First Missionary Journey, part 4

⁴⁶ Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, “It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles. ⁴⁷ For so the Lord has commanded us: ​‘​I have set you as a light to the Gentiles, ​​That you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth.’ ” ⁴⁸ Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed. ⁴⁹ And the word of the Lord was being spread throughout all the region. ⁵⁰ But the Jews stirred up the devout and prominent women and the chief men of the city, raised up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. ⁵¹ But they shook off the dust from their feet against them, and came to Iconium. ⁵² And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

 ¹ Now it happened in Iconium that they went together to the synagogue of the Jews, and so spoke that a great multitude both of the Jews and of the Greeks believed^{. 2} But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brethren. ³ Therefore they stayed there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord, who was bearing witness to the word of His grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands.

⁴ But the multitude of the city was divided: part sided with the Jews, and part with the apostles. ⁵ And when a violent attempt was made by both the Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to abuse and stone them, ⁶ they became aware of it and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding region. ⁷ And they were preaching the gospel there.

^{Acts 13:46-14:7}

There is so much in Paul’s sermon that we won’t go into, but overall, the Old Testament is relevant to us today. It is amazing that the events in the Bible really happened. The Old and New Testaments are not just stories, but real events, and they have an influence on us today.

Paul and Barnabas spoke boldly (see 13:46 and 14:3). Knowing that the Bible, Old and New Testament, is filled with real stories of realpeople makes us grow bold in our speaking, in our actions, and in our faith. When Barnabas spoke to the fearful church about receiving the newly converted Saul, Barnabas told about “how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus” (Acts 9:27). Then in Jerusalem, Saul “spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 9:29).

And boldness comes not in the absence of opposition but in the very presence of opposition. There was violence in Antioch that caused Paul and Barnabas to go to Lystra and Derbe. Yet there Paul continued to speak boldly to the point where he would be stoned and left for dead. But that did not stop Paul.

The Apostle would later describe his motivation to speak so bold despite opposition, “But even after we had suffered before and were spitefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we were bold in our God to speak to you the gospel of God in much conflict. For our exhortation did not come from error or uncleanness, nor was it in deceit.” (1 Thessalonians 2:2-3)

Notice that last line, and rephrase it in the positive: “Our boldness comes from TRUTH, HOLINESS, and HONESTY.”

I teach “Is Genesis History?” on Sunday nights and Diana Howell asked just last night after the class “What is the purpose of apologetics, is it to convince unbelievers or assure believers?”

I immediately told her, “The Bible says faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. The more we know and trust that God’s Word is true, the stronger our faith becomes.” And as Paul might would say, the bolder we become. The truth and sincerity of Paul’s belief emboldened him and whether we learn apologetics or learn more from this trip to Greece and Turkey about the historicity of the Bible, our faith will grow.

And as our faith grows, so will our boldness in speaking with others, but also in our prayer. Hebrews 4:16 says “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Paul was bold in his speaking to others because he KNEW what he was saying was TRUE. And TRUTH, HOLINESS, and HONESTY will also give us boldness in our prayer. Have you thought that because you are going on this trip, the truth and faithfulness of Paul’s journeys and John’s exile to Patmos will strengthen your PRAYER LIFE? Truth emboldens us!

There was another source of Paul’s boldness. Look at Ephesians 6:19, where Paul pleads that the readers pray “for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”

Pray for our pastor, and staff, and for us as we go on this journey, that as a result of the TRUTH and our PRAYERS we will return bolder in our proclamation and in our prayers. 

I know I ran long today, but one more thing: CS Lewis said "Prayer is not so much about changing God, but changing us." May I say that learning about why we believe is not so much about changing others but changing us. And this journey, as we learn more, will also be about changing us and our relationship with Christ.

Pray boldly before the throne of grace that God changes us.

First missionary Journey, part 3

6 Now when they had gone through the island to Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew whose name was Bar-Jesus, 7 who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man called for Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so his name is translated) withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. 9 Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him 10 and said, “O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? 11 And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time.”

And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand. 12 Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had been done, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord.

13 Now when Paul and his party set sail from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia; and John, departing from them, returned to Jerusalem. 14 But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down. 15 And after the reading of the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent to them, saying, “Men and brethren, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, say on.”

Acts 13:6-15

    Before Paul and Barnabas left on their first missionary journey, there are several instances of the praying church in Jerusalem and in Antioch. So strong was the power of the Holy Spirit, the people were actually begging for the Word to be preached to them. Look at their reception in Cyprus Acts 13:7, “the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man, called for Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God.” And then when they left the island, they went from Paphos to Perga in what is now southeast Turkey.

    They then headed for the mountains of another city named “Antioch” but this one is in Pisidia near the area of Galatia. And even there, the word of God was eagerly anticipated and wanted. Read Acts 13:15, “If you have any word of exhortation for the people, say it!”

   In our preparation for our trip in the footsteps of the Apostle Paul, we may not be on a missionary journey, per se. But then again, we are always on a missionary journey. Ask God that we ourselves will be hungry for a word from God. We can see the sights and enjoy the time away, but if we do not hear from God, what is the purpose? And if we do not share the word of God, especially words of encouragement and exhortation, what is the point?

    Ask God that we might have such a reception in our hearts to hear from Him in this trip. Write out your own definition of exhortation:     

     Whether on a missionary journey or in the Christian walk, we need to resist the urge to be critical of everything that doesn’t suit us. We should always seek to speak words of exhortation and encouragement. Edification means to build people up. We should look for ways to give compliments to our fellow sojourners on this trip.

    Just like down home on the range, if a discouraging word doesn’t have to be said, then don’t say it. 

First Missionary Journey part 2

Be “set free” in your journey

³ Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away. ⁴ So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. ⁵ And when they arrived in Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. They also had John as their assistant. ⁶ And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Barjesus:

Acts 13:3-6

    Cyprus is an island in the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea, some 60 miles off of the coast of Syria and Turkey. Being a distant yet reachable island was a target for Barnabas and Paul for another reason other than its close proximity: Barnabas was from there (see Acts 4:36). The trio, along with John Mark, went from the port of Seleucia near Antioch to Salamis, on the northeast side of the island. While not much information was given in Acts about the first stop of the first missionary journey and to what extent they traversed the island. Acts 13:6 says they went through the “whole island” (NIV, CSB, “town to town”, NLT) ending their journey on the southwest side, the exact opposite of where they landed. As a result of the stoning of Stephen, Jewish believers were dispersed to the island from Jerusalem but only shared the gospel to their fellow Jews.

   Acts 13:3 describes the departure of Barnabas, Paul and John Mark as being released or “set them free for this work” (Phillips translation) to spread the gospel. The same word was used when Paul was released from the Philippian jail in Acts 16:35. The Holy Spirit set them apart; the church commissioned them by laying on of hands; but in their going, they were released and “set free”.

    It was as though they were bound up, much like Jeremiah said in Jeremiah 20:9 “But His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, and I could not.” Or again the early apostles said in Acts 4:20, “We cannot stop speaking that which we have seen and heard.” Paul would later write to the Corinthians, “For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!” (See 1 Corinthians 9:16).

    Your calling may not be to go to the ends of the earth, but you do have a reason for living and being saved. All believers have at least one spiritual gift that when they walk in it, they are liberated. We may not be feet to go or voices to proclaim to audiences, but we all can be used by God for a purpose. When you find that purpose and fulfill it, it is like being freed.

    For Barnabas, he went back home to Cypress where he was raised, and where he would later die. Like Christ, he went to his own people, but they did not receive him. Four hundred years after his death, his bones were found, buried under a tree by his beloved cousin, John Mark, with a gospel of Matthew on his chest. Your missionary journey does not have to be to some foreign land; it may be like Barnabas, back to your home. Search the Holy Spirit for Him to set you apart, then walk in freedom as you serve the Lord.

     What is your journey? What is your purpose that God “sets you free” to do, your very essence that God created you to be? Read Ephesians 2:10 – “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Find that your passion that was given to you by God. Seek out your desires which were placed in your heart “beforehand” and you will experience true freedom when you walk in your purpose.

Becoming an "Antioch" Christian

The  following are some devotionals I prepared in preparation of going to Greece. As we prepared to travel the Footsteps of the Apostle Paul's Second Missionary Journey, I wanted to recall also where he went on his FIRST journey. 

We will study all three journeys as well as his journey to Rome on Sunday afternoons at 4:30 p.m., beginning June 30 in Room 147. Please come and see more things we could ever possibly see in an actual journey as we drive through History and the Holy Land with David Stotts video, "Drive Thru History, Acts to Revelation"

Also, there is a video I recommend you watch before we study the missionary journeys. It is a part of the Visual Bible series. You can preview that series at the following link. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xqxm9oJpgBs&list=PL0ACB6D2B735F48B2&index=9

Antioch – The Journey Hub for Missions

Acts 12:24-13:4  (NKJV)

24 But the word of God grew and multiplied.

25 And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their ministry, and they also took with them John whose surname was Mark.    

13:1 Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away.

4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. 5 And when they arrived in Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. They also had John as their assistant.

    In Waco, there is a church called Antioch which is famous for sending out missionaries. It has developed a nondenominational movement across the country and around the world. Of the Antioch Movement, best-selling author and pastor Max Lucado said, “To visit the Antioch Church is to visit the Book of Acts. To hear their passion, is to hear the heart of God. To listen to their stories of their global impact is to realize: it can happen today!”

    All three of Paul’s missionary journeys started out in Antioch of Syria. The city is the literal birthplace of the name of “Christians” for believers (see Acts 11:26). Located about 300 miles north of Jerusalem, the city was only about 16 miles from Mediterranean. It was the hub of Syria and the capital of the Roman province in Asia. This “first city of the East” ranked third most important city of the Roman empire, after of course Rome and then Alexandria.

   Known now as Antakya in Turkey, this city was open to diversities of beliefs and was a welcomed harbor for the Christians when they were dispersed from the persecution in Jerusalem. The Gentiles were receptive to the gospel here and it was likely the beginning for Barnabas to seek out the assistance of Saul of Tarsus, who was likely converted around 37 AD.

    The city is crucial as it is the origin and final destination of the first two of the three journeys of Paul. Paul likely would have returned to Antioch of Syria at the end of his third journey, had he not been arrested in Jerusalem.

    Why did Paul go on his missionary journeys? He went because of Acts 1:8, “You will be my witnesses…to the ends of the earth,” Jesus said in Acts 1:8. Do you have the heart of Antioch to send off missionaries to spread the gospel throughout the world? 

    I hope this series on Sunday afternoons inspire you you to study Paul, Barnabas, Silas, Timothy and Titus more. I hope we become educated of the area and the culture of the day.

    But more than anything else, I hope we too can grow in our appreciation of missionaries like those early saints and support those who are continuing their journeys, 2,000 years later. Paul’s first journey began around 45 AD, less than a decade from his conversion. His journeys continued and concluded at the end of his life. If we can go and commemorate his journeys, we too should work to continue them as well. Let us pledge to be Antioch Christians.

quotes on love

Spread love everywhere you go: first of all
in your own house. Give love to your children,
to your wife or husband, to a next door neighbor…
Let no one ever come to you without leaving better
and happier. Be the living expression of God’s kindness;
kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in
your smile, kindness in your warm greeting….Mother Teresa.

The Hope of Peace leads to Excellence

    I prayed Wednesday night with someone facing possible cancer and called upon the God of Peace. 

    I posted about a PTSD friend who has attempted suicide and prayed to the God of Peace. 

    On Tuesday, I expressed a disappointment I am experiencing and was reminded that to focus on God and not our disappointments. Essentially, he said to look at God’s peace, not my performance nor the lack thereof.

   The Advent of Christ’s coming again should remind us always that everything we see is temporary.

   God of Peace. There is a recurring theme when the Bible uses the phrase “God of Peace”. That theme is seeking excellence in our lives, but not for performance in order to earn peace. Rather excellence in our lives is a product as a result of the residence of the God of Peace in our lives.

   We first see the phrase “God of Peace” in Thessalonians (one of the first letters written). Paul said that the God of Peace sets us apart (that’s what sanctifies means) and our bodies, our souls and our spirits will be preserved blameless at the coming (advent) of Christ (1 Thess. 5:23).

   I love the “3:16 passages” of the Bible, and in 2 Thess 3:16, Paul says that the “Lord of Peace” will give us peace at all times and in all ways.

   Paul spoke about the God of Peace twice in Romans, once praying for the presence of the God of Peace in our lives right now (see Romans 15:33). He again invokes the “God of Peace” to crush Satan under our feet in the future.

   In Philippians 4:9, Paul encourages us that the “God of Peace” will always be with us when we seek His excellence in our lives and practice things we have “learned and received and heard and saw” in Paul’s life. And we know that it was in Philippi that Paul and Silas sang out in the dungeon after being beaten for preaching the gospel.

   Gospel of Peace. Maybe that’s why the Bible not only talks about the “God of Peace” but also the “Gospel of Peace”. Gospel means good news. Romans 10:15 (in the KJV and NKJV) says that Gospel of Peace is brought on beautiful feet because it glad tidings of good things. Paul was referring back to Isa. 52:7 as well as Nahum 1:15, both passages talk about how the proclamation of peace makes even our feet beautiful.

    Part of the armor of God is preparing our feet with the gospel of peace (Eph. 6:15). Maybe the connection of the gospel of peace and our feet is that the good news about peace is that it follows us every step of the way.

    Grace and Peace. The God of Peace reminds us of His second Coming. The Gospel of Peace reminds us of our current goings. But there is a third connection of Peace and that is with our past. Have you ever noticed that every letter Paul wrote in the Bible and both letters that Peter wrote begins with Grace and Peace. Look it up. Even John’s second epistle and the book of Revelation begins with grace and peace.

    Grace and Peace are linked with our past. The “if only’s” of our past dissolve into oblivion with God’s grace and peace. Grace literally means “gift” and peace is a gift that God gives to us at salvation. He graces us with peace in our past that we do not have to linger over our sins. Grace is from the giving, peace is from the forgiving.

    If you need peace, look to the prince of peace, the Lord of peace, the God of peace and the gospel of peace. In those, we find the gift or grace of peace.

The Hope of Power is Encouragement in the Word.

    Can you imagine what it must have been like to travel with Christ up the Mountain of Metamorphosis, or as it is commonly called the Mount of Transfiguration? 
    Peter, James and John journeyed with Jesus for three days and there was changed in appearance and also appearing with Christ was Moses and Elijah.

    While all three synoptic gospels tell of this incident by introducing it with a prophecy that some would see Christ coming in His Kingdom of God, only Mark, basing his gospel on the preachings of Peter, stated that they would see the Kingdom of God present with power! (See Mark 9:1)

    The Hope of Power’s Encouragement is linked specifically with the Latin word adventu in 2 Peter 1:16. Peter is incarcerated in a Roman dungeon, locked up for preaching the gospel by Nero. Soon the famed apostle and founding disciple of the Jerusalem church would be crucified upside down, deeming himself unworthy to die in the manner of his Lord, Jesus Christ.

      What is his emotional thermometer? What is his spiritual temperature? Does he feel powerless and discouraged in his final days? Had he given up all hope? Hardly.

      The once shifting and stumbling Simon is now rock-solid Peter. He knows his jig is up, his days are numbered and yet he waxes poetic, almost lyrical in his description of his soon departure into eternity.

      “I know that shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me,” Peter wrote. “Why would I want to stay in this tent when I have an eternal 7 star accommodations waiting for me?” His earthly tabernacle would soon be upsized for a heavenly mansion.

      It is not almost comical, it is absolutely gut-checking hilarious that this once swaggering, overly self-assured fisherman even suggested to build three earthly tabernacles for Moses, Elijah and Jesus just so they could “sit for a spell” on that mountain so many years earlier.

      Trade God’s Heavenly Temple for an earthly thatched-together tent. Not even Chip and Joanna Gaines could convince that trio into a such a Fixer Downer!

      Do you see old Peter wink his eye right here in his final epistle. “As long as I am here in this feeble tent, I want to shake you until I wake you to see where Jesus went and where I am going.”

    Jesus told Peter in his earlier years that when he was old, he would be led by the hand and forced to go where he didn’t want to go. “I know I’m going to take off this tent, just like Jesus showed me,” the imprisoned Peter wrote.

    The readers of the letter knew what Peter was talking about. He and the Apostle John had preached it for years. After the Resurrection, Peter had gone back to fishing and then saw the Risen Lord.

    During a fish breakfast, Jesus restored his fallen disciple by asking him a question thrice, the same number of times he had denied his Lord before the cock crowed twice.

     Now only the rooster was cocky and Simon had eaten the crow. 
     With every probing question, Peter humbly pledged his love for his Master. He heard the charge to feed his sheep and tend the lambs.

     You see, Peter had to learn: 
Power wasn’t in the bragging.

     Courage wasn’t in the boasting.

           Hoping wasn’t in the seeing.

     The power of the Kingdom was not what He saw on the mountain of transfiguration.

     The encouragement for courage was not found in the appearing of Moses and Elijah. 
     They were not going to exchange their heavenly habitation for the thatched tent, but now Peter was soon going to leave his earthly tabernacle for an eternal temple.

     From a darkened prison cell, Peter saw a light up above. 
     “You would do well to heed the prophetic word,” Peter wrote, “like a light that shines in a dark place.”

      Hope 
          Power
              Encouragement 
are all found in the Word of God.

     “This is my Beloved Son, Listen to Him.”

     Whether booming on a holy mountain from a heavenly glory, or humbly written on a tear-stained papyrus, smuggled out and copied and translated for 2,000 years now, the Word of God is not a cleverly devised fable.

    The Hope of Power is in the Encouragement of the Word of God.

Promise Made, Promise Kept

The Hope of the Promise. That is not a redundancy of words. Hope is an unseen expected assurance, not wishful thinking. And a promise from God is something that can be counted on. As Max Lucado said in his book Unshakable Hope, God is not just a Promise Maker, He is a Promise Keeper.

            When we think of promises, perhaps what we most often think of is not promises kept, but promises broken. Perhaps from our parents, or from what should have been a trusted friend. Or from a spouse.

            Worse yet, you might be reminded of promises you have made and did not keep. Guilt. Fear. Disappointment. Anger. Cynical bitterness. Sarcasm...

            Stop!

            That is not God.

            Read this from His Holy Word.

            “God is not a man, that He should lie.

            Nor a son of man that He should repent

            Has He not said, and will He not do?

            Has He not spoke and will He not make it good?”

Numbers 23:19

            First Promise Kept at the First Coming. 

            Christ’s first advent was the greatest to date “promise made, promised kept” that God fulfilled.

John the Baptist, in his moments of despair, asked Jesus, “Are You the Expected One, or should we look for another?” When imprisoned, the baptizer’s hopes were discouraged but not entirely dashed. He knew that if Jesus was not the promised one, that He could expect another because God is and was and forever will be faithful and true.

            As far back as Genesis 3:15, the Bible teaches that a seed of a woman (literally “sperm” in both Greek and Hebrew) would crush the head of Satan. That curse against Satan was literally fulfilled in the virgin birth of Christ, the only literal seed of a woman ever recorded.

Another 3:15 passage, Galatians 3:15, also teaches about the seed (singular) of man being the promise made long ago being fulfilled. “Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made… the covenant was confirmed before by God in Christ, and it does not nullify the promise. If the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise, but God gave it to Abraham by promise.”

The promise was also made to Sarah, “The word of promise…Sarah will have a son.” (see Rom. 9:9). Paul preached in Acts 13:23 that Jesus was the promised Son of God and Seed of David who would become the Savior of Israel and of the world. “From this man’s seed, according to the promise, raised up for Israel a Savior, Jesus.”

Isaiah’s promise in Isaiah 1:9 was reiterated in Romans 9:29 that the Seed of the Lord of Sabaoth would come to save the world.

A Second Promise Kept: The Holy Spirit.

Another Promise Kept. Perhaps the second greatest Promise that God has made and Kept came 50 days after the Resurrection. When the Holy Spirit came down, it was the down payment of the Promise of a future Advent.

“Wait for the Promise of the Father” Jesus said in Acts 1:4. “I will send the Promise,” He had previously stated in Luke 24:49.

Simon Peter and those in the upper room experienced the fulfillment of that Second Promise kept. The Holy Spirit which Jesus Himself received was poured out on them all in Acts chapter 2. “The Promise of the Holy Spirit is being poured out today and this is what you now see and hear,” Peter preached in Acts 2:33, “the Promise is for you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”

Peter never stopped being in awe of those two promises kept. From a dank and dungy Roman prison cell, the aged fisherman was not bitter. Not disillusioned. No fist shook toward heaven, despite the scars on his back, seeing the cruel death of his best friend James, and perhaps having survivor’s guilt when his own life was spared.

No, from the prison cell Simon wrote these words of encouragement.

The Third Promise Will Be Kept: Jesus is Coming Again!

“God has given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, and also escape the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

Promise made, Peter Proclaimed, and Promise Kept. Four more times the imprisoned apostle used the word promise, finishing up with this defiantly faithful and unquenchable fiery man of God preached through his pen which echoes in our Scripture readings to this day.

“In keeping with His Promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless.”

And then as a nod to fellow prisoner in Rome, the Apostle Paul, Peter wrote “and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation which also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you.”

Christian Home Week -- The Beauty of the Beatitudes Introduction

The downloadable pdf is available at http://fbckilleen.com/wp-content/uploads/beatitudes.pdf

Introduction of Matthew

   Matthew was one of Jesus’ twelve disciples, a tax collector when called by Christ. This gospel was written primarily to the Jews, emphasizing the supremacy of Christ to Moses.

Introduction of the Sermon on the Mount

   The Sermon on the Mount was delivered to the disciples, but heard also by the crowd, similar but different from “Sermon on the Plain” in Luke.

   A simple outline of the Sermon on the Mount is as follows:

1. The Kingdom and Blessings (Matt. 5:1-16)

2. The Kingdom and the Law (Matt. 5:17-48)

3. The Kingdom and God (Matthew 6)

4. The Kingdom and Others (Matthew 7:1-20)

5. The Kingdom’s Foundation (Matthew 7:21-27)

Introduction of the Beatitudes

As a kid, my favorite cartoon was Peanuts and good ole Charlie Brown. I had a book called “Happiness is a Warm Puppy.” If we were to put a Charles M. Schulz title to the beatitudes, it might be “Happiness is …”

The word “Beatitude” comes from the Latin word beatus which means blessed but the word is elsewhere translated as “happy,” “how fortunate,” “God blesses” (NLT), “You’re blessed” (the Message), and the amplified Bible expounds to “to be envied and spiritually prosperous…with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions.”

We could call these beatitudes the “Be Happy Attitudes.” Someone has said that they are not the “Do” Attitudes, but the “Be” Attitudes, meaning it is not what we do in the sense of legalism, but rather who we are in Christ. We should concentrate on “being,” not “doing.”

   Each beatitude builds upon the previous one, like a staircase. The first and last beatitude promise that “theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” From the moment of our salvation, the Holy Spirit within us provides for us a portion of the qualities found in each beatitude, but we must nourish and encourage each aspect to grow in our lives.

Other Beatitudes in Scripture

   Four other times in Matthew, there are pronouncements of “blessedness.” Chapter 11, verse six speaks about not being offended in Christ; Matt. 13:16 speaks on those who were able to see and hear Jesus at work, 16:17 pronounces a blessing up Peter for his proclamation of Christ as the Son of the living God, and 24:46 proclaims a blessing on those who are faithful when Christ returns.

   Luke records similar uses of “blessed” in chapter 6 and uses the word a total of 15 times in his gospel. John’s two beatitudes include the famous rebuke of Thomas’ doubting when Jesus says “blessed are those who have not seen, and yet believe.”

   Romans and James also have some beatitudes, and Peter echoes Jesus’ beatitudes in respect to suffering and facing reproach in 1 Peter 3:14 and 4:14. King James there translates makarios or makarios as “Happy” rather than “blessed.” And in typical numerical fashion, the Apostle John records precisely seven beatitudes in Revelation.

   The practice of issuing blessed promises goes back as far as the Old Testament, most notably Psalm 1:  “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night”

    A beatitude can be traced back to the first occurrence in Scripture, found in Deut. 33:29, “Blessed are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD? He is your shield and helper and your glorious sword. Your enemies will cower before you, and you will trample down their high places.”

   As you study these blessed promises this week, look for blessings and sources of happiness in keeping God’s word and these “Be Happy Attitudes”. As Pharrell Williams might sing, clap along if you feel a beatitude is for you.

A heart the won't melt away

    The following is second part of a study on Caleb's Following God Fully found in Joshua chapter 14. Not only should you have a reverent remembrance of what God has done and what God DESIRES, ask yourself, do I have a ...

    Half-hearted fear or whole-hearted following (7b-8)

     Notice what Caleb said in Josh 14:7, “and I brought back word to him as it was in my heart. Nevertheless my brethren  who went up with me made the heart of the people melt, but I wholly followed the LORD my God.”

    Did you know that fully following the Lord will help your heart? Not talking your physical heart but the heart you need to follow him. The word used here for melt means to turn to water. Deuteronomy 1 recalls we read earlier in Numbers 13.

     Read the following from Deut. 1:20-39. In his book Battle-Ready, author Steve Farrar points out that the ten “not able” spies and the two “notable” spies earlier were commanded by God and instructed by Moses to go into the promised land not to see whether they could take the land, but HOW they could take the land.

        ²⁰ Then I said to you, “You have reached the hill country of the Amorites, which the LORD our God is giving us. ²¹ See, the LORD your God has given you the land. Go up and take possession of it as the LORD, the God of your ancestors, told you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”  ²²Then all of you came to me and said, “Let us send men ahead to spy out the land for us and bring back a report about the route we are to take and the towns we will come to.”…

     …²⁶But you were unwilling to go up; you rebelled against the command of the LORD your God. ²⁷You grumbled in your tents and said, “The LORD hates us; so he brought us out of Egypt to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us. ²⁸Where can we go? Our brothers have made our hearts melt in fear. They say, ‘The people are stronger and taller than we are; the cities are large, with walls up to the sky. We even saw the Anakites there.’ ” ²⁹Then I said to you, “Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. ³⁰The LORD your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes,”… ³² In spite of this, you did not trust in the LORD your God, ³⁴ When the LORD heard what you said, he was angry and solemnly swore: ³⁵“No one from this evil generation shall see the good land I swore to give your ancestors, ³⁶ except Caleb son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land he set his feet on, because he followed the LORD wholeheartedly.” … ³⁸ But your assistant, Joshua son of Nun, will enter it. Encourage him, because he will lead Israel to inherit it.

     The ten “not able” spies not only didn’t believe God and didn’t obey God, not only did they forget what God had done and what God desired. Because they talked about what they were not able to do rather than God WAS ABLE to do, the heart of the people melted.

     But listen to this: 40 years later, two more spies went into the promised land, to the house of the harlot Rahab. Listen to what she said. Joshua 2:10-11 “For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you, for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.”

     For 40 years, the people of Jericho and the inhabitants of the land which God had ordained and prepared for the people of Israel had melted hearts! Everything that happened in Joshua could have happened 40 years earlier under the rule of Moses if only the people would have trusted God with all their hearts.

     What is it that God has given to you that fear and faithlessness is keeping you from obtaining?  Fully following God begins with a reverent remembrance of what God has done and what God desires, and it will give you a heart that won’t melt away when times of testing come. And as we will see, fully following God will give you a Lasting LEGACY.

Do you have a reverent remembrance of what God has done and desires?

     You remember what Joshua and Caleb were famous for, right? Of course, you do. Moses had sent out 12 spies into the promised land to help prepare for battle. The story is found in Numbers 13, but 45 years later in Joshua 14, Caleb reminds Joshua what happened in Kadesh Barnea. Not that Joshua could have ever forgotten that...as a result of the events that transpired, the people of Israel wandered in the desert for 40 years. 

    Remember What He has done. Caleb didn’t have to remind Joshua.  But it is important that we remember what God has done for us. It is wonderful and marvelous that God chooses not to call into remembrance our bad, but it is a terrible shame if we do not call into remembrance God’s good works. Moses sent the twelve spies into the land from Kadesh Barnea but only two brought a good report.

    The story is found in Numbers 13. 

¹ And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ² “Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the children of Israel; from each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a leader among them.”

³ So Moses sent them from the Wilderness of Paran according to the command of the LORD, all of them men who were heads of the children of Israel. ⁴ Now these were their names: from the tribe of Reuben, Shammua the son of Zaccur; ⁵ from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the son of Hori; ⁶ from the tribe of Judah, Caleb the son of Jephunneh; ⁷ from the tribe of Issachar, Igal the son of Joseph; ⁸ from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea[fn] the son of Nun; ⁹ from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti the son of Raphu; ¹⁰ from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel the son of Sodi; ¹¹ from the tribe of Joseph, that is, from the tribe of Manasseh, Gaddi the son of Susi; ¹² from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the son of Gemalli; ¹³ from the tribe of Asher, Sethur the son of Michael; ¹⁴ from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the son of Vophsi; ¹⁵ from the tribe of Gad, Geuel the son of Machi.

¹⁶ These are the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun, Joshua.

    The reason for the spies to go out was not to determine whether they could take the land. God already made that decision. The passage says clearly that God was giving it to them. That was why they had been delivered from Egypt in the first place! God wanted to restore them to the Holy Land.

    Has God been good to you? Do you call it into your remembrance, as Caleb did to Joshua 45 years later. There is a reason we celebrate the Lord's Supper in the church. There is a reason we have Memorial Day for those who have fallen in service of our country. God wants us to remember the good things of the past so that we can take courage for the future.

    Remember What He desires. If we are to fully follow God, we have to remember what God has called us for. You have a purpose for being here on earth. You have a mission. Moses had sent out the spies to “see what the land is like: whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, few or many; whether the land they dwell in is good or bad; whether the cities they inhabit are like camps or strongholds; whether the land is rich or poor; and whether there are forests there or not. Be of good courage. And bring some of the fruit of the land.”

    Nowhere was their mission to see whether they could take the land. Their job description did not say, “Go see if God knows what He is talking about.” Their mission as spies were to spy the land for the battle that was about to come.

    You know the story. Ten came back with a bad report. A report that made the people’s heart melt. Write down three words. 

Word # 1 “NOTABLE.” 

#2 “NOT” 

#3 “Able.”

    If you know someone named “Joshua” or “Caleb”, think about them and how “notable the names are based on this Bible story. Then ask yourself if you have ever met anyone named for the 10 spies who said they were “not able”. (It's okay to glance back at the passage above if you don't remember them...you probably read right past them.)

    Moses, for some reason, recorded the names of the other ten. Do you want to be notable like Caleb and Joshua. Or do you want to be in group of 10 spies who said “We’re NOT ABLE. We’re NOT ABLE to do what God has called us to do.”

    Let us all have a reverent remembrance of what has done in the past so that we can do what He desires in the future.