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The Lord of Hosts Has Purposed It (Survey of Isaiah #33) (CC Troy)

Lindsey Gardner on

 

 

 

 

1 The burden of Tyre. Howl, ye ships of Tarshish; for it is laid waste, so that there is no house, no entering in: from the land of Chittim it is revealed to them.

2 Be still, ye inhabitants of the isle; thou whom the merchants of Zidon, that pass over the sea, have replenished.

3 And by great waters the seed of Sihor, the harvest of the river, is her revenue; and she is a mart of nations.

4 Be thou ashamed, O Zidon: for the sea hath spoken, even the strength of the sea, saying, I travail not, nor bring forth children, neither do I nourish up young men, nor bring up virgins.

5 As at the report concerning Egypt, so shall they be sorely pained at the report of Tyre.

6 Pass ye over to Tarshish; howl, ye inhabitants of the isle.

7 Is this your joyous city, whose antiquity is of ancient days? her own feet shall carry her afar off to sojourn.

8 Who hath taken this counsel against Tyre, the crowning city, whose merchants are princes, whose traffickers are the honourable of the earth?

9 The Lord of hosts hath purposed it, to stain the pride of all glory, and to bring into contempt all the honourable of the earth.

10 Pass through thy land as a river, O daughter of Tarshish: there is no more strength.

11 He stretched out his hand over the sea, he shook the kingdoms: the Lord hath given a commandment against the merchant city, to destroy the strong holds thereof.

12 And he said, Thou shalt no more rejoice, O thou oppressed virgin, daughter of Zidon: arise, pass over to Chittim; there also shalt thou have no rest.

13 Behold the land of the Chaldeans; this people was not, till the Assyrian founded it for them that dwell in the wilderness: they set up the towers thereof, they raised up the palaces thereof; and he brought it to ruin.

14 Howl, ye ships of Tarshish: for your strength is laid waste.

15 And it shall come to pass in that day, that Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king: after the end of seventy years shall Tyre sing as an harlot.

16 Take an harp, go about the city, thou harlot that hast been forgotten; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered.

17 And it shall come to pass after the end of seventy years, that the Lord will visit Tyre, and she shall turn to her hire, and shall commit fornication with all the kingdoms of the world upon the face of the earth.

18 And her merchandise and her hire shall be holiness to the Lord: it shall not be treasured nor laid up; for her merchandise shall be for them that dwell before the Lord, to eat sufficiently, and for durable clothing.

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Out of the Whirlwind

Lindsey Gardner on

Introduction

America is in something of a holiday family feud at the moment. Aunt Lucy has had too much to drink. Cousin Curtis has decided to finally speak his mind. And Niece Jenny has brought some chump who nobody likes, though he fits right in, his house being as miserable as this one. We desperately need the I AM to grab us by the collar and march us out back to have a word with us. That kind of answer from the LORD doesn’t justify anyone in the fight. It doesn’t resolve the conflict as much as it shows that the conflict is irrelevant. It opens new vistas, ones that make everyone pipe down and offer a humble sacrifice. When God finally speaks to us from the whirlwind, it is as if He opens a window that nobody knew was there in order to let in some fresh air, which we desperately need. It is quite stuffy.

 

Summary of the Text

Job was a wealthy man in Edom, likely a king (Job 1:3; 19:9). He was a righteous man, who feared God and turned away from evil (Job 1:8). The LORD pointed him out to Satan, who in turn said that Job feared God because of all of the blessings, but would curse God to his face if afflicted. The LORD granted permission for Satan to afflict Job, stripping him of children, wealth, and health. Job replied faithfully, “the Lord gave and the LORD hath taken away, blessed be the name of the LORD” (Job 1:21).

But Job went round and round with three friends and eventually gave way, having to repent by the end of the book, though he came out more righteous than his friends. After the back and forth with his three friends, the young and wise Elihu faithfully answers Job and then God Himself answers him in our text.

Elihu takes Job to the root of the matter, which is that man cannot find out God (37:23). You will know Him plenty when He visits you and that knowledge will be more intimate than you can describe. But you will never get underneath Him and stand Him up. There will always be things about Him and His ways that flummox you. So men should fear Him; He does not set His favor on those who are wise of heart (37:24).

God Himself then answers Job out of the tornado, asking who this man who has turned off the light of real counsel by heaping up so many hollow words (v. 2). Job should tie up his robe and prepare to be tossed around. Questions are incoming from more directions than Job will be able to handle (v. 3). Where were you when I laid the concrete of the world (v. 4) or stretched out the tape measurer to determine its foundation (v. 5-6)? Did you hear the song of my angels at that time (v. 7)? Remind me where you were Job when I wrapped up the roaring sea like a newborn baby, letting it fuss only so far (v. 8-11)? Were you indeed the one who told the sun to rise and drive out all those who love darkness? Did you make it shine on the earth to display its beauty (v. 12-15)? Have you ever entered into the depths of the Pacific, down there where I have placed the gates to Sheol (v. 16-17)? In your great knowledge, have you reached the boundaries of the earth, or found the place where light and darkness live (v. 20)? Do you know these details of creation because you were born back then (v. 21)?

 

Warning to the Wise

The troubling thing about God tying up Job in knots is that Job was a righteous man, a successful man, who feared God and turned away from evil. We are far more comfortable with the suitedness of Deuteronomy’s blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience. And we should be more comfortable with them. The wise man must know that “God is, and that he is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). But with every bit of wisdom you get there is temptation to think you must now have all of it. The Lord deals you another card and you think you have the whole deck. More importantly, you think the cards you hold are your own. But the wisdom you have is like the righteousness you have. You have it, but it is not your own (Philippians 3:9).

 

We Cannot Find Him Out

Job knew that righteousness would be rewarded and wickedness punished. He also knew that he was righteous. So he eventually wore down to think that God multiplied his wounds without cause (Job 9:17-18). Sympathize with him a moment in order to gain the increase of wisdom he received in the end. Job essentially says, “If I hid my sin like Adam, then I would expose it in order to be rid of the curse and receive a blessing. But I haven’t!” (Job 31:33). “I believe in confession of sin such that God remembers His covenant promises and blesses. But there is no sin for me to confess in order to be relieved.”

Job was right that he had not been afflicted due to his sin. And He was also right that God rewards the righteous and punishes the wicked. He was wrong to say God multiplied his wounds without cause. There was a cause. It was simply one that Job did not know about. The wonder is that God never tells Job. Rather than sitting Job down and saying, “Let me explain it to you.” He speaks to Job from the whirlwind and asks him, “Did you give the peacock its feathers” (Job 39:13)?

 And that really does settle the matter.

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Gospel Obedience (The Well-Pleased Father #3) (King’s Cross)

Lindsey Gardner on

Introduction

Too often Christians oppose grace and obedience, gospel and good works. While we certainly are not saved by our good works or obedience, we are saved for obedience (Eph. 2:8-10). The gospel, rightly understood, truly renews people, making them zealous for good works, working in them the love of obedience.

The Text: “… For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world…” (Tit. 2:1-4).

 

Summary of the Text

Paul exhorts Pastor Titus to teach those things which are “fitting” for sound doctrine (Tit. 2:1). What does he mean? He means instructing old and young, men and women, and even servants to be full of virtue and obedience in the details, “that the word of God be not blasphemed,” that they “may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things” (Tit. 2:2-10). Why? Because the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared (Tit. 2:11). But not only has it appeared, but that same gospel teaches sinners to repent of their sins and live soberly, righteously, and godly in this world (Tit. 2:12). How does the gospel teach and instruct? By pointing to our blessed hope: the glorious appearing of Christ, who gave Himself for us that He might deliver us from sin and purify us and make us zealous for good works (Tit. 2:13-14). In other words, disobedience is an ugly, blasphemous lie about the gospel.

 

Living Sacrifices

The Bible teaches that outside of Christ, true obedience to God from the heart is impossible. Outside of Christ, man is a slave to sin, and therefore for him, gospel obedience is a grievous burden and the aroma of death (Rom. 6:16, 2 Cor. 2:16). But in Christ, the good news is not only redemption and forgiveness but also a new heart that wants to obey the doctrine of Christ (Rom. 6:17), zealous for good works (Tit. 2:14), presenting our bodies as living sacrifices of praise for His great grace (Rom. 12:1). This is nothing less than loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and our neighbors as ourselves (Mt. 12:33). This obedience is offering all that we are, all the time, right away, all the way, and cheerfully to the Lord, and all of that would still only be our bare duty, as unprofitable servants, for our great salvation (cf. Lk. 17:10).

 

Loving the Standard

Gospel obedience loves the law of God and loves His standard because Christ is the standard in flesh. He is the Law-Word made flesh. We love God’s way because Christ Jesus is God’s way. Gospel obedience is zealous for good works because its eyes are fixed on Jesus “Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works” (Tit. 2:14). Gospel obedience is like Peter walking on water: so long as our eyes are fixed on Jesus, it is an overflow of gratitude and faith and love. But if you start looking down at the wind and the waves, at your own abilities, at all the trouble in this world, you will begin to sink.

We are called to perfection (as our Father in Heaven is perfect), and the gospel is God’s solemn promise that He will accomplish that goal in you. Like a kid playing his favorite sport in the backyard, picturing his hero’s excellence, we are to love obedience because it is the obedience of our Hero, our Savior. So our goal in our families is a culture of loving the standard, not a cranky perfectionism but a joyful, persistent faith that constantly aims at His holiness, while quickly repenting of sin. We get to walk on the water with Him. And Your Father is well-pleased with every faltering attempt, and therefore you must be too.

 

Applications

Practicing Walking on Water

The central command given to children is to obey their parents in the Lord, which is based on the first command with a promise, that it may go well with you in the land (Eph. 6:1-3).

This command is given to children, and parents (fathers in particular) are assigned the task of teaching this obedience: “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4). So the obedience of parents is teaching and training children, and the obedience of children is heeding that instruction. But everyone must obey, and obedience is right away, all the way, and cheerful.

Slow obedience is disobedience. Incomplete obedience is disobedience. Grumpy, complaining, eye-rolling obedience is disobedience. This applies to both parents and children. And remember: “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted” (Gal. 6:1).

The Gospel Grace of Discipline

In Hebrews 12, it says that God disciplines His sons because He loves them and wants them to run the race of obedience even more faithfully, keeping their eyes fixed on Jesus. In other words, God the Father’s discipline of us is part of His gospel grace.

So this is the model for discipline for Christian families. Parents are to discipline and require obedience of their children in gospel grace. Think of Jesus knocking Saul to the ground on the road to Damascus and blinding him: that was a gospel chastening (painful for the present but afterward yielded the peaceable fruit of righteousness).

Chastening includes lots of teaching and admonition, but also the rod of correction. “Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him” (Prov. 13:24, ESV). “Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him” (Prov. 22:15). “Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell” (Prov. 23:14). By faith, discipline is a great gospel grace.

The gospel is the good news that God has crucified us with Christ, so that by dying in Him, we might rise to newness of life, zealous for obedience (Rom. 6:3-11ff).

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The Third Beatitude (CC Troy)

Lindsey Gardner on

INTRODUCTION – JESUS, MEEK AND MILD

The words of Jesus provide a special blessing to the Christian. The black words on the page are no less the Word of God than the red ones, but there is a comfort and a special satisfaction to be had when listening to Jesus talk. He is like our anchor gripping the seabed, preventing us from being swept away. Of his many teachings, the beatitudes are the most beautiful in their simplicity, in their brevity, and their poignancy, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.”

 

I. MEEKNESS IN THE INCARNATION

In most religions, the worshippers are earthbound and the deity exists on a different plane altogether. But Paul says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down) or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? “The word is near you.’” The apostle Peter roasted fish over a fire with Jesus. The centurion who understood authority, was able to demonstrate his confidence in the Lord face-to-face. And the demoniac looked Jesus in the eye during his exorcism.

The creator of the universe, the son of God who shared glory with the Father before the world existed, scandalously took on human flesh. In that moment his humiliation began. The incarnation is the greatest example of humility on record.

 

II. MEEKNESS IN HIS GENTLENESS

Jesus shows his meekness by being gentle with us, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

First off, notice our relationship to Jesus. He is the teamster; we are the oxen. The yoke of control is on us and he is the one with the reins. Second, we are not trading a heavy burden for no burden. We are trading heavy for light. We know what the heavy burden is when he says, “…you will find rest for your souls.” A soul cannot be burdened with sacks of grain or produce from the market. A soul is burdened by sin and it weighs heavy on us.

 

III. MEEKNESS IN THE TRIUMPHAL ENTRY

The Lord shows his meekness through the triumphal entry. In nearly every James Bond novel by Ian Fleming, 007 is introduced by performing some daring feat or displaying his competence in a very suave manner. Sherlock Holmes’s first appearance in Arthur Conan Doyle’s “A Study in Scarlet” showcases his brilliant deductive abilities demonstrating his exceptional intellect. But the Lord, even from birth, being born in a manger, does not display himself like a peacock fanning his tail. It is not Jesus’s style. And since it is not his, we should not want it to be ours.

 

IV. MEEKNESS IN PERSECUTION

Jesus teaches us meekness by how he handles persecution. It is extremely difficult, to be confronted about sin, and in the first moment, confess it openly and seek forgiveness. We’re much more prone to dance around first before admitting we were wrong. But imagine how upsetting it must’ve been for Jesus, to know in his heart-of-hearts that he is righteous in the sight of God and yet people accused him of sin. Jesus faced this on a daily basis. They said, “Look at this wine-bibber, this glutton. Sorcerer! He has a demon. Possessed and a sabbath breaker. You have heard the blasphemy yourself. He said he could destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days.”

 

V. MEEKNESS IN WASHING THE DISCIPLES FEET

The Lord demonstrated his meekness by washing the disciples feet. In this act, the master becomes the slave in order to reveal the true nature of the kingdom of God, which is humility, love, and service. The image of Jesus removing his outer clothing, wrapping a towel around his waist, and proceeding to wash the disciples’ feet is stunning indeed. His lowliness becomes a physical reality as he stoops to cleanse the disciples. It is like a king bowing to his subjects; an inversion of the natural order. And Peter knows this, “Lord, do you wash my feet? You shall never wash my feet.” The Lord has to correct him.

 

VI. MEEKNESS THROUGH HIS INTERACTIONS WITH CHILDREN

Jesus displays his meekness through his interactions with children. Matthew 19 says this, “Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, but Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.’” And he laid his hands on them and went away. What traits and qualities did Jesus see in the children? He saw faith, innocence, humility, and trust. And what things do they lack? They lacked any notion of stress, mourning, depression, anxiety, guilt, and knowledge that we live in a fallen world.

 

VII. MEEKNESS THROUGH HEALING

Jesus Christ was constantly surrounded by the infirm. Matthew 15 says, “Jesus went on from there and walked beside the Sea of Galilee. And he went up on the mountain and sat down there. And great crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and they put them at his feet, and he healed them, so that the crowd wondered, when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled healthy, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel.”

 

CONCLUSION – THE REWARD FOR MEEKNESS

We’ve spoken much about what meekness is and the Lord has graciously given us examples of the behavior. But we have not yet discussed the reward for meekness. Jesus says, “Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth.” The earth? The whole earth? One commentator said, “At this present moment, who is the mightier? Caesar with his legions or Christ with His Cross?” Revelation 11:15 says, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.”

In Daniel chapter 2, Daniel is called upon to interpret Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. He sees an image with a golden head, a chest of silver, thighs of bronze, iron legs, and iron feet mixed with clay. A stone that was cut by no human hand struck the feet and the whole edifice crumbled. But the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. Each section of the glimmering image represented a kingdom of man. The stone who shatters it all is Jesus. But what about the mountain? Has it covered the whole earth yet? Not yet. But it has grown. Perhaps now, there is more earth than there is mountain. But soon there will be more mountain than there is earth. And then, just a sliver of earth will remain. Eventually, she will stand, covering the whole earth, our inheritance in full, the mountain of God, the reward for meekness. Amen.

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No Other Name (Acts of the Apostles #9)

Lindsey Gardner on

INTRODUCTION

The foundation of the Christian church was the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and because His execution had been perpetrated by the authorities, this meant that Christianity was established in defiance of the established authorities. And once the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Lord’s disciples, this also meant that the Body of Christ took shape under exactly the same conditions.

 

THE TEXT

“And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them, being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they laid hands on them, and put them in hold unto the next day: for it was now eventide. Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand . . .” (Acts 4:1–22).

 

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

Peter was preaching, but apparently other apostles were there speaking as well (v. 1). As they were doing so, the Temple authorities arrived (v. 1). They were greatly displeased over the fact that the Christians were teaching the people, and over the fact that they were proclaiming the resurrection through Jesus (v. 2). They arrested them (Peter and John), and put them in custody because it was evening by this point (v. 3). Remember that the whole thing had started in the afternoon. In the meantime, the number of men who were believers was now around 5,000, meaning that the number of Christians has approximately tripled since Pentecost (v 4). The next morning the Temple elites assembled, meaning the rulers, elders, scribes, and the extended family of the high priest (vv. 5-6). Peter and John were set down in the middle of them and asked by what power or name this miracle had been done (v. 7). Peter was filled with the Spirit and addressed the rulers and elders, saying that if they were asking about the healing of this crippled man, the miracle had been done by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom they had crucified, and whom God had resurrected (vv. 8-10). Notice the charge of murder again.

Peter then changes the subject from the crippled man to Jesus. The stone that was rejected by the builders—meaning the men Peter was speaking to—has been made the cornerstone, in fulfillment of Psalm 118:22 (v. 11). Salvation is to be found nowhere else, meaning there is no other name under heaven by which men can be saved (v. 12). The elites could see that Peter and John were unpolished and uneducated, marking that they had been companions of Jesus (v. 13), and they marveled. The crippled man had been clinging to them the day before, and had also made a point of coming the next day to their trial. He was right there, and so the rulers could say nothing (v. 14). So they put Peter and John out of the room (v. 15), and conferred among themselves. They couldn’t deny the miracle, although the implication is that they would if they could (v. 16). The best plan they could come up with was to command Peter and John to shut up, which is what they then did (vv. 17-18). Peter and John replied that they did not accept these conditions, and invited their rulers to judge whether or not they should obey them, or obey God (vv. 19-20). At this the leaders blustered, but they really couldn’t do anything because everybody was glorifying God over the healing (v. 21). The healed man was over forty, and presumably had been begging at the Temple for a very long time (v. 22).

 

IF SOMEONE SHOULD COME BACK FROM THE DEAD

In vv. 5-6, we see that this corrupt operation was overseen by a very powerful crime family. Annas was the patriarch, and Caiaphas was his son-in-law, the one who had presided over the trial of Jesus. The Lord had been brought before Annas first (John 18), and then sent on to Caiaphas. It is worth noting that as part of this family Caiaphas had five brothers, who interestingly figure into this.

Right after the raising of Lazarus in John 11, the rulers convened a council in order to figure out what they should do with Jesus (John 11:47), and Caiaphas was there (John 11:49). Remember that Jesus had once told a parable about one Lazarus, the only parable that had a proper name in it (Luke 16:19ff). The antagonist in that parable is a rich man, one clothed in purple and fine linen—clothing that befits a high priest (Ex. 28:5). Moreover, this rich man down in Hades, when he is denied water, asks Abraham to send Lazarus to his father’s house, because he had five brothers. Abraham says that they all had Moses and the prophets. Let them hear them. The rich man says “no, but that they would repent if someone were to rise from the dead.” And Abraham replies that if they wouldn’t respond to the Scriptures, then they wouldn’t be persuaded if someone rose from the dead either. All of this was pointed and prophetic. Jesus raised a man named Lazarus from the dead, and they responded by wanting to kill the miracle worker (John 11:51), not to mention killing the miracle (John 12:9-11). Kill Jesus and kill Lazarus. And then Jesus rose from the dead, and that wasn’t good enough for them either.

 

THE REJECTED STONE

Not only did Scripture prophesy that Jesus would be the cornerstone, but also that He would be the cornerstone that the official builders rejected. That was an essential part of the story of our salvation. That verse (Psalm 118:22) is quoted in the New Testament is quoted five times (Matt. 21:42; Mark 12:10-11; Luke 20:17; Acts 4:11; 1 Pet. 2:7). It is a very big deal. This brings us back to Peter’s charge—whom you crucified.

 

NO OTHER NAME

A German historian named Ethelbert Stauffer recorded the fact that in the days of the Roman Empire, salvation was to be understood as the prerogative of Caesar. “Salvation is to be found in none other save Augustus, and there is no other name given to men in which they can be saved.” And this puts Peter’s proclamation in a bold new light. Not only did his message collide with the local rulers there in Judea, but Peter was also throwing down a challenge to the entire Roman world. “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” We may also take it as something of a thesis statement for the entire book of Acts. Take for example the anecdote from Acts 9:33-35, where Peter heals a man with palsy—a man named Aeneas. That would be (for us) as though Peter had healed a man named George Washington.

It is not possible to preach the kingdom of God without preaching the name of His anointed Prince, who is the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the fundamental Christian confession, which is that Jesus is Lord. It follows that Caesar never is, however much he wants it.

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