some more on the culture

Now this is a terrific little post that will crack you up and have you saying “amen!” One man edits Oprah’s coffee cup cliches. 

Challies also had a nice little follow up on last week’s nude celeb photogate scandal.

But not all celebs are scummy – check out Carrie Underwood singing ‘How Great Thou Art’...whoa! (h/t Senator Dan Hall!)

And a wonderful man of God, and terrific businessman Truett Cathy died this week. What an impact and legacy that man had!

Jared Wilson is in fine form here with an article about the church titled ‘He Must Increase; Our Churches Must Decrease’.

One thing not decreasing is the moral shift in America. Al Mohler’s daily briefing from earlier in the week is an indication of where the battle lines are. The collegiate Christian group InterVarsity has been kicked out of the California State University System. 

Kuyperian Commentary has a really solid resource on confronting deep sin utilizing 2 Corinthians. This meant a lot to me personally because a) I love 2 Corinthians and b) I’ve used many of these verses to confront sin in very difficult situations. It’s hard to describe the sense of fortitude one has when the rock of Scripture is firmly under one’s feet in such a moment.

The Twitters were tweeting this week about grade inflation at ivy league schools, which may be interesting to some of you ivy leaguers out there.

Lastly, and wonderfully, Jon Bloom ever at Desiring God had a fantastic piece called ‘The Antidepressant of Wonder’ in which he uses football and the changing of seasons as analogies for God’s work in this world, and how taking time to enjoy that work lifts our spirits vis a vis our changed perspective.

These articles remind us that we live in a rapidly changing world. Let us hold fast to our convictions in every sphere, knowing that He is able to help us hold them in integrity until the final day:

But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me. (2 Timothy 1:12)

 

 

Weekend Reading: September 5, 2014

~ pjwenzel ~ Leave a comment

Well it’s the weekend again (almost), which means you’re getting the Weekend Reading email. Below are my favorite videos, news articles, blog posts and more from this past week.  There’s a lot of interesting stuff to sort through, so grab your coffee and some eggs and enjoy some of this week’s most interesting reading:

Apple’s big iphone announcement should come next week. The biggest cultural shift expected from the announcement will involve how consumers pay for stuff – think NFC tagging/leaving your wallet at home.

Probably the most alarming story of the week comes out of Eastern Europe where Russian President Putin said ‘I can take Kiev in two weeks’.  The Washington Post has an excellent opinion piece that I consider a must-read. 

Football season is here and the Wall Street Journal has an interesting graph which charts football success with academic capability. Lot’s of California schools in the right spots, along with some Big 10 appearances.

Nikki Daniel wrote an encouraging blog post about sex and marriage aimed at Christian women that’s worth skimming through. (h/t Challies)

Speaking of sex, quite some time ago Al Mohler wrote up a nice column on how J.R.R. Tolkein’s letters to his sons explains the birds and the bees. Definitely worth reading. (h/t Rod Kinsey for reminding me about this)

Joan Rivers died this week and Time did a piece on her. Best quote: “‘I succeeded,’ she said, ‘by saying what everyone else is thinking.’ Everyone else, that is, with a wicked mind and an agile tongue.”

Scientists are sifting through old ship’s manifests in order to determine climate history and stumbling on interesting stories on the way – unfortunately its an NPR story, and somehow they can make even the most fascinating story sound boring!

R.C. Sproul wrote a good article entitled, ‘Are Those Who Have Never of Christ Going to Hell?’ 

Potential 2016 Presidential Candidate Sen. Rand Paul wrote an Op-Ed this week defending his foreign policy views, and slamming President Obama for his disjoined (if non-existent) foreign policy.

Speaking of foreign policy, Michael Youssef has an excellent 5 min video explaining who ISIS is and where they came from. (h/t Tracy Lear)

Take a look at this excellent little article from Thom Rainer on why churches are moving away from “contemporary” and “traditional” style services and simply having one style of music/service.

Now before you get up to refill your coffee, check out this little video titled ‘Your Brain on Coffee’…and no, this won’t stop you from finishing the pour.

Speaking of food, if you don’t already know about PBS’s ‘The Mind of a Chef’ show, you might want to check it out on Netflix/Amazon.  We watched a few episodes at the recommendation of family (h/t Lindzey Gray and Shana Wenzel).

The Times of Israel posted the top 10 places to visit when you visit Israel – I saw 6/10 when I was there. Neat pics here. (h/t Uri Goldflam)

Heretical “Pastor” Olsteen was in the news again, this time it was Victoria Olsteen who gained some attention for proclaiming more unbiblical nonsense. Mohler’s take here, and a funny video with Bill Cosby’s reaction here. 

Speaking of funny videos, here’s a film company whose made the infamous Leroy Jenkins youtube sensation into a short film with real actors.

Clint Archer over at The Cripplegate has a fantastic article relating to Labor Day and how Christians should think about work. 

I had a wonderful time hosting my whole family over the holiday weekend, but sadness set in when they left. Here’s a post I wrote on the weekend and its aftermath titled ‘Renewing the Old Toyota.’

Speaking of holidays and school being back etc., Tim Challies wrote a funny little blog post about how he’s ready to welcome back his old friend Routine.  He also posted an interesting little video called ‘Making a Case for Books’ that’s fun to watch. 

Tim Keller discusses the disappearance of American normative Christianity, or “conservative christianity” – what Al Mohler might call “cultural christianity”. (h/t Gary Marx)

Of course one of this week’s biggest news stories was about how Hollywood A-listers and Playboy models got their iCloud photos hacked and distributed around the web. National Journal piece here on why Congress won’t get involved, and CNBC piece on how it could affect Apple. 

Speaking of hackers, Home Depot announced this week that their credit card system/database was compromised. 

If you’re into Christian reading and have never heard Francis Schaeffer, here’s your chance. Schaeffer is widely considered one of the 20th century’s greatest Christian philosophers/thinkers. He founded the L’Abri Fellowship where many other great thinkers, authors, and theologians studied or found rest for a time. Schaeffer’s grasp on art, culture, history and philosophy in addition to his sharp theological soundings make him a delight to read/listen to.

Lastly, here’s an excellent little devotional from D.A. Carson to round out your weekend!

Have a great weekend!

PJW

Renewing the Old Toyota

~ pjwenzel ~ 1 Comment
1986-toyota-mr2
1986 Toyota MR2 from Motortrend Magazine

As I drove my brother and his wife and daughter to the airport yesterday it was hard to say goodbye.  My daughter Chloe came with me, and there was definitely a sense of loss as all the family we had in town for the weekend left around 4:30pm yesterday for their own homes and the routines of their lives.

As we drove back home from the airport I found myself very thoughtful, and grateful for a wonderful weekend. But I realized that it’s a cruel fate of this life that family should live so far away. We move away for work, or seeking a dream, or any number of reasons – many are highly necessary in order to live productively in this world.

When I think in my mind about scenarios that would allow me to live in the same 60-100 mile radius as my family (my brother is in Denver, my sister in Cleveland, my parents in Toledo, my grandparents in Portland) I can find none.

My family loves where they live – and I love where I live.  We all have lives that are built geographically around our homes.  We have different churches, different grocery stores, our friends are here, and those little dives that we dine at on Friday nights.

So there’s really no solution…in this life.

Driving home last night my eyes wandered onto an old Toyota – an MR2 – which was running parallel with us on 270 West. Admiringly I stared at the perfectly refurbished 1980’s classic, and I thought about how much time and effort it would have taken to have that car in such immaculate shape.

My mind then wandered to our Creator, and how He’s working in each one of His children to remake them after His own image (2 Cor. 3:18 was a topic of discussion at a family dinner on Saturday night).

The Bible promises that when Christ comes back He will renew the earth and the heavens (Rev. 21:1) – just like this man renewed this old Toyota.

That’s when it hit me – in the next life, when all is renewed and set right I will have family and fellow believers to fellowship with for eternity. I have no idea how distance will be traversed in the next life, and that’s not what I’m speculating about.  Rather, one of the feelings within my soul yesterday was that it isn’t a necessary eternal de facto state of being for family to be separated by vast distances for reasons that are so intrinsically tied to this earthly – temporary – life.

In other words, that Toyota minded me that the current state of play on the earth won’t always stand. I will have an eternity to fellowship with family and friends separated now by distance, or death, or other forces of this life which will not be associated with the next. And this is a comforting thought to dwell on the day after such a great time of fellowship ended.

But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. (Philippians 3:20-21 ESV)

John 20:1-18 The Resurrection of Jesus

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John Chapter 20 – The Resurrection

20:1 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.

We can’t go very far without noting a few things in this new chapter. The first is that John lets us know this is “the first day of the week.” This is Sunday. This is the day Jesus rose from the dead and that’s why even to this day, 2,000 years later, we call it “The Lord’s Day” and worship Him together on this day.

The second thing that struck me like a lightening bolt was John notation of what time it was. He doesn’t give a specific time, but he says, “while it was still dark.” For me, who is not a “morning person”, this astounds me. It takes a lot to get up that early in the morning.

I don’t know whether Mary was a “morning person” or a “night owl”, but I do know that she was drawn to this place with a intensity that wakes you up at 4am and says “get your shoes on, you’re going to the tomb.” That’s drive. That’s love. Mary loved Jesus.

The inevitable question surfaces (in my mind at least): do I love my Lord enough to serve Him if it means waking my exhausted body up at “o-dark-thirty” to serve him? I’d like to say “yes”, but it’s worth thinking on…

What She Saw

The third observation is what she saw, or rather what she didn’t see. She gets to the tomb and the stone which covered the tomb’s entrance has been rolled away.

Now, this would have been pretty shocking to her. It would have taken an amazing effort to have accomplished this – this was a coordinated effort. That’s probably why she tells Peter in the plural that, “they have taken the Lord.”

This shock is followed by another, the Lord’s body is gone. This must have added anger to sorrow. “Could they really have been this cruel? Can’t they just let this go? Can’t they just let us mourn Him? These people must have been sick, twisted freaks.”

I think that seeing this would have been enough to jolt me from despair into rage. It’s hard to say what Mary was feeling at the time, but its safe to say she was alarmed.

20:2-4 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” [3] So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. [4] Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.

The first thing Mary does is run to Peter who happens to be hanging out with John, the “other disciple” (John always avoids naming himself). Her breathless voice bursts out the news and immediately Peter and John take off for the tomb.

Both men are running, but John notes that he beat Peter to the tomb. I think it’s rather amusing that John had to mention this – almost to get a little dig in on Peter (“I always knew I was faster!”).

20:5-7 And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. [6] Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, [7] and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself.

So John gets to the tomb but there’s no Jesus, and he doesn’t enter into the gravesite but observes the scene from outside the door. Peter has no inhibitions about going in – if something has happened to his friend he’s going to know about it and see the whole matter for himself.

John notes with interest how the cloth which had been on the Lord’s head wasn’t with the other linen but was by itself – and folded neatly by itself. This is a very curious scene to say the least!

If grave robbers stole the body of Jesus why in the world would they A) take the linen cloths off of His body and B) set the facial shroud neatly folded in a separate pile. The whole thing was just “off”…

As MacArthur states, “…grave robbers would hardly have taken time to roll up the facecloth, and in their haste they would have scattered the grave clothes all over the tomb. More likely still, they would not have removed them at all, since it would have been easier to transport the body it if were still wrapped. Nor would thieves likely have left the wrappings, containing expensive spices, behind. The presence of the grave clothes also shows that the story the Jewish leaders concocted, that the disciples stole Christ’s body (Matt. 28:11-15), is false. If they had stolen the body, why would the disciples dishonor it by tearing off the grave clothes and spices that covered it?”

And commenting on the angels Mary sees in the tomb, Carson observes that, “John’s point is that this empty tomb cannot be explained by appealing to grave robbers; this is nothing other than the invasion of God’s power.”

20:8-9 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; [9] for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead.

The Fulfillment of Scripture

When John saw all these things his mind must have been quickly sifting through all the potential scenarios: grave robbers, Jewish leadership, Romans, revolutionaries…or He rose up from death. But none of it made sense to them yet.

Yet soon they would realize the truth that the “Scripture” was fulfilled that “he must rise from the dead.”

This Scripture John is referring to comes from the lips of David:

Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. [10] For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. (Psalm 16:9-10)

Later Peter would understand the meaning of these words, and in his sermon on Pentecost explains them to thousands of Jews:

…this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. [24] God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. [25] For David says concerning him, “‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; [26] therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh also will dwell in hope. [27] For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption. [28] You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’ [29] “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. [30] Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, [31] he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. [32] This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. [33] Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. [34] For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, “‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, [35] until I make your enemies your footstool.”’ [36] Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” (Acts 2:23-36)

John sees clear fulfillment of OT scripture – and it’s just as clear that the apostle Peter did as well. David was not speaking about himself, but rather prophesied about one to come – a “holy one” whose body would not “see corruption” or be “abandoned to Hades.” This “holy one” is the Lord Jesus who defeated death.

Note especially the quotation from Psalm 110. This was the same Psalm that Jesus used to shut up the Pharisees who had tried to trap Him in His teaching:

Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, [42] saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” [43] He said to them, “How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying, [44] “‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet”’? [45] If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?” [46] And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions. (Matthew 22:41-46)

They had no idea how David could have called his descendent his “Lord.” They had not understood to this point the heavenly nature of the coming messiah.

Jesus, in effect, was showing them that they didn’t understand Him because they didn’t understand the nature of the person of the messiah and his mission.

The Sign of Jonah

One might wonder why it was that the disciples weren’t putting two and two together here. Why didn’t they understand what was going on with the Lord? Was it because they had never heard of the resurrection? Had the Lord’s plans been concealed up until this point in time?

I think the answer is emphatically “no.” For our Lord had many times predicted not only His own death, but also His resurrection.

Matthew Henry is wise to point our attention to the Lord’s own words about His coming resurrection and how “this generation” would ask for a sign of His messianic qualifications and would receive no other sign but that of the “Sign of Jonah.”

Here are the words of our Lord on the matter:

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” [39] But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. [40] For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. [41] The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here. [42] The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. (Matthew 12:38-42)

As if this wasn’t clear enough, Jesus also stated:

And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. [32] And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. (Mark 8:31-32)

And admonishing two of His disciples after the fact, Jesus even said:

And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! [26] Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” (Luke 24:25-26)

So the resurrection should not have been a surprise, but I believe that in the moment it was a shock, and the disciples were stunned by the sequence of unfolding events. We have the benefit of looking back 2,000 years later and closely and slowly examining the sequence of events and the words of the Lord and the OT prophets. The disciples had no such privilege at that moment. They were so close to the event itself, that what they were witnessing seemed confusing amidst their fears and sorrow. We would have reacted the same way.

20:10-11 Then the disciples went back to their homes. [11] But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb.

Now from what John says, its apparent that the disciples didn’t fully grasp yet the significance of what they were seeing. They were completely bewildered. In fact, they just left and went back to their homes – leaving Mary at the tomb with her sorrow. They had a lot to sort out…and after all, what could they do? Their Lord was dead, and now even His body was gone.

For the first time, it seems, Mary peaks into the tomb to take a little closer look. What caused Peter and John to leave like this? What had they seen? So she takes in the view and see the linen strips and the shroud folded. Then she sees something that Peter and John didn’t…

20:12-13 And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. [13] They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.”

It is at this moment that the story begins to turn from confusion and bewilderment to joy and restoration.

Mary beholds two angels sitting inside the tomb where Christ’s body had been laid.

Note what they say to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” It isn’t as though they don’t know the reason she’s weeping. No, no, no. It is simply this: their reality, their perspective was heavenly. They’d just come from a party in heaven and here on earth the reality of what had been accomplished had not yet been discovered.

As Carson notes, their question “is not designed to elicit information. IT is a gentle reproof: by this time Mary should not have been crying. Her response shows she has still not transcended the explanation to which she had earlier gravitated (vs.2).”

One of the things that fascinates me about the Biblical accounts of angels is their perspective.

We meet another similar such example when Gabriel visits Zachariah in the temple and tells him about how his wife Elizabeth is going to bear a child he is aghast at Zachariah’s reaction – unbelief. Here’s how he responds:

And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. [20] And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.” (Luke 1:19-20)

Gabriel is saying, “I was JUST in heaven before God’s throne. He gives me this message and you don’t believe me??? I mean, I was JUST there – in heaven – in the throne room!”

Christians ought to behave different because they have a different perspective. Perspective governs our attitudes and rules our lives. These angels had a perspective that was grounded in reality – that’s why they can rightfully and astoundedly ask, “Why are you weeping???”

20:14-16 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. [15] Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” [16] Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).

Geerhardus Vos captures the moment well:

He (Christ) had witnessed her coming once and again, her weeping, her bending over the womb, her answer to the angels, and had witnessed not only these outward acts, but also the inward conflict by which her soul was torn. And He appears precisely at the point where his presence is required, because all other voices for conveying to her the gladsome tidings have failed…The first person to whom He showed Himself alive after the resurrection was a weeping woman, who had no greater claim upon Him than any simple penitent sinner has. No eye except that of the angels had as yet rested upon His form. The time was as solemn and majestic as that of the first creation when light burst out of chaos and darkness. Heaven and earth were concerned in this event; it was the turning point of the ages.

Certainly Vos is certainly correct: This is a moment upon which earth’s history hinged, and it is a vital moment for those of faith as well. Our Lord has risen – He has defeated death!

The Necessity of the Resurrection

The consequence of the resurrection is not small. If there was no resurrection then we have no reason to believe anything Jesus said. The veracity of His teaching is at stake, but of course much more than that, His saving grace is non-existent if He didn’t accomplish a victory over death.

Paul understands that the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth is the lynchpin of our faith:

And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. [15] We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. [16] For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. [17] And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. [18] Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. [19] If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. (1 Corinthians 15:14-19)

But indeed He was raised – as Paul remarks:

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. [21] For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. [22] For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. [23] But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. [24] Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. [25] For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. [26] The last enemy to be destroyed is death. (1 Corinthians 15:20-26)

And…

And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. (Colossians 1:17-18)

Therefore what is at stake here is not only the veracity of His teaching and the very truth of our salvation, but also the preeminence of Jesus Himself. If He wasn’t raised from the dead, then HE isn’t truly God’s Son, and isn’t preeminent over all things, and can’t help us in our time of need, and doesn’t hear our prayers, and isn’t powerful enough to save us from death if He Himself was defeated by death.

Thank God that He did rise, and that we too will one day rise with Him.

The Gardener

Now as soon as Mary turns around she runs smack into Jesus who then asks the same question that the angels asked her. I don’t know why she “turned around.” Perhaps she was frightened by the angels and turned to go, or perhaps she sensed someone behind her and quickly wanted to see who was approaching.

Mary asks this man, the only question on her mind: where is Jesus?

She didn’t realize she was talking to Jesus! She supposed Him to be the gardener.

C.H. Spurgeon sees great, if perhaps accidental, wisdom in Mary’s mistaking Jesus for the gardener:

She was mistaken when she fell into “supposing him to be the gardener”; but if we are under his Spirit’s teaching we shall not make a mistake if now we indulge ourselves in a quiet meditation upon our ever-blessed Lord, “supposing him to be the gardener.”

It is not an unnatural supposition, surely; for if we may truly sing

“We are a garden walled around,
Chosen and made peculiar ground,”

That enclosure needs a gardener. Are we not all the plants of his right hand planting? Do we not all need watering and tending by his constant and gracious care?

The image, I say, is so far from being unnatural that it is most pregnant with suggestions and full of useful teaching. We are not going against the harmonies of nature when we are “supposing him to be the gardener.”

If we would be supported by a type, our Lord takes the name of “the Second Adam,” and the first Adam was a gardener. Moses tells us that the Lord God placed the man in the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. Man in his best estate was not to live in this world in a paradise of indolent luxury, but in a garden of recompensed toil. Behold, the church is Christ’s Eden, watered by the river of life, and so fertilized that all manner of fruits are brought forth unto God; and he, our second Adam, walks in this spiritual Eden to dress it and to keep it; and so by a type we see that we are right in “supposing him to be the gardener.”

Spurgeon sees a rich typology in this passage. Jesus is indeed our great Gardener!

I love the thought that Jesus, the Supreme Gardener, appears at this time to what might be regarded as the weakest and feeblest of the plants in His garden. This ought to give us great hope and joy. For He delights in taking weak dying sinners and bathing them in the nutrition imparting light of His gospel.

There is great hope and comfort in this passage my friends – and it ought to spur us on to great effect. Listen to Spurgeon and let your hearts agree with his:

One more duty I would mention, though others suggest themselves. “Supposing him to be the gardener,” then let us bring forth fruit to him. I do not address a people this morning who feel no care as to whether they serve God or not. I believe that most of you do desire to glorify God; for being saved by grace, you feel a holy ambition to show forth his praises who has called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. You wish to bring others to Christ, because you yourselves have been brought to life and liberty in him. Now, let this be a stimulus to your fruitbearing, that Jesus is the gardener. Where you have brought forth a single cluster, bring, forth a hundred! “supposing him to be the gardener.” If he is to have the honor of it, then labor to do that which will give him great renown. If our spiritual state were to be attributed to ourselves, or to our minister, or to some of our fellow Christians, we might not feel that we were tinder a great necessity to be fruitful; but if Jesus be the gardener, and is to bear the blame or the honor of what we produce, then let us use up every drop of sap and strain every fibre, that, to the utmost of which our manhood is capable, we may produce a fair reward for our Lord’s travail.

Finally, we must understand the significance of His resurrection in light of being a plant in His garden, and Spurgeon articulates this important truth well:

One other thought. “Supposing him to be the gardener,” and God to come and walk among the trees of the garden, then I expect he will remove the whole of the garden upward with himself to fairer skies; for he rose, and his people must rise with him. I expect a blessed transplantation of all these flowers below to a clearer atmosphere above, away from all this smoke and fog and damp, up where the sun is never clouded, where flowers never wither, where fruits never decay. Oh, the glory we shall then enjoy up yonder, on the hills of spices in the garden of God. “Supposing him to be the gardener” what a garden will he form above, and how shall you and I grow therein, developing beyond imagination. “It doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” Since he is the author and finisher or our faith, to what perfection will he conduct us, and to what glory will he bring us! Oh, to be found in him! God grant we may be! To be plants in his garden, “Supposing him to be the gardener,” is all the heaven we can desire.

Amen!

20:17-18 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” [18] Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.

This saying of Jesus to Mary not to “cling to me” is one of the most difficult verses in Scripture to understand, according to D.A. Carson. Scholars are at odds as to why Jesus would tell Mary not to touch Him, only to subsequently instruct Thomas to do so.

Carson weighs four major opinions on the matter and comes to the conclusion that the best way to understand this is through the prism of what is going on in each situation with each individual. Here’s what he says:

I am ascending is part of the message Mary is to convey, not part of the reason Mary should not cling to Jesus.

The thought, then, might be paraphrased this way: “Stop touching me (or, Stop holding on to me), for (gar) I have not yet ascended to my Father – i.e. I am not yet in the ascended state, so you do not have to hand on to me as if I were about to disappear permanently. This is a time for joy and sharing the good news, not for clutching me as if I were some jealously guarded private dream-come-true. Stop clinging to me, but go and tell my disciples that I am in the process of ascending to my Father and your Father.”*

*I have omitted parts of the linguistic explanations from Carson for smoothness of reading.

Mary then obeys Jesus and runs to tell the other disciples that He has appeared to her. There’s not record of their reaction to her message, but it doesn’t seem likely that they were any more disposed to believing her than they were earlier, and so they wait and think and do nothing.

My Father and Your Father

Just a final note before moving on to the next section…it seems appropriate to simply mention that Jesus says that He is ascending to His Father and “your Father.” This is extremely significant. In light of the resurrection, Jesus’ crosswork and victory over death has secured for believers union with Himself, and all the privileges appertaining unto that reality.

If we are brothers, then we are sons, and heirs also. Paul explains:

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” [16] The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, [17] and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. (Romans 8:15-17)

The author of Hebrews reaffirms:

For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, (Hebrews 2:11)

It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? [8] If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. [9] Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? [10] For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. [11] For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. (Hebrews 12:7-11)

It is therefore comforting and of no small importance that upon His victory the Lord refers to His disciples as those who will participate in the rewards of His triumph. He has won them an everlasting inheritance, and is going to the Father, as will all who believe upon His name for everlasting life.

Weekend Reading: August 29, 2014 Labor Day Edition

~ pjwenzel ~ Leave a comment

Welcome to your Weekend Reading – Labor Day edition! As you gear up (or begin to relax) for the holiday weekend I’ve got a few articles, videos and other interesting items for you to check out below.  Have a great weekend!

PJW

Let’s start with a blog post from R.C. Sproul, Jr titled ‘So Much Drama’.  This is a great little piece that hit my inbox at just the right moment this week.

Jim Carattini over at Ravi Zacharias’ ministry RZIM has a nice little devotional called ‘Making a Name’ that I think you’ll enjoy. (h/t Tony Nasvik for having me subscribe to RZIM’s ministry emails)

Tim Challies posted what he considered the ’10 Greatest Hymns of All Time’ 

Speaking of Mr. Challies, he posted a cool little article on how to better utilize Evernote if you’re a Kindle aficionado.  This is pretty cool stuff!

The New Republic has an article that provides an insightful perspective on the ground in Israel. This is a must read for anyone curious about this war between the terrorist group Hamas and Israel. (h/t Uri Goldflam)

John Piper released a short Look at the Book video entitled ‘Precious and Great Promises.  It’s 9 minutes long and is really fantastic.  This is one to have the kids watch as well because they’ll see how he takes a passage from 2 Peter and exposits the truth line-by-line.

Speaking of videos – Dr. Peter Jones has teamed up with Ligonier Ministries to produce a new teaching series entitled ‘Only Two Religions’.  It looks like its going to be pretty interesting…Speaking of which, Dr. Sproul released a new teaching series earlier in the week that looks to be based on his book ‘Not a Chance’ and focuses on science – specifically I’m guessing that it will focus on the incongruity of some of the secular world’s belief in the Big Bang with the laws of physics and other such items…

Neat story over at FP this week called ‘The Political Magic of Roads’. It’s all about how democracy (and even the gospel!) flourishes when there’s good infrastructure in place.  But what comes first, the roads or the democracy?

Gene Veith has an important column about why he’s not taking the Ice Bucket Challenge. 

Al Mohler refocuses our attention on how we need to govern our response to Ferguson. 

Erik Erikson slams the Obama Administration for their non-existent strategy in the middle east.  This comes in light of the President revealing that he doesn’t have a plan yet for how to handle ISIS.

And lastly, moron “pastor” Ed Young receives some attention for a 3-part sermon series on drones…yes drones (he compares God to drones…)

That’s it for this weekend – now go roast some dogs and burgers!

PJW

Men’s Campout 2014: Pictures and Video

~ pjwenzel ~ Leave a comment

Last weekend was our 6th annual men’s campout – and it was a fantastic time of fun and fellowship!  Men gathered together for cornhole, go-cart/yard-cart racing, a canoe trip, great food, riffle and handgun shooting, and challenging messages from Pastor Dennis Lankford.

Dennis’ notes can be downloaded by clicking on the link: 1Discipleship-men’s campout master.

Scott Huber also took the time to introduce us us to Viking Chess (or “Kubb” which You can get the game online now, though Scott made his own).

The Go-Carts were probably the biggest hit of the weekend and, thanks to Parris’ video skills, we have included Ben Frank’s winning yard-cart time trial (below). Also, below are some pictures from the event.  Thank you to all who participated and who helped setup and tear down – especially to our two hosts Dan and Resa Lynn, and Rick and Jen Shugert.

PJW

 

 

Stir One Another to Love and Good Works

~ pjwenzel ~ 1 Comment

Sunday evening I had the opportunity to deliver a short sermon on Hebrews 10:23-25 which was aimed at encouraging the church toward having an eternal perspective and how that perspective, along with the indicative of what Christ has done and who He is, ought to govern how we behave amongst the elect.  I hope you find these notes engaging and encouraging!

PJW

Hebrews 10:23-25

Stir One Another to Love and Good Works

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. [24] And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, [25] not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. (Hebrews 10:23-25)

  1. The foundation of our good works and our service to the body of Christ is the Lord Himself.
  2. We must respond to His faithfulness in-kind by doing three things:
    1. Stirring each other up to love and good works
    2. Meeting together regularly
    3. Encouraging one another
  3. Conclusion: Perspective is everything
  1. The foundation of our good works and our service to the body of Christ is the Lord Himself.

Hold Fast

We’re told here in verse 23 to “hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering.” He expresses the command in both positive (hold fast) and a negative (without wavering) terms.

What does it mean to “hold fast to the confession of our hope”?

In this passage, as in the rest of the book of Hebrews, the author’s words are dripping with eschatological richness. What do I mean by that? What I mean is that he always has the future in mind. Furthermore, he sees how Christ’s past work solidifies our future, and guides our present life. That is why he uses the word “hope” here. He is pointing us toward a future time when our hope will be realized.

This hope is ours now – otherwise it would not have made sense for him to tell us to hold fast to it – yet it will not be realized until the Lord returns.

This confession is our profession of faith in Christ and our identification with Him, and the entailment of riches that come to us by means of that confession.

As Calvin says, hope is the child of faith and “it is fed and sustained by faith to the end” (Hughes, pg. 414).

Therefore, we don’t simply confess His Lordship; we confess the hope we have because of His Lordship. Being a Christian comes with great cost, but it also comes with great reward. That reward is packed into the word “hope.”

What does it mean to not “waver”?

John Owen tells us that this generally means that our confession, our lives, must be “immovable and constant” and gives us four different ways in which we must not waver:

  1. No halting (going back and forth) between two opinions as the Israelites did between God an Baal. We must not waiver and be tossed back and forth doctrinally for convenience sake.
  2. No giving in to weakness and irresolution of mind when we encounter difficulties and trials.
  3. No yielding doctrinally or in worship to opinions which do not comport with our professed faith.
  4. No apostasy from the truth of the gospel.

The Imperative is Grounded in the Indicative

Now I want us to learn some theological grammar this evening. Let us note that in this first verse the apostle commands us to do one thing, and not do another thing, as we have just examined. We are to “hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering.” That command is called an “imperative.” When we tell someone to do something, we’re using the “imperative.”

But there is something sweet about living in the New Covenant and that is that as you read the New Testament you will notice that these commands, these “imperatives”, are always grounded in finished work of Christ.

When we talk about the finished work of Christ, and His character and Spirit and so forth, we are using phrasing that falls into another category, the “indicative.”

An easy way to remember this is that the indicative “indicates what Christ has done, what He is doing, and who He is.” At least that’s my theological shorthand!

So putting it all together: when we say that “the imperative is grounded in the indicative” we are saying that the commands we are given as Christians are always given in light of the finished work of Christ and His continuing work within us.

He is the rock upon which we rest our hope, and He is the one who is faithfully working within us to build His church. He is faithful therefore enabling US to be faithful.

Perhaps the most classic example of this is found in Philippians 2 where we read:

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, [13] for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12-13)

In one breath Paul calls them to work out their salvation with fear and trembling, and in the very same sentence tells that that it’s God who is doing the work within them!

We find the same thing here in Hebrews 10.

We are commanded to “hold fast” to our confession, but this obedience, this work of continuing to “hold fast” is made possible only by the faithful work of Jesus in our lives.

Therefore our foundation for obedience is the faithfulness of Christ Himself.

  1. We must respond to His faithfulness in-kind by doing three things: Stirring each other to love and good works, meeting together regularly, and encouraging one another.

Stirring each other up to love and good works

This “stirring” requires an intentional mindset toward interacting with one another. Not just “I’m going to say hi to him today.” But more along the lines of, “I want to find out how to encourage him today, to spur him/her on!”

In order to do this there is an unspoken prerequisite: you have to actually know each other well enough that you can do this is a meaningful way!

If you don’t know the needs, hurts, goal, desires of the men and women sitting in the pew next to you then you won’t be very good at stirring them up toward love and good works will you!

Secondly, before you can stir someone to love you must first stir with love. In other words, you can’t be much of encourager if your words aren’t governed by love. Paul said it best:

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. [2] And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. [3] If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)

Meeting together regularly

The next thing we’re told to do is to “meet together regularly” – something we’re doing right now! But you know, there are some folks who fall into the trap of thinking that the don’t need to come to church because they’re already saved, and doing just fine on their own. They have their fire insurance.

In fact, there are some who are good Christians – using that term loosely – and they will tell you that they don’t need to attend church or Bible studies all the time because they read the Word on their own.

Philip Hughes accurately describes the problem here:

Selfishness and divisiveness go hand in hand; for self-love breed the spirit of isolationism. He who does not love his fellow Christians fervently from the heart (1 Peter 1:22) feels no compelling need to associate himself with them. Indeed, the genuineness of the Christian profession of a man in this state must be seriously suspect, for those who are one in Christ cannot help loving one another.

When Martin Luther sat down to translate the Bible from the Latin Vulgate into his native tongue – the common vernacular that everyone could read – there were some well-meaning friends of his who said this could be a major problem. And he didn’t rebuke them, in fact he agreed. But continued on because he believed that the blessings brought by the principle of private interpretation (the idea that every child of God should have access to the Word of God), were worth the risk of that principle being abused.

In isolation and without guidance wiser men of God, people come to all kinds of wacky conclusions about what God’s Word is saying. We need to have God’s shepherds guide us through His Word and fellow believers correct our misguided ideas sometimes.

Furthermore, in isolation we cannot serve each other or the poor in our community, we cannot worship God together, and we cannot enjoy the Lord’s table together and much more. Lone-wolf Christianity is foreign to the pages of Scripture.

It is vital – absolutely vital – that we meet together “regularly.”

Encouraging one another

When we meet together what is it that we should do? Well the author has an idea on that as well! We’re to “encourage one another.”

You know what this rules out? Slander and gossip. This is easy to do – especially with prayer requests. When we are such a close knit group, its frighteningly easy to throw each other under the proverbial bus, or talk rudely or insensitively about those whom we will spend eternity.

My Sunday School class took this into consideration early on in its formation. We wanted to be able to share prayer requests with each other, and yet we wanted to guard against slander and gossip. So at the end of our weekly prayer request email we’ve always included the following statement:

Please remember that as we share our prayers with one another, we do so because we are family, and we have the desire to lift each other up to our Father, and because we believe that our prayers are delightful to Him and He delights in listening to them and working powerfully through them. Please take our prayer emails as opportunities to enter into the presence of God on behalf of another person with whom you will be spending eternity. They are, quite literally, your family.  Please treat them as such, and avoid slander or gossip. Take your thoughts captive for Jesus Christ, and magnify the name of our great God and Father!

This is far from being the end-all-be-all solution, but it strikes a chord with folks and sets a tone. We need to remember who we’re talking about – these are brothers and sisters who we will spend eternity with.

In that vein, let’s read the final verse and conclude…

3. Conclusion: Perspective is Everything. We are doing all of these things “all the more as (we) see the Day drawing near.”

As Christians we need to have a sense of eternity. Our perspective needs to be calibrated through the lenses of Christ’s eyes. We have to have the “mind of Christ.” We know these things, we’ve heard the truths, but how often do we govern our actions based on a timeline that doesn’t end at 5pm on Friday? We section off our lives based on the calendar on our iPhones, instead of the eternal lifespan ahead of us.

How much easier would it be to share the gospel, stir each other up, encourage each other, and meet together if we governed our attitudes about such things based on a timeline that didn’t end at the beginning of the school year, or the end of the weekend (etc.)?

Christians ought to behave different because they have a different perspective. That is what the author of Hebrews is saying. Perspective rules our lives.

One of the things that fascinates me about the Biblical accounts of angels is their perspective.

We meet one such example when Gabriel visits Zachariah in the temple and tells him about how his wife Elizabeth is going to bear a child he is aghast at Zachariah’s reaction – unbelief. Here’s how he responds:

And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. [20] And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.” (Luke 1:19-20)

Gabriel is saying “I was JUST in heaven before God’s throne. He’s gives me this message and you don’t believe me??? I mean, I was JUST there – in heaven – in the throne room!”

Christ’s perspective is also infinite. Listen to the account of when Jesus had risen from the grave and Mary mistook Him for the gardener:

Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” (John 20:15)

It isn’t as though He is curious about the reason for her crying (see Gerhardus Vos sermon ‘Rabboni’). No. It’s that He’s just come from a party in heaven and what He encounters here is so out of step with reality that He’s taken aback! It’s as He’s saying, “Why in the world are you crying? It’s time to celebrate!”

These reactions are governed by a reality that we must apprehend by faith for the present time.

Therefore, we must behave, think, feel, and talk in such a way that takes into account the “Day of the Lord.”

Those thoughts, feelings, and speech must all be taken captive to the truth – the reality – of a perspective governed by an eternal timeframe.

Let us leave here with that perspective – this is just the start! Life is eternal! I will know each of you FOREVER! We will rule over this earth together FOREVER! How does that change your week, your day, your evening? And how does it change the way you interact with and speak about those here in the church?

Let us bear in mind the truth of what R.C. Sproul is prone to say, “Right now counts forever.”

Let’s pray…