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WE Have Been Here Before – in Awe of JESUS
We show no awe of Jesus in our no-salt ‘christian’ lives. Oh, perhaps in a stanza of singing, a sentence of sermon or a moment of compassion in our encounter with another; but for the most part we Christians fail to show any awe of Jesus in our worship or daily lives.

Our church and yours will most likely witness the “aahhh” of a baby born in Bethlehem directed for our children. Ah, not awe — the small sprinkling of Christ for the community, rather than Spirit led worship of the Christ who still lives.

AWE!

The forgotten awe of the Lord God witnessed in the past becomes the superstition of today’s disbelief.

When we read of the awe of Jesus we quickly overlook it. How easily we miss a personal awe of the Lord.

So just for a moment put yourself in the sandals of some witnesses we missed in Jesus’ introduction. (For the Gospel shows us much more than the ‘ah’ of a babe in a manger.)

The Gospel of Matthew

1:20b … an angel of the Lord appeared to him [Joseph] in a dream… 24 When Joseph woke up, he did as the Lord’s angel had commanded him.

Note: Maji: Matthew 2:1 A caste of wise men specializing in astronomy, astrology, and natural science

2:2 “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star at its rising and have come to worship him.”

13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt.

19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt.

The Gospel Mark

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. Immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him; and a voice came out of the heavens: “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.”

The Good News (εὐαγγέλιον) of Luke

1:8 … he was serving as priest before God… 11 An angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was terrified and overcome with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah…

26 In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man named Joseph, of the house of David…

2:9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid…

13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”
Luke 2:14 NASB – Strong’s G2107 – eudokia Blueletterbible.org

33 And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him.

Does Jesus still amaze you after hearing HIS STORY each year?

Do you hear the awe in these witnesses of Christ? And like them do hold HIM in awe as well?

34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed—

Prophecy – Simeon recalls and applies prophecy of the Messiah to Jesus, the Son of Man born in a manger in Bethlehem.

The Gospel of John

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

The same was in the beginning with God.
John 1:2 KJV of Christ Jesus ‘this one, visibly present here

The Lamb of God in a manger

The Lamb of God

29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

30 This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.’

John the Baptist was in awe of Jesus. Are you?

51 And He said to him [Nathanael], “Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”

Awesome! Truly, the Gospel records many instances of awe connected to Christ Jesus.

What is Awe?

φόβος – phobos

You know the greek root and its connection to fear, dread, terror and that which strikes terror.

Yet we marginalize our phobias even of miracles. And awe in this sense startles our sense of the natural. For our human understanding must be finite and understanding of the infinite baffles us.

We mention the fear of the shepherds who witnessed the awe of angels at Jesus’ birth. Yet seldom will we note the supernatural motivations for the multitudes of followers who subsequently had to see and hear the Messiah Jesus.

In just one scene here in Nain, imagine yourself as part of the crowd gathered for the funeral of this man. Jesus, of whom you have heard, walks up and touches the coffin.

“Young man, I say to you, arise!”
The dead man sat up and began to speak. And Jesus gave him back to his mother.
Fear gripped them all, and they began glorifying God, saying,
“A great prophet has arisen among us!” and,
“God has visited His people!”
Luke 7:14-16

Luke further records witness of the first century church.

Everyone kept feeling a sense G5401 of awe; G5401 and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles.
Acts of the Apostles 2:43 – awe = Literally: fear was occurring to every soul

Fear as Consequence of Awe

We frequently live in fear during this brief mortal journey of our life.

Do we fear man and circumstance or the Lord?

Therefore here this one example of awe from the Hebrew Bible [Old Testament] as wisdom for our fear.

33:8 יִֽירְאוּ מֵיְהוָה כָּל־הָאָרֶץ מִמֶּנּוּ יָגוּרוּ כָּל־יֹשְׁבֵי תֵבֵֽל׃
Let all the earth fear the LORD;
Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.
Psalm 33:8 Masoretic Text; NASB
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To be continued...
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December 15, 2019
Jude -3- Apostates
Why did Jude write to the churches about apostasy? What is apostasy and how do we recognize apostates?

As we learned previously in the study of Jude’s reason for exhortation, certain intruders have joined the churches to which he writes. Jude describes them as ungodly people who pervert God’s grace. He accuses these apostates of denying our Master and Lord Jesus Christ.

Jude

5 [NASB] Now I desire to remind you, though you know all things once for all, that the Lord, after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, subsequently destroyed those who did not believe.

Why a reminder from the Old Testament?

The approach of the church is different in Christ than that of the Jewish culture from which they have been redeemed by the Lord.

A first century view of the church

Donald Guthrie in The New Testament Approach to Social Responsibility writes:

The New Testament assumes the validity of the Old Testament view that man was made in the image of God.1 The whole conception of sin requires that there must have been a state from which man has deviated.

Guthrie continues with reminders of the social nature of the church of the first century to which Jude writes:

The New Testament doctrines of redemption and reconciliation are central to the whole Christian message and involve a disarming of man’s natural enmity against God and of his self-centredness.7 …

The consequence of this is that redeemed man finds himself with an entirely new set of values and yet remaining in his former alien environment. A tension must at once develop between his former way of looking at social responsibility and his new principles in Christ.

The New Testament concentrates on the privileges and responsibilities of the Christian life, because this was the aspect which was new. The Christian faith demands new attitudes and actions which are of prior importance for those who have just turned away from a pagan background. This will explain the relative paucity of specific exhortations towards social responsibility.

Examples from the Old Testament

Jesus, nevertheless, teaches the validity of the Old Testament from where Jude takes examples of exhortations as contemporary reminders for our faith.

“For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.”
Matthew 5:18 KJV – the words of Jesus about the Old Testament

Jesus told numerous stories from the Old Testament as well. For an excellent of His view of Scripture you can read this article by Don Stewart.

Apostasy

Before we continue with the examples of Hebrew history, let’s define what Jude does not specifically name. (You already know the challenges of Hebrew, Greek and Latin translations into today’s English.)

Apostasy – definition

from the OXFORD dictionary

The abandonment or renunciation of a religious or political belief or principle.

‘the execution of their leader for apostasy brought widespread criticism’

Origin

Middle English from ecclesiastical Latin apostasia, from a late Greek alteration of Greek apostasis ‘defection’.

ἀποστασία – apostasia

Definition from the Greek: defection from truth (properly, the state) (“apostasy”):—falling away, forsake.

מְשׁוּבָה

Definition from the Hebrew mĕshuwbah : turning away, turning back, apostasy, backsliding

The Bible warns of the apostasy of the Lord’s chosen people more times than the New Testament church specifically warns believers against it.

“Your own wickedness will correct you,
And your apostasies will reprove you;
Know therefore and see that it is evil and bitter
For you to forsake the LORD your God,
And the dread of Me is not in you,” declares the Lord GOD of hosts.
Jeremiah 2:19 NASB

Jude’s Old Testament Exhortations

Various Biblical headings for the verses to follow from Jude’s letter read:
- Apostates: Past and Present -CSB
- False Teachers – NTE
- Old and New Apostates & Apostates Depraved and Doomed – KJV
- Judgment on False Teachers – NSRV
- Past history warns us that the unfaithful have mingled with the faithful & Be on your guard against these wicked men – PHILLIPS
So as not to extend exposition of this twenty-five verse letter into another post, I will link the important cross-references for these Old Testament verses for your further study. I suspect the the first century readers of Jude’s exhortations warning against apostasy knew these examples much better than I can remember.
1. Jude 1:5 – Egypt
2. v. 6 – Angels – a multitude of examples throughout both Testaments
3. vs. 7-8 – Sodom and Gomorrah
4. v. 9 – Michael the Archangel, concerning Moses
5. v. 11 – Cain, Balaam & Korah
6. vs. 14-15 Enoch
Egypt

For I should like to remind you, my brothers, that our ancestors all had the experience of being guided by the cloud in the desert and of crossing the sea dry-shod. … many of them failed to please God, and left their bones in the desert. Now in these events our ancestors stand as examples to us, warning us not to crave after evil things as they did.
1 Corinthians 10 excerpt – J.B. PHILLIPS

Angels and Archangels

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Ephesians 6:12 NASB

Michael, from the vision of Daniel 10 [audio]

Sodom and Gomorrah

“I destroyed some of your cities,
as I destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.
Those of you who survived
were like charred sticks pulled from a fire.
But still you would not return to me,”
says the LORD.
Amos 4:11 NLT

Cain, Balaam & Korah

All apostates! And for the most part we know their sins. Yet do we recall their warnings from the Lord?

The Lord warns Cain

Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you furious? And why do you look despondent? 7 If you do what is right, won’t you be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.”
Genesis 4:6-7 CSB

The Lord & an Angel warn Balaam

And God said to Balaam, “You shall not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed.”
And the Angel of the LORD said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to stand against you, because your way is perverse before Me.
Numbers 22:12,32 NKJV

Moses warns Korah & The Lord warns Moses & Aaron

Moses also told Korah, “Now listen, Levites! Isn’t it enough for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the Israelite community to bring you near to himself, to perform the work at the Lord’s tabernacle, and to stand before the community to minister to them?
The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Separate yourselves from this community so I may consume them instantly.”
Numbers 16:8-9, 20-21

Have we recognized the apostates opposed to the Lord and separated them from His church?

The Lord requires both our faith and our loyalty. He cautions us concerning those who would turn against the faithful, loyal congregation of believers.

Jude warns:

These people are dangerous. They share communion of Christ with you, but only care about themselves. These men (and presumably women) are a menace to good fellowship. They are shepherds (pastors and priests) who care not for their sheep. These opinionated apostates are clouds without water, trees without fruit, twice-dead, and uprooted. Do not listen to them.

Jude makes other comparisons of these apostates to raging waves splashing up their own shame and wandering stars ‘for whom the deepest darkness has been reserved forever,’ a clear reference to the eternal punishment of Satan’s apostate angels.

Enoch Predicted an Apostasy of Israel

The study of Jude’s source material [linked above] is complex. See Jude 1:14. Yet to simplify the apostasy of Israel which the Lord spoke to Moses at the time of his death, here is an excerpt from its scriptural background.

Deuteronomy 31 & Intro from the Song of Moses

The Lord said to Moses, “Behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers; and this people will arise and play the harlot with the strange gods of the land, into the midst of which they are going, and will forsake Me and break My covenant which I have made with them. Then My anger will be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them…
“They have acted corruptly toward Him,
They are not His children, because of their defect;
But are a perverse and crooked generation.
“Do you thus repay the Lord,
O foolish and unwise people?
Deuteronomy 31:16-17a,32:5:6a NASB

A Reminder of Scoffers

Jude reminds the church that the Apostles also warn of those who deny the power and judgment of Almighty God and turn from the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

“In the last time there will be scoffers, indulging their own ungodly lusts.” It is these worldly people, devoid of the Spirit, who are causing divisions.
Jude 1:18b-19 NRSV

But you, beloved…

Jude addresses the church agapētos, beloved ones, just as James in his letter had cautioned: “Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.”

Jude and also James knew the familial love of Jesus. Both letter writers love those saints of the church faithful to Christ, their brother, the risen Lord.

But you, dear friends, as you build yourselves up in your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting expectantly for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ for eternal life.
Jude 1:21-22 CSB

How shall we view the apostate?

Have mercy on some who are doubting.

Is this unexpected as our attitude toward some who temporarily turn against Christ?

Jude shares the same teaching as Christ.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
The words of Christ, Matthew 5:7

By our mercy and Christ’s grace some may be built up in the true faith.

Save others

‘Snatching them out of the fire,’ Jude pleads, a clear reference to saving their souls from hell.

σῴζω – sōzō – Save – to rescue from danger or destruction

It is the same Greek word for save familiar to all from John 3:16. Jude urges the church to save those of the world who come to us.

Have mercy with fear

“And on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh,” Jude cautions.

But what fear?

φόβος – Most know the word phobos and its meaning: dread or that which strikes terror.

What strikes terror in your heart?

Your own death?

Judgement? Eternal damnation?

Or do you fear for the souls of others more than you fear them? For these are loved ones, friends and those who you know as a part of the church. Some apostate ‘christians’ have turned against the Lord Jesus Christ!

Do you fear man or the Lord God?

Luke tells us in the Acts of the Apostles,

So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase.
Acts 9:31 NASB

Jude’s reference to ‘hating even the garment polluted by the flesh’ clearly calls the church to hating the sin, yet not the sinner. Let us clearly identify the spotted speech of apostates among us, urging those with such worldly coverings to purify their sins in the blood of Christ.

And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell.
James 3:6 NASB

Let us watch that we condemn the sins of the apostates among us, while not judging their souls which the Lord may choose to snatch from the fire.

Benediction

Jude wants to encourage the church, giving those saints faithful to the Lord praise. Yet he has chosen to exhort the church against apostates, warn us against the sins which defile us and turn our witness against Christ.

He briefly makes his strong warning and now closes with praise to the Lord. You may have heard such comforting benedictions from a pastor of your own church congregation.

Now to him who is able to protect you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of his glory, without blemish and with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority before all time, now and forever. Amen.
Jude 1:24-25 CSB Benediction

Christ Jesus can keep you from stumbling so that you may stand in His holy presence. You will know His glory, because of His mercy and grace of covering our sins by His shed blood.

God IS our Savior, through the sacrificial love of Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Anyone who does not believe in the only One who can save us is an apostate, turned against the Lord our God!

To Him be all glory, majesty, power and authority. As it was in the beginning, it will be now and forever. AMEN.
July 25, 2019
James – Count It All Joy -2
Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials…
James 1:2 RSV

πειρασμός Trials & Temptations

Messengers from Jerusalem arrive with a letter from the leader of the church. (Can’t wait to hear their good news.) So what is the first thing James has to say to all of us? Consider all of the various trials and temptations you have all experienced as a cause for joy.

Christ was crucified and risen just a dozen years ago, then James became head of the church in Jerusalem. Peter and the Apostles work with us as a family of our Lord, sending the Gospel to all of us whenever they can.

Background to the Persecution of Christians

1st c. Roman Cities

To Rome, Herod was “King of the Jews,” and when they hung the sign over our crucified Lord they all thought that was the end of it. But after witness of His resurrection our troubles multiplied not only in Judea, but in every city with a synagogue from Coptos to Corinth.

Romans may arrest, imprison or enslave us. And zealous Jews loyal to Herod follow us to synagogues in every port, persecuting our Elders at any opportunity. We can hardly make a living in any city for fear of our lives.

Yet for the sake of Christ we worship God our Father with familiar songs and praises.
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Psalm 55:
4 My heart shudders within me;
 terrors of death sweep over me.
 5 Fear and trembling grip me;
 horror has overwhelmed me...

12 Now it is not an enemy who insults me—
 otherwise I could bear it;
 it is not a foe who rises up against me—
 otherwise I could hide from him.
 13 But it is you, a man who is my peer,
 my companion and good friend!
 14 We used to have close fellowship;
 we walked with the crowd into the house of God...

19 God, the one enthroned from long ago,
 will hear and will humiliate them Selah
 because they do not change
 and do not fear God.
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Who Gets the Letters to the Early Church?

Now those who had been scattered as a result of the persecution that started because of Stephen made their way as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews.
Acts 11:19 CSB

Acts 11:20 But there were some of them, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch and began speaking to the Greeks also, proclaiming the good news about the Lord Jesus. 21 The Lord’s hand was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord.

Jews fled Jerusalem and Judea to cities up the eastern coast of the Mediterranean. These followers of Jesus and many new Jewish followers of the Apostles had heard first-hand witnesses to the resurrection. And now they even go to preach to the gentiles – Greeks and Romans. It is a new diaspora of Christ-followers to cities where Jews have already settled.

Baker Illustrated Bible Commentary

The commentator, Douglas Moo, describes their circumstances:

Forced to live away from their home church, these scattered parishioners required exhortation and advice on issues they were facing. What is more natural than that their spiritual guide send them a pastoral letter?

Perhaps some of these faithful followers of Jesus had even heard the powerful preaching of Stephen as he had been stoned to death.

Trials and Maturity

In Jerusalem they stoned and beheaded our beloved brother, James the Greater, son of Zebedee. It’s encouraging that James writes to us to have joy. No doubt all in Jerusalem endure more trials.

Ἰάκωβος θεοῦ καὶ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ δοῦλος ταῖς δώδεκα φυλαῖς ταῖς ἐν τῇ διασπορᾷ χαίρειν
James 1:1

“James, bond-servant of Theos and the Lord Jesus,” he greets us. God knows his faithfulness to the Apostles and Elders of The Way.

“To the twelve tribes of the diaspora abroad.”

Yes, we are the true Israel driven into every part of the world, but now in the victory of our risen Messiah we finally have joy and mercy, grace and peace, and the love of God in our Lord Jesus.

James writes to us (and his messengers who will go into all the other cities):

Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.
James 1:2-4 CSB

We know trials… temptations to live like the Greeks or the Romans, even like the hateful Herodians and hypocrites of the Temple who pursue us.

Thank God for James and our brothers in Jerusalem, who send encouragement and help to us, so we might survive these trying times. Rome must have been part of God’s plan plan of completion for us. Christ is redeeming this remnant.

Our Lord has sent us all fleeing into the all the world, and for this James encourages us to count it all joy.

Joy
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Shout for joy, you heavens!
 Earth, rejoice!
 Mountains break into joyful shouts!
 For the LORD has comforted his people,
 and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.
- Isaiah 49:13
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James writes to us:

Let the brother of humble circumstances boast in his exaltation, but let the rich boast in his humiliation because he will pass away like a flower of the field.
James 1:9-10 CSB

Our humble circumstances as followers of Jesus brings our hearts low. For we struggle greatly in our daily lives. We can barely provide for our wives and our children. And what will happen to them if our witness for Christ would cost our life here?

Yes, we are with our Lord, forever; but what will happen to our loved ones? James calls on us to be as humble as Jesus, to have joy for our salvation won. We will hold his proverb from this letter near to our hearts:

Blessed is the one who endures trials, because when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
James 1:12 CSB

Spurgeon on James

Excerpt from CSB Introduction to James

When blessed by God, our trials ripen us. Believers who have endured a great deal of affliction exhibit a great deal of mellowness that you never see in other people. It cannot be mistaken or imitated…

Do you count it all joy?

The 19th century preacher points out how different these believers with faith ripened in the burning sun appear as a fruit with unmistakable sweetness.

Are you, beloved brother, dear sister – suffering in any way for your sweetness in Christ?

Do trials by those around you refine your witness or delineate your humility?

Would anyone recognize Jesus by looking at you?

James has a few firm suggestions to solidify our faith and bring joy to our witness. Consider all of these things.
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To be continued...
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April 30, 2019