News

“He pours contempt on princes and makes them wander in trackless wastes; but he raises up the needy out of affliction and makes their families like flocks. The upright see it and are glad, and all wickedness shuts its mouth. Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the LORD” (Psalm 107:40-43).

Pastor Joe’s sermon on this Psalm was illuminating on how it applied to Israel in the wilderness, fleeing Egypt. But a little reflection and one can see how the church today appears to be in the wilderness as well, as we are torn asunder from within and without. Our princes certainly have had contempt poured on them, and seem continual candidates for it because of their wickedness, which is unending with greed and covetousness and false worship. Yet in the midst, God blesses the church and its families.

So what should we do? Verse 43 encourages us to act wisely and attend to these things, and consider God’s steadfast love. So, let us pray for our princes and their repentance and their submission to Jesus and his law—all of it. But let us also pray for all those other leaders in our society between the rulers and families, such as local police, city leaders, business leaders (retail and commercial), media and social media leaders, charity leaders, NGO leaders, and the myriad volunteer leaders that shape our society, at this point, mostly for evil. Too often we tend to focus on the political leaders, and so continue the lie that life is mostly political. But that is to worship the state, and we don’t believe in that. We believe in worshipping the one who is above the state, who exhibits steadfast love.

Pastor Joe just finished the book of Exodus, the crowning story of the construction of a house, made up of his people, for Yahweh to dwell in as he dwells among them. This theme of “victory-housebuilding” is prominent in the scriptures, with this story of God defeating Pharaoh and his Egyptian gods and then commanding his people to build His house with the spoils of victory, coming in at “second” place in the scriptures.

What comes in “first” place? Obviously, the victory of Jesus over Satan and then the building of His house/church, with the spoils of victory, all the former slaves of Satan, now his worshippers, in whom Jesus dwells by the Spirit: Colossians 1:13: “He…delivered us from…darkness and transferred us to…his beloved Son.”

In between, look for this pattern over and over. For example, after the wicked are destroyed in the flood and God gives Noah a new world, he erects an altar for worship and plants a garden/vineyard; this is the new Eden. After Abram is delivered out of Ur, he moves to the promised land and erects altars throughout the land, marking the land as a house of God out of Canaan. When David defeats all his enemies and has rest, he desires to build the Lord a permanent house, which Solomon is tasked to do. In the meantime, David erects a tent for the Ark in Jerusalem, which he and Israel and the converted Gentiles gather around for times of worship, a foretaste of Jesus’ house in the Great Commission. In the history of Kings of Judah, several “rebuild” the temple after rest from their enemies. But “third” place is Israel rebuilding the temple from Babylon’s spoils!

So each Sunday, be grateful you are the house of the Lord Jesus Christ, and that he dwells in you as part of the church, his victory spoils!

How do we best understand Jesus’ statement when he declares at the Last Supper, “This is my body, which is given for you; do this as my memorial”? His mentioning of “memorial” takes us back to the sacrifices instituted by the Lord in the Old Covenant and how the appointed animals were substitutes for men and their sins until the Messiah, the Savior, should come. So, Jesus is saying that he is that sacrifice that all the animal sacrifices pointed to.

Jesus strengthens this sacrificial tie by further stating in John 6 that “unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.” Jesus is declaring that “man could only partake of his humanity by accepting His sacrifice; that is, eat His flesh and blood and accept the sacrifice of His humanity for their sins (John 6:30–63). Man’s membership in the body of Jesus Christ, His Church, as set forth in the sacrament of the Lord’s Table, can thus be only a membership in His perfect humanity!” (Rushdoony, World History Notes, p. 49).

What Rushdoony is saying is that in the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, we are incorporated into the humanity of Christ; we become glorified humanity, but not divine. There is no bridging of the human-divine gap by man, an affront to all pagan religions seeking to be divine or on the totem pole to divinity. As the Chalcedon Creed says, there is “no confusion of the two natures.”

The Satanic lie was that man could “be as God,” but the grace of the Gospel is to be glorified man, living in the presence of God, without sin and arrogance.

So, rejoice when you eat the Supper! By feasting on the body and blood of Jesus, you are being united to the true glorified man and so share in his glory. Through his humanity you come into the fellowship of the glorious Trinity!

Your interpretive antenna should go up every time you hear or read a repeated word or phrase in the Scriptures. Why? Because God is connecting story to story as he reveals himself to us, teaching how his great love and promises fit together.

For example, we are told in Genesis 1:2 that “the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters” at creation. Well, guess who is hovering over Jesus at his baptism, his new “creation” as the anointed Christ? The dove, representing the Holy Spirit. In Jesus a new creation is beginning. But then you remember the dove that hovered over Noah’s waters in Genesis 9 until she found new ground and new growth, an olive branch? Noah was in a new creation. Deuteronomy 32:11 also speaks of the Lord “hovering” over the children of Israel at the time of the Exodus, teaching you that Israel was a new creation being formed by the Spirit of God. Gabriel draws on this imagery when he announces Jesus’ birth to Mary, saying that the Holy Spirit will “overshadow you, therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.” The Holy Spirit brought about a new creation in Jesus! Very similar to John’s gospel language of “in the beginning was the Word, …” Jesus is the beginning of a new creation!

Are there more “hoverings” that signal a new creation? Sure, but I’ll just tell you of one more: Saul on the road to Damascus had Jesus speak to him out of a blinding light, but also had the Holy Spirit hover over him as Ananias laid hands on him to receive his sight. He was a new creation as scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. He was no longer a serpent, but now a Spirit-filled man!

Now, you think of some more!

Recent news has seen 3 prominent deaths: Ozzy Osborne, Hulk Hogan, and Dr. John MacArthur. A diverse group, but they do share some commonalities.

The first is that they were all born to Adam’s linage as sinners in the sight of God (Rom. 3:23). However far apart their earthly lives seemed, they were yet essentially the same. The second thing they share in common is they now stand before God and must give an account to the creator of the cosmos (2 Cor. 5:10).

But here commonality diverges. To our knowledge, Ozzy, whose songs often glorified the occult and the devil, did not possess faith in Christ. So when he stands before the judgment, he has nothing but his sinful deeds to present to God.

Hulk Hogan, known for his WWE career, professed Christ when young, wandered from the faith, but returned later in life. He had many scandals during the wandering, including sex tapes and racist remarks. Yet before God, he stands justified (Rom. 5). When he gives account, he points to Jesus’ work on the cross, where his sins have been atoned for (Heb. 9, Rev. 5, etc.)

Dr. MacArthur finished his race well. He never compromised and he was used by God for the proclamation of the gospel and the care of the sheep. Yet, just like Hulk Hogan, he stands before God (2 Cor. 5:8), not based on his works, but by the grace of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2). Were he still here, he would no doubt rejoice greatly in the testimony of Hulk Hogan, and lament for Ozzy.

Saints, your faith is a great gift of God. Give thanks that on your judgement day, you stand, not upon your own righteousness like Ozzy, righteousness which does not exist, but upon the righteousness and grace of your great Savior and King, Jesus Christ, just like Hulk Hogan and John MacArthur. The miracle of Jesus atonement for sins is the reason Hulk Hogan and John MacArthur can share space in the same article, and even eternity together in the presence of God. So rejoice in the mercy of Jesus!

Some Christians might be tempted to think that the details Pastor Joe covered from Exodus 37 last Sunday are unnecessary for Christians today. After all, we don’t have Levites carrying around the ark and other furniture. Yet those articles are steeped in symbolism vital to our understanding of our faith and of Jesus.

For example, the ark had two hammered cherubim on top of it, looking down at the top, which was the mercy seat, or covering, or pure gold. From each end the cherubim are guarding the mercy seat between them, which was also Yahweh’s footstool. It’s where heaven and earth meet, and Yahweh rules from there.

When you get to Solomon’s temple, there are four cherubim in the Holy of Holies: the two on the ark, and two more with their wings spread across the whole room, over the ark. But why four guardian angels? Well, “thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” so when John goes into heaven in Revelation 4, how many guardian angels does he see around God’s throne? That’s right: four!

But it gets better! When Mary shows up at the tomb on Resurrection morning, what she sees (John 20:11ff) is two angels, “sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet.” So here’s a table/burial ledge, with angels on either end of where Jesus had lain. What’s that mean? Well, the two angels were guarding the mercy seat between them, with the tomb being a new “holy of holies.” Additionally, the mercy seat was now Jesus, the covering for our sins. Since the mercy seat is where Yahweh’s feet are set on earth, Jesus is now pictured as Yahweh in the flesh, the now resurrected ruler of the world! Heaven and earth meet in and through him!

Hopefully, our time in Revelation 11 last Sunday made things a little clearer to you. It’s a long chapter, but a great story of faithfulness and resurrection and victory. But to see it that way, we must interpret the book within itself and with the Scriptures. So let’s finish our interpretive keys started last week.

The fifth key is: Revelation is about the “tribulation times” and immediately afterwards, the last 3-3.5 years of the generation that Jesus mentions in Matthew 24, that runs from 30 to 70 AD (40 years).

Revelation picks up where Acts leaves off, and begins when the disciples see the “Abomination of Desolation” standing where he shouldn’t be (Matthew 24:15).

The sixth key is: The whole book is a worship service, a Lord’s Day, that gives you a front row seat on how worship is done in heaven. John tells you in 1:10 that he was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, worshipping Jesus,

This service starts on earth, chapters 1-3.

It then goes into heaven, chapters 4-22:6

Then it is back on earth in 22:7ff, where people can wash their robes and enter the city that is the church and eat of the tree of life for healing. That’s our worship service! It starts on earth, goes into heaven, and then ends up on earth!

The seventh key is: Angels, who are Old Covenant mediators, are all over the book of Revelation and replaced as rulers by the saints in chapter 20:4ff. This tells you the book is about the transition from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant. See Matthew 13 parables and Galatians 3:19.

Since you got a little dose of Revelation last Sunday, and more today, I’m sure you’ll all revved up to read the book again and again until you’re comfortable in it! To get there, let’s review seven key interpretive “must do’s” as you read the book.

The first key is: Believe the text when it says, in chapters 1 and 22, that these “things must soon take place” and that the “time is near” and that it is a “blessing to the one who receives the book and reads and heeds it” back then. Believe Jesus when he says, “I am coming soon.”

The second key is: John sees himself in “the Tribulation” when he receives the revelation. (see 1:9) It is the same “the Tribulation” that Jesus spoke of when talking about the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in the land of Israel in Matthew 24. John was there and listening at Jesus’ feet!

The third key is: When you see the word “earth” in the book change it to “land” in your mind or when you read it aloud. (try it on 7:1-3)

The fourth key is: Understand that the terms “Sodom” and “Egypt” and particularly “Babylon the Great” or “the great city” refer to and apply to Jerusalem and the people of Israel symbolically, and not those places geographically. Why? Because the Israel and Jerusalem of John’s day resemble those places because of their false worship and their spiritual adultery. An enlightening example is in 11:7-8, where John measures the Temple where the two witnesses prophesy. But they are killed, and their bodies lie in the street of the “great city” called Sodom and Egypt. What city? Jerusalem, “where their Lord was crucified.” (to be continued)

With Iran and Israel in the news lately, there’s been a lot of hoorah on how the U.S. must support Israel, especially amongst us evangelicals. The claim is that Israel, and the Jews specifically, are God’s people, Abraham’s sons, and whoever blesses them will be blessed, etc. So you hear phrases such as “Support Israel” or “pray for the peace of Jerusalem” (not that anybody is against praying for peace).

So the questions are: Who are God’s people today? And is it the Jews of today?

Let’s start with the last question. Jesus Christ was the last true Jew; all genealogies in the New Testament stop with him. Additionally, “for all the promises of God find their Yes in him” (2 Cor 1); Jesus is the fulfillment of all of God’s promises in the Scriptures (see Luke 24 and Hebrews 1:1-4). Also, the Apostle Paul says that beginning in his day, “there is neither Jew nor Greek…for you all are one in Jesus Christ” (Gal. 3:28). How is that? Because the mystery of God was fulfilled in Christ, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body (Eph. 3). Of what body? Of the Christian body, Jew and Gentile united as “one new man in the place of the two…”(Eph 2). So there is no future for the Jews in God’s word, with regards to them being his people, after the coming of Jesus.

So who are God’s people today? Well, Peter says the church is, using language that used to describe Israel in the Old Testament as now applying only to the church: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession…once you were not God’s people, but now you are God’s people” (1 Peter 2:9-12). Paul does the same in 2 Cor. 6:14-7.1, applying old covenant promises of God to the church (7:1)!

When David exclaims in Psalm 139, “Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord,” some might claim that it could be a “one off” and David is just showing his surly side. Maybe he had just fled from King Saul or something. But the Psalm itself brings out the continuity of loving God AND hating his enemies.

The very first verse demonstrates that David knows God is with him and all around him at all times: “Oh, Lord, you have known me and searched me.” David cannot be seen as someone trying to hide his “bad side” to the Lord. That’s impossible, he says.

Then he exclaims, “Where shall I go from your Spirit, or where shall I flee from your presence?” David can’t hide anything from the Lord.

David then proclaims in verse 14, “Wonderful are your works, my soul knows it well.” And that’s all in the context of God’s intimate creational knowledge of David, even from the womb!

So when David says “how precious to me are your thoughts (17), and then cries out, “Oh that you would slay the wicked” and “Do I not hate those who hate you…I hate them with complete hatred,” David is not exhibiting any guilt or dissonance or bipolar disorder or schizophrenia! No! Loving the Lord and his nearness is quite at home with hating those who hate the wonderful Lord who is always present and makes wonderful creatures! In fact, being so close to such a great and holy Lord SHOULD lead you to hate his enemies! How can you not side with him who is Love against those who hate him?

“Hate” has gotten a bad rap in our culture lately. If you take a principled position on an issue, that’s considered hateful towards those on the opposite. Then there are “hate crimes,” where a person may voice his position against a group that is protected against such opinions. Hate crimes are usually added infractions on top of already evil, wicked, and hateful crimes such as murder or rape.

So Christians shy away from “hate” and try to remain nice and neutral. The only problem with that is our God is one who hates! David says of God in Psalm 5 “…you hate all evildoers…the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.” In Amos 5:21 the LORD declares “I hate, I despise your feasts.” Even Jesus says to his church in Rev 2:6, “…you hate the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.”

Should we follow suit after our God? Of course! In that most famous of Psalms, 139, David exclaims, right after declaring God’s thoughts are precious to him, “…do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD?…I hate them with complete hatred; I count them my enemies.” In Psalm 119:113, he says “I hate the double-minded, but I love your law.” Or in Psalm 26:5, “I hate the assembly of evildoers, and I will not sit with the wicked.” Again, even Jesus said you must hate your family, and even your own life, if you want to be his disciple (Luke 14:26).

Quite shocking, I know, but all easily understood: Christians must take positions against the evil and wicked and side with their Lord. After all, Jesus is not afraid to hate the wicked — he’ll be banishing them to hell, forever, soon enough!

So think about this, and humbly, because I would really hate it if you don’t have a biblical notion of hate. And so would Jesus. He wants you clearly on his side.

Christians often exhibit a low self-esteem when talking about their own faithfulness. They don’t want to brag about holiness, which is fine. But often they are too reluctant to give God the glory and acknowledge what they have done by the power of the Spirit working within them. They have a hard time embracing Philippians 2:12 which says “…work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, knowing that God is at work in you…” They’ll praise the Lord but get really squeamy if you praise them for being faithful and conscientious in the salvation that was given to them.

Psalm 26:1 is a tough one: “Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.” We think, “David is being a little pompous here. Nobody trusts in the Lord without wavering.”

Psalm 7:8 is also tough: “…judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness and according to the integrity that is in me.” My righteousness? My integrity?

Well, yes. If you are baptized in Christ, then you have been washed of your sins and clothed with Jesus, meaning the Holy Spirit also dwells in you to lead you in the ways and teachings and faithfulness of Jesus (Acts 2:38; 1 Cor. 6:11; Romans 6:3-4). That’s who you stand in, and from that standing you move out in obedience and trust and faithfulness in all you do. It’s that simple. It’s like Christian who was given new clothing when his burden rolled down the hill and also given God’s scroll to read and follow on his path to the Celestial City!