Christ Church

The Comfort of Christ (The Continuing Adventures of Jesus #36) (KC)

Joshua Edgren on

INTRODUCTION

We live in a fallen world of turmoil, and we do not yet see everything under the feet of Christ, but we see Christ (Heb. 2:8-9). We do not yet see every nation discipled, every cancer cured, or death itself destroyed, but we see Jesus who has tasted death for every man, so that by Him, we may have a peace in this world that the world cannot give. We see in this text that this was a central part of Paul’s missionary work, and it continues to be a central part of the mission of the church.

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

As planned, Paul left Ephesus to go back to Macedonia and Greece, where he comforted the churches for some time before returning with seven assistants, sailing from Philippi to Troas right around Easter (Acts 20:1-6). On the following Sunday, the disciples gathered for worship, and the service went late into the night, and while Paul was preaching, a young man fell asleep and fell to his death out of the third story window of the house they were meeting in (Acts 20:7-9). When Paul came down, he embraced the young man, bringing him back to life, and the service finished with the Lord’s Supper, bringing great comfort to everyone (Acts 20:10-12). From there, Paul made his way back toward Ephesus, coming to Miletus, to take a ship to Jerusalem for Pentecost (Acts 20:13-16).

ENCOURAGEMENT & TEAMWORK

Following the uproar of Ephesus, Paul spends some time “comforting” the churches that have started (Acts 20:2). The root word for “comfort” is the same that Jesus uses to describe the Holy Spirit, the “Comforter,” who was promised to lead the disciples into all truth (Jn. 14:26, 15:26). Closely related is the fact that Paul is accompanied by a number of companions and disciples, at least seven of which are probably official representatives of churches Paul had planted, perhaps even delegates, bringing an offering to Jerusalem (cf. Acts 24:17). And the result of the worship service in Troas and the healing of Eutychus was “not a little comfort” (Acts 20:12). The ministry of the church is a ministry of comfort and encouragement (Acts 9:31, Rom. 15:4, 2 Cor. 1:4).

LORD’S DAY WORSHIP

At the center of this comfort is worship on the Lord’s Day, “the first day sabbath” (Acts 20:7), which is worth underlining, since it has often been translated as only “first day of the week.” But the word is actually “sabbath.” The same goes for all of the resurrection accounts: Jesus rose on the “first day sabbath” (Mt. 28:1, Mk. 16:2, Lk. 24:1, Jn. 20:1). In the Old Testament, there were various “sabbath days” that landed on different days of the week (new moon, festival days, cf. Lev. 23:39). As Phil Kayser has pointed out, in the first creation, God intended Adam and Eve to enjoy the sabbath as their first full day in the world, but they sinned and the Old Covenant condition was symbolized by a seventh day sabbath (looking forward). But Jesus restored us to the Garden in the New Covenant by His resurrection and restored that original first day sabbath.

John calls Sunday “the Lord’s Day” in Revelation 1, which is the same construction for the “Lord’s Supper” (1 Cor. 11). In the same way that we set apart ordinary bread to “remember” Christ’s work on our behalf, so too we set aside an ordinary day to “remember” Christ’s work on our behalf, and so a “sabbath rest” remains for the people of God (Heb. 4:9). And gathering for worship and resting from your ordinary labors is a crucial part of the “comfort” of the Holy Spirit. Slaves have no days off, but we are freemen in Christ.

SLEEP & RESURRECTION

At the center of this episode is the incident with the young man, Eutychus, whose name means “good luck,” and which might indicate that he was (or had been) a slave. It was a large upper room, full of torches (likely crowded), and Eutychus may have been sitting in the window for fresh air (Acts 20:8-9). The imagery was surely not lost on the first century audience: this would have reminded early Christians of Pentecost when the fire of the Spirit filled the upper room, and perhaps it would have also had echoes of Hannukah, and earlier still, the temple itself. They gathered to “break bread,” which was an early euphemism for the Lord’s Supper (Acts 20:7), and after Eutychus fell and was raised by Paul’s embrace (much like Elisha, 2 Kgs. 4:34), they celebrated the Lord’s Supper, our resurrection feast (Acts 20:11).

All of this emphasizes that the Spirit of the same Christ who conquered death is with Paul and with the Church. It’s no accident that after the resurrection, even death itself is likened to a “sleep,” that believers will rise from (1 Cor. 15:20, 51, 1 Thess. 5:10). And we comfort one another with these sure promises (1 Thess. 4:18, 5:11).

APPLICATIONS

Whether we wake or sleep: The foundational comfort of a Christian is eternal security – eternal life. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life (Rom. 6:23). Sinners deserve death, but Jesus took those wages by dying in our place and taking away our sin. The power of the devil was only in his ability to wield the fear of death for the punishment of sin (Heb. 2:14-15). But death is a defanged enemy because it is no longer our punishment. Jesus has the keys of death and hades (Rev. 1:18). Death is a river that all must pass through to get to the Celestial City. But it is a river crossing that Jesus personally oversees.

Worship is the engine: We often say that worship is the engine that drives everything we do. Fundamentally, this simply means that Jesus is Lord, and therefore, everything we do must submit to Him, bow before Him. But God has also made it clear that He wants us to gather as congregations to worship together. There is something particularly powerful and comforting when God’s people renew covenant together in word and sacrament on the first day sabbath, the Lord’s Day. This doesn’t turn everything into a church service, but rather it frees us to work and enjoy everything as a gift from our Risen King.

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Many Infallible Proofs (Acts of the Apostles #2)

Joshua Edgren on

INTRODUCTION

The first verse of Acts contained the formal introduction to the book, but the following verses fill it out a bit more. These verses refer to the Lord’s resurrection appearances, and the proofs He gave His disciples that He was in fact alive. Second, He taught them about the kingdom, and told them to wait in Jerusalem until they had been given kingdom power. When that power had descended upon them, they would be ambassadors of that kingdom out to the ends of the earth. And then last, the angels promised that Christ  would at some point return in the same way that He left, meaning that He would descend from the sky.

THE TEXT

“THE former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

Luke begins volume two of his history by referring to volume one. The former book, also addressed to Theophilus, recorded all that Jesus started to do (v. 1), up to the point of His ascension (v. 2). Before He ascended, He delivered commandments to His chosen apostles (v. 2). Over the course of forty days, He appeared to them alive and provided many proofs of His resurrection, and taught them about the kingdom of God (v. 3). Gathering together with them, He required them to remain in Jerusalem until the promise of the Father came, which He had told them about (v. 4). John baptized with water, but in a very few days, they would be baptized by the Holy Spirit (v. 5). On one of their gatherings, they asked Him if this would be the moment when the kingdom was restored to Israel (v. 6). He replied that this was not for them to know, as the Father had it put under His authority (v. 7). But when the Holy Spirit comes upon them, they would be imbued with power, and would be made witnesses of Christ—in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the far reaches of the earth (v. 8).

After saying this, while they were watching, He ascended into the sky and disappeared into a cloud (v. 9). They were staring as He went, and suddenly two men, clearly angels, clad in white, appeared next to them (v. 10). You men of Galilee, they said, why are you staring? He will return in exactly the same way that He left (v. 11).

OUR TABLE OF CONTENTS

The eighth verse provides us with a fine overview of the entire book of Acts. It almost serves as a table of contents. They would be witnesses in Jerusalem (Acts 1:4), Judea (Acts 2:14), Samaria (Acts 8:5), and the uttermost parts of the earth (Acts 13:4ff). Imagine a rock thrown into a pond, and the place where the rock entered was Jerusalem. The concentric ripples going out from that place were Judea (the province where Jerusalem was), then Samaria, just to the north, and then out to the rest of the world. Infallible Proofs
What does it mean to prove something? The Lord appeared to His disciples and provided them with convincing proofs. To prove something means that what you have done is created a moral obligation to believe. A person might be stubborn, and continue to say nuh uh for a while, but if he is sinning by doing so, then this means that the thing was proven to him. The existence of proof is not dependent upon whether or not the person you are talking to is continuing to hold out. The issue is whether he is sinning by continuing to hold out.

What we are told here is that the resurrected Lord met with His disciples over the course of almost a month and a half, during which time He convinced them that He had risen from the dead bodily. The proofs therefore ruled out dreams, hallucinations, wish fulfillment, or anything else like that. He offered His wounds to Thomas (John 20:27). He asked if they had anything to eat in the fridge—ghosts don’t eat (Luke 24:42-43). He had angels add their testimony (Luke 24:23). He conducted Bible studies, showing how it had to go this way (Luke 24:27). And since that time, because the Holy Spirit was poured out in power, the resurrection of Jesus is not so much an historical fact to be proven as it is an historical proof of two other great doctrines—first, that Christ is in fact the Son of God (Rom. 1:4), and second, that He is going to judge the world in righteousness (Acts 17:31).

REASONING ON FIRE

When the Holy Spirit is given, as we will see in the next chapter, He comes down upon the disciples in the form of fire. They were given convincing proofs in the first verses of Acts. But it is quite striking that these proofs were insufficient. You have the proofs, Jesus said, but you must still wait in Jerusalem. So their proofs just sat there waiting, like so much tinder and kindling. Wait, Jesus said. Your syllogisms will not be worth anything unless the Spirit sets them on fire first. Some Christians just want to stack and organize the wood, and also conduct conferences, seminars, and lectures about the wood. Other Christians just want the fire—and because it is just a massive Kleenex fire, their talks devolve into mere harangues. Why not both? The Scriptures are a vast forest, with wood enough and to spare. How long will this fire burn? We are stocked with enough wood to burn until the second promise of these verses comes to pass, and Jesus Christ returns. The first promise of the Father was the outpoured Spirit. The second promise of the Father is the return of the Son. Maranatha, come Lord Jesus.

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How to Survive a Coup

Grace Sensing on

INTRODUCTION

We have had no little political tumult as of late and the sense that God is writing quite a story is inescapable. One gets the sense that He is not dictating this story, but writing it with His own hand. It seems like a pen and pad situation, up close and personal, with the Triune author saying something like, “Do you hear me now?” As I saw one commentator recently say after observing our festive news cycles, “Boy, this America: Season Finale really is something.” Given our riveting times we should prepare to stay riveted; and these rivets should be fastening into something with more staying power than the Breaking News. Lucky for us, our text is more dramatic than our recent happenings, and that is really saying something.

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

2 Kings 11:1-21

Athaliah was the wife of Jehoram king of Judah. She was a worshipper of Baal like her father Ahab, king of Israel, and his wife Jezebel. Athaliah’s husband died and her son Ahaziah took the throne of Judah only to die himself. Upon hearing of the death of her son and king, Ahaziah, the wicked Athaliah murdered her grandsons—all the seed royal—and claimed the throne of Judah in Jerusalem. But, Jehoiada the High Priest and his wife, Jehosheba, protected one of those grandsons named Jehoash by hiding him in the temple. After raising Jehoash secretly for about six years in the temple, Jehoiada gathered five rulers over hundreds to show them the rightful seven year old king and made a covenant with them to overthrow Athaliah. These gathered Levites and chiefs of the fathers throughout all Judea to Jerusalem. Orderly arrangements were made as they declared Jehoash king, including dividing up the guards and Levites to man certain stations. The guard shielded young King Jehoash as he stood between the temple and the altar. 

Jehoiada put the crown upon King Jehoash’s head, gave him the testimony, and anointed him, as the crowd clapped their hands and cried out, “God save the king.” Athaliah, hearing the commotion, hurried to the temple. When she saw the young, crowned king, she cried, “Treason! Treason!” I envision Jehosheba looking on as she leans against a temple pillar with a smirk, eating a biscuit that she baked that morning (alas, this is not in the text). Jehoiada commanded the captains to obtain Athaliah, kill any who assisted her, and escort her out of the temple lest she be killed in it. Jehoiada made a covenant between the LORD and the king and the people. The people broke down the house of Baal in Jerusalem, along with his altar and images, and killed Mattan the priest of Baal. Jehoiada appointed officers over the house of the LORD. With all the people and rulers, they brought down the king from the house of the LORD, and he sat on the throne of the kings. The people rejoiced, the city was quiet, and they slew Athaliah with the sword beside the king’s house.

COUP AND COVENANT

The key question to answer is, “How many coups do you count?” Are we dealing with an Athaliah coup and a Jehoiada coup? The answer to that is, no. We have one coup. Grasping this point is most essential.

Athaliah had no right to the throne so her actions are a text book coup, a violent and unlawful seizure of the throne. Jehoiada’s business was lawful and righteous. In other words, when Athaliah cried, “Treason!” she was quite mistaken. The key is the covenant God made with David, which promised that a son of David would sit upon the throne.

“Also the Lord telleth thee that he will make thee an house. And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.” (2 Samuel 7:11-13)

This is the prophet Jeremiah’s understanding: “For thus saith the Lord; David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel.” (Jeremiah 33:17)

It is Solomon’s as well: “Therefore now, Lord God of Israel, keep with thy servant David my father that thou promisedst him, saying, There shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel.” (1 Kings 8:25)

Athaliah was married to a son of David, Jehoram. Her son was a son of David, Ahaziah. But she was a daughter of Ahab, a worshiper of Baal and no son of David. She set herself to slaughter the sons of David and thereby extinguish God’s covenant with him.

AN ATHALIAH AUTOPSY

It is not without reason that the Kings of Israel jingle says “Queen Athaliah was a cat.” She followed in the footsteps of her mother Jezebel. We can learn several things from an Athaliah autopsy. She was the only human to usurp the throne of Judah from the sons of David. It is sons of David all the way down, from Rehoboam to Zedekiah and the Babylonian exile. The covenant promise to David was hanging on by a snotty nosed Jehoash in the temple and Athaliah was doing her best Cruella de Vil to snuff out that divine oath. Her root problem was unbelief and that root problem gave birth to many others . . .

JEHOIADA AND JEHOSHEBA

Jehoiada and Jehosheba are one of the most loveable couples in the Bible. They lived in a nasty time. King Jehoram, Athaliah’s husband, was wicked. His son, Ahaziah was also wicked. Now they had to deal with the wretched cat Athaliah. A house of Baal stood in Jerusalem, likely on Mount Moriah itself. The temple in Jerusalem at which Jehoiada served was falling apart from neglect (2 Kings 12:5). And yet they remained faithful. Athaliah went to slaughter her son’s sons, and Jehosheba, who was Athaliah’s brother and thus aunt to the baby Jehoash essentially says, “Oh no you don’t. I know the promises made to the sons of David.” They are a witness to how one survives a coup . . .

FROM THE TEMPLE TO THE THRONE

The arc of this particular story runs from the temple to the throne. Darkness had descended upon Jerusalem and Judea. But a son of David was in the temple. Many years later another son of David would be in the temple shocking the teachers with his wisdom. As Jehoash stood, crown upon his head between the temple and the altar, it is as if he told that daughter of Ahab, “You seek me? Didn’t you know I must be about my father’s business?”

And this the Greater Jehoash has said (Luke 2:49).

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The Cursed Fig Tree (The Inescapable Story of Jesus #11) (CCD)

Grace Sensing on

INTRODUCTION

Being asked a question you can’t answer is embarrassing. Embarrassment can produce two emotional outcomes: humility or vindictiveness. This portion of Mark’s Gospel exposes the envy, fear, and wickedness of the scribes and Pharisees, and their response is not repentance but to plot an assassination.

THE TEXT

And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount of Olives, he sendeth forth two of his disciples, And saith unto them, Go your way into the village over against you: and as soon as ye be entered into it, ye shall find a colt tied, whereon never man sat; loose him, and bring him. And if any man say unto you, Why do ye this? say ye that the Lord hath need of him; and straightway he will send him hither. […]

Mark 11:1ff

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

Blind Bartimaeus was like a royal herald declaring that the Son of David was on his way (Mk. 10:47-48). As Jesus draws near to Jerusalem, He sends two disciples to procure a previously unridden colt, a fitting royal symbol for such an occasion. (vv1-6). Having obtained the colt, they place garments upon it; Jesus mounts the colt and the royal procession begins, as the crowd place their cloaks and branches before Jesus, and sing out from Psalm 118:26, welcoming Jesus as the return of the Davidic Kingdom (vv7-10). Jesus inspects Jerusalem and the temple, but since evening had fallen He withdraws to Bethany (v11).

As they return to Jerusalem the next day, Jesus, being hungry, inspects a fig tree for fruit. Finding nothing He curses the tree, and Mark notes that the disciples heard the curse (vv12-14). Jesus then enters the temple and begins driving out the moneychangers and forbids the continuance of the commerce which had filled the courts which ought to have been used for prayer (vv15-17). This strikes a chord of fear within the scribal ranks, and the conspiracy to kill Jesus begins (v18). Having accomplished a good day’s work, Jesus returns to Bethany (v19); on reentering Jerusalem the next day, the disciples notice the fig tree has shriveled up entirely (v20), Peter takes the lead on pointing this out to Jesus (v21). Jesus response to this is to summon His disciples to faith in God (v22). This faith is manifested most clearly by bold prayer (vv23-24). Prayer pairs with unforgiveness like orange juice and toothpaste. So, alongside this call to bold prayer Jesus admonishes His disciples to forgive lest God not forgive them (vv25-26).

Then reentering the temple the temperature rises. The scribes confront Jesus as to who gave him authority to do “these things” (vv27-28). Ever a strategic debater, Jesus returns their challenge with a no-win question for the Pharisees: Was John’s baptism from heaven or of men (vv29-30)? The Pharisees huddle amongst themselves and Mark lets us in on their musings. If they say John’s ministry was heavenly, Jesus scores a point. If they say it was merely human they would lose any credibility with the crowds who reckoned John as a prophet (vv31-32). So, they come back with a lame-sauce answer, “We dunno.” And so Jesus refuses to play their game by answering their challenge to His authority (v33).

THE RETURN OF THE KING

Early in Jesus’ ministry He held the truth of His Messiahship close the vest. Steadily, those who have had their ears and eyes opened can hear the living Word and see glorious splendor that Jesus is the Son of God come to drive out evil. Jesus is heading to Jerusalem to bring His whole ministry to its prophesied climax: His death as a ransom for sinners, and His resurrection as the restoration of mankind.

The scene of His entrance to Jerusalem has a handful of images worth dwelling on. First, we go back to Jacob’s prophetic blessing of his son Judah. More familiar to us is his statement that the scepter would not depart out of Judah (Gen. 49:10-11); less familiar is the second image of the blessing: a colt tied to a vine. Second, when David bequeathed the throne to Solomon, he sent two “servants” (Zadok & Nathan) to bring Solomon in upon a mule (1 Ki. 1:33-35). Third, during the time of Maccabees, when Judas Maccabees had succeeded in driving out the Syrian king and had rebuilt the temple the Jews rejoiced by waving branches and songs and hymns (2 Mac. 10:1-9); this began the Hasmonean Dynasty. There are certainly more images/allusions which we could consider (Cf. Zec. 9:9), but these three suffice to show that Jesus is openly proclaiming the King has returned to claim His throne.

BOLD PRAYER

This chapter teaches us the potency of prayer. The people cry out “Hosanna.” This is a cry for salvation, deliverance, and prosperity drawn from Psalm 118. The Lord inspects the temple (a house for prayer) and finds it prayer-less. He inspects a fig tree the next day and finds it fruitless, and then pronounces a curse upon it which we later find has miraculously taken place. In between the withering of the fig tree Jesus drives out the uncleanness from the house of prayer.

Jesus wraps up both the cursing of the fig tree and pronouncement of judgement on the temple together. And then He calls His disciples to have faith. The sort of faith that prays bold prayers. Jesus tells His disciples that if they command (in prayer) this mountain to be cast into the sea, it would be done. Jesus tells them, and us, something that seems too big to be believed: prayers of true faith are heard and answered with the marvelous power of God. Whatsoever prayers. While we need to pray bold prayers, our prayers must dwell within the wide borders of God’s will. The mountain in view is the whole Temple Mountain. Jesus summons His disciples to pray for a decisive overthrow of the entire wicked and unbelieving order of things which had taken root in the midst of Israel. Like Babylon before her, the Mountain of Jerusalem was soon to be uprooted and cast into the torrent of God’s judgement (Cf. Jer. 51:25, 42). Jesus will soon teach more about this looming Judgement on Jerusalem (Mk. 13).

Alongside our prayers for the overthrow of our enemies, Jesus instructs us that we also must stand ready to forgive. This is a profound lesson in our own time, and in our own relationships. Pray for the wicked to be overthrown. Stand ready to forgive as God forgave you. Jesus calls you to pray for big things; things like Christ being confessed and obeyed in the halls of DC, Wall St., and City Hall. So, how much more will Christ hear our prayers for daily bread, deliverance from evil, grace for temptation, the conversion of unbelieving friends and family? You can’t pray for such things while harboring unforgiveness. Christ came to reconcile us to God, so that our prayers would be heard and received. And He came so that we might also be reconciled to each other. So, pray that DC gets the full measure of the judgement which its vile schemes deserve. But be prepared to welcome to the Lord’s table any repentant sinner that comes.

JESUS BREAKS THE SPELL

The house of prayer had become full of brigands. They had hijacked the things of God and were misusing them. The temple institution was firing on all cylinders, but the power and the glory were absent. This is what infuriated the scribes. God’s power and glory were found instead in this teacher from Galilee. What got the scribes so fearful that the conspired to kill Jesus? It was the fact of the astonishment of the crowds at Jesus’ doctrine. The Word of Jesus was breaking the spell which had lulled Israel into apathy, indifference, and idolatry. The Jews had become zealous for the system, but were not zealous for the glory of the Lord.

This is why they question Jesus’ authority. Who gave you permission to do such righteous deeds? Where is your license to glorify God? Jesus doesn’t answer their question directly, but He leaves no mistake. The King has come. If the temple complex had become a den of brigands and blackguards, the King had all authority to drive them out. The glory would no longer reside in the temple apparatus, but in the person of Jesus alone. This all leaves us with a plain course of action. Do not dwell in fear of the brigands and their paper thin authority. Instead, come to the King  along with all your requests to Him? For the power & glory dwells in Him.

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