LESSON : It Still Matters (The Bible).

It Still Matters.

The relevance of God's Word.

Lesson by Tony Thomas

Jesus said:

"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." [Mat 5:17-20 KJV]

The connection between the Old and New Testaments.

The phrase “it is written” occurs 26 times in the gospels and a total of 63 times in the New Testament. The New Testament makes reference to “the scriptures” (meaning the Old Testament) 21 times, and there are many direct and indirect quotes throughout the New Testament.¹

Question: Does the Old Testament (Covenant) predict the New?²

Question: Does Jesus address the coming of a “New Testament”? ³

Question: How did other New Testament writers see the difference between the Testaments?⁴ Are they competing or complementary?

Question: Why is the New Testament necessary?⁵

The value and function of the Old Testament.

15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 16 But shun profane [and] vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. 17 And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; 18 Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some. 19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. [2Ti 2:15-19 KJV]

Question: Should Christians study the Old Testament? Why or why not.⁶

Question: Who is the “author” of the Bible?

“Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” [2 Peter 1:20,21KJV]

Question: What is the function of the Old Testament, in New Testament times?⁷

The value and function of the New Testament.

Question: Did the New Testament writers recognize that scripture was being written in their time?

Case Study: Peter commenting on Paul

Even though Peter and Paul had distinct ministries that on at least one occasion brought them into conflict⁸, Peter regards Paul's writings to be “scripture”. He writes:

15 And account [that] the longsuffering of our Lord [is] salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; 16 As also in all [his] epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as [they do] also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. - 2 Peter 3:15-16 KJV

Case Study: Paul's quotation of “scripture”.

In 1 Timothy 5:18, Paul makes a quotation from “scripture” that borrows from both the writings of Moses and the Luke's Gospel.

18 For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn⁹. And, The labourer [is] worthy of his reward.¹⁰ - 1 Timothy 5:18 KJV

Question: Did Jesus indicate that the Apostles would receive special Divine instruction after his departure?

26 But the Comforter, [which is] the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. - John 14:26 KJV

Question: How does one gain “greatness” in the Kingdom of Heaven? (Refer back to Matthew 5:19).

To continue to the next lesson, click HERE.

Endnotes:

1In the KJV. Specific wording in other versions may vary, but the idea is the same.

2 Jeremiah 31:31-34, Hebrews 8:6-8.

3Matthew 26:28, Mark 14:24, Luke 22:20, 1Corinthians 11:25

42 Corinthians 3:6, Hebrews 9:15

5Hebrews 10:1

6John 5:39, Romans 15:4, 2 Timothy 3:15

7Romans 16:25,26; 1 Corinthians 15:3,4

8Galatians 2:12-14

9Deuteronomy 25:4

10Luke 10:7

LESSON OUTLINE: "Love Letters: Communication within the Godly Family”

“Love Letters: Communication within the Godly Family”

Lesson prepared by Tony Thomas

Family Life Class 

June 15, 2014

 Photograph: David Levene/Public Domain

"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." [Hebrews 4:12 ESV]

"Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers." [Ephesians 4:29 KJV]

Foundational Truth #1: God Communicates with us through His Word.

1. In Proverbs 30:5 what one word is used to characterize the Word of God?
2. In Hebrews 4:12 how is the Word of God described.
3. What word would you use to describe what Jesus is saying about His Word in Matthew 24:35?
4. Does God protect his Word?
5. Can we trust our modern English translations of the Bible?*
6. Why are there sometimes differences between different translations?*

{*For questions 4 and 5 you need to thoroughly study "Translation Philosophy" and know the practical difference between what is known as the "majority text / Textus Receptus" and the "revised text".} The following links should prove useful.

http://www.mardel.com/UserFiles/File/Bible%20Translation%20Chart.pdf

http://www.uv.es/~fores/programa/majorityvscritical.html

 Foundational Truth #2: God Communicates with us through His Spirit.

"However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come." [John 16:13 NKJV]

"Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;" [Ephesians 6:18 KJV]

"The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:" [Romans 8:16 KJV]

Read 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

• In what ways does the Holy Spirit communicate with the church?

  Family Life Application: Communication within the home

• We know that God’s Word is pure, alive, powerful, penetrating, and discerning. As we live as an imitation of Christ how should this knowledge affect how we talk to each other?

• Are short answers okay? Matthew 5:37, James 5:12.

• Are long conversations okay? Reference Song of Solomon.

• In what way does the human spirit affect our conversation?

Why a Star?

Why a Star?

Matthew and Luke are beautiful gospels. With vivid narration they lead us into the remarkable story of Jesus birth. Yet sometimes I find myself wondering about details that are not fully explored. For instance, why did those wise men associate a star with a Jewish King, travel from a far country and give enormous gifts to a peasant child?

I think, perhaps, I have found an answer.

There was a long history of association and family/tribal type relationships with the people of the "east". These were all Semitic people (descendants of Shem, the son of Noah). So, in a sense, they were probably very distant cousins to the Jews. We know that God chose Abram (whose name was later changed by God to Abraham) to be the ancestor of the Messiah, but throughout early Jewish history we see a smattering of true prophets and God fearing people who were not of the Abrahamic line. Among these are Melchizedek, Job, Abimelech, Jethro and the often scorned Balaam. We also know that at least some of them (Job for instance) left a written record of their encounter with God.

Now Balaam is an interesting character in scripture. The background for his story in Numbers 22-24 is fantastic. The Jews are nearing the end of their 40 year wilderness wandering. They are camped out in the Jordan River valley opposite of Jericho. Local kings, specifically the Moabite and Midianite kings, are terrified of this enormous population that has moved into their neighborhood. After all, the visible presence of God was ever present in the center of the Israelite camp!

The Moabites and Midianites had heard of this notable prophet of God named Balaam. Now the Bible tells us that Balaam was from the city of Pethor. He lived near the Euphrates River in Mesopotamia. So, he too was a man from "back east". This scared king of Moab sent for Balaam hoping that he would invoke the curse of God against this multitude of wandering Jews. To his dismay, the very opposite eventually happened.

Balaam is asked to stand on a mountain overlooking the tribes of Israel and pronounce a curse on them. Instead, as the oracle of God, he makes three prophetic blessings over the wandering Israelites. It is the third of these prophecies from which I suspect the Wise Men were making their conclusions about the meaning of the Star.  

Please, look at this passage with me:

[Numbers 24:17-18, 23-24 ESV]

[17] I see him, but not now;

I behold him, but not near:

a star shall come out of Jacob,

and a scepter shall rise out of Israel;

 it shall crush the forehead of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth.

[18] Edom shall be dispossessed; Seir also, his enemies, shall be dispossessed. Israel is doing valiantly. ...

The Wise Men, I believe, looked at this prophecy and made their deductions. This prophecy is predicting that in the distant future (around 1300 years as it turns out) that a star and a scepter would rise out of Israel. Therefore, when they saw the star they began looking for the scepter. This is why, I believe, that they journeyed to Jerusalem looking for the new king.

You see this prophecy also clued them in on the timing of its fulfillment as well.

 [23] And he took up his discourse and said, "Alas, who shall live when God does this? [24] But ships shall come from Kittim and shall afflict Asshur and Eber; and he too shall come to utter destruction."

Now this verse may sound like weird Bible talk to us, but to them these names had real meaning. “Kittim” is a word that literally means “bruiser” and it is a general name used to identify sea faring islanders of the Mediterranean. It was a practice of the Roman Empire to employ these seafaring people as their naval force in the Mediterranean world. These “ships…from Kittim” carried the Roman army to all shores of the Mediterranean including Asshur (Syria) and Eber (Judea, the land of the Hebrews). And so, I think, they managed to connect the dots.

Here is another thing. This prophecy says that “Edom shall be dispossessed”. If they were politically astute (I suspect they were) they would have known the King Herod was not really Jewish. He was an Edomite military leader who had been installed as a puppet “king” by the Romans. Just maybe discovery of this prophetic fulfillment fueled Herod’s infanticidal rage as he attempted to destroy the newborn “King of the Jews.”

Finally, there is one more thing that I find intriguing. The Bible tells us that they came and worshiped. Why? Why would these gentile wise men come and worship a new Jewish King? There is one more phrase I want you to see:

“ [He] shall…break down all the sons of Sheth…”

This verse told them that the new King would reign over all the Semitic people, not just the Jews. They came to Him in surrender, recognizing him as their King too. Wise indeed.

What is the lesson in all of this? Well, perhaps there are a number of observations and applications that we could make, but here is what I gather from all of this. The star was a prophecy given by a gentile prophet, and it served as a revelation to gentile wise men from the East. These wise men saw this specific prophecy being fulfilled specifically, and they responded with joy and worship. The Savior had come, and God saw fit to place a revelation in the heavens that was visible to all mankind.

Now, you and I have not seen “his star in the east”, yet we have been given an unmistakable revelation of God’s love for us. Jesus is that revelation. Many people are exposed to the Gospel but never respond in faith. Yet, there are “wise men” to be found among every race of people and on every continent. Once these people see Jesus, they joyfully respond to him with open hearted worship and willingly give their greatest treasure (themselves) to Him.

The most important event of any life, yours included, is how you choose to respond to Jesus Christ. I hope you know him as your Savior.

Have a blessed Merry Christmas!

Jesus strikes back.

I have simplified this as best I can. It may still be a bit tedious, but I think it will be worth it.

    The Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke all record the baptism and temptation of Jesus. The gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke tell us that he immediately left the Jordan River after his baptism to spend forty days fasting in the Judean Wilderness. At the end of those forty days Satan came to him to  tempt him.

    The first temptation overcome by Jesus was a challenge by Satan for Jesus to use his divine power to satisfy the desires of his own flesh; that is, to transform stones into bread to satisfy his hunger. In the second, Satan took him to the pinnacle of the temple and (using a misquotation of scripture) challenged Jesus to throw himself from the top of the Temple and land safely at the base. In the third temptation, Satan shows Jesus all of the Kingdoms of the World and offers to surrender them all to him in exchange for one thing that Satan wants above all else; that is, worship.

    The Gospel of John is the most unique of the four gospel accounts. We sometimes use chapter one as an account of Jesus baptism and anointing by the Holy Spirit. Technically it is not. It is a record of John the Baptist's dialogue with priests and Levites about his role in the kingdom of God. In this dialogue John the Baptist is recounting  the baptism of Jesus which had occurred a few weeks prior. The next day, after this dialogue, Jesus returns and John the Baptist makes a public proclamation that Jesus is the Messiah.

Here is what I find so interesting.

    In the wilderness Jesus repelled the temptations Satan brought to him, and upon his return Jesus begins a counter attack against Satan in the very same venues in which Satan had declared war.

 Counter attack #1: Transformation

   Three days after Jesus has returned from his wilderness experience he is at a marriage in Cana of Galilee. It is here that he performs his first miracle: he transforms water into wine...not privately for himself but publicly for the benefit of others. This act manifests his glory and causes his growing band of disciples to believe on him. There is no mention that he prayed over the water. There is no mention of the Father or the Spirit in this passage. This was an autonomous divine action by the Son of God.

Counter attack #2: The Temple

    A few days later he attends the Passover in Jerusalem. He enters the Temple and promptly throws the merchants and their livestock out. This marked his entrance into Jerusalem (and particularly the Temple).   His zeal for holiness is unmistakeable. His entrance is not self aggrandizing, rather, he openly chastises the merchants for polluting the house of the Father.

Counter attack #3: Nature of the Kingdom

    The third item of interest come from the next chapter, John chapter 3. While Jesus is in Jerusalem, a young ruler named Nicodemus comes to him by night to consult with him. Jesus immediately reads his heart and begins to discuss with him the nature of the Kingdom of God, and emphasizes the work of the Holy Spirit in salvation.

1. Bread and wine are both symbols/types of the suffering of Christ. Satan tried to corrupt these symbols, Jesus reinforced them.

2. Satan tried to turn the Temple into a circus and Christ into a clown. Jesus cleansed the temple, and left the resurrection as his calling card.

3. Satan bargained with the kingdoms of the earth in an attempt to elevate himself. Jesus reveals the depth of the sacrifice of the Godhead so that he might give men the key to the Kingdom of God.

The wilderness temptations were not solely and attack on the Son of God, they were an attack by Satan on the Godhead as a whole. Notice the emphasis on each person of the Godhead in the progression of events. The Son, the Father and the Spirit are all emphasized in turn.

Additional thoughts...

...on throw yourself from the pinnacle

The challenge here was to make a spectacle of himself in the temple by doing something supernatural, and in essence trade his mission of salvation for a carnival act.

...on worship me and I'll give you the kingdoms.

Essentially Satan was offering Jesus a way around the cross. In exchange however Satan would be allowed to exalt his throne to the level of Godhood. by the very act of worship, Jesus would have been acknowledging Satan as a superior . [cf. Isaiah 14:12-14].

...on John 3.

 It is in this dialogue that the much quoted John 3:16 occurs (for God so loved the world...etc.), but we also see that in this passage the wilderness experience is still very fresh on his mind, for he says,

"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." [John 3:14-16]

I, for one, have enjoyed this study. Hopefully it will inspire you as well. Blessings.

Sleeping in Church...the unfortunate boy named "Lucky".

I’m guilty. I admit it. Sometimes I doze off in church.

I’ll also admit that I’ve probably put more than a handful of people to sleep myself. It happens to the best of preachers. In fact, God saw fit to record in the Bible that even the Apostle Paul preached people to sleep. Who knows? Perhaps God thought Paul was long winded too!

Luke (Paul’s fellow traveler and the author of Acts) must have thought Paul was stretching it out a bit, because he recorded in Acts 20:9 that Paul was “long preaching”. A couple of translations say that he talked “on and on”. Yeah, I’ve been in those services too.

After all, Paul had arrived in the city of Troas a week earlier.  It is reasonable to assume that he had preached a lot that week. He was leaving the next day. So, the Christians in Troas got together for supper. Then, Paul decided to share a few “after supper” thoughts. At midnight he was still going.

Now here is where our young man Eutychus (his name means, “fortunate” or “lucky”) comes into the picture.

Lets set the scene, shall we?

Eutychus had a full belly. He is in a room full of people. There is no air conditioner. There are many lights in this room, and all (naturally) involve a flame of some kind (either candle or lamp). His belly is full. He is warm. It is way past his usual bedtime and Paul has been droning on and on about one thing or another for hours.

He sits down in an open window, trying to catch a cool night breeze. His eyelids get heavier and heavier. Then it happens. Out of the window he topples…from the third story.

Well, the young man Eutychus is pronounced “dead” at the scene. (Remember we know there was a doctor in the house, because Acts was written by Luke the “beloved physician“. Luke was there.) 

Then, Paul comes down, gives the boy a hug, and Eutychus life is restored.

Now, what did Paul do? He went through the buffet line again, of course.

He is a preacher, after all. Go  figure. Then he “talked a long while” (Luke’s words, not mine) until the sun came up.

Okay, here is where I get to glean a few things from all of this…

1. Even if your boredom is legitimate, be careful where it takes you…the fall can do you in.

2. In matters of life and death God has the last word, not doctors. It isn’t over until God says its over.

3. If you like preachers who entertain, you wouldn’t have liked Paul, but If you needed one to raise the dead, you would have.

4. Even if your mama named you “Lucky”, you will someday need a miracle.

5. The further you are from the light, the more likely you will fall asleep.

 

And so I wonder about the Apostle as he went back up stairs and refilled his plate. After that kind of sermon interruption, what exactly do you say to the guy next to you in line?

1Thesselonians 5:4-6 might give us a clue. How about…

“But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.”

Stay awake!