OBSERVANCE OF THE LORD’S SUPPER
#759a OBSERVANCE OF THE LORD’S SUPPER
First Baptist Church
Fellowship Hall ---- 7pm
Hymn “What a Wonderful Saviour!” Congregation
Christ has for sin atonement made, What a wonderful Saviour! I am redeemed, the price is paid; What a wonderful Saviour!
Refrain: What a wonderful Saviour is Jesus, my Jesus! What a wonderful Saviour is Jesus, my Lord!
He cleansed my heart from all its sin, What a wonderful Saviour! And now he reigns and rules therein, What a wonderful Saviour!
Refrain: What a wonderful Saviour is Jesus, my Jesus! What a wonderful Saviour is Jesus, my Lord!
Hymn “Amazing Grace” Congregation
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found, Was blind, but now I see.
‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, And grace my fears relieved. How precious did that grace appear The hour I first believed.
Scripture: I John 4:7-11 Watson Goss
7. Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 8. He that loveth not, knoweth not God; for God is love. 9. In this was manifested the love of God toward of us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 10. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.
Sharing Time Harry Stall
(Others are invited to share testimonies)
Solo Eric Carter
“No One Ever Cared for Me Like Jesus”
Scripture: I Corinthians 10:16, 17, 21; 11:27-29 Delwyn Odom
10:16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? 17 For we being many are one bread, and one body; for we are all partakers of that one bread. 21 Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils. 11:27 Wherefore whosoever shall drink the cup of the Lord, unworthy, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let us examine ourselves, and let us eat of the bread, and drink of the cup. 29 For the one eating and drinking unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to oneself, not discerning the Lord’s body.
Hymn: “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” Congregation
When I survey the wondrous cross, On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss, And pour contempt on all my pride.
Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast, Save in the death of Christ my God;
All the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them to his blood.
Were the whole realm of nature mine, That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine, Demands my soul, my life, my all.
Scripture: I Corinthians 11:23-24
23 For I have received of the Lord that which I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread. 24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is my body, which is broken for you. This do in remembrance of me.’
Prayer of Blessing Pastor
Sharing of Bread (Symbol of his broken body)
Hymn: “Break Thou the Bread of Life” Congregation
Break Thou the bread of life, Dear Lord, to me,
As Thou didst break the loaves Beside the sea;
Beyond the sacred page I seek Thee, Lord;
My spirit pants for Thee, O living Word.
Thou art the bread of life, O Lord, to me,
Thy holy Word the truth That saveth me;
Give me to eat and live With Thee above;
Teach me to love Thy truth, for Thou art love.
Scripture: Mark 14:22 Pastor
And as they did eat, Jesus took bread and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is my body.’
Partaking of the Bread Congregation
Scripture: I Corinthians 11:25, 26
25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying ‘This cup is the new testament in my blood; this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.’ 26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord’s death ‘til he come.
Hymn “Let Us Break Bread Together” Congregation
Let us break bread together on our knees, Let us break bread together on our knees.
Refrain: When I fall on my knees, With my face to the rising sun, O Lord, have mercy on me.
Let us drink the cup together on our knees, Let us drink the cup together on our knees.
Refrain: When I fall on my knees, With my face to the rising sun, O Lord, have mercy on me.
Let us praise God together on our knees, Let us drink the cup together on our knees.
Refrain: When I fall on my knees, With my face to the rising sun, O Lord, have mercy on me.
Scripture: Matthew 26:27-28 Hugh McGee
27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them saying, ‘Drink ye all of it.’ 28 ‘For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.’
Prayer of Blessing Pastor
Sharing of the Cup (Symbol of blood Christ shed) Deacons
Scripture: Hebrews 3:14 Pastor
We are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast until the end.
Partaking of the Cup Congregation
Scripture: John 13:34. 35 Windy Denham
34 A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.
Hymn “The Master Hath Come” Congregation
The Master hath come, and he calls us to follow
The track of the footprints he leaves on our way;
Far over the mountains and through the deep hollow,
The path leads us on to the mansions of day;
The Master hath called us, the children who fear him,
Who march ‘neath Christ’s banner, his own little band;
We love him and seek him, we long to be near him,
And rest in the light of his beautiful land.
Meditation: Five Grains of Corn Pastor
Providence, Privation, Prayer, Present Crisis, Promise
Scripture: Matthew 26:30 Congregation
And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.
Hymn “God Be With You” Congregation
God be with you till we meet again; loving counsels guide, uphold you; may the Shepherd’s care enfold you. God be with you till we meet again.
Refrain: Till we meet, till we meet, till we meet at Jesus’ feet. Till we meet, till we meet, God be with you till we meet again.
God be with you till we meet again!
THE PARABLE OF THE TABERNACLE
#605 THE PARABLE OF THE TABERNACLE
Scripture Exodus 25:1-9; Hebrews 9:6-14 Orig. 2/17/1973
Rewr. 8/27/1990
Passage:
Exodus 25:1-9
25 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering. You are to receive the offering for me from everyone whose heart prompts them to give. 3 These are the offerings you are to receive from them: gold, silver and bronze; 4 blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen; goat hair; 5 ram skins dyed red and another type of durable leather[a]; acacia wood; 6 olive oil for the light; spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense; 7 and onyx stones and other gems to be mounted on the ephod and breastpiece. 8 “Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them. 9 Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you.
Hebrews 9:6-14
6 When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry. 7 But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. 8 The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still functioning. 9 This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper. 10 They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings—external regulations applying until the time of the new order.
The Blood of Christ
11 But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here,[a] he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. 12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining[b] eternal redemption. 13 The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death,[c] so that we may serve the living God!
Purpose: Continuing a PM series on Old Testament parables, here describing the tabernacle and its latent type teaching fulfilled in Christ.
Keywords: Symbolism of Christ Hebrews History Tabernacle
Old Testament Parables
Timeline/Series: Old Testament Parables
Introduction
Recall of the function of the Hebrew High Priest is surely appropriate here. Yearly, on the 10th day of the 7th month (October), the Day of Atonement was celebrated as the most sacred day of the year.
On this one day, the High Priest took the fresh blood of sacrifice into the Holy of Holies, where he alone was permitted to enter. He renewed Israel’s covenant with God by sprinkling the blood upon the ‘throne of Jehovah,’ the Mercy Seat covering the Ark of the Covenant. Contained herein were their most treasured relics: the urn of manna, the rod of Aaron, and the two tablets of the covenant. (See Hebrews 9:4, Numbers 17:10.)
Returning from this mediatorial act, the High Priest then chose a living animal (goat), placed both of his own hands on the head of the goat and confessed the sins of the people. The animal was then driven away to suffer death at the hand of providence, thus becoming the blood offering wrought at God’s hand for all the sins of Israel.
The blood offering in the Holy of Holies covered unwittingly committed sin in the Holy Place. Consciously committed sin of the people was transferred to the scapegoat (Leviticus 16:10), for the transference of their guilt to the goat.
The parable (Hebrews 9:9—parabolē) calls to mind all the rich imagery of the Hebrew religion, but it will also graphically depict three underlying differences that we will consider momentarily.
I. A Brief Exposition of Exodus 25-31. Exodus 25:8, “And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.”
1. Basically, there are three themes covered in this second book of scripture.
a. Chapters 1-18 cover the Exodus, itself. The people are set free.
b. Chapters 19-24 present the law in its basic form. (Chapter 20—Ten Commandments.)
c. Remaining chapters describe every aspect of the tabernacle. (Chapters 25-40.)
i. Sanctuary, above, meant holy place.
ii. The word came to have meaning relative to material of the sanctuary.
S. Baxter (E15p76): “. . . the problem with which the various philosophies of life seek to deal is that of human freedom, responsibility, and privilege. Liberty without law is license. Responsibility without freedom is bondage. Liberty and responsibility together, without privilege—without rewards and punishments—lack motive and meaning. Here, in the Exodus, the Law, and the Tabernacle, we see these three things—in the Exodus, liberty; in the Law, responsibility; in the Tabernacle, privilege.”
2. The construction and refinement of the tabernacle was forced into two parts.
a. Moses was given the design (Exodus 25-31);
b. Idolatry invaded the camp and the plan is suspended. (Exodus 33:7)
i. Temporary replacement (Exodus 33:7)
ii. God descends in covenant.
c. The tabernacle is completed. Exodus chapters 35-40. Baxter, p95, “The Tabernacle was not designed with a view to any merely architectural impressiveness. It was designed to be a symbolical and typical expression of wonderful spiritual truth.”
II. A Description of the Tabernacle. Exodus 25:9, "According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, . . . even so shall ye make it.”
1. There was to be an outer court on a west to east axis 100 by 50 cubits (150 by 75 feet).
a. Total of 60 pillars—5 cubits apart.
b. Each would stand 5 cubits high.
2. Within this outer court was to be a sanctuary (divided).
a. Oblong (10 x 30 cubits on same axis).
b. A veil would separate the two parts.
i. Holy Place—priestly function
ii. Holy of Holies—High Priest on Day of Atonement
III. The Furnishings of the Tabernacle are Seven. Exodus 25:9, “According to . . . the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.”
1. Interestingly, there are seven times in scripture when this is reiterated. Exodus 25:9,40; 26:30; 27:8; Numbers 8:4; Acts 7:44; Hebrews 8:5.
a. New Testament words fashion or pattern: both Greek tupos
b. 5179 in HGSB—prototype
2. There are two articles in the Outer Court.
a. Brazen Altar—the first approach to Holy God is through atoning sacrifice.
b. Next is the Laver—sacred water for priestly cleansing.
3. Only thusly is the Holy Place entered by the priests.
a. On the right (north) is shewbread—here is both bread and drink decreeing sustenance in the spiritual life.
b. On the left (south) is the seven branched candelabrum—declaring spiritual illumination.
c. Deeper in the room is the Golden Altar of Incense—incense has always represented supplication (prayer).
4. Before us now is the veil separating the Holy of Holies.
a. Remember, only the High Priest enters here, and he only once a year on Day of Atonement.
b. The Throne inside consists of two parts.
i. The Ark: a gold-covered acacia chest—declaring the covenant.
ii. Above the Ark, the Mercy seat with cherubim—representing God’s presence.
IV. That Leaves Us to Determine What is Represented for the Future, Hebrews 9:8, “. . . The way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, . . . which was a figure for the time then present.”
1. The seven articles represent seven symbolic teachings.
a. The altar—atonement
b. The laver—forgiveness
c. Shewbread—sustenance
d. Candlestick—illumination
e. Incense—supplication
f. Ark—covenant relationship
g. Mercy Seat—access to God
Job 13:3, “Surely I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to reason with God.”
Job 40:2, “Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him?”
Thus, there stands the critical issue of approach to God.
Job 42:5, “My ears have heard of you, but now my eyes have seen you.
2. Look for a moment at a parallel to these seven teachings in John’s gospel
a. The Brazen Altar—John 1:29,36, John beholds “the Lamb of God!”
b. The Laver—John 3:5, “Except a man be born of water, and of the spirit, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
c. Shewbread—John 4:10, “living water,” and John 6:51, “living bread.”
d. Candlestick—John 8:12, “I am the light of the world; he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness.” See John 9:5.
e. Altar of Incense—
i. Just outside the veil—John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but by me.”
ii. Intercession—John 14:13, “Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified . . . Son.”
f. Jesus approaches as High Priest—John 17:1, “Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy son also may glorify thee.”
g. Covenant—John 20:17, “I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.” John 20:19, “Peace be unto you.” John 20:22, “Receive ye the Holy Ghost.” John 20:29, “Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou has believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet . . . believed.”
3. Time has permitted us only to look at the Tabernacle and its furnishings.
a. They have revealed a likeness in even small detail to Christ.
b. They illustrate the person and work of the Redeemer.
c. There is type-teaching as well in the offerings, in the priesthood, etc.
Conclusion
The Post-Exilic Temple contained a Holy Place, and a Holy of Holies, but it was empty. No Ark, no tablets, no rod, no manna, no Mercy Seat, but the High Priest kept up his seduction. Hebrews 9:14, “. . . how much more shall the blood of Christ . . . purify your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” “Jesus Christ has revealed the living God whose Spirit inhabits not dead places and things, but the hearts of His believers.” (B74p141)
Links
Baxter: https://www.preceptaustin.org/exodus-25-commentary
PRIESTHOOD OF BELIEVERS AND THE BIBLE
#847 PRIESTHOOD OF BELIEVERS AND THE BIBLE
Scripture I Peter 2:5, 9; Isaiah 61:5-6 Orig. 5/1/1988
Passage:
I Peter 2:5,9
5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house[a] to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
Isaiah 61:5-6
5 Strangers will shepherd your flocks;
foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
6 And you will be called priests of the Lord,
you will be named ministers of our God.
You will feed on the wealth of nations,
and in their riches you will boast.
Purpose: Teaching a doctrinal study for Church Training relating the doctrine to scripture.
Keywords: Series, Priesthood Doctrine
Introduction
Pass out cards reflecting chapter one and ask class to comment on them. Volunteers may be asked to read, and other class members will be given opportunity to comment..
Display the overhead cel with the following agree/disagree information. Ask the class to mark their paper “a” or “d.”
D 1) The Old Testament priesthood symbolized the worthiness of the nation Israel.
D 2) Old Testament priests were mediators, not interpreters. (both)
D 3) The priesthood of believers is hierarchical, not hereditary.
A 4) Our priesthood is rooted in Christ.
D 5) Jesus is priest by virtue of Levite origins.
A 6) The phrase “the priesthood of believers” is not found in the Bible.
A 7) Equality of access to God’s grace for salvation is not rooted in human capability.
D 8) To emphasize individualism is to deny community.
A 9) There is no such thing as forced love.
A 10)A person cannot accept salvation without accepting priesthood.
Call attention to the teaching posters. These are for the new chapter. Ask the class if there is a certain one that stands out, and if they will comment upon it.
Have the cel on chapter two on the screen. We want to cover three things.
1. Biblical teachings as priesthood.
2. The priesthood as it relates to Christ.
3. Prepare for next chapter on priesthood of the believer and salvation.
I. The Jewish Priesthood. Exodus 19:4-6, “You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now, . . . if you will obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my possession among all peoples; for all the earth is mine, and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests.”
a. The above text is not typical. See also Isaiah 61:5-6.
b. Under Moses a representative priesthood emerged.
i. Most of some 700 references.
ii. This priesthood symbolized their covenant.
iii. God gave Moses instructions relative to the priesthood. Exodus 25:1 - 31:18
iv. It was clear that they had some growing to accomplish if they were to reach communal priesthood.
1. Tabernacle was to be a factor.
2. The tent of meeting where they would worship God.
c. The concept of a select priesthood.
i. Theological roots of priesthood.
1. Manifested God’s saving acts on behalf of Israel. (Law was unrequested grace.)
2. God would be with Israel through the priesthood and tabernacle—no philosophical; the certain creator; “Tabernacle” means dwelling place. Exodus 25:8, “Let them make me a sanctuary that I may dwell in their midst.”
3. Priests were living witnesses of that presence.
4. The priesthood symbolized holiness. Exodus 19:6, “. . . A holy nation.” Leviticus 11:44f, “. . . consecrate yourselves, . . . and be holy, for I am holy.”
a. Their dress reflected God’s character.
b. Initial step in ordination had to do with cleansing. Exodus 29:20, “tip of right ear . . . right thumb . . . great toe of right foot.”
ii. Functions of the priesthood.
1. First, they were interpreters.
a. Brought God to the people. Malachi 2:7, “He is the messenger of the Lord of Hosts.”
b. Taught them moral, ceremonial law, hygiene, nutrition, medical diagnosis.
2. Secondly, they were mediators.
a. They brought the people to God. Exodus 28:5-4, stones on shoulder piece named tribes.
b. Purpose was atonement for sin.
iii. The structure of the priesthood.
1. The gradations within society were: people, Levites, priests, High Priest.
2. Last three are the spiritual elite. Recall Jesus’ parable. Luke 10:27f.
3. Levites were of tribe of Levi, but not of line of Aaron. Secondary temple duties.
4. Hierarchy was complete with High Priest. Leviticus 22:10, 11, 14 pictures distinctions between priests and people.
5. In addition to this hierarchy, also is a hereditary factor.
a. Ancestry and sex determine.
b. Birth, not worth, blood not gift.
c. Ineptness often occurred.
6. Priesthood ceased with destruction of temple in 70 A.D.
II. The High Priesthood of Jesus.
a. A superior priest.
i. There is a new covenant. I Corinthians 11:25 “this cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye.” See Jeremiah 31:31f.
ii. Hebrews directs our attention.
Hebrews 4:14 “great high priest”
Hebrews 2:17 “merciful and faithful high priest”
Hebrews 4:15 “sympathizes with our weaknesses”
Hebrews 7:11f outside the Levitical line (Melchizedek)
Hebrews 6:19 entering the new shrine
iii. Old symbolic of God’s presence, Jesus “bears the stamp of His nature” (Hebrews 1:3)
iv. He is ever alive to intercede (Hebrews 7:24f)
b. A superior sacrifice.
i. Superior because it is irreplaceable.
Hebrews 9:12 “once for all into the high priest.”
ii. Superior because it deals effectively with sin.
1. Thus is His priesthood.
2. Thus, He calls us to be priests.
iii. Class learning activity.
1. Ask class to take pencil/paper and find prophet, priest, king phrases in Hebrews 1:1-4.
III. His Priesthood and Ours.
Hebrews 10:19-25 “Having . . . brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, . . . having a high priest over the house of God; let us draw near with a true heart in full . . . our hearts sprinkled . . . our bodies washed. . . . Let us hold fast to the profession of our faith . . . And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works.”
a. We are to draw near.
The priest must be near to God and the alienated one to be of help.
b. We are to hold fast.
Clearly, we can do little for others if we are not faithful and upright ourselves.
c. We are to stir up.
Those outside the fold should never be “turned off” but “stirred up” by our ministrations.
IV. The Priesthood of Believers.
a. Jesus was not of the tribe of Levi, and lineage of Aaron. Not a professional priest.
b. Phrase, “Priesthood of Believers,” not found in the Bible.
c. Considering the five New Testament passages.
I Peter 2:5 “Like living stones be yourselves built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
I Peter 2:9 “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, that you may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”
d. The character of the priesthood
i. Holiness
ii. Royalty
e. The vocation of the priesthood.
i. Priests worship.
ii. Priests witness.
THE PRIESTHOOD OF THE BELIEVER (INTRODUCTION)
#846 THE PRIESTHOOD OF THE BELIEVER (INTRODUCTION)
Scripture I Peter 2:9; Exodus 19:4-6 Orig. 4/1/1988
Passage:
I Peter 2:9
9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
Exodus 19:4-6
4 “‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, 6 you[a] will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”
Purpose: To introduce the study of the doctrine of the priesthood of the believer to the Church Training class.
Keywords: Doctrine Priesthood
Introduction
Item: Which of the following would be the more correct?
· “The doctrine of the priesthood of all believers is a fundamental belief among all Baptists.” Findley Edge—1985 Doctrine of Laity1
· “The doctrine of the priesthood of all believers is a fundamentalist belief among Baptists.”--incorrect
Item: Pass out the true/false pretest. Take time to work through this entire sheet of twenty questions allowing class to write in their answer.
Item: Display Cel #2, pass out worksheets. The class is to decide whether they agree with the statements, disagree, or are undecided. Overlay Cel with answers and discuss with the class.
Item: Display Cel #3
· Discuss: The priesthood of believers is the centerpiece of the Baptist faith.
· Discuss: A priest is someone who relates to, and acts for, God.
· Discuss: All believers are priests.
· Discuss: Spectator religion is out.
· Discuss: Each Christian has a duty to hand on the gospel.
· Discuss: The veil of the temple was rent in the midst. (Luke 23:45)
After discussion try to mount each of these statements around the room.
I. Refer to Outline Poster.
a. Display Cel #4 (Outline).
b. If the Agree/Disagree worksheet has not been used, do so at this time.
c. Definition of terms.
i. Priest—a person who relates to and acts for God (14:3).
ii. Believers—those who hold the proposition that Jesus Christ of Nazareth is the final and ultimate revelation of the eternal God (9:4).
iii. Priesthood—to be priestly, to relate to and act for God (10:3).
iv. Priesthood of believers—a demand for priestly sacrifice to God on the part of all believers (13:1).
d. Have class search for answers to the “Who am I?” question in the text
i. I am Biblical
ii. I am Christian
iii. I am Baptist
iv. I am believer’s rights
v. I am one’s right to access God
vi. I am your right to choose Christ yourself
vii. I am the opposite of proxy religion
viii. I am the democratization of faith
ix. I am a movement of the people of God
x. I am your obligation of ministry
II. Looking at the Origin of Priesthood of Believers
a. Origin in biblical teaching
i. From Hebrew noun “kohen”—accepted meaning from the verb “to stand.” Used over 700 times in Old Testament
ii. Key Old Testament passage—Exodus 19:4-6 “You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. . . . You will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”
1. Moses was leading them to God’s will.
2. They were on the verge of entrance.
3. But first, they had to deal with a thing called “relationship” covenant.
4. It was an invitation to the entire nation to become priests.
b. Continuation in New Testament—
i. Greek word for priest is “hiereus.” Used in Gospels and Acts to describe the religious leadership of Israel; One reference to “priest of Zeus,” Acts 14:13.
ii. Various New Testament passages referring to the priesthood of believers.
1. I Peter 2:5, “You . . . are being built up into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood.”
2. I Peter 2:9, “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood.
3. Revelation 1:5-6. “To him who loves us . . . and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve . . . God.”
4. Revelation 5:9-10, “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God.”
5. Revelation 20:6, “. . . but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.”
c. Expression in the early church
i. Believers applied Exodus 19:6 to themselves.
ii. Drew strength from texts relating priesthood to Christ.
1. “Hiereus” refers to Christ
2. Hebrews 4:14, “great high priest.”
3. Hebrews 7:14, “offered up himself.”
iii. They understood that New Testament priest never referred to specialized clergy.
d. A development in history changed the meaning of priesthood.
i. Priesthood was clericalized! Example, Mennonites in Transylvania began looking from their own fellowship for the next pastor.
1. Clergy/laity came to be.
2. Equality gave way to hierarchy.
3. Then came celibacy to intensify.
ii. Grace was sacramentalized!
1. With the separation and exaltation of the professional clergy.
2. Only they could dispense favors—baptism, Lord’s Supper.
3. Sacramental faith replaced personal faith.
iii. Church was institutionalized.
1. Church became a place to go.
2. Called to serve, many became spectators.
e. From the Reformation on:
i. Revolt came under such men as Zwingli, Luther, Calvin.
ii. It was based upon a belief in justification by faith.
iii. Luther’s emphasis.
1. Before God all Christians have the same standing . . . through faith.
2. Each Christian is a priest and needs no mediator save Christ.
3. Each Christian is a priest and has an office of sacrifice, not the Mass but the dedication of himself.
4. Each Christian has a duty to hand on the gospel which he himself has received.
iv. The contemporary Baptist position.
1. The necessity for each person to make his or her own commitment to Christ.
2. The understanding of the church as a community of believers.
3. The affirmation of the priesthood of all believers.
a. Freeman Baptist World Alliance 1905 (essential) “the sovereignty of Christ, accompanied by . . . the complete and consistent recognition of His personal, direct and undelegated authority over . . . souls . . . men.”
b. E.Y. Mullins “Axions of Religion”2—historic significance of Baptists?? “The competency of the soul in religion.”
c. Truett—“Keystone truth of the Baptists.”
d. Norman W. Cox, “We Southern Baptists”—distinctive—“redeemed personality ministering under the Lordship of Christ.”
Conclusion
Call attention to teaching posters. Ask class to single out one special one and comment on it.
Distribute printed copy of pretest and ask class to complete it for the next session.
Call attention to the outline (Cel #4). Session Two will cover chapters 2/3 “The Priesthood of the Believers and the Bible/Salvation.”
1Edge, F. (1985). The Doctrine of the Laity. Convention Press.
2Mullins, E.Y. (1908). The Axioms of Religion. American Baptist Publication Society.
Mulllins: https://archive.org/details/axiomsofreligion01mull_0/page/8/mode/2up
PRIESTHOOD OF BELIEVERS AND SALVATION
#848 PRIESTHOOD OF BELIEVERS AND SALVATION
Scripture Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5-6, NIV Orig. May 14, 1988
Passage:
Ephesians 2:8-9
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
Titus 3:5-6
5 He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior….
Purpose: Continuing a Church Training study on the Priesthood of the Believer, here relating our understanding to salvation.
Keywords: Doctrine Priesthood
Timeline/Series: Baptist Beliefs
Introduction
Display Cel #6 “We are a holy and royal priesthood with the calling to worship and to witness. Our priesthood had origins in the Old Testament and is rooted in Christ, the Great High Priest.”
The above is a link to previous study unit. Briefly refer to the three-part outline: The Jewish Priesthood; The High Priesthood of Jesus; and The Priesthood of Believers. See if there are any comments or questions related to this prior study.
Display Cel #2. Underline Chapter 3. We will major this evening on the ways that the Priesthood of the Believer relates to salvation. Display the three-part outline of this chapter (Cel #7).
The Equality of Access to Salvation
The Personal Nature of Grace
The Voluntary Nature of Faith
Use Cel #7a as a kind of overview of this triumvirate. “Every person has the privilege of uncoerced personal access to God’s grace through Jesus Christ.”
Pass out the seven question cards. Responses!
1. How do the four gospels reveal Jesus as being available to all persons?
2. Who helped you come to trust Christ as your Saviour?
3. Do all persons have equality of access to God’s grace for salvation? What about those who’ve never heard?
4. Explain: “Salvation is not church by church, community by community, or nation by nation. It is lonely soul by lonely soul.”
5. Explain (Martin Luther): “Before God all Christians have the same standing.”
6. Dr. Shurden1 points out that Jesus’ love was a barrierless love. Do you have a problem loving certain people?
7. What are some ways people try to substitute for the gospel?
I. The Equality of Access to Salvation. John 3:16, “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.”
A. The gospel thus portrays Jesus. Matthew 11:28, “Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Heavy laden—referred to animal loads. John 12:32, “I, when I am lifted up, will draw all men unto me.”
All men without exception?
All without distinction?
B. Mullins “religious axiom.”
1-Equal access
2-The inalienable right of every soul to deal with God for itself.
3-Article in Friday paper (NSW 5-13-1988). Interview with Marilyn Vos Savant—identified herself as agnostic. Would be more open to a God defined in terms of one world religion.
4-Equality of access to God’s grace for salvation is not rooted in human capability. God is sovereign; His sovereignty can accept a wide corridor of human understanding or a narrow one.
C. A definition of salvation.
1-Greek—soteria—health, wholeness: Health as to fragmented bodies; wholeness as to fragmented relations; salvation as to fragmented spirits.
2-Salvation is God’s act on behalf of our helplessness.
D. A longer look at Ephesians 2:11-22
1-A man-made distinction: circumcised v. uncircumcised.
2-These distinctions are broken down in Christ. Actually, Hebrews were divided from each other. Courts of: Gentiles, Women, Israel, Priests; but even they were restricted from inner portion. But Christ brought deliverance alike to all. Ephesians 2:17, “And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. For through him we both have access. . . .” Access: to bring to.
E. Examining Jesus breaking down barriers.
Luke 6:15 Zealot—political distinction
Luke 19:5 Zacchaeus—religious distinction
John 4:27 Woman at the Well—sexual distinction
Mark 7:26 Syrophoenician—racial distinction
Matthew 8:10 Centurion—national distinction
Matthew 11:19 Sinners—social distinction
II. The Personal Nature of Grace. I John 1:2, “For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us.”
A. Thus, grace is God acting to make Himself known where otherwise He would not be known.
1. “Eternal life” is another reference to salvation.
2. He is making this truth known to those whose it is.
Apocalypsis—is an unveiling
Phaneroo—is personal revelation
B. God’s intervention in history was: personal, relational, individualistic. John 1:14, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” Matthew 1:23, “Emmanuel”—God with us.
C. Dealing with a persistent heresy—gnosticism.
1. Its teachings—Matter is evil/spirit is good. Salvation was through secret knowledge.
2. Dealing with it—Jesus was a real person with a real body. He sought to touch lives relationally. Salvation is through faith in a personal Saviour. It can only be accomplished one person at a time.
3. Proxies have no entrées to grace.
III. The Voluntary Nature of Faith. Exodus 19:8, “All that the Lord has spoken, we will do.” Luke 15:11-24 story of the prodigal: without reading all recall that shepherd went for sheep/woman searches for lost coin/the father can only wait until the son chooses to return.
A. What is at stake?
1. Freedom
2. Soul competency
3. Love cannot be forced.
4. Conversion can only be by conviction, not by compulsion.
B. What we can therefore conclude:
1. Mass evangelism is not a true concept. Billy Graham early went to train counselors, on site, to pair off with people making decision, even in films.
2. There can be no proxy salvation. Parents can not baptize an infant and assume that opens the door to faith.
3. A state church has always fallen into the pattern of coercive action. Even in early American life it emerged. Roger Williams, a Puritan himself, was banished from his Massachusetts church for soul competency. Read p.290 (S3).
4. The primacy of the individual is never to be so magnified as to produce anarchy.
5. And the opposite is true as well. The individual must never be treated as without private worth.
6. Freedom to express one’s own views must be seen to be inviolate. “No person . . . shall be in any wise molested, . . . for any differences of opinion (that) . . . do not actually disturb the civil peace . . . colony.”
7. Changes worldwide can only happen one person at a time.
Conclusion
Avoid truth by substitution: proxy—infant baptism.
Avoid truth by addition: Judaizers—become Jews to become Christians.
Avoid truth by subtraction: humanists—would dispense with sin.
Avoid truth by multiplication: works—C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters.
Shurden,Walter https://www.amazon.com/Baptist-Identity-Four-Fragile-Freedoms/dp/188083720X
Lewis, C.S. Books - Official Site | CSLewis.com
1Shurden, W.B. (1993). The Baptist Identity: Four Fragile Freedoms. (14th Edition). Smyth & Helwys Publishing, Inc.
COVETOUSNESS REDEFINED
#299 COVETOUSNESS REDEFINED
Scripture Exodus 20:17, Luke 12:13-21, NIV Orig. 8/21/1966
Rewr. 10/28/1984
Passage:
Exodus 20:17
17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
Luke 12:13-21
13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
14 Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” 15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”
16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’
18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’
20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”
Purpose: To conclude a series of messages on The Ten Commandments, this one redefining a positive thrust to “desire for” what is good.
Keywords: Covetousness Holy Spirit Gifts Series, Ten Commandments
Timeline/Series: Sequential
Introduction
I stood one day looking upon a woodland scene that is etched still upon my memory. The characters in the drama in miniature that unfolded before my eyes that day were a colony of ants. They were busy about those things that seem almost mechanical with such creatures. I was reminded then and now of that passage from The Book of Proverbs (Proverbs 30:25), “The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer.”
As I watched the busy activity at my feet that day, I wondered how many hundreds were passing under my gaze, and how many thousands of others that I could not see, all of which had one common goal. They were moving with unhurried pace, toward or away from the place that was their single destination. There was one sure sign of where home was. It was noted by the direction of those laboring under a burden.
I was fascinated by the trail over which they travelled. The woodland carpet had been worn nearly three quarters of an inch deep by their busy feet. Here was evidence of insatiable desire for food. Not by the wildest stretch of one’s imagination, however, could this be called covetousness.
Less than a mile away I had on numerous pastoral visits encountered another, though much larger, trail worn through a carpet of grass. It was worn by a collie named Prince as he roamed inside a fenced yard, barking at and chasing everything that appeared to his searching eye. That unreasoned longing more closely defines what God’s Word speaks of as covetousness.
I. A Negative Notification. V17, “Ye shall not covet your neighbor’s house; ye shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”
1. The command first speaks of property.
a. Note that this command takes a direction that the others do not. It is self-limited.
b. The word “covet” means “inordinate desire.”
c. Eve—“Do not eat”—Satan challenged her at the point that God was saving the good one for Himself. She looked, she lingered, she longed, she listened, she lost.
d. Lot—While Abram built an altar, Lot (Genesis 13:12) was said to be “pitching his tent toward Sodom.”
2. The command secondly speaks of coveting the person of another.
a. It speaks as the 7th, at the point of sensual desire. Jesus enlarges on this to remind us that such begins with a look.
b. We remember well the story of David. I Samuel 17—a man of greatness—through II Samuel 10, II Samuel 11—obituary—“From the roof he saw” his sin, death of Uriah, encounter with Nathan, the child’s death, Absalom’s rebellion.
c. This also speaks, as the 8th, at the point of personal gain. Recall Laban—When Abram’s servant went to find a wife for Isaac, Laban “saw the earrings and bracelets that had been given to Rebecca and he went to fetch the man.”
II. A Positive Promise. Luke 12:31, “Seek the Kingdom of God, and all these things will be added unto you.” I Corinthians 12:31, “Covet earnestly the best gifts, and yet I show you a more excellent way.”
1. It is the positive promise of a job to be done, a task to be accomplished.
a. Every person should have free and equal access to labor. The biggest problem facing the next President is jobs. Louisiana has unemployment from 4% to 14%. The chief concern of governors, legislators, and police juries ought to be jobs. God to Adam “by the sweat of your brow you will earn your bread.” Proverbs 30:25, “The ants are a people not strong. Yet they prepare their meat in the summer.”
b. Any sin of coveting here, is in coveting not to work.
c. It is certainly not a sin to covet a place of responsibility in your church. The best performance of tasks is always by people who desire those tasks.
2. It is the positive promise of family.
a. Can there be higher or nobler thinking than to COVET family. Two people in committed love. A thousand when God’s love sustains.
b. We are told that there was a tribe in New Mexico who had no word in their language for love. Translators struggled with John 3:16. Nearest word was similar to “heartburn.” “God so hurt in His heart.”
3. The positive promise of a faith to share.
a. The teaching of Jesus is clear. “Blessed are they who do hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled.” This is uncommon desire. But it is not inordinate. In John 6:27 Jesus told a parable of a pearl of great price. “When he found one pearl of great price, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it.” Such covetousness is allowed. Nay, rather, it is expected and demanded.
b. The teachings of God’s Word contain no other message. I Corinthians 12:31 “Covet the best gifts.” I Corinthians 14:39, “Covet to prophesy.” Psalm 51, “A broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
Conclusion
Tell the story from childhood of desire to have as Fuller Callaway, III, had. Call attention to the fact that while still a young man, having lived his life in luxury, [he died a suicide].
THE COMMON THIEVERIES OF LIFE
#289 THE COMMON THIEVERIES OF LIFE
Scripture: Exodus 20:15, Malachi 3:8-10 NIV Orig. 7/17/1966; 10/1984
Rewr. 7/24/1989
Passage:
Exodus 20:15
15 “You shall not steal.
Malachi 3:8-10
8 “Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me.
“But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’
“In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.”
Purpose: Continuing a series on the Ten Commandments, here identifying this eighth command as the bold declaration of relationship.
Keywords: Morality Series, Ten Commandments
Timeline/Series: Sequential
Introduction
Back in the mid-seventies, there were many students from Middle Eastern countries in school in various universities across the United States. One of the major ways in the last half century that America has helped third world nations is through the education of some of their brightest students.
One of these exchange students was in school in Oklahoma, It became necessary for him to purchase a used car. He was on a limited budget, but had to have a dependable car. The young man went to an agency near the campus and made the necessary arrangements. The used car served the young man well. Even when service was needed the dealer went out of his way to provide for this customer that would be leaving the country as soon as he graduated. He could have treated the young man shabbily. After all, the oldest consumer declaration known is “caveat emptor”—“Let the buyer beware.”
This is the rest of the story. Years passed. The young man, highly trained in business acumen, worked hard and became purchasing agent for a contractors’ association that was an affiliate of his government. Remembering his honest American friend who had helped him secure and keep a used car, he placed an order for his government. The order was for 450 pick-up trucks, and 750 heavy dump trucks.
I. The First Concern of Thievery is in not Daring. “Thou shalt not steal” means that we possess honorably, or not at all.
1. It is the failure to accept God’s plan for human provisioning.
1) Some think that work was a punishment heaped on Adam for his sin.
2) I remind you that he was given the garden and made to be its keeper.
3) God’s plan, then, is all are to be remunerated for their labor.
a) The Fourth command sought to certify a day of rest from labor.
b) Proverbs 12:11, “He who tills his land will be satisfied with bread.”
c) The prudent woman of Proverbs 31:27, “She watches over the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness.”
d) Paul advised Christians in I Thessalonians 4:11, “We urge you to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands.”
e) There was an even stronger word in I Timothy 5:8, “If any provide not for his own, he has denied the faith.”
f) Even the beasts were protected by Deuteronomy 25:4, “Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn.” Quoted in I Corinthians 9:9 and again in I Timothy 5:18.
4) This plan is the foundation upon which any workable economic system is based.
a) One of the first freedoms should be the right to work—therefore to earn, therefore to save.
b) It is in this spirit of occupation that God gave man “dominion.” We can “occupy”—sitting, sleep. But for the Greek literally, it means “to be busy with.”
2. It is also the failure to live within our means.
1) Many year-end crime reports show most arrests for robbery, burglary. Last seen—over 1,000 per day
2) Article (Christianity Today) “Stealing Their Way through College.”
3) Until recently, 85% were men.
3. It is not daring to grant to others what we demand for ourselves.
1) There are too many who are unaffected by the plight of unemployed/under-employed.
2) Christians need to address social issues that force people into crime. In VBS I shared the story of Frank Laubach. More need to adopt his “Each One Teach One” philosophy.
4. Thank God, men are not working in sweatshops for pennies a day. 15-year-old boys are not being hung for stealing bread. But America still has social circumstances motivating criminal activity.
II. An Additional Concern of Thievery is That of not Sharing. “Thou shalt not steal” means that it is a sin to guard so selfishly what we should give away.
1. Not sharing the return of honest debts.
a. Christians are to be fiscally responsible.
b. That means paying debts, living within our means.
c. Proverbs 28:6, “Better is the poor that walketh in his uprightness, than he that is perverse in his ways though he be rich.”
d. I remind you there our responsibility to God is pictured in terms of debt—Our sin has not only corrupted us. Romans 8:12, “WE are debtors, not to the flesh, . . . but . . . the Spirit.”
2. It means sharing the load of legitimate taxes.
a. Not to pay the debts of scheming politicians. This week’s paper tells of Angola and the former governor’s agent (________) serving a five-year prison term.
b. Not to build up a welfare system that invites corruption.
c. To keep my country strong, and to help the weak, aged, homeless, who are not able to help themselves.
3. And of course it means the sharing of the blessings of the tithe.
a. Old Testament law or New Testament expectation for every believer.
b. The higher goal of reconciliation. Matthew 5:23, “If your gift . . . and remember, leave . . . go be reconciled.”
c. Malachi 3:8 pleads that the people not “rob God.”
d. At the point of commitment, we discover what we ought to do materially.
e. One of the eight woes of Luke 11:42 is of those tithing everything except a willing spirit.
III. The Final Concern of Thievery is That of not Caring. “Thou shalt not steal” speaks of the sin of not caring.
1. Stay free from the sin of benefiting from someone else’s misfortune. There was the Biblical character of Jacob (deceiver). He is not pictured as a hero. In fact, he makes amends to Esau.
2. Stay free from the sin of robbing a person of that that is irreplaceable.
a. Many girls have lost virtue on the basis of false promises [by] boys.
b. Gossip has been the instrument of stealing honor, integrity—to start it [or] to pass it along. Shakespeare: “He that filches from me my good name, Robs me of that which not enriches him, and makes me poor indeed.” (Iago in Othello).
3. Stay free from the sin of stealing from the truth of God’s Word.
a. To deny it is to rob it of saving efficacy.
b. To compromise it is to steal from its life-giving vitality. John 10:1, “I say to you, he who does not enter the sheep-fold by the door, the same is a thief and a robber.”
4. Stay free from the sin of robbing people of their dignity.
a. They are the children of God.
b. We are to treat all people accordingly.
Conclusion
A student at seminary was the son of Japanese diplomat. In England they were given one hour to pack before being extradited at start of the war. Value (silver and gold); ancestor (porcelains, etc.). Finally, woolens, food. The war robbed them of great wealth. A daughter killed herself when her husband was killed in kamikaze raid. Converted in Germany following the war when he was given a portion of a German New Testament.
Links
https://renovare.org/articles/living-each-moment-with-a-sense-of-gods-presence-frank-laubach
THE SAD, SIMPLE SIN OF ADULTERY
#286 THE SAD, SIMPLE SIN OF ADULTERY
Scripture Exodus 20:14, Matthew 5:27-28 NIV Orig. 7/10/1966, 2/1976
Rewr. 7/17/1989
Passage:
Exodus 20:14
14 “You shall not commit adultery.
Matthew 5:27-28
27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’[a] 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Purpose: Continuing a series on the ten commandments, here defining the sin of adultery as the abuse of human sexuality.
Keywords: Adultery Love Marriage Sexuality Series, 10 Commandments
Timeline/Series: Sequential
Introduction
If you could decide for everyone of what human sexuality ought to consist, what would you decide? If your marriage were to become the touchstone, would our society be better off for it?
The most significant human relationship on this earth is that which exists between a man and a woman who have shared fully of themselves with each other. To share fully, means to share in perpetuity. Significance is determined by two lives interwoven with the fabric of eternity.
It was popular a generation ago, but was indicative of fleshly pursuits rather than spiritual acumen:
“Though our love may vanish with the morning light,
We loved once in splendor, how tender the night.”
Today’s lyrics are far more vulgar and suggestive. The goal of the entertainment industry today is to make the lifestyle of its proponents the standard for all.
Christians do not have a choice. We are not free to choose the kind of sexuality that we will employ. Song of Solomon (3:5) contains an intriguing directive.
“I adjure you, O daughter of Jerusalem, by the gazelles, and by the hinds of the fields, that you stir not up nor awaken love until it pleases.”
It addresses the vulnerability of sexuality. To love always means to be vulnerable. It means to face the trauma of what may jeopardize love. Human spirituality is the resource through which we see the enemies to such love and by opposing, end them.
I. The Sin Addressed in the Seventh Commandment is That of Adultery.
1. Its principal infraction is within the bounds of marriage. Matthew 19:5, “For this cause shall a man leave father and mother and shall cleave to his wife, and they shall be one flesh.”
a. “Cleave,” by the way, means “to join fast together, to cement.”
b. Marriage is a firm, fast, part of the plan of God. It was so in the beginning. Jesus affirms its longevity.
c. It is the fullest expression of human sexuality.
i. Not to be learned in Hollywood. The music video scene prostitutes its meaning. To follow the world’s way is to be adrift on a sea of passion.
ii. The Victorian church is partly responsible. The abusive dogma of sex for procreation only is as offensive as promiscuity.
iii. It is the physical, mental, spiritual sharing of a man and a woman in every dynamic of life.
2. Biblical adultery, however, is more than the breakdown of marriage.
a. It is defined as well as premarital sexual experimentation. Deuteronomy 22 defines a long list of sexual infractions. For these improprieties, death was often the sentence. Marriage was an alternative if both were single. There has to be a better beginning.
b. Nothing is as simple as it used to be. Valentine Day was celebrated on the frontier by leaving a cryptographic message, stamping on the porch, and hiding to watch the object of this flirtation to see her reaction upon deciphering the message. Even if people had porches, I would not advise stamping on them in the middle of the night.
c. What we Christians must always remember is that we can’t teach what we don’t live. The Grapes of Wrath sizzled forty years ago. It hardly raises an eyebrow today. There are a lot of mothers out there who have caved in and just teach their daughters about the pill.
d. The young person who navigates this sea of promiscuity has had excellent example, exemplary teaching, and probably has good genes besides. It is worth the wait. But marriage is made of more than innocence.
II. We Are Not Hard-Pressed to Certify the Wrong of Adultery.
1. It is wrong in the first place, because God’s Word says so.
a. There are those who say it is a question for consenting adults. Kinsey refers to sexuality as “biologic function.” It is that in lower animals. Do you wish it to be no more for humans?
b. Trull calls man the “superorganic creation,” meaning that his sexuality is unlike other created orders.
c. There are theologians who confuse the issue. They are of the “new morality.” Basically, this is the old immorality given acceptance. Biblically, morally, humanly, sex is uniquely tied to marriage. It is climax and consummation of union.
Charlie Brown stood transfixed considering the hill just out of town. “What’s on the other side?” he mused. “What if there’s a kid over there looking over here wondering what’s on the other side?” Lucy yells out, “Forget it kid.”
Christians survey the landscape of sexuality. Some struggle to the top of the hill because it’s there, asking “What if?” They toboggan to the bottom, crash on all the clutter. Look back asking, “What if?”
2. For the Christian, God’s Word is enough, but how do we convince an unbelieving world?
a. Sexual misconduct is harmful. Not because Father Time says so, or some zealous evangelist. Perverted love is lust, and lust distorts the capacity for caring. Sex becomes “What I can do for me,” and nothing else.
b. It is harmful for pathological reasons. Such diseases have always been around. The new kid on the block is AIDS. Newsweek reports that CDC will soon announce 100,000 cases, 54,000 deaths—Nearly as many as killed in Vietnam.
c. Abortion is a social concern, but it is directly related to sexual misconduct.
III. A Final Word Must Be Said of Judgment. “Thou shalt not commit adultery.”
1. This means that there are moral implications.
a. There is no satisfaction being only a dispenser of accusations.
b. Openness to discuss such things means little if there are no alternatives. Two monkeys were on their way to the moon. One says, “This is a heck of a way to make a living.” The other responded, “You remember, they offered you cancer research.”
2. For the guilty, there is the alternative of forgiveness. It begins [by] recognizing God’s sovereignty. For best results it should involve the offended spouse. One must be capable of forgiving oneself as well.
3. To deny the forgiveness factor is to play Russian roulette with our emotions. James 1:15, “Sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” Romans 1:24, “Wherefore God gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts.”
4. A final word, then, to the inexperienced.
a. Keeping God’s command is reasonable.
b. Not only is it best, it is possible.
c. Cultivate clean thinking: avoid unseemly, sexually explicit situations.
d. Accept the high ideal of Christ and trust Him for Holy Spirit help.
e. Don’t complicate others’ lives by gossip, even when you know it’s true.
THE STRANGE WAYS OF DEATH
#284 THE STRANGE WAYS OF DEATH
Scripture Exodus 20:13, Matthew 5:21-22, NIV Orig. 7/3/1966 (2/1976)
Rewr. 7/13/1999
Passage:
Exodus 20:13
13 “You shall not murder.”
Matthew 5:21-22
21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder,[a] and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister[b][c] will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’[d] is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.”
Purpose: Continuing a series from the Ten Commandments, here calling attention to the involvements of causal death.
Keywords: Death Murder Series: Ten Commandments Suicide
Timeline/Series: Sequential
Introduction
The strange ways of death affect each of us. To the one it lends itself in quest of eternal values, of God Himself. To the other it causes the bristling of the hairs of doubt and dread.
I struggled for years with the husband of a church member who would close any conversation in reference to his lack of faith with a heated charge. He could not, would not believe in a God who would allow such perpetration of evil as that heaped upon the German Jews of the Second World War.
But many have been propelled to faith by some disquieting visit from the death angel. My good friend, and fellow New Orleans pastor, came to seminary after such a visit in a Kerr-McGee pumping station in Oklahoma. He was an active Christian. In fact, it was his relationship to his church that was directly related to the death Ralph Blevins arranged for a Wednesday night off to participate in an important church business meeting. And on that night, one of the proverbial plains tornadoes roared into his home town and vented its fury precisely on that pumping station, killing the substitute attendant. It was that death that turned my friend toward the pursuit of a seminary education and a commitment to the pastorate.
After graduation he became pastor of a struggling congregation on the lower side of the Crescent City, and never found reason to leave. Retired now, “death’s strange ways” touched his life in New Orleans as well. His older daughter’s husband was killed, electrocuted, while flying a wire-controlled model airplane. His younger daughter, twenty-one at the time, [died] of heart failure.
Some of “death’s strange ways” may be listed as “acts of God.” Death is much easier to deal with if it is so defined. Others cannot be! Must not be! How does one make peace with such loss when it results from the machinations of other human beings. God’s Word is adamant. “Thou shalt not kill.” But a lot of people are being killed, and artful devices in the hands of other people are clearly at fault.
I. Our First Consideration is of Death by Malice. James 4:1, “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? . . . You kill and covet.”
1. The heat of anger.
a. Our law differentiates between premeditated and unpremeditated. A man was dead from a gun in another man’s hand, but in defending himself he was ruled to have caused the discharge. Justice? Unless he was our friend.
b. The scripture concludes a difference. Numbers 35:11, “. . . cities of refuge. . . , that the slayer may flee thither, which killeth any person at unawares.”
1-A type of mercy.
2-Personal responsibility was taught.
3-Presumptuous wrong, high-handed sin, offered no recourse. Numbers 15:30f
c. So, man assumes the responsibility, regardless of terms, when he takes another’s life. Shakespeare Othello: “Put out the light, and then put out the light: If I quench thee, thou flaming minister, I can again thy flaming light restore. But once put out thy light, . . . I know not where is that Promethean heat that can thy light relume.”
2. Beyond the heat of anger looms the stress of war. A 4th grader asked how WWII started. The mother told of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The father, in another room, came quickly to point out all the other factors involved. A heated argument ensued. “Never mind, I think I get the picture.”
a. A Norwegian statistician fed information about wars into a computer It revealed the following:
1-5,575 years of recorded history
2-14,530 wars (2-1/2 times as many)
3- Of 190 generations, 10 without war
4-WWI mobilized 65 million with 8-1/2 million deaths and 37-1/2 million casualties
5-WWII mobilized 100 million with 22 million deaths and 34 million casualties
b. Hosea knew what God’s attitude was. Hosea 2:18, “Bow and sword and battle I will abolish from the land so that all may lie down in safety.” Amos 9:14, “They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them.”
c. When you find God’s people with a sword in their hand or a dagger at their throats, you remember, it is man’s device, not God’s.
II. We Must Not Overlook Death Without Malice. The “city of refuge” is for the one killing “any person at unawares.” (Numbers 15:11)
1. Scripture says little other than implantation of these cities of refuge.
a. A clear difference between killing and murder.
b. But to have accidentally caused the death of another defines guilt.
c. Such refugees taught personal responsibility.
2. Accidental death take a different hue in this 20th Century.
a. Daggers didn’t go off accidentally.
b. People were rarely run down by camels.
c. The only people with wheels were potters.
3. Our day is beset by the woes of the avoidable accident.
a. Every family in this room has been visited by accidental death, many caused.
b. I have had to preach these funerals.
c. I passed recently within two blocks of a railroad crossing where family of six killed on their way to church.
4. I pray to reach a safe haven. I pray that I may not be guilty of another’s death. The single best thing you can do is to teach by example: alcohol does not belong behind the wheel, and seat belts should always be used.
5. There is also a liability beyond immediate cause.
a. Employees are to take seriously the safety of all employees.
b. Landlords should be held accountable for hazardous dwellings.
c. There are those who are culturally dead barely existing in a society that has passed them by. Was it suicide or murder?
III. Consider this Death by Suicide.
1. The statistics are appalling.
a. Every 2-1/2 minutes someone attempts.
b. 25,000 a year (in U.S.) succeed.
c. So many have occurred on the West Coast that some researchers have called it the West Coast sickness.
d. They’re mostly white, Protestant. They’ve run as far as they can run.
2. On the world scene it is frightening.
a. W.H.O. researcher Anthony May
b. May be as many as 1000/day—10X as many attempts.
IV. There are Biblical Examples of Proxy Deaths. David had Uriah put in the line of fire to ensure his death.
1. There is the guilt of the alcohol-sated driver who causes other deaths. A Kentucky man last year who hit a church bus. Is “may he rot in jail” unkind?
2. Drugs (even prescribed) cause people to do things unacceptable by decent standards.
a. Baby found wandering on freeway in New Orleans.
b. At the controls of an 18-wheeler, speeding freight, 200,000-barrel tanker. Drug tests are no longer a deprivation of freedom, they are essential to order.
V. If Christ were Standing Here Before Us, There are Some Things I Imagine He Would Say.
1. No one knows better than He that all must be finally visited by dusky death.
2. To be responsible for the death of any human being under any conditions as a grievous sin (with or without malice, avoidable or not, premeditated or not)
3. To take up arms to do bodily harm must be perceived as against the will of God, and is therefore sin.
4. Even when war is an inescapable alternative, we are to remember our accountability.
5. Our city of refuge: Proverbs 18:10, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run into it and are safe.”
THE CHRISTIAN’S MANIFEST DESTINY
#414 THE CHRISTIAN’S MANIFEST DESTINY
Scripture John 14:15-21, NIV Orig. 8/27/1967
Rewr. 1/8/1984
Passage: 15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be[a] in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”
Purpose: To call my people to a higher understanding of those measures of our faith that are vital to Christian growth.
Keywords: Christ the Lord Holy Spirit Obedience Creed Spiritual Growth
Introduction
A phrase was coined back in the 1840’s that expressed the nationalistic thinking of many Americans. That was during the time that much was happening in the sphere of national expansion. Many of our countrymen during that era felt that, because of economic and political superiority, the free and democratic government of the United States was destined to rule all of North America.
The phrase “manifest destiny” was born. It was first used in an article promoting the annexation of Texas. It was as if we, our country, had some sovereign right to lay claim to any territory that we would, irregardless of its inhabitants or claims by other governments.
“Manifest Destiny” as it referred to national expansion was a false tenet. It could not be upheld in courts of law.
A similar term could be coined just now among Southern Baptists as we banter back and forth about a “Baptist creed.” Jimmy Draper, our present president, has spoken openly and often about such a need. Many strong, sound voices have spoken in opposition. Baptists have never had a creed. We don’t need one now.
When Charles Colson (Watergate conspirator) last spoke to Southern Baptists, he responded to an often-asked question about why, after his conversion, he had chosen to unite with Southern Baptists. Among other sound reasons, he stated that the lack of a creedal posture had appealed to him.
However, we must not confuse lack of “creed” with a lack of conviction. There are some things that are vital to our welfare, not just as Baptists, but as believers. There are scriptural positions that are so clear, and so often-stated, that we endanger ourselves when we violate or even speculate about such matters.
I want to share four of these scriptural positions with you this morning. 1-The Mediatorial Posture of Jesus. 2-The Counseling Primacy of the Holy Spirit. 3-The Necessary Practice of Loving Obedience. 4-The Enduring Practicality of Father Discipline. 5-The Distrust of the World.
I. The Mediatorial Posture of Jesus. V16, And I will pray the Father and He shall give you another advocate . . . . V18, I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
1. This is to be applied to the salvation experience. Romans 14:4, every one of us shall give account of himself to God. Zechariah the prophet wrote of his experience with the judgment of God. “I looked and, behold, a man with a measuring line. ‘Whither goest thou?’ ‘To measure Jerusalem.’”
2. Jesus Christ is God’s measuring rod for salvation.
John 3:16, For God so loved
Romans 6:23, The gift of God is eternal life
Galatians 3:13, Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law
I Corinthians 16:22, If any man love not Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema
Sunday School lesson—if you earnestly studied then you got past those 12 verses in the printed text to verse 19. I had rather speak five words: Jesus Christ, God, Son, Saviour.
II. The Counseling Primacy of the Holy Spirit. V16, He shall give you another comforter, that He may abide with you forever.
1. The Spirit remains in the world to help Christians to grow in grace. Old Testament concept—the spirit came at times of particular stress and was given to certain people. Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Samuel. David—more written by and about him; examples of inspired writing; time of depraved life—spirit spoke through Nathan.
2. We have His help and power in exact proportion to our willingness and openness. There is a oneness in marriage _______. I Corinthians 6:17, He that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. Arthur Pierson—Isaac Newton, Mendelssohn, Michelangelo—their spirit wedded to his he would be like them—so with Christ.
III. The Necessary Practice of Loving Obedience. V15, If ye love me, keep my commandments. Matthew 7:21, Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in Heaven.
1. You will note the careful description of this. It is loving obedience. Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego. If you are ready, good; if not, into the furnace, and who is the god who can deliver you? If our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, He will deliver us. But if not, be it known to thee O King, that we will not serve your gods, or worship the golden image which you have set up.
2. Obedience without love has not place in the Christian gospel. It is this love that makes obedience a necessity. The mangrove tree grows along tropical _____, near the ocean. Growing along rivers, their stilt-like roots trap silt and build up the land. When built up beyond reach of tide, they die.
IV. The Practicality of Father Discipline. V23, My Father will love him (who loves me) and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
The story is told of a missionary who was serving amidst difficult circumstances and came to feel defeated and frustrated over his work. He tried praying but no answer came. He determined to go into the interior and in a place alone, struggle with God until an answer came. He stopped in the home of another missionary. Going in to pray he saw a placard, “Try thanksgiving.”
Gail Brook Burket, Paradox, C Miller A View p58
Men call me Master, but will not obey;
Good Shepherd, yet delight to go astray;
The Sun of R_________, but choose the night;
The Truth, yet put my precepts from their sight;
The Way, but follow other paths through life;
A Sure Foundation, while they build on sand;
The King of Kings, and spurn my great command.
Men call me Lord and Saviour even now,
Who press the thorns of hatred on my brow.
V. The Distrust of the World. V19, Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more, but ye see me. V22, How is it thou manifest thyself unto us and not to the world?
Edgewater Beach—paragraph missing
Those nine men were called to stand before God in judgment. They learned that their wealth was of no benefit. We will stand before Him and discover that the lack of wealth is no benefit. Only Christ can save and that through personal experience.
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.
Paul’s five words: Jesus Christ, God, Son, Saviour.
Closing
What is it like to become thus a child of God? It’s like you have been driving in a great city during rush hour in one of those places where a lane is closed, and tenseness and aggravation know no bounds. Suddenly the lanes are open again and you are beyond the city and the suburbs.
All of the traffic and all of the danger may still be present, but the tenseness and the anxiety have disappeared in the open air.
Edgewater Beach--https://thereformedbroker.com/2012/07/25/nine-financiers/