Sermon Notes 8/26/2012

Sermon Text: Luke 3:18-22

Scripture Reading: Ephesians 5:1-21

Sermon Title: Jesus’ Baptism: The Father’s Endorsement and the Spirit’s Empowerment

Introduction

The focus of this passage is the sharp transition from John the Baptist’s ministry to the ministry of Jesus. John the Baptist is imprisoned by Herod for condemning Herod’s marriage to Herodias, his brother’s wife. John’s imprisonment and Jesus’ baptism mark the transition. Christology is the study of the person and deeds of Christ. Christology is the doctrine defining who Christ was/is.

The event of Jesus’ baptism is one of the most Christologically significant in Luke’s gospel account because it presents the initiation to Jesus’ ministry seen here in His baptism where He receives the Father’s endorsement and the Spirit’s empowerment.

This morning we will endeavor to know, love, and obey Christ more by answering the following questions:

1. Why was Jesus baptized?
2. What can we learn from the mention of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?
3. Is there special significance regarding the Holy Spirit’s descent?
4. Why did the Holy Spirit appear like a dove?
5. Why does Luke, unique from Matthew, Mark, and John, note that Jesus was praying as the Spirit descended?
6. Jesus submitted himself to the Father’s will by dependence on the Holy Spirit by praying. What does that mean to me?

Why was Jesus baptized?

Why did Jesus come to be baptized, since John's baptism was a "baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins" (3:3), and Jesus was without sin (2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15)?

Jesus was baptized to fulfill all righteousness.

In His role as the Messiah, “born under the law” (Galatians 4:4), Jesus had to submit to all God’s requirements for Israel. Matthew’s account of the same event gives us an answer, “Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’ But Jesus answered him, ‘Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then he consented” (Matthew 3:13-15).

Other examples of Jesus fulfilling the Law can be found in our prior studies on Joseph and Mary (Luke 2). Also, He had no sin, yet participated in Passover (Luke 22:15). As the Son of God, Jesus was exempt from paying the temple tax, but He paid it anyway (Matthew 17:24-27). Why?

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:17-20).

Jesus’ life and death have equal significance for the believer. Jesus bore the wrath of God on the Cross in His death, taking Hell for us. However, Jesus lived the perfect life in our stead (2 Corinthians 5:21), fulfilling every iota and dot of the Law so that God could look down upon us as He did at His Son’s baptism and say, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22). Because of Jesus’ death, God’s just wrath is pardoned on our behalf and because of Jesus’ life we are perfectly and perpetually accepted into the love of God.

What can we learn from the mention of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?

This passage is one of the most significant Trinitarian texts in the New Testament, as the Father speaks, the Holy Spirit descends, and Jesus is baptized. That all appear simultaneously refutes the heresy known as modalism. Modalism views God as one person, the Father, who also manifests himself at various times as the Holy Spirit, and on other occasions as the Son.[2]

Modalism is a damnable heresy because it greatly distorts the essence of who God is. Theology is like a paint brush: it paints an image. Your theology paints a picture of an image you worship. This matters because what you believe about God is what you perceive to behold and the Scripture teaches that people become like what they worship (2 Corinthians 3:18; Psalm 115:8; Jeremiah 2:5).

Is there special significance regarding the Holy Spirit’s descent?

This is a most significant fact, since all four Gospels record the Holy Spirit visibly manifesting His presence with Jesus at this time.

The Holy Spirit’s ministry is associated primarily with empowerment.

Much of this significance is developed by Luke in Acts 10:36-38 and Luke 24:29, where the Spirit’s anointing of Jesus is associated with power.

“As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him” (Acts 10:36-38).

“And behold, I (Jesus) am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:49). Luke later specifies this “power” Jesus is speaking of is the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4). We know that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are eternally inseparable. Therefore, the Holy Spirit’s descent signifies the Father’s special enablement at the outset of Jesus’ ministry.  

Why did the Holy Spirit appear like a dove?

Notice, Luke says, “Like a dove.” The Greek adverb means, “as though; as; like as; as it were.”  What was visible was not a dove, but rather what was seen is compared to a dove, as “like” is an adverb of manner.[3]

“Luke’s likening the Holy Spirit to a dove is the topic of much loose theological speculation. There are six popular and contrary speculations as to what this means. These attempts to make a theological symbol out of the dove seem flawed. It seems best to leave the figure of the dove as a simple metaphor without theological significance” (Darrell Bock).[3]

After reading six popular, distinct, and contrasting attempts to answer this question (Why “like” a Dove?), I agreed with Darrell Bock. I agreed with him until I read this (although not absolute, it is worthy of consideration):

"Why Does the Spirit Come in the Form of a Dove?" By John Piper

The way the Spirit comes gives a direction for how its power is to be used. The word "dove" occurs on Jesus' lips one time in the gospels, namely, Matthew 10:16: "Behold I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves." The dove suggests Jesus purity, meekness, and innocence. It was not majestic like the eagle or fierce like the hawk or flamboyant like the cardinal. It was simple, common, innocent, the kind of bird poor people could offer for a sacrifice (Luke 2:24; Leviticus 12:8). This was a directive to Jesus from the Father: the Spirit with which I anoint you is not for ostentation or for earthly battle. What is it for? 

An answer comes from Isaiah 42:1–4. This text is relevant because this is where the words of God the Father come from which follow the giving of the Spirit: "Behold my servant whom I uphold, my chosen in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him, he will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry or lift up his voice or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not fail or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law." The beauty of this picture is that he has the power to bring forth justice to the nations, but he will not use it to "break a bruised reed or quench a dimly burning wick." That is, he will be tender with the weak and failing. He will be dove-like not hawk-like. So when God anoints Jesus with the Spirit in the form of a dove, he directs him to use his power in meekness and tenderness and love. Which Jesus does: "Come to me all you who labor and are heavy-laden and I will give you rest . . . for I am meek and lowly"—I have the Spirit of a dove not a hawk. He says in Luke 4:18, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor"—the bruised reeds of the world and the smoldering wicks. To these he comes with his dove-like Spirit and heals and fans into flame. 

The significance of the Spirit descending and abiding was not that Jesus was being filled with the Spirit for the first time but that He was being marked as the bearer of the Spirit who would later give the Spirit to quicken and enable.

Why does Luke, unique from Matthew, Mark, and Luke, note that Jesus was praying as the Spirit descended?

It is VITAL to understand the correlation between the believer’s responsibility to pray and the Holy Spirit’s ministry to empower.

Let me preface my following comments with this: I am certainly not limiting what God can do. However, my goal is to point of Jesus’ model of God’s design.

Jesus’ life illustrates a monumental principle: Truth isn’t enough. Think about it: Jesus is truth. Jesus is omniscient. Yet, Jesus found it necessary to pray. The question has been raised, “If Jesus was God, why did He pray?” If God knows everything and has an unshakeable will, why should I pray?

We are going to see in this gospel that Luke loves to picture Jesus in prayer. He shows him praying at all the crucial turning points of his life: here at the baptism, at the selection of the twelve apostles (6:12), at Peter's confession (9:18), at the transfiguration (9:28), after the return of the seventy (10:21), before giving the Lord’s Prayer (11:1), in Gethsemane (22:41), for Peter (22:31-32), on the cross (23:34), with the disciples He encountered on the road to Emmaus (24:30), and at the ascension (24:50-51). He tells us that Jesus went repeatedly to the wilderness to pray (5:16) and that he spent whole nights in prayer (6:12).

“If the beloved Son communes with God through prayer as He pursues His direction in life, how much more should we!” (Darrell Bock).[4]

Outside Luke we see Jesus praying during His first preaching tour (Mark 1:35), before feeding the 5,000 (Matthew 14:19), after feeding the 5,000 (Matthew 14:23), before feeding the 4,000 (Matthew 15:36), for some children brought to Him (Matthew 19:13), before raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11:41-42), as He faced the reality of the Cross (John 12:28), at the Last Supper (Matthew 26:26-27), and masterfully in His high priestly prayer (John 17).

The point of all this must be to show that even in Jesus' life there is a correlation between earnest prayer and the empowerment of God.

Remember our study on the hypostatic union (incarnation): Jesus was fully God and fully man. The Son emptied himself (Philippians 2:7) of the independent use of His divine attributes and chose to submit to the will of the Father under power of the Holy Spirit. In other words, the Holy Spirit empowered a submitted and dependent Jesus by mediating between his human and divine attributes as the Father willed.

Although His human nature was sinlessly perfect, it nevertheless did not have supernatural power. Brethren, although forgiven, we live in fallen sinful flesh. How much more dependent must we be!

Prayer is the fountain of grace.

Jesus submitted himself to the Father’s will by dependence on the Holy Spirit by praying. What does that mean to me? Prayer is to the soul what breathing is to the body.

1. Knowledge isn’t enough. Dependence on the Holy Spirit must be done through prayer: 1 Peter 5:5-7
2. Dependence through prayer on the Holy Spirit is the chief evidence of true regeneration: Romans 8:1-11, especially vv. 6-9
3. Dependence through prayer on the Holy Spirit requires perpetual renewal: Ephesians 5:15-21

Encouraging Bonus Material

There were seven main feasts Israel observed and celebrated under God’s loving command.

All of the festivals God established were intended to call his Old Testament people to celebrate and remember the blessings that he had already given but also to yearn in faith, to anticipate the fuller redemption the Messiah would bring. Like the covenants, they had momentary relevance, but with a greater significance in acting as a “shadow of things to come, namely Christ” (Colossians 2:17). Thus, each of the festivals served as a type or shadow, an actual but early taste of that redemption to come.[7]

The first three feasts instituted by the LORD were The Feast of Passover, The Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the Feast of Firstfruits. Christ’s fulfillment of the shadow is seen in that He died on Passover as the atoning sacrifice for our sins, as our justification. He was buried on Unleavened Bread as our sanctification, putting a gracious end to sin’s control. And He was resurrected on Firstfruits, His own resurrected body serving as the first sheaf of grain of the new creation to come. The fourth feast instituted by the LORD was Pentecost (formerly known as the Feast of Weeks, which was a harvest festival).

The dating of Israel’s arrival at Sinai (Exodus 19:1) happened fifty days after Israel’s exodus from Egypt. Exodus 19 relates the story of her terrified approach: the mountain was covered in smoke, heaving and quaking violently; lightening flashed and thunder crashed so loudly that all trembled in dread fear. Israel was to keep her distance upon the threat of death; only Moses could ascend the mountain to speak with YHWH.[7]

Drawing the parallel between Genesis 11 (confounding languages), Exodus 19 (the thunder of Sinai), Exodus 32 (Three thousand died by the sword due to idolatry), and Acts 2 (the Sword of the Spirit was used to save 3000 men as diverse languages were heard bring unity contrasting the division in Genesis 11) is helpful to understand the trajectory of God’s plan to redeem and empower man.

“The Sword of the Spirit would cut even more sharply than Levitical steel, slicing to the core of every issue and every soul, cutting so deep as to expose and judge even the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. But when the Spirit’s sword flashes, life results, not death. In an astonishing display of divine grace, Sinai was reversed. Precisely three thousand were saved. Paul explains it simply, “The letter (law – my comment) kills, the Spirit gives life” (2 Corinthians 3:6). Mankind’s unity was frustrated by sin at Babel and has been fragmented by language, color, economics, and politics ever since. That unity is being restored in the Christ who overturned Babel’s curse. All kinds of people –representing diverse cultures and tongues – find one life, one hope, and one voice in Jesus the Messiah. For He “purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation” and “made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God” (Revelation 5:9-10).[7]

What is the point?

The following excerpt from Tullian Tchividjian’s blog post answers the question:

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tullian/2012/08/23/the-pastoral-practicality-of-law-gospel-theology/:

We are not a one word community (law or Gospel), but a two word community (law then Gospel). God uses His law to crush hard hearts and His Gospel to cure broken hearts. The law is God’s first word; the Gospel is God’s final word. And when we rush past God’s first word to get to God’s final word and the law has not yet had a chance to do its deep wrecking work, the gospel is not given a chance to do its deep restorative work. Sinners never experience the freedom that comes from crying “Abba” (gospel) until they first cry “Uncle” (law). I illustrated this point by reminding our church that the Father of the prodigal son in Luke 15 did not fall to his knees and wrap his arms around his sons legs as the son was leaving, but as he was returning. He had been waiting, looking to the horizon in hope. When he saw his son coming home, crushed and humbled, he ran to him. But he didn’t stop him from leaving. He didn’t rescue his son from the pigsty. If we really love people and want to see them truly set free, we have to get out of God’s way and let the law do its crushing work so that the gospel can do its curing work. I’ve seen way too many lives ruined because parents, pastors, families, and friends have cushioned the fall of someone they love–robbing that person from ever experiencing true deliverance because they never experience true desperation. As John Zahl has said, “God’s office is at the end of our rope.” Grace always runs downhill–meeting us at the bottom, not the top.

Closing

Prayer does not change God’s will - it implements it.

Sources

1. Sproul, R.C. The Reformation Study Bible. Lake Mary, FL: Ligonier Ministries, 2005.
2. MacArthur, John. The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Luke 1-5. Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2009.
3. Brock, Darrell. Luke 1:1-9:50. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 1994.
4. Brock, Darrell. The NIV Application Commentary: Luke. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1996.
5. Ryle, J.C. Luke. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway Books, 1997.
6. "The Baptism and the Genealogy of Jesus" by John Piper (February 22, 1981). A full manuscript of this sermon can be found at: http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/sermons/the-baptism-and-the-genealogy-of-jesus.  Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For web posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred. Any exceptions to the above must be approved by Desiring God. Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: By John Piper. ©2012 Desiring God Foundation. Website: desiringGod.org
7. Sittema, John. Meeting Jesus at the Feast: Israel’s Festivals and the Gospel. Grandville, MI: Reformed Fellowship Inc. 2010.

Sermon Notes 7/22/2012

Sermon Title: The Passover

Sermon Text: Luke 22:14-22

Scripture Reading: Exodus 12:1-28

The 7 Old Testament feasts (Passover; Unleavened Bread; First Fruits; Pentecost; Trumpets; Day of Atonement; Tabernacles) had, among other important features, this one peculiarity—that they brought to the remembrance of Israel the great underlying facts and principles of their covenant-relationship to Jehovah. They invited the pious Israelite at stated seasons to collect his thoughts and fix them upon those things which were fundamental in his religious life. This is precisely why we regularly practice the Lord’s Supper together. What is the Lord’s Supper and what does it signify?

The Lord’s Supper is one of two sacraments that Christ gave the Church for the purpose of worship and joy. The Old Testament feasts were like mile markers, billboards, or appetizers. Paul best described them as shadows, “Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ” (Colossians 2:16-17).

The Backward Glance of Passover

It was especially in connection with the Passover (the oldest of Jewish festivals) that this purpose which the feasts were intended to serve became most apparent. The Passover was preeminently a historical feast. It pointed back to the deliverance of the people from Egypt. Each time this feast was celebrated in the families of Israel, it proclaimed anew that redemption through substitutionary blood, grace and by sovereign choice was the great fact which lay at the basis of their existence.[1]

The Backward Glance of the Lord's Supper

The Lord knew we would be forgetful. The Lord knew we would grow complacent. The Lord knew we would be distracted by service, work, and play. The Lord knew we could even be absent minded of Him where we sit this very hour. What the feasts were to Israel (remembrance of what had passed and a shadow of what was to come), the sacraments are to us [and] that the Lord's Supper especially ought to be to us.

Our Passover also has been sacrificed and each time that we repeat its observance, the Lord himself invites us that we shall call our thoughts home to the contemplation of that one thing on which our very life as believers depends, His atoning death.

We may well, therefore, adore the wisdom of our Lord who has given us this ordinance. Namely for the reason that it comes to meet our human weakness, that it brings His own person and grace within the reach of our senses, so that symbolically our eyes can see, our hands can handle, our mouth can taste the Word of Life.[1]

Symbolism of the Lord's Table

They are four primary guiding principles to remember in observing the Lord’s Supper.

1. A recognition of sin and slavery
2. The necessity of a substitute
3. Faith is not intellectual agreement but a union
4. Abandonment of slavery and movement towards love for God as displayed primarily through trust and obedience

In the first place, there is the plain, emphatic recognition of the fact of sin and slavery.

Exodus 12 records the swift movement from the story of Joseph in Genesis 40-50 to the forgetfulness and fear of Egypt’s Pharaoh.

Read Exodus 1:1-14 with an emphasis on the following:

• “let us deal shrewdly with them” v. 10
• “they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with heavy burdens” v. 11
• “they were oppressed” v. 12
• “they ruthlessly made the people of Israel work as slaves” v. 13
• “they made their lives bitter with hard service and in all their work they ruthlessly made them work as slaves” v. 14

Passover exposed sin as something far more personal than personal errors or moral failures, but as a power that holds people in bondage. Ancient Israel’s daily grind was lived under Pharaoh’s thumb. He owned her; she was in his labor pool and her babies no more than replacement workers. Sin enslaves and its bondage is cruel. It is bitter and joyless because it strips life both of freedom and of hope. Passover also showed that bondage is costly. Liberation can come only by death – not only that of a lamb but also of the idols our foolish hearts cherish in place of the only true God. For the LORD is jealous for our love: to break sin’s death-grip, he had once destroyed the no-gods of the Egyptian pantheon through 10 plagues. Today, the counterfeits our hearts cherish, counterfeits that enslave our lives must fall under this judgment too. He simply loves us too much to allow sin to deceive us into believing that real and satisfying life is possible apart from him.[2]

Read John 8:31-36 – Satan has never made a good man bad. Satan makes a flawed man worse by playing on his tendencies. Use Keller’s illustration of singing into a piano. Do you remember when you had to sing back? Do you remember when you tried to change and were stuck in a perpetual cycle with willpower as your only weapon? Are you still a slave? That baby you are holding in your womb or in your arms was likely doomed to be a replacement worker for the Kingdom of darkness if you would have remained a slave.

But now as you struggle you can say, “So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh” (Romans 8:12).

In the second place, there is the positive and clear affirmation that the necessity of a substitute in death of the Son of God, his body broken, his blood poured out [and] appropriated by faith are the only and all-sufficient means of obtaining the remission of sin, peace of conscience and the title to eternal life.

“During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. God saw the people of Israel – and God knew” (Exodus 2:23-24).

Passover was first celebrated on the day of Israel’s departure from Egypt.  As we read, Israel was required to select a perfect lamb (without defect), kill the lamb, spread the blood on the door post, cook the lamb, and eat the lamb. The lamb was dear to the family, as it would live with them for four months before its death.

“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Passover showed that redemption is not based on the efforts of those in bondage – no knowledge or behavior on our part will make right what sin made wrong – but by the substitution of another.[2]

In the third place, there is the eloquent reminder that there can be no true participation in the merits which flow from Christ's atoning death except through such a faith consisting not merely in the mental acceptance of his sacrifice as a historic fact, but a faith which mystically feeds upon him, the living sacrifice, as he now exists in heaven.[1]

Not only were the Israelites passed over due to the blood of the sacrifice, the very sacrifice that shed its blood “indwelt” them. If we were to hold up Christ as a mere example to be followed by us in our own strength to the exclusion of the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit in the heart, would we not be silently corrected by our Lord's own voice speaking to us at his table: "Except ye eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of man, ye have no life in yourselves"? (John 6:53).

And lastly, we have here impressed upon us the solemn obligation of everyone who receives Christ as his sacrifice and enters upon the communion of his sanctified life, to abandon sin and walk in holiness. You will observe it is specifically this fourth principle which Paul has in mind when he says to the Corinthians—"Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world” (1 Corinthians 11:27-32). It is never recorded that any Israelite or Egyptian participated in the Passover without also participating in the Feast of Unleavened Bread. In other words, they ate and began a movement away from their old home.

Thus we see that the Lord's Supper spans the whole breadth of our Christian religion. Besides being what it must always primarily be, the means for strengthening our faith, it may also render us the additional service of becoming to us an occasion for self-examination.[1]

“Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves.” (2 Corinthians 13:5a).

The Lord’s Supper

Read Luke 22:14-22. Here we see Jesus the God-man serving the Lord’s Supper to the disciples. Soon, they would see Jesus, the priest presiding over his own sacrifice cry out, “It is finished!”

Never mind that bread and wine, unless you can use them as folks often use their spectacles. What do they use them for? To look at? No, to look through them. So, use the bread and wine as a pair of spectacles. Look through them, and do not be satisfied until you can say, “Yes, yes, I can see the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” – 45.525

Sources:

1. A Sermon by Geerhardus Vos. Princeton Theological Seminary Princeton, New Jersey. October 1, 1902.
2. Sittema, John. Meeting Jesus at the Feast: Israel’s Festivals and the Gospel. Grandville, MI: The Reformed Fellowship, 2010.

Sunday School 7/22/2012

1 Timothy 3:1

First, notice that God intends His Church to have pastors. “And He (Christ – my parenthesis for contextual clarification) gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of the ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ…” (Ephesians 4:11-12).

Second, notice Scripture uses differing terms for the same exact office. In New Testament times it is all but certain that episkopos (overseer or bishop) and presbyteros (presbyter or elder) were two titles for the same office (John Stott’s Commentary on 1 Timothy and Titus).

• Acts 20:17 (elders/presbyteros); Acts 20:28 (overseer/episkopos); Philippians 1:1 (bishops/episkopos); Ephesians 4:11 (pastors [KJV] or shepherds [ESV]; poimen)

Why then were the same people given multiple titles? For two reasons at least: The word presbyteros (elder) was Jewish in origin (every synagogue had its elders) and indicated the seniority of the pastor, whereas episkopos (bishop) was Greek in origin (it was used of municipal officials, supervisors or subject cities) and indicated the superintending nature of the pastor’s ministry (John Stott’s Commentary on 1 Timothy and Titus). These were common terms from society which carried the definition oversight.

Third, notice that although there is often a “first among equals,” Pastors are required to have the same desire, same appointment, same qualifications, same authority, and same (but not necessarily equally shared) responsibility.

First we will look at desire and appointment. Second, we will discuss the shared authority and responsibility. Next week we will examine the qualifications.

1. “If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task” (1 Timothy 3:1b). In 1 Timothy 3:1 Paul says the office of overseer is predicated by aspiration or desire. However, in Acts 20:28, Paul says the Holy Spirit appoints overseers, to care for the church of God, which He obtained with His own blood. Then, in Titus 1:5, Paul instructs Titus to appoint elders in every town. Which is it? The answer is “Yes.” Explanation… …
2. The overseer’s mutual authority and shared responsibility

The Basics: An elder is a man who (i) meets the qualifications in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:6-9, (ii) is recognized by his congregation as an elder, (iii) and leads the congregation by teaching the Word (1 Tim. 3:2), praying for the sheep (Jas. 5:14), and overseeing the affairs of the church (1 Pet. 5:2).

Oversight: An elder must watch over the flock. He must instruct all the sheep, strengthen the weak ones, guard the vulnerable ones, rebuke the obstinate ones, and bear with the difficult ones (2 Tim. 2:24-25; Acts 20:28; 1 Thess. 5:14). An elder watches over the members of his church as one who will give an account to God (Heb. 13:17).

Plurality: In the New Testament, local churches consistently have a plurality of elders (Acts 14:23, 20:17; Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim. 5:17; Jas. 5:14). Christ, the Chief Shepherd, means to care for his flock through a number of godly men who together teach, guard, guide, protect, and love the sheep.

The following is a quote from John R. Sittema’s book “With A Shepherd’s Heart” Published by Reformed Fellowship, Inc. Grandville, MI.:

“Wait a minute,” you may say. “Pastoral care is the Pastor’s job, isn’t it? After all, he is the one called “Pastor.” He has the training and the experience, and he receives a salary for his work. Elders are busy laymen who have full-time jobs and many other responsibilities. Their term in office is only for a few years (in most churches). They simply can’t do the job like “the pastor” can. We shouldn’t expect them to try!” 

There is no doubt that a preacher ought to be busy pastoring the flock, tending to their feeding and their care as a representative of the Good Shepherd. But is it just he (or, in the case of multiple-staff ministries, “they”) – the paid “professional” – who is to do the work of pastoring the flock?

The Bible won’t allow it! Scripturally, the elders are the pastors of the church just as much as the paid, seminary-trained preacher. 

What we wrongly see in today’s churches are mere administrators. The senior pastor functions like a CEO who “markets the vision”; the deacons (usually by committee) fulfill the corporate role of the CFO (Chief Financial Officer); and in such a modern corporate or business model for the church, the elders become the Board of Directors. They commission or develop a “marketing plan” for church growth, and hold the CEO accountable for the implementation and success of that growth plan. They oversee programs and delegate any and all pastoral duties to the professionals trained to handle such contingencies.

The following information is from http://www.9marks.org/answers-for-pastors/leadership:

Biblically speaking, all elders are pastors. Peter tells the elders among his readers to “shepherd” [Greek: pastor] the flock of God that is among you” (1 Pet. 5:2). Paul told the Ephesian elders to “care for” [Greek: pastor] the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood” (Acts 20:28). And the only time the noun “pastor” is used in the New Testament there is no indication that it is a different office from elder (Eph. 4:11).

But what if a church has a “senior pastor” who does most of the teaching, marrying and burying,

and overseeing of the church staff (if there are any)? How do the elders relate to a senior pastor?

1. An equal. First, they should regard him as fundamentally one of the elders. Even though the church has given him responsibilities that are distinct from the other elders, he occupies the same biblical office they do. He has one vote on the elder board. He is one of the elders.
2. First among equals. Because the senior pastor does the majority of the public teaching, he will likely accrue more influence among the congregation and the elders. In other words, he possesses the same formal authority as the other elders, but his opinion will generally carry more weight.

In the New Testament, the normal pattern is for churches to have a plurality of elders (Acts 14:23; Phil. 1:1; Jas. 5:14). Does this mean that no single man among them should be called the “senior pastor” and possess a larger measure of relational and institutional authority?

1. The New Testament does hint toward a distinction between elders that seems to make room for what we know as a senior pastor.
2. In 1 Timothy 5:17 Paul says, “Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.” The Greek word for “honor” Paul uses clearly indicates that he has financial compensation in mind, and he singles out for that compensation certain elders who particularly labor in preaching and teaching.
3. So there were likely some elders who were supported full-time by the flock, and others who worked at another job.

So why have non-staff Pastors?

1. Non-staff elders help root the congregation’s leadership in the congregation itself, rather than in one man who may be called from the outside and might not be around forever.
2. Non-staff elders give people in the congregation a model of maturity to aspire toward even as they work in non-vocational-ministry jobs.
3. Non-staff elders teach the congregation that Christian ministry is something Christians should do regardless of whether they get paid.
4. Non-staff elders are necessary when the congregation does not demand the need and/or cannot afford a full-time paid elder.

Piper and Keller Wrestle with Sanctification part 1

Sermon Notes 7/15/2012

Sermon Text: Luke 2:21-40

Sermon Title: The Implications of the Incarnation Part 1

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 53

Introduction

We should note in Luke 1 and 2 how God uses a wide range of people and a vast array of social backgrounds to testify to Jesus: people in a rural setting and people in the city, male and female, a young engaged couple and today we will read about a pair of senior citizen saints.[1]

In this section of our study (Luke 2) Joseph and Mary’s commitment to the law is noted five times (vv. 22, 23, 24, 27, 39). In the short verses between Luke 1:31 and Luke 2:40 nearly 11 months have passed (the pregnancy and the 40-day cleansing period) and Luke is careful to repeatedly record their adherence to the law. Also, for the first time Jesus’ mission is related specifically to the Gentiles (v. 32).

Luke 2:21-24

The journey of Jesus’ parents to the temple in Luke 2:22-24 combines three separate ceremonies as required by God’s Law: The purification of a woman forty days after the birth of a child (Leviticus 12:2-4, 6), the presentation of the firstborn to God (Exodus 13:2, 12, 16; 34:19; Numbers 18:15-16) and the dedication of the firstborn into the Lord’s service (1 Samuel 1-2).[1]

In addition to the three ceremonies, Joseph and Mary are seen here (Luke 2:21) circumcising Christ at the end of eight days and naming him as they were instructed.

Why? Circumcision was a physical symbol of the spiritual cleansing of the heart that takes place at salvation (Deuteronomy 10:16; 30:6; Jeremiah 4:4). Jesus was sinless. Why then the circumcision? Jesus was presented to the Lord as required by the Law (v. 23). Jesus was the Lord. So, why was Christ presented? Jesus was never “born again.” Why did Jesus need to be baptized? (Matthew 3:13-17)

Luke 2:25-35

In the context of this event, Simeon is located either in the Court of the Gentiles or in the Court of Women, since Mary could be present only at these two locales. Contrary to popular belief, there is no evidence that Simeon is a priest. Simeon is presented as a simple man, a layman, not a priest, who dwells in Jerusalem.[2]

Simeon’s song of praise (Nunc Dimittis [Now Lord] from the first two words of the hymn in Latin) is the fifth song sung as a response to the coming of Christ (Elizabeth, Mary, Zechariah, the angels, and Simeon). After he finished his hymn of praise, Simeon turned to the young couple and both blessed and warned them. The purpose of Jesus coming is revealed by Simeon in his song (vv. 29-32) and his blessing (vv. 33-35). Jesus’ words to Nicodemus (John 3:19) best explain what Simeon meant in Luke 2:35. “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil” (John 3:19).[3]

Jesus is portrayed as “a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel” (v. 32). If Jesus is revelation for the Gentiles, he is more than that for Israel. He is her glory. As Isaiah 60:1-3 shows, the nation’s hope was that, with the coming of salvific light to Israel, the attention of all people would be drawn to Israel. What makes Israel special is that salvation comes through her.[2]

Division is a natural result of Jesus’ ministry because Jesus forces choices, and as a result, the heart of all will be revealed through their choices.

When Simeon says, “and a sword will pierce through your own soul also” (v. 35a), the reference is to the pain that Jesus’ ministry causes Mary, as Jesus creates His own family of disciples, His own priorities, and voluntarily participates in His own crucifixion.

Luke 2:36-38

The next testimony to Jesus was given by a prophetess named Anna. Her name is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Hannah, which means “grace.”[3]

Although it is debated whether or not Anna was a widow for eighty-four years or was eighty-four years of age, Anna’s life seems to be best described by Paul’s discourse in Philippians 3:1-12, and particularly, “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8).

Luke 2:39-40, 52

Two very important facts are emphasized in vv. 39-40, 52:

1. They performed everything according to the Law of the Lord (v. 39) – this brings us back to the “why” question asked earlier in the message.
2. Jesus was fully man (vv. 40, 52); Luke’s description emphasizes Jesus’ full  humanity

The Hypostatic Union

The issue of Jesus’ simultaneous divinity and humanity has been one of the most controversial and confusing issues in all Christian theology. When we “land” places “like this” many of you might be tempted to turn me off. Getting it right about Christ is not merely a job for elite theologians. We should think deeply about who Christ is, what Christ did, and the implications of His person and work. “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18). In short, my case for thinking deeply through mysterious, difficult, and controversial theological topics is as follows: you cannot savor what you do not see. Digging deep into the core of difficult theological principles is a striving to see and savor Him.

John’s (2 John) condemnation of those who denied that “Jesus Christ has come in the flesh” (1 John 4:2, 3; 2 John 7) was aimed at teachers who replaced the incarnation with the idea that Jesus was a supernatural being who seemed human but was really only so in appearance. Jesus was not 100 percent God in a human body. Jesus was all man and all God.[4]

Jesus becoming a man is often referred to as the Incarnation from the Latin meaning “becoming flesh.” “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God…And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1-2, 14).

J.I. Packer: “The really staggering Christian claim is that Jesus of Nazareth was God made man…The more you think about it, the more staggering it gets. Nothing in fiction is so fantastic as this truth of the Incarnation.”

The “staggering Christian claim” is typically referred to today as the hypostatic union. The concept of the hypostatic union is as profound as anything in theology. Hypostatic means personal. The hypostatic union is the personal union of Jesus’ two natures (human and divine). What the doctrine of the hypostatic union teaches is that the human and divine natures are fully united in one person, the God-man Jesus Christ.

Therefore, in reference to Christ, rather than saying Jesus was 100% God and 100% man (making the two natures mutually exclusive, it would be more accurate to say that Jesus was the 100% God-man.

When Jesus became a man, he did not change his identity as God but rather changed his role. According to Augustine, “Christ added to himself which he was not, he did not lose what he was.” Jesus did not have to pick between being God and being man. He could be both at the same time.

Jesus had a human body (Luke 2:40), human emotions (Matthew 26:38), a human mind (Luke 2:52; Mark 13:32), and a human will (John 6:38; Matthew 26:29). “And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52).

Theologians capture this laying aside of the divine equality with the phrase, “he laid aside the independent exercise of his divine attributes.” What this means is that he didn’t continually exhibit the incommunicable such as his immortality, omniscience, or omnipresence, except when it was the Father’s will through the leading of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, while Jesus remained fully man and fully God during his incarnation, he maintained all of his divine attributes and did avail himself of them upon occasion. The Bible is clears that even when not availing himself of his divine attributes, he did in fact retain them (Jesus forgave sin [Luke 7]; Jesus exercised his omnipresence [Luke 4]; Jesus healed [John 9]; Jesus knew the thoughts and lives of men [John 4]).  Jesus was 100 percent the God-man who allowed His divinity to be regulated by the Holy Spirit.

Several Personal Implications of the Hypostatic Union

1. Jesus came to fulfill the law for us. To aid in understanding this, please remember the illustration Jesus uses of the tree and fruit (Matthew 15:10-20; John 15:1-5). The Lord is the tree and his behavior is a necessary outworking of who He is. He loves because He is love. He dispenses justice because He is just. Before the incarnation, Jesus was “The Law.” In the incarnation, Jesus voluntarily was born under the law. “He who was above the law, would come under the law, to free us from the law” (Bishop Hall). “I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. My note: Jesus came to lead us, so we would not be under the law forevermore. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God” (Galatians 4:1-7). Being born under the law means Christ voluntarily placed himself under the obligation to fulfill it, while being tempted in human flesh in every way we are tempted (Hebrews 4:15). This explains all the ceremonial obedience in Luke 2, Jesus’ circumcision, baptism, etc. “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
2. Jesus came so He could sympathize with us. Although without a sin nature, Jesus was tempted in every respect as you are (Hebrews 4:15). Although having no sin nature, his temptations were as intense as ours (Those who have made the biggest mess in human history: Adam, Eve, demons, Satan – none had sin nature) Therefore, he gently and patiently sympathizes while giving grace. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need…He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness.” (Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:2).

The Gospels show Jesus experiencing human limitations (hunger, Matthew 4:2; fatigue, John 4:6; ignorance of fact, Luke 8:45-47; sorrow, John 11:35, 38). Hebrews stresses that if Christ had not shared all these facets of human experience – weakness, temptation, and pain – He would not be qualified to help us as we face such trials (Hebrews 2:17, 18; 4:15-16; 5:2, 7-9). As it is, His full human experience guarantees that in every moment of our relationship with God we may go to Him, confident that he has been there before us, and is the helper we need.

The incarnation is not only the way in which Jesus became Immanuel – God with us – but is an eternal testimony that he and His Father are unswervingly God for us.

“God has made the human heart in such a way that it will never be eternally content with that which is only human. Finitude can’t slake our thirst for the infinite. And yet, in our finite humanity, we are significantly helped by a point of correspondence with the divine. God was glorious long before he became a man in Jesus. But we are human beings, and unincarnate deity doesn’t connect with us in the same way as the God who became human. The conception of a god who never became a man will not satisfy the human soul like the god who did” (David Mathis; DesiringGod.org, December 19, 2007 Blog Post).

Give the example of Staci and the miscarriage – The law leads us to Christ. Christ then takes us by the hand and says, this is the most joyful way of life…It is hard…I have done this…let me lead you.