Sermon Video: The Endgame of God's Grace - Ephesians 1:7-10

What is the ultimate goal and purpose of God's grace?  There are many amazing purposes that lead to this conclusion, among them the adoption into the family of God of the redeemed, but the endgame of God's grace is unity.  Unity of everything under Christ to God.  At present, everything suffers from disunity, even the world itself.  The final triumph of God's grace will be the full reunion that restores the original created order and purpose of God.

Sermon Video: An Introduction to God's Grace - Ephesians 1:1-6

The first half of Paul's letter to the church in Ephesus is an ode to the wonders and majesty of the grace of God.  Fittingly, Paul delves into that very subject as soon as the customary introduction is completed.

As Philip Yancy's book asked, "What's so amazing about grace?"  Paul has the answer for you.

Sermon Video: A Grieving Abraham is Swindled - Genesis 22:20-23:20

Following the death of his beloved wife Sarah, Abraham seeks to buy a plot of land from his neighbors for her tomb.  For both religious and cultural reasons, Abraham rebuffs their offer to let him "borrow" space, and the offer to take the tomb for free.  After Abraham's need is well known, Ephron offers to sell him the cave, with its adjoining field for an exorbitant price.  In other words, he takes advantage of Abraham's desperation.

The parallels to our modern legal and economic systems are legion.  Payday advance schemes, legalized gambling corporations beyond count, cryptocurrencies, medical scams, religious and political fundraising designed to line the pockets of those on the receiving end, Wall street get rich quick schemes, fraud in government programs, unscrupulous landlords and tenants, and last but not least, the straight-up scammers who lie to steal from the most vulnerable.  We are awash in people trying to take advantage of the vulnerable.

What do we as followers of Jesus do about it?  We refuse to participate in such things, even when legal, we warn others about them, and we stand with the vulnerable to protect them.

Sermon Video: Abraham: A foreigner in a foreign land, Genesis 21:22-34

The interactions between Abimelek and Abraham serve as a template for God's teaching on the respect and kindness God expects from his followers with respect to those on the outside-looking-in.  Whether those in need are foreigners or outcasts in our own society, the followers of Jesus are called to imitate his compassionate outreach.  For Abraham, this meant promising Abimelek that in the future when his descendants had the power to do so, they would treat Abimelek's descendants with kindness.

The modern Church has struggled, especially in the West, to fulfill this calling, we need to set aside our own political or cultural notions and instead truly embody the Fruit of the Spirit.

The Dangers of the First Fruits of Zion and their Torah Clubs: summarized in one page

To everyone who follows Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior,

While we all ought to enthusiastically support deep study of the Bible, including its Jewish cultural and linguistic roots, all such study should occur within the framework of a Church history-based orthodoxy, and an Apostolic understanding of the Gospel.  The First Fruits of Zion with their Torah Clubs, are not an acceptable option.

Why are groups associated with the Hebrew Roots Movement, like the First Fruits of Zion dangerous?  Ample documentation* has demonstrated from primary sources, in their own words, that the First Fruits of Zion organization, and the Torah Clubs materials they publish, are replete with the following theological errors and/or heresies:

1.        A non-Trinitarian view of God in the forms of two ancient heresies rejected by the Early Church: Modalism and Subordinationism.  Through these heresies, they deny full personhood and/or full deity to Jesus Christ.

2.        A foundationally flawed hermeneutic {including the use of paraphrases, “my translation,” out-of-context quotations, and word substitutions resulting in more palatable texts} for interpreting scripture that proclaims that all relevant passages have been wrongly understood throughout Church History, and in fact mean nearly the opposite of what the Church has nearly universally taught.

3.        A consistent hostility toward the Church which is seen as the ‘mission field’ in need of correction to bring it back to its supposed roots as a Torah observant movement within Judaism.  They teach the Church should never have existed.

4.        That the books of Moses, the Torah, are more fully the words of God than other portions of holy scripture, making them the lens through which all scripture must be interpreted.  Even Jesus Christ, the eternal Word of God, has no authority to establish anything beyond the Mosaic Law.

5.        That Jesus did not fulfill the Mosaic Law, rather it is still operative and normative for all of God’s people, Jews and Gentiles alike.  That it was designed by God to be the only rubric for holy living for all peoples, in all places, and at all times.

6.        That there is no covenant with the Gentiles, thus all followers of Jesus Christ who accept the Gospel must be grafted into Israel by ‘becoming a Jew’ in spirit through Torah observance.

7.        That on this basis true Christian discipleship requires the keeping of the Mosaic Law, including the dietary (kosher), Sabbath, and festival provisions, which is how Christians demonstrate their love of God as these have been redefined by FFOZ as the true “fruit of the Spirit.”

If the tree is diseased, so will its fruit be.  Christians have already been warned against the use of bible study materials produced by the Watchtower Tract Society (JW) or LDS (Mormon) organizations, and would not use them even if locally 100% of the parent organization’s theology was not being adopted.  The risk that heretical teachings would gain a foothold is simply too great.  The same danger exists when using materials published by FFOZ.  If the desire is to learn about Judaism or from Messianic Judaism, a host of materials from an orthodox point-of-view are available for Christians to utilize.  To use that which comes from the FFOZ is an unnecessary risk, in addition, purchases support an organization whose stated goals would harm the Church and warp the Gospel.

In the end, while protesting that they do not offer a works-based salvation, and claiming that faith in Jesus is sufficient, this movement is built upon and structured around the claim that all faithful Christians will begin observing the Law of Moses once they become followers of Jesus, that faithful Christians will, in essence, live like Jews.  They may not outright claim the Law of Moses as the gatekeeper to salvation and Christian discipleship, but when you make it the gauge of genuine faithfulness you are adding it to the Gospel message, casting dispersion upon the faith of 99% of the world’s Christians, both past and present, and spreading doubt and division within the Church.  This movement is no benign appreciation of the scriptures, but rather an aggressively proselytizing misappropriation of them contrary to the established teachings of Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant Churches, and Messianic Jewish congregations, alike.

Given this, it is necessary to warn individual Christians and congregations against participation in these groups, and call upon those who do so now, and especially those who are promoting them, to repent and return to the faith our ancestors rejoiced in as, “you are not under the law, but under grace.” (Romans 6:12)

* For documentation, see the page on this blog with the same title.