Calvary Chapel North Phoenix » Podcasts

LOVE REJOICES IN THE TRUTH

calvary-staff — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:34:35 +0000

11-04-09

WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT? – AN IN-DEPTH SERIES ON 1 COR. 13

“Love Rejoices in the Truth”

1 Corinthians 13:6

INTRODUCTION:

I. LOVE DOES NOT REJOICE IN INIQUITY

A. Differences Between Iniquity, Transgression and Sin

Ex 34:6-7

6 And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, 7 keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.” NKJV

-a general distinction between iniquity, transgression and sin

-the problem with a general definition of each of these words is that sometimes they are used interchangeably throughout the Bible

-the context of the verse determines the more exact definition

-sin is the more general term; in the Hebrew language the word is khattah, the Greek word is hamartano (not a witness)

-both mean ‘to miss the mark’, whether you are aiming at it or not

-many have put forth the idea that the English word ‘sin’ was a term used in archery; when you missed the target, it was called a sin

-iniquities and transgressions come under the umbrella of sin

-all iniquities and transgressions are sins, but not all sins are either of these

-a transgression is ‘a willful act of disobedience to a known law, whether secular or sacred’; the Hebrew word is pesha; the Greek word is anomia

-it is a purposed act, a premeditated act, a rebellious act; yes, it is sin; but it is an act that stems from a more deep origin of thought and attitude

-iniquity is at the heart of all of it; iniquity is ‘that tendency, that inclination that lies in the heart of all men because of the fallen nature’

-the Hebrew word for iniquity is avon; the Greek is paranomia; the core meaning of iniquity is ‘perversity, moral evil, twisted nature

B. Definition of Rejoicing in Iniquity

-now let’s go back to 1 Cor. 13:6 “[love] does not rejoice in iniquity…”

-this phrase targets ‘the inward approval and gladness over evil and calamity that happens to another’

-iniquity played out is never worthy of our satisfaction; God’s love has no pleasure in seeing the twisted, immoral heart out itself

-God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked, even though judgment must be meted out on the soul that sins without faith in Christ Jesus His Son

Ezek 33:11 Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’ NKJV

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. NKJV

-here is how a couple of other translations interpret this phrase in 1 Cor. 13:6

1 Cor 13:6 It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail. AMP

1 Cor 13:6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out.

-the phrase isn’t so much referring to a rejoicing in the doing of iniquity, as it has to do with being internally glad at seeing the results of iniquity

-why is it that we can justify seeing and accepting immorality on TV or the movies as long as it’s in the setting of comedy or just a movie setting?

-the actors and actresses aren’t married; they may not fully consummate their implied actions on the screen; but the idea is to have it happen in your mind

-a person controlled by the love of God should seek to cover another’s calamity, not gloat over the evil that took place

Prov 24:17-18

17 Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; 18 Lest the Lord see it, and it displease Him, And He turn away His wrath from him. NKJV

Job 31:29-30

29 “If I have rejoiced at the destruction of him who hated me, Or lifted myself up when evil found him 30 (Indeed I have not allowed my mouth to sin By asking for a curse on his soul); NKJV

Prov 17:5 He who mocks the poor reproaches his Maker; He who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished. NKJV

Obad 12 But you should not have gloated over your brother’s day, the day when his misfortune came and he was made a stranger; you should not have rejoiced over the sons of Judah in the day of their ruin; you should not have spoken arrogantly in the day of their distress. AMP

-I would like to add that the removal of someone who has been harassing you because of some calamity that happened to them will bring a relief from the pressure; that does lift the burden of the oppression

-but the overall idea here is that there should be a sadness over the wasted opportunity for repentance and restoration to the Living, Loving God

C. Description of Some of the Corinthian Believers

-when you read through Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian believers you find that they were turning a blind eye to the iniquities committed in their midst

-they were allowing the infighting of who had the most honorable discipler; they were allowing blatant immorality to go unchecked in the name of tolerance

-they were defrauding one another and not dealing with it as leaders

-they were flaunting their spiritual gifts in a prideful manner and thinking because it was a spiritual gift they shouldn’t be questioned by others

-Paul’s second epistle shows that they received his exhortations and rebukes, although there were still some among them that challenged his authority

II. LOVE REJOICES IN THE TRUTH

A. Definition of ‘Truth’

-God’s love rejoices when truth and right prevail; the definition of ‘true’ from Webster’s 1828 Dictionary:

1. Conformable to fact; being in accordance with the actual state of things;

2. Genuine; pure; real; not counterfeit, adulterated or false

3. Faithful; steady in adhering to friends, to promises, to a prince or to the state; loyal; not false, fickle or perfidious

4. Free from falsehood

5. Honest; not fraudulent

6. Exact; right to precision; conformable to a rule or pattern

7. Straight; right

8. Not false or pretended

9. Rightful

-notice that accurate facts are necessary to establish a standard of truth

-when truth is only relative–relative to the situation, relative to the culture, relative to one’s own philosophy of life–there is no constant

-when the standard is within one’s own self, it is always changing, morphing, unstable and chaotic

-there must a standard outside of man; God Himself is that standard

-what He tells us is truth; what He says in His word is truth

-(go over some of the ‘truth’ Scriptures from the Apostle John’s writings; these are at the end of these notes)

B. Display of Love: JOY

-when you look at Galatians 5:22-23 you read the description of the fruit of the Spirit of God; the first character is that of love, agape’ love, unconditional

-many see this as a list of the nine fruits of the Spirit seen through the life of a yielded believer in Christ Jesus

-but when you compare that list with what we are studying here in 1 Cor. 13 we find that it is possible that love is THE expression, with the others coming out of love

-it does say fruit, singular, not plural; the words fruits in the plural are used many times throughout the New Testament

-the first expression of love is joy; joy can be defined by that inward peace and contentment which is not dependent upon outward circumstances

-joy is much deeper than happiness; happiness is more dependent on circumstances being favorable

-love rejoices in the truth, rejoices when right and truth prevail

-there are times when in our flesh we don’t want the truth to prevail; we would rather hide the truth or skirt around the issue

-we don’t want to be confronted with the truth when we are trying to live a duplicitous life

-but God’s love has no desire to hide or to veil the truth; there is tremendous freedom with truth; it’s lying that complicates everything

-when our government passes legislation that is in line with Biblical values, that’s something to rejoice over! most of the congressmen are not believers!

-Paul rejoiced when the gospel was preached even from insincere motives!

Phil 1:12-19

12 And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News. 13 For everyone here, including the whole palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ. 14 And because of my imprisonment, most of the believers here have gained confidence and boldly speak God’s message without fear.

15 It’s true that some are preaching out of jealousy and rivalry. But others preach about Christ with pure motives. 16 They preach because they love me, for they know I have been appointed to defend the Good News. 17 Those others do not have pure motives as they preach about Christ. They preach with selfish ambition, not sincerely, intending to make my chains more painful to me. 18 But that doesn’t matter. Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice. 19 For I know that as you pray for me and the Spirit of Jesus Christ helps me, this will lead to my deliverance.

III. LOOKING AT THIS IN OUR VARIOUS LIFE SITUATIONS

A. In Marriage

B. In Family

C. In Relationships

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. NKJV

John 1:17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. NKJV

John 3:21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.” NKJV

John 4:23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. NKJV

John 4:24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” NKJV

John 5:33 You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. NKJV

John 8:32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” NKJV

John 8:40 But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this. NKJV

John 8:44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. NKJV

John 8:45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. NKJV

John 8:46 Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me? NKJV

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. NKJV

John 14:17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. NKJV

John 15:26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. NKJV

John 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. NKJV

John 16:13 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. NKJV

John 17:17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. NKJV

John 17:19 And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth. NKJV

John 18:37 Pilate therefore said to Him, “Are You a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” NKJV

John 19:35 And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe. NKJV

1 John 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. NKJV

1 John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. NKJV

1 John 2:4 He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. NKJV

1 John 2:21 I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth. NKJV

1 John 3:18 My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. NKJV

1 John 3:19 And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. NKJV

1 John 4:6 We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error. NKJV

1 John 5:6 This is He who came by water and blood — Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth. NKJV

2 John 1 The Elder, To the elect lady and her children, whom I love in truth, and not only I, but also all those who have known the truth, NKJV

2 John 2 because of the truth which abides in us and will be with us forever: NKJV

2 John 3 Grace, mercy, and peace will be with you from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love. NKJV

2 John 4 I rejoiced greatly that I have found some of your children walking in truth, as we received commandment from the Father. NKJV

3 John 1 The Elder, To the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth: NKJV

3 John 3 For I rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth. NKJV

3 John 4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. NKJV

3 John 8 We therefore ought to receive such, that we may become fellow workers for the truth. NKJV

3 John 12 Demetrius has a good testimony from all, and from the truth itself. And we also bear witness, and you know that our testimony is true. NKJV

THE NEW COVENANT IN JESUS

calvary-staff — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 21:57:27 +0000

11-01-09

“THE NEW COVENANT IN JESUS”

Hebrews 8

INTRODUCTION:

I. HEAVEN, THE TRUE TABERNACLE VV. 1-5

A. Summary of Jesus’ Position in Heaven vv. 1-2

-there are really interesting points implied in this first sentence; first of all the Levitical high priest NEVER sat at the right hand of the ark of the covenant

-they were always moving about, being careful to do exactly as the Law of Moses directed;

-the ark of the covenant was where the holy presence of the Lord (shekinah glory) abode in the Holiest of Holy place in the earthly temple

-Jesus on the other hand has gone into the true sanctuary in the heavens and He is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty on high

-the earthly high priest only went in on one day a year, first to offer a sin offering for his own sin, and then a sin offering for the people as a whole

-this showed that the sin issue between the people and God had not been fully settled yet, even though the offerings temporarily covered them

-Jesus is not offering sacrifice after sacrifice; He is SEATED there; the work has been done once for all time

-He brings us right into the sanctuary in heaven; we are seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus!

Eph 1:19-23

19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.

22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. NKJV

Eph 2:6-7

6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. NKJV

B. Shadow of Things in Heaven vv. 3-5

-it is important to understand that all of the duties of the high priest had some connection to what God had already planned with us in Jesus

-the offerings and gifts presented by the earthly high priest was the shadow of what Christ Jesus would do with us under the New Covenant

-the world sees the tabernacle model of Moses as a copy of what he observed in Egypt; the same with the temple that David sketched out for Solomon

-but the Scriptures are clear that the structure and the methods of worship of the Law of Moses was received by divine revelation while Moses was on Mt. Sinai during those 40 days and nights

-this divine revelation was also true of King David

1 Chron 28:19 “All this,” said David, “the Lord made me understand in writing, by His hand upon me, all the works of these plans.” NKJV

II. HIGHER COVENANT IN JESUS VV. 6-13

A. A More Excellent Ministry v. 6

-when you are reading the Bible take note of words that come up several times in a chapter or a section

-in the NT, we find that the words ‘covenant’ or ‘covenants’ occur 34 times; 19 of these are found in the book of Hebrews, and 7 of those are in this chapter

-what does this word mean? a covenant is an agreement that brings about a relationship of commitment between God and his people

-but what is the difference between a covenant and a contract?

-one way is to consider what Jesus told His disciples in John 10 ; He brought out the difference between a hireling and a true shepherd

John 10:11-16

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. 12 But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. 13 The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. 15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd. NKJV

-one of the main differences has to do with attitude and commitment; to make a promise is one thing; to seal that promise with a vow or an oath is another

-in a covenant there is this heart on the part of both parties to make the interests of the other one’s own interests

-this is why a marriage is a covenant and not a contract

-in a contract there is more of a limitation put on each party to make sure things go as planned; it is more self-oriented

-a covenant is oriented to the other person’s blessing; it is relational rather than legalistic

-now, what about this statement that the new covenant is better than the old on?

-the old covenant given to the children of Israel was based upon the power of the human will to fulfill its requirements

-the new covenant is based upon the power of the risen Son of God through the Holy Spirit Who works within the believer in Jesus

-this is the basis of the better promises; those promises are based upon the obedience and faithfulness of Jesus

-my faith and trust in Him will bring about my obedience from the inside out

Phil 2:12-13

12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. NKJV

B. A Merciful Second Covenant vv. 7-12

-always remember that the problem was not with the covenant made through Moses but with the people’s ability to keep the law

-the fault of the first covenant was the sin within the heart of man

Ps 19:7-9

7 The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; 8 The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; 9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. NKJV

Rom 7:12 Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good. NKJV

Rom 7:14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. NKJV

-this new covenant was not built upon the same basis as the old covenant; this is important to remember as I covered last Wednesday night

-please don’t take up the New Testament and make it into an Old Testament list of do’s and don’ts

-understand the difference between taking steps of obedience in faith and merely trying to do whatever is written

-there are many people who want to do what is right religiously; so they look at the book and then go about to do what it says

-but unless they have entered into a covenant with God first, their works are just to order their life down here on earth

-when they end up dying they are bankrupt spiritually; for the basis of our standing before God is our faith in Jesus, not our good deeds

-yes, our faith will cause us to be obedient to His word; but it is our faith in Jesus that pleases God; the works are merely the outflow of that faith

-v. 10: notice that the wording is to the house of Israel; the gospel of Jesus Christ is to the Jew first and also to the Gentile because of grace

-instead of the law being written on tablets of stone, under the new covenant in Jesus it will be written on the heart of the believer

-how would God do this? by means of the Holy Spirit who indwells the believer in Jesus

-it will not be a relationship with a code book; it will be a relationship (for all shall ‘know’ Me) with the Living God directly

-included in this New Covenant will be the complete forgiveness of sins, past, present and future; ‘their sins and lawless deeds I will remember no more’

C. A More Sure Covenant v. 13

-the purpose of the Law of Moses was to show the sinfulness of man; this is what Paul stated in his letter to Timothy

1 Tim 1:8-11

8 We know that the law is good when used correctly. 9 For the law was not intended for people who do what is right. It is for people who are lawless and rebellious, who are ungodly and sinful, who consider nothing sacred and defile what is holy, who kill their father or mother or commit other murders. 10 The law is for people who are sexually immoral, or who practice homosexuality, or are slave traders, liars, promise breakers, or who do anything else that contradicts the wholesome teaching 11 that comes from the glorious Good News entrusted to me by our blessed God. NLT

-all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory; but the gift of God is eternal life through faith in Christ Jesus

LOVE KEEPS NO RECORD OF WRONGS SUFFERED

calvary-staff — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 04:40:42 +0000

10-28-09

WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT? – AN IN-DEPTH SERIES ON 1 COR. 13

“Love Keeps No Record of Wrongs Suffered” #9

1 Corinthians 13:5 d

INTRODUCTION:

I. LOVE ‘THINKS’ NO EVIL V. 5A

A. What Does This Mean?

-unfortunately the English translation of this character quality of God’s love misses the reality of the Greek word Paul used

- ‘thinks no evil’ is the NKJV translation; but the Greek word goes beyond merely the initial thought of the evil

-it really centers more on taking account of, keeping a record of, a regular going over the list of offenses of others against oneself

-here are a couple of different translations of this phrase:

1 Cor 13:5 it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong]. AMP

1 Cor 13:5 it keeps no record of being wronged. Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

-if God’s love has this quality to it, then living and abiding in God’s love means that a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ is not to be mulling over what others have done to them

-God doesn’t do this with us; we have sinned grievously against Him…again and again throughout our lives

-what if He held us to the same standard that we are holding those who have wronged us? but the Bible tells us that is NOT how God sees us in Christ

-so how CAN He just not take into account the wrongs suffered to Him by us?

-His love; the price has been paid; He lets it go, not in amnesty but in substitutionary payment; justice has been served by Jesus’ death

-does this mean that one’s criminal activity against us is to be ignored or counted as insignificant by us?

-no; it means that when God’s love rules one’s life, there will be the heart to release the offender to God

-evil is evil; it is right to be grieved over the crime, to have pain over the offense

-but to sit and stew over what has happened to you over the years, and to be eaten up by bitterness and resentment is not God’s plan for you

-because of the promises of God over my life, because of His great love wherewith He has loved me, because He is faithful even when I’m not, God is looking to bless my life each day, even in this area of healing

-if I have been released of all my offenses against Him–past, present and future–then I am under constraint to let go of those who have offended me and entrust them to God

Matt 6:14-15

14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. NKJV

-this is easy to say, but at times seemingly impossible to carry out, except for the grace of God; offenses hurt; they go very deep; the guard is up

-yet, here it is in black and white: God’s love keeps no record of wrongs suffered

-you have to admit this quality of love is divine, not human

-it can only come through the Holy Spirit; and the Holy Spirit is only given to those who have come under the New Covenant by faith in Christ Jesus

-what is the tie-in with the translation of ‘thinks no evil’? it has to do with your thought life and how you mull over the things that have happened to you

-I’m not talking about ‘the power of positive thinking’

-I’m talking about making a choice to yield to God’s love with those who have wronged you based on His actions toward you

-some people have made the choice never to forget the evils that have been done to them, real or imaginary; that’s their decision and they live with it

-but think this through: we live in a fallen world where men and women are in bondage to sin and death

-selfishness reigns in the hearts and seeks to regain control over believers

-to live by the philosophy that ‘I will never forget the evils that have been done to me’ will absolutely captivate your life

-it will result in cynicism, sabotage of relationships, and victim mentality at the very least; it is a downward spiral; it even takes its toll physically

-here’s the problem: you WILL offend others; then what? do you let yourself off the hook while you hold others to a higher standard?

-or maybe you do hold yourself to that same standard and you are constantly downing yourself for the wrongs you have done to others; then you are not walking in faith to God’s word

-when will the freedom come? it will come by the power of the Holy Spirit when you step out in faith and release those who have wronged you

Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. NKJV

B. What Application to the Corinthian Believers?

-can you see the connection between ‘is not provoked’ and ‘thinks no evil’?

-I believe that one usually leads to the other; if you have a short fuse, then the tendency in the flesh is to mull over all the wrongs that have happened in the past

-some of the brethren in the church in Corinth were violating the law of love; they were carnal, selfish, relying upon the flesh to resolve their issues

-what came out of it was confusion and every evil work; when offenses occur between brethren, unless love is ruling in the heart, walls will be built up

II. COUNSEL FROM THE SCRIPTURES

A. Old Testament

Prov 10:12 Hatred stirs up strife, But love covers all sins. NKJV

Prov 17:9 He who covers a transgression seeks love, But he who repeats a matter separates friends. NKJV

B. New Testament

Matt 5:44-45

44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. NKJV

Luke 6:29 To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. NKJV

Rom 12:14-21

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 16 Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.

17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. 18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. 19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”

21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. NKJV

Col 3:13-14

13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. 14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. NKJV

1 Peter 2:20-25

20…But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. 21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: 22 “Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”; 23 who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; 24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness — by whose stripes you were healed. 25 For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. NKJV

1 Peter 3:8-9

8 Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; 9 not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. NKJV

1 Peter 4:8 And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.” NKJV

III. LOVING IN EVERYDAY LIFE

A. IN MARRIAGE

B. IN FAMILY

C. IN RELATIONSHIPS

JESUS, OUR HIGH PRIEST

calvary-staff — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 02:33:03 +0000

10-25-09

“JESUS, OUR HIGH PRIEST”

Hebrews 7

INTRODUCTION:

-this morning is going to be a bit of a history lesson; but we will be coming across some awesome spiritual privileges we now have in Jesus

-although the details may be a bit cumbersome, the applications can bring such a change in our lives of rest and trust before our Father in heaven

-what we will be dealing with in this chapter is how Jesus is for us a more excellent high priest than Aaron could ever have been

-this is important to us because our standing before God is completely based upon His acceptance of our personal representative, Jesus Christ, the Righteous One

-in Him we can rest and be assured of all that the Father desires to accomplish in our lives

-but outside of Him, we have no assurance before God; no anchor of our soul

-read ch. 7; pray

I. THE GREAT MELCHIZEDEK VV. 1-10

A. The Mystery of Melchizedek vv. 1-3

-summarize the occasion for Melchizedek’s mention in Gen. 14

-Abraham had brought his nephew, Lot, with him when he and his family came down into the land of Canaan

-God had blessed Abraham and his family so much that their herds and flocks; but trouble brewed between the herdsmen of Lot and those of Abraham

-Lot chose to move to the area of Sodom and Gomorrah because the land there was lush and bountiful for his herds and flocks

-it was after Lot left that the Lord affirmed his promise to Abraham that the land of Canaan would be his by inheritance

-after a few years had passed, the five kings over the southern region south of the Dead Sea chose to rebel against the northern kingdoms around Elam

-this brought an alliance of four northern kings down to the southern region to take captive all the people and possessions of those five small kingdoms

-in the process of it all, Lot and his family were taken captive and carried up north

-when Abraham found out, he gathered 318 of his servants and headed up north to confront these powerful four kings

-they attacked them at night at the northern border of the land of Canaan and chased them all the way to Damascus

-they ended up gathering all the people and possessions that had been taken by the four northern kings and brought all down to the southern region

-Abraham chose to come down by the area known later as Jerusalem

-it was on the eastern side of the city of Salem that he was met by two kings: the new king of Sodom, and the King of Salem, Melchizedek

-here is what we read in Gen. 14:18-20

Gen 14:18-20

18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. 19 And he blessed him and said: “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; 20 And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” And he gave him a tithe of all. NKJV

-what was going on here? this King of Salem brought bread and wine to Abraham

-some Bible commentators believe it was brought to refresh the warriors that had traveled so far and risked their lives to accomplish this feat

-but how much bread and wine would that entail? the need of such a large amount would surely have been noted

-others see a far more important element in this act; the bringing of bread and wine was more than a nice snack to refresh the troops

-there was a representation by the King of Salem on why God had given victory to Abraham and his servants

-this King of Salem was truly an unusual King; He was also the Priest of the Most High God…Abraham’s God

-this King/Priest blessed Abraham and gave praise to Abraham’s God

-this caused Abraham to take one tenth of the portion brought down with him and offer it to Melchizedek as an act of worship

-why did he do this? there is no mention of this being done before Abraham did it

-there had been no command from God to give this tenth, this tithe

-remember that Abraham did this before the Law of Moses was even established

-Abraham believed that the tithe or the tenth of all he had did not belong to him

-it wasn’t that he was giving the tithe out of an obligation like paying a debt

-he was giving it because he believed it wasn’t his in the first place

-the Law of Moses came over 400 years later and established it as a law in Israel

-Abraham believed he was releasing this tenth directly to God Most High

-it wasn’t a risky move for him; he did not consider it as his in the first place

-it was his acknowledgement to God that the increase brought to him was brought only by the hand of God, not himself

-this became a pattern we see through the rest of the book of Genesis and then carried out into Law through Moses

-it was continued throughout Israel’s history

-in the last book of the Old Testament the prophet Malachi reproves the people for robbing God of the tithes

-he puts a challenge to the people to prove God in this area, knowing the reasons why His people would withhold the tithe from God

-if they would trust God with the tithe, God would take care of all the needs that would occur in their lives, and that in an abundant supply

-did Jesus address this practice of the tithe? yes

-Jesus, when reproving the religious leaders of His day, emphasized to them the importance of justice, mercy and faith; yet also included the giving of tithe

Matt 23:23 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things. Holy Bible, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

-it is a risky thing these days to even speak about the tithe of income

-folks immediately shut down their ears because of abusive leaders in this area

-that’s understandable to some degree; but the Scriptures deal with it openly, truthfully, honestly; and that’s what I need to do right here

-look, in the first ten verses of Hebrews 7 this tithe or tenth is referred to seven times; so it is worth considering what this is really all about

-getting back to Abraham, when the king of Sodom offered to let Abraham keep all the spoils of the battle, he refused flatly

Gen 14:22-23

22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the Lord, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth, 23 that I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich’ — NKJV

-what Abraham was saying in effect was, “I will not sully my testimony of God’s faithfulness to provide my needs by compromise with iniquity”

-Abraham was not covetous of material goods, even though God had abundantly provided many of them to his family

-Abraham believed his testimony of integrity before God was more important that financial gain

-unfortunately there are Christians today that will compromise their integrity and justify any means to get financial increase

-when you look at the book of Genesis, you find much space given to show the lineages of those whom God had chosen and dealt with

-but when it comes to this Melchizedek, priest of the Most High God, the God of Abraham, there is absolutely nothing either in oral or written history to show His genealogy

-this might have gone unnoticed until 1000 years later when King David, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, touched upon this mysterious High Priest

-the name, Melchizedek is a compound name, linking the Hebrew words Melek (king) with Tzadok (righteous)

-notice that He is mentioned as being first of all, King of Righteousness before He is King of Salem, which means king of peace

-it is interesting to me that only a King of Righteousness can bring a kingdom of peace; which points us to the Prince of Peace, Jesus

-the writer of Hebrews goes on to emphasize that the lack of written lineage of this High Priest, together with the prophecy in Ps. 110 is a purposed truth

-in vv. 2-3 he goes beyond the normal observation to connect this Melchizedek with Jesus

-since no earthly man could really be without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, it pointed to Jesus’ life

-there is a term that Bible scholars use when seeing this kind of thing in the Old Testament time period

-the term is ‘Christophany’, a pre-incarnate appearance of the Word of God, the LOGOS that the Apostle John identified as Jesus Christ

-why was this appearance necessary? because there was about to be the proclamation of the promised coming Messiah through Abraham

-this is in Gen. 15 , where Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness

-Melchizedek was a foreshadow of the ministry and work of that coming Messiah as both High Priest and King

-the Law of Moses never allowed the same man to be both king and priest

-all priests needed to come from Aaron’s lineage; Aaron was from the tribe of Levi, and the ruler was to come through the lineage of Judah

B. The Master in Melchizedek vv. 4-10

-Abraham was the father of the Hebrew people; God’s called them to Himself as a separate nation from all other nations

-yet when Abraham gave the tithe to Melchizedek he was deferring to Him as greater than himself

-the writer points out that when Abraham did this, the entire tribe of Levi, which included Aaron’s genetic form, was in effect in Abraham

-this means that Abraham had Levi’s genes!

-so when Abraham paid his tithe to Melchizedek, so did Levi, thus indicating that Melchizedek was of greater significance than Aaron and his lineage

-the purpose of this section is to show the Hebrew believers that the entire system of priesthood through Aaron was superseded by Jesus Himself

II. THE GREAT GOD AND SAVIOR, JESUS VV. 11-28

A. Jesus Acquires Priesthood by the Power of an Endless Life vv. 11-22

-the priesthood under the Law made men priests from simple lineage; they were sometimes godly, sometimes not

-the system of this priesthood was only for a season until the One Lamb of God, Who would also be High Priest, would offer Himself to take away sin

-the Law could not make a person holy; it only could corral him

-but Jesus came to bring about the change of a person’s character when they would believe on His name

-this is that better hope through which we draw near to God; our anchor is sunk into the Most Holy Place with the Father and the Son

-we are not only brought into the Most Holy Place of Heaven itself by way of the Holy Spirit; we are adopted into His family

-Aaron’s priesthood was a foreshadow of the coming One who would gain for us our salvation

-but Melchizedek’s priesthood foreshadows the fact that Jesus is a continuing High Priest, the One who maintains our salvation forever

-the Father confirmed the promise with an oath to bind Himself to this action

-this brings us the requirement of a better covenant with God based on Jesus

-the Law was based upon man’s faithfulness to obey, which always failed

B. Jesus Continues Forever vv. 23-28

-look again at these verses; what does it mean that Jesus is able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him?

Heb 7:25 for this reason, He is able to be saving completely and forever those who come to God through Him, being always alive for the purpose of continually making intercession for them. (from The New Testament: An Expanded Translation by Kenneth S. Wuest Copyright © 1961 by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. All rights reserved.)

-listen, Jesus is at the right hand of the Father right now; He has the scars of the payment He made for us

-those scars are forever before the Father; there are in effect a constant intercession in our behalf

-it’s not that Jesus is constantly busy trying to convince the Father to not throw us back into the world’s orphanage

-it’s a position of rest and a position of a finished work; Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven

-all of our sins, past, present and future have been paid for by Jesus’ work of death on the cross of Calvary

-even though we still sin, He doesn’t have to come back every year or every week and be re-crucified; His work of death is a one-time for all-time work

-we now rest in His finished work and are to stop this thinking that God is always upset with us, even though we have trusted Christ for our salvation

-yes Jesus fulfills the type of Aaron’s priesthood, by obtaining for us our salvation before God; but Jesus is also this Melchizedek who MAINTAINS our salvation throughout eternity!

-read again vv. 24-28

LOVE DOES NOT HAVE A SHORT FUSE

calvary-staff — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 04:35:16 +0000

10-21-09

WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT? – AN IN-DEPTH SERIES ON 1 COR. 13

“Love Does Not Have a Short Fuse”

1 Corinthians 13:5

INTRODUCTION:

I. LOVE IS NOT PROVOKED

A. What Does This Mean?

-in his multifaceted description of God’s love, Paul includes the separate expression of ‘not provoked’

-the Greek word means ‘to exasperate, to have irritation or sharpness of spirit’

-other translations use “touchy or fretful or resentful” (AMP); “to blaze out in passionate anger” (Weymouth – NT in Modern Speech)

-Wm. Barclay says in his Daily Study Bible: “Love never flies into a temper. The real meaning of this is that Christian love never becomes exasperated with people. Exasperation is always a sign of defeat. When we lose our tempers, we lose everything.”

-even worldly philosophers recognized the value of a controlled human spirit: “If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you; If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too; . . . If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat those two impostors just the same . . . Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it.” (Joseph) Rudyard Kipling

-but the value of God’s love showing itself through you as a believer in Christ is that is gains you a reward that will last forever

-to merely control their spirit in this life by their own efforts doesn’t help a person when they die without Christ and have to give account before God

-there are quite a few synonymous words and terms for ‘not provoked’; here are a some of them: fit of rage, rage, fury, fit of pique, tantrum, bad mood, mood, sulk, huff; grump, snit, hissy fit. angry, fly into a rage, erupt, lose control, go berserk, breathe fire, flare up, boil over; go mad, go crazy, go bananas, have a fit, see red, fly off the handle, blow one’s top, hit the roof, go off the deep end, go ape, flip, freak out.

-God’s love does not have these expressions as a quality; it is altogether of a different character

-when the above words and phrases describe your behavior, you are not walking in God’s love; it is an expression of the flesh, worldly, sensual, devilish

B. How this Applied to the Corinthian Believers

-it was obvious that many in the church in Corinth were not walking in God’s love

-from the mention of the divisions that were plaguing the church, to the suing one another in Roman courts, to the vaunting of their spiritual gifts–there was a continual provoking of one another going on

-it in not coincidence to me that Paul used this term right after his four descriptions of self-centeredness

-sowing to the flesh brings out the worst in yourself and others; it’s easy to push someone else’s buttons and then blame them for crossing the line

II. LETTING GO OF ANGER

A. Old Testament

-it is obvious even in Old Testament times that a person had the ability to put boundaries and controls over his behavior

Ps 4:4-5

4 Be angry, and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still. Selah 5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, And put your trust in the Lord. NKJV

Ps 37:8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret — it only causes harm. NKJV

Ps 106:32-33

32 They angered Him also at the waters of strife, So that it went ill with Moses on account of them; 33 Because they rebelled against His Spirit, So that he spoke rashly with his lips. NKJV

Prov 14:29 He who is slow to wrath has great understanding, But he who is impulsive exalts folly. NKJV

Prov 19:11 The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger, And his glory is to overlook a transgression. NKJV

Eccl 7:9 Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry, For anger rests in the bosom of fools. NKJV

-it is interesting to me that although we can recognize the value of a controlled spirit, the power to live a truly free life was difficult to find under the OT

B. New Testament

-under the New Covenant we have a new power to walk in the Spirit of God

-there are still choices that need to be made by us; they boil down to the choice to obey God and trust the work of the Spirit of God in us and through us

Rom 12:17-21

Eph 4:26-27

26 “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give place to the devil. NKJV

Eph 4:31-32

31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. NKJV

James 1:19-20

19 So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; 20 for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. NKJV

III. LOVING IN EVERYDAY LIFE

A. In Marriage

-offenses that build up; unforgiveness; victim-thinking

B. In Family Life

-same dynamics

C. In Everyday Interactions