Jer. 23:30-40, False Prophets and Teachers (5)

·       23:30-32: “I am against the prophets,” says the LORD.  What strong words.  And why?  Because they not only get their message from dreams; they also “steal My words every one from his neighbor.”  What they preach, which they claim to be from the LORD, are words they have heard in the neighborhood.  They are the common ideas one might hear in any group of men who are sitting around talking politics.  How can we ever know the difference?  One way is by the word of God, already given to us in Scripture.  In Jeremiah’s day, the difference was between Jeremiah, a man approved by God, who spoke God’s word, and regular men who could only spout the common knowledge of the day.  If a person claims to speak for God, he better be telling the truth, because God is against those who claim to speak for Him while only speaking for themselves. 

o   Paul dealt with this kind of thing in 2 Thess. 2:1-2.  Someone sent a letter to the church claiming to speak for God.  But their message was contrary to Paul who had been in the presence of Christ.  Paul was given the message of the “mystery of God,” to share it with the Church (Eph. 3:1-13).  What that revelation did was to make perfect sense out of the OT which Paul had studied.  When this false teacher told the Thessalonians that the “day of the LORD” was already past, Paul knew from the OT that this was not true.  Paul knew God’s plan for the “latter days” (cf. Jer. 23:20) and he understood.  If your teaching of the NT is based on the belief that God did not mean what He said in the OT, literally, then you need to know that God is against you!  The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable (Rom. 11:29).

·       23:33-40: Thus, the conclusion of Jer. 23 is: quit claiming to speak for God if you have not been in the counsel of the LORD!  It is amazing how things have not changed today from the way it was in Jeremiah’s day.  The popular way to preach was to announce, “I am about to declare to you the oracle of the LORD.”  The word “oracle” in this passage is literally the “burden” of the LORD.  The message was a heavy one.  God is going to pour out His wrath on adulterous, idolatrous Judah.  That message is a “burden.”  It is even a burden to the LORD.  He does not delight in disciplining His chosen people (Lam. 3:33), people He chose because of His love for them and for Abraham (Deut. 7:6-8).  Further, we need to remember that what God was doing in the day of Jeremiah did not originate with Jeremiah.  God had warned His people, clear back in the beginning of the nation in the time of Moses, that continued disobedience would result His anger and fury (Lev. 26; Deut. 28,32).  He was repeatedly gracious and merciful with Israel, but He always was true to His character (Ex. 34:6-7) and His word. 

What we must have in our own day and time is preaching that is according to the word, from men who have stood in God’s counsel, rather than preaching that accommodates the sensibility of unbelievers who happen to drop in on our Church gatherings.  Not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts (1 Th. 2:4).  Not using flattering words, nor a cloak of covetousness, nor did we seek glory from men (1 Th. 2:5-6). 

Jer. 23:21-29, False Prophets and Teachers (4)

·       23:21-22: The LORD had not sent the false prophets.  They sounded like prophets, but they were not sent from the LORD.  They had not stood in My counsel (23:18 and 22).  How do we know?  If their message was true, then the result in the people would be that they would turn from their evil ways.  But they did not do that.  Since the message was in sync with what they wanted to hear, there was no urge to repent, to change their ways.  It’s that simple!  If you have been in the Presence and received your message, which means you have been in the Word of God and in the prayer closet pleading for the power of the Holy Spirit to pervade the preaching, you will have a message that has power to change the lives of those who hear it. 

·       23:23-29:  But if you have not stood in My counsel you have a week, ineffective message that is like chaff.  God’s word is like fire and a hammer.  Those are powerful things, and God’s word can burn away sin, it can be a fire that changes the lift of those who hear.  It can break in pieces the resistance and the false-hoods of Satan that keep one from believing.  Chaff does nothing.  It just blows away.  Remember Psalm 1!  The one who walks in the say of the sinners, affirming their philosophy, is like chaff.  The one who delights in the las of the LORD and who meditates in it day and night, that one prospers in the life that God gives him.

o   And note where the message comes from that is preached by the false prophet: he got it in a dream.  Did he really?  Or did he not?  Who knows! The point of a dream is that it makes the dreamer sound authoritative, at least to some people.  It’s supernatural, extraordinary, giving those who listen the idea that they should listen.  This must be something special! 

o   I remember back in the Promise Keeper days.  I attended 2 such gatherings with men from our Church.  The second and last time was in Portland, OR.  Speakers were decent, coming from the Scriptures.  Then, the last speaker of the day, the “coach” who started it all, began his message by telling us the Lord had given him the message in a dream while laying on his bed one day.  The message was: have all the pastors in the crowd come out on the baseball field so the crowd could give them a thunderous round of applause.  Oh, what a nice thing to do.  No!  What a great move to tempt men with the pride of life.  When did Jesus ever suggest this kind of thing?  What prophet of God ever asked for people to do this?  The NT calls for the church to honor leaders by their obedience to their ministry of the word (1 Th. 5:12-13; Heb. 13:7,17). 

Jer. 23:15-20, False Prophets and Teachers (3)

·       A message that connects the grace of God with the things of the world is a call to spiritual adultery (23:14).  The LORD had heard this message preached in Samaria in the call to worship Baal (23:13).  Now He was hearing it in the prophets of Jerusalem (23:14).  Because of their “profane” message, “profaneness” had gone out into all the land (23:15).  Thus, the people were worthless (23:16; i.e. the call to ordinary religion made the worshipers ordinary, of no special value to the LORD that He should save them. 

·       23:16-17: Where did this message come from?  They speak a vision of their own heart.  The prophets were speaking out of their own sinful hearts.  To whom was this message given?  To those who despise Me … to everyone who walks according to the dictates of their own hearts.  Everyone agreed with them because everyone had the same sinful hearts.

o   This is the fallacy of the “seeker-sensitive” message that is often preached in evangelical pulpits.  In an attempt to “build a bridge” to the unbeliever the messenger (prophet; every person needs someone to preach the gospel to them, Rom. 10:14) adapts his message so as not to offend the unbeliever.  The problem is that the message of the gospel is ALWAYS offensive to unbelievers (1 Cor. 1:22-24).  There must be a call to repentance when the call to faith is preached.  There is no possibility of one without the other.  But that is what is offensive to unbelievers.  The Jews want you to give them something powerful, a sign, that fits their concept of what the Savior is like.  The Greeks want you to add to their wisdom.  Again, the problem is that to the Jews, the “Jesus concept of the Savior” is a stumbling block.  The “Jesus philosophy of the Savior” is foolish to sophists.  So they get offended at Jesus.  The problem is, of course, is that Jesus is the only Savior in whom they can be saved.  Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.  Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men (1 Cor. 1:24b-25).  If you adapt your message and give people what they want, you will give them hell!

·         23:18-20: In Jeremiah’s day the message of “peace, peace” fit better with the people’s ideas about God’s promises.  They knew they were the chosen nation, descendants of Abraham, citizens under the rule of the Davidic king, worshipers at the temple of Solomon where God said He would dwell with Israel.  To them it was inconceivable that God would remove them from the land, subject them to the kings of the nations, and permit “His house” to be destroyed.  The true message through Jeremiah was that the LORD was angry and would not stop until all those “privileges” were taken away from the people of Judah.  All the LORD could say was, In the latter days you will understand it perfectly. 

o   Paul preached a similar message to Israel, one that acknowledged their privileges (Rom. 9:1-5) but which also preached their rejection (Rom. 9:14-29).  As the prophets before him, so Paul acknowledged there would always be a purpose (9:19-24), a remnant (9:25-29), and that the rejection was temporary (11:25-32).  Eventually, “in the latter days,” all Israel would be saved.  This is evidence of the amazing wisdom of God that renders foolish the wise of the world (11:33-36).

God will always keep His word.  Jeremiah and Paul preached the word of God.  Even if it didn’t make sense to the wisdom of those who heard, those people needed to trust in the word of God, or be lost!

Psalm 83 (2 Chronicles 20:1-30)

The amazing prayer in Psalm 83 seems to be based in the equally amazing story of 2 Chron. 20 when Jehoshaphat prayed “nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You” (20:12).  The situation is very similar, being a threat from Judah’s neighbors: Moab, Ammon and others, 20:1 … Moab, Ammon and Mount Seir, 20:10.  Ps. 83:5-8 mentions this confederacy in even more detail as involving not only the three primary nations but also the Hagrites (Arabs, possibly taking their name from Hagar whose name meant fugitive, people from whom the Trans-Jordan tribes had taken their land, 1Chron. 5:10,18-22), Gebal (a people from the north around Mount Hermon, Josh. 13:5) and Amalek (descendants of one of Esau’s grandsons that lived in southern Canaan, Gen. 36:12).  The motivation of Israel’s neighbors is the same: to remove God’s people from the land promised them in the Abrahamic Covenant, cf. 20:11 and 83:4,12.  The situation was similar to some of modern-day Israel's Wars since 1948 when Israel again became a nation. 

The Psalm itself is of great value to the saints of God in every age as it encourages us with the power of God available to His people.  The opening stanza (v1-4) lays this whole matter before God based on His relationship with His people.  Judah’s enemies are, in fact, Your enemies … those who hate You have lifted up their head (v2).  The reason is because we are Your people … Your sheltered ones (v3).  To shelter something/someone is to hide them in a secret place so that their beauty or uniqueness is not marred by the elements (cf. Psalm 29:5; 31:20).  These enemies have come speaking boastful words (v4); so the prayer is that God Himself would not keep silent or hold His peace (v1).  Oh what power we have with God when we remember what He has said of us.  For the believer who is in Christ it is even greater as we come to our Father in the name of Jesus, His Son (John 14:13). 

The third stanza (v9-12) contains another illustration of the power of God’s people in prayer, when they seek from God what He has provided in the past.  The Psalmist recalls the days of Deborah and Barak (83:9-10; cf. Judges 4-5) and of Gideon (83:11-12; cf. Judges 6-8; esp. 7:24-25; 8:18-21) when God brought deliverance from Israel’s neighbors that threatened their place in the land.  You may wonder why all these additional Scripture passages are mentioned, thinking you have no time for all this.  May we tell you clearly that to immerse yourself in the word of God is a key to your power with God, if you will.  To remind Him, who knows all things, of what He has done in the past is one of the greatest encouragements to your own faith!

The prayer concludes (83:13-18) with what is the greatest authority we have in prayer, and that is to ask God to do what will make His name known (v16,18).  To pray this prayer means the one who prays has not come into God’s presence with sin in his heart; he is humble in the presence of the Holy One.  Modern-day Israel must and will learn this.  After the regathering is complete, God will cleanse His people.  The greatest glory for our holy God is to be worshiped by His holy people.

  It also means that the one who prays realizes that the issue is not the comfort of Israel but the honor of the God who made Israel His treasured possession (Deut. 7:6).  This prayer reminds us of the many times in Israel we have heard the cry of little children to their fathers: abba, abba, abba.  We don’t know what they are asking for, but we know they have come to one they know who will answer their question and meet their need.  So with us!  Let us come to our Father, knowing that as His children we are His sheltered ones.  Our cry to Abba allows Him to display His glory by giving us His best (Matt. 7:7-11; Rom. 8:14-17).

Jer. 23:9-15, False Prophets and Teachers (2)

We are considering the false prophets in the days of Jeremiah.  What were they like?  What would be their end?

·       23:11-15: The prophets and priests were “profane.”  This means to be outside the temple, outside the sacred place (cf. Ex. 42:20).  They were not preaching what was consistent with the LORD whose dwelling was in the Holy of Holies.  We might say their preaching was “secular” rather than “sacred.,  or better, it was “common” rather than “holy.” They claimed that what was ordinary or common was godliness.  This had been seen in the prophets of the Northern Kingdom, and now it was brought into the religion of Judah.  This is the “adultery” the passage says was present: a mixing of worldly philosophy with the word of God.  Paul referred to heresy in his day as profane and old wives’ fables (1 Tim. 4:7) and profane, idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge (I Tim. 6:20; cf. 2 Tim. 2:16).  The writer of Hebrews called Esau profane for having sold his birthright for a pot of stew (Heb. 12:16).  In other words, he considered the birthright something ordinary, not of any value, whereas in God’s plan the one who had the birthright from Isaac was chosen and holy to the LORD.  This is what heresy does: it forsakes the word of God’s grace which can make you a sanctified, set-apart child of God (Ac. 20:32) and substitutes a self-exalting message of works which makes Christianity common, like every other religion. In the following note how the message of God’s grace is joined to profane, idle babblings and thus emptied of the grace of God.

o   We have seen in the Church, where the lust of the flesh is combined with Christianity: God loves me and therefore wants me to feel good.  I have been around parts of the Christian community where there is more concern with people’s physical healing than the salvation message. 

o   We have seen where the lust of the eyes is mixed with Christianity: God loves me and wants me to prosper materially.  The evidence of a person’s godliness is thus seen in the abundance of earthly possessions.

o   We have seen where the pride of life is mixed with Christianity where personal testimony has to do with personal accomplishments, bigger numbers in the church, self-promotion through writing of books and promotions of programs, self-hope approaches to the Christian life, and judgmentalism in preaching. 

o   In the case of Jeremiah, the message of the false prophets was “peace, peace.”  Jeremiah’s message was impending judgment, give yourselves up to the Babylonians and you can save your life.  That message was offensive to the king and his princes who saw it as unpatriotic and insubordination.  But the problem was: Jeremiah preached the truth!  The other prophets preached a people-friendly message.  They gave people with basic sinful inclinations a message that made them feel better.  Problem was: it was a lie!

Jer. 23:1-10, False Prophets and Teachers (1)

(For 5 days -- Dec. 26-27, 29-31 -- we want to study the matter of false teachers/false prophets, using Jeremiah 23 as our passage.  This is a critical time, as Jesus said in His Olivet Discourse.)

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Jesus gave what we call the Olivet Discourse so as to prepare His disciples and His Church for deception (Mk. 13:5-6,21-23).  He said their would be many deceivers.  Deception is a very real issue for the Body of Christ, and all the more as we advance further into the latter days until the Lord comes to take us out of this world.  The early Church had many deceptive issues as is evident from nearly every Epistle.  Paul warned that after my departure savage wolves will comes in among you, not sparing the flock.  Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves (Ac. 20:29-30).

Paul mentioned a couple that I would call to your attention.  Someone tried to tell the Thessalonian believers that the day of Christ had already come (2 Th. 2:2-3).  It may have been the same heretics who taught that the resurrection was already past (2 Tim. 2:16-18).  Paul told Timothy to shun these profane idle babblings because they lead to an increase in ungodliness and overthrows faith.  Remember that in the Seven Letters of Rev. 2-3 Jesus spoke against the Nicolaitans and Jezebel who taught falsely.  The Churches were to deal with them accordingly.

These false teachers are not new.  Peter said, there were false prophets among the people (of Israel), even as there will be false teachers among you (Jewish believers of the Church), who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, (2 Pt. 2:1).  Let us take Peter’s cue and spend some time in Jeremiah 24, where we will gain a lot of help in identifying and deterring false prophets/teachers/apostles/christs.

·       23:1-2: The false prophets are here identified as shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture! says the LORD.  They scatter the flock and drive them away.  Paul warned Titus, avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and useless.  Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition, knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned (Titus 3:10-11).  It is not just heresies that divide the flock.  It is “useless” study and teaching on things that do not build up believers but still tear them apart.

·       23:3-8: This message from the LORD reminds us that the good shepherds, who feed the flock and build them up, are those who are Christ-like.  The “Branch of righteousness” is Christ, and as Peter said, He is Chief Shepherd (1 Pt. 5:4) who will reward those shepherds that lead the flock.  Dealing with false teachers is part of that oversight ministry.

·       23:9-10: Jeremiah had a heart for the people.  What he saw was that the people were not experiencing the blessing of the LORD.  They were characterized by evil, rather than the righteousness that characterizes Christ (23:6).  And Jeremiah could see that the cause of this was “the prophets.”  What was being preached to the people was not building them up but was tearing them down.  If a shepherd does not have a heart for the people so that his “bones shake” because of what he sees, he will not be inclined to stand against the false teachers.

John 19:5-19, Merry Christmas!

Let us take this special day to consider the “Male Child” of Israel, who (is) to rule all nations with a rod of iron (Rev. 12:5).  The Revelation refers to Christ in this way to remind us that the One on whose shoulders the government of Israel shall rest (Isa. 9:6-7) is Immanuel, the Son of the virgin (Isa. 7:14). 

Perhaps nothing looks kingly than the Baby in the manger.  How weak, helpless, humble!  I say perhaps.  Perhaps the image of the Savior, bloodied from the thorny crown, humiliatingly paraded before the mob in the purple robe, just might exceed the manger in terms of the lack of kingly majesty. 

And yet there He stands.  And Pilate brings to their minds and hearts, for one last time, the truth of the manger and the truth of His earthly life and ministry:

Behold the Man!

Behold your King!

Remember the words of Gabriel to Mary:

Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.  (Luke 2:31)  BEHOLD THE MAN!

He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.  (Luke 2:33)  BEHOLD YOUR KING!

Hard to believe?  Perhaps.  But at the beginning those around the Baby are filled with hope.  We are always optimistic that our infant will someday make a difference.  He will be admired, thought to be special.  But to live into adulthood only to be presented as the epitome of a pathetic loser is sad to the few that might still love Him.  We were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel (Luke 24:21).  And yet, as our Lord Himself said, Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’?  But for this purpose I came to this hour.  (John 12:27)  Many in this world stumble over the Messiah who came to die.  But for Christians there is no hope unless the Messiah confronts death at the cross and then defeats it in His resurrection. 

May the merriment of your Christmas be meaningful!  In it all,

BEHOLD THE MAN!                           BEHOLD YOUR KING!

Christ, by highest Heav’n adored; Christ the everlasting Lord; Late in time, behold Him come, Offspring of a virgin’s womb. Veiled in flesh the Godhead see; Hail th’incarnate Deity, Pleased with us in flesh to dwell, Jesus our Emmanuel.

Hail the heav’nly Prince of Peace! Hail the Sun of Righteousness! Light and life to all He brings, Ris’n with healing in His wings. Mild He lays His glory by, Born that man no more may die. Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth.

Hark! the herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King!”

Ps. 45:1-9; 2 Cor. 2:14-16, The Spices of Christ

In addition to the above passage, we read …

And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him.  And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. (Mt. 2:11)

Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates with pleasant fruits, fragrant henna with spikenard, spikenard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense, myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices (Song 4:13-14)

In Ps. 45 the subject is the Incarnate Christ, the One who is “fairer than the sons of men,” upon whom “grace is poured upon (His) lips,” who rides in majesty, who is God, whose throne “is forever and ever,” who reigns with “a scepter of righteousness.”  In Matthew the wise men come to worship this King, bearing appropriate gifts.  In the Song of Solomon the subject is the bride who is sister and spouse of the Beloved (4:12), who now exudes the scent of her Beloved (4:16).  As Paul says, “we are to God the fragrance of Christ.”  Consider the “spices of Christ.”

From Psalm 45: “… "smell" is not in the original. The literal translation would be, "Myrrh, and aloes - cassia - all thy garments;" that is, they were so impregnated with perfumes that these seemed to constitute his very clothing.”  (Albert Barnes) This is Jesus’ clothing of righteousness, in which believers are clothed.

·       Myrrh: “It was used among the ancients, not only as a perfume, but as a fumigator, and as an article of medicine, and was employed in embalming the bodies of the dead.” (Barnes) 

·       Aloes: “It is a species of sweet-smelling "wood," and was valued on account of its fragrance.” (Barnes does not believe it refers medicinal “aloe.”)

·       Cassia: Myrrh and cassia were part of the holy anointing oil in Ex. 30:23 which might explain the use in Ps. 45. 

From Matthew 2:11:

·       Gold speaks of the inestimable worth of our Savior, the Virgin-Born Baby.

·       Frankincense: “When burnt it emitted a fragrant odour, and hence the incense became a symbol of the Divine name (Mal 1:11; Sgs 1:3) and an emblem of prayer (Psa 141:2; Luk 1:10; Rev 5:8; 8:3).” (Eastons Dict.)

·       Myrrh: Perhaps the Wise Men brought this because of its connection with death. But remember that if it was among the spices brought to the tomb by the women, it was not for embalming but for a sweet smell to cover the stench of death.

We bear the fragrance of the Incarnate Christ before God!  So did Christ!  He was the ultimate “sweet smelling sacrifice,” being accepted by the Father so that in our daily lives we might bear this sweet smell to His glory.  What a grand reason to be close to Christ day-by-day, that we might bear His fragrance to the world, to some being “the aroma of death” and to others “the aroma of life.” 

2 Cor. 1:3-7; Gal. 4:4-5, Christmas Meditations

There are some things that I have “come across” in recent days that were meaningful.  Perhaps you will find them helpful.

Christmas can be a hard time for some people.  Some struggle with loneliness.  Others have lost a loved one, perhaps at the “holiday time,” or perhaps during the last year, and they find it hard to share the joys of the season because of the grief.  We have lost a daughter and a grandson in the last 3 years, and I noticed that my wife left their stockings in a separate place in our living room, separate from the stockings for all the others in the family.  I’m not sure what else she should have done with them.  We think about them regularly, and I am sure they will be mentioned and missed at our family gathering.

We have a spiritual brother and sister who lost an adult son three years ago.  The sister has written several booklets as she has continued through the grief process. She is a wonderful writer. In their Christmas card she noted our recent losses and wrote something about her grief.  She said the first year was hard but you tried different things to soothe the pain.  The second year you tried some of the things that worked the first year.  The third year, you just come to realize it will always be there.  I appreciated what she said, as well as the fact that she said anything at all about our losses.  Not everyone needs to be “grief counselor” for us, but a few did and that is meaningful.

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We have been reading an Advent book.  The daily readings come from Charles Spurgeon.  Today’s was based in Gal. 4:4-5, that Jesus was “born of a woman, born under the law.”  The first secures His true humanity which is essential for us.  There is no High Priest for us other than one that is taken from among us (Heb. 5:1-11).  Spurgeon also praised God that it did not say “born under a man and a woman.”  In some way not having a sinful man involved kept Jesus from bearing the sinful nature, making Him a Man like Adam was before he sinned. 

But what blessed me were Spurgeon’s reminders about the law.  Jesus was accountable to the law of God, and, as the record makes clear, He lived righteously in all things.  I was reminded of two passages.  Meditate on these!

³ For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴ that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. (Rom. 8:3-4)

⁴ For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. (Rom. 10:4)

Luke 1:31-38, “Let It Be to Me acc. to Your Word”

Mary needed God’s grace for her impossible task.  Obviously, a “virgin birth” is in the “impossible” category.  But remember the other events the NT speaks of that involve Mary.  Once she and Joseph thought they had lost their boy (Lk. 2:41-50).  At the wedding in Cana, Mary released her “oldest son” for the work God had for Him (Jn. 2:1-11).  Later, at Capernaum, she was with the rest of the family, seeking to speak with Jesus (Mt. 12:46-50).  We’re not sure the fullness of this event, but we do know that His earthly brothers did not support Him in His work (Jn. 7:1-9).  Mary was at the cross, where Jesus placed her in the care of John (John 19:25-27).  All through His earthly life, what we are told of Mary is that Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart (Lk. 2:19).  And the prophecy concerning her was that a sword will pierce through your own soul also (Lk. 2:35). 

In addition, remember that Mary, like Zacharias and Elizabeth, and Simeon, and Anna, and almost certainly Joseph, was among those waiting for the Consolation of Israel (Lk. 2:25), those who looked for redemption (Lk. 2:38).  Eve was among that group, first thinking Abel was that “Seed” and then thought or hoped that Seth was “another seed” (Gen. 4:25).  But the generations began to roll, for several millennia.  The story continues to unfold, adding to the glories of God’s glorious Savior, but with each additional chapter it becomes more and more “impossible.”  He will be glorious, and yet will suffer death.  He will be a King, and yet the Servant. 

And now, Mary is silent while Gabriel makes his announcement:

you will conceive … bring forth a Son … Jesus/Joshua/Yeshua … the Son of the Highest … the throne of His father David … He will reign … of His kingdom there shall be no end.

Everything Gabriel said had OT roots.  Those people, looking for redemption, could say, “Yes, that matches the description of God’s promises Savior.”  Think about that!  Mary did not question how a little baby could be all those things.  A Son, “seed of the woman.”  Son of the Highest, fulfillment of Abraham and Isaac on Moriah.  King David’s greatest Son, fulfillment of the Davidic promise.  These are amazing thoughts, but all anticipated if you trusted the OT record.

The thing that was impossible to Mary was the conception: How can this be since I do not know a man?  She was already betrothed, or we might say “engaged,” to Joseph.  Yet she asked, “how can this be?”  Zacharias had asked Gabriel, “how shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years?”    There were several OT stories to prove that age is no problem for God.  So Zacharias was disciplined.  But not Mary.  Her situation was unique: “how can I conceive without a man?”  Thus, Gabriel explained (v35), and Mary was given encouragement (v36), and the promise that with God nothing is impossible (v37).  And she humbled herself, and opened the empty hand of faith: Let it be to me according to your word.  Ah, yes, God gives grace to the humble!

Psalm 82 (John 10:31-39)

Yesterday’s Morning and Evening devotional by Charles Spurgeon centered on the command to “love your neighbor.”  He pointed out that if we were poor and our neighbor rich, we must not envy him nor hate him because of his wealth.  If we were rich and our neighbor poor, we must not consider him to be insignificant or undeserving of our time and attention.  God calls us to love!  Consider this in relationship to this Psalm which calls God to judge the earth (v8).

This Psalm is remarkable given its use by Christ (John 10:31-39).  When challenged by the Jews for His claim to be the “Son of God,” a claim rightly understood to be a claim of deity and for which the Jews were about to stone Him, Jesus answered “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods”’” (Jn. 10:34 quoting Psa. 82:6).  To understand Jesus we must understand this Psalm.

To understand this Psalm requires a simple reminder of basic names of God.  Elohim is plural and El singular of what is generally translated God in English translations.  But the Hebrew terms refer to the Mighty One and are used to identify gods (idols) as well as mighty created beings such as angels (Psalm 8:6) or humans (as in Psalm 82).  Here is how Psalm 82 begins: “God (Elohim) stands in the congregation of the mighty (el); He judges among the gods (elohim).”  These mighty gods referred to are the unjust judges of 82:2.  God calls them gods (elohim) because of their inflated egos, so to speak.  In the end, they are not so great for they will die like men, and fall like one of the princes. 

Jesus’ use of this Psalm fits perfectly.  In Psalm 82 it is an indictment of powerful men who judge falsely.  In John 10 Jesus is saying, If God referred to powerful men of earth as ‘gods’ certainly He, the One who has given clear proof of His deity by the works He performed, can be called Elohim.  Jesus is not lowering Himself to being merely elohim as is seen in His reference to the proofs of His being Elohim, the proofs of His miracles, signs and wonders.

Jesus’ reference to Psalm 82 is a powerful claim given the closing verse of the Song.  God (Elohim) is called to judge the earth since He shall inherit the nations (v8).  Yet it is the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to be the Heir of the nations (Psalm 2:7-9).  The Messiah is identical to the Judge of the whole earth: For the Father judges no one but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father.  He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him (John 5:22-23).  This Psalm strongly supports the Bible’s claims that Jesus was Elohim in bodily form (Col. 2:9).

So let us take to heart this powerful Psalm.  For one thing, in the context of book 3 of the Psalms , this Psalm like the previous one is telling the people of Israel that the reason for their suffering is their own sin. They are in a terrible situation . And again, Jesus' use of the song is perfect, because Israel of His day was destined for the same suffering at the hands of the Nations. 

And the application of this Psalm for us is likewise perfect.  Let us exalt the Lord Jesus Christ this day.  Let us not forget that His judicial opinion of us is what matters.  Let us show Christ-like love for our neighbor, being compassionate, merciful and kind.  Let us love them by declaring His greatness and the greatness of the gospel message which alone brings deliverance from the hand of the wicked.

Luke 1:26-30, “Blessed Art Thou Among Women”

Let’s meditate on the announcement to Mary made by the Lord through the angel Gabriel in Luke 1. Gabriel was the Lord’s primary messenger angel.  We say this because, for one thing, we are told his name. For another, he is mentioned by name twice in Daniel 8-9, to whom he appears twice to explain to Daniel his dreams.  He also appeared to Zecharias, father of John the Baptist.  And I’m not sure where all the other angels stand and await their orders to do God’s bidding, but Gabriel “stands in the presence of God” (Lk. 1:19). 

He comes to Mary, an insignificant woman in the eyes of the world, but one who is highly blessed by God.  Of Mary we are told two things about God’s grace: she was “highly favored” (1:18) and now she had “found favor with God.”  Both words come from the root “charis” which is the word for grace.  Prior to Gabriel’s coming Mary had been the recipient of much grace from the Lord; and now, with Gabriel’s presence, Mary was given more grace.  What does this mean?

First, we accept the classic definition of “grace,” that it is God’s “unmerited favor.”  It is God’s goodness given to people who did not earn it.  We do not see God giving His grace to His Son.  He was in no way “undeserving.”  He was worthy of all the goodness of His Father.  Rather, Jesus suffered according to the will of His Father.  Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief (Isa. 53:10). He shed His blood on the cross on behalf of sinners.  The Father loved His Son but to be loved by someone is not the same as to be shown grace.  Love is unconditional.  Grace requires a condition of not having earned itl.

God gives grace so that people can be and do that which will bring glory to Him.  Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD (Gen. 6:8).  In a totally wicked world Noah was a just man, perfect in his generation (6:9).  So why did he receive grace?  It was because God had a huge task for him.  The same can be said of Mary: she found grace in the Lord for the task ahead that would not be easy.  In fact, apart from God’s omnipotent help, her task would be impossible (Lk. 1:37).  Mary is the “posterchild” for James 4:6. First, James says, God gives more grace.  That was true of Mary.  Then James says, God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.  God does not give grace or more grace to those who will use it to bring glory to themselves.  But God had already been gracious to Mary, and she had received that grace by faith, so that the Lord was with her, and she was “blessed among women.”  Now God was going to use Mary to facilitate the Incarnation.  For that task, she would need, and would be given, more grace.

Here is a wonderful thought.  Mary found grace to bring the Child into the world, and thus, the grace of God that brings salvation appeared to all men (Titus 2:11).  And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth (Jn. 1:14). 

Job 26:5-14; Mic. 5:2, The Whispers of the Incarnation

I love Job’s statement in 26:14: these are the mere edges of His ways, and how small a whisper we hear of Him! He and Bildad were having a contest as to who could best describe God’s greatness.  Bildad, in Job 25, spoke of His greatness and magnified it by mentioning how wimpy man is (v6).  Job also describes God’s greatness, in creating earth and heaven.  Then Job said: what we see and know of God is just a small portion of all there is to see and know.  Think about it.  The universe is the “edges” and a “whisper” of God’s greatness.  I will never be an expert on God’s greatness.  I will always be studying and worshiping Him!

God doesn’t blast us with all of Himself at once but gives it to us little by little so that we never exhaust the wonder of who He is!  Which brings me to the Christmas story.  That story is full of “whispers” that, upon further review, are whispers of His greatness.  For example, take Bethlehem.  Bethlehem is a whisper.  That’s what Micah said: little among the thousands of Judah (Mic. 5:2).  Yet, today, Bethlehem was a loud shout of the glory of God. Here’s what I mean.

 Bethlehem whispers that a child is born.  Yet there is a shout: that Child is God becoming a man (John 1:14).

Bethlehem was a small whisper of a town, under an evil king (Herod) who worked for the Romans.  Yet there is a shout.  In Bethlehem is “the One to be Ruler in Israel” (Micah 5:2), the Messiah/Christ.

To Bethlehem came an obscure couple, from another insignificant town, Nazareth.  But shout it out: these two people were both descendants of David, Israel’s mighty King.  And her child would sit on David’s throne (Lk. 1:32).

The Child’s conception was questionable, for those who did not know any better.  How humiliating, lots of people were whispering.  But shout it out: He is the heir of all things (Heb. 1:2), exalted King of kings and Lord of lords.

Bethlehem had no room in the inn, and only a manger in a pen for farm animals, and no fancy “kings clothing” but ordinary strips of cloth for a wrapping.  You can barely hear the whisper.  Yet, the whole scene shouts out that this is our High Priest who has a true feeling for our infirmities (Heb. 4:14-16).

Some of the poorest in Israel, shepherds, were invited to Bethlehem.  But the angels shouted it out: a Savior was born, the Good Shepherd, the Lamb of God!

From Bethlehem, on the eighth day, He was presented at the temple with the peace offering of the poor.  How perfect that the gospel shouts out that He became poor that we might become rich (2 Cor. 8:9).

We need to be in tune with the whispers of God.  Like Elijah: God was not in the loud noises (wind, earthquake, fire) but in the “still small voice” (1 Ki. 19:11-12).  Let us not be those who only hear God when it’s exciting or powerful or tickling to the ears (2 Tim. 4:3).  Let us not always be looking for a sign (Jn. 6:30).  Can you hear Him now?  In Christ?  In the Christ of the Bible?

Job 19:13-27, Job and the Savior (2)

We are continuing to ask, what did Job know about his need of a Savior and how did he know this?  We mentioned two passages at the end of the previous post that tell us Job knew he was seriously separated from God.  There was a problem, an enmity, between him and God.

·       13:23-24: He understands the issue of “sin and guilt.”  (Rom. 6:23; Heb. 9:14)

·       14:7-14: He sees hope for a tree, but no hope for himself.  He knows he will die, and death will end his opportunity to make things right with God.  (Heb. 9:27-28) In v13 Job knows that God rightfully has wrath in this situation of “enmity.”  Job longs for the day when God’s wrath will be satisfied (which is the definition of “propitiation” or “sacrifice of atonement”).  (Rom. 3:21-26; 1 John 2:2)

·       16:21: Not only does Job need a Mediator, someone to come between; he needs an Intercessor, one to righteously plead his case before God. (Heb. 7:25)

·       19:13-27: In vs. 13-22 Job expresses his hopelessness, in that none of the people of earth that he should be able to call “loved ones” love him after all.  No one else can or will do what is needed to get him right with God.  (Ps. 49:7-9) Yet, he is going to die!  He wishes his words could be written in some way that would last longer that he is going to last (v23-24).  If they can, then in some future days when all things are fulfilled, there will be a solution for his enmity with God (in the “last” a Redeemer will stand; up until this time godly men have come and gone and there is still no Savior). After he has died Job will see God; the question is, will God remember His faith, his trust in God?  Will God know that Job knew that he needed a Savior. (2 Tim. 1:12)

Surely you have noted the New Testament scriptures we placed throughout our journey through Job’s sufferings.  These passages show that in Jesus Christ all that Job longed for is found.  Job did not know Jesus in that Jesus had not yet entered this world to be the provision for salvation, the satisfaction for God’s wrath, the Savior and Mediator and Intercessor and Redeemer.  But Job understood his need. 

Much of what Job knew came from General Revelation.  Any person can know there is a Creator, can know he is accountable to that Creator, and can know that he is estranged from the Creator (i.e. at enmity.)  Then, from the very beginning, Job could know that the Creator promised a Savior to deal with the sin that caused the enmity.  The fact that Job was known to engage in blood sacrifices for sin tell us he knew the lesson of Cain and Abel, that the Savior would have righteous blood to shed for the sinners.  Every person in the world could know this because this is the essence of every religion: how to make it possible for people to be reconciled to their Creator.  They could know that, except that they continue to suppress the truth in unrighteousness and rebel against the Creator.  It is not that hard, as Job has shown us!  Put your trust in God’s Savior!

Job 9:27-35, Job and the Savior (1)

What did Job know about the Savior and how did he know it? Psalm 19 says that all men can know something about God and the need of a Savior.  They know this by “general revelation.”  God has revealed to everyone general truth about Himself and our connection with Him.  He did this through Creation and Conscience.  In Creation we can know there is a God, defined as the Creator, and we can know many of His attributes.  If you are an atheist, evolutionist, epicurean, materialist or engaged in “creature worship,” you are guilty of suppressing the truth (Rom. 1:18).  If you deny that you are at enmity against the Creator you are either denying your conscience or you are living in blindness, having ignored your conscience so long that it is no longer telling you of your sin and guilt. Thus, you are living in rebellion against the Creator who laughs at your denial of the obvious (Ps. 2:1-3).

With respect to Job, we must believe that he was attentive to the message of “general revelation.”  But we can also assume that Job had a measure of truth somewhat akin to what Abraham’s grandfather had.  There are enough details in the story of Job to indicate he likely lived in the time, certainly before the “Law of Moses” (he certainly made no mention of it if he did).  He was offering sacrifices for his own children (Job 1), so there was no Aaronic priesthood.  Abraham did the same thing, leading his family in worship, as had Noah after the flood. 

This general timeframe tells us that Job knew the oral tradition passed down from Noah and his sons, especially Shem who worship the true God.  If we take the ages literally in Gen. 1-11 then we can say that Shem was still alive, and likely influential, until the birth of Isaac.  Thus, Job knew of Adam and Eve (sin and the Savior who would be of the “seed of the woman”), Cain and Abel (true and false religion), Noah (the flood, the Noahic Covenant, the special place of the Semites).  Could he have known of Abraham?  Possibly but not positively.  What I am asking you to do is to try to put yourself in Job’s historical setting.  You don’t know about Israel or Messiah the Son of David or Matthew, Mark, Luke and John or a place outside Jerusalem called Golgotha.  He knew there was a Creator, that he had sinned against his Creator, that he was guilty, that he would someday face his Creator.  But join me in seeing what else a reasonably intelligent man could understand who had limited access to God’s word, the Bible.

·       Job 9:32: Job knew it would be helpful if God could become a man and experience what he, Job, experienced.  (Heb. 4:14-16).

·       Job 9:33: If that were not possible, then at the least there needed to be a Mediator, one to stand in between him and the Creator, one who could understand both sides. (1 Tim. 2:5)

·       Job 13:16: He knew salvation would have to come from God.  He did not think there was anything in him that could save him.  “Saved” means delivered.  He needed deliverance from this thing that separated him from God. (Ac. 4:12)

1 Pt. 2:21-25, The Perfect Tree

Several years ago our church choir presented a cantata called “The Perfect Tree.”  I was asked to share a devotional thought, which I did.  Having been to Israel a few times I mused a bit on the subject, which tree is the “perfect tree?”

In Gen. 2:9 the “tree of life” was in Eden.  It is also in Rev. 22:2 where we can live forever.  But also in Eden was “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,” of which Man partook, and became a sinner.  To be eating of the tree of life while in sin would be disastrous, so God put an end to it until such time as there could be a resolution to the sin issue.

Abraham dwelt under a terebinth tree.  That tree speaks of fellowship because God came and met with Abraham there (Gen. 13:18; 18:1).  But fellowship is hampered by the presence of sin. 

Palm trees, like you find at an oasis (Ex. 15:27) speak of earthly rest and the satisfaction of the soul.  But the people of Israel liked to use the palm trees in making idols (Jer. 5:10).

The almond tree is a wonderful tree, especially when in bloom.  It means that winter if over.  But God used the blossoming almond tree as a sign to Jeremiah that the long-promised judgment on Judah was now at hand (Jer. 1:11-12).

The fig tree is a great tree.  It’s large leaves tell us why the couple in Eden used them to cover their nakedness, after they sinned.  And Israel is still waiting for their to be buds on the fig tree as she continues to be chastened by God (Mk. 13:28-31).

Solomon used mighty and majestic cedars in building the temple.  But twice the temple was destroyed because of Israel sin. 

In Romans 11 God’s people are likened to an olive tree.  But now Israel has been temporarily cut off, and the Church could also be cut off if she were to fall away.  With every tree, they lack “perfection” because of sin.

The cross of Jesus, because it resolves man’s sin problem, is the perfect tree!  He was murdered on, and hung on, a tree (Ac. 5:30; 10:39-40).  It is perfect because it is a cross, a tree used for killing sinners.  The Law said, “cursed is everyone hung on a tree” (Dt. 21:22-23); Jesus was cursed for us (Gal. 3:10-14).  As the bronze serpent was lifted up in the wilderness so all who saw it could be healed, so Jesus was lifted up that He might draw all men to Himself (John 3:15-16).

Not just any cross would do.  The two thieves on crosses when Jesus died would not do.  Only Jesus, perfectly righteous, makes His cross the perfect tree (1 Pt. 2:22-24).  We are all in sin and an offense to our Creator.  But He, the Creator, has died on the tree, bearing our sins in His body.  “God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him!” (2 Cor. 5:21)

Luke 22:7-23, Jesus and the Passover Seder

There is debate as to whether Jesus and the disciples ate the traditional “seder” meal.  The traditional liturgy was not established until after 70AD.  But we would expect some oral traditions to be in existence at the time..  I don’t consider it an important question.  What is important is that Jesus captured the “Passover” moment for His own use, making the connection between Himself and Passover.  Today’s excerpt from Meyer’s NT Commentary seeks to fit the with the NT record.

According to the Rabbis, the order of the Passover meal was as follows—(1) It began with drinking wine, before partaking of which, however, the head of the family offered up thanks for the wine and the return of that sacred day. (2) Then bitter herbs intended to represent the bitter life of their forefathers in Egypt were put upon the table, some of which being dipped in a sour or brinish liquid, were eaten amid thanksgivings. (3) The unleavened bread, the broth charoset (see on Matthew 26:23), the lamb and the flesh of the chagiga (see on John 18:28), were now presented. (4) Thereupon the head of the family took as much of the bitter herbs as might be equal to the size of an olive, dipped it in the broth charoset, and then ate it, all the other guests following his example. (5) The second cup of wine was now mixed, and at this stage the father, at the request of his son, was expected to explain to him the peculiarities of the several parts of this meal. (6) Then came the singing of the first part of the Hallel (Psalms 113, 114), another short thanksgiving by the father, and the drinking of the second cup. (7) The father then washed his hands, took two pieces of bread, broke one of them, laid the broken pieces upon that which remained whole, rolled a piece of the broken bread in bitter herbs, dipped this into the broth charoset, and ate, after having given thanks; he then took some of the chagiga, after another thanksgiving, and so also with regard to the lamb. (8) The feast was now continued by the guests partaking as they felt inclined, concluding, however, with the father eating the last bit of the lamb, after which no one was at liberty to eat anything more. The father now washed his hands, and, praise having been offered, the third cup was drunk. Then came the singing of the second part of the Hallel (Psalms 115-118) and the drinking of the fourth cup, …, with the final singing of Psalms 120-137.

Seeing that, according to this order, the feasting, strictly speaking, did not begin till No. 8 … the eating under No. 8 is the stage at which the Lord’s supper was instituted; so that the bread which Jesus took and brake would not be that mentioned under No. 7 but the particular bread with which, as they all knew, He had just instituted the supper. He would have violated the Passover itself if He had proclaimed any new and peculiar symbolism in connection with the bread before conforming, in the first place, to the popular ceremonial observed at this feast, and before the less formal and peculiarly festive part of the proceedings was reached.

Psalms 81

We are in the midst of several Psalms that seem to come from a son of Asaph (Asaph was one of the worship leaders established from among the Levites by King David whose descendants seemed to use their father’s name for their writings) who wrote hymns from the context of the Northern Kingdom of Israel (indicated by the reference to Joseph, father of Ephraim and Manasseh who are the major tribes in the north).  He was either a resident there or wrote from the experience of residents there, which is an amazing thing to think about.  It means God was faithful even in maintaining a remnant of believers in that rebellious nation that had left the worship of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and replaced it with worship before two gold calves at Bethel and Dan. 

In Psalm 80 the Song asked how long and why; it asked God for restoration.  In Psalm 81 we have a Song that warns of the danger of ignoring God’s voice.  In v8 the writer says his purpose is to admonish.  Here are the various stanzas.

·         81:1-2 calls the people to make a joyful and very musical shout.

·         81:3-5 calls for the trumpet to be blown, calling the people to worship, at the next New Moon celebration.  God’s faithfulness to Joseph while he was in Egypt is brought to the forefront to remind people of a man and a time when things were right.

·         81:6-7 then reminds the people how God, when He brought them out of Egypt, tested them at the waters of Meribah (Exodus 17:1-7).  It is interesting that in the story twice it says the people tested or tempted God (v2,7).  And yet it was actually a test by God to see if they would trust and obey!

·         81:8-10 begins the warning.  At stake is the same issue as in Exodus: will they listen to God and trust Him?  Or will they trust a foreign god?  There is only one way and it is the way of faithfulness to God.  If they do this God will satisfy them.  He says, “Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.”

·         81:11-12 reminds them of how the people in the wilderness would NOT heed His voice.  They walked in their own counsels.

·         81:13-16 concludes with a plea to listen and obey.  If they will, God will subdue their enemies and satisfy them body and soul.

Let us consider two things.  First, the Bible makes it clear that the people of the Northern Kingdom did NOT learn the lesson.  They did not accept the rebuke.  They continued their idolatry and were judged severely in the time of the Assyrians who dispersed the ten tribes among many nations.  Second, let us understand that this speaks to us today.  God calls us to listen to Him, to walk in His ways.  That is the ONLY means of satisfaction for our souls.  Are you going through a trial, a test, such as Israel did at Meribah?  One thing that is happening is that God is seeking to reveal the true nature of your heart.  Your response will tell whether or not you are listening to God!

Psalm 27, Loving God with All Your Heart (3)

If we love God with all our heart, then we must have singleness of heart.  If “out of the heart are the issues of life” then there is not an issue of life that lies outside our love for God.  Consider …

Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. (Col. 3:22)

Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart. (1 Tim. 1:5)

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. (James 4:8)

Sometimes we speak of our job as part of our secular lives, and not part of our spiritual or religious or sacred life.  But that is not true!  The commandment Paul refers to is to teach only sound doctrine and not fables or endless genealogies that cause dissension and don’t build us up.  Everything that enters your mind is an issue of loving God.  Their can be no double-mindedness or dirty hands if we are to have pure hearts.  But we are to draw near to Him! 

And how do we draw near?  How do we pursue singleness of heart?  It must begin with the word.  Consider what God’s word will do for your heart.

The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart! (Ps. 19:8)

The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide. (Ps. 37:31)

Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You. (Ps. 119:11)

          Then contemplate the value of prayer, of waiting on the Lord.  This also is critical to the simplicity that is in Christ (2 Cor. 11:3).

Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord! (Ps. 27:14)

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Phil. 3:6-7)

Our hearts will be strengthened and guarded from what might otherwise destroy it.  “Forgive us Lord for think that prayer is about us, our needs, our list of desires.  May it come from a heart of love for You, that loves to be in Your presence, that loves to glorify You for your answers, especially those that are not what we were anticipating.”  May it ever be: When You said, “Seek My face,”
My heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek” (Ps. 27:8)

2 Cor. 5:14-17; 1 Pt. 1:22-25 Loving God with All Your Heart (2)

Consider Nicodemus and Jesus words to him, a teacher of the Jews (John 3:3-7,16).  First He said you cannot “see” the Kingdom of God.  The Kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom, and yet it operates in the world, wherever there are those who have put their faith in Christ.  These “kingdom” people have a different perspective about what is going on.  They “see” things differently because they are focused on that God is doing in His kingdom rather than what men are doing in the kingdom of this world.  Jesus said Nicodemus did not have the ability to see what was true because he needed a new heart; he needed to be born again.  Further, He said Nicodemus could not enter the kingdom of God unless he was born of the water and Spirit.  I take this to refer to physical birth (water of the womb) and spiritual birth.  You may take it in another way, but in the end the point is made: you cannot enter God’s kingdom unless you are born again, born from above.  Nicodemus, as a Jewish teacher, assumed he knew all that was needed to be right with God.  He forgot God had not given him a heart to perceive the things of God.

This “new heart” is, of course, provided for believers in Christ who live under the New Covenant.  2 Cor. 5:14-17 says that when we put our faith in Christ we become new creatures, new creations.  There is something there that was not there before and that requires the Creator’s work.  But look at what Paul says is the result of this new creation: from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh.  Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer.  In other words, we can “see” the kingdom of God, see people through God’s eyes.  Peter says that “having been born again” we now have the ability to “love one another fervently with a pure heart” (1 Pt. 1:22-25).  The difference is that, in the New Covenant, being born again we are indwelt by the Spirit of God.  Israel in the OT had the word of God but did not have the indwelling Spirit.  This is what God promised He would do for Israel, and He fulfilled that promise in Christ.  On the Day of Pentecost, 50 days after Jesus crucifixion, the Spirit was poured out.  Those who put their faith in Christ were born again by the Spirit and now had a heart to perceive.

Let me conclude with this quote.

For the Holy Spirit is not a luxury, not something added now and again to produce a de luxe type of Christian once in a generation.  No, He is for every child of God a vital necessity, and that He fill and indwell His people is more than a languid hope.  It is rather an inescapable imperative. (A. W. Tozer in The Divine Conquest, p103)

The word of God is impotent in my life apart from the Spirit of God.  Even as the Spirit of God is useless to me apart from the word of God!  In Christ we are new creations; all things have become new!  Amen!!