Archive for February, 2010

Ezra-Nehemiah Mid-term Exam

Sunday, February 28th, 2010

As a church we have been studying the book of Ezra since September.  Now that we have finished the last chapter and will begin Nehemiah this is our “mid-term” exam.  We took it during the Feb 28th worship service.  Hope that this is not only fun, but also encouragement to some of the historical context that you’ve learned in studying this book.

1. The book of Ezra begins at what time period:

A) 1555 B

C B)536 BC

C) 70

D) Unknown

2. During this time the Jewish people were in Captivity in:

A) Gaza

B) Egypt

C)  Israel

D) Babylon

3. The name of the King that allowed them to return to Jerusalem was:

A) Cyrus

B) Nebuchadnezzar

C) David

D) Saul

4. Archeological Evidence found that corroborated this Biblical account:

A) Rosetta Stone

B) Cyrus Cylinder

C) Dead Sea Scrolls

D)  Holy Grail

5. The main mission of the Jewish exiles to return was to:

A) Rebuild Temple

B) Rebuild Jerusalem

C) Fight the Romans

D) Find Jesus

6. When the exiles faced opposition they

A) Trusted God

B) Were Fearful Stopped Mission

C) Forged Ahead

D) A, B, C

7. When the Mission was halted, these two encouraged them:

A)  Moses/Aaron

B) Haggai/Zechariah

C) Peter/John

D) Oprah/Dr. Phil

8. Ezra was a:

A) Priest

B) Teacher

C) Scribe

D) A,B, & C

E) None of those

9. What was upsetting to Ezra:

A) Intermarriage

B) Poor living Conditions

C)  Politics

D) All

10. Ezra called people to seek God by:

A) Prayer/Fasting

B) Ouija Board

C) Attend Church

D) Serve the Poor

Extra Credit:

11. About how many years were the Jews in Captivity?

A)5 years

B) 400 years

C) 70 years

D)  40 years

12. The main leader who led the first  group of exiles back to Jerusalem was:

A) Darius

B) Zerubbabel

C) Xerxes

D) Isaac

13. In studying Ezra we can learn about.

A) Worship

B) the Messiah

C) God’s Love

D) Righteousness

E) Prayer

F) All

Answer Key 1.B 2. D 3. A 4.B 5.A 6.D 7.B 8.D 9.A 10.A 11.C 12.B 13.F

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What’s so Amazing About Grace?

Wednesday, February 24th, 2010

I just finished this book by Philip Yancey tonight. All I have to say is that more people need to read it and act on what they read.

One of the quotes that I want to share is actually quoted from another book which deals with the story of Will Campbell, a man who, after having a fiend of his killed by a KKK radical, went on to minister to the KKK. (If you’re interested in that book, it’s called Brother to a Dragonfly.) An agnostic friend of Will’s who constantly disputed his faith challenged him once again:

“In ten words or less, what’s the Christian message?”… We were going someplace, or coming back from someplace when he said, “Let me have it. Ten words.” I said, “We’re all bastards but God loves us anyway.” He didn’t comment on what he thought about the summary except to say, after he had counted the number of words on his fingers, “I gave you a ten-word limit. If you want to try again you have two words left.” I didn’t try again…

Thank God for His eternal Grace…

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What’s Hot & What’s Not

Saturday, February 13th, 2010

The following list is something that I shared as part of our 3 part sermon series entitled Sex.Dating.Marriage.  The sermon titled “Dating with Purpose” (which you can listen to online by clicking “Media” and “Online Sermons”) was basically making the case that God has either called you to be single or called you to be married…or if you think about it logically you will either be one or the other.  Either way you should pursue those with purpose.  Dating then is the step between singleness and marriage and dating should only be entered into for the purpose of Marriage and conducted in a healthy biblical way.  The world tells us, and unfortunately we buy into it, what we should look for in a future spouse.  I made the claim that “The church should have the most beautiful women and the most respectable men.”  This list contains a few things that help us to identify and become beautiful and respectable.

Guys-What’s Hot

• A strong and evident walk with Christ (Matthew 7:15-23)
• Being a leader in your church (1 Thes 5:12-13, 1 Corinthians 15:58)
• Quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger (James 1:18-20)
• Good steward of finances.  Avoids debt, appropriately spends, saves diligently, and gives generously (Proverbs 22:7, Proverbs 22:9, Proverbs 21:5, 2 Cor9:6-15)
• Old fashioned chivalry (1 Peter 3:7)
• Stands up for righteousness (2 Timothy 2:22)
• Understands and applies scripture (Psalm 119:1-16)
• Defines relational intentions (Proverbs 24:26)
• Admits faults and wrong doing (Proverbs 28:13)
• Protects (1 Cor 13:7)
• Taking initiative in pursuing women (Proverbs 18:22)

Guys- What’s Not

• Wandering eyes (Matthew 5:28-30)
• When hobbies become obsessions and waste time and money: video games, hunting, sports (Exodus 20:3)
• Objectifying women (Ephesians 5:23)
• Dating for selfish gain (Colossians 3:5)
• Self-absorbed and Prideful (Proverbs 21:24)
• Weak, passive, and insecure (2 Timothy 1:7)

Girls-What’s Hot

• Devoted to Christ, active in prayer (1 Peter 3:3-6)
• Exhibits the fruits of the Spirit Galatians (5:22-25)
• Modesty  (1 Tim 2:9)
• Nurturing heart (Proverbs 22:6)
• Gentleness (Colossians 3:12)
• Confidence (Proverbs 31)
• Empathy (Romans 9:12-16)
• Supportive (Gen 2:18)
• Willing to be lead (Ephesians 5:22-33)
• Manages her home and family (Proverbs 31, 1 Tim 5:14)

Girls-What’s Not

• Dressing provocatively (Proverbs 7:10)
• Gossip (1 Timothy 5:13)
• Endless talking (I timothy 5:13, Proverbs 27:15)
• Alluring and seductive (Proverbs 5)
• Negative attention seeking (Proverbs 9:13)
• Materialistic (1 Tim 2:9)
• Surface Christianity and superficial  (Matthew 23:28, 1 Samuel 16:7)

Disclaimer: Many of these principals could be applied to guys or girls it’s just some Christian principals to help re-enforce the sermon about dating Beautiful Women and Respectable Men in the church.  This is not an exhaustive list nor is every bible verse in parenthesis a direct  hermeneutical interpretation.

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How do I apply what the Bible says?

Thursday, February 4th, 2010

One of the harder practices of being a Christian is reading the Bible.  By “harder,” I do not mean the mere reading of God’s Word, but understanding the author’s original intent (theological term: Authorial Intent) and discovering how to apply the truths professed nearly 2000 years later.  For the purpose of this blog we are going to go through a text, discover the original author’s intent, and then figure out some relevant applications.

A very helpful but often overlooked practice is simply reading an introduction to whatever book you’re reading (all study Bibles have introductions, or simply read a couple of introductions from the internet). Just like when we receive an email, we read it through the lenses of who emailed us and the purpose of the email.

Although, all Scripture is God breathed (2Timothy 3:16), it was God’s will to use human authors in particular historical contexts.  2John has historically been credited to John the disciple.  2John was written to “the chosen lady and her children,”.  Scholars debate whether this was a particular woman or a reference to a particular church, but as you continue reading 2John it is very clear that this letter was written for congregational edification.

Since we know the author (John the disciple), to whom it was written (a particular congregation), and the purpose (edification), we can now move into the meaning of the text.

Here we go, read this passage of Scripture from the epistle of 2John

⁷Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. ⁸Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. ⁹Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. ¹⁰If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him. ¹¹Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work. (NIV)

Verse 7 starts out with a statement that “many deceivers…have gone out into the world.”  The reason why these people are deceivers is also given in verse 7, “who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh”.  One of the historical heresies that have faced the church is groups of people who claim that Jesus was not God in the flesh, or that he was merely phantom and not truly human.  The heresy that John was coming up against is termed Docetism.  This heresy stemmed from a philosophy that believed that all matter was evil.  Since these deceivers believed that all matter was evil, they refused to believe that God would come in the flesh and subsequently denied the doctrine of the Incarnation.

Verses 8 and 9 are simply warnings.  John declares that to accept these teachers we will lose what we’ve worked for and will not be fully rewarded.  John also lays out a terrifying warning that those who hold on to this teaching do not have God.  John is saying those who deny that Jesus Christ was God in the flesh (1Timothy 3:16) are not Christians.  Verse 9 ends with the encouragement that those who hold on to the doctrine of the Incarnation “has both the Father and the Son.”

In verses 10 and 11 John tells us how to respond to those who bring aberrant teachings regarding the person of Christ.  John tells us not to welcome any of these deceivers into our house and if we do, we are sharers in their “wicked work.”  At this point we need to address a particular cultural practice that might be foreign to us.  2000 years ago many teachers traveled from city to city and it was common practice that the church they were visiting would house and feed the traveling teacher (Galatians 1:18 Paul stays with Peter).  A good way to look at “welcomes him” could be, “one who financially supports him.”

Now that we know what John meant, let’s take a look at some applications.

John was obviously addressing a particular theological heresy (Let me take a second to define what I mean by “heresy.”  When I use the term heresy I am referring to a theological view that if a person believes and never repents of, the person is not a Christian and will go to Hell.  So I am not using the term “heresy” or “heretic” lightly.).  Since the Bible is clear that the Incarnation is how God chose to reveal Himself, John’s assessment of these deceivers is not out of line. There are other doctrines that historical Christianity has also declared as essential truths. Examples of these are; that God is Triune, man is sinful and in need of salvation, salvation is only found in Jesus Christ, the literal bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, and on the cross Jesus took on the wrath of God for the sins of mankind.  There are many other doctrines that are vitally important truths that Christians should believe, but if anyone denies any of the truths listed earlier they are not Christians, but heretics.  Therefore, any professing Christian who denies these truths,  should not be asked to speak at our church and we should not financially support them because they are deceivers and we will be guilty of sharing in their wickedness.

Before I finish let’s walk through a situation.  For the purpose of conversation let’s say an author writes a book.  In this book the author claims to be writing about or giving us a picture of who God is and what God is like.  Let’s say the book makes statements like “Jesus is the best way to God” or “that in heaven there will be buddhists, muslims, and mormons.” The book further states “God does not punish sin, sin is a punishment in itself” and claims that Jesus did not take on the Wrath of God, for the salvation of men.  If one of these statements was taught or written in a book, we’d have to assume that the person was not a Christian. It would actually be biblically accurate to say the author is a heretic. Now that we’ve learned how John viewed heretics and those who support them, how should we respond?  If we are going to follow the teaching of John and show our love to Jesus (2John ⁶And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.), we would need to reject the author and their teachings.  Biblical rejection would mean that we do not buy this person’s book, we wouldn’t support their ministry (financially or spiritually), and we should warn our brothers or sisters who liked the author.

If you are reading this blog and know you have been guilty of supporting heretics be of good cheer.  John adamantly comes against the deceivers because the doctrine of the Incarnation reveals that God desires to be known.  Despite the fact the no one was seeking God (Romans 3:11) and man by nature is an object of His wrath (Ephesians 2:3), Jesus CAME.  He came for the joy set before Him…the cross (Hebrews 12:2).  On the cross Jesus expressed His love for mankind by taking on the wrath of God due sinners.  The forgiveness needed for supporting false teacher (and EVERY SIN you’ve ever committed) is provided through the cross of Christ.  Confess your sin and enter boldly into God’s presence because of the blood of Jesus.

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