Levi meet your arresting officer

James (9 yrs old) and Levi (5 years old) were playing with hot-wheels  cars today.  James was driving with a police car.  James was role playing.  Levi was dead serious.  This is what followed...

James:  Pull your car over.  You are under arrest.
Levi:  Why!  I'm not a bad guy
James:  Yes you are a bad guy.  You put dynamite in a man's car and he is inside it.  It will explode with him in it.
Levi:  I didn't do that
James:  You did, and you are under arrest
Levi:  That wasn't me.  Some one else did that. (Levi dropped his car and ran out of the room)

Modern day Arianism

            Arius, a Christian leader in Alexandra, wrote a letter which launched Christendom into chaos.  In this letter, Arius made heretical comments about the identity of Jesus.  The pain and division in the church which followed led to the First Ecumenical Council. where church leaders assembled, debated, and created a statement, this statement was the basis for the Nicene Creed.  Although the heresies of Arius were devastating, the conflict which followed was good for Christianity.  Unfortunately, history is repeating itself through a resurgence of modern-day Arianism. 

            In 319 AD, Alexander, the Bishop of Alexandria preached a sermon about the similarities between the Son and the Father.  Arius thought the bishop was condoning the heresy of modalism and denying monotheism.  Arius responded with a letter to the Bishop.  The intent of his letter was to bring truth and clarity to questions on the identity of Jesus, but in his letter Arius made his own heretical statements about Christ.  There were three major heresies in Arius’ letter: first, he referred to Christ as a creature created by God; secondly, his statements denied Christ’s divinity; third, he claimed that humans, not Christ, are responsible for the action of their salvation.  All three of these heresies were not just simply wrong, but each was in direct opposition with scripture. Arius influenced many to follow his position.  The Bible gives a harsh warning about those who lead others in the wrong direction.  "What sorrow awaits the world, because it tempts people to sin. Temptations are inevitable, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting" (Matthew 18:7 NLT), the Bible also gives warning that those who take the role of leadership will have a more severe judgment.  "Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly" (James 3:1 NLT).  Arius may have written the letter with good intentions, but his outcome was devastating.

            In Arius’ letter to the Bishop of Alexandria he called Christ a “Creature of God”.  Arius wrote that Christ was the first creature that God created; before His creation, He did not exist.  Arius’ theology on Christ was wrapped up in his understanding of the word “begotten”.  There are five passages in the Bible where the word “begotten” is used in description of Christ: John 1:1-3, John 3:16, John 1:14, John 1:18, and John 14:9.  In all of these passages, in which the word begotten is used, it is in the context of “Christ being born” (gennetos) not “Christ being created” (genetos).  John 1:1-3 gives us assurance that the Son who has been born in the flesh is God the Creator manifest.  However, when Arius referenced the word "begotten" he considered the Greek words "gennetos" and "genetos" to be synonyms; therefore, Arius believed the word "begotten" meant that Christ was created.  Those who followed Arius adopted the motto: “There was when He was not”.  Arius did not accept that Christ has eternally existed as one third of the Trinity; this denial logically led to the question of Christ’s divinity.

Arius was a follower of Origen.  One of Origen’s teachings was that God the Father was the Head of the Trinity, and Christ was His subordinate.  Arius took the teachings of Origen to the next natural step; he claimed that Christ was not God at all.  In his letter to the Bishop of Alexandria, Arius described God as being alone everlasting and alone unbegotten, but when he wrote about Christ he said that Christ “is not everlasting or unbegotten with the Father”.  Arius said that Christ “is not true God, even if He is declared God, he is not true God”.    According to Arius, Christ was more than human, but He was short of being fully God. Arius believed that any divinity that Christ had was given to Him by His Creator. 

Just like Arius’ view on Jesus being created, there is no scriptural validity to support that Christ was inferior to God.  Jesus was in the presence of men calling His God; instead of rebuking them for being idolaters, He affirms their claims.  In John 20:28 Thomas says, “my Lord and my God”, making a clear claim to the divinity of Christ.  In Matthew 16:16 Jesus asks Peter, "Who do you say that I am"?  Peter responds, "You are the Messiah the Son of the living God."  After being called equal to God, Jesus tells Peter that this truth was revealed to him by the Father.

Jesus is often quoted in Scripture as making claims of being equal to God. He speaks of Himself using the name “I Am” which was a term designated only for true God.  A clear example is in In John 18:5 which reads, "Jesus of Nazareth," they replied.  "I am he," Jesus said.  In John 8 He calls Himself “I Am” three separate times.  In John 10:30, Jesus says, “I and the Father are one”; the response of His audience shows exactly how serious His claim was.  “Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him” (John 10:31).

In the writings of the New Testament men made connections between Christ and references to God in the Old Testament. When Paul wrote “If you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord” in Romans 10:13, he was referencing Joel 2:32 which says, “Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”  In other parts of the New Testament writers make more direct claims to His divinity.  In Matthew 1:23 the word “Immanuel” is used (which means God with us) this points to the divinity of Christ.  Philippians 2:10-11 states that all will worship Christ, “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Christ is equal to God, and He is God.  Arius was wrong about the identity of Christ.  Through the words of Christ and the words of the New Testament writers. it is clear that Jesus is more than Arius believed.  Arius’ view that Christ was created and that He was not God naturally led to his third heresy. 

In Arius’s view, salvation is not something Jesus handles for us.  Arius believed that we are responsible for our own salvation, and Jesus was the first creation who worked out His salvation.  In Arius’ letter to the Bishop of Alexandria, he writes that, “the Son is God by grace and in name only, just as we are.”  In this statement Arius was once again denying Christ’s eternity and deity; he also is claiming that we are to work for God’s grace.   If Arius is right and Christ was a creature and not God, then He lacks the credentials to save us. 

From Scripture, it is clear that the believer has some role in salvation, but it is Christ who does the major portion of the work.  It is Christ who achieves our salvation.  Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast”.  It is not our work, as Arius claims, to connect us to God.  Christ came down to us and gave us the gift of salvation.  We are not equipped to save ourselves.  We are justified through the death of Christ (Romans 5:6-11), and He alone has the credentials to reconcile us to God (II Corinthians 5:13-21).

            The initial outcome of Arius’ heresies were turmoil and division.  Those who followed Arius’ teachings were led contrary to Scripture; fighting, condemnations, and excommunications resulted.  All of the effects of the heresies were not negative.  The conflict that Arius raised had a tremendously positive influence on Christendom, and in hindsight strengthened the Christian faith.  Arius’ false teachings were a catalyst for the arrival of future heroes of the faith.  The debate on the identity of Christ forced people to a healthy reevaluation of their beliefs.  The heresies led to the gathering first Ecumenical council, which had an enormous impact on the Christian faith.

Arian heresies were good for Christianity because they forced people of that time to revaluate what they believed about the identity of Christ.  The Christian world was struggling through an understanding of the Trinity.  They were fighting through Modalism, monotheism, and monarchianism; however, Arius accelerated and magnified the issue.  Many people were convinced by the logic of Arius.  Others followed those against him, but all Christians were forced to work through what they believed.  I Thessalonians 5:21-22 says, “test all things". Hold on to what is good.  Stay away from every kind of evil”, and Philippians 2:12-13 says, “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose”.  The heresies of Arius led to an open debate, and forced people of faith to work towards a better understanding of their beleifs.  Some people got it wrong, but most Christians had to revaluate their understanding of God.  It was nearly impossible to not be passionate about understanding the identity of Christ.  This created the need for new passionate leaders of Christianity. 

            The second benefit of the Arian Conflict was that Athanasius become a hero of the Christian faith.  When the conflict was at its inception Athanasius was a deacon in Alexandria.  He was twenty-seven years old when he accompanied the Bishop of Alexandria to the First Ecumenical council in Nicaea: Athanasius replaced the Bishop of Alexandria after his death three years later.  The writings of Athanasius were instrumental in bringing salvation to St Augustine of Hippo.  Athanasius was the first to canonize the New Testament in the form that we know today; but he is known for his life-long ambition to fight the Arians.  Athanasius passionately fought for people to have a better understanding of Christ, and many give him the credit for the modern rejection of Arianism in the mainstream church. 

            Another reason Arius was good for Christendom is that his heresies caused a need for the Frist Ecumenical Council.  This council answered some questions, but revealed that other councils were needed.  These councils who fought for a better understanding of God, crafted the Nicaean Creed, which continues to be a pillar of the Christian faith.  Many churches recite the creed as a reminder of the identity of God and His relationship to us.  Most Orthodox Churches who have a statement of faith use the Nicaean Creed as a guideline.  The Nicene Creed, although not divinely inspired, is a document of truth about the nature of the Trinity.  It is a wonderful starting point for future Christians and newly converted Christians to get a better understanding of God.  It is also a powerful tool for mature dedicated Christians to use to stay focused on the truth of God.  The Nicaean Creed is helpful in keeping Christians grounded rather than letting them allow human reason to trump Scripture on God identity.  Arius was instrumental in the Creed being created; therefore, God has used Arius and the confusion he created through his heresies to bring clarity about the identify of God.

            Modern day Christendom is going through a repeat of the same heresies, pains, and revolutions of the time surrounding Arius and the First Ecumenical Council.  Some “so called” Christian speakers, writers, and preachers are modern day Arianist who offer the same confusion on the identity of Christ as Arius did.  The ancient questions of whether Christ is created, whether He is God, and whether He can save us have become modern issues.

Arius’ idea that God created Christ is still prevalent in modern times.  The Jehovah’s Witnesses are the main group who believe this.  They, like Arius, believe that Christ was the first creature God created, and that there was a time when God was alone in the Universe. 

The scripture the Jehovah's Witnesses use to show that Jesus came into existence through a creative act of God is Colossians 1:15 which states, “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation”.  Some see this verse as evidence that Christ was the first creature created by God, but According to The Linguistic Key to the Greek New Testament the word, “Firstborn” (prōtotokia) emphasizes the pre-existence and uniqueness of Christ as well as His superiority over creation. The word does not mean that Christ was created. 

Another verse used by the Jehovah’s Witnesses is Revelation 3:14.  In the King James version it reads, “These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God.”  In this verse Jesus uses three names when talking about Himself: The Faithful, the true witness, and the beginning of the creation of God.  It is the word “beginning” which people use as evidence to show that Christ was created.  The Greek translation of the word beginning (archē) means to be the ruler over, the authority, and the power.  Jesus is not the first part of the creation.  He is the ruler, the authority, and the power of creation.  He is God.

Arius’ heresy that Christ is not God is widespread.  This heresy is not just believed by the uneducated.   Theologians, Biblical scholars, and Christian leaders are boldly denying Christ’s divinity. 

In 2006 Dr. Marcus Borg (the Co-director of Center for Spiritual Development at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral Portland) said, “I see the pre-Easter Jesus as a Jewish mystic who knew God, and who, as a result, became a healer, wisdom teacher and prophet of the kingdom of God. The latter led to his being killed by the authorities who ruled his world. But I do not think he proclaimed or taught an extraordinary status for himself. The message of the pre-Easter Jesus was about God and the kingdom of God, and not about himself”.  Dr. Borg gives Christ credit for knowing God and gaining power because He knows God.  The Doctor acknowledged no power beyond that. 

In 2009 during a speaking engagement the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal church, Katharine Jefferts Schori, said comments which deny Christ’s deity.  She said, "If you begin to explore the literary context of the first century and the couple of hundred years on either side, the way that someone told a story about a great figure was to say ‘this one was born of the gods.' That is what we're saying. This carpenter from Nazareth or Bethlehem-and there are different stories about where he came from-shows us what a godly human being looks like, shows us God coming among us."  The Presiding Bishop is claiming that Jesus was a human who was called the Son of God because culturally that’s what good men were called.  According to Schori He was a good, Godly, honorable man but not divine.

If God created Christ, then Christ cannot be God.  If Christ is not God, then Christ cannot save man.  According to Isaiah 43:11, Isaiah 45:21, and Hosea 13:4, God is the only one who can save. 

Jeffery Schoti, the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal church, has separated Christ from salvation.  She says, “If salvation is understood only as ‘getting right with God’ without considering ‘getting right with our neighbors,’ then we've got a heresy on our hands”.  Salvation is not connected to anything we do.  We are saved not because we get right with God, but because He makes us right. 

Rob Bell, a well-known Christian writer, says that, “salvation is realizing you’re already saved. We are all forgiven. We are all loved, equally and fully by God who has made peace with everyone”.  Bell doesn’t make the mistake of saying that we have to work to earn our salvation.  He instead says we all get salvation, no matter what we believe.  According to other quotes by Rob Bell even those who have no connection with Christ are saved, “If I am a Christian do I have to consign all Buddhists to hell?”

Jesus is the power behind salvation, and without Him there is no salvation.  We do not have to do anything more than believe, but it has to go through Him.  No other religion has a solution.

 “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths" (2 Timothy 4:3-4).  The heresies of Arius had a major influence on the early church, and the effects of his thinking are still being felt today.  He was wrong on his teaching of the identity of Christ   Although Arius taught the contrary; Jesus is the same as Jehovah.  He was never created. He has been in existence since eternity-past.  Christ is the one true way to the Father, and through belief in Him people can be saved.  God used Arius’ heresies to urge people to work through their faith in an open and honest manner, and He raised up faithful men who stood up and fought for a correct understanding of God.  This controversy was painful, and it was not an easy process; but it was the launching pad for the creation of the Nicene Creed, which is still helping Christ-followers to grasp the identity of God.  In modern times new heretics are repeating Arius’ heresies.  God is once again raising new leaders who may revolutionize what it means to have a correct understanding of God.

  

Works Cited

Bright, Bill. Teacher's manual for the Ten basic steps toward Christian maturity. Arrowhead Springs, San Bernardino, Calif.: Campus Crusade for Christ, International, 1965. Print.

Gumbel, Nicky. Questions of life. Eastbourne: Kingsway, 19951993. Print.

Kelly, Joseph F.. The ecumenical councils of the Catholic Church: a history. Collegeville, Minn.: Liturgical Press, 2009. Print.

Lord, Bob, and Penny Lord. Arianism. CA: Smashwords, 2011. Print.

Morris, Henry M., and  Ph.D.. "God's Only Begotten Son." The Institute for Creation Research. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Dec. 2012. .

"NPNF2-04. Athanasius: Select Works and Letters - Christian Classics Ethereal Library." Welcome to the CCEL - Christian Classics Ethereal Library. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Dec. 2012. .

González, Justo L.. The story of Christianity. San Francisco [etc.: Harper & Row, 1984. Print.

Rienecker, Fritz, and Cleon L. Rogers. A linguistic key to the Greek New Testament. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 19761980. Print.

Does Augustine hold the secret for healing from the sin of lust?

Does Augustine hold the secret for healing from the sin of lust? 

Since the beginning of time God has used humans with notable flaws to further His kingdom.  Saint Augustine of Hippo was one of these flawed men. Augustine struggled with doubt, juvenile crime, but his greatest flaw was his issues with lust and sex.  Eventually freed from the bondage sin and lust had on him, Augustine became a Bishop and theologeon.  His writing helped to develop Western Christianity. Henry Chadwick, a early church therologeon, speaks to Augudstine’s influence by pointing out that “Anselm, Aquinas, Petrarch (never without a pocket copy of confessions), Luther, Bellarmine, Pascal, and Kierkeguard all stand in the shade of his broad oak.” Augustine is considered one of the most influential men in Christian history.

The struggles Augustine has with lust are nearly identical to the struggles of many men today; they are attacked by the sin of lust, but very few of today’s men get healing and restoration from the sin.  Augustine followed a process, which helped him to heal from the sin of lust, and he became a great man of God.  That restoration and healing is available for men today if they choose to pursue it.

Augustine’s issues with sex and lust began with his lack of understanding God.  His mother attempted to raised using the teachings  of the Bible, but he had abandoned her teaching and had begun to follow other religions and philosophies.  When Augustine wrote about his youth he saw it as so perverse that he described it as, "my past wickedness and the carnal corruptions of my soul."  When he was sixteen Augustine went to Carthage to continue his studies, but his issues with lust escalated. "I came to Carthage, where a cauldron of illicit loves leapt and boiled about me. I was not yet in love, but I was in love with love" (Confessions book III).  When he was eighteen, Augustine took a concubine, a year later they had a child (out of wedlock) together.  Augustine had a committed relationship with her for over thirteen years; later he called this relationship a “lustful love”.   Augustine was controlled by lust so deeply that the fulfillment of the lust felt like a need. “The enemy held my will; and of it he made a chain and bound me. Because my will was perverse it changed to lust, and lust yielded to became habit, and habit not resisted became necessity” (Confessions VIII.5).  Augustine’s lust kept him from connecting to God.  Augustine famously said to God the sentiment that many people have thought, "Grant me chastity and continence, but not yet."  Augustine wanted to be a man of virtue, but he was not yet ready to give up the pleasure of lust. 

Augustine’s mother who had been urging him towards Christ since he was a child convinced Augustine that abandoning his life of sin and get married would help him to be a virtuous man.  Augustine agreed with his mother; he left his concubine and took a 10-year-old girl as his fiancé.  Augustine was not faithful; while he waited for her to become old enough to marry he cheats on her.  True restoration does not begin for Augustine until he has a sincere connection with Christ.

Lust had a tight hold on Augustine.  He wrote, “Clouds of muddy carnal concupiscence filled the air. The bubbling impulses of puberty befogged and obscured my heart so that it could not see the difference between love’s serenity and lust’s darkness. Confusion of the two things boiled within me. It seized hold of my youthful weakness sweeping me through the precipitous rocks of desire to submerge me in a whirlpool of vice” (Confession II.2). Augustine began to have a realization that he needed freedom, but he was not able to free himself.  Augustine began his quest for the ability to love God.  In the eighth book of Confessions he told of a day when he was praying in a garden. He cried out to God, tore his hair, and struck himself on the forehead.  Augustine was in agony over his sin, and the bondage which held him.  He wanted the unhealthy “love” of lust to be replaced with something good, but he struggled.  Only when Augustine took hold of the truth of the cross was he able to be freed from the bonds of lust. I began to search for a means of finding the strength I needed to enjoy You, but I could not find this means until I embraced the mediator between God and man(Confessions VII.18).  It was not until he embraced Christ and His saving love on the cross that Augustine was able to be free.  While he was still in the garden, Augustine heard a call to the second part of his restoration.

Burdened by sins, Augustine was praying in the garden he cried out to God, “How

long, how long, tomorrow, and tomorrow? Why not now? why not is there this hour an end to my uncleanness?”  While was crying to God, he heard a child’s voice calling from a neighboring house.  The voice simply called, “Take up and read”. Initially Augustine thought a child’s game was being played, but he finally realized it was a call from God to read the Scriptures.  Augustine opened his Bible randomly to Romans 13:13 which read, “Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.”    After reading these two verses Augustine felt no need to read any more, because he immediately felt God touch his heart.  Augustine was healed. In his book “The Legacy of Soverign joy”, John Piper refers to this garden conversioin experience as “one of the most important days in church history.

           

The temptation of lust, which tortured Augustine, is the same temptation which seeks to enslave people today.  The sin of lust puts a wedge between people and God; it hinders them from becoming the men or women God created them to be.  The one major difference between Augustine’s culture and today’s culture is the accessibility of online pornography.

Walt Mueller, the president of the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding, was asked, “What is the cultural change parents of teens should be most concerned about?”  He answered, “It is the growing pervasiveness and accessibility of online pornography.  It is shaping how an entire generation is thinking about themselves, about others and about the wonderful God-given gift of their sexuality.  And to be honest, where I think it’s leading our kids is very, very frightening.”   Young people are dealing with the same temptations of lust that Augustine did, but online pornography has made the availability of lust simple and instant.  According to family Safe Media 42% of all Internet users view pornography, and 90% of youth between the ages of eight-sixteen do.  Online pornography destroys men, women, children, and it destroys marriages; but most of all it destroys our relationship with God. 

Saint Augustine’s relationship with God was hindered until he dealt with his issue of lust.  Today we have many people whose usefulness to God has been stifled because they have allowed pornography to possess power over them; like Augustine they are unable to reach their God-given potential until they deal with this issue.  Augustine wrote about the power lust had over him, “my old mistresses, still enthralled me; they shook my fleshly garment, and whispered softly, do you part with us?  And from that moment shall we no more be with you forever.”  Augustine found lust very hard to leave, but in order to be a man of God a person must break free from its power.  Lust is wrong; it is contrary to the teachings of the Bible.

Online pornography is scripturally wrong.  It is true that there is no place in scripture, which states, “Thou shalt not look at porn”, however the Bible is very clear that men should abstain from sexual sin.  The Bible says, “Do not commit adultery” (Ex 20:14). Jesus went a step further and said sin was not just what we do but also what we think.  Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, do not commit adultery.  But I tell you, everyone who looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart (Matthew 5:27-28).  According to Jesus, looking at a woman (on a porn website) and lusting after her is adultery. 

The Gospel story has exactly what a person needs to be freed from the bondage of online pornography.   According to the Barna Institute porn viewers overwhelmingly believe they are unloved.  The Gospel affirms that you are loved.   Christ’s death on the cross is the greatest example of love the world has ever seen.  Romans 5:8 reads, “But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us!”

Understanding Christ’s death on the cross helps us to loath the sin of lust and understand the depths of its depravity; we see that our sins are costly.  Our sins are the cause for the gruesome death Christ paid on the cross.  Romans 4:25 states, “He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.”  If we can grasp the destruction our sin caused Christ, then we can begin to grasp the repugnance of our sin.  Porn is disgusting, and it should produce shame.  In order to be redeemed from the bondage of online pornography one needs to pursue the cross. “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!” (I Corinthians 15:57).    Our love for Christ must be more beautiful than the form of a woman; our love for Christ must bring us more pleasure than masturbation; our love for Christ must be more intense that the desire for pornography; Loving Christ any less is idolatry.

Scripture points to the fact that sin is not an unimportant thing.  Sin is deadly and costly.  In Matthew 18:9 Jesus says, “And if your eye causes your downfall, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye, rather than to have two eyes and be thrown into hellfire!” In this passage Jesus is noting the seriousness of sin.  Sin has eternal consequences.  Scripture is important because it shows how serious the sin of lust is, but it is also important because it shows that once we are connected to the cross our sin no longer condemns us. “Therefore, no condemnation now exists for those in Christ Jesus, because the Spirit’s law of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death” (Romans 8:1).   A person trapped by pornography is typically afraid of being caught.  He is afraid of condemnation, but there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ.

Christ and Scripture are what can draw us out of sin.  Through Christ we know we are loved; through Scripture, we can know that lust is wrong; through Scripture, we know we can escape condemnation.  This information is all a person needs to begin breaking the bondage of lust.

Augustine‘s life and writings are still relevant to the Christian world today, but his ministry was stunted because of his infatuation with the sin of lust.  With God’s help he conquered his battle with lust through an understanding of the cross and guidance of the Scriptures.  This should be great hope to the huge numbers of men who are enslaved to lust through online pornography.  There is freedom through the cross and scripture, but until men claim this freedom and break free from the power online pornography has over them, there will continue to be a void of great intelligent Christian thinkers. 

How sweet all at once it was for me to be rid of those fruitless joys which I had once feared to lose and was now glad to reject! You drove them from me, you who are the true, the sovereign joy. You drove them from me and took their place, you who are sweeter than all pleasure, though not to flesh and blood, you who outshine all light yet are hidden deeper than any secret in our hearts, you who surpass all honour though not in the eyes of men who see all honour in themselves. O Lord my God, my Light, my Wealth, and my Salvation” (Confessions IX.1). 

Work Cited

"The Barna Group - Young Adults Struggle." The Barna Group - Young Adults and Liberals Struggle with Morality. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2012.

Mueller, Walt. "CPYU | The Center for Parent/Youth Understanding." CPYU || The Center for Parent/Youth Understanding. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2012.

Oberman, Luther: Man Between God and the Devil, p. 102

Piper, John. The Legacy of Sovereign Joy: God's Triumphant Grace in the Lives of Augustine, Luther, and Calvin. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2000. Print.

"Family Safe Media - Pornography_stastics." Family Safe Media. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2012.

Saint Augustine. Confessions. N.p.: Wyatt North, 1955.

Walking through the pieces sermon (Nov 7th 2012)

Last week (Nov 7th) I had the opportunity to preach during a revival service at my church.  The heart of my sermon was a story told in Genesis 15, which I find to be one of the most moving stories in the Bible.  

This is the outline I used while preaching

Intro

Ø  I LOVE TO FLY

v SCRIPTURE

ONE

v God Initiates

v God calls, we believe

TWO

v God Commands, we jump

Ø  The difference between point one and two

Ø  James, clean your room

Ø  Walking through the pieces

THREE

v SHORT POINT

Ø  My third point is easy for us…

Ø  GOD does all the work…we are blessed

CONCLUSION

Ø  God initiates the Call…all we have to do is believe

Ø  God initiates the Command…we have to jump

Ø  God does all the work…We are blessed

v A Couple Bible stories

Ø  John 21:4-10

Ø  Mark 10:46-52

Ø  Luke 5:21-26

Ø  Genesis 22:1-12

This is basically the sermon (although I ad-libbed "a bunch")…

Intro

Ø  I Love to fly

When I was a kid I loved to fly.  I would get one of Mom’s good towels.  Tie it around my neck and drag it around in the dirt behind me.  Three were three trees in our yard that were perfect for a take off, and I would climb these trees and jump.  I flew around the yard, around the city, and around the world.  I loved to fly.

But…one day.  I don’t know why it happened, but with out reason I never wore a cape again, and eventually I forgot how to fly.

Somewhere I lost my ability to see, and I forgot how to fly.

I realized…there is no Superman.  Flying is a childhood fantasy.  I was just being silly

But back when I flew… I felt alive.  When I was flying, I heard a voice deep inside.  It was warm and inviting.  It was wild and dangerous.  It pushed me to risk, and it spurned curiosity.  The playful voice I heard was God.  And when I put down my cape, if was the first time that I hinderers my ability to hear God

Ø  MY CHILDREN

Now I am a father and let me share with you what my children bring to the table…

Danger, risk, playfulness, curiosity, wild, irresponsibility, terror, naivety, and childlike faith.

Ø  SCRIPTURE

Genesis 15:7-21

4 Now the word of the Lord came to him: “This one will not be your heir; instead, one who comes from your own body will be your heir.”

5 He took him outside and said, “Look at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then He said to him, “Your offspring will be that numerous.”

6 Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness.

7 He also said to him, “I am Yahweh who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.”

8 But he said, “Lord God, how can I know that I will possess it?”

9 He said to him, “Bring Me a three-year-old cow, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”

10 So he brought all these to Him, split them down the middle, and laid the pieces opposite each other, but he did not cut up the birds.

11 Birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away.

12 As the sun was setting, a deep sleep fell on Abram, and suddenly great terror and darkness descended on him.

13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know this for certain: Your offspring will be foreigners in a land that does not belong to them; they will be enslaved and oppressed[a] 400 years.

14 However, I will judge the nation they serve, and afterward they will go out with many possessions. 15 But you will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a ripe old age.

16 In the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.”

17 When the sun had set and it was dark, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch appeared and passed between the divided animals. 18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “I give this land to your offspring, from the brook of Egypt to the Euphrates River:[c] 19 the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaim, 21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.”

ONE

v God Inititates

In verse 4 it says the word of the Lord came to Abraham.  We need to recognize that God calls and seeks out Abraham.  He initiates.  This is the way God works.  He initiates relationship with His people.  He initiates relationship with you.

• This is the same caring God who sweeps the house looking for His lost coin,
• the same loving Father who runs and embraces His prodigal son
• the same compassionate shepherd who leaves behind the 99 to find His 1
• this is the same God who is always actively and passionately pursuing relationship with His people.  pursuing relationship with you!

We do not jump ahead

It does not say God calls and we make a plan, create a list, and get to work.  At this point we just believe.  There is no action in God call.  God simple tells us that he is going to do something, and we need to believe it.

If you know the story, later on Abraham does sin, jump ahead of God, and get to work trying to fulfill God’s promise.  He begins to doubt God’s promise.  The son God promised had not come and his wife is barren, so he sleeps with his wife’s slave in order to fulfill God’s promise.  He has a son named Ishmael.  This sin of taking matters in his own hands causes strife in his marriage, and his son Ishmael lives in hostility with everyone. 

Genesis 16:12 says about Ishmael:  He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him,
and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.”

The whole process was pointless because God, of course, does what He said and Abraham has another son, (the one He planed on giving Abraham) Isaac, who the promise is fulfilled through.  So later on Abraham is sinful, but here in Genesis 15 he correctly believes and waits on the Lord. 

So... God calls…We believe

TWO

God Commands, we jump

v THE DIFFERENCE BEWTEEN POINT ONE AND TWO

The second part of the sermon is “God Commands, we jump”. Let me give the difference between the first point “God calls” and the second “God Commands”.

“God Calls” is without direction

“I will bless you”

“I will put you in ministry”

“I am going to move in you”

“I will make a nation of you”

“God Commands” is with direction”

“Pursue Youth ministry”

“I’m calling you to help the poor”

“You will be going to seminary”

“You will sing at church”

This is where we get stuck. 

God calls us “without action”, and we believe and wait on the Lord.

Then God commands us “With action”, and we believe and wait on the Lord some more.

Ø  Story about James cleaning his room

If God is calling you to youth ministry…then jump

If God is calling you to help the poor.  Then jump…go do it!

If God says you will be going to seminary.  Don’t wait.  Jump!  Go get some applications.

If God says you will sing a song at church, then don’t wait on Him to tell you which song.  Just jump-pick your song-practice your song- and go sing.  (maybe he will pick your song along the way, maybe not)

Ø  Imagine that I tell my son to go and clean his room.  He says “yes sir” and walks out of the room.  A couple hours later I check on him and the room is still a mess.

“Did you hear what I asked you to do?”

“Yes, sir.  You said “James, go clean your room”, and I sat down and worked to memorize you words” Next I took some time to ponder the words, and what your words meant not just when you told me, but also now, here, in my room, an hour later.  Then I got my two brothers and my sister and we sat in a circle talked about your words.  And we studied you words and what they mean.  And then we thought what a great clean room it all of us would live out the words you spoke.”

Ø  Do you think I would let my son get away with that?  Then what makes us think God will?

When God commands us, we jump.  When He gives us a small piece.  We do not contemplate the piece.  We don’t beg for the rest of it.  We act on the piece.  Even if it is…

Dangerous, Risky, Even if we don’t have the money to do it, Even if it makes no sense

v WALKING THROUGH THE PIECES

God gives Abraham a command to begin a ceremony which is in Hebrew is called the “diatheke”, but we will call it “walking through the pieces”.

Abraham recognized the ceremony God was asking his to do.  It was a known practice of that area and region.  You will notice in the passage that God did not give Abraham instruction.  Abraham seemed to know what he was supposed to do

The purpose of this ceremony was to seal a covenant between to parties.  It was often done to seal the terms of a treaty between countries.  It was used to agree on the resetting of borderlines after a war.

But the most common use of the ceremony was between the fathers of two families whose children were marrying.  The Fathers would make a very serious vow between them, and the breaking of the vow had equally serious consequences.  Lesser of the two parties (the brides father) would place a cow, a goat, a ram on the ground.  The Lesser of the two would cut the cow was cut in half.  Half of the carcass was placed on one side, and the other half was placed on the other.  The same was done with the goat and the ram.  As blood would drain from the animals a large puddle would form between the pieces.  The greater of the two men (the grooms father) would walk barefooted stomping between the pieces.  With this act he promised that his son would be an honorable husband-not abusive, lazy, or dishonest.  Then the lesser of the two (the brides father) would stomp barefooted through the pieces.  His action promised that his daughter was a virgin and she would make would a proper wife.  This blood ritual sealed that if either the groom or the bride was not blameless; the Father would pay with his life.  “If my child is not a proper spouse may I become like these animals”.

So God made a promise to Abraham

Abraham believed but asked for proof

God told Abraham to set up the “walking through the pieces” ceremony

It is no shock why in verse Genesis 15:12 “a great terror and darkness” came over him.  God was asking Him to make a vow.  God would give him a son.  God would make a nation through him, But…if he could not walk before God blameless…if his children could not live lives of obedience then he (Abraham) would be torn apart like these animals.

So the lesser (Abraham) cuts apart the animals, and lays them on opposite side.  The blood drains and puddles in the middle.  As then the greater of the two (God) in an image of a smoking pot walks through the pieces, walked through the blood.  “If I do not keep my side of the covenant then may I (God) be torn to pieces like these animals”. 

And then it was Abraham’s turn.

He was to walk between the pieces sealing the covenant, vowing that he would be obedient and blameless before God, and if he did not then he would be ripped apart like these animals.  Then…

God stepped in.  and he took the position of the lesser of the two. and a second time, this time in the image of a torch, He walked through the pieces.  He walked through the blood, “If Abraham or any of his descendants I will give him ever disobey me.  May I be torn to pieces like the animals”.

And it is at that moment God sentences His son to death.

THREE

v SHORT POINT

Ø  My third point is easy for us…

GOD does all the work…we are blessed

CONCLUSION

Ø  God initiates the Call…all we have to do is believe

Ø  God initiates the Command…we have to jump

Ø  God does all the work…We are blessed

When God give us a command with any bit of direction we JUMP

Remember at the beginning when I mentioned what attributes my kids bring to the table. 

v A Couple Bible stories

 I’m going to close with a couple Bible stories of people reacting to God’s command.  I want to you listen, but also look at the screen and see when people appropriately handle God’s call do they use column A or B.

Column A

v Danger

v Risk

v Playfulness

v Curiosity

v Wild

v Irresponsibility

v Terror.

Column B

v A pros and cons list

v Check your budget

v Did God really say that?

v Maybe I should thank about it

v This doesn’t make sense

v John 21:4-10

v The disciples are out fishing after the crucifixion.  Jesus is at shore and calls to them.  Peter immediately throws himself into the water and swims to Christ

v Mark 10:46-52

v Jesus calls a Blind man.  The Blind man stops acting like a blind man.  He leaps, throws his coat, and runs to Christ.

v Luke 5:21-26

v Jesus tells a paralyzed man you are healed.  The man “without hesitation, jumps up and obeys Christ”

v Genesis 22:1-12

v Abraham is told to take his only son up on the mountain and sacrifice him.  Abraham does what he is told without hesitation.  An angel stops him at the last second.