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Led Captivity Captive (Ascension Sunday 2018)

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Introduction

Today we are commemorating the Lord’s Ascension into Heaven, the time when He received universal dominion, absolute and unfettered, from the hand of His Father. But we must never forget that His Ascension is built on the bedrock of His Descent. We are told that He led captivity captive and gave gifts to men. One of those gifts is the privilege of imitating Him in this pattern—true glorification is always set on the granite foundation of sacrificial suffering.

The Text

“But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers…” (Eph. 4:7–11).

Summary of the Text

Notice what the bottom line in this passage is. We are talking about the Ascension of Christ, but this is the basis for the gift of Christ. Having ascended, He has given to each one of us grace according to the measure of His gift (v. 7). The Old Testament testifies to this (Ps. 68:18), saying that the Lord ascended on high, leading captivity captive, and gave gifts to men (v. 8). Paul reasons that if He ascended, He must first have descended (v. 9). But where? He says to the “lower parts of the earth,” which some take to mean His descent in the Incarnation. But Paul actually says “lower parts of the earth,” not “earth, the lower part of the cosmos.” Paul is arguing that the extent of the Lord’s glorification is commensurate with the depth of His humiliation, and refers to His descent into Hades, where He liberated all the Old Testament saints in His resurrection (leading captivity captive). So the one who descended is the one who ascended, in order that He might fill all things (v. 10). And when He gave gifts, what gifts did He give? He gave us men—apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastor/teachers (v. 11). He gave us men who would follow the pattern set by Jesus.

Prerogatives of Power

The Lord who made Heaven and earth alone has the power to make the pathway between them. When Jacob dreamed of a great ladder to Heaven, he saw angels ascending and descending on it (Gen. 28:12). But when Jesus spoke to Nathanael, a man with less guile than Jacob apparently, He said that the angels would be ascending and descending upon the Son of man. He was the ladder, in other words (Jn. 1:51). He is the means of ascending and descending.

“Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? Who hath gathered the wind in his fists? Who hath bound the waters in a garment? Who hath established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son’s name, if thou canst tell?” (Prov. 30:4).

We worship a God who reveals Himself. When He comes down, when He descends, He then speaks. The Lord descends and the smoke ascends.

“And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly” (Ex. 19:18).

This is what happened at Sinai, when God brought the law. But this was not raw condemnation. We need to hear everything God says about His descending and ascending.

Christ is Always the Point

God came down on Mt. Sinai and delivered His law. But in that delivery, although we sometimes miss the point, God never misses the point. What is the point of the whole law? Christ is the point, purpose, or end of the law for everyone who believes.

“For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them. But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Rom. 10:4–10).

Christ can descend all by Himself. No one needs to go fetch Him, and no one could fetch Him. Christ was raised from the dead by the power of His Father and His Spirit, but He was not passive. He took His life up again (John 10:17). No one needed to go help.

Gut or Grace

Gut it out and fail, or grace it out and walk right in. The righteousness that is of the law talks this way. The man who does these things, this man is a doer of righteousness. Unfortunately, this man does not exist.

The righteousness that is of faith says that you shouldn’t and can’t go up to Heaven to get Christ. The righteousness that is of faith says that you shouldn’t and can’t go down into Hades to make Him rise from the dead. The reason is for this is that all of this has already happened. Why go do what has been done? Why go off to do what you couldn’t do anyway? The word of faith which we preach is the declaration that all of this has been done. What Christ said from the cross can also be said over every step of this glorious ladder between Heaven and earth. It is finished. That’s done. And now that. And now that. The last that is you in glory.

Christ has descended, first to earth, where He ascended the cross. Having ascended the cross, He descended to Hades. Having descended to Hades, He rose from the dead, and ascended into Heaven, where He now sits on the right hand of God the Father. This is your hope, this is your joy, this is your crown, this is your salvation. Walk in it.

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Finding Yourself (Ascension Sunday 2018)

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Ascension Sunday

The Text

21 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” 23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. 28 Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.” (Mt. 16:21-28)

Introduction

Today is celebrated as Ascension Sunday throughout the Christian Church, marking the ascension of Jesus to the right hand of the Father as Lord and King of all. In an important sense, this celebration marks the day on which all that Jesus did in this world was fulfilled. He was born as Lord, lived as Lord, died as Lord, rose as Lord, but the ascension marks His enthronement as Lord. In this sense, we can speak of Jesus arriving where His entire life was aiming toward. Or using the language of our sermon text, in the ascension, Jesus found His life.

Summary of the Text

We pick up right after Peter’s famous confession of faith, and from that point Jesus began regularly saying that He was going to Jerusalem to die and rise again (Mt. 16:21). At some point, Peter, having so recently been praised for his correct answer about Jesus, begins rebuking Jesus for talking this way (Mt. 16:22). But Jesus says that this rebuke is a satanic temptation to prefer the things of man over the things of God (Mt. 16:23). Jesus says that His mission is to gain the glory of His Father, and He invites all men to follow Him in preferring these things over his own things, his own life, or even the whole world (Mt. 16:24-26). This path will be vindicated when Jesus comes in the glory of His Father and rewards men according to their works (Mt. 16:27-28).

Finding Yourself

In our world, we are bombarded with messages and advertisements for finding yourself, for finding happiness, success, fulfillment. And in many ways, what we are talking about is glory. Glory is how the Bible describes someone really shining, doing and being what they were created to be (Ps. 8:5). And this glory really is something unique, something without comparison, something different (Prov. 30:18-19). But in a random world, success and glory are necessarily random. Finding yourself is like winning the lottery. Therefore, in a random world, the mantra: be different! really is the best advice. While the odds may not technically be in your favor, if you know that the people with glory are different and unique, then you might as well start trying now. The funny thing is that the images and suggestions given are self-contradictory: be yourself and be different and buy this Coke, wear these clothes, have this phone plan, go organic (like everyone else). Jesus is interested in answering the same question, but He is refreshingly honest and straightforward. He knows that people can never find themselves all by themselves. Finding yourself, finding what you were made for is always found through following others. The only question is who are you following? Who are you trusting?

A Bad Bargain

Jesus says that we are naturally inclined to make deals with the devil, settling for more now in exchange for less later: more life now for less life later, more profit now for less profit later, more glory now for no glory later (Mt. 16:23-26). But this is to assume that there is no ultimate justice in the universe. It is fundamentally atheistic. Notice also that the Satanic offer isn’t the offer of sin on a platter full of worms. Satan comes in this episode in the voice of a close friend, a faithful disciple, and an apostle. As Paul says elsewhere, Satan transforms himself into an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14). False apostles, deceitful workers transform themselves into apostles of Christ (2 Cor. 11:13). Satanic ministers transform themselves into “ministers of righteousness” (2 Cor. 11:15). In other words, what Satan offers is typically some good thing. The bad deal is what that other good thing is taking you away from, what you are losing in the process. Satan is the thief who comes over to give you a welcome basket only to rob you. But Jesus says that the way to true life, profit, and glory is through following Him with a cross, losing your life for His sake, and being willing to forfeit the whole world (Mt. 16:24-26). One of the ways Christians get this wrong is by assuming that the way of Jesus must be whichever way looks worse. But that isn’t what Jesus says. He says to follow Him, to lose our lives for His sake. This means fundamentally that the way to find your life is through obedience. And what this means is leaning in. The pagan instinct is to pull away, to try to be different, but the way of Jesus is to follow.

A Few Different Applications

For young people, one of the temptations is to find yourself primarily in comparison with your parents. The temptation is to carve out your own space, to try to be different from your mom or your dad. But the fifth commandment is straight forward: honor your father and mother. Lean in, follow their example. Some of you come from broken families, and of course, you must not follow sinful examples. All of us have sinful fathers and mothers, but God knew about sin when He gave us the fifth commandment. Find what there is to honor, and honor it. Let your heart be free to embrace the gifts of your family. Lean in and find yourself.

One of the ways you know Jesus and Peter were friends is by this sharp confrontation and correction. “Faithful are the wounds of a friends, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful” (Prov. 27:6). “Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you” (Prov. 9:8). “As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend” (Prov. 27:17). Not wanting to offend or not wanting to let friends down can be some of the most powerful forces in the world, and in the name of friendship and kindness great evil can creep in. Are you trying to find yourself in your friendships? Or are you committed to following Christ in obedience no matter what?

Similar temptations can creep into young families or other new ventures, like a new second service. The temptation can be to zero in on the differences. In our family, what makes us who we are is that we don’t…  (fill in the blank) like our parents. In this new service, what makes us different is … But this is to buy into the world’s way of finding glory. You don’t find your identity by highlighting your differences. You don’t find yourself by strict conformity. You find yourself by following Jesus and following those who have followed Him well (1 Cor. 4:16-17). The point is that we are following Christ, obeying Christ together, trusting that this is the best investment in the world.

How did Jesus find Himself? He obeyed His Father. He knew His duty, and He could not be distracted by the offers of the devil. How did He do this? “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:2). He considered the joy of the glory of the Father, the fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore at His right hand (Ps. 16:11).

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Knowing His Great and Precious Promises

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The Text

“Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: 2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:1-4).

Knowledge for the Battle

Peter is preparing is readers for a battle with false teachers, sexual invasion, persecution, corruption in the church. Peter will get to these battles in chapter 2 and 3. But we first my be armed with the knowledge of God, and what he has done for his people. Right knowledge leads to right living. The church needs courage to face these challenges. A corrupt people, both of mind and life, will not be a courageous people.

Peter: Servant and Apostle (vs. 1)

Peter introduces himself as “Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ.” Peter takes on two seemingly contrary titles––servant and apostle. Though he has great authority as an apostle, he identifies himself first as a servant. Wouldn’t Jesus be proud of Peter who jumped up on his chair when Jesus tried to wash his feet (Lk. 22:26).

Peter writes this letter “to those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.” Some people would object, “Sure Peter, it’s fine for you to talk about enduring suffering, being holy––you got the faith on an apostle. But not the rest of us.” Peter, however, says that we have all been given a faith of equal standing, “a like precious faith.” There are no “cheap seats” for faith where the apostles get the front row seats and the rest of us are up in the nose bleed section. The faith is all equal, and equally precious, because the faith of all Christians shares the same object––Jesus Christ and his righteousness. John Calvin adds, “He calls it like or equally precious, not that it is equal in all, but because all possess by faith the same Christ with his righteousness, and the same salvation” (Commentary on 2 Peter 1:1). You are saved by Christ’s righteousness plus nothing, and that’s what you believe.

Grace and Peace Multiplied (vs. 2)

“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” Maybe you’re like me and sometimes skim over the first line or two of an email with the usual pleasantries–– “hope you and the kids are good…” But for Peter, this is not a throw away introduction. Rather, it is his prayer for what his letter will accomplish. “May Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” This knowledge is not limited to facts, tidbits of information. Peter knew Jesus as his God, his Lord, his Savior, his Christ. He didn’t merely know about Jesus. He knew Jesus.

His Knowledge for Life and Godliness (vs. 3)

“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness.” God is the creator and the sustainer of life (Heb. 1:3). This includes the Milky Way galaxy and the Milky-Way candy bar. And God granted to us all things that pertain to life, and godliness.

How can we be like God? This is the question that’s as old as the dirt shaped into a man. You don’t get it by grasping for yourselves––nix Adam and Eve’s attempt. You don’t get by following rules––nix every man-propelled religion. How do you get godliness? You are given it from God. He’s the source. And he gives godliness “through the knowledge of Him who called us to his own glory and excellence.” Knowledge of God shapes you to be like God. No knowledge, then no godliness. But that understanding is not based on our IQ, but on the God who calls by his glory and virtue (1 Peter 1:15, 2:9, 2:21, 3:9, 5:10). Where is glory? Where is virtue? They are found in the Son of the Father (Jn. 1:14,18).

Precious and Exceedingly Great Promises (vs. 4)

“He has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire” (vs. 4) Through knowledge of Christ, we have received great and precious promises which enable us to partake of the divine nature and “unpartake” of the world’s corruptions. There are two things we need above all––1) to be liberated from our sinful desires that corrupt the world and 2) to return to God. What are God’s promises? 1) He will liberate us from sinful desires and 2) He will make us partakers in his divine nature.

You have escaped the corruption, the punishment, the judgment that is in the world from your sinful desires. Why? Because Christ your Savior was crucified. You share in the divine nature. Why? Because you are clothed in the righteousness of Jesus. Do you know these great and precious promises of God? Then believe them. Then believe Him, and so arm yourself for what’s ahead.

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God’s Sure Promises

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The Text: 2 Peter 1:1-4

 

1. Peter’s Confidence

“And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts” ( 2 Peter 1:19).

2. Sense of Urgency

“knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me”  (2 Peter 1:14)

3. What is coming shortly?

 

New Heaven and New Earth

“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth;

And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind.

But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create;

For behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing,

And her people a joy.  Isaiah 65:25

 

End of the Age

But he who endures to the end shall be saved.  And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.  Matthew 24:14

 

The Day of the Lord

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.  2 Peter 3:10

 

4. What is Peter’s exhortation based on this urgency?

“For I know their works and their thoughts. It shall be that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come and see My glory.  I will set a sign among them; and those among them who escape I will send to the nations: to Tarshish and Pul and Lud, who draw the bow, and Tubal and Javan, to the coastlands afar off who have not heard My fame nor seen My glory. And they shall declare My glory among the Gentiles.  Then they shall bring all your brethren for an offering to the Lord out of all nations, on horses and in chariots and in litters, on mules and on camels, to My holy mountain Jerusalem,” says the Lord, “as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the Lord.  And I will also take some of them for priests and Levites,” says the Lord.  Isaiah 66:18-21

 

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Calvinism 4.0: The Sin of Sectarianism

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Introduction

What I would like to do, Lord permitting, is preach a series of messages through the basic doctrines of the Reformed faith, as we understand the teaching of Scripture. This is particularly important if you have been attending here for many years, or if you have grown up in this church. It is of course bad to be steeped in sectarian doctrines and be full of pride over it. But it is far worse to be deeply attached to a doctrine or tradition that you know nothing about.

The title of this series refers to Calvinism 4.0. What is that about? The history of the Reformed faith covers one fourth of the entire history of the church, and there have naturally been developments—in my mind, each one consistent with and augmenting what went before. Calvinism 1.0 was the initial period in the 1500s, the time of Calvin’s Institutes. Calvinism 2.0 was the period of the Reformed scholastics, culminating in the Westminster Confession. Calvinism 3.0 is best represented by the fusion of American evangelicalism and the orthodoxy of Old Princeton. Calvinism 4.0 is what we are attempting here in our ministry, fully in line with what has gone before, but with a few additions that I will develop as we go.

The Text

“Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up on behalf of one against the other” (1 Cor. 4:6, NKJV).

Summary of the Text

The Scriptures plainly prohibit any kind of factionalism that arises from undue loyalty to particular Bible teachers (1 Cor.3: 4, 21-22). To prohibit such attitudes is no slam against those teachers necessarily because the ones named in this section by Paul were particularly godly — two were apostles (Paul and Peter), and the other was eloquent and mighty in the Scriptures (Apollos). The problem is one of conceit and pride, taking credit for something that you had actually received as a gift (1 Cor. 4:7). The fact that the problem lies in attitudes, and not in names per se, can be seen in the fact some at Corinth were guilty of this factionalism while using the name of Christ (1 Cor. 1:12). A denomination refers to a name, and you can’t escape denominationalism through the simple expedient of calling yourself non-denominational, or “simply Christian.” It should be so easy.

How Our Statement of Faith Works

Our church has adopted the original British version of the Westminster Confession of Faith. What this means is that it represents the kind of doctrine you can expect to hear taught from the pulpit. Members of the church are not required to subscribe to it—members of the church are simply required to be Christians who are living decent and responsible Christian lives. So this means that a man who loves Jesus, and who is walking in accordance with the gospel can join this church, even if he is a Wesleyan charismatic dispensationalist.

Not Our Table

We practice what is called open communion. This means that anyone who visits us is welcome to partake with us, provided they have been baptized in the triune name by a Trinitarian church or individual, and provided further that they are not under lawful church discipline. This is the Lord’s Table, not ours, and so it is open to any of the Lord’s people. But this is open communion, not promiscuous communion. Vacationing Lutherans are as welcome as anyone, but we do not say the same thing about visiting meth dealers.

An Optical Illusion

The way God created the world, it is necessary for us to live in particular communities. This means that, in a certain stipulated sense, we have to major on minors. What do I mean by this? If you were to quiz me on what doctrines I believe to be very important, the doctrine of an optimistic eschatology would be in the top three. And yet a person could conceivably join our church and not find out about this emphasis for a year and a half. It might occur to him to wonder from time to time about how cheerful these people seem to be in these Last Days, but yet still not encounter an explicit statement of it.

And what is the doctrinal importance of the songs we sing? Well, they are important also, but about seventeen things are on the list ahead of them. And yet he finds out about our music on the first Sunday with us, the second Sunday with us, and so on. It turns out the music is a different kind of important.

Beyond What Is Written

The basic injunction that Paul gives us in our text is that we must be people of the Word. We must be in the Word, and we must live out the Word. We must not get out ahead of ourselves when we assume that “this is what the Bible must teach.”

Churches that have defined systems of doctrine (as we most certainly do) will have temptations that correspond to what they possess. If you enroll in a math class, you will have math problems. If you are a confessional Christian, you will have confessional temptations. And this why all of you need to be Bible readers. This prevents you from relying “for the gist” on the Cliff Notes provided by sermons, catechisms, or Christian books. There is a vast difference between teaching a Bible reader, as Philip did with the Ethiopian eunuch, and providing dashboard summaries for Christians who can’t be troubled. You are exhorted to desire the milk of the Word (1 Pet. 2:2), and while it is sometimes more convenient to get it third hand, the chances of the milk being watered down are greatly increased. This is why a lot of Christians are drinking milk that looks like water somebody cleaned their paint brushes in.

Plausibility Structures

When you grow up in any culture, the assumptions of that culture will naturally seem reasonable to you. This sometimes troubles Christian kids—are Hindu children, and Muslim children, and Mormon children being taught in just the same way that I am being taught, i.e. that “their religion is true.” The answer to that is yes, they quite possibly are. It is possible for Christian kids to be indoctrinated in just the same ways that other kids are indoctrinated elsewhere. This is why you must come to Christ yourself; come to His Word yourself; live by faith yourself. Christianity on cruise control is not what we are after.

Jesus is Everything

When you grow up in a church like this one, it would be a grave mistake to think that we are simply indoctrinating you. What we are seeking to do is tell you the good news in a manner that is consistent with the message itself. You do not know yourself to be a sinner because that was in your catechism. You know that because you read it in your heart. You can see your heart, can you not?

And when Christ is presented to you, as He is every week, you know that He is the Savior of every sinner. It is true that I am telling you this, but someone else is also telling you this. And this is the work of the Spirit of Christ, present with us now, the one who makes all things new (Rev. 21:5).

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