John 3:9-16, Lifting Up the Son of Man

 Today’s post is from Arthur Pink in his Exposition of the Gospel of John.  It relates to the connection in John 3:14-15 of the cross and the snakes in the wilderness.

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 1.    They were not told to manufacture some ointment as the means of healing their wounds.  Doubtless, that would have seemed much more reasonable to them. But it would have destroyed the type.  The religious doctors of the day are busy inventing spiritual lotions, but they effect no cures. 

2.    They were not told to minister to others who were wounded, in order to get relief for themselves.  This, too, would have appealed to their sentiments as being more practical and more desirable than gazing at a pole, yet in fact it had been most impracticable.  Of what use would it be for one to jump in deep water to rescue a drowning man if he could not swim a stroke himself!

3.    They were not told to fight the serpents.  If some of our moderns had been present that day they would have urged Moses to organize a Society for the Extermination of Serpents!  But what use had that been to those who were already bitten and dying?

4.    They were not told to make an offering to the serpent on the pole.  God did not ask any payment from them in return for their healing.  No, indeed.  Grace ceases to be grace if any price is paid for what it brings.

5.    They were not told to pray to the serpent.  Many evangelists urge their hearers to go to the ‘mourner’s bench’ or ‘penitent form’ and there plead with God for pardoning mercy, and if they are dead in earnest they are led to believe that God has heard them for their much speaking. … Oh dear reader, do not make the fatal mistake of substituting prayer for faith in Christ.

6.    They were not told to look at Moses.  They had been looking to Moses, and urging him to cry to God on their behalf; and when God responded, He took their eyes from off Moses, and commanded them to look at the brazen serpent.  Moses was the Law-giver, and how many today are looking to him for salvation.  They are trusting in their own imperfect obedience to God’s commandments to take them to heaven.

7.    They were not told to look at their wounds.  Some think they need to be more occupied with the work of examining their own wicked hearts in order to promote that degree of repentance which they deem a necessary qualification for salvation.  But as well attempt to produce heat by looking at the snow, or light by peering into the darkness, as seek salvation by looking to self for it.  To be occupied with myself is only to be taken up with that which God has condemned, and which already has the sentence of death written upon it.

Just as the bitten Israelites were healed by a look of faith, so the sinner may be saved by look to Christ by faith.  Saving faith is not some difficult and meritorious work which man must perform so as to give him a claim upon God for the blessing of salvation.  It is not on account of our faith that God saves us, but it is through the means of our faith.  It is in believing we are saved.

2 Cor. 4:7-18, “Authentic Christianity”

For the next few posts I would like to share the writings of other people, people who have been helpful to me in recent days, not only in my preaching but most importantly in my walk with Christ.  We begin with Ray Stedman.

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Ray Stedman was a well-respected pastor, for 40 years at Peninsula Bible Church in Palo Alto, CA.  He was born in N. Dakota and grew up in Montana (Miles City; for a brief time in his youth he was a bull-rider).  These quotes are taken from a web page that PBC has maintained since his death in 1992.

In Ray's book Authentic Christianity, he tells the story of Paul's escape from Damascus by being let down over the wall in a basket. Ray commented that Paul was useless to God until he became a basket case! He adds that we also are useless until we are 'utterly bankrupt before some demand of life, and then discover it to be a blessing,' because it forces us to 'depend wholly on the Lord at work in you.'

In a sermon he preached just a year before his death, he quoted Paul's statements about our "light affliction" working in us "an exceeding great and eternal weight of glory" and followed that with a call to break out of the limitations of this-world thinking:

"The world tells us, if you don't take it now, you're never going to get another chance. I have seen that misunderstanding drive people into forsaking their marriages after 30 or40 years and running off with another, usually younger, person, hoping they can still fulfill their dreams because they feel life is slipping away from them. Christians are not to think that way. This life is a school, a training period where we are being prepared for something that is incredibly great but is yet to come. I don't understand all that is involved in that, but I believe it, and sometimes I can hardly wait until it happens."

In the same message, Ray spoke of being readied for "something tremendous" and warned his congregation, "Don't succumb to the philosophy that you have to have it all now or you will never have another chance. You can pass by a lot of things now and be content because you know that what God is sending you now is just what you need to get you ready for what he has waiting for you when this life is over. One of my favorite quotations is the words of Robert Browning, which you sometimes see carved on sundials:

Grow old along with me!

The best is yet to be,
The last of life, for which the first was made."

Acts 15:36-41, Commended by the Grace of God

Paul and Barnabas had a contentious situation over John Mark.  They split, and both went their way in the service of Christ.  We are not told about Barnabas’ ministry.  He never comes up again in the NT, although we do find that John Mark eventually became very useful to Paul in ministry (2 Tim. 4:11), suggesting that Barnabas might have had some good ministry with him.

What we know about Paul is that he was sent by the Antioch Church, with Silas, to continue his missionary work.  But not until they commended him to the grace of God.  Are you, am I, commended by the grace of God for ministry?  They had so commended him before his first journey (Ac. 14:26).  And Paul so commended others to ministry (Ac. 20:32)  This is an absolute necessity. 

·       Rom. 12:3-8: Paul spoke out of the reservoir of the grace of God.  He was exercising his “gift,” often called a “spiritual gift” but much more properly called a “grace” gift.  The word is “charisma,” and has the word grace (charis) in it.  It is literally a “thing of grace.”  In this passage he reminds us that all believers have a piece of God’s grace in the form of a gift, and our service for Christ will be empowered by God’s grace as we use the gift.

·       1 Cor. 15:1-11: Again, Paul spoke, preaching the gospel, out of the grace of God.  Paul considered himself the least of the apostles, yet what he was he said was by the grace of God.  “By the grace of God I am what I am.”  Paul said he worked harder than all the other apostles, yet this was not bragging but an acknowledgement that, “the grace of God was with me.”  If we are not commended to the grace of God then service for Christ becomes self-centered.

·       1 Tim. 4:12-16: Paul encouraged Timothy with several bits of advice.  But at the center was this: “Do not neglect the gift that is in you.”  Again, “charisma.”  It was the gift that Timothy had received.  Being commended to God’s grace would make it possible for Timothy not to let people despise him in his youth. 

·       2 Tim. 1:3-7: Timothy’s family background was helpful for him.  But the key to continuing ministry was to, “stir up the gift of God which is in you.”  Charisma.  Through prayer, personal study, personal growth in the grace and knowledge of Christ, Timothy could continue to serve out of God’s grace.

·       1 Pt. 4:10-11: If you are a believer in Christ, you have a gift (Rom. 12 above).  If you have a gift (charisma) then you are to minister “as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”  It is manifold.  It comes with many encouragements, many varieties in ministry.  Some involve speaking, some involve service.  But all involve the grace of God.

Your brothers and sisters in Christ (the local church) are used by our Lord, through their acknowledgement of how he has gifted us, and by their prayers, to commend us to the grace of God!  Don’t serve the Lord without it.

Psalm 2; Prov. 30:4-6, Addendum, Who is God's Son?

 Solomon, perhaps under a “pen name” Agur (Pr. 30:1), asks these questions:

Who has ascended into heaven, or descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has bound the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is His Son’s name, If you know?

Why would he ask the name of “His Son” along with all these other questions that are designed to demonstrate the greatness of God?  Because Solomon is very familiar with Psalm 2:7-8, where the great plan of God is revealed:

“ ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. 8 Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession. 9 You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ ”

One application for Psalm 2 is, Kiss the Son, lest He be angry and you perish in the way!  If you don’t know who the “Son of God” is then you are in trouble.  How can you submit yourself to Him?  The Son of God is Jesus Christ.  He is currently sitting at the right hand of the Father, waiting for His enemies to be made a footstool for His feet (Ps. 110:1; Mark 12:36; Heb. 1:3,13).  Do you know the Son of God?

2 Tim. 1:1-2,8-12; 2:1-10, Jesus Christ or Christ Jesus

There is a thought that many have that in the NT the references to “Jesus Christ” and to “Christ Jesus” are intentional.  I have a hard time denying that thought, even though none of the NT writers explained this.  My view of “verbal-plenary-inspiration” (every word inspired) says it makes sense.  On the one hand, putting “Christ” first refers to His heavenly calling.  Putting the earthly name “Jesus” first indicates an emphasis on His Incarnation. 

You can think about this.  All I want to share is what I noticed in my recent reading of 2 Timothy.  As I list each use I will also the Greek “case” (type of speech).  It will be either “genitive” or “dative.”  The Greek genitive case means the subject of the phrase has it’s origin in Him (1:1: apostle of Jesus Christ).  The Greek dative case means the subject is being attributed to Him (1:1: promise of life which is in Christ Jesus).  Here is a list with a few brief comments.

Jesus Christ

·       1:1: Paul an apostle of … (genitive; his ministry calling originated in the Incarnate One)

·       1:10: now the appearing of our Savior … (genitive; no Savior without the Incarnate/“appearing” Word)

·       2:3: endure as a good soldier of … (genitive; ministry in the Body of Christ rests in Jesus’ ministry; He gave the gifts after His ascension, Eph. 4:7-12)

·       2:8: remember Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, raised from the dead (accusative, it identifies the subject; Davidic line and resurrection are Incarnation realities)

·       4:1: the Judge of the living and the dead, our Judge, the one before whom we live our daily lives is the Lord … (genitive; I don’t remember any references to the “Lord Christ Jesus,” not that there might not be; His Lordship, and thus His Judgeship, is rooted in the finished work; cf. Phil. 2:5-11)

·       4:22: the Lord Jesus Christ be with you (nominative case, identifies a noun or pronoun; His presence with us was promised as we serve Him, Mt. 28:19-20, as we love Him and keep His word, Jn. 14:23; these and the promise of the indwelling Spirit came at the end of His earthly life and ministry)

Christ Jesus

·       1:1: according to the promise of life in … (dative; prior to Jesus’ appointment of Paul was a promise of life from God, a promise made by God that would be require the sending and giving of His Son).

·       1:2: grace, mercy and peace from … (genitive)

·       1:9: before time began God’s grace given to us in … (dative)

·       1:13: faith and love are in … (dative)

·       2:1: be strong in the grace that is in … (dative)

·       2:10: the elect obtain salvation which is in … (dative)

·       3:12: all will suffer persecution who desire to live godly in … (dative; our life is in Christ Jesus; check Col. 3:1-4 to see the significance of this)

·       3:15: faith for salvation is in … (dative; in Ch. 3 Paul speaks of very “earthly” things about Timothy and his salvation, but in the process he reminds Tim that who he is, is rooted in the One in heaven)

What is the purpose of all this?  It is to offer some meditation time on who we are and what we have IN CHRIST JESUS, as well as how we live our lives by the One who lives in us, who is the source of our life.  I hope you take the opportunity.

Psalm 79

We find the Psalmist in the most difficult of positions.  What is described is most certainly the time of the Babylonian captivity.  The people of Israel are in shame.  Not only have the Babylonians treated them terribly; other nations, particularly Edom, took advantage of the situation to try to take Israel’s land for themselves.  The once proud nation is now a nation in exile.

But this is not actually what you hear the Psalmist saying.  What he says is …

§     The nations have come into YOUR inheritance … YOUR holy temple.

§     The dead bodies of YOUR servants …the flesh of YOUR saints.

§     For the glory of YOUR name … for YOUR name’s sake.

§     YOUR people, the sheep of YOUR pasture will give YOU thanks and show forth YOUR praise!

Furthermore, we also see that the Psalmist is not blind to the fact that the terrible situation in which they find themselves is of their own making.  He acknowledges former iniquities (v8) and sins (v9), pleading for God to make atonement so that He can forget them and turn from His anger.

The point is that we are seeing what we always see in the prayers of this great Hymnbook: the cry and concern of the saint is focused on His God!  Understand what we are saying: his life is consumed with difficulty and it drives him to His God.  But the one thing he desires is that His God be exalted.  He recognizes that he and his people would be nothing apart from God.  They are, in fact, His sheep living in His pasture.  The real problem is not that Israel is shamed; it is that Israel’s Shepherd is shamed (v10).

Let us, the people of God living in the AD era of history, see that nothing has changed in this regard.  God invites us to come into His very throne room with our sorrows (Heb. 4:16).  He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7).  He longs to hear your supplications (Phil. 4:6-7).

But when you enter His presence do you not come to a place of great glory, where He is high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple (Isa. 6:1)?  You are in the place where all cry out glory, where the musical theme is HOLY, HOLY, HOLY (Isa. 6:3; Rev. 4:8).  The One on the throne is alone worthy to receive glory and honor and power for He created all things and by (His) will they exist and were created (Rev. 4:11).

So when we come, as He bids us do, with our pain and shame, let us humble ourselves (1 Peter 5:6).  Let us come in Jesus’ name.  Let us speak of ourselves in truth, as HIS purchased possession (Eph. 1:14), HIS own special people (Titus 2:14).  May our prayer be to the praise of HIS glory (Eph. 1:6,12,14).

1 Sam. 1:8-18, The Faith of Hannah

If someone asked, “what was the legacy of Hannah,” we would certainly say Samuel!  That is obvious.  But let’s not fail to see some other portions in the story.

In 1 Sam. 1:18 we see that Hannah left a legacy of faith.  Hannah reminds me a lot of Mary (or vise versa).  Both wrote a song of praise that emphasized the way God exalts the humble.  Remember that Elizabeth said of Mary that she had believed that what the Lord said to her would be accomplished (Lk. 1:45).  Paul defined faith as being persuaded that God was able to do what He promised (Rom. 4:20-21).  In Psalm 56 David acknowledge this idea when, at the point when he declared his trust in the LORD, he also praised God for His word (56:3-4,10-11).

Hannah had this kind of faith.  How do I know?  For one thing, upon hearing the words of Eli, the High Priest, she believed God had spoken, and she immediately turned from mourning over lack of a child and rejoined her feasting family.  When she named “Samuel” she acknowledged that he was a gift from the LORD.  She took care of the LORD’s possession, not even going for the yearly sacrifice.  When she did go up, with Samuel, she took three bulls but only sacrificed one.  Surely the other two went to Eli, perhaps in recognition that from then on Eli would be responsible for Samuel’s needs.  For that same reason, each year Hannah made a robe for Samuel to wear. 

All these things demonstrate Hannah’s commitment to the will of the LORD.  In comparing Hannah and Mary you might think that Jesus was God’s idea while Samuel was Hannah’s idea.  But of course, that is wrong: she had asked him from the LORD (v20) and the LORD had remembered her (v19).  Both Samuel and Jesus were God’s idea!

We need to note one other aspect of Hannah’s legacy of faith: her prayer.  The theme of her prayer, as we have said, is about God who exalts the humble and humbles the exalted.  In that theme we see that Hannah had a “Messianic expectation.”  Zacharias and Elizabeth had this (Lk. 1:6); as did Simeon (Lk. 2:25) and Anna and many others of her acquaintances (Lk. 2:38).  There are two indications of this in Hannah’s prayer.  In 1 Sam. 2:2 she says, nor is there any rock like our God.  That tells me that she had memorized Psalm 32, “the Song of Moses.”  Israel was supposed to memorize that song, so they would always remember that even in evil times God would not disown them.  He would keep His promise to send a Redeemer, the Seed of the woman in Gen. 3.  It is that Song that introduces Israel to the idea that the LORD is Israel’s “Rock.” 

The other indication is at the very end: He will give strength to His king, and exalt the horn of His anointed.  At the time, Israel had no king; not even a King David.  It was the time of the Judges when there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes (Jud. 21:25).  Hannah knew what every other believing Israelite knew as they saw the sons of Eli declaring their own rules at the tabernacle, contrary to God’s rules.  Yet, Hannah believed that, at some time, there would be a king, God’s anointed (Heb. masiah, from which we get Messiah, Christ, the Anointed One).  That is the essence of OT Messianic expectation.  The Redeemer will come!