Jesus’s teaching consistently attracted the irreligious while offending the Bible-believing, religious people

"Jesus's teaching consistently attracted the irreligious while offending the Bible-believing, religious people of his day. However, in the main, our churches today do not have this effect. The kind of outsiders Jesus attracted are not attracted to contemporary churches, even our most avant-garde ones. We tend to draw conservative, buttoned-down, moralistic people. The licentious and liberated or the broken and marginal avoid church. That can only mean one thing. If the preaching of our ministers and the practice of our parishioners do not have the same effect on people that Jesus had, then we must not be declaring the same message that Jesus did." Tim Keller, The Prodigal God.

How Inclusive and/or Exclusive Are You?

The Jesus of the Gospels is offensive because of how inclusive He is.

The Jesus of the Gospels is offensive because of how exclusive He is.

The church is offended by His inclusivity, and the world is offended by His exclusivity.

It All Ends in Praise - Psalm 150 Meditation by Tim Keller

Where should God be praised? Everywhere.

Why should we praise God? For everything.

How should we praise Him? In every way.

Who should praise Him? Everyone.

Discovering the Gospel in Joshua – Tim Keller

Discovering the Gospel in Judges – Tim Keller

Hope in Times of Fear: The Resurrection, Tim Keller, 2021

• Why is it that "my head believes," but "my heart is not moved"?

Faith is the work of the Holy Spirit and is a mixture of reason [truth] and experience, intellect and emotion, the rational and the existential, the theological and the practical, the head and the heart. Thus, faith is not solely a matter of intellectual assent to certain theological propositions, but also involves the experiential and practical aspects of life.

Only in the cross is divinity and humanity reconciled. With the church there will always be attrition and retention.

• What is the difference between relative hope in human agency and infallible hope in God? 210-211.
• Christian hope means that I stop betting my life and happiness on human agency and rest in God alone.
• If you know--and keep remembering--that resurrection happened and is coming, you won't ever be in utter darkness. 215-216. Epilogue (Ps 118:22-23).

The Prodigal Prophet: Jonah and the Mystery of God's Mercy, 2018

• 
  Introduction: Prodigal Prophet. How can God be both merciful and just? Jonah wants a God of his own making, a God who smites the "bad" people [wicked Ninevites] and blesses the "good" people [Jonah and his people]. When the real God shows up, Jonah can't reconcile the mercy of God with his justice: How can God be merciful and forgiving to people who have done such violence and evil? Jonah points to the ultimate Jonah (Mt 12:41) who is both just and the justifier of those who believe (Rom 3:26). Only the gospel enables us to be neither cruel exploiters like the Ninevites nor Pharisaical believers like Jonah, but Spirit-changed, Christ-like people. The parallel of 2 stories:
1. 1st half Jonah plays like the "prodigal son" (Lk 15:11-24) who ran away from his father; 
2. 2nd half he is like the "older brother" (Lk 15:25-32) who obeys his father but berates him for his graciousness to repentant sinners. His response to God's mercy shows that he still has a great deal of self-righteousness.
• In both cases he's trying to get control of the agenda.

Discovering the Gospel in Deuteronomy – Tim Keller

Imperatives, Indicatives and Ironies in Exodus 1-2

IRONIES (Read Exodus 1-2)

• The more Pharaoh tried to reduce the number of Israelites (Exo 1:9-11, 13-14), the more they increased in number (Exo 1:12, 7).

• Pharaoh wanted to drown the Hebrew males (Exo 1:22) but he and his army were drowned (Exo 14:28).

• Pharaoh feared the Hebrew men (Exo 1:16, 22) but it was the women who thwarted him (Exo 1:15; 2:1,4,9-10).

• Pharaoh tried to destroy Hebrew men, but he fully educated, trained, equipped and raised 1 Hebrew man Moses in his very own palace, who later delivered all the Hebrew slaves.

* Is God mentioned in the above? Is God involved? What do you learn? (Gen 3:5; 50:20; Ps 14:1; Prov 16:9)

• It was as though Moses belonged nowhere in this world. “Moses named him Gershom, saying, 'I have become a foreigner in a foreign land'” (Exo 2:22b). Moses was never at home anywhere...

1. ...not with his family and his own people though he was born a Hebrew.
2. ...not as an Egyptian, though he grew up in an Egyptian palace.
3. ...not with his Midianite family in the wilderness.
4. ...not in the promised land, for he wasn't allowed entrance.

• The Creator is not accepted or received by his creation. "He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him" (Jn 1:10-11).

• Jesus' birth. He was born in a manger, while Caesar ruled the entire Roman world (Lk 2:1,7). Yet Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords (1 Tim 6:15; Rev 17:14; 19:16).

• Jesus' death. "You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish" (Jn 11:50; 2 Cor 5:21).

• "Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God" (Mt 19:24).
  

IMPERATIVES and INDICATIVES [Imperatives (commands) = what you should do {Law}. Indicatives = what God has done {Grace}. Christendom and evangelicalism often do not clearly distinguish Law / Grace, and misunderstands or confuses imperatives / indicatives, which confuses the church.]

• You don't repent and obey (and believe) [imperative] to be saved, but because you are saved (by grace) [indicative] you repent and obey [and believe] (Mk 1:15).

• The imperatives are based on the indicatives and the order is not reversible. [Law is based on Grace.]

• "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery [indicative]. You shall have no other gods before me [imperative]" (Exo 20:2-3; Dt 5:6-7).

• "For God so loved the world [indicative] that he gave his one and only Son [indicative], that whoever believes in him [imperative] shall not perish but have eternal life" (Jn 3:16).

• "The time has come," he said, "The kingdom of God has come near [indicative]. Repent and believe the good news [imperative]!" (Mk 1:15).

• "We love [imperative] because he first loved us [indicative]" (1 Jn 4:19).

• "...work out your salvation with fear and trembling [imperative], for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose [indicative]" (Phil 2:12-13).

• "...he saved us [indicative], not because of righteous things we had done [imperative], but because of his mercy [indicative]..." (Tit 3:5).

• For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” (Rom 1:17, NIV)

• For the righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel from faith to faith, just as it is written, "The righteous by faith will live." (Rom 1:17, NET)

Non-Pharisee Repentance

To find God we must repent of the things we have done wrong, but if that is all you do, you may remain just an elder brother. To truly become a Christian we must also repent of the reasons we ever did anything right. Pharisees only repent of their sins, but Christians repent for the very roots of their righteousness, too. We must learn how to repent of the sin under all our other sins and under all our righteousness – the sin of seeking to be our own Savior and Lord.

Gospel Credit (Rom 4:1-25)

Rom 4:1-25; 4:5

"But to the one who does not work, but believes on Him who declares the ungodly to be righteous, his faith is credited for righteousness" (Rom 4:5, HCSB). "However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness" (Rom 4:5, NIV).

What are the things that bring you great happiness in life? What are the best things that you have in life? Likely they include persons and things about your life that delight you and bring you love, joy and peace. Good food does that for me, since I am a foodie. I am embarrassed and ashamed to admit that during my latest and current trip to Manila and Malaysia I gained 9 lbs (4 kg) in a month! It seems that I turn into a glutton whenever I go back to eating food that I ate growing up. I also love pets. Thus, I also loathe to hear about cruelty inflicted to animals who are virtually at the mercy of humans. It seems as though I still grieve inwardly whenever I think about losing both my dog and my cat. Surely the best things we have that bring us delight and joy are people close to us. After 33 years of marriage my favorite person is still my wife, who is my best friend and the person I would most rather be with...even if we annoy each other whenever we are together. Usually it is in fun and jest. At other times it is our unintentional highly annoying idiosyncrasies. I wrote this last year after 32 years of marriage. As a grandfather, it is such a delight to just see my grandkids pictures and videos on Facebook and Skype. I've also experienced good heath and success in life. Virtually all the things that brings me happiness and joy are basically free gifts. As Christian I realize that I deserve and earn none of them. If anything, I know that I deserve the opposite. I know that the countless blessings I experience are all entirely God's mercy and grace to me, freely given, especially His Son (Gal 2:20, MSG). God blessed me before I believed in Him. God continues to pour out his blessings upon my life after my conversion in 1980. The key verse Rom 4:5 fully resonates with me in that I did nothing but sin as an ungodly person (Isa 64:6; Gen 6:5), while God only blessed (credited) my life as though I lived a perfect life (2 Cor 5:21), which is anything but the truth.

7 Objections About Christianity

In the first section of Reason for God, titled "The Leap of Doubt," Tim Keller answers 7 common critiques and doubts about Christianity:

1. There can't be just one true religion
2. A good God could not allow suffering
3. Christianity is a straitjacket
4. The church is responsible for so much injustice
5. A loving God would not send people to hell
6. Science has disproved Christianity
7. You can't take the Bible literally

In the second half of the book, titled "The Reasons for Faith," Keller gives 7 reasons to believe in the claims of the Christian faith.

1. The clues of God
2. The knowledge of God
3. The problem of sin
4. Religion and the gospel
5. The (true) story of the cross
6. The reality of the resurrection
7. The Dance of God

Are You Self-Forgetful?

1 Corinthians 4:3-4 "I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me."

Sad fact: It is quite possible for Christians to do all sorts of morally virtuous "biblical" things, such as serving God faithfully and sacrificially in church, when our hearts might still be filled with pride, fear, or a desire for power, control, praise, honor and recognition.

These thoughts are based on Tim Keller's excellent small book, The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness, which I blogged about: Pride and Ego. Arrogance (1 Cor 4:6, 18) is indeed the root cause of division in the church. This is why Paul pleads, "...no more boasting about human leaders!" (1 Cor 3:21)

Key Question(s):

• What are the marks of a heart that has been radically changed by the grace of God?
• What are the marks of a supernaturally changed heart?
• If we trust in Jesus, what should our hearts--changed at the root by the grace of God--look like in real life?

Questions for reflection:

1. Are you easily hurt by others? Are you still trying to prove something to yourself and others?
2. Are you trying to validate yourself and your life by your accomplishments and achievements? Your career? Your children? Your ministry? By how much others recognize you, regard you or respect you?
3. Read Psalm 139:23-24. Ask God to show you your heart, to show you the places you look for self-worth and the ways you try to find your sense of identity.
4. Explain to someone else how the gospel can (and should) transform our sense of identity. How much do you experience that transformed sense of identity? In what ways has God's Word encouraged you or challenged you? Are you sure?
   
5. Has God given you what you need to enable you to develop true gospel-humility and the freedom of self-forgetfulness?

Raised: The Resurrection Changed The World

Luke 24:1-53 (Read Lk 24:25-32, 44-48); Key Verse: Lk 24:27, 44

"And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself." “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”

Change the world. In the movie trailer of The Son of God, Jesus meets Peter, got into his fishing boat and helped him experience a miraculous catch of fish. Then Jesus called him to be his disciple and said, "Come with me." Peter asked, "What are we going to do?" Jesus said, "Change the world." How would this ever be possible? Even according to secular historians (and not just Christian historians) there is a reason. Within a two to three centuries world history changed from a secular pagan society based on classical deeply rooted Greco-Roman culture and values to Christianity. The single reason for this was because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In this sermon, let us consider how the resurrection changes the world. The Resurrection is:

1. Paradigm shattering: It shatters your strongly held assumptions.
2. Scripture clarifying: It elucidates, illuminates and clarifies the Bible.
3. Life altering: It changes not only your life, but the world.
4. King worthy: Finally, you have a worthy king.

(This is based on a 52 min sermon by Tim Keller at TGC 2013: Jesus Vindicated. Keller's theme: The resurrection, paired with the cross, is the key to understanding all of Scripture and to resolving life's deepest issue of death. Whatever is lost in this life (youth, health, loved ones) is lost forever. But the resurrection means that nothing will ever be lost. The resurrection is not consolation for something that is lost but the restoration of all that is lost. Can there be any better news than this?)

Luke 24 can be divided into four parts:

1. The Tomb (Lk 24:1-12): The women.
2. The Road (Lk 24:13-35): Two men.
3. The Room (Lk 24:36-49): The disciples.
4. The Mount (Lk 24:50-53): The ascension.

The four themes/messages that run through Luke 24 are:

1. The Resurrection is a Shattering Historical Event
   
2. The Resurrection is a Key to Understanding All of Scripture
   
3. The Resurrection Gives Us a Powerful Message for the World
   
4. Jesus is the True King

I. The Resurrection is a Shattering Historical Event (Paradigm Shattering: It Shatters Your Strongly Held Assumptions.)

Experiencing the resurrection. Christians tend to regard the resurrection as experiencing the power of God and experiencing some higher spiritual truths through the presence of the resurrected Christ being with us. We might say, "Have resurrection faith" as though when we have it and exercise it, we will be able to overcome anything in life. However, in Lk 24:38-42 Jesus basically says to his surprised disciples about his resurrection, "Touch me and give me something to eat." It seems so trivial. What is so relevant or spiritual or powerful about Jesus eating fish and chips with his disciples? Why is this even in the Bible? It is because it happened. It is an eyewitness account.

If you're making up the resurrection you would not have women be the first witnesses. In Lk 24:1-12 it is remarkable that the first witnesses of the resurrection were women. At that time women were regarded as low status compared to men. Their testimony was not admissible in court, neither in Roman jurisprudence nor in Jewish jurisprudence. Therefore, if someone wanted to make up a story or a legend about anything, they would never put women as the first eyewitnesses, for they would not be regarded as credible. It would undermine the plausibility of the account with any of the hearers or readers of the time. Thus, the only reason the gospel writers would put women as the first eyewitnesses of the resurrection, was because they were the first eyewitnesses.

Like footnotes in our books. Scholars have said that the gospel narratives including Luke 24 are eyewitness accounts from the limited vantage point of individuals at the actual scene of what is happening on the inside at ground level. This is as opposed to the perspective of an omniscient narrator that sees the whole big picture and reports everything that is happening. Why are certain names in the narratives, such as Cleopas (Lk 24:18), but not the other disciple? Why were the names of the women Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James (Lk 24:10) mentioned? These were like our footnotes in our books. Thus, if anyone wanted to check out the credibility of their accounts, they could go and ask those people mentioned. Also, why when Simon of Cyrene was asked to carry the cross for Jesus, Mk 15:21 mentions that he is the father of Rufus and Alexander, who are not involved in the story? According to historians, Simon was a well known person who was a witness of the resurrection for many decades.

Something shattered their paradigm. Lk 24:52 says, "they worshiped him." This is significant. Jewish people are the last people on earth who could be open to the idea that a human being could be God. This was like an absolute unshakable paradigm and worldview. They could not say the name of God (YHWH). They could not write the name G_D. But within a short time, they were worshiping a man. How did this happen? It did not happen gradually over time. Something must have shattered their paradigm. What what was it? A historic fact. They saw Jesus who had risen from the dead.

What do we learn here?

Like it or not the resurrection is a fact. In the early church the resurrection of Christ was not preached as experiencing some higher spiritual truth, or experiencing some supernatural power, or as having some glorious hope. The resurrection of Christ was preached as a hard, bare, uncomfortable, terribly irritating, paradigm shattering, horribly inconvenient fact, albeit a fact hard to dismiss or ignore. A fact may not be something that is liked. But like it or not the fact is there. What can one do about some fact they do not like? They have to accept it. But this is not the way our culture works. It is based on "likes" and "dislikes." 

The resurrection changed Paul's life. Paul is a good example. He disliked Christianity and Christians. He was offended by the gospel. He was offended that a temple and sacrifices was no longer needed. It was outrageous to him and it outraged him. He was terribly offended by the very idea of Christianity. But he saw Jesus risen from the dead. After that his likes and dislikes did not matter. Nothing else mattered. The resurrection was a fact to him.

The most offensive and unbelievable religion. We should be very sympathetic toward our skeptical friends. Christianity may be the most irritating and unbelievable religion on the face of the earth. How do people come to believe? They read the Bible and decide whether they like it or not. Many say they can never be a Christian because there are parts of the Bible they find offensive. They may find teachings about money or about sex offensive or restrictive. But do the "offensive" parts of the Bible mean that Jesus could not have been raised from the dead? For if Jesus has been raised from the dead, like it or not, someday we will have to face the fact and deal with it, including all the parts of the Bible that is felt to be offensive. If Jesus has not been raised from the dead, why even be offended and vexed by the offensive parts of the Bible. Paul was more offended by Christianity than most people today. He was killing Christians. But when he faced the fact that Christ was raised from the dead, nothing else mattered. Christianity is a paradigm shifting, life shattering historical event.

II. The Resurrection is a Key to Understanding All of Scripture (Scripture Clarifying: It Illuminates, Elucidates and Clarifies the Entire Bible.) (20 min)

The resurrection helped the women understand Jesus' words. Lk 24:6-8 says, "Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ Then they remembered his words." In light of the resurrection, Jesus' words began to make sense.

The resurrection, paired with the cross is the key. In Lk 24:10-11 the men on the road to Emmaus say, "The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel." They were expecting a Messiah who would save them, but he was crucified. Jesus rebuked them, “'How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?' And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself” (Lk 24:25-27). The resurrection, paired with the cross, makes sense of the crucifixion and opens all of Scripture.

How could one who was cursed and crucified by the Messiah? When Paul was blind for three days after meeting the Risen Christ (Ac 9:9), he had to confront his own thoughts about God and the Bible. He believed that the Messiah would come and save his people. This Messiah would love God and please God, and God would love him and be pleased with him and bless him. The Messiah would have the favor of God. But Jesus who was supposed to be the Messiah was crucified and died on the cross. The crucifixion was the most ignominious of deaths. Dt 21:23 says, "anyone who is hung on a pole is under God’s curse." Jesus also cried out, "Why have you forsaken me?" (Mt 27:46; Mk 15:34). To Paul, Christianity made no sense at all. This totally baffled and confounded him. To him, the Messiah would be blessed by God and supported by God, not be crucified, abandoned, forsaken and killed. Jesus was cursed by God (Gal 3:13). What kind of salvation could this bring?

Then Paul met Jesus who rose from the dead. Paul had to completely rethink what he was always confident of: If Jesus was raised from the dead, it means that God did vindicate him. Then God is pleased with him, and that God does love him and bless him. Therefore, when Jesus was cursed and abandoned, then he must have been cursed and abandoned for somebody else's sin, not his own.

In light of the resurrection, what do the Scriptures say? Paul then had to re-look at the Scriptures again. In Isaiah God is the reigning King (Isa 52:7). But there is also a strange figure of a suffering servant (Isa 52:13-53:12). Could they both be the same person? What about the temple and the sacrificial system? Could the shedding of all the blood of the sacrificed animals have atoned for man's sin? Could this be pointing to someone else? To Jesus? If this was pointing to Jesus, what does this say about the temple and the sacrificial system? What about in Jeremiah when God was speaking about a new covenant and about writing his law in their hearts and minds (Jer 31:31-33)? What about in Ezekiel when God would give his people a new heart (Eze 36:26)? It would seem as though there would no longer be a need for a temple and the sacrificial system if God would speak to his people directly. Could Jesus be the One the (OT) Scriptures were pointing to? What about the promise to Abraham (Gen 12:2-3)? How could all nations on earth be blessed through Abraham? Once Paul understood the resurrection, paired with the cross, all of the Scriptures opened up to him. Upon meeting the Risen Christ, it all began to make sense to him. He would now read the Bible and see it differently from before.

Paul was expecting a strong Messiah to save the strong, as it were. The Messiah would come in power and glory and summon all those who are strong and resolute to summon up their strength to follow him and obey him fully. Instead, he began to realize that it was a Messiah coming in weakness who came to save those who admit their weaknesses and their need for a Savior. Once he understood this, the Scriptures opened up for him. In Luke 24, Jesus was repeatedly opening the Scripture to his people (Lk 24:32, 45).

Jesus says that all the Scripture is about Jesus (Lk 24:27, 44). The practical application is that when we teach the Bible or preach from the pulpit from whatever part of the Bible, to do it well and properly we need to show from the the text how it points to Jesus and leads us to see Jesus. This is a big and controversial subject. But Jesus seems to be saying here that "it is all about me." This does not mean that every single verse is about Jesus. In the Parable of the Good Samaritan, it is about an unexpected savior. At the risk of his life, he rescued a wounded Jewish man who would otherwise have died. Jesus was telling a parable. He was not saying that he is the Good Samaritan. But when we understand that all the plot lines of the Bible end in Jesus, how could we possibly see that it is not about Jesus. It is because Jesus is the ultimate Unexpected Savior who comes not at the risk of his life but at the cost of his life to give us the opposite of what we expect or deserve (anger, wrath and judgment). 

People can only watch The Sixth Sense twice. The first time we would be surprised by the big shocking ending. Watching it the second time, we cannot possibly watch the movie and see all the earlier parts and earlier scenes of the movie without thinking of the shocking ending: Bruce Willis is dead and he is a ghost. It is like an anti-gospel and the opposite of the gospel: The hero is dead but Jesus our hero is alive. Similarly, when we grasp the meaning of the Resurrection, reading the Bible would render meanings we may have never noticed before. We can now begin to read the Bible newly in light of the ending. It is not possible to do otherwise when we know how the story ends. We begin to see how Jesus is the ultimate example of a particular text, whether or not the author intended it to be a messianic prophecy when he wrote it.

Our sermons and Bible teaching would be entirely information and instruction unless and until and if we get to Jesus. Are we just explaining the biblical text or are we preaching the gospel of our salvation? Here is what John Calvin says about Christ in All of Scripture. The conclusion says, "This is what we should in short seek in the whole of Scripture: truly to know Jesus Christ, and the infinite riches that are comprised in him and are offered to us by him from God the Father. If one were to sift thoroughly the Law and the Prophets, he would not find a single word which would not draw and bring us to him. . . . Therefore, rightly does Saint Paul say in another passage that he would know nothing except Jesus Christ, and him crucified."

III. The Resurrection Gives Us a Powerful Message for the World (Life Altering: It Changes Not Only Your Life, but the Entire World.) (34 min)

When anyone meets the Risen Christ, they take the message to others (Lk 24:9, 33-35, 46-48). Knowing about the resurrection gives Jesus' people a message to take out to the world. Reading through the book of Acts, the resurrection dominates the preaching of Peter and Paul. The message of the resurrection changed the world because it was unique. It was never heard of before. It was unlike everything that anyone had ever known. Mainly the resurrection gives us hope for the future in that the resurrection is:

1. there
2. personal
3. certain
4. unimaginably wonderful

The future is there. Epicurus believed that when you die you're gone, so there is nothing to be afraid of. Many people believe in an afterlife that is vague, nebulous or imprecise. Even the Sadduces among the Jewish religious leaders did not believe in the resurrection (Ac 23:8), which suggests that they did not believe in an afterlife. But anyone who met a Christian who had met the Risen Christ, their lives were different from the rest of the populace. Finally, you know that you are not just dust in the wind, that you are not just a rock sinking to the bottom. There is a future. The resurrection says that there is a future.

The future is personal. The Stoics believe that after death one continues to exist but not as ourselves, but as a part of the universe and the world. Without the Holy Spirit the deepest desire of the human heart is that we want to be loved. The one thing no one wants is to loose the one we loves. But death takes away and strips away everything that we love. Jesus shows up and says, "It is me. Touch me." Some people like to profess, "I'm not afraid of death." They are not being honest with themselves.

The future is certain. Suffering would be intolerable unless one is sure of their salvation. But Christians can be certain because of the resurrection. How can we be sure? If someone has served his 10 year jail sentence, the sentence is paid. If someone has a receipt of a purchased item, he or she does not have to pay for it again. Thus, Jesus has paid for the wages of sin through his death and resurrection.

The future is unimaginably wonderful. Edgar Allan Poe wrote a dark poem called "The Raven." After losing a loved one, Lenore, he was attempting to overcome his loss. He meets a raven who repeatedly says only one thing, "Nevermore." Whatever we lose in this life (youth, health, loved ones) is lost forever. But the resurrection means that you will lose nothing. The resurrection is not consolation for something that you lost but the restoration of all that you lost. There is no religion, philosophy or ideology that has offered anyone this kind of future,T a future that is there, is personal, is certain and is unimaginably wonderful. There is no more powerful message possible, and it is based on the historical fact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Some ethical teachings may bother skeptics and seekers. But the key of Christianity is the resurrection, paired with the cross, that promises a hope and life that is unimaginably wonderful. Would anyone really not want that?

IV. Jesus is the True King (King Worthy: Finally, You Have a Worthy King)

The true king. Twice Jesus alludes to himself as the king without referring to himself as such. Lk 24:25-26 says, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” Lk 24:46-47 say, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations...” Twice Jesus did not use the word "I" but refers to himself as "the Messiah," who is the King of kings. That is how Jesus goes out (Lk 24:51). He is saying, "I am the King. I am the true King."

We serve no sovereign here! After the war of independence, there was a big sign above a tavern in Philadelphia that was put up after the revolutionary war. It said, "WE SERVE NO SOVEREIGN HERE." Most nations of the world have some positive experience of bowing the knee. Asians also see the appropriateness of respecting authority. But Americans are unfamiliar with serving a monarch or a king, because their experiences are horribly negative under authoritarian British sovereignty. American sensibility, which is spreading throughout the world, says, "We serve no sovereign here. We don't bow the knee to anybody. I'm an individual and I decide what is right or wrong for ME!" A common spoken or unspoken catchphrase might be, "I am my own man. I will do my own thing in my own way according to how I feel, and no one is going to tell me otherwise."

Neither democracy nor imperialism. To overcome such a sentiment against authority, a church leader said, "The kingdom of God is not a democracy." This is true. But the kingdom of God is also not an imperialistic regime. Thus the striving for democracy and equality. C.S. Lewis, in his essay on Democratic Education, says, 

"The demand for equality has two sources -- one of them is among the noblest, the other is the basest of human emotions. The noble source is the desire for fair play. But the other source is the hatred of superiority."

No man can be trusted with unchecked power. Lewis understood man's need for democracy in his essay on Equality, "Mankind is so fallen that no man can be trusted with unchecked power over his fellows. Aristotle said that some people were only fit to be slaves. I do not contradict him. But I reject slavery because I see no men fit to be masters." But Lewis says that "medicine (democracy) is not food," and "deny it food and it will gobble poison." It means that democracy, though necessary for equality, will not satisfy man. It is because the ultimate reality is not democracy because we were created to be ruled by a king. 

Is Jesus your king? Like it or not, Jesus is the King. God created man in his own image to be ruled by a King. But if we refuse to be ruled by Jesus the true King, we will be ruled by some other king. We will bow the knee to someone or something, even if we refuse to admit that that is what we are doing. Mankind needs a king. We will serve someone or something. Jesus is our king. Obey him as your king. It means treat him as a king. Trust him as a king. Accept what he sends into your life whether you understand it or not. Rely on him.

What is your self-worth and identity derived from? All Christians say that Jesus is our King. But some of us may derive our self-worth from our career or our church. Then our real king is that, not Jesus. What may be ruling some Christians is an identity that is deeply rooted in money, materialism, moralism or even ministry success. Instead of loving immoral people, we think we are better than them and despise them and their wayward lives. We may say we worship Jesus. But what excites us and depresses us is whether or not I feel I am being honored, recognized, respected, successful and fruitful as a Christian. Our true king is ourselves and our perception of our own success.

Treat him like a king in your prayer: John Newton says, "Thou art coming to a King, Large petitions with thee bring; For His grace and power are such, None can ever ask too much."

The Girl Nobody Wanted (Genesis 29:15-35): Questions (3/11/14)

The Search for One True Love (Gen 29:15-35) [An alternate title (by Tim Keller): The Girl Nobody Wanted.]

I. The Desire of Love

1. What might Laban know about Jacob (Gen 29:10-14)? What was the motivation of Laban and Jacob (Gen 29:15-20)? How is Laban's scheme ingenious, though cruel (Gen 29:21-26)? What did Laban gain?

II. The Devastation of Love

2. Do you understand that "in the morning, it's always Leah...not Rachel" (Gen 29:25)? Though Jacob was shocked and furious (Gen 29:25), why did he agree so compliantly to Laban's explanation and further unreasonable offer (Gen 29:26-30)? How was Laban's deceit with Jacob parallel to Jacob's deceit with his old blind father? How might Leah feel through all of this?

3. How does the affirmation of Gen 28:13-15 and the discipline of Gen 29:15-30 work together for Jacob's good (Heb 12:5-6; Prov 3:12; Amos 3:2; Gen 50:20)?
   

III. The Deconstruction of Love

4. Identify the idols of Jacob (Gen 29:18,20,30), Leah (Gen 29:32-34), Rachel (Gen 30:1,8). How does God deal with the lovelessness of Leah (Gen 29:31)? The barrenness of Rachel (Gen 30:22-24)? What does this tell us about God's salvation (Isa 53:2; Jn 1:11; Mt 27:46; Mk 15:34; 1 Cor 1: 27-29)?

Reference: The Search For One True Love (Gen 29:15-35)

The Gospel in Judges

Judges portrays the people of God languishing without good leadership. Judges and 1-2 Samuel bridge the gap from the entrance of the people of God into the Promised Land under Joshua to their expulsion from the land due to unfaithful kings in 1-2 Kings. Since the conquest of the land is not complete, Judges begins with the question of who will lead in battle (Judg 1:1) and ends with "In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit" (Judg 21:25). The need for a king to lead God's people into their full inheritance is an important theme.

Judges: God Gives Grace Even As We Deteriorate From Bad to Worse

Tim Keller identifies six key themes/truths about God in his new book "Judges For You":

1. God relentlessly offers his grace to people who do not deserve it, seek it, or even appreciate it after they've been saved by it.
2. God wants lordship over every area of our lives, not just some.
3. There is a tension between grace and law, between conditionality and unconditionality.
4. There is a need for continual spiritual renewal in our lives here on earth, and a way to make that a reality.
5. We need a true Savior, to which all human saviors point, through their flaws and strengths.
6. God is in charge, no matter what it looks like.

Grace is a major theme if not the singular most important theme throughout the Bible, both OT and NT. Judges is no exception. The people and their sins get worse and worse throughout the book. The judges (saviors/deliverers) are less and less admirable with each new judge. Yet God gives grace and never gives up.

The LORD Will Provide (Gen 22:1-14)

"The LORD will provide" (Gen 22:14).

Theme: The Lord provides a sacrificial lamb so that his people may live. When I reviewed Counterfeit Gods by Tim Keller, I shared how I used to teach Gen 22: "Offer your Isaac to God, you sinner!" and how Keller, in his book, explained the narrative by pointing to Christ.

Goal: To assure God's people that their faithful covenant Lord can be trusted to provide their redemption.

Application: Do we trust the Lord to provide, or do we go after what we want?

JONAH

"(Jonah is) probably the best known yet least understood book in the Bible." Ray Stedman

"The story of Jonah the prophet swallowed by the giant fish is simple enough to delight a child and complex enough to confound a scholar." Janet Howe Gaines

"(Jonah) is a subtly crafted narrative about the idols that drive our actions on many levels and pull us farther from God even when we think we are doing (God's) will." Tim Keller, Counterfeit Gods, 133

"It is one thing to know the doctrine of salvation by grace, and quite another to know the grace of the doctrine of salvation. This is the lesson of Jonah, the prophet who knew God's grace but was challenged by God inwardly to embrace it." Richard Phillips, Jonah & Micah, 3

"(Jonah) is really a book about ... how one man came, through painful experience, to discover the true character of the God whom he had already served in the earlier years of his life. He was to find the doctrine about God (with which he had long been familiar) come alive in his experience." Sinclair Ferguson, Man Overboard! The Story of Jonah, 2008, xi

"Jonah brings us face to face with such important issues as God's grace for the wicked, God's sovereignty over his servants, and the intense human struggle involved with forgiveness and repentance." Richard Philips, Jonah & Micah, 4

"The Book of Jonah is not so much about this great fish that appears in the middle of the book ... [but] in order to teach Jonah that he has a gracious God." Sinclair Ferguson, "What Jonah Learned," in The Doctrines of Grace, 2006, audio recording

"Jonah is a storied presentation of the gospel, a story of sin and grace, of desperation and deliverance. It reveals the fact that while you and I are great sinners, God is a great Savior, and that while our sin reaches far, his grace reaches farther. God is in the business of relentlessly pursuing rebels like us and he comes after us not to angrily strip away our freedom, but to affectionately strip away our slavery so that we might become truly free." Tullian Tchividjian, Surprised by God, 18

"(From Jonah) we learn about the danger we experience when we run from God's will, the deliverance we experience when we submit to God's will, the deliverance others experience when we fulfill God's will, and the depression we experience when we doubt God's will." Tchividjian, Surprised by Grace, 25

Intro: The book of Jonah mainly recounts a story from the life of the prophet himself. The closest parallels are the accounts of Elijah and Elisha in 1 and 2 Kings. Since Jonah begins his ministry shortly after the time of Elijah and Elisha, he likely was one of their immediate successors, and may have been a personal disciple of the latter.

Jonah's world: According to 2 Kings 14:25, Jonah was a prophet in the time of King Jeroboam II, one of many wicked kings of the northern kingdom of Israel. It was 150 years since the death of King Solomon, and the nation had long been divided. 10 of Israel's 12 tribes were united as the northern kingdom, while only Judah and Benjamin held to the Davidic throne in Jerusalem and worshiped at the temple that Solomon built.

The northern kingdom had recurrent problems with constant idolatry and rebellion against the Lord. This was the main issue with which the prophets contended. But there were also political and military problems, for just north of them was the Assyrian Empire, the superpower of the time, which was an ominous threat and Israel's constant concern.

The prophets of the northern kingdom, like Elijah, called the kings and the nation to repentance. But the prophets were also messengers of grace. Over and over again, God showed mercy to his wayward people, often through the ministry of these prophets. It is in this connection that Jonah is mentioned in 2 Kings 14:25-27. For a time, Assyria was divided and suffered from famine, so that Israel's former boundaries were restored. In this way, God demonstrated his grace to Israel, renewed their hope, and encouraged their repentance. Jonah, who delivered the good news, saw the grace and mercy of God.

Israel had done nothing to merit God's favor; instead, their wickedness deserved God's wrath. Yet God was merciful. God reached out a hand of favor to woo his wayward people. Though Jonah saw God's grace up close, he still had much to learn about the grace of God, just as we do today.

References:

1. Counterfeit Gods, 2009, Tim Keller, The Hidden Idols in Our Lives, 126-153
2. Jonah & Micah, 2010, Reformed Expository Commentary, Richard D. Phillips
3. Surprised by Grace, God's Relentless Pursuit of Rebels, 2010, Tullian Tchividjian
4. ESV Study Bible, 2008
   
5. The Reformation Study Bible, 2005
   
6. The MacArthur Study Bible, 2006