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Good News for the Fatherless (Father Hunger 5)

Joe Harby on April 15, 2012

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The Text

“I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you.15 For though ye have ten thousand instructers in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.16 Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.17 For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus, who is my beloved son, and faithful in the Lord, who shall bring you into remembrance of my ways which be in Christ, as I teach every where in every church.” (1 Cor. 4:14-17)

Midlife Crisising Around the Drum Circle

We want to be careful about not focusing on fatherhood in such a way that we turn this into a gimmicky sort of thing. God gave us masculinity in order to teach us a deeper truth about what he is like. But if you take just physical machismo in the raw and act like this kind of manliness is some great virtue all on its own, then you will find yourself not getting the point. Guys like this are always hollow, they have a form of masculinity, but they miss the heart of the matter. And movements that want to reclaim masculinity or the office of father get distracted by the trappings and the gimmicks and miss the real thing. Masculine renewal movements regularly veer off into farcical displays of machismo, calling it masculinity. What starts as a good idea, addressing a real need, ends up as a bunch of men midlife-crisising in a drum circle around a fire in the woods. We should beware of teaching that merely exalts the trappings of masculinity or an understanding of fatherhood that is not deeply rooted in a biblical understanding of fatherhood.

Fathers Not Instructors

Paul makes an important distinction in this passage, which helps to see the difference between the trappings of masculinity and the heart of the matter. Instructors are a dime a dozen. Everyone has a new method or system, especially when it comes to parenting. But because this kind of thing is most on display, we often mistakenly put the highest priority on this. The teachers at Logos can do this for you. They are good at logistics. But they are instructors, not fathers, to your children. But Paul says that you need a father.

Good News for the Fatherless

Paul begins his comments here with the observation that the Corinthian Christians do not have very many fathers. His words apply to us as well. We have not had many fathers. But Paul’s exhortation is good news for the fatherless, because no matter what your situation, no matter what your story is, you have a perfect father, since you have a Heavenly Father that has begotten you. His begetting is his act of adoption (Rom. 8:15, Eph. 1:5).

A Progressive Work

But just because we have been adopted, does not mean that we have been perfected and the story is over. As any family that has adopted knows, this is just the beginning of a long and bumpy road. Particularly, if your story includes growing up with a father who failed in significant ways, a father who didn’t know the Lord at all, who gave you no example of what a Christian man looked like. Minimizing the impact of fatherlessness in your own life will only impede your own ability to deal with the damage.

On the other hand those who have had the blessing of being raised in a very godly family have another danger to look out for. A solid family, particularly a solid family in a world of messed up families, will raise children with deep loyalty to their parents and the family culture that they came from. But no family is perfect. We all miss it as some point. A man who had a terrible childhood is under no delusion about the need to correct where his parents went wrong. But a man who had a fantastic childhood has a much harder time bringing himself to correct where his parents missed something.

Imitating God the Father

We must constantly look to God the Father to get a clear picture in our mind of what a real father is like.

  • He pursues: One of the hardest things about coming to the understanding of the doctrines of grace that were articulated during the Reformation is the realization that when you were saved you brought nothing to the deal. But that same humbling truth, once it is swallowed, becomes one of the sweetest and most comforting truths. God chose you, pursued you, hunted you down, and saved you, while you were still lost. He loved you when you were an enemy. This demeanor is essential to godly parenting. Your children are yours to pursue, regardless of how you feel about your task at any given moment.
  • He is constant: God is not a father who turns over an ew leaf once in while and get engaged. He is a constant father. Your children will know you from what you are the nine days of out ten,, not the one out of ten.
  • He regenerates: Lastly, the Heavenly Father begets. He makes spiritual children. Earthly fathers are called to imitate him in this. Talk about the gospel with your children. Pray with them. Walk them through the confession of sin. God is sovereign over all the physical realm as much as much as the spiritual realm. But why is it we are temped to hyper-calvinism with the spiritual and not with the physical? If they don’t clean their rooms there is hell to pay. But if they don’t deal with their sin, we say, well it is up to God to bring that change about. Be a father.

To the Third and the Fourth vs. to the Thousandth

Take comfort in the fact that, in the end, even in this fallen world, God has established things such that father blessing will outstrip father cursing.

 

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Pentecostal Authority

Joe Harby on June 12, 2011

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Introduction

The Jewish festival of Pentecost is now famously connected to the sign gifts that were poured out on this day— gifts of tongues, and prophecy, and the like. We get the denominational name of Pentecostal from this day, and so one of the things we should learn as we mark this day is how that day should be understood in the history of the Church. This means also guarding against how it can be misunderstood.

The Texts

“In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord. Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe” (1 Cor. 14:21-22).

“Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds” (2 Cor. 12:12).

Summary of the Text

The outpouring of gifts on the day of Pentecost was a historical mile-marker, and was specially designated as a sign to unbelieving Jews. Paul says that tongues are a sign for unbelievers, and because of the passage he cites from Isaiah 28:11-12, we can see that he means unbelieving Jews. With men of other tongues God says that He will speak to this people. Despite this clear indication and sign, they will continue on in their unbelief. Now this is exactly what happened on the day of Pentecost, in the streets of a Jerusalem that (within a generation) was going to be filled with armies speaking other tongues—like speaking German in Paris, or English in Baghdad. It is a sign of conquest and defeat, not of happy prayer times. The gift of tongues was given as a sign of an historical judgment falling upon Israel in a terrible way. In contrast, Paul argues, prophesy was intended to serve those within the Church.

In addition to this, we see that these gifts simpliciter were apostolic marks, meaning that those in possession of them had the authority of an apostle, meaning that in effect they could write Scripture.

Isaianic Background

An understanding of the 28th chapter of Isaiah is essential to understanding much of the New Testament. Isaiah rebukes the corrupts of Israel (Is. 28:1-8). But they do not receive it—who’s he trying to teach? Little kids? They mock him, and he replies that instead of sing-songy precepts they will finally hear gibberish, right before they are captured and “taken.”This is right before Isaiah introduces the cornerstone—the one the builders rejected.

Philip’s Daughters and the Uniqueness of Scripture

Whenever anyone says “thus saith the Lord,” that person must also be willing, in the next breath, to claim that the message he speaks belongs in the Scriptures, Vol. 2. The answer to this claim is often that Scripture speaks of the existence of prophecies that never made it into the Bible (Acts 21:9). And this is quite true—but God can dispense with His own words whenever He wants, and however He deems fit. We cannot be in possession of what we claim to be inspired words from God, and then throw them away. If we have them, and we believe them to be God’s words, then we must act accordingly. If prophesy proper is an extant gift, then it follows that the canon of Scripture is not closed. If the canon of Scripture is closed, then prophecy proper is not an extant gift.

Now I use the phrase “prophecy proper” because every preacher of the Word is called upon to prophesy in one sense, a lesser sense (1 Pet. 4:11). On account of this, the Puritans even called preaching “prophesying.” But this was sharply distinguished from what Jeremiah, Isaiah, or Agabus did. You should come to the sermon prepared to encounter the Word of God there, but without equating the sermon outline with Scripture. In short, what the neo- orthodox claim about the Scriptures, the Reformed claim for faithful evangelical preaching. This particular gift is not dependent, incidentally, on a preacher’s gifts or graces.

But God is Not Bound

We must distinguish between a sign gift of power, resident within someone, and answers to prayer. The fact that the sign gifts, authenticating the ministry of an apostle, have ceased, does not mean that the Holy Spirit has ceased, or gone out of the world. The choice is not between a lively Pentecostalism and a duddy non- Pentecostalism. Too often cessationists act like God died, and they are in charge of holding the ongoing memorial services. But we are not weeping for Tammuz.

A man with the gift of healing, for example, could walk through a hospital ward, and heal the people there, with power flowing out of him. And incidentally, if there were a man who could do that, we would all know his name. When the woman with the hemorrhage touched Him, the Lord felt the healing power go out from Him. This is different than when we intercede for the sick, and God answers the prayer. To deny that the first kind of thing still happens is not to say that the second happens rarely, if at all. These are two separate questions. Disbelief in false apostles should never translate over to unbelief in God.

So Guard Against Reductionism

The fact that we believe that the sign gifts have ceased does not mean that we hold that the universe functions in the way that the materialists believe that it does. We live and move and have our being in God, and spiritual realities surround us on every hand. The world is not a machine grinding away in accordance with natural laws. The universe is personally governed.

So the gift of prophecy (or tongues plus interpretation) is not a gift of spiritual utterance. It is a gift of guaranteed spiritual utterance. In other words, the fact that something is spiritual doesn’t make it true. The Bible is not our ultimate, infallible authority because it consists of spiritual words. It is our final and infallible authority because it represents the perfections of God Himself. The devil is a spirit, and can speak, and we have spirits, and we can speak spiritual words. Our words are not just the motion of atoms in the air, or the function of ink on a page. We do not surrender the nature of the world by guarding the true nature and boundaries of the Bible.

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Unity

Joe Harby on June 13, 2010

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What Is Unity?

  • The Triune God. 11Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; (John 14:11) 20 At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. 21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” (John 14:20-21)
  • Imitating the Trinity.
  • “For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many.” (I Corinthians 12:12-14)
  • “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” (Ephesians 4:1-6).
  • We are rooted in Christ. “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.” (Col. 2:6-7 ) Are we separate potted plants?
  • We are the body of Christ. “…but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head —Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.” (Eph. 4:15-16) Are we separate organs in tissue culture trays?

What Destroys Unity?

  • Unconfessed sin in the church.
  • Exalting leaders and distinctive doctrines over love for all the brothers. “For when one says, ‘I am of Paul,’ and another, ‘I am of Apollos,’ are you not carnal Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.” (1 Cor. 3:4-7)
  • Being wrong in our rightness. Our views on church liturgy, music, architecture, preaching style, childrearing, educational pedagogy, food, medicine, etc., etc. give us occasion to despise or judge our brothers. (review the last two sermons)
  • Lack of love for other Christians in different denominations. “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another”. (John 13:34-35). “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil…” (I Corinthians 13:4-5).

Benefits of Unity

  • God blesses us.
  • It is good and pleasant. 1 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! (Psalm 133:1)
  • “The world will know we are His disciples! A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35).
  • Evangelism will be much more effective. When we are living in unity, we are presenting to the unbelieving world a better picture of the Gospel and the Trinity. If not, they see an unattractive & dismembered body of Christ.

Bringing About Unity

  • Confess our sins. We must be made pure, holy, and righteous? How? (1 John 1: 9). What sins? All kinds of sin hinder unity to some extent, but some sins overtly cause disunity. Bitterness (lack of forgiveness), divisiveness, looking down our nose at other denominations (doctrinal pride: knowledge puffs up), and stubbornness. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:7)
  • We must cultivate humility, gentleness, patience, and love. I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. (Eph. 4:1-6)
  • Practice hospitality (Romans 12:13). Make close friendships with other believers outside your denominational tradition. This should be a delight (Romans 12:9). It shouldn’t be contrived or forced. Friendship builds trust and brotherly love. Once a loving friendship is established, you can talk about your doctrinal differences graciously without becoming contentious.
  • Seek to work with other churches in evangelism & mercy ministries (as far as you are able). 2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. (Phil. 2:2).
  • Don’t be possessive or territorial. What are we trying to build? Our denomination’s local or national presence or God’s Kingdom?

“But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7)

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The Power Of God In The Unity Of The Spirit

Joe Harby on May 9, 2010

Sermon Notes: THE POWER OF GOD IN THE UNITY OF THE SPIRIT

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The New Ordinary

Christ Church on March 23, 2008

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Introduction:
The first Easter occurred at the time of Passover, which is when the first fruits of the barley crop were presented to the Lord. Pentecost, soon to follow, is when the first fruits of the wheat harvest were presented. As we consider the importance of the resurrection, we need to think of it in the right fashion, which means that we have to reflect on the meaning of first fruits.

The Text:
“But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death” (1 Cor. 15:20-26).

Overview:
Christ came back from the grave, and He did so in a glorified, physical body, the same (but transformed) body that had been laid in the tomb. (v. 20). He did this as the firstfruits (v. 20), meaning that His resurrection was one small, tiny part of the general resurrection. Adam introduced death into the world, and the last Adam introduced resurrection life into the world (v. 21). All shall die in the world because of Adam, and so all shall live in the world because of Christ (v. 22). But get the order right—the fruitfruits come first, and then the general harvest which occurs at Christ’s coming (v. 23). When Christ comes again, the kingdom which He has established (with all rule and all authority and all power) will be delivered up to the Father (v. 24). For Christ must reign (at the right hand of the Father) until all His enemies are subdued (v. 25). The last enemy in this process to be subdued will be death (v. 26), after which Christ will come again and render all things back to His Father.

Getting the Image Right:
One of the things we have to resist is a false image of human history, however orthodox we might believe we are on the historicity of Christ’s resurrection. This false image works this way—we think that human history is basically the same, at least from the Fall to the Second Coming. Things go on pretty much as they have always done. In the middle of this grim history, God placed the cross and resurrection, that resurrection being a completely anomalous event in an unchanged world. This cross and resurrection are “the gospel,” which means we can be “saved,” which means in turn that we will go to heaven when we die.
Try this image instead. At the Fall, human history became a movie we are watching in grainy and scratchy black and white. When Christ rose from the grave, a point of blinding light appeared at that place, and from that place, odd things started to happen—not in the plot lines of the story necessarily, but rather in the nature of the story itself. Color started to slowly spread out from that resurrection point, and the graininess started to slowly disappear and is gradually transformed into some kind of HDTV. Of course, over time, the story itself is affected. You have seen this kind of thing numerous times. When Aslan breathes on the stone statues and they all begin coming back to life, that is the kind of image we should have. And when that kind of thing starts to happen, we look at the screen intently, staring expectantly.

This means that the resurrection was not an odd event in the first century, with all “normal” things staying the same. The resurrection was the central event of all history, but we have to take this as the central event for all history. It defines history; it establishes the trajectory of the remaining story.

Distracted by the Interim State:
We have missed this, in part, because we have been distracted by a conclusion drawn from our individualistic premises. Because we start with “our own stalk of wheat,” we find ourselves leaving out the story of the harvest. If we started with the harvest, our own stalk would not be left out. Here is how it works.
When we die, before the harvest of all history, what happens to us? We go to be with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8). But over time, this intermediate state, this very temporary state of affairs, has somehow become for us our central hope, something we call “going to heaven.” We have drifted into a very Hellenistic idea of the immortality of the soul, up in another heavenly dimension somewhere, and we have lost the Hebraic truth of the resurrection of the dead.
The Bible doesn’t generally speak in our popular way of “going to heaven when we die”—not that it is technically wrong. The problem is that the interim state has become the overarching paradigm, replacing the biblical hope. The biblical hope is heaven coming here. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven (Matt. 6:10). Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth (Matt. 5:5). We look to heaven, not so much because that is where we are going in order to be saved, but because that is where our salvation is coming from (Phil. 3:20-21).

The New Ordinary:
So the resurrection is not simply a peculiar event in an old and decaying world. It is rather the defining event of the new creation, the new heavens and the new earth. It is harbinger of all things made new. We therefore cannot know the resurrection with an unresurrected epistemology (way of knowing). Resurrection life is the new ordinary.

This is why the materialism that came from the Enlightenment was a concerted way to get us back to the old way of knowing, the old way of relating to the authorities, the old way of dying. But Jesus is Lord, and Caesar is not. This new order been established in the resurrection. If the dead are not raised, then rulers can rule in the old- fashioned way—“off with his head,” which is an argument that (as it seemed for a time) that had no proper answer. But the dead are raised, and moreover, the dead are raised in the middle of human history. The harvest has begun, and the firstfruits have been presented. What could be more unsettling to tyrants? Marx was right about a certain kind of religion—pie in the sky when we die religion is an opiate for the masses. But resurrection life is a nightmare for the principalities and powers, and their only device is to persuade the churches to stop talking about it. But we believe, and therefore we speak.

Now this means that if the firstfruits happened two thousand years ago, and the general harvest is sometime in the future, this historical interim is not a time in which “nothing is happening.” Rather, to return to our text, it is the time in which we, through the authority of the resurrection gospel, put down all rule and authority and power, bringing every thought captive.

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