Sermon Video: We do not grieve like those without hope - 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14

Death and the grief that it causes are as real for followers of Jesus as they are for everyone else.  Because we have faith our grief is not eliminated, it is transformed, transformed by our hope.  Hope in what?  the resurrection of those who are in Jesus Christ.

Sermon Video: Jesus: Destroyer of Death & Bringer of Life - 2 Timothy 1:9-10

 

In this Easter message, we look at Paul's inspiring explanation of what Jesus Christ has accomplished through his death and resurrection.  Among its many blessings, this hinge moment of history achieved: (1) Our salvation and calling to live a holy life, (2) the fulfillment of God's plan of grace set forth before time, and (3) the final triumph of life and immortality in Christ over death.

Christ is Risen!  He is Risen indeed!

Sermon Video: God Rest When His Work is Done - Genesis 2:1-3

What does it mean that God "rested" when his work of Creation was completed?  The idea of completion is key to understanding the idea of Sabbath.  God "rested" because the Temple of his Creation was fully formed and functioning thus setting the stage for God to sit upon the throne of heaven and begin his rule over what he had made.  It is in that vein that Jesus fulfills the Sabbath (and the whole Law of Moses) by completing God's work of redemption, after which he ascended at sat down at the right hand of the Father, thus also indicating that the final victory was forever won.

How do we "rest" by honoring God as Gentile Christians?  We let go of our own vain belief in our independence and accept that God is fully and completely in control, that his will for us is perfect, and that he will finish the work that he began in us on the other side of death.  In other words, we can rest any time of any day by fully trusting in God.

Sermon Video: With Jesus on the road to Emmaus - Luke 24:13-35

What did Jesus do on the afternoon of Easter Sunday?  As it turns out, he took a walk with two of his disciples and spent a few hours explaining to them how the Hebrew prophets of old had predicted everything that would happen to the Messiah, including his suffering and death.  As we celebrate Easter, let us remember our need to share this Good News with those who need it most.

Our video feed wasn't ended as usual when the sermon concluded, so this video also includes my prayer for Israel and Gaza and our final hymn.

Did the Apostles fully keep the Torah after Jesus’ death and resurrection? A response to the claim of FFOZ

In the past year and a half, I’ve read a lot of things written by the leadership of First Fruits of Zion.  While individual misinterpretations of the biblical text and Early Church history abound in their published materials, correcting these errors does not seem to move the needle with those who have fallen under the sway of Boaz Michael, Daniel Lancaster, and the rest.  What would it take?  How much of a rejection of God’s Word is necessary to demonstrate the danger of this path?

FFOZ’s claim: The Apostles (and the entirety of the first generation of followers of Jesus, both Jew and Gentile) fully kept Torah.  In their view this was as Jesus intended, his life, death, and resurrection changed NOTHING with respect to full participation in the first-century expression of Judaism, full obedience to the Law of Moses continued to be expected in every aspect of everyone.

This reflects the central historical claim of FFOZ, that until later generations dropped the affiliation with Judaism, Jesus’ followers (both Jew and Gentile alike) were full participants in synagogue life, full participants in Temple worship, fully obedient to every aspect of Torah.

Here is an example of this thesis from FFOZ in action:

The New Testament metaphorically refers to Yeshua’s suffering and death as a sacrifice for sin, but that’s not the same as cancelling the sacrifices.  The boof of Acts shows us that the believers remained engaged in the Jerusalem Temple system long after the death and resurrection of the Master.  Obviously they did not regard the Temple worship as obsolete.  Ever since the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE, the sacrifices detailed in the Torah have not been possible and will not be possible until God’s Temple in Jerusalem is rebuilt. – Restoration by Daniel Lancaster, p. 169-170

We don’t make sacrifices today, but only because the Torah forbids us from doing so.  Without a Temple and priesthood, sacrificing is a sin. – Restoration by Daniel Lancaster, p. 173 (emphasis mine)

Caveat: After the destruction of the Temple, the ending of the Levitical/Aaronic priesthood, and the disbanding of the Sanhedrin, many of the requirements of the Torah no longer applied.  This FFOZ freely admits, it would be absurd to contend otherwise as these requirements were literally impossible to keep without the priesthood and sacrificial system being in place.  FFOZ does, however, expect animal sacrifices to resume if/when the Temple is rebuilt, to them Jesus’ “metaphorical” death hasn’t changed anything in this regard.  As Lancaster writes, “the Law of God is eternal.” (Restoration, p. 157) {Note: He isn’t saying the Word of God, context makes it clear that he means the Mosaic Law in its entirety is intended to be an eternally operating system.}

This leaves nearly a 40-year period after the resurrection of Jesus Christ when Jesus’ followers could have participated fully in Torah, as he and they had before his death and resurrection, if it had been Jesus’ goal and purpose for them.

However, to do so would have been to trivialize the sacrifice of Christ to the point of sacrilege.

Here’s why: Leviticus 4:1-2 says this,

The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Say to the Israelites: ‘When anyone sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands…

The rest of the chapter outlines the required animal sacrifice.  In the case of an unintentional sin by any of the covenant people, the animal was to be a goat or lamb,

29 They are to lay their hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter it at the place of the burnt offering. 30 Then the priest is to take some of the blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. (Lev. 4:29-30)

This was God’s command to the Israelites given at Mt. Sinai; it would have been absolutely necessary for the Apostles (and the growing number of Christians) if they were fully Torah observant to take part in this particular sacrifice many times during those decades, for each of them would have had numerous unintentional sins on their ledger, so to speak. 

{Remember, however that the Gentiles Christians would have been barred from in-person participation in the Temple system, the physical reminder of their inferiority that kept them from the inner courts of the Temple would have been enforced on pain of death.  See Acts 21:28}

But neither the Jewish Christians nor the Gentile Christian could have made these sacrifices, not if they understood even in rudimentary terms what the sacrifice of Jesus had already accomplished.  The book of Hebrews would not yet have been available to them, but does FFOZ really want us to believe that Jesus’ disciples were this ignorant of what he had accomplished on the Cross up until they read Hebrews?  Or does the testimony of Hebrews that confirms the abrogation of the sacrificial system not count when you’ve already concluded that, “the Law of God is eternal”?

The writer of Hebrews spells this purposeful God-authored change out in detail:

14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16)

The resurrected and ascended Jesus was already the Great High Priest, there was no longer a need for the services of one descended from Aaron.  Why would a follower of the post-resurrection Jesus go to a mere man with a sacrifice?

11 But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. 12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. 13 The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! (Hebrews 9:11-14)

11 Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. 14 For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. (Hebrews 11:11-14)

Jesus’ blood had fully and forever paid for the sins of the Apostles, how could they continue to offer that of an animal knowing that they had been washed clean?  The choice was between obeying Torah by repeating sacrifices Jesus had already paid for, or recognizing that his death and resurrection had fundamentally changed the very nature of the sacrificial system by forever eliminating any need for it, and thus changed the Law of Moses itself.

19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. (Hebrews 10:19-22)

Even the Temple itself, while it still stood until the Romans destroyed it, no longer contained the true Most Holy Place, for the very body of Jesus Christ was the true living Temple, the one that he promised would be raised three days after it was destroyed.

18 And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary. (Hebrews 10:18)

It was no longer necessary, the sins of the Apostles, even those they had yet to commit, had already been forgiven.

How then could they be fully Torah observant by offering animal sacrifices without hypocrisy, even sacrilege?  How could Jesus have expected them to remain fully participating in first-century Judaism without continuing in the sacrificial system?

The answer is: They weren’t, nor did Jesus expect them to be.  For Jesus is our Great High Priest, the Holy Temple, the Blood of the Covenant, and the final sacrifice that God ever required.

For convenience this post is also available as a Word document: Did the Apostles fully keep the Torah after Jesus' death and resurrection?

Light vs Darkness and the reason why Christians should be perpetual optimists

 

John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Matthew 16:17-18 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

Philippians 2:9-11

9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place

    and gave him the name that is above every name,

10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,

    to the glory of God the Father.

We know how the story ends, right?  These three verses are but a few of those that proclaim where the true power in this universe lies and that set forth that at the end of history the victory of God will be total and complete.  So, why aren't Christians the most perpetually and undisturbedly optimistic people you could ever meet?  Honestly, I've met a few that bubble over with that joy, but they're the minority.

We are the ones who believe that Jesus Christ rose in victory over sin and death, right?

We are the ones who believe that he will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead establishing a kingdom that will have no end, right?

And yet, what we often see from Christians is fear and anxiety, something that is as unfortunate as it is unnecessary. Jesus told us to not let our hearts be troubled, that while this world would indeed continue to be full of evil until the Last Judgment, the ultimate victory has already been secured. 

This truth leads us to several conclusions about life here and now, among them:

(1) Whatever victories Evil has in this world, they will be transitory, whatever defeats Good has in this world, they will be temporary.  Our task is to continue to serve in the time and place where God has placed us.  We don't know when the End will come, but we know that when it arrives Good will triumph completely and Evil will be no more.

(2) The people, institutions, and causes which truly serve God have nothing to fear from spiritual evil.  While the martyrs have demonstrated that they may imprison or kill the body, and persecution has shown they may burn or bomb buildings, both the souls of those who are in Christ and the ongoing life transforming power of the Gospel are forever beyond the power of evil to corrupt in any way.

(3) Because Christ achieved his victory through self-sacrifice we are called to do the same.  Our weapons are not made of metal, they don't fire bullets, we don't need political, cultural, or economic power in this world.  The true power of God at work in us is service, kindness, mercy, forgiveness, love, and ultimately self-sacrifice.

So let us embrace the certainty of the faith that has been given us, set aside worry and fear, and go forth in love.

Sermon Video: Believe in Jesus, and you will be saved - Romans 10:5-13

How simple is it to receive the Good News of the Gospel?

Amazingly simple.  The intellectual hurdle is minimal, one only need acknowledge that Jesus has risen from the dead and he is Lord.  The crux of the matter is the willingness of the heart to accept the need for salvation in Jesus.

For everyone who does so, seeking salvation in Jesus, they will find it.

Sermon Video: Christ arose, we too will be raised - 1 Corinthians 15:20-23

Of the many blessings and joys that the resurrection of Jesus from the dead brings to those who believe in him, one that we will all need some day is the assurance that he has opened up for us a path from death to new life.  Because Jesus has risen from the dead, we too will rise.  This wonderful truth offers us comfort in our times of sorrow, strength in our times of trial, and puts away fear of the future.

"Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?" - An Easter reminder that God has already solved our biggest and most important problems

 

In J.R.R. Tolkien's masterpiece, The Fellowship of the Ring, the titular fellowship arrives with its nine members at the Gates of Moria, the old entrance to the ancient dwarf kingdom long since abandoned.  The fellowship are in desperate straits, their first attempt to move forward with the quest of destroying the One Ring had been defeated soundly when a blizzard closed the mountain pass.  Now, with wolves approaching they find themselves facing a locked door.  Gandalf purposes to lead them under the mountain to the other side, but the way forward is blocked.  Unless Gandalf can decode the door's cryptic message, "Speak friend, and enter" by recalling the password that will open the magically sealed doors, this entire mission may end in failure before it accomplishes anything.

As the scene unfolds, Gandalf tries potential solutions in great number, all end in failure.  Despite all his wisdom and skill, nothing works.  That is until someone with a lot less wisdom and skill, the hobbit Merry, realizes that they had the answer all along.  The door's message should have been translated, "Speak 'friend', and enter."  As soon as Gandalf spoke the Elvish word for friend, the doors came open.  The mystery of the sealed doors was really no mystery at all, the answer was written in plain sight.

As the Easter narrative begins in Mark's Gospel, we see Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome on their way to the tomb to honor Jesus by further preparing his body for its final burial place.  Having come very early in the morning, after a Sabbath when few of Jesus' followers could have known any peace following his horrific murder on a Cross, the women don't realize until they reach the garden that they don't have a plan to remove the large stone from the tomb's entrance.  Thus, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?" is a question that needs an answer, one the women don't have.  Or so it seems to them.

In reality, God had already moved the stone, the tomb of Jesus had already been transformed from a place of sorrow, into history's most incredible victory monument.  There was nothing wrong with the women being concerned about the stone, it was a legitimate obstacle from their point-of-view, but keeping with the pattern found in the scripture's of God's will and purpose being in motion whether his people are aware of it or not, God had answered their question before they even asked it.

We sometimes forget this, or at least don't act like we know it, but God has already answered all of life's most important questions for us.  There are no riddles left for us to solve before we can move forward, when Jesus rose from the grave, the question, "What is the meaning of life?" had a full and powerful answer.  So too did, "How am I supposed to live my life?" and "What happens to us when we die?"  God has not called us to serve a cause that we can hope might succeed, but one in which the victory has already been secured, no need for us to worry about rolling away the stone.

Sermon Video: "we are those who have died to sin" - Romans 5:20-6:7

Having explained that we have died with Christ, and been raised together with him to new life, the Apostle Paul explores how we then should live now.  The first question is: Should we go on sinning?  To which he answers, "By no means!"  Why not?  Because we have "died to sin", it no longer has the mastery over us.  With the Holy Spirit's power, we can have victory over sin.  It won't be totally removed in this life, but that 'old self' is gone and buried.

Sermon Video: The Resurrected Jesus: peace, understanding, evangelism, Luke 24:36-49

The first Easter Sunday culminated with a surprise visitation from Jesus to his closest disciples.  After a day of wonder, angelic messages, and doubt, Jesus suddenly stood among his disciples.  They responded with fear and doubt, but Jesus was willing to show them his hands and feet, and then to eat in front of them, to put their fear to rest.  Afterwards, Jesus took the time to explain how his past three days fit into the prophecies of old before honing in on what his disciples needed to do now that he was back from the dead: share the Good News.

Sermon Video: How does the Gospel of Mark end? - Mark 16:9-20

Aside from a sentence about snakes and the drinking of poison, the 'Long Ending' of the Gospel of Mark has parallels in Matthew and Luke. That continuity turns the question of the authenticity of the surviving ending to Mark from one of theological significance to one of educated opinions. After briefly discussing the evidence for and against the originality of vs. 9-20, the sermon shifts to look at the text itself, noting the continuity it has with other passages of scripture.

Sermon Video: The Resurrection of Jesus - Mark 16:1-8

Much of what we hear and read about in life is colored by hyperbole.  The greatest and most turns out to be a pitch.  Not so the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.  This moment is the turning point of all history, not just human history, history itself.  Why?  Because this is the moment that humanity's two biggest problems, sin and death, were dealt a blow that will ultimately prove fatal.  It was also the moment that God's plan of reconciliation and renewal for all of Creation passed the point of no return; nothing can stop the final victory of Jesus and the triumph of his Church.

What is our response to this Good News?  Share it!  Tells others, bring hope and joy to places of darkness and despair.

Sermon Video: Resurrection - The God of the Living, Mark 12:18-27

What will Heaven be like? Much of our own assumptions and cultural baggage enters into our typical answer, but as Jesus revealed to the Sadducees, making those assumptions can lead to serious error. Jesus utilizes the story of God revealing to Moses his name, "I AM" to illustrate that God has always been the God of the Living, that for his people life continues beyond the grave.

What will Heaven be like? I'm not sure, but it will be beyond our imaginations, contrary to our assumptions, our words will fail us when we stand amazed in the presence of the LORD.

Sermon Video: "Peace be with you!" - John 20:19-23

 On the evening of the first Easter, following a confusing morning involving an Empty Tomb and visitations from angels, the disciples of Jesus were gather together, with the doors locked for fear of arrest. Suddenly, Jesus enters the room and dispels their collective anxiety and fear, telling them, "Peace be with you!" (Shalom in Hebrew) Not only was their recent fear releaved, for Jesus was truly alive, but the future's concerns were suddenly less daunting. Jesus immediately tells them their next step, to go and tell the Good News. Without Jesus, they were anxious and afraid, with Jesus, they were confident and ready to take on the world. That's the difference that the presence of Jesus makes, he brough peace then, and he brings peace now.

Sermon Video: When the dead are raised to new life - 1 Corinthians 15:35-44a

Having striven to establish confidence at the church in Corinth regarding the reality of Jesus' resurrection, and the certainty of our future resurrection, Paul now explains a little bit about what that resurrected life will be like. Four things will disappear: perishable, dishonor, weakness, and natural body. Four things will replace them: imperishable, glory, power, and spiritual body. What exactly does this mean?? Beyond our comprehension, but rest assured that which makes immortality as we are now a curse not a blessing will be removed, to be replaced with glorious Christ-likeness.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Sermon Video: A world without life after death - 1 Corinthians 15:29-32

What would be different about our world if we knew that there was no life after death? Considering that most people both now and throughout history have some sort of belief in an afterlife, the changes would not be small. The Apostle Paul outlines three of them, (1) we would lose our connection to our ancestors, (2) any rationale for self-sacrifice {much less worth dying for}, and (3) any hope for final Justice. In the end, without a resurrection the most likely human response is, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die." Hedonism and hopelessness are a toxic combination. Thankfully, Paul's thought is only a hypothetical, for the resurrection of the dead IS a reality, there will be a Judgment Day, and we have every reason to Hope beyond this life when we are in Christ.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Sermon Video: How to know the power of Christ's resurrection Philippians 3:10-11

How can I know Christ? Really know him? The Apostle Paul considers that thought and responds with two ideas: know the power of his resurrection, and participate in his sufferings. In other words, not only intellectual knowledge about Jesus, but experiential as well. In order to become "like him in his death" we must become like him in his life. Imitate Jesus. The end result of the power of Christ's resurrection for those who believe will be fully transformed and glorified resurrected bodies, so why not strive for as much Christ-likeness as we can (by God's grace and the power of the Holy Spirit) obtain here and now? To truly know Christ is to embark upon a life transforming path of becoming like him.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Sermon Video: Christ will reign - 1 Corinthians 15:23-28

How does it all end? The Apostle Paul offers an interesting analysis of the End Times by approaching it through the lens of authority/power. When Christ returns, and begins the final unfolding of God's will, it will be a tumultuous time indeed, but one in which the authority, power, and dominion of the Son of God (achieved by the Father, and given back to the Father by the Son) will become unchallenged and unquestioned, with even Death itself falling victim to the glorious reign of Jesus Christ.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Sermon Video: In Christ all will be made alive - 1 Corinthians 15:20-22

The fear of death is common to all of humanity, and in the present COVID-19 crisis, it is being felt keenly by millions. But death is not the natural state of humanity, it is an aberration, one that God has provided the solution to. Because the resurrection of Jesus Christ is a historical fact we can place our hope for life beyond death in Jesus. Those who are in Christ, that is, those who have repented of their sins and chosen to live by faith in this world according to God's Word, have not only received a promise of full live in the world to come, but a more abundant life here and now as well. This is the blessing that God offers to all who believe.

To watch the video, click on the link below: