BREAD & WINE
BREAD & WINE
is a monthly publication by Bethel
Community Church of Sarasota, Florida, USA.
Address: 5632 Gantt Road
Sarasota, FL 34232
Tel: 941 922 6007
Email: bw@bethelcomchurch.org
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Address all correspondence to the Editor, Bread & Wine, 5632 Gantt
Road, Sarasota, Florida 34232.
Editor: Russ Atmore
Associate Editor - Web: Jim White
Editorial Assistant: Kaitlin Atmore
The Editor welcomes any submitted articles for publication subject
to editorial approval.
Additional Resources:
Website: http://bethelcomchurch.org
Pastoral Blog: http://bethelcomchurch.org/blog/
Cover Picture: Richard Baxter (1615 - 1691) Puritan minister of
Kidderminster from 1647 to 1661. The cover picture shows Baxter, and
both the statue and memorial erected to his memory in Kidderminster.
Copyright © 2006 by Bethel Community Church.
__________________________________________
September
2006 ●
Vol. 1 No. 7
Editorial
4
Russ Atmore
Scripture
6
Louis Berkhof
The Imputation
of Christ’s Righteousness
12
Russ Atmore
The Happiness
of Drawing Near to God
15
Thomas Watson
Living in the
Power of the Spirit
18
Russ Atmore
The Man with
the Unclean Spirit (Mark 1:21 – 28)
20
Russ Atmore
Book Review
23
Skip Smith
Heartbroken –
A Poem
26
Kaitlin Atmore
Bible Quiz
27
Kaitlin Atmore
______________________
Editorial
We live in an
uncertain world. Our news reporters seem to delight in
sensationalizing the world news. It is almost as if they would keep
humanity fearful. The Christian has no need to be afraid of the
traumas of this world. We acknowledge and suffer both ourselves and
with others as we face famines, earthquakes, hurricanes, wars,
rumors of wars, poverty and persecution. Trouble does come to
believers, but Jesus has promised hope because he has overcome the
world (John 16:33). The problem we face today is that man does not
look to God for the solutions to life’s dilemmas. He believes that
he is capable of finding the solution within or among humanity. This
is an internal look. This is the look of self aggrandizement. It
provides no solution. This attitude of man is not something unique
to our time, but rather man has been searching for millennia the
answers to life’s problems. As we know, man’s problem is sin. The
solution to that is the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
However, at
the same time as our civilization continues its decadent crumble and
collapse, the Christian Church faces the same kind of problem. There
is a vacuity about the Church that is not been filled. Oh, we are
pouring in all kinds of self-help, self-promotion, self-motivation,
but again, we are looking at self for the answer. Jesus tells us
that the answer to life is to die. In this issue of Bread & Wine we
take a look at the hard hitting book of John MacArthur called
“Hard to Believe,” in our new Book Review section. The Gospel is
a call to die to self and live to Christ. The way of discipleship is
not an easy path. There is a price to pay, and surely this is the
issue confronting the Church today. The easy path leads to
destruction – it is a broad road and many are on that path, said
Jesus (Matt. 7:13, 14).
We take a look
in our continuing series by Prof. Berkhof on Holy Scripture. What is
Scripture and how did it come to us? We need to have a high view of
Holy Scripture because Scripture demands it. The doctrine of
justification is so important. In fact, it is more than just at the
heart of the Gospel, it is the Gospel. The imputation of Jesus’
righteousness is so vital and crucial. We need to preach the
absolute necessity of Christ’s righteousness as our only means
whereby we are accepted by God. We are not accepted because of our
faith. We are accepted because of Jesus and his righteousness.
There is
something to be said about drawing near to God. Every Christian
desires to say, that he or she draws nearer to God. Thomas Watson, a
wonderful Puritan helps us understand how we can do this. Mr.
Spurgeon said of Watson, that “there is a happy union of sound
doctrine, heart searching experience and practical wisdom throughout
all his works.”
We have sought
to understand a little of the Holy Spirit’s power in our lives. We
are to live by the Spirit, walk in the Spirit, be filled with the
Spirit, and not grieve or quench the Spirit. That’s quite a
requirement and obligation, and it is accomplished by the power of
the Spirit.
We continue
with our commentary on Mark’s Gospel and look at the casting out of
the unclean spirit in chapter 1. We focus on the authority of Jesus
and what that means for us today. Our world needs to see and hear
afresh the authority of Christ. In addition to our troubling Bible
Quiz, Kaitlin Atmore has offered one of her poems.
Our cover
picture shows the great Puritan, Richard Baxter who had such a
remarkable ministry at Kidderminster in England. In terms of helping
us understand practical godliness, Baxter is supreme.
Soli Deo
Gloria
Scripture
1. Revelation
and Scripture.
The term 'special revelation' may be used in more than one sense. It
may denote the direct self-communications of God in verbal messages
and in miraculous facts. The prophets and the apostles often
received messages from God long before they committed them to
writing. These are now contained in Scripture, but do not constitute
the whole of the Bible. There is much in it that was not revealed in
a supernatural way, but is the result of study and of previous
reflection. However, the term may also be used to denote the Bible
as a whole, that whole complex of redemptive truths and facts, with
the proper historical setting that is found in Scripture and has the
divine guarantee of its truth in the fact that it is infallibly
inspired by the Holy Spirit. In view of this fact it may be said
that the whole Bible, and the Bible only, is for us God's special
revelation. It is in the Bible that God's special revelation lives
on and brings even now life, light, and holiness.
2. Scripture
Proof for the Inspiration of Scripture.
The whole Bible is given by inspiration of God, and is as such the
infallible rule of faith and practice for all mankind. Since the
doctrine of inspiration is often denied, it calls for special
consideration. This doctrine, like every other, is based on
Scripture, and is not an invention of man. While it is founded on a
great number of passages, only a few of these can be indicated here.
The Old Testament writers are repeatedly instructed to write what
the Lord commands them, Ex, 17:14; 34:27; Num. 33:2; Isa. 8:1; 30:8;
Jer. 25:13; 30:2; Ezek. 24:1; Dan. 12:4; Hab. 2:2. The prophets were
conscious of bringing the word of the Lord, and therefore introduced
their messages with some such formula as, "Thus saith the Lord," or,
"The word of the Lord came unto me," Jer. 36:27, 32; Ezek., chapters
26, 27, 31, 32, 39. Paul speaks of his words as Spirit-taught words,
I Cor. 2:13, claims that Christ is speaking in him, II Cor. 13:3,
and describes his message to the Thessalonians as the word of God, I
Thess. 2:13. The Epistle to the Hebrews often quotes passages of the
Old Testament as words of God or of the Holy Spirit, Heb. 1:6; 3:7;
4:3;" 5:6; 7:21. The most important passage to prove the inspiration
of Scripture is II Tim. 3:16, which reads as follows in the
Authorized Version: "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God,
and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for
instruction in righteousness."
3. The Nature
of Inspiration.
There are especially two wrong views of inspiration, representing
extremes that should be avoided.
a. Mechanical
inspiration.
It has sometimes been represented as if God literally dictated what
the human authors of the Bible had to write, and as if they were
purely passive like a pen in the hand of a writer. This means that
their minds did not contribute in any way to the contents or form of
their writings. But in view of what we find this can hardly be true.
They were real authors, who in some cases gathered their materials
from sources at their command, I Kings 11:41; 14:29; I Chron. 29:29;
Luke 1:1-4, in other instances recorded their own experiences as,
for instance, in many of the psalms, and impressed upon their
writings their own particular style. The style of Isaiah differs
from that of Jeremiah, and the style of John is not like that of
Paul.
b. Dynamic
inspiration.
Others thought of the process of inspiration as affecting only the
writers, and having no direct bearing on their writings. Their
mental and spiritual life was strengthened and raised to a higher
pitch, so that they saw things more clearly and had a more profound
sense of their real spiritual value. This inspiration was not
limited to the time when they wrote the books of the Bible, but was
a permanent characteristic of the writers and affected their
writings only indirectly. It differed only in degree from the
spiritual illumination of all believers. This theory certainly does
not do justice to the biblical view of inspiration.
c. Organic
inspiration.
The proper conception of inspiration holds that the Holy Spirit
acted on the writers of the Bible in an organic way, in harmony with
the laws of their own inner being, using them just as they were,
with their character and temperament, their gifts and talents, their
education and culture, their vocabulary and style. The Holy Spirit
illumined their minds, aided their memory, prompted them to write,
repressed the
influence of sin on their writings, and guided them in the
expression of their thoughts even to the choice of their words. In
no small measure He left free scope to their own activity. They
could give the results of their own investigations, write of their
own experiences, and put the imprint of their own style and language
on their books.
4. The Extent
of Inspiration.
There are differences of opinion also respecting the extent of the
inspiration of Scripture.
a. Partial
inspiration.
Under the influence of Rationalism it has become quite common to
deny the inspiration of the Bible altogether, or to hold that only
parts of it are inspired. Some deny the inspiration of the Old
Testament, while admitting that of the New. Others affirm that the
moral and religious teachings of Scripture are inspired, but that
its historical parts contain several chronological, archaeological,
and scientific mistakes. Still others limit the inspiration to the
Sermon on the Mount. They who adopt such views have already lost
their Bible, for the very differences of opinion are proof positive
that no one can determine with any degree of certainty which parts
of Scripture are, and which are not inspired. There is still another
way in which the inspiration of Scripture is limited, namely, by
assuming that the thoughts were inspired, while the choice of the
words was left entirely to the wisdom of the human authors. But this
proceeds on the very doubtful assumption that the thoughts can be
separated from the words, while, as a matter of fact, accurate
thought without words is impossible.
b. Plenary
inspiration.
According to Scripture every part of the Bible is inspired. Jesus
and the apostles frequently appeal to the Old Testament books as
'scripture' or 'the Scriptures' to settle a point in controversy. To
their minds such an appeal was equivalent to an appeal to God. It
should be noted that of the books to which they appeal in this
fashion, some are historical. The Epistle to the Hebrews repeatedly
cites passages from the Old Testament as words of God or of the Holy
Spirit (cf. p. 18). Peter places the letters of Paul on a level with
the writings of the Old Testament, II Pet. 3:16, and Paul speaks of
all Scripture as inspired, II Tim. 3:16.
We may
safely go a step farther and say that the inspiration of the Bible
extends to the very words employed. The Bible is verbally inspired,
which is not equivalent to saying that it is mechanically inspired.
The doctrine of verbal inspiration is fully warranted by Scripture.
In many cases we are explicitly told that the Lord told Moses and
Joshua exactly what to write, Lev. 3 and 4; 6:1, 24; 7:22, 28; Josh.
1:1; 4:1; 6:2, and so on. The prophets speak of Jehovah as putting
His words into their mouths, Jer. 1:9, and as directing them to
speak His words to the people, Ezek. 3:4, 10, 11. Paul designates
his words as Spirit taught words, I Cor. 2:13, and both he and Jesus
base an argument on a single word, Matt. 22:43-45; John 10:35; Gal.
3:16.
5. The
Perfections of Scripture.
The Reformers developed the doctrine of Scripture as over against
the Roman Catholics and some of the Protestant sects. While Rome
taught that the Bible owes its authority to the Church, they
maintained that it has authority in itself as the inspired Word of
God. They also upheld the necessity of Scripture as the divinely
appointed means of grace over against the Roman Catholics, who
asserted that the Church had no absolute need of it, and some of the
Protestant sects, who exalted the "inner light," or the word of the
Holy Spirit in the hearts of the people of God, at the expense of
Scripture. In opposition to Rome they further defended the clearness
of the Bible. They did not deny that it contains mysteries too deep
for human understanding, but simply contended that the knowledge
necessary unto salvation, though not equally clear on every page of
the Bible, is yet conveyed in a manner so simple that anyone
earnestly seeking salvation can easily gather this knowledge for
himself, and need not depend on the interpretation of the Church or
the priesthood. Finally, they also defended the sufficiency of
Scripture, and thereby denied the need of the tradition of the Roman
Catholics and of the inner light of the Anabaptists.
To memorize.
Passages bearing on:
a. The
Inspiration of Scripture:
I Cor. 2:13.
"Which things also we speak, not in words which man's wisdom
teacheth, but which the Spirit teacheth; combining spiritual things
with spiritual words."
I Thess. 2:13.
"And for this cause we also thank God without ceasing, that, when ye
received from us the word of the message, even the word of God, ye
accepted it not as the word of men, but, as it is in truth, the word
of God."
II Tim. 3:16.
"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness."
b. The
Authority of the Bible:
Isa. 8:20. "To
the lay and to the testimony! if they speak not according to this
word, surely there is no morning for them."
c. The
Necessity of the Bible:
II Tim. 3:15.
"And that from a babe thou has known the sacred writings, which are
able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in
Christ Jesus."
d. The
Clearness of Scripture:
Ps. 19:7b.
"The testimony of Jehovah is sure, making wise the simple."
Ps. 119:105.
"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." Also
verse 130. "The opening of Thy words giveth light; it giveth
understanding to the simple."
e. The
Sufficiency of Scripture.
Cf. the
passages under c. above.
For Further
Study:
a. Do the
traditions of men have authority? Matt. 5:21-48; 15:3-6; Mark 7:7;
Col. 2:8; Tit. 1:14; II Pet. 1:18.
b. Did the
prophets themselves always fully understand what they wrote? Dan.
8:16; 12:8; Zech. 1:7 -- 6:11; I Pet. 1:11.
c. Does II
Tim. 3:16 teach us anything respecting the practical value of the
inspiration of Scripture? If so, what?
Questions for
Review
1. What is the
relation between special revelation and Scripture?
2. What
different meanings has the term 'special revelation'?
3. Can we say
that special revelation and Scripture are identical?
4. What
Scripture proof can you give for the inspiration of the Bible.?
5. What are
thee theories of mechanical and dynamical inspiration?
6. How would
you describe the doctrine of organic inspiration?
7. What about
the theory that the thoughts are inspired but not the words?
8. How would
you prove that inspiration extends to every part of Scripture, and
even to the very words?
9. How do Rome
and the Reformers differ on the authority, the necessity, the
clearness, and the sufficiency of Scripture?
“Here is the
Christian’s way and his end…his way is holiness and his end
happiness.”
John
Whitlock
The
Imputation of Christ’s Righteousness
Russ
Atmore
Everybody
knows that it is easy to grow a church if you have flashy music,
glitzy personalities with a glitzy propaganda machine behind them,
perfect place for the church, a whole lot of programs, and people
who really have no doctrinal commitment or don’t understand what
drives the true church. As time marches on we will continue to see a
shift away from doctrine and an increasing emphasis on feeling or
experience. Instead of our experience being molded by our doctrine,
we will find that doctrine is molded by experience. The effect of
this will be a people who have no spiritual fiber or backbone, a
people who cannot discern spiritually, and ultimately a people who
do not know the God of the Bible. I think that that’s reason enough
to be concerned about a lot of things. Most Christians are unaware
that the doctrine of imputation has been under attack for a couple
of years. It is entirely possible of course, that most Christians
don’t know what imputation is, so here’s a definition,
Imputation is
the act of God by which He counts sinners as righteous through their
act of faith, on the foundation of Jesus’ perfect righteousness and
shed blood. This implies a few important truths. First, sinners are
reckoned as righteous. How does that happen, is a good question to
ask? Second, what does Jesus’ life and death have to do with
imputation? Jesus has become our substitute in 2 ways: (1) in
suffering and dying, He has become our curse and condemnation, and
(2) in His suffering and life, He has become all our righteousness
(cf: Gal. 3:13; 2 Cor. 5:21).
In dying for
us, our Lord satisfies the wrath and justice of God against us, and
at the same time imputes to us His righteousness. As far as God is
concerned then, we are righteous. It is important to understand that
imputation is a crediting or a reckoning to our account the
righteousness of Christ, and at the same time, is a crediting or a
reckoning of our sin to Christ. It is not that we are perfectly
righteous, but rather that God regards us as perfectly righteous on
the basis of Christ’s death for us. Imputation is directly linked
to the doctrine of justification. Justification is simply “being
made right with God”, and justification occurs through faith. Faith
is the saving instrumentality used by God (Romans 4:3,5; 5:1) and
faith is the gift of God (Eph. 2:8,9). Faith is not the exercise of
free will, but is rather the response brought about in us by the
power of God to respond to the gospel call. In this sense, it is the
gift of God, for we cannot stir it up or produce it in ourselves. It
is something that God does, and only He does it. This leads to the
confession of Jonah that “salvation is of the Lord” (Jonah 2:9).
Many believe
that it is faith that is credited to us as our righteousness,
because God counts us as being this way. Some say that our works are
not credited as righteous, but our faith is. This is the problem
today with imputation. Such a view is move away from the historic
declarations of imputation as well as decisive move away from the
Bible’s teaching on imputation. A further challenge comes then in
saying that Christ’s perfect righteousness is not credited to us,
because ‘faith’ is now said to be our righteousness.
The Bible
teaches, however, that justification involves a positive imputation
of divine righteousness to us, and that this righteousness is not
‘faith’, but is simply received by faith. The righteousness of God
or of Christ is an act of God’s grace to us. We are united to Jesus
in whom we are reckoned or counted as being perfectly righteous in
God’s sight, because of Christ’s righteousness being imputed to us,
and not because we have any righteousness of our own, for we do not.
Being declared righteous by God does not excuse me or lead to think
that I can do as I please, since I am now righteous and have nothing
to worry about. God still requires that I be obedient, and the way I
am obedient is through faith. If there is no obedience to the
demands of Jesus, I have no warrant for thinking that I am a
Christian (Matt. 6:15; Rom. 8:13; Gal. 6:8,9; James 2:17).
The historic
position of the church on the doctrine of imputation has always
been, that my acceptance before God, and the gift of everlasting
life is the provision of Jesus as my pardon and righteousness. This
encourages me in my life. It is the perfect righteousness of the
Lord Jesus Christ that is the ground of my being accepted by God.
Without His righteousness I will certainly perish. We must proclaim
this doctrine of imputation in our gospel proclamation. A person is
right with God on the basis of the great exchange: my sin for His
righteousness. Imputation is certainly most precious and worth
proclaiming, worth living for and worth dying for.
“God does not
justify us because we are worthy, but by justifying us makes us
worthy.”
Thomas Watson
The Happiness
of Drawing Near to God
Thomas
Watson (1620 – 1686)
“But it is
good for me to draw near to God” (Psalm 73:28)
This psalm is
no less elegant than sacred…and though the godly are sorely
afflicted, mingling their drink with weeping; yet for all this, ‘God
is good to Israel.’ Here is the fountain, the stream, the cistern:
the fountain is God; the stream, goodness; the cistern into which it
runs, Israel. Indeed, God is good ‘to all.’ The sweet dew falls upon
the thistle as well as the rose. He is good to Israel in a special
manner. The wicked have sparing mercy, but the godly have saving
mercy. And if God be good to his people, then it is good for his
people to draw near to him. So it is in the text, ‘It is good for me
to draw near to God.’
Let us be
deeply humbled for our fall in Adam, which hath set us at such a
distance from the blessed God. Heaven and earth are not so far
asunder as God and the sinner. The further we are from God, the
nearer we are to hell. The farther a man sails from the east, the
nearer he is to the west. Let us of returning to God by repentance.
Say as the church, Hosea 2:7. ‘I will go and return to my first
husband, for then was it better with me than now.’
The text falls
into these parts. 1. The person, me. 2. The act, draw near. 3. The
object, God. 4. The excellency of the act, it is good.
The
proposition is this: That it is a great duty incumbent upon
Christians to draw near to God, Heb. 10:22. ‘Let us draw near
with a true heart.’ For the illustration of the proposition, four
things are to be inquired into.
1. How we are
capable of drawing near to God.
2. Where we
draw near to God.
3. The manner
of our drawing near to God.
4. Why we must
draw near to God.
1. How we are
capable of drawing near to God.
By nature we stand in opposition to God, Col. 1:21. “alienated
and enemies.” How then can we approach nigh to God? – Ans. It is
through a mediator. Jesus Christ is the screen between us and divine
justice. Christ as our High Priest assumes our flesh. Christ's flesh
is called a ‘veil,’ Heb. 10:20. As Moses when his face shone so
exceedingly bright put a veil upon it, and then Israel might
approach near to him and look upon him: so Christ having veiled
himself with our human nature, we may now draw nigh to God and
behold him.
And as Christ
makes way for us into the Holy of Holies by his incarnation: so by
his crucifixion, he died to make God and us friends. The divine law
being infringed, God's justice was provoked, and satisfaction
demanded, before we could approach to God in an amicable way. Now
here Christ as our Priest shed his blood for our sins, and so made
the atonement, Col. 1:20. ‘Having made peace through the blood of
his cross.’ As Joseph being so great at court, made way for
all his brethren to draw near into the king's presence, Gen. 47:2,
so Jesus Christ is our Joseph, that doth make way for us by his
blood, that we may now come near into God's presence. Through
Christ, God is pleased with us; he holds forth the golden scepter,
that we may draw near, and touch the top of the scepter.
2. Where we
draw near to God.
Ans. In the
use of his ordinances we draw near to his table. -- In the Word we
hear his voice; in the Table we have his kiss. Besides, we also in a
special manner draw near to God in prayer. -- Prayer is the soul's
private converse and intercourse with God. Prayer whispers in God's
ears, Psalm xviii. 6. ‘My prayer came before him, even into his
ears.’ In prayer we draw so nigh to God that we ‘take hold of him,’
Isaiah 64:6. God draws nigh to us by his Spirit, and we draw nigh to
him in prayer.
3. The modus,
or manner of our drawing near to God.
God's special residence is in Heaven and we draw near to God, not by
the feet of our bodies, but with our souls. The affections are the
feet of the soul; by these we move towards God. David drew nigh to
God in his desires, Psa. 73:25. ‘There is none upon earth that
I desire beside thee.’ He did shoot his heart into Heaven by
pious ejaculations. Spirits may have intercourse at a distance.
4. Why we must
draw near to God.
Because he is our Maker, ‘in him we live.’ He hath given us bodies;
they are his curious ‘needlework,’ Psa. 139:15. And as he hath
wrought the cabinet, so he has put the jewel in it, the precious
soul; and surely if we have our being from him, we cannot breathe
without him. There is good reason we should draw near to Him in a
way of homage and observance.
God is our
benefactor; he crowns us with a variety of blessings: he gives
health and estate; every bite of bread we eat is reached to us by
the hand of Divine bounty. Is there not great reason we should draw
near to him who feeds us? Give a beast provender and he will follow
you all the field over. Not to draw near to Him who is our
benefactor, is worse than brutish.
God is the
summum bonum, the chief good. There's enough in God to satisfy the
immense desire of the angels. He is the quintessence of sweetness.
In him perfections are centered, wisdom, holiness, goodness: he has
rivers of pleasure where the soul shall bathe itself forever with
infinite delight, Psalm 36:36. So that here is ground sufficient for
our drawing near to God; he is the chief good. -- Everything desires
to approach to its happiness.
See the right
genius and temper of a gracious soul; it is ever drawing near to
God; it loves to converse with him in private. A person truly
regenerate is not able to stay away long from God, Psalm 63:8.
‘My soul followeth hard after God.’ A pious soul cannot but draw
near to God.
He who loves
his friend will often give him a visit; he who loves God will visit
him. A gracious soul cannot but draw near to God, because of the
intimate relationship between God and him.
(An Excerpt
from Thomas Watson’s, The Happiness of Drawing Near to God.)
Living in the
Power of the Spirit
The Apostle
Paul tells us plainly in Galatians 5:16 that Christians must live by
the Spirit and then they will not gratify the desires of the sinful
nature. Triumph over sin is through the Holy Spirit. The flesh and
the Spirit do not agree with each other – there is conflict. The
Christian experiences this conflict daily. You are exhorted to flee
sin, and in Galatians 5:21, Paul points out that committing sin
without any change of life simply will end in destruction (not
inherit the kingdom of God). Those controlled by the Spirit exhibit
the fruit of the Spirit (vs.22). Love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control are
not fruits (plural) but rather the fruit (singular) of the Holy
Spirit. We are to be increasingly characterized by these things.
Living in the
power of the Spirit is not some fuzzy feeling – it is dependence
upon the Spirit. The great privilege for Christians is that they are
free in Christ. This does not mean free to indulge – that’s license,
but free to live for God’s glory – that’s liberty. To abuse freedom
is bondage and simply means that you indulge yourself under the
guise of Christian freedom – you are fleshly and not free. Paul says
in verse 13 that because we are free that we then are to serve one
another in love. This means that we will keep the royal law to love
our neighbors as ourselves (vs.14). Being trapped by sinful
habits prohibits our ability and willingness to serve, but reveling
in our freedom as believers enables us to serve others. It means our
focus is not on ourselves because we experience freedom. Freedom is
the knowledge of forgiveness (vs. 24). Crucifixion of our passions
and desires means we have died to them. We must put to death the
acts of the flesh (vs.19).
As Christians
we need grace. Grace for yesterday, today and the future. If we try
and do these things (vs. 22), as legal requirements we will fail
miserably and become trapped in bondage. This is when legalism
sneaks in, and the worst thing about legalism is that we try and
trap others in the same requirements. It means we become harsh and
judgmental. At this point we have moved away from Jesus (vs.4).
Christians live by faith – faith in Jesus. We long for righteousness
(vs.5). Practical righteousness is a race – it takes time,
discipline and patience. Practicing righteousness keeps us from
attacking one another (vs.15), and envying each other (vs. 26). If
we don’t put on Christ, we will destroy each other. So, what is the
key to a life in the power of the Spirit? It is found in verse 16 –
“live by the Spirit, and you won’t gratify your desires.” What does
it mean to live by the Spirit? It means to keep in step with the
Spirit (vs.25). What must you do? Stand firm, says Paul in your
freedom from sin, and from keeping the law as a legal meritorious
requirement (vs. 1,18).
“The only
thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love”
(Gal. 5:6b). Let us then live in the power of the Spirit.
“In ordinary
life, we never notice how much good we enjoy through God’s common
grace, until it is taken from us.”
J. I. Packer
The Man with
the Unclean Spirit (Mark 1:21 – 28)
Scripture
Mark 1:21 – 28
Key Verse
“…What is
this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean
spirits and they obey him.”
-- Mark 1:27b
Theme
Jesus has
authority & power over unclean spirits.
Exposition
Matthew
tells us that Jesus viewed Capernaum as “his own city”
(Matt.9:1) and it is to this city that Mark draws our attention. It
is probably true that the call of the disciples in verses 16 – 20
could not have happened immediately prior to these verses before us,
because we find Jesus teaching in the synagogue which implies that
he had established a reputation as a teacher. Capernaum was situated
on the north-west shore of Galilee and was under the tetrarchy of
Herod Antipas. It was an important town and much traffic between
Egypt and Mesopotamia went through Capernaum. A tax office was
located in the city; A Roman centurion lived there indicating a
military presence. It seems that this was also the hometown of
Andrew, Peter, James and John (Mark 1:29).
As Jesus began
to teach in the synagogue those who heard him recognized his
teaching as being different. He certainly was recognized as being
different to the scribes (mentioned 21 times in Mark) in his
teaching. He spoke with authority (vss. 22, 27). In fact, Mark
indicates 15 occasions when Jesus taught (vs. 22; 2:13; 4:1, 2; 6:2,
6, 34; 8:31; 10:1; 11:17; 12:14, 35; 14:49) and 12 times, he
referred to Jesus as teacher (4:38; 5:38; 9:17, 38; 10:17, 20, 35;
12:14, 19, 32; 13:1; 14:14). On this occasion, it was not going to
be an ordinary service. It is important to note, as we have already
seen in Mark’s Gospel, that Mark was so attached to the word,
“immediately” and uses it prolifically. It is this word that
introduces us to the outburst from the man with the unclean spirit.
What an
interruption. Often today, in church services, telephones with start
ringing, these being either the church’s phone or a personal cell
phone. Very rarely will someone interrupt a church service. We would
consider such an outburst irrational or dangerous, or we would not
know what to do about it and be embarrassed. Jesus does not react
with embarrassment, but rather with authority. His reaction was due
to what the man said. It is important to note the interplay between
the singular and plural (us and I). This man was demon-possessed. Bu
exposing the identity of Jesus (“I know who you are – the Holy
One of God”), the demon desired to silence the Lord so that he
could continue to dominate and control the man’s life that he had
taken over.
A demon is an
evil spirit, a fallen demonic angel that serves Satan. They possess
great power. They also possess precise knowledge of who Jesus is –
he is God. Those demons that Jesus came in contact during his
earthly ministry knew his true identity. The disciples were slow by
comparison in making this connection. Mark’s Gospel records this
interplay between Jesus and the spirit-world, between the known and
the unknown without much explanation. Why he does this is not really
known until after the resurrection of our Lord when he is known to
be without doubt – the Holy One of God. The casting out of the demon
indicates that the power of Satan and his stronghold was been
broken, and that God’s kingdom was being established.
The reaction
of Jesus is powerful and full of authority. Certainly, our Lord
recognized who he was dealing with, because he rebukes the demon and
commands him to come out of the man. As is typical of miracle
accounts, the effect on the witnesses is profound. The audible
shriek as the demon came out of the man through a terrible
convulsing convinced the people that they had seen something
extraordinary. This is why they are so amazed in verse 27,
questioning among themselves about Jesus and his power. They
recognized that his teaching was with authority, and his teaching
was also associated with the miraculous, and that got their
attention.
Application
Our reaction
to the Word of God is so important. We can come to church and not
hear spiritually what God is saying to us. The congregation at
Capernaum does not appear to have been transformed by the teaching
of Jesus. They acknowledge that his teaching is new and has
authority, and certainly the miracle was impressive, but they do not
do the one thing that the demon did – recognize who he was! Do we
recognize the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ among us? He is not
the sweet, simple and impotent Jesus of modern evangelicalism who
cannot save individuals unless they permit him. No, he is Jesus the
Lord, God the Son, who saves sinners by his death, who secures their
redemption. He is not impotently begging the sinner to let him come
in as he stands outside alone knocking – No, rather he commands us
to repent and believe and come to him in repentance and faith. Does
the presence of Jesus affect you and does his teaching change your
life? Do we acknowledge his supreme authority?
“As the river
seeks the sea, so Jesus, I seek Thee! O let me find thee and melt my
life into thine forever!”
C H Spurgeon
Book Review
John
MacArthur, Hard to Believe: The High Cost and Infinite Value of
Following Jesus. Thomas Nelson, 2005. pp. 240. $14.99.
“Do you want
to be forgiven of all your sins, freed from judgment and eternal
punishment, to be rescued from Satan’s power to become a beloved
child of God, and to be lavishly enriched forever with wonders and
astonishing experiences in the limitless joys of eternal heaven?
That’s the question. If your answer is no, give this book to someone
else. If your answer is yes, know this: Many people- many, many,
Jesus said, who answer a quick yes won’t ever receive what their yes
wants.”
(p. ix)
The above
words are from the introduction to John MacArthur’s Hard to believe.
His contention is that many people sit in the pews of churches
thinking they are headed for heaven when in reality they are not.
Many people are being fed a gospel that is more about
self-fulfillment than self-denial. MacArthur says, “The true
gospel is a call to self-denial. It is not a call to
self-fulfillment. And that puts it in opposition to the contemporary
evangelical gospel, where ministers view Jesus as a utilitarian
genie. You rub the lamp, and He jumps out and says you have whatever
you want; you give Him your list and He delivers.” (p. 2)
Tastes Great,
Less Filling
This new
gospel, or consumer Christianity as MacArthur puts it, sees
Christianity much like a business. Churches have begun running their
ads as if they are marketing their church service. If it doesn’t
meet the people’s needs, they won’t be interested, so keep the
customer satisfied. “The church service is too long, you say?
We’ll shorten it (One pastor guarantees his sermons will never last
more than seven minutes!) Too formal? Wear your sweatsuit. Too
boring? Wait’ll you hear our band!” (p. 1)
Some can
remember a time when people chose their church based on where the
best Bible teaching was located. But now people are motivated by the
churches that have the best worship service and loudest bands. Some
are motivated by what programs the church can offer. Others flock to
where the preaching will make them feel the most comfortable. Some
churches actually encourage their congregation to keep their bibles
at home so seekers won’t feel awkward!
What is worse
is that many churches don’t comprehend the hole they dig for
themselves. The Christianity they advertise to new converts (great
place to hang out, comfortable environment, non-threatening
messages, and big loud bands) is the Christianity they must maintain
in order to keep the pews filled. Often new converts are being led
to believe that Christianity has more to do with how church services
are run than on the power and content of the gospel. So when the
Church begins to change things up, the new convert will go elsewhere
to find someplace to suit his desires.
Many preachers
who cater to cultural demands don’t realize the impact they have on
their sheep. Many in the pews are being reassured that they are
safely secure in Christ when really they have been fed a gospel that
cannot satisfy their hunger or quench their thirst. It’s like
feeding them sugar and sending them on their way. Eventually the
sugar high of emotionalism and feel good messages will run out and
leave them starving for the meat of the gospel. The trials of life
will come upon the sheep quickly and they will have no strength to
endure. The new gospel tastes great, but is less filling.
The Hard Truth
So what gospel
did Jesus preach? Was it consumer friendly, seeker sensitive,
culture conforming, non-threatening, and comfortable? If so, why was
He crucified? Why were the apostles after Him persecuted? Why were
the early Christians killed and beaten for their message while we
sit unmarred and comfortable in our air-conditioned churches with
padded seats and crystal chandeliers? Are we called to preach a
gospel of comfort and self-fulfillment? Should the gospel be changed
so it can be easier to believe? I think not!
Listen to
Arthur Bennett in his prayer to God many centuries ago: “Lord,
high and holy, meek and lowly, let me learn by paradox that the way
down is the way up, that to be low is to be high, that the broken
heart is the healed heart, that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing
spirit, that the repenting soul is the victorious soul, that to have
nothing is to possess everything, that to bear the cross is to wear
the crown, that to give is to receive. Let me find thy light in my
darkness, thy joy in my sorrow, thy grace in my sin, thy riches in
my poverty, thy glory in my valley, thy life in my death.” (p.
5)
“’Thy life in
my death’? That’s the true gospel”
says MacArthur. “Jesus said it unmistakably and
inescapably, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires
to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My
sake will find it’ (Matt. 16:24-25). It’s not about exalting me,
it’s about slaying me. It’s the death of self. You win by losing;
you live by dying. And that is the heart message of the gospel. That
is the essence of discipleship.” (p. 5)
The gospel is
not about having your needs met. It’s not about external comfort or
material gain. It’s exactly the opposite message of the world. It’s
about humbling yourself so you can see clearly the majesty of God.
It’s about seeing your sin for what it is so that grace is seen for
its sweetness. It’s about lowering yourself and exalting Christ. It
truly is a foolish message to the world. But it’s a message that
must be preached. And it’s a message that must not be changed or
compromised. Tampering with the gospel runs the risk of
distorting the very “power of God unto salvation”.
The
temptations are strong, the dangers are countless, and the challenge
is great. So before you commit your life to the Lord of the
universe, know this: He demands your all. He does not want a half
hearted follower. He wants people who take up their cross and follow
Him. He wants people who will love Him with all their heart, mind,
and strength. He wants people who are willing to risk their lives to
gain Christ. So count the cost. The Bible never said that following
Jesus would be easy. Jesus didn’t call it the narrow way because the
gospel is easy to believe. The gospel, as Macarthur says, is hard to
believe.
Heartbroken
My world was
once torn in two.
A sadness came
and settled like dew.
All around me
things did change;
And in my
heart I'd try arrange,
Why my mind
wanted different ways-
Filled with
laughter and summer days.
And now that I
am heartbroken,
What can I
take from this world as a token?
A token? Why?
Of pain and despair?
I wrinkle my
nose and twirl my hair.
I'm thankful
that I'm heaven bound;
The Lord Jesus
Christ my soul hath found.
I rest in that
He cometh soon,
To rid the
world of all life's gloom.
Originally
posted to: http://www.missionamare.com
“Resolved,
that I will so live, as I shall wish I had done when I come to die.”
Jonathan
Edwards
Bible Quiz
Places in the Bible
ACROSS
4.
Then the Israelites traveled to the
plains of Moab and camped along the Jordan across from __________.
7.
After this, Paul left Athens and went to
___________.
9.
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the
will of God, To the saints in ___________, the faithful in Christ
Jesus: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord
Jesus Christ.
10.
The men of Judah attacked
___________ also and took it. They put the city to the
sword and set it on fire.
11.
That is why I am so eager to preach the
gospel also to you who are at _______.
12.
The Lord told him, "Go to the house of
Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from _________ named
Saul, for he is praying.
13.
By the rivers of _________ we sat and
wept when we remembered Zion.
DOWN
1. So the two
women went on until they came to __________. When they arrived in
____________, the whole town was stirred because of them, and the
women exclaimed, "Can this be Naomi?"
2. Then the
LORD said to Joshua, "Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt
from you." So the place has been called _________ to this day.
3. He called
that place _________, though the city used to be called Luz.
5. He also said to him, "I am the LORD, who brought you out of ____
of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it."
6. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a
huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in
the heart of the earth. The men of ________ will stand up at the
judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at
the preaching of Jonah, and now one[a]
greater than Jonah is here.
7. When Jesus came to the region of ____________ Philippi, he asked
his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"
8. Now that same day two of them were
going to a village called _________, about seven miles from
Jerusalem.
14. When Peter came to _______, I opposed
him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong.
“The greatest
need of the hour is a revived and joyful Church”
Martyn Lloyd-Jones
