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Savior of the World #3

Ben Zornes on January 24, 2016

Introduction:

As Scripture instructs, we must be adult in our understanding. But we must also cultivate what Luke records in the books of Acts when he says that the early Christians ate their bread with gladness and simplicity of heart. We may be refreshed with both when we come to understand the water of life.

The Text:

“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness” (2 Pet. 3:10–13 ).

Summary of the Text:

When did this happen? It is easy to read superficially and think that it is all still in our future. But note three things. The day of the Lord is the kind of thing that Peter says has already happened once(v. 6). Noah lived through an exciting time, but he did not live through the dissolution of the space/time continuum. Second, Jude talks about the same thing, citing Peter’s words, and is plainly talking about his generation (Jude 17-19 ). And last, this meltdown ushers in the new heavens and new earth, and the prophecies concerning them have a time stamp on them.

According to Promise:

We know enough about scriptural language that we do not think the dissolution of the old heavens and the old earth consists of a meltdown of the periodic table. What we mean by “elements” is not what they meant by elements. Peter’s word is stoicheia, which I would submit should be referred to the elementary “gods”—earth, water, air, and fire. Plato was perhaps the first to describe these four with the word stoicheia, along with aether, a possible fifth element.

Before redemption, mankind was in bondage to such elementals as Paul says in Gal. 4:3-8 . There is perhaps a reference to two of them in Eph. 2:2 and Rev. 14:18 . We have now been set free from them—their power has melted away.

But what does this passage mean positively? The interpretive key is found in Peter’s phrase “according to His promise.” Where were we promised a new heavens and a new earth? Where does the Old Testament talk about this?

Isaiah’s Glory:

At the great conclusion of the book of Isaiah, the prophet tells how reprobate Israelites would be rejected, and the Gentiles brought in. “I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, Unto a nation that was not called by my name. I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people” (Is. 65 :l-2a). God promises to call His elect by another name—Christian, as it turns out—and the basis of this is His promise. “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind” (Is. 65:15-17 ). This is where the promise which Peter is claiming is made (Is. 66:22 ).

Among other things, what do people do in the new heavens and the new earth? Well, if we read our Bibles thoughtfully, we should notice that they die (Is. 65:20 ). This means that the new heavens and new earth should not be confounded with the eternal state after the last resurrection. After the last resurrection, there is no death. We are in the new heavens and new earth now.

But do not look for a material fulfillment. “Thus says the Lord: ‘Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest?’” (Is. 66:1 ). We are the temple (1 Cor. 3:16 ; 6:19 ), we are the living stones (1 Pet. 2:4-5 ); we are the new Jerusalem (Rev. 21:2 , 9 ).

Living Water:

When Jesus teaches us about living water, we have all learned enough scriptural truth not to look in the bucket. This “water” is everlasting life (John 4:13-15 ); this “water” is the Holy Spirit of God (John 7:37-39 ). “But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” Most notably, Jesus said, “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But where does Scripture talk about rivers of living water?

Ezekiel’s Temple:

“Then he brought me back to the door of the temple; and there was water, flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east . . . and it was a river that I could not cross; for the water was too deep, water in which one must swim, a river that could not be crossed . . . When it reaches the sea, its waters are healed. And it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever the rivers go, will live . . . Along the bank of the river, on this side and that, will grow all kinds of trees used for food; their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. They will bear fruit every month, because their water flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for medicine” (Ez. 47:1-12 ).

This river of Ezekiel is the Holy Spirit; it is everlasting life, and it flows out over the threshold of the Christian Church.

The Bridal City:

Now the parallels between Ezekiel’s temple and the New Jerusalem make it dear they are a vision of the same thing—the holy Christian church. But how does John introduce his discussion of it?

“Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away” (Rev. 21:1 ).

The last two chapters of the Revelation are a glorious description of a justified and perfect Church, with healing for the nations.

Come:

“And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely” (Rev. 22:17 ). This water of life was not given to individuals so they could keep a thimbleful in their hearts. This water is meant to inundate the world.

Why were these waters sent? So that the world would be filled up with Jesus, as the waters cover the sea (Is. 11:9 ; Hab. 2:14 ). The knowledge of the Lord will fill the earth as the waters cover the sea, and Jesus is the knowledge of the Lord (Eph. 1:17-23 ).

Savior of the World #2

Joe Harby on January 10, 2016

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INTRODUCTION:

Far too many Christians take a phrase from Luther without the faith of Luther. They do believe that this world is “with devils filled,” but have no knowledge of the “one little word” which fells the evil one. That one little word is cross. Christ is the Savior of the world—not only because He died for the world and for lost humanity—but because in His death He overthrew the reigning principalities and powers who had previously been in power. Tragically, many Christians believe that spiritual warfare is conducted as though Christ never died, or as though His death is irrelevant to that conflict. But this is not what the Bible teaches.

THE TEXT:

“Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself. This He said, signifying by what death He would die” (John 12:31-32).

THE OLD WORLD:

Throughout the Old Testament we see a celestial and angelic government over the nations of men. The gods of the various nations are closely identified with those nations. For example, angelic beings stand behind the nations of Persia (Dan. 10:13) or Tyre (Ez. 28:11-16). General statements are made in which God is contrasted with these beings, and He is in another category entirely. “Among the gods there is none like You, O Lord; nor are there any works like Your works” (Ps. 86:8). God was sovereign over such celestials then, but He exercised His sovereignty over and through them. They were, in some significant sense, mediatorial princes. In the Christian aeon, God has established just one Prince… and He is one of us, a man.

THE AGE TO COME:

The period of the New Testament is the time of transition between the reign of the celestial princes, and the dominion of man in Christ. “For He has not put the world to come, of which we speak, in subjection to angels. But one testified in a certain place, saying: ‘What is man that You are mindful of him . . . For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we do not yet see all things put under him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone” (Heb. 2:5-9). The author of Hebrews did not yet see the promise made to mankind fulfilled. Nevertheless, he does see the fulfillment as centered in Christ.

SOVEREIGN AND MEDIATOR:

Now an important distinction is necessary. God, by definition, has always exercised sovereign control over the world. The hair on every head has always been numbered. But in the accomplished mission of Christ, the cross and resurrection, God established a new mediatorial rule in the world. Christ as the eternal Word of God has always been sovereign. But in the Incarnation, God has established His Son as a new mediatorial Prince, and we are seated and enthroned in the heavenly places in Christ.

TRIUMPH:

We must remember the power of the conquering cross. This is how the New Testament describes it over and over again. If we miss this, we are missing a central part of the impact of the gospel.

Note especially the italics. “However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written: ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him’” (1 Cor. 2:6-7).

What did these rulers not know? They did not know the cross would topple them, and glorify the saints. Jesus said, “… of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged” (John 16:11).

Paul exults in this conquest: “Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it” (Col. 2:15 ). A triumph included a public humiliation of the defeated after the battle was over.

What was the point of the cross? “… that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil . . .” (Heb. 2:14)

What Satan offered Christ in the temptation, Christ refused. But Christ refused because He planned to knock him down, and take the kingdoms of men from him. “No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house” (Mark 3:27).

RULER OF THE KINGS OF THE EARTH:

This is why we worship and serve Jesus Christ. Who is He? “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood” (Rev. 1:5).

Savior of the World #1

Joe Harby on January 3, 2016

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INTRODUCTION:

Many Christians veer into one of two errors in their view of future history. Either they plunge into a very exciting study of the “end times” and become consumed with the book of Revelation and newspaper reports about the European Union, not to mention the killer bees, trouble in the Middle East, and so forth, or they dismiss the whole thing with a wave of the hand and a joke—and usually the same joke. “I am a pan-millennialist. Everything will pan out in the end.” But much more is involved in this subject than the particular “chronology” we set for the events at the end of the world. Christians must come to understand that our doctrine of the power of the cross will be at the heart of our doctrine of the future history of the human race.

THE TEXT:

“And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world” (1 John 4:14).

FAITHFUL WITNESS:

The apostle John tells us that he, and others with him, have seen something and they testify to it. Now our duty as Christians is to stand with the apostles, and join our witness to theirs. But how can we, if we do not see what they saw? And how can we testify to something we have not seen?

They saw that the Father sent the Son with a particular purpose in mind—this is the will of the Father to which Christ was submitting in the garden when He prepared to go to the cross. The Father sent the Son as the Savior of the world. The words are very plain, and words very much like them are found throughout all Scripture.

This is the apostolic witness. Is it ours? Have we seen this? If we have not, it is because we are not paying attention.

THE MISSION:

“And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world” (John 12:47). Now Jesus says that He did not come to judge the world. But what do most Christians think Jesus is going to do when all is said and done? Right. Judge the world.

We see the same thing in a very famous passage indeed. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have

everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but

that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:16-17). The reason Christ came into the world was to save it… and most emphatically not to try to save it.

The untutored Samaritans in John’s gospel knew more about this than most modem Christians. “… and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world,” (John 4:42 ).

Why did Christ give His flesh on the cross? For the life of the world (John 6:33, 51).

THE POWER OF PROPITIATION:

“And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world” (1 John 2-2). Now propitiation is the averting or turning aside of wrath. God’s wrath was upon our world for our sinfulness and in the cross Christ provided a propitiation for the entire world. Notice that God is attempting nothing—He is doing something.

“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’” (John 1:29). He does not offer to take away the sin; He takes it away.

MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION:

“… that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation” (2 Cor. 5:19; cf. Rom. 11:15). We carry on the ministry which was first entrusted to the apostles, and that is to proclaim the word of reconciliation. Now this is committed to us, entrusted to us. What can be said of unfaithful emissaries who alter the message? We no longer say that God actually reconciled the world to Himself, because we don’t think that He did. We are as full of unbelief at this point as the people we preach to.

TWO CHOICES, BOTH BAD:

Popular evangelicalism wants the atonement to touch every last man, woman, and child. But in order to get it to do so, the touch is made ineffectual. Pessimistic Calvinists want the touch to be effectual . . . for half a dozen people.

But we preach an effectual cross, an efficacious cross which will manifest itself as nothing less than the salvation of the world. This salvation is appropriated by faith. “For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith” (Rom 4:13).

Our Lord Jesus Christ “was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world” (John 1:9). Do we really think so?