Thank God for the men who have gone before us

John Wycliffe...

"Those Heretics who pretend that the laity do not need to know God's law, and that the things which priests have told them is enough, do not deserve to be listened to. For the Bible is the faith of the Church, and the more widely it becomes known the better it will be. Therefore since the laity should know the faith, it should be taught in whatever language is most easily understood."

Wycliffe criticized abuses and false teachings in the Church. In 1382 he translated an English Bible -- the first European translation done in over 1,000 years.

An observation on how God works

"'Strike the Shepherd that the sheep may be scattered; And I will turn My hand against the little ones. It will come about in all the land,' Declares the Lord, ' That two parts in it will be cut off and perish; But the third will be left in it. And I will bring the third part through the fire, Refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them;' I will say, 'They are My people.' And they will say, 'The Lord is my God." - Zechariah 13:8-9

The "third part" in these verses are Christians - "They are My people," says the Lord. And they say, "The Lord is my God."

God brings them through hardship/suffering - "I will bring the third part (Christians) through the fire..."

Why? So, Christians will call upon the name of the Lord.

"God puts us in the fire to awaken earnest prayer." - John Piper

This verse has been beyond resourceful in many situations. Hope it's just as encouraging to you.

Jesus Walks on the Water – Matthew 14:22-33

22) Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 23) And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24) but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. 25) And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. 26) But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. 27) But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”

28) And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29) He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 30) But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” 31) Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32) And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33) And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

This passage won’t leave me alone, nor do I want it to. Here is what the Holy Spirit has shown me in this text:

22) Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds.

Jesus is sovereign. To say that another way, Jesus has supreme rank, power, and authority over everything. What does everything include? I would argue, anything and everything including the direction of people’s lives.

In these verses, we see two groups: the crowds and the disciples, both whom He commands differently. In the beginning of this section, Jesus dismisses one group, the crowds. He gives them no direction. This group was without a doubt enticed by this man, Jesus. If we were to have read the section previous to this, we would have learned that they were stringing along for the healing and the free food. They were merely using Christ. John’s account of this story tells us that this group eventually “turned back and no longer walked with him.”

We also see a second group, Jesus’ disciples. With them, there was clear direction from Jesus, “get into the boat and go…to the other side.” They were also enticed by this man, Jesus, but not because of the things He did for them. On the contrary, all but one enjoyed Him in this group. This love for Jesus would later compel them to reach all nations to inform the world of this deep affection one could have with the living God through Jesus Christ.

23) And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone…

The writer reiterates that Jesus was sending away the crowds and that now they were gone. The crowds obeyed. Jesus controls the righteous and the unrighteous.

24) …but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them.

Here, we see the 12 disciples were where Jesus told them to go. They were “going before him to the other side.” This verse paints isolation and chaos. They were being obedient yet it wasn’t easy.

25) And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea.

When, where, and by what means you least expect Him, Jesus comes! But, another account puts this a little differently. Mark 6 tells us “He meant to pass by them…” That sounds a little different from what I’ve normally imagined in this story. It’s as if, Jesus is just strolling by them! He wants them to see Him, yet He doesn’t want to ride in the boat with them. Jesus wants to get to the other side by a different means; He was taking the road by which the waves have made (Jesus controls nature – another consideration for the sovereignty of Jesus).

26) But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear.

I can’t image seeing something like this. This was something that no one had ever seen before. Jesus, the one who brings peace, came in the isolation and chaos. To behold the living God is to experience terrifying excitement.

27) But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”

Jesus says in John 10:27, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” Jesus speaks to those whom He has chosen. He encourages them to take heart and not be afraid with the three little assuring words, “it is I.” He encourages them with Himself! He calms fears and chaos with Himself. Jesus breaks through the isolation and calms their confusion.

28) And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”

Peter saw Jesus passing by Him. Peter didn’t want to risk the chance of being left behind. His life was of no concern, while his soul’s was of the utmost importance. It was Jesus he needed, and for that, he was willing to put his life on the line. But, he didn’t dare make a move without calling upon Jesus. Only Jesus can direct us to Himself, and He’ll use the most radical paths to bring us to Him. For Peter, it was the raging sea.

29) He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus.

Jesus heard his plea and commanded him to “come.” Peter obeyed. If we were to stop here, it would seem like Peter had no trouble in coming to Jesus. But, it doesn’t stop here…

30) But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.”

Peter saw the wind. How crazy does that sound? In relying on his own strength, Peter weakened quickly. The chaos was getting to him. He didn’t see Christ anymore. He saw the wind, and he was afraid. He was in route to Jesus, the one who had just calmed his fears. “Lord, save me.” Peter must have quickly remembered his Old Testament, Jonah 2:9, “Salvation is of the Lord.” (It’s interesting how Jonah had an amazing experience at sea too)

31) Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

Romans 10:13, “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Jesus did not turn him away. Jesus did not neglect him. He gave Peter His hand; He gave Peter Himself. In John 10:28, Jesus says “I give (those who follow me) eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” Peter was in the best place anyone could be, wrapped in the hands of Jesus.

Notice also Jesus’ response to Peter. To whom does Jesus give his hand? To whom does Jesus give eternal life? He gives it to those of little faith and doubters. He gives it to the undeserving.

32) And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.

Jesus is now in the boat with the others. You are safe with Christ. There is no more isolation or chaos as to whom your life and soul belong to when you are with Jesus. He is sovereign over wind. He is sovereign over hearts.

33) And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

What a beautiful picture of Jesus with His Church. The Church is worshiping their Savior, Jesus Christ. This is the first time the 12 disciples are acknowledging Jesus for who He truly is: the Son of God. Up until this point (in the book of Matthew), we’ve seen Satan acknowledge Him as God’s son (Matthew 4:3) and we’ve seen demons proclaim Jesus as the Son of God (Matthew 8:29). So, here in the boat, everyone including Judas, who would eventually betray Jesus, was confessing that Jesus was the Son of God. Yet, only 11 were truly worshiping Jesus as the Son of God.

Just like this Sea of Galilee boat experience, one day the Lord says that, “every knee shall bow to me and every tongue shall confess.” But, that doesn’t mean that everyone will go on to enjoy God forever…

If you aren’t in the boat, this is your invitation. Come in. Come to peace. Come to Jesus. Three chapters prior to this story, Jesus says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” – Matthew 11:28-30. The command is to come. The invitation is to all who labor and are heavy laden.

If you are in the boat, don’t just stay in communion with all the others. Everyone in the church will not ultimately end up with the Church with Jesus. Call upon Jesus to save you like Peter did.

If you are in the boat with Jesus, enjoy Him. Worship Jesus for who He is, the Son of God, with all your heart, mind, body and soul.

Matthew 3:1-10: John the Baptist Prepares the Way

In the third chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, John the Baptist is introduced as a fully matured man preaching amongst the people. It is as if he abruptly fell from the sky and onto the scene to embark on a mission. Although one can gather information about his family, pre-birth and birth from the book of Luke, Matthew gives us none of those details. There is no genealogy. There is no account of his birth or mother’s pregnancy. There is no record of his upbringing. There is only John the Baptist, the passionate, the undisguised. Until then, there had not been a prophet for more than four hundred years. The church was waiting in silence for “a voice of one crying in the wilderness.”

Matthew focuses on the aspect of John’s life that would help him build his case for his gospel by addressing two questions: Who is the King? And where is His kingdom? The book of Matthew, primarily aimed at the Jewish audience, finds John in the wilderness proclaiming that Jesus is king/Messiah and that the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

“In those days John the Baptist came preaching…” Matthew’s gospel jumps quickly into Jesus’ public ministry from his early childhood, but first there had to be a forerunner with his own ministry. When a King would come to town, there were would typically be a forerunner to make preparations for his coming and he would even go so far as to having roads built and straightened to prepare the way for the king – this was John’s mission. John’s life was to be lived for the glory of another – just like our lives are. The theme verse for John’s life is also very powerful – John 3:30, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

It’s important to see here that the text says, “John the Baptist came preaching” rather than “John the Baptist came baptizing” or “teaching” or “prophesying.” Not that those elements of the faith are not important, but rather they are secondary to those who are perishing. All throughout the Bible, we see that God uses the instrument of preaching to channel His truth to a world of sinners. The purpose is to convict a person of the sin of the heart and to show that it is in desperate need of a Savior. This is the message of John the Baptist: repentance and redemption – “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 3:2

Where was John the Baptist preaching? At the end of verse 1, Matthew tells us that he was “preaching in the wilderness of Judea.” The wilderness was important because it was the beginning of the fulfillment of Isaiah 40:3, “A voice cries: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” What great imagery! God had done many great things already in the OT in the wilderness: the law of Moses was given there; David’s famous 63rd Psalm, which talks about the pleasurable fellowship he had with the Lord was written there as well. One commentary said, “…no place is so remote as to shut us out from the visits of divine grace; the sweetest intercourse the saints have with Heaven, is when they are withdrawn furthest from the noise of this world.”

The wilderness is also significant because of John’s background. John’s father, Zechariah, and his mother, Elizabeth, were righteous before God and blameless in all His commandments and ordinances. (An interesting side note: Zechariah means “God remembers”; Elizabeth means “oath of God”; and John, who was named by an angel of the Lord in Luke 1:13, means “grace”; if you put them all together, it reads, “God remembers his oath: grace.”) Zechariah was of the priesthood; therefore, John the Baptist was a priest of the order of Aaron as well, yet we never see him officiating in a temple. Nor do we see him show up in religious robes. Rather he lived in the wilderness and dressed as a countryman. Matthew 3:4 says, “Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist and his food was locusts and wild honey.” Yes, a lot of commentaries say that is to provoke imagery of an OT prophet, but I also see it as John counting all of his “rights”, his inheritance as loss in comparison as to what the Lord had in store for him. By no means was John going to waste his life by the clothes he wore or the food he ate. He would not promote any distraction from his message intent on glorifying God. I believe this verse alone can be a message in of itself. How we need to safeguard against the idols of clothing and appearance and the approval of man. John Piper writes in his book, Don’t Waste Your Life, “What a tragedy to see so many…obsessed with what they wear and how they look. Even Christian youth seem powerless to ask greater questions…like: Will these clothes help me magnify Christ? Will they point people to him as the manifest Treasure of my life?” This seemed to be true of John. The verse is in there because people observed not only the message of John the Baptist but also the way he dressed and acted. Application was the heart of his preaching.

To whom was John preaching? In the following verses we see two groups: people from “Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan,” which we will call the “unrighteous” and the “Pharisees and Sadducees,” which we will call the “self-righteous.” (Not that any of the “unrighteous” could have not belonged to the “self-righteous” as well, but this seems to be the way Scripture divided the two. Both groups are sinners in the eyes of God and will not inherit the kingdom of heaven. The only type of righteousness that saves is imputed righteousness – just like with Abraham in Genesis 15:6)

Was he preaching the same message? Well, the answer is both, yes and no. After the unrighteous group heard John preach, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,” verse 5 and 6 tells us that they were “going out to him, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.” Luke’s account tells us that the crowds asked, “What then shall we do?” which can be seen as an indication of a longing for change. One commentary says, “The Jews had been taught to justify themselves; but John teaches them to accuse themselves, and not to rest, as they used to do, in the general confession of sin made for all Israel, once a year, upon the day of atonement; but to make a particular acknowledgment, every one, of the plague of his own heart.” So, we see God moving people to Himself. People are coming to know the Lord! God is setting up Christ’s kingdom through the God-centeredness preaching of John the Baptist.

But, how does John differ in his message to the self righteous Pharisees and Sadducees who don’t see a need for this sort of repentance? Verse 7 says, “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.’” What a vicious attack on the Pharisees and Sadducees’ idol; the false savior of identity through ancestry. This is exactly what made John’s message so radical – Jews believed they had no need of repentance because they were Jewish! John felt that he had to deal more specifically with the ones who also deemed themselves to be preachers/teachers of God’s scriptures. Rather than preaching before them, he preached directly to them. He addresses them as “vipers,” rather than the customary title of “rabbi.” This sort of imagery would have hopefully taken them back to the fall in Genesis 3, where there were not one but two seeds: one of the great snake, Satan, and one of the woman, from which our redeemer Jesus would come. Obviously, John was telling them that they were of their father, the Devil (1 John 5:19 – they are under the control of the evil). He was addressing the motive of their hearts in hopes of showing them how they desire to do evil, which makes them hostile towards God.

John then warns them of the wrath to come if their hardened hearts do not repent. For the Pharisees, it was the sin of the display of religion and for the Sadducee it was their arguments against religion. Here, we see God’s mercy because not one of them can say that they weren’t warned of the future wrath. God himself is warning them through John’s preaching. John goes on to say that it isn’t enough for them to profess that they know God. They aren’t running towards God yet. They are saying that they are but their feet are not moving. He instructs them to “bear fruit in keeping with repentance.” He wants to see the proof of the assurance of their salvation. He wants for them true repentance, in which they forsake all sin and cleave to that which is good, namely Jesus.

John continues to identify this idol of identity through ancestry by addressing the covenant of Abraham. He cautions them of their hearts inward reply, “We have Abraham as our father.” It’s as if he is saying, “Don’t believe the lie. Salvation has always been by faith, not by lineage. Repent. Confess your sins. Be baptized.” The Pharisees and Sadducees did not see themselves as unsaved, or for the need to be baptized. To them, baptism was used for ceremonial cleansings or a Gentile entering into the Jewish faith. In their minds, they were already spiritually clean and partakers in salvation.

Genealogies are of great importance for a Jew, even to the writer Matthew. So much so, that he starts of his book with one to show the Kingly lineage of Jesus Christ. It is a lineage to the Savior, rather than the lineage itself as a savior. The first verse of the book of Matthew says, “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” This would be significant for a Jewish audience. This would show a person’s heritage, inheritance, legitimacy, and rights. All throughout Jesus’ genealogy, we see Gentiles, cursed kings, adulterers, murderers, and idolaters, yet Jesus’ descent is never questioned. There is undeniable proof that Jesus is son of Abraham, and the son of David. Again, this is a good thing but all good things can become idols, which John is pointing out. He continues to insult the Pharisees/Sadducees idolatry by saying “for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.” They have faith in the blood in their veins that had been passed down from Abraham rather than the blood of the Messiah. John is trying to show them that the genealogy, which is of the utmost importance in the beginning of this book, is of no worth to them in the end. “Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” The OT clearly taught in Genesis 15:6 that Abraham, by hearing with faith, believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness. The roots of his family do not bless a man; but the one who is of faith is blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith, in Christ Jesus.

Matthew’s account of John the Baptist is what truly kicks off the gospel of Jesus Christ. His ministry set the tone and prepared the hearts of the people for what was to come: Jesus and his mission to glorify God through the salvation of sinners. We see a preview of compassion, boldness, and good news spread by John the Baptist that is completely lived out in the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. There will always be idols to deal with if we are communicating to other human beings; in this text we see the Pharisees/Sadducees answering the two questions posed at the beginning differently from the author: Who is the King? Their functional savior is their identity through ancestry. Where is His kingdom? Their hearts answer, “in Abraham.” But, there is hope because Jesus is King and His kingdom is at hand.

Application – how can we be guilty of the same sin as the Jewish leadership? Do some people believe going to church, having Christian parents/spouse/being American makes them saved? Does our culture have a misunderstanding of salvation? Do we have the same righteous anger, which John had when dealing with the self-righteous and the same compassion with the unrighteous?

Jessica and Elizabeth at Bongo Java

Genesis 12:1,3 versus Galatians 3:8

Genesis 12:1,3 - "Now the LORD said to Abram...in you all the families of the earth will be blessed." Galatians 3:8 - "The Scripture...preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, 'All the nations will be blessed in you.'" See any similarities in those two verses? See any differences? Here is what I noticed... Point 1) What the LORD said, the Scripture preached, preaches and will preach forevermore!!! Amen! Point 2) A new identity: from Abram to Abraham...from death to life...from old creature to new...from no communion to covenant. Point 3) "All the families/nations will be blessed..." The gospel means "good news." The gospel is for all peoples; Jew or Gentile. It would not be good news if it was not for all nations or else Paul, the writer of Galatians, wouldn't have said, "The Scripture...preached the gospel...saying, All the nations will be blessed in you." He would have left out the words, "preached the gospel" in that verse if that wasn't part of the good news. Point 4) "...in you". Paul goes on to clear up the meaning of this term in the following verse. Galatians 3:9 says, "So then those who are of faith are blessed with Abraham, the believer." Not so much as "in Abraham" but rather "with Abraham." Abraham is a living OT prophecy of the gospel. Why? Because of this very verse: God saved Abraham by faith. If you were to continue reading the third chapter of Galatians down to verse 14, you would notice very similar wording as in verse 8. See if you can catch it. "...in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith." It's only IN CHRIST can Abraham and all the nations be blessed through faith. Christ is the blessing...God is the good news!

Idols and Jesus.

Habakkuk 2:18-20...
What profit is an idol when its maker has shaped it, a metal image, a teacher of lies? For it's maker trusts in his own creation when he makes speechless idols! Woe to him who says to a wooden thing, Awake; to a silent stone, Arise! Can this teach? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver and there is no breath at all in it, But the Lord (good words right there!) is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.

My observations:
Idols are of no profit; Jesus is treasure.
Idols are shaped into creation; Jesus is the Creature.
Idols are metal and rust, therefore lifeless; Jesus is life.
Idols are teachers of lies; Jesus is truth.
Idols are not dependable; Jesus is trustworthy.
Idols are speechless; Jesus is the Word of God.
Idols are unfree and subordinate; Jesus is sovereign.
Idols are wood and stone; Jesus took the cross and broke free from the tomb and is in His holy temple and coming back to get us!