Christ Church


Warning: Undefined variable $title in /srv/users/christkirk-com/apps/christkirk-com/public/wp-content/themes/christkirk/functions.php on line 879

Warning: Attempt to read property "name" on string in /srv/users/christkirk-com/apps/christkirk-com/public/wp-content/themes/christkirk/inc/genesis-changes.php on line 159

Life According to the Lamb (Christ Church)


Warning: Undefined variable $author_nicename in /srv/users/christkirk-com/apps/christkirk-com/public/wp-content/themes/christkirk/functions.php on line 895

Christ Church on

INTRODUCTION

As we have seen in the book of Acts, the time between the resurrection of Christ and the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 was a time of overlap between the old and new covenants. Christ Himself was the sacrifice of the new covenant, which was better by far than the blood of bulls and goats. Christ is the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world and our text today is designed in order that we would join with those heavenly voices saying, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain” (Revelation 5:12).

SURVEY OF THE TEXT: HEBREWS 10:11-22

“Every priest in the Old Testament had to offer sacrifices continually (v. 11). Whatever those sacrifices did, they didn’t accomplish the job in a once for all fashion. Those priests stood daily and could never sit down and call it quits. But the man Jesus Christ, after offering but one sacrifice, did sit down (v. 12) to have all His enemies made His footstool (v. 13). By that one offering, He did not only cover sin but perfected His sanctified ones forever (v. 14). The Holy Ghost testifies to this perfection (v. 15) by writing God’s law on hearts in the new covenant (v. 16). In that new covenant, God has sworn an oath of amnesia, forgetting our sins (v. 17). No more sacrifice for sin can be offered to God because it would only be met with God saying, “And what is this for” (v. 18)? By the blood of Christ’s sacrifice, we have boldness to walk into God’s throne room (v. 19). The way into that throne room is through the living flesh of Christ (v. 20), our high priest over God’s house (v. 21). So we must draw near to God with hearts assured seeing we have our bodies and consciences washed clean (v. 22).

THE BLOOD OF BULLS AND GOATS

The book of Hebrews makes the point repeatedly that the blood of bulls and goats could not take away sins. However, we should not think that this means the Old Testament saints were not forgiven in real time. David says in Psalm 32:5, “I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, ‘I will confess my transgression unto the LORD.’ And thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.” While it was not the virtue of the Old Testament sacrifices themselves that accomplished this forgiveness, they did have a role to play. Israelites were instructed to bring sacrifices when they had sinned and Leviticus says in several places, “and the priest shall make an atonement for him for his sin which he hath sinned, and it shall be forgiven him” (Leviticus 5:10; 4:20; 26, 31; 6:7).

If these sacrifices were offered disingenuously, then God despised them, “When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts? Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me” (Isaiah 1:12-13). But when they were offered genuinely from the heart, God did not despise them but covered their sin: “the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou will not despise” (Psalm 51:17).

FORGIVENESS AND PERFECTION

However, even when those sacrifices were genuinely offered, the forgiven worshippers were not made perfect:

“For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did, by the which we draw nigh unto God” (Hebrews 7:19). “For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect” (Hebrews 10:1). If those sacrifices had made the worshippers perfect, “then would they not have ceased to be offered? Because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins” (Hebrews 10:2).

The point is not that the Old Testament saints received a faux forgiveness. Their sins were like stains on the carpet. Those stains were covered and God really said, “All is well.” But they knew the stain was still there and the covered stain still weighed on their conscience. The marvel of the new covenant is that Christ’s bodily death has done what the blood of bulls and goats could not do, namely take sin away entirely and thereby make us perfect: “For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified” (Hebrews 10:14). There is no more stain. Consequently, “there is no more offering for sin” (Hebrews 10:18).

PERFECTED FOREVER

The import of all of this is that you must live according to the Lamb who was slain. He says, “No more stain.” He says, “I have perfected you and your people.” And the Lamb is the One worthy of “power, and riches, and wisdom” (Revelation 5:12). You must agree with God that you and your people have been perfected through the once for all sacrifice of Christ. This is a potent truth, a bit too potent for some. “You can’t tell them that their sins have been taken away once for all,” comes the reply, “if you do that there is no telling what sin they will tamper with.” But, how can they who have had sins taken away still tamper with them?

Paul says in another place that you must “reckon yourselves to be dead to sin” (Romans 6:11). And by the same standard here, you must reckon yourselves perfected by the sacrifice of Christ. You can reason from the blood of the Lamb. But you may have no other starting point.

APPLICATIONS

This point has several applications. Your whole life must be lived in Jesus name and that includes your service, your good works. Having been perfected, we serve the Living God and there is no other way to serve Him: “For if the blood of bulls and of goats and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God” (Hebrews 9:13-14)?

The same goes for confessions. The corrupt heart of man wants to take his confession as the starting point, as the fundamental axiom from which he can get to the sacrifice of Christ. But the truth is the reverse. Having been perfected, we confess our imperfections.

And the same goes for forgiveness. Having been perfected, we forgive others and are forgiven. When you forgive another person, you are not accepting their apology as a blood sacrifice and thereby reckoning them clean. It is that kind of thinking that keeps people riddled with bitterness because that sacrifice simply isn’t enough. We forgive others because of the once for all sacrifice, the one that took our sins and theirs away.

This same logic appears in our worship. The worship that we now offer up to Almighty God is perfect because it is offered up in Jesus’ name. Having been perfected by His blood, we walk into the holiest place and we walk into that throne room of God in the only manner worthy of that blood, boldly.

Read Full Article

Strong & Kind Husbands (King’s Cross Moscow)


Warning: Undefined variable $author_nicename in /srv/users/christkirk-com/apps/christkirk-com/public/wp-content/themes/christkirk/functions.php on line 895

Christ Church on

TEXT

“Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered” (1 Peter 3:7 NKJV).

INTRODUCTION

God, in His infinite wisdom, made men and women different. These differences are in accordance with our roles and duties, and in marriage, they complement each other. The glory of men is their strength. But this strength must be wielded rightly if you desire to glorify God and love your wife, as the Lord commands.

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

After exhorting wives regarding their role in marriage and duty toward their husbands, the Apostle Peter turns his attention to husbands. He calls them to dwell with their wives with understanding – meaning a husband is to know his wife and be considerate of her. One way a husband demonstrates that he is endeavoring to do this is by giving her honor, respecting her as the weaker vessel but also as co-heir of the grace of life. The warning for husbands is that if they do not love and honor their wives, the Lord will not honor them and shut His ears to their prayers.

HOW HUSBANDS FAIL

There are two ways husbands fail in their duties toward their wives. The first is to be strong in a way that is selfish and has no benefit for your wife. The second is to be simply weak, allowing your wife’s weakness (both pure and sinful) to dominate the home. Both of these are an abdication of your God-given role as head and a failure of leadership.

JUST AS CHRIST LOVED THE CHURCH

But Christ shows men a better way. He demonstrated how husbands can both be strong and kind. How a husband can use his God-given strength to enter into his wife’s weakness with both compassion and truth.

CONCLUSION: “HOLY FRIENDSHIP”

John Calvin called marriage a “holy friendship.”

The German reformer Johannas Oecolampadius wrote, “…the woman was drawn out from the side of Adam, not from a higher part lest she be deemed more worthy, not from a lower part lest she be able to be regarded as worth less, but from the side so that she would be at his side and so be his helper.”

Your great duty in this life is to lead your wife and your family before the Lord. In this, you are to imitate your Head, Christ, entering into your wife’s struggles and laying down your life. When a husband truly leads and loves his wife, and when a wife honors and submits to her husband with full trust—there is an immense blessing and joy that fills your cup, and overflows to your children, your children’s children, and to the world.

Read Full Article

The Grace of Believing (Acts of the Apostles) (Christ Church)


Warning: Undefined variable $author_nicename in /srv/users/christkirk-com/apps/christkirk-com/public/wp-content/themes/christkirk/functions.php on line 895

Christ Church on

INTRODUCTION

As we continue through Acts, we come to a passage that is filled with a number of interesting details—details which spread out in different directions. And although various subjects are addressed here, we will come to see that all of it represents the grace of God to us.

THE TEXT

“And Paul after this tarried there yet a good while, and then took his leave of the brethren, and sailed thence into Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila; having shorn his head in Cenchrea: for he had a vow. And he came to Ephesus, and left them there: but he himself entered into the synagogue, and reasoned with the Jews. When they desired him to tarry longer time with them, he consented not; But bade them farewell, saying, I must by all means keep this feast that cometh in Jerusalem: but I will return again unto you, if God will . . .” (Acts 18:18–28).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

Paul remained in Corinth for a bit, and then left for Syria with Priscilla and Aquila (v. 18). Cenchrea was the eastern port for Corinth, and Paul concluded a Nazarite vow there (v. 18; Num. 6:1-21). He came to Ephesus on the way, and left Priscilla and Aquila there. While there, Paul reasoned with the Jews in the synagogue (v. 19). They wanted him to stay longer, but he declined (v. 20). Paul was eager to make it back to Jerusalem by the upcoming feast, but promised to return if he could. So he left Ephesus (v. 21). He landed at Caesarea, went up to Jerusalem to greet the church, and then went to (Syrian) Antioch (v. 22). After some time there, he went through Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening the believers there (v. 23). And then Luke cuts back to Ephesus. An Alexandrian Jew named Apollos showed up there—he was both eloquent and great in the Scriptures (v. 24). He knew the way of the Lord, he was fervent in spirit, and he taught accurately . . . but only up through John’s baptism (v. 25). He taught boldly in the synagogue in Ephesus (which had been open-minded with Paul, remember). Priscilla and Aquila heard him there, took him aside, and brought him up to speed (v. 26). When he decided to go to Achaia, the brothers wrote him a letter of recommendation (v. 27). When he arrived in Achaia, he was a big help to those who had believed through grace (v. 27). The nature of the help was that he vigorously refuted the Jews, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ (v. 28).

PAUL’S ORDERLY WALK

When Paul arrives in Jerusalem later on in Acts, the leaders there acknowledge that Paul himself was an observant Jew—“and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law” (Acts 21:24). We can see that here. He concluded a Nazarite vow that had been ongoing in Corinth (Acts 18:18; Num. 6:13). This included a sin offering, a burnt offering, and a peace offering (Num. 6:16-17). The hair that was cut off was part of the peace offering (Num. 6:18). Perhaps the hair was brought to Jerusalem because that was where the sacrifices would be made. And he apparently had taken another Nazarite vow later on because he purified himself with four men who had also done so, and he paid their expenses (Acts 21: 20-24). The most interesting thing about this would be the fact of the blood sacrifices—but the period between the Lord’s resurrection and 70 A.D. was a transitional time. “In that He says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away” (Hebrews 8:13, NKJV).

PRISCILLA HELPS OUT

We can also see in this passage that Priscilla was a true co-laborer in the gospel. Apollos showed up with a good message to preach, but he was only part way there. Priscilla and Aquila heard him speak in the synagogue, and his message was really good, but he needed further information. The text says that they took Apollos aside, and they explained things to him more fully (ektithemi, to expound). This verb expound is in the third person plural. This means that Priscilla was talking also.

We know from Scripture that women are not to teach or have authority in the church (1 Tim. 2:12). The reason our formal leadership is all male is because the Word requires this of us. But the Scriptures clearly do not prohibit what Priscilla and Aquila do here. The Bible says nothing about women keeping silence in the parking lot, or over lunch if they hosted Apollos that afternoon.

THE VALUE OF DEBATE

Many people make the mistake of thinking that a public debate is useless if the person being debated is not persuaded. But this is a very great mistake. Notice what it says here. Apollos vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, and this was not an encouragement to them. But rather it was an encouragement to the believers there, who were able to see the position they held ably articulated and defended.

If an apologist has a debate with an atheist on a college campus, the atheist will likely remain unpersuaded. But there are any number of believing college students who are greatly edified as they see the false doctrines that come at them in the classroom being so clearly taken down.

BELIEVED THROUGH GRACE

All of this is the grace of God. And notice that it does not say here that the believers had believed in grace. It says rather that through grace they had believed. Our faith is the gift of God, lest any man should boast (Eph. 2:8-10). God gives repentance to Israel (Acts 5:31). The Jews in Jerusalem rejoiced that God had given the Gentiles repentance to life (Acts 11:18). In Pisidian Antioch, who believed? The Gentiles who were appointed to eternal life did so (Acts 13:48). Why did Lydia believe? Because the Lord opened her heart (Acts 16:14).

There is true glory here, and all of it goes to God our Savior. He is the one who gives us everything. Go back to the beginning, and He was there first. We love Him because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). At the beginning when you offered up that first faltering prayer—”God, be merciful to me, a sinner”—even that prayer was placed in your mouth as a gift from the Holy Spirit of God. All grace, all the time.

Read Full Article