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Will the World End on December 21, 2012?

March 26, 2012 — Leave a comment

The 2012 Phenomenon has captured the imagination of many people. Books and movies are being produced about this phenomenon. Allegedly on December 21, earth will collide with a black hole and disappear. But let not your heart be troubled James Michael Sayer has produced an Official Countdown Package complete with DVD to help you not only survive but thrive before the great end time calamity. This package is valued at $259.80 but if you order now, just for you, Sayer will send this survival kit for a mere $49. But wait, if you order now, he will send two kits for the price of one. You pay only for shipping and handling. (Just kidding about the last part).

A US News and World Report poll revealed that 66% of Americans believe the world as we know it will be destroyed in the next few years. I remember as a child being fearful of “Doomsday” or “The end of the world.” Now an entire generation is paranoid.

Jesus actually has predicted the series of events that will lead to the end of the World in Matthew 24:3 ff. This is Jesus’ last sermon in Matthew. It is Jesus message on End Time Events. Jesus’ sermon is part of the ¼ of the Bible that is prophecy.

Jesus is not talking the events that precede the Rapture but the events that precede His Second Coming to earth. Read Mt 23:37-24:3 for the Jewish setting.

The Disciples asked Jesus three questions as He walks out of Herod’s temple which had been under construction since 20 B.C.

1. When will the Temple be destroyed? Jesus answers in Luke 21 or in AD 70.

2. When is the end of the age? Jesus answers in Mt 24:4-ff.

Jesus gives signs that precede His Second Coming to Mt Olives where He gave this sermon.

1. False Christ (Mt 24:4, 5)

2. Wars (Mt 24:6, 7a)

3. Famine (Mt 24:7b)

4. Disease and Death (Mt 24:7c)

5. Persecution (Mt 24: 9)

6. Cosmic Disturbances (Mt 24:29)

John who heard these end time events expanded on them in what is called the Seal Judgments in Revelation 6.

1. The 1st Seal: The Rider on the White Horse: The False Christ (Revelation 6:1-2). This sign expands on Jesus’ sign in Matthew 24:4-5.

This is not the same as Christ on a White horse in Revelation 19. This rider is Anti-Christ imitating Jesus at the beginning of the Tribulation. The rider in Revelation 19 is Christ at the end of the Tribulation. This rider only has a bow with no arrows. He brings peace through diplomacy for only 3 ½ years. The rider in Revelation 19 has a sword and brings peace through war for 1000 years.

Satan gives false peace through imitation. I heard Stephen Davey recently say, “Only 50% of my congregation are believers.” So many church members are deceived by the Great Imitator.

2. The 2nd Seal: The Rider on the Red Horse: Wars (Rev 6:3, 4). This sign expands on Jesus’ sign in Matthew 24:6-7a.

There have always been wars. If you includes wars between nations and states there have been 3010 wars through out human history. Someone there has just been one war and we are still in it. In the Tribulation there will be a series of World Wars back to back as never before. Even in the first half a Northern Confederacy of nations led by Russia and Iran will attack Israel according to Ezekiel 38-39. God will destroy Russia and Iran. It will take seven months to bury the dead.

3. The 3rd Seal: The Rider on the Black Horse: Famine (Rev 6:5, 6). This sign expands on Jesus’ sign in Matthew 24:7b.

In the Tribulation it will cost one day’s wages for 1 loaf of wheat bread to feed one person one day, and one day’s wages for 1 loaf of barley  (which was fed to cattle) to feed one family for one day.

Inflation will go out of the roof. If you think 4 dollars a gallon of gas is bad now, just wait. If a $2 dollar loaf of bread will costs a day’s wages (or we’ll say $100) in the Tribulation that means a $4 dollar gallon of gas will cost $200 per gallon.

We don’t know what hunger is, do we. For most of us hunger is not having our bowl of ice cream before bed. Hunger in the Tribulation will not be limited to 3rd world nations. In Tribulation, everybody goes to bed hungry.

4. The 4th Seal: The Rider on the Pale Horse: Death (Rev 6:7, 8). This sign expands on Jesus’ sign in Matthew 24:7c.

That means 1. 5 billion people will die in the few years in the Tribulation. If you want a lucrative career you may want to go to school to be a funeral home director or open a casket building business.

5. The 5th Seal: Persecution (Rev 6:9-11) The Response in Heaven. This sign expands on Jesus’ sign in Matthew 24:9.

Reading about the persecutions and martyrdoms in the Tribulation is like reading Fox’s Book of Martyrs. Especially in Muslim countries are believers today tortured for Christ.  These martyred saints in heaven pray an imprecatory prayer, “Avenge us.”  Instead of praying “Father forgive them” because they know their persecutors have sealed their destiny by their rejection of Christ.

6. The 6th Seal- Cosmic Disturbances (Rev 6:12-17) The Response on Earth. This sign expands on Jesus’ sign in Matthew 24:29 even though Jesus’ cosmic disturbance will takes place at the end of the Tribulation and John’s in the middle.

The believers in heaven cry “Avenge us” and the sinners on earth cry out to the mountains “Hide us” from God’s wrath. Vance Havner said, “The most expensive piece of real estate on earth will be a hole in the earth.” Remarkably, this group experiencing the wrath of God, does not cry out, “Save us.”

Will anybody get saved in the Tribulation? Thank God, according to Revelation 7 the answer is Yes! At least 144,000 Jews come to Christ who win an innumerable group of Gentles to Christ.

The week before I got saved I attended a revival each night and two thoughts haunted me each night as I finally fell asleep: Would Jesus come during the night or if I died during the night would I go to Hell. The night I got saved the preacher preached on Hell and I cried out, “Save me.” End time events are meant by God to impact us now.

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Sermon: God’s Eye is on the Sparrow, Part 2

March 25, 2012 — Leave a comment

1. God’s Eye is on the Sparrow’s Purpose

2. God’s Eye is on the Sparrow’s Protection

3. God’s Eye is on the Sparrow’s Provision 

This is the first example of birds that Jesus used in Matthew 6:25-26. The little birds works hard for their food, but they don’t worry. God feeds them. “He who feeds the sparrow will not starve His saints.” “Worry is like a thin stream of fear that trickles through the mind which if encouraged, will cut a channel so wide that all other thoughts will be drained out.

If God feeds the little four-inch dully colored of little value sparrow will He not provide for you who are made in the image of God and made over in the image of Christ at conversion.

If God feeds the sparrow, which could be purchased with less than one penny, will He not provide for you who were purchased with the precious blood of Christ.

4. God’s Eye is on the Sparrow’s Providence

Spurgeon preached a sermon on Matthew 10:29-30 entitled Providence. He said the doctrine of providence is the doctrine of the supervision and wise care of God.

A. God providently controls the small things. Not just the archangels, Michael and Gabriel, but the sparrows. Once an old farm rooster crowed and did God’s will reminding Peter of his denial of the Lord.

The writer of Proverbs writes, The heart of the king is in the hand of the Lord. The President makes major national defense decision like going to war with Iran. Daniel writes that God puts down kings and raises up kings. The next Presidential election is a big decision. I am concerned about these national issues. I am concerned with Iran building a nuclear bomb. But God is going to protect His chosen people even if our nation does not. I am concerned with the Presidential election, but Romney, Santorum, Greenwich or Paul is not our hope. Like one preacher I heard recently say, when Jesus returns it will not be on a democrat donkey or a republican elephant, but on a white horse as King of kings. He is our only hope.

But God is also concerned with little things of our lives. An incident recorded in the book of Esther illustrated this truth. The very night the wicked, anti-Semite Haman built gallows on which to hang Mordecai, the Persian king could not sleep. The king asked his secretary to read to him out of the royal minutes, hoping that these business meeting minutes would put him to sleep. The servants read about Mordecai saving the king’s life by exposing a plot against him and also that Mordecai was never rewarded for his good deed. God’s providence produced the king’s sleeplessness. God’s providence caused king to request the business meeting records to be read as the solution for his insomnia. God providence moved the secretary to read from the exact page that had noted Mordecai saving the king’s life. These were not happenstances but examples of God’s providence. God’s providence through a series of small events caused Haman to be executed on the gallows he built to hang to death Mordecai.

Noël Piper, John Piper’s wife, tells this example of God’s providence:

A young couple was snorkeling, for the first time ever, in the warm Caribbean bay, near a harbor where boats were coming and going. “The boat sounds seem very loud,” Mrs. Clausen said. Another woman nearby, who had snorkeled many times, said, “Whenever you hear a boat, look up! Don’t just assume that the boat is far away. Always look up to make sure.” She had no idea how important her words would be the very next day. The next day, Mr. and Mrs. Clausen went snorkeling again, this time in a place where no boats are supposed to go. When Mrs. Clausen heard the sound of a boat, God reminded her of the warning, “Look up!” She looked up and saw a boat speeding straight toward her. There was no time to swim out of the way! Immediately, she dived straight down, hoping to get deep beneath the boat. The propeller of the motor hit her legs and cut them very severely.

If she had not heard the warning the day before, she would have ignored the boat. Then the injury would have been to her head or body, probably killing her. The warning that God had given her through the other woman saved Mrs. Clausen’s life.

What would happen now, though? She needed immediate medical attention, but this was a small island with no hospital and not much medical equipment. Usually, people who get

injuries like hers get terrible infections. The infections can cause almost as much damage as the original injury.

God had prepared for this very moment in Mrs. Clausen’s life. A couple was vacationing next to the beach. When the man saw the accident, he ran to get his wife. His wife was a highly trained emergency room nurse. She knew exactly what to do to fight infection. She ordered the other vacationers, “Run straight to your cottages, and bring me glasses of water – lots of glasses of water!” Then she very carefully poured fresh water into and around and over every part of the wounded legs, cleaning away the bacteria-filled sea water.

Then the nurse rode with Mrs. Clausen to the clinic. Since she was there to help, the clinic doctor could concentrate on the most urgent medical needs.

It was a long time before Mrs. Clausen recovered completely, but today she is healthy and her legs are fine. When she remembers that terrifying moment of being hit, she says that there was only a split second to think about anything. The most important thing that flashed into her mind was, “I know God loves me.”

B. God providently controls the difficult things. “The very hairs of your head are all numbered.” This illustration was given in the context of persecution and death (10:16-28). Paul used the same example in one of the worst storms of his life in Acts 27:34. Paul used the illustration to encourage those in the storm that God would spare their lives.

This statement was common proverb. The people of Israel used this proverb in 1 Samuel 14:45 to defend Jonathan against his father Saul who wanted to kill him. The people in defense of Jonathan said, “There shall not one hair of this head fall to the ground.”

It is also used in Luke’s gospel concerning persecution in the future Tribulation Period which includes death (Luke 21:18). This proverbs teaches two truths about God’s providence, first, nothing will happen to you except what is God’s will and secondly, if it is God’s will for death to come, nothing can affect your eternal life.

If a sparrow drops to its death it is because the Father willed it.

Spurgeon attended a funeral of a friend and heard this parable told by the preacher. There was much weeping on account of the loss of a loved one, and the minister told this parable.

Suppose you are a gardener employed by the owner and master of the garden; it is not your garden but you are called upon to tend it, and you have your wages paid you. You have taken great care with a certain number of roses; you have trained them up, and there they are, blooming in their beauty. You pride yourself upon them.

You come one morning into the garden, and you find that the best rose has been taken away. You are angry; you go to your all your fellow employees, and charge them with having taken the rose. They will declare that they had nothing at all to do with it; and one says, ‘I saw the owner walking here this morning; I think he took it.’ Is the gardener angry then? No, at once he says, ‘I am happy that my rose should had been so fair as to attract the attention of the owner. It is his own; he has taken it; let him do what seems him good.’

Spurgeon added his comments: “It is even so with your friends. They wither not by chance; the grave is not filled by accident; men die according to God’s will. Your child is gone, but the Master took it; your husband is gone, your wife is buried,—the Master took them; thank Him that He let you have the pleasure of caring for them and tending them while they were here, and thank Him that as He gave, He Himself has taken away. If others had done it, you would have had cause to be angry; but the Lord has done it.

Why should I feel discouraged, why should the shadows come,

Why should my heart be lonely, and long for heaven and home,

When Jesus is my portion? My constant friend is He:

His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me; 

His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;

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Sermon: His Eye is on the Sparrow (Matthew 10:29-31) Part 1

March 23, 2012 — Leave a comment

Jesus commanded us in Matthew 6:26 to “Behold the fowls of the air” and be encouraged. In Matthew 10:29-31, Jesus helps us obey that command by describing the sparrow. The sparrow was one of the most insignificant and most worthless of all birds. A very drab colored bird. It was the sacrifice a poor leper could bring. Vendors in the market would pluck their feathers, dip them in a spicy sauce, impale two of them on a stick and sell them for less than a cent. For those who bought four, dealers would throw in an extra one in according to Luke 12:6.

Jesus said if God cares for the worthless sparrow how much more does He care for us. This moving truth prompted the songwriter to write “His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me.”

Civilla Martin told what led her to write the lyrics to His Eye Is On The Sparrow:

She related that early in the spring of 1905, she and her husband were travelling in Elmira, New York. They had developed a deep friendship with a couple by the name of Mr. and Mrs. Doolittle who were true saints of God. Mrs. Doolittle had been bedridden for nearly twenty years. Her husband was a partial invalid who managed his business from a wheel chair. Despite their afflictions, they lived happy Christian lives, bringing comfort to all who knew them. One day while Civilia and her husband were visiting with the Doolittles, Civilia asked them how they kept from being discouraged. Mrs. Doolittle’s reply was simple: “Mrs. Martin, how can I be discouraged when my Heavenly Father watches over every little sparrow and I know He cares for me.” The beauty of this simple expression of boundless faith gripped the heart and fired the imagination of Civilia Martin. The hymn “His Eye Is on the Sparrow” was the outcome of that experience which she wrote in a matter of minutes.

Why should I feel discouraged, why should the shadows come,

Why should my heart be lonely, and long for heaven and home,

When Jesus is my portion? My constant friend is He:

His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me; 

His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;

From Jesus’ words about the sparrow we learn that

1. God’s Eye is on the Sparrow’s Purpose

God created the sparrow on the 5th day of creation (Genesis 1:20-23). God created the sparrow for His glory, perhaps, to beautify His global Zoological Park and also for man’s enjoyment. David in Psalm 104:12 praised God for His greatness seen in the six days of creation. David praised God for creating birds  “who sing among the branches.” The Song Sparrow sings a combination of 20 different notes.

God created you and me for His glory to bring Him pleasure. In Psalm 104:33, David in response to God’s creation of birds wrote, “I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.”

At night before I fall asleep sometimes I quote Psalm 50:23 where God said, “Whosoever offers me praise glorifies me.” And then I think through His attributes and praise Him for who He is. For example, sometimes I meditate on His omnipotence seen in creation and then praise for sharing that strength with me in the form of grace which is all sufficient for all my circumstances.

2. God’s Eye is on the Sparrow’s Protection

Certain species of sparrows are sociable birds. They live and fly in flocks. But in Psalm 102:7 one is stranded on a flat Palestinian roof house. Possibly wounded and handicapped. It pleads for the others who have flown away with the high pitched distress cry. The psalmist alone also cried out to God who has His eye on him in verses 1-2. It appears that David had physical problems (“bones” in verse 3) and also interpersonal conflicts that he expresses in verse eight. In your distress cry out to Jesus.

In Psalm 84:1-4, the Psalmist uses the sparrow again, but this time, it is the sparrow who has found refuge in God’s house. An ancient custom among many nation protected birds who built their nests in the temple. They were not allowed to be driven away much less killed. The Psalmist also loves to find refuge from his physical problems in God’s house. At God’s house, he doesn’t focus on his problems but on the living God. The Psalmist, instead of dwelling on his enemies, praises his King and his God.

Our attention is to horizontal at church and not vertical enough. During prayer we look around at the people instead of focusing on Our Father who art in Heaven. During the singing we stand mute like mall manikins instead “speaking to ourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs and making melody in our hearts to the Lord.”

In my next post, we discuss God’s eye is on the sparrow’s provision and providence. 

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Who Will Replace You in the Ministry? (Matthew 10:1-4)

March 14, 2012 — Leave a comment

David Jeremiah told the following incident.

A pastor was teaching a class of Sunday School children, and he asked them, “Who broke down the wall of Jericho?”

A boy answered, “I didn’t do it!”

The pastor turned to the Sunday School teacher and asked, “Is this typical?”

She replied, “Pastor this boy is an honest child – I really don’t think he did it.”

Such a response really upset the pastor and he went straight to the Sunday School superintendent and told him what happened. The superintendent said “Well now, I’ve known the boy and his teacher for a number of years and just can’t picture either one of them doing such a terrible thing.”

In total disbelief, the pastor called an emergency deacons’ meeting and reported the entire story. After a moment of awkward silence, the chairman spoke up and said, “Listen, Pastor, just find out how much it cost and we’ll pay the damages.”

Perhaps, Jesus felt this way at this point in His ministry in Matthew 10.

Jesus has been ministering alone for awhile in His public ministry, especially after John the Baptist was imprisoned.

But now Jesus started training others not only to help Him but to replace Him. He chose 12 men who would be the first leaders of the early church. Eventually Jesus’ replacements died. But thankfully they trained replacements as well. What Jesus did the early church practiced. In 2 Timothy 2:2, Paul passed this practiced on to his replacement, Timothy.

This ministry is just as necessary today. Are we training our replacements? To whom are we passing the baton? Who will be the next generation of leaders in our church? Who will replace our current Sunday school teachers? Or Deacons? Or AWANA workers? OR choir members?

How did Jesus train His replacements?

1. He Prayed for Them (Matthew 10:1)

Matthew 10:1 begins with “and.” The calling of the 12 replacements follows Jesus command to His disciples to pray for more workers. But His call also follows His praying all night (Luke 6:12).

The early church followed this example in Acts 13. Before they sent out the first full-time missionaries they prayed and fasted. Are we as a church praying for replacements or just the sick?

A. Jesus first calls us to salvation (2 Thess 2:14 “He called you by our gospel”).

B. Then, He calls us to service (Acts 13:2; 16:10).

C. Finally, He calls us to training. Jesus calls us to training or to be disciples on learners.

In order to make disciples as Jesus commanded in the Great Commission we win people to Christ, baptize them and “teach them to observe all things.”

Leaders are readers. Readers of God’s Word (2 Timothy 2:15) and other books (2 Timothy 4:13). Before these disciples could be apostles or sent ones they had to be trained. For 3 ½ years Jesus trained these future leaders.

This is true of all believers (Matthew 11:29). What books are you reading that will help train you to grow in your ability to serve the Lord?

2. He Trained Them (Matthew 10:2)     

Peter, James and John were fishermen. Matthew was a tax collector. Simon was former political activist. We don’t know the occupations of the nine. But there were no Ph.Ds, CEOs or military generals. Jesus doesn’t choose us for what we are now but for who we can become.

Jesus saw great potential in these men who would be the future leaders in the church.

Stephen Davey shared a fictitious memo from “The Jordan Management Consultants”.  This story that gives the response of a imagined consulting firm if. Jesus had sent the resumes of the 12 apostles who were applying for management positions in Jesus’ corporation today.

Thank you for submitting the resumés of the twelve men you have selected for management positions in your new organization. All of them have now taken our battery of tests and the results have been run through our computer. It is our staff’s opinion that most of your nominees are lacking in background, education, and vocational aptitude for the type of work you are now undertaking. They do not demonstrate a team concept. We would recommend that you search for persons of experience, managerial ability, and proven capability. Simon Peter is emotionally unstable and given to an offensive temper. Andrew has absolutely no qualities of leadership and he will remain anonymous. Brothers James and John, the sons of Zebedee, place personal interest above company loyalty. Frankly, they are mama’s boys. Thomas demonstrates a questioning, doubting attitude that would tend to undermine morale. We feel it is our duty to tell you that Matthew has been blacklisted by our greater Jerusalem Better Business Bureau. James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus have definite leanings toward the radical scale. One of the candidates, however, shows great potential. He is a man of ability and resourcefulness, has a keen business mind, is good with finances, and is highly motivated and ambitious. We recommend Judas Iscariot as your controller and right hand man.

That should give all of us hope as Paul reminded the Corinthians in 1 Cor. 1:26.

3. He Molded Into A Powerful Team (Matthew 10:2-4)

One preacher called this group “A Ragtag Band of Misfits” that Jesus molded into a very successful ministry team. The list of the apostles is found 4 times (Mt 10; Mk 3; Luke 6; Acts 1). Matthew is unique in that he puts the Twelve into 6 pairs.

A.  Peter is always first in all four lists

He was first among his equals because Jesus was the leader. But Peter is the leader under Jesus.

1. Peter is paired with his brother Andrew who brought him to Jesus. These two brothers were very different and yet God used both of them.

2. James is paired with his brother John. Both were sons of Zebedee. At one point they had been sons of thunder. James died as the church’s first martyr. John lived a long life and later wrote 5 New Testament books.

3. Philip and Bartholomew or Nathanael. Philip introduced Nathanael to the Lord.

4. Thomas and Matthew. Only Matthew reminds us that he was a dishonorable supporter of the Roman government at the expense of his own people. The Jews considered Jewish tax collectors traitors. Thomas of course was the skeptic.

5. James son of Alphaeus and Thaddaeus. About these two we know little.

6. Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

The Zealots were a radical party who hated Rome. The Zealots carried on guerrilla warfare from a retreat called Masada. When Rome discovered Masada, they attacked and ended the Zealots in A.D. 70. Judas Iscariot is always listed last and as the one who betrayed Jesus.

B. The 12 are always divided into three smaller groups of four disciples.

Peter is always the first, Philip is always 5th and James is always 9th. Jesus was able to spend more time with the first group. The first group wrote the most Scripture. Under Peter were other leaders. Leaders need leaders.

C. The 12 had very different personalities and temperament

1) Peter was impulsive sometimes even rebuking Jesus. John was the opposite. He was contemplative leaning on Jesus heart.

2) Nathanael was believing (John 1:49) and Thomas was skeptical (John 20:25).

3) Matthew was a tax collector for the Roman government. Simon the Zealot was a radical revolutionary for overthrowing the Roman government.

4) Peter is always first and Judas is always last.

Peter was the closest to Jesus. Judas was unconverted and the farthest away.

5) How did Jesus unite such a diverse and strong willed group?

Jesus called these men to “Follow Me and I will make you to become fishers of men.” As long as the disciples focus was not on each other, but on Christ they were good. In the Gospels, they struggled with this. In Acts after the filling of the Holy Spirit they succeeded. Perhaps Matthew gives us another clue. Matthew humbly admitted what he was before Jesus saved him and transformed him into this new person. Instead of focusing on the weaknesses in others he focused on his own weaknesses and sins from which that God had saved him.

Like Jesus, let’s start praying and working toward training our replacements in the ministry. Remember you will not start out with mature, skilled workers but more likely with immature but potential leaders. Just we were years ago.

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Are You In The Tornado Season? (Matthew 14:22-33)

March 5, 2012 — Leave a comment

Last week was a week of deadly storms. There were over 120 tornadoes in 11 states. Thirty-seven people were killed. The small town of Marysville, Indiana was completely destroyed except for the water tower. A mother held her small child in her arms as they huddled in their basement and the tornado sucked the small child right out of her arms. One 2-year old girl was found alive in a field alone 10 miles from her home. Her parents were killed along with her 2-month old sister and 3 year-old brother.

Storms can be terrifying to your psyche and devastating to your properity. What about your storms? How are you doing in your storms today? This is just the beginning of the storm or tornado season. But there are what Augustine called “The Seasons of the Soul.” Those turbulent times when our storms give us the opportunity to turn to God.

Maybe this is tornado season in your life. A time of minor or major crises. Crises that range from losing a job, new mortgage or loan, trouble with your boss, foreclosure, increased arguments with your spouse or teenage son or daughter, death of a close friend, personal injury or sickness, marital separation, divorce or death of spouse.

Jesus’s disciples are in one of their worst storms in Matthew 14. From their storm we learn that

1. Jesus Sends Us Into The Storms (Matthew 14:22-24)

A. Jesus sends us into storms after previous storms.

The disciples had already been in one storm in Matthew 8:23-27. Now Jesus had to “constrained” or force the disciples to go sea. Once you’ve been in one life threatening storm you don’t volunteer for another. The tornadoes that hit so many states this past week were followed by other tornadoes or aftermaths that struck about an hour later. In Harvest, Alabama, there was a couple who had just rebuilt from the tornadoes that destroyed their home last year. Jesus told us, “In this world you shall have tribulation” (John 16:33).

B. Jesus sends us into storms in order to train us.

Jesus sent the multitudes away who wanted to make Jesus King as well as his disciples because He wanted both to know the true nature of His kingdom. His kingdom is not about free food (John 6) nor popularity but storms that draw us closer to Him and train us to serve Him.

The feeding of the 5000 was a turning point in Jesus’ ministry. From this point on, He turned from the crowds and focused on training His 12 disciples. So when Jesus forced His disciples to go into the storm He was training them. What is different from the first storm (Matthew 8) is the physical absence of Jesus in the boat. Matthew 14:23, says Jesus was “alone” on the mountain while the disciples were fighting for their lives in the storm. Usually mentors are present with the students they are training. Jesus was training His disciples to walk by faith not by sight.

C. Jesus sends us into storms to do the will of God.

The disciples obeyed Jesus and were in a storm. The will of God is not always smooth sailing. Jonah, on the other hand, disobeyed God and endured a storm. Why are you in your storm? Because of obedience or disobedience.

D. Jesus sends us into storms while He is praying for us.

Contrast Jesus on the mountain in peace and calm alone with His Father praying and His disciples on the sea battling the elements. Christ our great high priest in heaven prays for us. To Peter, Christ will later say, “Satan has desired to have you that he might sift you, but I have prayed for you.” Listen to Paul confirm this blessing, “Who is he that condemns? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us” (Romans 8:34).

Warren Wiersbe wrote, “If you knew that Jesus Christ was in the next room, praying for you, would it not give you new courage to endure the storm and do His will? Of course it would. He is not in the next room, but He is in heaven interceding for you. He sees your need, He knows your fears, and He is in control of the situation.[1]

E. Jesus sends into storms while He is watching us (Mark 6:48 “He saw them toiling in rowing”). He is watching, praying, and controlling the height of the waves and the severity of the storm.

2. Jesus is With us in the Storm (Matthew 14:25-27)

A. When did Christ come? (verse 25)

Not at first but “in the fourth watch” or 3-6 in the morning after they had been rowing for 8 or 9 hours. Jesus came just in time. In Exodus 14:24, God delivered Israel from the Egyptians in the morning watch (not as they came out of Egypt, nor in the wilderness, but just before they entered the Rea Sea).

B. How did the Disciples respond to Christ? (verse 26)

The disciples are exhausted, fearful of dying, and now they see what they think is a ghost. A friend of mine once told me, “I don’t believe ghosts, I’m just afraid of them.”

C. What did Christ do? (verse 27)

He doesn’t rebuke these obedient but down followers. He comforts them in spite of their fears. David in Psalm 103 wrote, “He knows our frame, he remembers that we are but dust.”

D.  Why did Jesus walk on the water?

Wiersbe explains, To show His disciples that the very thing they feared (the sea) was only a staircase for Him to come to them. Often we fear the difficult experiences of life (such as surgery or bereavement), only to discover that these experiences bring Jesus Christ closer to us.[2] God allowed a storm of my own making to break my heart when I was still in the youth group. My finance and I had just broken off our engagement. Roy Goodson was preaching that week in our church and every night I would respond at the invitation until I finally got right with God. The storm that broke my heart paved the way back to Jesus.

3. Jesus Delivers us in the Storm (Matthew 14:28-33)

A. Peter walked on the water because he got out of the boat by faith.

When Jesus said, “Come” Peter by faith obeyed. This is not impetuous, impulsive, unthinking Peter. This is obedient Peter. This is one of his finer moments. I want to apply this act of faith in two areas.

1) First in Salvation

Are you still in the boat, when Christ has invited you to COME. Faith is not just mental accent but believing and acting. Read Hebrews 11. Jesus did not say to Peter, “Peter you are a veteran fisherman and excellent swimmer, SWIM.” We can’t come to Christ in our natural ability. Are you still in the boat with the eleven because you fear what they will say? I can hear doubting Thomas now as Peter throws his leg over the side and starts climbing down the rope ladder, “Peter, is your Life Insurance paid up, because your are going down. You better stay in the boat?”

2) Next in the area of surrender.

When I finally surrendered to Christ after the Roy Goodson meeting, God called me to preach. I wanted so badly to go to Bible College and learn God’s Word. But I did not want to take that risk and get out of the boat. I had fears. I can’t make it in college. I had funked the 8th grade and one year of high school.

Those I asked for counsel advised me not to go to college. I had to get out of the boat of fear of failure. When I took that step of faith God began to pour out His blessings on my life and has ever since.

B. Peter was rebuked not because he rashly got out of the boat but because he stopped trusting God.

Peter sank because he stopped trusting Christ and started focusing on the storm (verses 30-31). Christ did not rebuke Peter for coming to Him but for doubting Him. One preacher said, “If Peter had not gotten his eyes on the storm, he could have walked across the Atlantic Ocean.” Peter was delivered when he prayed. Whatever is overwhelming you, Christ can deliver. Jesus delivers us from ourselves in the storm. For the first time the disciples call Jesus the Son of God. There is great progress since the last storm in Matthew 8:23-27 where Jesus calmed the storm. Then they said, “What manner of man is this.” Now they realize Jesus is God.

This also is the first time the disciples worship Christ. Their worship is connected to their knowledge of who Jesus is: The God/Man. This new growth came not when they were sunning on the shores of the Sea of Galilee but when they nearly died at sea. The storm you are in right now, can be the tipping point in your life if you by faith get out of the boat like Peter and experience God’s power in your life.

[1] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary (Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1996), Mt 14:22.

[2] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary (Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1996), Mt 14:22.

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Worshiping with Mary’s Heart and Serving with Martha’s Hands, Part 2

February 22, 2012 — Leave a comment

 I. Laboring and Learning Out of Balance (verses 38-40a)

II. Laboring and Learning Out of Balance Result in Complaining (v. 40b)

A. Martha complains about Jesus (v. 40c)

You have to say Martha is no respecter of persons: “Don’t you care, Jesus?” Of course He cares, Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51) to die for the sins of all sinners.

B. Martha criticizes Mary (v. 40d)

After Martha criticizes Jesus, she bosses Mary. Martha not only had her own To Do List, which was like the law of the Medes and Persians that alters not, she had a To Do List for every one else. Have mercy on you if you did not live up to her To Do List for you.

Warren Wiersbe, “If serving Christ makes us difficult to live with or work with, then something is terribly wrong with our service.”

III. Laboring and Learning Out of Balance Corrected (vv. 41-42)

A. Martha is Corrected (v. 41)

1. Martha is corrected for anxiously spending time on the wrong priorities, “You are worried about many things.” Jesus is not rebuking service for Him. In Luke 10:25-29, Jesus asked a seeker, “What is written in the Law?” The seeker answered correctly: “Love God and Love People.”

a. In 10:30-37, Jesus gives an example of loving people in the good Samaritan incident.

b. In 10:38-42, Jesus gives an example of loving God with the Mary and Martha event.

Jesus is correcting service at the expense of worship.

2. Martha is corrected for criticizing Mary for correctly worshipping before service. Martha is so busy trying to run other people’s lives, she is blind to her own faults.

B. Mary is Praised (v. 42)

1. Mary chose “one thing” that was spiritually and eternally important: Time alone with the Word. Mary knows time in the Word is more important than the approval of the Marthas.

In John 12, Mary publically worships Christ, when she pours out a year’s worth of offerings on Jesus. Private worship feeds public worship.

A. W. Tozer: “If you will not worship God seven days a week, you do not worship Him one day a week.”

Geoffery Thomas, a Welsh Baptist, “There is no way that those who neglect secret worship can know communion with God in the public services of the Lord’s Day.”

2. Mary chose the better meal. “Mary has chosen that good part or portion.” While Martha was frantically preparing a meal for the outward man that is perishing, Mary was relaxed enjoying a spiritual meal that was renewing the inward man. Jesus said earlier, “Man does not live by bread alone but by every Word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.”

Mary is calm, focused, relaxed and quiet. I hear someone say, “I wish I could sit at Jesus’ feet like Mary.” We can meet at Jesus’ feet just like Mary by spending serious time in His Word. We don’t know how many times Mary got to sit at Jesus’ feet in His three year public ministry of traveling and preaching. Probably not that many times. We can in essence sit at His feet daily when we open His Word and read, study, and meditate.

C. Martha learns and grows. 

In John 12:1-2, Martha is serving but with a totally different demeanor. She is focused on one thing, calm not worried, relaxed not trouble and quiet not fretting about others.

Apparently, Martha learned that private worship precedes public service. If you worship alone with God you can worship when you work for God.

Old Brother Lawrence who wrote The Practice of the Presence of God said, “If I’m washing dishes I do it to the glory of God and if I pick up a straw from the ground I do it to the glory of God. I’m in communion with God all the time.”

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Worshiping with Mary’s Heart and Serving with Martha’s Hands, Part 1

February 20, 2012 — Leave a comment

An elementary teacher was helping one of her kindergarten students get his cowboy boots on before leaving for home. He had asked her for help and she could see why. Even with her pulling and pushing, the boots just did not want to fit all the way – they seemed too small. She persisted and by the time she got the second boot on, she had worked up a sweat. She almost cried when the little boy said, “These are on the wrong feet.”

You know how boots can sometimes be hard to tell – so she looked closely and sure enough, they were. She tugged and pulled and finally pulled the boots off. She managed to keep her cool as together they worked to get the boots back on the right feet. Finally, just as she was finished, he said, “You know, these aren’t my boots.”

She bit her tongue rather than scream. Once again she struggled to help him pull the ill-fitting boots off his little feet. No sooner had they gotten the boots off, he said, “See, they’re my brother’s boots, but my mom said I could wear ‘em.”

She did not know if she should laugh or cry, but she mustered up what patience she had left to wrestle the boots back on his feet one more time. Finally, she finished. Helping him into his coat, she asked, “Now, where are your gloves?”

He said, “I stuffed ‘em in the toes of my boots.”

In two years, she will be eligible for parole (Stephen Davey’s sermon True Love Part III).

Sometimes our love is tested. In Luke 10:38-42, Mary and Martha, sisters, were getting annoyed with each other, or more accurately Martha was self-righteously ticked with her younger sister, Mary.

Some think this sibling rivalry was the result of a difference of temperaments:

1. Martha was an extrovert, the talker. Mary was the introvert, the thinker.

2. Martha was always busy. Mary was contemplative and analytical.

3. Martha was a Type A with her Things To Do list always in hand. Mary was a Type B, more laid back, always with a book in hand.

4. Martha was the worker. She invites or at least receives Jesus in her home. Mary was the worshipper.

You can see this contrast in personalities again when the two are contrasted at the death of their brother Lazarus in John 11:20-32. When Martha learns Jesus is coming to Bethany, she runs to meet Him while Mary sits and ponders the death of her brother.

The conflict between these two sisters, however, is much more than a clash of personalities. Mary was balanced in her service and worship of God. Martha was not.

First of all in this next event in the Life of Christ we see

I. Laboring and Learning Out of Balance (verses 38-40a)

A. Martha is frantically laboring to prepare a meal for Jesus (v. 38)

When Martha learns that Jesus is coming for dinner, she downs a Five Hour Energy drink and tops it with a Red Bull. She goes into command mode barking orders. She dispatches a servant to the market to purchase the freshest meat and veggies. She Spring cleans her house in a matter of minutes. Martha is the Queen of Multi-tasking. Just as soon as the servant returns she starts chopping food while micromanaging every one else in the house.

Jesus shows up early, about halfway through the preparations, which only added more pressure.

I read that at one time in our nation Americans bought more tonnage of aspirin for headaches than fertilizer. Not more in price but tonnage of aspirin for headaches that in most cases are stress related and not physically caused.

Jim Elliot, modern martyred missionary, said, “I think the devil has made it his business to monopolize on three elements: noise, hurry, crowds…. Satan is quite aware of the power of silence” (Donald S. Whitney. Spiritual Disciplines For The Christian Life, Colorado Springs: NavPress, 1991, 187).

B. Mary who was helping in the kitchen goes and sits at Jesus’ feet (v. 39)

Mary was ready to get out of the same kitchen Martha Stewart was in.

To sit at Jesus’ feet was an official position of a student. Pupils did not enroll in colleges and universities, they hired tutors. In Acts 22:3, Paul’s parents employed the most famous of Jewish rabbis, Gamaliel. Mary was honored to be among a select few to have Jesus as her teacher. Three times Mary is seen at Jesus’ feet (Mark Driscoll’s sermon).

Mary was a serious student at the feet of Jesus’ feet learning His Word and her life reflected it.

Some call this spiritual exercise the Spiritual Discipline of Silence and Solitude. There is virtually a Who’s Who List of Men and Women of God in Church history who valued their time alone with God’s Word:

David Branerd, American missionary to native Americans, Jonathan Edwards, Charles Spurgeon who said, “I commend solitude.” J. Hudson Taylor, Jim Elliot, A. W. Tozer, the great devotional writher, who recommended, “Retire from the world each day to some private spot, even if it be only the bedroom (for a while I retreated to the furnace room for want of a better place). Susanna Wesley, mother of John and Charles, had a very large family of 19 children and for many years times of physical isolation were scarce. It is well known that when she needed silence and solitude she would bring her apron up over her head and read her Bible and pray underneath it. Obviously that did not block out all noise, but it was a sign to her children that for those minutes she was not to be bothered and the older ones were to care for the younger” (Whitney, 189).

C. Martha was distracted in her busyness (v. 40a)

Martha was so busy serving Jesus she neglected Jesus. Martha could have prepared a much simpler meal and joined Mary at Jesus’ feet. This is what the writer of Proverbs recommended: Proverbs 15:16, “Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.” It is better to have a vegetable plate with less stress in preparation than a seven course meal that took half a day to prepare resulting in everyone mad because of all the pressure.

In Part 2, we will consider the results and the correction of laboring and learning out of balance.


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True Valentine Love!

February 14, 2012 — Leave a comment

It seems that two people found a perfect match recently. They found their true love in an Internet chat room. They were both married at the time they met online, and they were online because they had decided that their spouses would never provide the happiness they deserved. They went online searching for true love.

The woman’s chat room name was “Sweetie” and her new found love was called “Prince of Joy”. They corresponded for hours, sharing with one another the troubles they were having in their respective marriages. Sweetie was twenty-seven at the time. She had finally found a true kindred spirit – her true love; her prince of joy!

Sweetie said, “I was suddenly in love all over again. It was amazing! My prince understood me perfectly – we both knew that we could share a friendship we both deserved. We were both stuck in miserable marriages and wanted out. We were the perfect match.”

They decided to meet and have their first date. All the arrangements were made and excuses were presented to their respective spouses as to why they would be away for the evening. Then, at their place of rendezvous, they met – only to discover they were married to one another.

Sweetie and Prince of Joy were already husband and wife.

The miserable marriage they had described to each other was the same one. They had believed that the other person was perfect for them – that they were finally in love – only to discover their own self-centeredness and deception had caused them to ignore a relationship they already had and could have been enjoying. They were confronted with the irony of their blindness.

Did the truth sink in? No. This couple is now divorcing, accusing each other of being unfaithful (Stephen Daveys’ sermon).

Jesus provides the remedy for this lack of true love in what is called “The Great Commandment” in Matthew 22:37-40. Jesus spoke this command to people somewhat like the couple we just heard about. They were enemies who needed God’s love.

Jesus declared this command in the midst of a theological debate with political and theological liberals who were trying to discredit Him.

This debate took place in the religious setting of the temple (21:23) while the multitudes of common folk watched (22; 46; 23:1) just a few days before His crucifixion by His enemies with whom now He is debating.

Jesus rebuked the religious leaders of his day who rejected Him as their Savior with three parables.

1. Parable of two sons in 21:28-32. Just as one son obeyed not his father neither had the religious liberals obeyed. Obedience is an evidence of salvation (1 John 2:3).

2. Parable of the Landowner in 21:33-46. Just as the landowner will judge the tenant farmers on his land for killing his servants and son and not producing fruit, so will Jesus judge those who bear not the spiritual fruit of love.

3. Parable of the Wedding Banquet in 22:1-14. Those not properly attired were not only not permitted entrance into the banquet but were cast into outer darkness.  Tragically the same will be true with those who are not attired with the righteousness of Christ.

The humiliated religionists strike back in their attempt to embroil Jesus in controversy and discredit Him and His message before the multitude.

1. The Herodians, the liberal politicians, asked about taxes and religion in 22:15-22.  Jesus answered them with this principle: You pay taxes to the government; you also pay tithes to God. You don’t mix the two. Government should not expect religious institution to pay taxes and religious institutions should not expect government to subsidize it. Employees of religious institutions should not be forced to pay premiums for government mandated health insurance that provides abortion inducing drugs. See the post Has Obama Declared War on Religion?

2.  The Sadducees, the liberal religionists, asked about life after death in 22:23-33. Jesus answered and gave this truth, there is life after death, for God is presently the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

3. The Pharisees, the conservative religionists who taught works for salvation. They asked, “What is the most important rule to keep to get into heaven” (22:34-46). The Pharisees had counted 613 commandments and were debating which of them was the most important.

Jesus’ answer was, no one gets into heaven by keeping rules but by being in a personal relationship with Me which results in love for God and people.

Just as Jesus had asked the Herodians a question that silenced them and the Sadducees a question that shut their mouths, now Jesus asks the Pharisees a question: Who is Jesus? (Matthew 22:41-46). How you answer this question determines your eternal destiny!

1. The Pharisees answer: “Jesus is a man. The messiah is only a descendant of David.”

2. Jesus asks the Pharisees a question He had already asked His disciples in Matthew 16:13: “Who is Jesus?” Peter knocked it out of the park in 16:16: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Correct answer, Jesus is God.

Jesus went on to prove His deity in Matthew 22:43-46. If I am only man, and you say that I am only a descendant of David why did David record God the Father calling the Messiah His son who was also David’s lord in Psalm 110:1.

a. Jesus is not only the human descendant of David but He is he divine Son of God

b. Jesus is the second person of the Trinity who is addressed by God the Father

c. Jesus pre-existed before His birth because He is the eternal Son of God

d. Jesus is right now at the right hand of God the Father who will some day return and defeat all his enemies

e. Salvation is knowing who Jesus is and having a loving relationship with him

1. Jesus said We Must Love God.

Does a person love God by keeping religious rules? No! A person loves God by receiving Christ has his/her Savior resulting in God pouring His love into them. Paul in Romans 5:5 wrote of this blessing: “The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who is given unto us.”

2. Jesus said We Must Love People.

How do we know if we have been saved and love God? By loving as God loves: sacrifically and unconditionally.

a. John 3:16 says that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. God proves His love by His sacrificial giving for us.

b. Jesus proved His love by sacrificially giving Himself as 1 John 3:16 says: “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us.”

c. We prove our love by unconditionally and sacrificially loving people. John continues by describing our likeness to Christ: “and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso has this world’s good, and sees his brother have need, and shuts up his emotions of compassion from him, how dwells the love of God in him” (1 John 3:16).

In 1975 a child name Raymond Dunn, Jr., was born in New York State. The Associated Press reported that at his birth, a skull fracture and oxygen deprivation caused severe retardation. As Raymond grew, the family discovered further impairments. His twisted body suffered up to twenty seizures per day. He was also found to be blind, mute, and virtually immobile. He had severe allergies that limited him to only one food – found after numerous attempts to find something he could digest – a meat-based formula made by Gerber Foods.

However, in 1985, Gerber stopped making the formula that Raymond thrived on. Carol Dunn scoured the country to buy what stores had in stock, accumulating cases and cases of it. But in 1990, her supply ran out. In desperation, she appealed to Gerber for help. Would they help her and her son, Raymond?

The employees of the company were given the news. They not only listened, but they responded. In an unprecedented action, volunteers donated hundreds of hours to bring out old equipment, set up a production line, obtain special approval from the USDA, and produce the formula – all for one special boy. In January 1995, Raymond Dunn, Jr., known as the Gerber Boy, passed away. But during his brief lifetime, he had called forth a surprising thing called kindness and compassion (Leadership Journal).

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The Baptism of Jesus (Matthew 3) Part Two

January 4, 2012 — Leave a comment

I was baptized twice before I was saved. Once after VBS. The second time I was baptized, it was after some of us young people made false professions of faith in a church service. Finally, when I was genuinely saved at age 18, I then followed the Lord in believer’s baptism. The first two were duds, blanks, and empty of meaning. The last was an act of obedience that God blessed.

The importance of baptism is seen in the prerequisite for baptism and the person who was baptized.

I. The Prerequisite for Baptism (Matthew 3:1-12)

A. Only the repentant could be baptized.

John preached repentance. Repentance means to change your mind which results in turning from sin. We must change our mind about ourselves (we are sinners) and Christ.

John’s baptism caused a stir as seen in 3:4-6. Even though John was called the Baptist, he was not your typical Baptist preacher. He did not preach in a three-piece suit. He wore a camel hair mini shirt with a leather girdle. This is not what drew a crowd. I doubt if John’s hairy legs were provocative. He immersed Jews. In the OT only Gentile proselytes were immersed because they were considered unclean. A Gentile would make a profession of faith. Males would be circumcised. Then the gentile who was considered unclean would cleanse himself by immersing himself with a spiritual bath. John preached to the Jews, “It is not just gentiles who are spiritually unclean so are you.”

B. The unrepentant will be judged (3:7-12)

John refused to baptize the religionists who did not think they needed repentance (3:7-10).

There are two future baptisms that involve no water in 3:11-12. For future believers there is the baptism of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. Today the baptism of the Spirit takes place at conversion (1 Corinthians 12:13). For the unsaved who do not repent there is a baptism of fire in the future judgment when the unsaved will be immerse in fire for eternity.

II. The Person who was Baptized (3:13-17)

All four Gospel writers mention Jesus’ baptism and together give us the complete picture of the importance of His baptism.

1) Mark informs us that Jesus came from Nazareth to Jordan river. Jesus travelled three days to be baptized (Mark 1:9).

2) Luke adds that Jesus publically was baptized (Luke 3:21).

3) John says that the Baptist knew he was baptizing the Son on God (John 1:28) and that knowledge was probably part of the reason he was hesitant to baptize Him.

4) Matthew gives the reason why Jesus was baptized.

A. Why was Jesus baptized?

Not because He was sinful. As has been said, John had refused to baptize the Pharisees because they were unworthy and now he refuses to baptize Jesus because He is too worthy (3:14). Before John baptized Jesus, John declared, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29). How could baptize Jesus with the baptism of repentance who would take away sin?

Jesus was baptized because it was right to be baptized. Just as the Jews needed to identify with John’s Kingdom message so did Jesus as their Messianic King. Jesus set an example of obedience. This was Jesus’ first public act. Unlike the imputed righteousness in Paul’s epistles, righteousness in Matthew refers to practical righteousness as in Matthew 1:19 when Joseph thought he must do what was right in divorcing his out of wedlock pregnant bride to be.

It is right for believers to be baptized. In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus commanded the church to baptize. The early church followed Christ’s example and obeyed Christ’s command. F. F. Bruce says there are no unbaptized believers in the book of Acts. Neither should there be unbaptized believers in our churches.

B. How was Jesus baptized?

Practically baptism means to immerse, submerge or dip as in Luke 16:24. John was called the Baptist because introduced a new method. In Matthew 3:6, the text says that the Jews “were baptized of him in the Jordon” not “beside” the Jordon nor “with” the Jordon as in pouring or sprinkling but “in” as in immersing. “In the OT they washed only for religious significance. John immersed.

Doctrinally baptism means to identify. Jesus used the word “baptize” only two more times and both referred to His death on the cross (Luke 12:50; Mark 10:38).

Our baptism pictures our identification with Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection according to Romans 6:1-4. Only immersion properly portrays the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.

Our baptism also identifies us with a local church according to Acts 2:41-42. When we get saved and baptized we are publically committing ourselves to be disciples of Christ. The command of the great commission in Matthew 28:19-20 is to make disciples. We are not just getting all wet in water we are getting immersed into the life of the church. On the day of Pentecost the believers were baptized and joined the church and sat under the apostles teaching (Acts 2:40-41). Church membership is part of discipleship. It is our public commitment to discipleship.

C. What were the Results of Jesus’ Baptism?

Jesus was empowered by the Holy Spirit in 3:16. As Jesus was coming up out of the water in obedience at that precise moment the Holy Spirit was coming down to empower Him for His public ministry. Some call this a theocratic anointing just as David received in order to be Israel’s king (1 Samuel 16).

In Matthew 12:28, Jesus said He cast out demons by the power of the Holy Spirit. In Luke 4:18, Jesus said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel.” Obedience in our lives will also unleash God’s power.

Jesus was also approved by the Father in 3: 17. At the same time the Holy Spirit came down from Heaven God the Father spoke approvingly from Heaven. Our obedience pleases God. There is no higher nor important accomplishment in our lives. With God’s help we can bring Him pleasure: “For it is God who works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).

The Trinity showed up at Jesus’ baptism at the beginning of Jesus’s public ministry. Jesus also included the Trinity at the end of His public when He commanded His disciples to make disciples by winning sinners to Christ and baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. Baptism sounds important!

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Baptism of Christ (Matthew 3) Part One

January 3, 2012 — Leave a comment

Pastor Kyle Lake was electrocuted while baptizing a new member. Pastor Lake at University Baptist Church in Waco, Texas on October 30, 2005, grabbed the microphone while standing in the baptistery and was electrocuted. Doctors who were in the service tried unsuccessfully to revive Pastor Lake with chest compressions for 40 minutes. The woman, Lake was baptizing was not hurt. Pastor Kyle Lake leaves a wife and three children.

Most of us do not think of baptisms being life threatening. But baptisms can be more dangerous spiritually than physically if not properly viewed. There has been and still is much confusion about baptism. A proper understanding of Jesus’ baptism, however, will clear up the confusion. Such churches teach

1. Infant baptism. When churches make pedobaptism necessary for salvation they mix works with grace which is contrary to the doctrine of Justification by grace alone (Romans 3:28). Jesus was not baptized as an infant.

2. Baptismal regeneration. Entire denominations teach that baptism is necessary for salvation. Then you have some in Baptist churches who practically believe in baptismal regeneration. They are credobaptist only in theory. You ask them if they are saved and they proceed to tell you when they got baptized as if baptism washed away their sins. Obviously, Jesus was not baptized to be regenerated.

3. The mode of baptism is not important. Jesus was baptized by immersion as well those  baptized by the early church. Jesus was not sprinkled nor poured. A few years back there was a debate between Wayne Gurdem and John Piper over the requirement of baptism by immersion for church membership. Piper took Grudem to task for saying baptism by immersion should be a requirement. I agree with Grudem.

4. Baptism is not important just as long as you are saved. You have ultradispensationalist of the Grace Movement, such as Charles Baker, who even say that baptism is not an ordinance for today. Then why was Jesus baptized? Why did Jesus baptize more converts than His disciples? Why did Jesus commission the church to make disciples by baptizing converts in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? I know that moderate ultradispensationalists like Baker reject water baptism because it is a ritual. But they don’t reject the Lord’s Supper which is just as much a ritual.

Matthew, in his account of Jesus’ baptism, jumped 30 years of Jesus’ life to what he considered the next important event in Jesus’ life after His virgin birth. Matthew skips the “hidden years” of Jesus’ life in Nazareth.  Matthew did not mention Jesus’ circumcision when Jesus was eight days old nor Jesus’ trip to Jerusalem when he was 12 years old. Matthew like all the Gospel writers (Mark, Luke, and John) writes about His baptism. After the virgin birth of Christ, Matthew highlights Jesus’ baptism.

Part of the confusion about baptism maybe the fact that there are different baptisms in Scripture. There are four different baptisms in story of Jesus’ baptism.

The first is the baptism of John (Matt 3:6). Matthew is the Kingdom Gospel and John’s baptism was a kingdom baptism. The recipients of John’s baptism were identifying with his kingdom message concerning Christ’s offer of the kingdom to Israel. Believer’s baptism today is not the same as John’s baptism of repentance for the nation of Israel. Because John’s baptism was an OT baptism, Paul required the believers at Ephesus who had been baptized by John to be re-baptized in the name of Jesus (Acts 19:1-7).

John mentions two future baptisms that involve no water. The first was a baptism of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:11) which was fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost. This Spirit baptism happens today at the moment of conversion and identifies the new convert with the Body of Christ or the universal church (1 Corinthians 12:13). The next future baptism was the baptism of fire (Matt 3:11) which is a baptism of judgment for the unsaved. Obviously there is no water in this baptism or immersion in the Lake of Fire. Last, there is the baptism of Jesus (Matt 3:13) which is in a category of its own. While Jesus identified with John’s kingdom message, He did not need to repent. This was the reason John refused to baptize Jesus.

The importance of baptism is seen in the baptism of Jesus for the these two reasons which we will discuss in the following posts:

 I. The Prerequisite for Baptism (Matthew 3:1-6)

II. The Person who was Baptized (Matthew 3:7-17)

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