Bible Studies, Habakkuk

Habakkuk: Introduction

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Why? I used to think that it was impertinent to ask God that question. After all, He’s God, and I’m not. Besides, I thought, he never answered Job’s great question, why do people suffer…

…Such as on the El Toro Y? Why do people put up with that  insufferable piece of road? It will never have enough lanes to accommodate the traffic passing through it. And the drivers will MOW you down if your speed falls below 85, provided it hasn’t been transformed into a parking lot, which it does, for 22 of 24 hours a day.

Why do they put up with it? I couldn’t. I’m not tough enough. I moved. (Just kidding, my sisters and brothers of the OC, I salute you.)

God, why don’t You do something about this dreadful world we live in, and punish the evil in our land, the injustice, the mocking of God, the tolerance and celebration of depravity, the exaltation of false religion, the persecution of the righteous?

Wait, are we speaking of 7th century BC Israel, or 21st century United States? After all, this is a website dedicated to the return of God’s people in America to God after all.

So let’s see how God answered our intrepid questioner. Will there be a glimmer of insight or perspective into our present-day moral dilemma? I hope so. After all, God rewarded Habakkuk’s questions, for which we should all be grateful. Had he not asked, we might not get this insight as to how God might deal with another country called by His Name (In God we Trust).

And I don’t fret any more about asking God my why questions…

The Book

The book is a powerhouse The three doctrinal books of the NT are Romans, Galatians, and Hebrews. And all quote from itty bitty Habakkuk. (Hab 2:4) the cornerstone of the Christian faith, salvation by grace through faith.

It is eloquently written. Although compact in size, it’s subject is covered seldom elsewhere. And we see the progression of a “Doubting Thomas” (maybe Thomas should be a doubting Habakkuk) from perplexity to praise, the (super) natural response of the believer whose question is answered. It was written just before the exile to Babylon.

Chapter Outline

Chapter 1: The Piquing Problems of the Prophet.
Chapter 2: The Patient Persistence of the Prophet
Chapter 3:The Powering Praise of the Prophet

Habakkuk 1:1 The Man and His Times

An oracle is also translated a burden, a judicial judgment about to be passed. Recall the use of the word burden from Galatians 6:2; it is to be shared, it is too grievous to bear alone. He received this burn; it is God’s burden, which He chose to relay to people through His instrument, Habakkuk. Habakkuk means embracer. We could throw a lot of speculation, but perhaps we might think of this (and every other Biblical writer) as God’s instruments Almost everything we know about him we surmise, from his name to his actions to his times. We may say, however, he appears to be a learned man, his book is polished prose. We know he was a musician, the end of the book includes a directive that the third chapter, a psalm, was to be played on his stringed instruments. We know he possessed the sensitive heart of a righteous man; like righteous Lot (2 Peter 2:7), he too was oppressed by the wickedness of his countrymen. He lived near the time of the deportation of Judea to Babylon. The last righteous king, Josiah, was dead, replaced by such evil as Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah.

Green are good kings, red are bad
Kings of Israel

The spiritual stench of these last rulers of the monarchy was so egregious, that the Lord went so far as to terminate the monarchy:

Thus says the Lord, ‘Write this man down childless, A man who will not prosper in his days; For no man of his descendants will prosper sitting on the throne of David,  or ruling again in Judah.’  Jeremiah 22:30

The indictment of Judea was grievous: The country, led by its evil kings (and those guys put the E in evil) We can summarize them thus:

Jehoiakim:
He did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done 2 Kings 23:37

Jehoiachin:
He did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father had done.2 Kings 25:9

Zedekiah:

He did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.

2 Kings 24:19

Sounds like a broken record. Some specifiics: Jehoiakim was a vassal of Pharaoh Neco. To pay the heavy tribute, he imposed heavy taxes, undid all the spiritual reforms hips father Josiah had instituted, brought back idol worship, especially Egyptian cultic practices. He also  built expensive palaces with forced labor, killed innocent people, including a prophet, Uriah (nb not the band Uriah Heep:) ) and burned Jeremiah’s scroll, and according to Josephus:

and was neither reverent toward God, nor kind to man. Antiquities 10.83

This was the injustice that assaulted Habakkuk. But as we shall soon see, the solution might have seemed to poor Habakkuk as using gasoline to quench a fire: the dreaded Babylonians!

The Babylonians Under Nebuchadnezzar

The concept of Babylon, all by itself, was enough to put dread into the heart of the pious Jew of the 7th century BC. Under the rule of Nebuchadnezzar, the  troops under his command might be likened to the blitzkrieg (Lightning War) tactics of the Nazis in World War 2.

During this time, Nebuchadnezzar routedPharaoh Neco at the battle of Carchemish (606BC) after earlier defeating the Assyrians in 612 BC at Nineveh. See entries at Jer 46:2 and 2 Chr 35:20-24

The spiritual depravity of the city and empire date back to just after the Flood, and the rebellion at the Tower of Babel Genesis 11:1-9. That was the beginning of the formal rebellion against God, spearheaded by no less than Satan himself. Isaiah 14:1-23 who was the “man behind the man” fomenting this rebellion.

And this was not lost on the Jews. That God would use the very nation in whose crosshairs was centered the focus of His direct and deserved wrath blew Habakkuk’s mind.

And the tip of the spear was Nebuchadnezzar himself. Of all things, hand picked by God to be the mightiest ruler of all time, a man with absolute authority Dan 2:36:39.

He was also ruthless: Daniel’s companions were thrown into the lion’s den for failure to worship his graven image. Daniel, who had won Nebby-K’s (a sobriquet used to keep the stories interesting to my two daughters) confidence was thrown into the lion’s den, who after surviving the night, Nebuchadnezzar had the conspirators and their families thrown into the same pit.

Application

Am I bold in my prayer? Am I praying for revival in my nation, state, in my city, in my church, my family, my heart?

Bible Studies, Galatians

Galatians Chapter 6: The Life of Grace

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Galatians 6:1-5

Pride

You who are spiritual. Really, is their anyone fearing this who thinks they are not spiritual? The problem developing is the the admonition to assist other Christians in time of need without either looking down on their misfortune and unwilling to help because of their their deluded high self opinion. The other end is is verse 4 where we try to get someone to do what we do, playing manipulative victim. Both are forms of stinky, icky pride. And pride, above all other sins, is the sin God detests more than any other.

For some reason, we seem to put up with pride, it is welcome and received almost everywhere. The humble person realizes that all they have comes as an unwarranted gift from a gracious God.

Other

Law of Christ: Love one another. Trespass, go off mark, not  huge sin. Restore: to set  a broken bone or mend a fishing net. The verse at  1 Cor 2:15 shows us the insight of the spiritually mature Christian.  
Galatians 6:1-5

Loads and Burdens

Gal 6:2  Bear one another’s burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ. Burden is the Greek word baros- it means weight, excessive load, connotation is somebody puts a hundred pound rock in your backpack. As this verse says, these are to be shared among Christians; we were never supposed or expected to bear burdens alone.

 

Gal 6:5  For each one shall bear his own load. Load here is the Greek word phortion, it means a load, or a cargo. A cargo is something that one is expected to carry, my share of responsibility. I spend  most of my working day, as a matter of fact, determining for my company’s package car drivers exactly what is a fair load, and not an excessive burden.
Galatians 6:6-10 V6: Please make checks payable to cash. (Joke)   The other side of bearing loads and sharing burdens is the bearing of a preacher / pastor’s burden, the obligation of the church to support the ministry of the Word. In 1 Cor 9, Paul expands the idea of proper expectation of this ministry.

 

As is the Law of Love, so this giving is an evidence of the heart condition of the Christian. Jesus gives us the foundation in Luke 16:13 and its parallel  Mat 6:24. Again, it’s not a requirement, but an evidence, a fruit of the spirit.
Galatians 6:11-18 Paul had eye problems, the thorn in his flesh (2 Cor 12:7) is believed to be an eye condition combined with this statement that Paul used large letters because he could not see well.

By having the Galatians jumping through the circus hoops of the Law, especially circumcision, these people sought to dominate the Galatians and anyone they could suck in.

 

But Paul understood better than most. He, as a dominant Pharisee recognized the power of domination by being chained to the Law, and ultimately to recognize its meaninglessness in being saved from one’s sins.

 

The Judaizers sought to mutilate the body with circumcision; Paul had been mutilated for Christ and the Gospel by the marks he bore:

  • 2 Cor 11:25-33 shows three times beaten with rods (Acts 16:22),
  • Stoned in  Acts 14:29, shipwrecked in Acts 27, jailed,
  • Let down in a basket to escape the Judaizers and on and on.

 

The message seems to be “Don’t tell me about body mutilation, I have lived it for Christ. The difference is that one is self-inflicted, the other, the result of preaching against (in essence) that very affliction!

Religious Spotlight – Walter Martin Cult of Liberal Christianity

Galatians

Galatians Chapter 5: Liberty

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Can we visit for a moment, you & I? How are you, friend? How have you been? No, really. I’d like to know. Specifically, how’s your week going? Is that all? Oh, wait, what else? And how much free time DO yo have? Wow! You are busy.

Aren't you busy!
Aren’t you busy!

Well, if you’re reading this tiny post, on a tiny blog, in a vast sea of words and pixels and video and sound and distraction, you are probably looking for something on Galatians. Maybe you’re a Bible study teacher, maybe a student, possibly grabbing a picture or reference. Help yourself, by all means.

But you ARE a BUSY Christian. My goodness. Did you day you serve your church, maybe another or two or three miniseries. A pastor?

OK, one more question: Are you a Martha or a Mary? Of course I’m speaking of the story of Jesus visiting Mary and Martha. Mary sits at the feet of Jesus, and Martha makes lunch abad gets spun up because she’s working working working and Mary is (in her mind) lollygagging when there’s work to be done. See Luke 10:38-42 for the story if you’re not familiar. Go ahead, I’ll wait. I’d like to know how you rate yourself.

I thought so.  Me too. I get spun up and writing, playing, practicing, studying, and my devotional life suffers. Luther suffered from this as well. He did stations of the Cross, fasting, indulgences, and a lot of other things until he came to the end of himself.

Ray Stedman described the moment:

“He (Martin Luther) was struck by a verse in the Psalms that said,

…in thy righteousness, deliver me! (Psalms 31:1 RSV)
This gripped Martin Luther’s heart because the righteousness of God was to him a terrible thing — that unbendable righteous judgment by which God would destroy everyone who failed in the least degree to measure up to the full expectation of the holiness of God. Luther said that he even hated the word “righteousness.””
Source: Raystedman.org

There’s an old saw that goes “If the devil can’t make you sin, he’ll make you busy.” Busy is an enemy. It’s a treadmill and an idol that allows us to block out intimacy with God and people by salving our conscious by or works. It can run periliously close to works righteousness.

But our hearts are turned to Christ, so that, as we will see in chapter 6, we can be liberated from that yoke, provided we have spent time at the foot of the Master, and wear only His yoke, His light burden.

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Galatians 5:1 This could very well be a summary verse for the book.  Freedom is the purpose of the letter, and dedication to this or any other freedom requires diligence, since it is an unnatural human state. Our forefathers knew this well, and fashioned our Constitution in such a way as to prevent tyranny and bondage to be imposed on the citizenry. From the Declaration of Independence:+ 

 

“Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.”

 

In other words, the government would rather change the rules for “efficiency and  streamlining” and that we the people are more apt to put up with that cost. It took a bloody revolution to overthrow our shackles, and sadly, we are allowing ourselves to be fitted with a new shiny yoke.
Galatians 5:2-6 If you leave the Gospel, are on your own. And not only are you on your own, you have to walk a tightrope a thousand feet over the Grand Canyon. One slip, and you’re  a goner. 

tight_rope

 

So instead of the tightrope of Law, we place hope, not a nebulous expression of wishful worldly thinking, but a surety, because the basis of that hope is God Himself, and His proven promises. This makes works meaningless in terms of salvation. There true relationship will be expressed shortly. Note how Paul here an later makes dramatic allusions to severing body parts to emphasize his revulsion of works righteousness.
Galatians 5:7-12 Now Paul calls into question the knuckleheads who started this whole business of works-righteousness, and the how a little works must necessarily spread into all ares of religious life; it cannot remain a small part, for just as Paul (and James 1:10) says that a failure in one tenant, is a total failure of the Law.And there he goes again with the mutilation-emasculation, chopping off thing again. OK, I get it.

Chop chop
Chop chop
Galatians 5:13-15 Paul recaps this precious freedom, and repoints the way to the New Testament Law we keep because of love, the Law of Love. 

This is Law is, in a sense, reactionary. That is,. instead of the works treadmill, our reaction to our love of Christ is to keep his commandments (John 14:15), which is to love one another (John 13:34) This is the impetus for service.
Galatians 5:16-24 It is the war of the ages, the old sinful nature (the flesh), vs the new spiritual nature. The winner is the nature you feed the most.Paul gives us two signposts to see how we are doing, Sin Circle, and Spirit Street. 

Living on Sin Circle there’s your neighbors, and they are a miserable lot. I don’t know how I could get a night’s rest with these people living next to me. Ima Immoral would be knocking on the door when her husband was gone, Anger Anne would be yelling at the wee hours of the morning with her husband, Jealous Jack, while factious Phil, the neighborhood gossip would be collecting the local trash about you gossiping with Sorcerer Sal.

 

Over on Spirit Street, Joy is always baking pies, even with her Stage 3 cancer. She lives to help the neighbors. Gentle Jill is watching her kids play on the bikes on the sidewalk. She and her husband, Louis Love have the most beautiful well behaved kids. Self Control Sid has the most beautiful lawn and front yard you’d ever want to see. Started out as a rental, but Sid and his brother Paul Peace built it up, cleaned out the trash, painted it, and keep the place looking nice. Took a while, but they are proud to be members of Spirit Street.

 

Which neighborhood do you want to live in?
Galatians 5:25-26 The point is, being saved by grace and then truing to be pious to one up the guy ion the next pew with loud (and fake) piety on Sunday is not what makes a good work in the Spirit. Yielding to God is.

 

Memory Verse – “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Galatians 5:22b-23a

OK, a little cheesy for grownups. But you’ll memorize it if you listen…

 

Application – Root out and question your ministry.  Are they being done to placate a guilty conscious? To impress people? Or are they coming as a heart-response to a beautiful God who has touched us forever by Hs grace and love?

Bible Studies, Galatians

Galatians Chapter 4: Sons of God

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Galatians: The Gospel Plus Nothing

 

Galatians 4:1-7 We are given positions as Sons of God, not just justification. The word for child used  here are little, under 15 children. The father gives a ceremony bringing the child into full sonship, a time determined by the father, and not an arbitrary age. The Toga Virillus was that ceremony, was given a robe and a ring. The ring was a signet, and gave him the same authority as the father. The Law never made anyone a son of God. Adoption – The word used here is the man’s own son. The Toga Virilis made him, literally placed as a full grown son of God. 1 Cor 2:9-10 shows that the Word of God can only be interpreted by the Spirit of God. The Spirit of God teaches us, quoting from Isa 64:4.Many people debate the name of God, Jehovah, G-d, YHWH, Yahweh. But we don’t call Hime by any of these names. We know Him as Abba, Father. Mark 14:36 Romans 8:15So the Spirit can teach us as newbs, or mature Christians. We need to take the first step to be willing to learn. Romans 8:9-16 parallels this abridgement.We can believe that piety or baptism of the HS is the only way to have an experience as a son of God. No a brand new believer is a son of God. Of the two, truth comes before experience.
Galatians 4:8-11 The fulness of time is what Paul shows, though he dos not say it outright: God chose to wait until “the fulness of time.8-9  Known of God is approved or recognized by God. In 9 it is the experiential knowledge of God (after the truth, the Word of God.) Turning to Law is going back to idolatry.  dDays months, seasons, and years are from the OT Law feasts, sabbaths, sabbatic year, new years, year of Jubilee, etc. It’s worthless.
Galatians 4:12-20 There is commonality between Paul and the Galatians. Paul reminds them of their kindness. He is being polite in this harsh rhetoric. v 17-18:  references 2 Cor 11:12, This is the universal hook of the cults: to affirm the new cult convert for no good purpose but to add a notch to their crooked Bible, not for your good. Rather be zealous for the right *truthful) things of God, not false zeal for the cults.  Gal 4:19-20 A tender note for those born again, as a tender father or mother wanting to gather in his little ones, like a quail covey guarded by the parents.
Galatians 4:21-26 Mc Gee points out here that most most people who follow the Ten Commandments don’t really hear it in light of the terror and majesty of its giving to Moses in Exo 19:16-25 and Exo 20:18-22. Being sinners is a terrible thing.  Paul then uses allegory to show the difference between the promise (freedom) of the child of Sara, and the flesh (slavery) of the slave girl Hagar. In Abraham’s day, the son of a slave was a slave, as well as Rome. Also, there is a comparison of Mt Sinai and Jerusalem.
Galatians 4:27-31 Since we are born again, we too are spiritual children of Abraham as we previously saw in Chapter 3.V 29 Gen 21:9 reminds us that like Sara, we too are going to be reviled for preaching the Gospel. The natural man is at odds ands hates the Gospel because he cannot accept the Holy Spirit 1 Cor 2:14Lose the fleshly self, put on Christ.
Bible Studies, Galatians

Galatians Chapter 3: What Were You Thinking?

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Captain Edward J Smith of the Titanic - Choke Artist
Captain Edward J Smith of the Titanic – Choke Artist

This week we feature our Gallery of Great Choke Artists:

Poor Gus. Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden (1594-1632), disdained the steel armour offered by his aides at the Battle of Lützen, saying: “The Lord God is my Armour!” Yes, the Battle of Lutzen was indeed in 1632.

Peter Crawford’s self-defence in a New York court suffered slightly after he asked the key witness: “Did you get a good look at my face when I snatched your bag?”

Rommel decided that he could go home to celebrate his wife’s birthday because Normandy was so quiet in June 1944.

This was Sir William Preece, chief engineer of the General Post Office, in 1876: “The Americans have need of the telephone, but we do not. We have plenty of messenger boys.”

t took 177 years to build, but the Pisa’s famous tower began to lean less than a decade after construction began. The enormous project was planned on unstable soil, and had a shallow three metre foundation which couldn’t support the structure’s weight. After extensive renovations, the tower has now stopped moving for the first time in its history.

Maj Gen John Sedgwick (1813-1864) was unimpressed by Confederate sniper fire at the Battle of Spotsylvania. “They couldn’t hit an elephant at this distance!” Five points for the first person to identify when the battle took place…

And topping our list, Captain Edward J. Smith, captain of the RMS Titanic, the largest passenger steamship in the world, was popularly believed to be unsinkable. The huge loss of life that occurred when it crashed into an iceberg in 1912 was due partly to an inadequate supply of lifeboats, and partly to design flaws – including an unreliable system of watertight compartments, and poor quality rivets in the ship’s hull. 

Exasperated? So was Paul at the Galatians. His chastisement of the Galatians might be made today as Snap out of it, you knuckleheads. What were you thinking? 

Sources:
BBC Magazine
Daily Telegraph

Paul Rebukes Peter

Galatians 3:1-5 First comes the argument of personal experience. They became Christians by faith, and they knew it. And Paul calls them out with this chastisement.
Galatians 3:6-9 Next comes the comparison of their faith with Abraham’s, appealing to the Old Testament, thereby knocking the argument that salvation required following the Law out the door. Because the Judaizers needed reminding that Abraham’s salvation came before there was a Law to keep. Gen 12:3And that includes Gentiles, because, in a real sense, Abraham was a Gentile
Galatians 3:10-14 Now comes the clarification that the Law brings a curse. Even the OT ends the old Covenant by the reminding of a curse. Mal 4:6 Deu 21:23
Galatians 3:15-18 Paul now closes the door on the argument that the the Law supersedes the promises made to Abraham. Then he focuses in on the distinction was made to one person, one seed, vs seeds. That seed is Christ Jesus. He is quoting Gen 22:17-18Paul is a Biblical literalist!
Galatians 3:19-23 The Law was necessary to show the pitiful human sinner his depraved and utterly helpless position. Good thing I’m not one. What!?Shut up everyone – The Law closes the door on self-righteousness AND justification by works, since no one can keep the Law perfectly. Jesus made this clear when the Pharisees wanted to stone the adulteress and He made the famous offer “Let the sinless one cast the first stone John 8:3-11Ordained by angels – See Deu 23:2 Acts 7:53
Galatians 3:24-29 Tutor here is literally child conductor.

Cult Spotlight – Islam

Islam in a Nutshell:

Source: carm.org

Galatians, Jehovah Witnesses

Galatians: Chapter 2

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Paul Pleads for the Poor, Rebukes Peter

Galatians 2:10 The new Jewish believers of Jerusalem were wicked poor. They paid a heavy sacrifice for their faith by being ostracized from Jewish culture and commerce for their steadfast faith in Jesus Christ  Paul too was sensitive as were the early church to the leading of the Holy Spirit in His compelling desire to band together not just as participants at some church service, but at the much deeper checkbook level.  THAT is koinonia.Biblical glimpses of this are seen:

Acts 2:42-45 The beginning of the Spirit’s movement on Chrst’s new Bride. The pooled resources is one of the distinctives of the church.

Acts 4:32-35 – Sometimes this is manifested in the present day church.

Someone needs lumber for a repair project; one of the brothers goes and buys it without thought to cost; a sister cooks and delivers dinner from money and food from her home without thought of reimbursement.

Acts 5:1-ff Ananias and Sapphira were the counterfeits of this purity nd simple innocence of money. They wanted the glory, while the others gave no thought of recognition.

Romans 15:26 the word for contribution is the Greek koinonia, fellowship. How much more intimate than the giving of money.Other references 1 Cor 8:4, 16:1-4 2 Cor 8:4 ff
Galatians 2:11-14 Paul begins an illustration of the encounter he had with Peter and others to:

  • Point out and confront Peter’s hypocrisy
  • Point out the Jewish believers’ of Antioch’s hypocrisy
  • Correct the the straying Galatians who read the letter
  • Rebuke the Judaizers who came to Galatia and thought themselves more authoritative than Paul
  • Correct the brothers (Barnabas et al) from Jerusalem, who having previously fellowshipped with the Gentile believers)

This action also brought unity back to the Gentiles and Jews, as there was only one Gospel, and not two.
Galatians 2:15-16 In verse 15, Paul uses language that the Jews would understand, as they were steeped in the Law and therefore considered the Gentiles as sinners since the Gentiles did not keep the Law. Make no mistake, keeping the Law didn’t keep anyone from being a sinner.

In verse 16, the case for justification by faith alone. He goes on to say that as a “good” Pharisee, he had to open his quest for faith by works to attain justification, that is, made right in the eyes of God.
Galatians 2:17 Since he is not justified by the Law, the twisted argument that follows would say, “OK, no Law is needed to be right before God, let’s toss the Law and live like there’s no tomorrow.” Sorry. Although the Law doesn’t save, we who love Jesus keep His commandments Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, souls, and strength, and your neighbor as yourself. This isn’t justifying, it’s the heart’s response and manifestation of the believer.

Paul battled this heresy here, and later when he returned to Jerusalem, where his detractors said to abandon the Law, and were so infuriated, they vowed to kill him. See Acts 21:21

Antinomianism, the twisted idea in this verse, is the opposite of “faith by works.” It says in essence, that since w are saved by grace and not by works of the Law (ten commandments a part of the Law), then we need not observe the commandments. ref: http://www.theopedia.com/Antinomianism
Galatians 2:18-21 If Paul does this thing, he’s the hypocrite. The only way is to die to the Law. That means the court is adjourned when the defendant dies; you can’t convict a dead woman or man of anything! See Romans 6:2, 7:4 1 Cor 9:20

Cult Spotlight – Jehovah’s Witnesses

Watchtower Society in a Nutshell:

Source: carm.org
Memory Verse – “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” -Gal 2:20

Application – Recognize that there are simply things we can’t accomplish without God’s grace (help.) Ask God for His grace, and leave the things of God to Him.    

Apologetics, Bible Studies, Galatians

Galatians: Chapter 1

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The Letter to the Galatians is Paul’s warning and admonition to the Christians in Asia Minor to steer clear of people who “knew better” than the simple truth of Paul’s proclamation of the Gospel: Jesus plus zip, zero, nada.

Paul was being ions-upped by the Jews who had come in after him, claiming authority as teachers. Wrote Luther:

“In every way, they sought to undermine the authority of St. Paul. They said to the Galatians: “You have no right to think highly of Paul. He was the last to return to Christ. But we have seen Christ. We heard Him preach. Paul came later and is beneath us. Is it possible for us to be in error – we who have received the Holy Ghost? Paul stands alone. He has not seen Christ nor has he had much contact with the other apostles. Indeed, he persecuted the Church of Christ for a long time.””
Source: Luther commentary on Galatians at Gal 1:1

We share Paul’s uphill battle in defending the purity of the Gospel against its foes, without and within. In this sense, we share his ministry. Let’s be worthy of it.

Paul Authenticates His Ministry

Galatians1:11-12 Paul points out the origin of his Gospel: direct revelation; using the same word, apocalypses, found in Joh’s Book of Revelation.
Galatians 1:13-17 Personal testimony. People may refute what you believe, what the Bible “really” says, but they CANNOT refute your testimony; it is your DNA and story and testimony. And quite natural to use, simply relate your story. Paul’s authority is fully authenticated and apostolic. He did not shrink back from it.
Galatians 1:18-24 Paul explains and gives background to his authority through his testimony. The early years must have been difficult, having conspired to abet the death of Stephen, and persecuting other Christians.It was here that Paul began to understand the the grace of God (Discussion)

Shane Harper’s character, Josh Wheaton and others also  had to be brave:

Paul at the Jerusalem Council

Galatians 2:1-10 Paul narrates his validation of his ministry. He was living out the conclusions reached at the Jerusalem Council in 48, some 8-10 years earlier. In it (Acts 15) the question of how one is saved was resolved.What was necessary was that that they had to re-defend salvation by grace. It is not the natural bent of mankind, our pride demands participation, and negates the horror and suffering of the Cross.Instead, the Council said only to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols (to not cause consternation among weaker Christians), and fornication, a rampant epidemic of the day and easily excused.

 

Cult Spotlight – Mormonism:

Mormonism in a Nutshell:

Source: carm.org
Memory Verse – “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” -Gal 2:20

Application – The Gospel is precious and  to be shared through the words of the Bible and our personal testimony.    

Bible Studies, Galatians

Galatians: The Gospel Plus Nothing

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Schedule

Week Topic Cult / Religion Spotlight
1 Salvation – Introduction and Chapter 1
2 Justification by Faith Defended: 1:11-2:21 Mormonism
3 Justification by Faith Explained 1- 3:1-22 Jehovah’s Witnesses
4 Justification by Faith Explained 2 – 3:23-4:31 Islam
5 Justification Applied 1 – 5:1-26 Orthodox Judaism
6 Justification Applied 2 & Conclusion 6:1-18 Liberal Christianity

The Gospel – Freedom:
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand fast therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery” Galatians 5:1

The Letter to the Galatians is Paul’s warning and admonition to the Christians in Asia Minor to steer clear of people who “knew better” than the simple truth of Paul’s proclamation of the Gospel: Jesus plus zip, zero, nada.

Let’s put that myth to rest. The Gospel is easily added to. But if it were necessary to add to, or gain salvation by anything other than the atoning death of Christ, that death would be meaningless. Yet, the notion persists because of many reasons.

http://youtu.be/QiLatwTFUhw?list=PLtTderf–PWqc85donU6MLFkJk4u05iPU

It was the freedom of the Gospel that compelled John Wesley, English evangelist, to convert the Indians of North America. Using the Letter to the Galatians, he himself was converted.

He then began a revival, among those saved was John Wilberforce, who was instrumental in the stoppage of the slave trade in the British Empire.

This freedom comes through the emancipation of the Gospel of grace through faith. J Vernon McGee says grace is a way to life and a way of life.  Source: JV McGee Note on Through the Bible Epistle to the Galatians Introduction.

There study of Galatians is Paul’s polemic against the Judaizers who came in and taught that (in essence) since Jesus was a Jew, the Law still applied and therefore was a necessary part of salvation. Paul stridently refutes the notion. It is his harshest, there being no personal greetings, instead moving forcefully against the teaching of another Gospel, Jesus plus works.

That is apse how Christianity differs from all other religions.

Summary / Thoughts
Why add to the Gospel? (Discussion) 1:1-10

Eph 2:8-10 How is one saved? Why is he saved? What is required of man?What is not possible for man?
Eph 2:7 Why is he saved?
Romans 1:16 The power of the Gospel

 

Introduction & Reason for the Letter
The Galatian were descended from a fierce tribe of Gauls (modern France). Galatians are of a specific sub-race and place, Galatia.

The Celtic Gauls, sacked Rome in 4th cent BC, moved to Bithynia at the request of the king. .They are blond Orientals. They had a temper, and are said to be very much like Americans. They had cults and “isms”

It has no commendations, no prayer requests, no one is called by name. Paul has on his war paint here, he becomes strident for the pure Gospel.

Paul seeks to emancipate the people, by freeing them from the shackles of legalism.

Galatians1:1 Consider Acts 1 story of Matthias and the fallacious alternate of choice logical fallacy committed by Peter (before the Church Age and before the indwelling of the HS.) Paul, instead asserts his Apostleship as not a laying on of hands, burning straw, or hocus locus, but selected by God.
Galatians1:3 Grace & peace. Greek chars was the Gentile greeting of the day, while shalom, peace, loosely, is the Jewish greeting.
Galatians1:4 The present evil age. The Jews believed (as do we) that this time is evil, and the one to come will be holy. See also http://www.desiringgod.org/sermons/to-deliver-us-from-the-present-evil-age
Galatians1:6 to the point: The facts are Christ died, was buried, and rose from the dead. Without this, it isn’t the Gospel. The interpreters of heresy (Judaizers) would say that hey, you also need to follow the Law (or whatever, as we shall see as we go through the series.
Galatians1:7 to distort, Greek metastrepho, to distort, pervert or change, in a catastrophic way.
Galatians1:9 Romans 4:5

Memory Verse – “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!” -Gal 1:8

Application – The Gospel is precious and  to be shared.  

Apologetics, Jehovah Witnesses

Jesus is Jehovah God

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Who is Jesus? The answer to that critical question is what makes Christianity different from all religion and belief systems. If you believe what the Bible says is true, then indeed, Jesus is Jehovah God. Almost all other belief systems say that Jesus is a prophet, a good teacher, a higher power, a false prophet, a demon, a man, Michael the Archangel, the spirit brother of Lucifer, a non-corporeal spirit being, and on and on. In short, it seems that everybody gets to be God except Jesus.

What does Bible say?  We begin with references to the LORD in the Old Testament, and references to Jesus in the New Testament. These leave no doubt as to our Savior’s deity.

 

Old Testament New Testament
Prepare the way for Jehovah
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the LORD; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God” -Isa 40:3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.'”” -Mat 3:3
Jehovah, Sender of Prophets
But I have been the LORD your God since the land of Egypt; I will make you live in tents again, As in the days of the appointed festival. I have also spoken to the prophets, And I gave numerous visions, And through the prophets I gave parables. -Hosea 12:9-10 Therefore, behold, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city, so that upon you may fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.” -Mat 23:34-35
Call on the Name of Jehovah
“And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As the LORD has said, Among the remnant whom the LORD calls.” -Joel 2:32 ” ‘AND IT SHALL BE, THAT EVERYONE WHO CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED.’ – Acts 2:21
Jehovah the First and Last
“Listen to Me, O Jacob, And Israel, My called: I am He, I am the First, I am also the Last. Indeed My hand has laid the foundation of the earth, And My right hand has stretched out the heavens; When I call to them, They stand up together. All of you, assemble yourselves, and hear! Who among them has declared these things? The LORD loves him; He shall do His pleasure on Babylon, And His arm shall be against the Chaldeans. I, even I, have spoken; Yes, I have called him, I have brought him, and his way will prosper. Come near to Me, hear this: I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; From the time that it was, I was there. And now the Lord GOD and His Spirit Have sent Me.” -Isa 48:12-16 “And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, ‘Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last.'”-Rev 1:17 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,” and, “What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.” -Rev 1:11
“Who has performed and done it, Calling the generations from the beginning? ‘I, the LORD, am the first; And with the last I am He.'” (Isa 41:4) “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.” (Rev 22:13)
>”Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, And his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ‘I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God.” -Isa 44:6 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End ,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” -Rev 1:8
Jehovah’s Fellow and Equal
“Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, Against the Man who is MyCompanion,” Says the LORD of hosts. “Strike the Shepherd, And the sheep will be scattered; Then I will turn My hand against the little ones.” -Zec 13:7 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, -Phil 2:5-6
Jehovah our Creator
” In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”-Gen 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” -John 1:1-3
“I said, “O my God Do not take me away in the midst of my days; Your years are throughout all generations. Of old You laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You will endure; Yes, they will all grow old like a garment; Like a cloak You will change them, And they will be changed. But You are the same, And Your years will have no end.” -Psa 102:24-27 “But to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your Kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.” And: “You, LORD, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands.” -Heb 1:8-10
Jehovah our Savior
“And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As the LORD has said, Among the remnant whom the LORD calls.” -Joel 2:32   “…that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” For ‘whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.'” -Rom 10:9-13
Jehovah our Glory
“Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, The LORD mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O you gates! Lift up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, He is the King of glory. -Psa 24:7-10 “…which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. – 1 Cor 2:8″My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality.” -James 2:1
“I am the LORD, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images. -Isa 42:8 “And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.” -John 17:5
Jehovah our Righteousness
“Behold,the days are coming,” says the LORD, “That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign and prosper, And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell safely; Now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. -Jer 23:5-6 “But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God; and righteousness and sanctification and redemption; that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.” -1 Cor 1:30-31
Jehovah of Hosts
“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!'” -Isa 6:1-3″Make the heart of this people dull, And their ears heavy, And shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And return and be healed.” – Isa 6:10 “But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him, that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke: “Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?” Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said again: “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, Lest they should see with their eyes, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.” These things Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke of Him.” – John 12:37-41
Jehovah the Good Shepherd
“Behold, the Lord GOD shall come with a strong hand, And His arm shall rule for Him; Behold, His reward is with Him, And His work before Him. He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young.” -Isa 40:10-11 “I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.” -John 10:14″Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant.” -Heb 13:20
King Jehovah
“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom.” -Psa 45:6 “But to the Son He says: ” Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your Kingdom. ” -Heb 1:8
I am the LORD, your Holy One, The Creator of Israel, your King .” -Isa 43:15 “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. -Mat 25:34
Jehovah, Father of Living Water
“For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, And hewn themselves cisterns; broken cisterns that can hold no water.” – Jeremiah 2:13 “Then the but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.” – John 4:14

1The letter J is not found in the Hebrew alphabet. In the Old Testament, the name of deity is transliterated as YHWH, and is usually rendered as LORD. Sometimes this name has been rendered Jehovah, but although inaccurate, strictly speaking, as is the name Jesus (Y’shua in the Hebrew), it is indeed a secondary issue. The primary issue is that Jesus is Jehovah. “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.”

Bible Studies, Nehemiah

Nehemiah Chapter 13 – You Don’t Get What You Expect

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Pills

*Sigh* #struglife. All I want is a simple REFILL!!!!!!! Can you hear me scream? What do I haft do to get a refill of a scrip I’ve been taking for 20 years?

The website sent me circles. I realize, even though I make a living sitting on technology’s saddle, I tend to overcomplicate things. But really, a scrip refill. Worth 1o bucks for 90 days.

I send emails, call the doctor’s office, call the the “new and improved” pharma site my company uses. I just about ran out last time. So I started a month and a half this time, but a week later, no the doctor’s admin hadn’t heard anything, and the pharma site, Caremark, still had the “we have received your request” notice.

Yes, it’s a tempest in a teapot, it’s a first world problem, but no it’s not not, it’s heart meds. So if I want them, I better go do something about it. You don’t get what you want, you get what you inspect (follow up on).

Trainwreck

As human nature has not changed in the 2,500 years since Nehemiah pulled his (and other people’s!) hair out about things that he thought were obvious, so must we. He returned from his year-long hiatus from Jerusalem to find the people had shrugged off their responsibilities to the Temple service, Sabbath rest, and mixed marriage.

Sometimes we need to enforce accountability, especially on ourselves.

Summary / Thoughts

Nehemiah 13:1-3 These verses probably belong in the previous chapter, but the verses and chapters are not Biblical, they were added later in the 13th and sixteenth century. (See the article by Don Stewart in the Blue Letter Bible for more.)They were reading Deut 23:3-5. (Read) There is a true paradox here, because the line of David includes a Moabite. Yes, Ruth. Her new husband, Boaz, was 11th from Abraham. Well before the curse made above.  From Mat 1:1-6:
Abraham
Isaac
Jacob
Judah
Perez and Zerah by Tamar
Hezron
Ram
Amminadab
Nahshon
Salmon
Boaz was the father of
Obed by Ruth
Jesse
David the king
Jews were not to marry non-Israelites, including the priests. Exo 34:16 echoed at Deut 7:3, 4:1.  Having the the Moabites and Ammonites expelled would, of course, make it difficult to find a one to wed…More to the point,  the people were reading and heeding. This is a perfect example for us. And it was a controversial thing to do, yet they obeyed God at the peril of being PC and bowing to please people.
Nehemiah 13:4-9 Nehemiah returned to Artaxerxes after 12 years of service. Some believe his absence from Jerusalem was around a year.Rather than nicely inviting Tobiah to make other arrangements, Nehemiah busted his sorry hide, and the horse he rode in on out of the Temple.

The (excuse me, A) spiritual parallel here is that Nehemiah treated Tobiah the same way we should treat sin. When there is sin in our Temple (1 Cor 6:19 ) toss it OUT! Questions!?
Nehemiah 13:10-14 It appears the people left in charge did not continue in their commitments with predictable results. You & I need this kind of accountability, men with men, women with women. Spending time and asking each other uncomfortable questions and being honest with each other.So reading this you might think that pledge drives are a great idea. On the other hand, many many pastors don’t speak at al about giving because they feel it will offend the “seekers.”

But OT giving is more structured than NT. One of the reasons is that we have the Holy Spirit living in us and giving is more a matter of the heart 2 Cor 9:6-8. Yet, we still need the gentle reminding and encouragement as Paul did the Corinthians.
Nehemiah 13:15-22 Where do you think the Jews picked up these habits? Failure to read & heed (above), acting like the locals, mostly, drifting away in relationship with God.Pulling

It takes a God-appointed leader to remind people of their responsibilities. Previously, the prophets had done this, sometimes the people would repent and turn back to God, but more often getting upset at the messenger often with dire consequences. Jeremiah 18:18 is an example of this and Moses Exo 17:4

 

This passage is a clear example of you get what you inspect.
Nehemiah 13:23-31 We are commanded not to be unequally yoked in marriage. 2 Cor 6:14.And Nehemiah was especially strident with this infraction, perhaps to make a point.

 

And it is important. Try standing on a chair and pulling someone up to you. Now find out how easy it is to be pulled off the chair.

 

 

 

 

.. humble themselves and pray and seek My Face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land. II Chron 7:14