The Things that God Hates 7: A False Witness who Speaks Lies

Proverbs 6:16-19; 1 Kings 21:4-16; John 3:35-36; Revelation 3:14.

This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on September 26, 2021.

This morning we will look at the 6^th thing on the list of things that God hates, and we find it in verse 19 of Proverbs 6.  God hates a false witness who speaks lies.

God hates a false witness who speaks lies

The word for “speaks” is literally breathing out, or exhaling, lies, which is a metaphor for speech.  It should remind us of the fact that breath, wind, and spirit are linked conceptually in the Bible.  Thus, it pictures a man who is breathing out lies.  His spirit is not a good spirit and is in league with the work of evil spirits, irrespective of the idea of possession.

Another grammatical thing that we should look at is the phrase “false witness.”  The word false can refer to the testimony itself, but it also speaks to the intent and character of the person who is witnessing.  This is a witness who is not committed to the truth and God.  They are a deceiver.  If a false witness says anything that is true, it is twisted and part of a deception, even if just to throw you off the scent of their deception.

In order to highlight this abominable issue, we are going to look at an event that is recorded in 1 Kings 21.

Ahab is king of the northern tribes of Israel.  About sixty years earlier 931 B.C., Israel had split into two kingdoms with the southern portion taking the name Judea, and the northern portion taking the name Israel.  The Bible tells us in 1 Kings 16:31 that Ahab was more wicked than any other northern king before him.

What did he do to deserve such a description?  He continued the worship of the golden calves at Dan and Bethel to keep his citizens from going to Jerusalem and its temple.  He also married Jezebel who was the daughter of a Sidonian King, a Baal worshipper.  This leads to Ahab building a temple to Baal in his capital city Samaria, and promoting Baal worship.  In fact, he begins to persecute the true prophets of Yahweh by imprisoning them and putting some to death.

Our problem in this chapter has to do with a vineyard next to Ahab’s summer palace in Jezreel.  He offers its owner, Naboth, either money or another field in trade, but Naboth refuses.  We will talk more about why later. 

Now, Ahab is a wicked man, but through his wife, we see that there are different levels of wickedness.  Ahab is more apt to pout and throw fits when people don’t go along with his plans.  Whereas, Jezebel has no boundaries and no qualms with using lies and murder to get what she wants.  When Jezebel finds out what Ahab is pouting over, she upbraids him and promises to get the vineyard for him.

A couple of week ago we talked about people who devise wicked plans in their hearts.  Well, this is exactly what Jezebel does.  Of course, Ahab knows what kind of woman he has married, and later God holds him accountable for her actions.  Jezebel is a leader who sees her position (and Ahab’s) as a means for her own benefit, and not for the people’s.  The people are just sheep, food, and assets to leaders like this.  Everyone is expendable for the sake of the great ego of such a leader.  Jezebel’s plan involves two scoundrels, worthless individuals, who will lie and say that they heard Naboth blaspheme God and the king.  This is a capital crime in Israel, and notice how she uses a cloak of morality to keep the populace going along with the ruse.

Wicked plans often need others in power to go along with it.  These others didn’t hatch the plan, but they knowingly carry it out.  Some do this out of fear because they don’t want to lose their life, power, and authority.  Others may simply do it out of their own lusts.  Perhaps they see themselves getting ahead or getting in the favor of the king, which could come in handy down the road.  Jezebel uses the kings seal to send a message to the elders of Jezreel.  This message tells them to have a fast and seat Naboth in a very public place where to scoundrels can accuse him of blaspheming God.  They are then to take Naboth out and execute him.  Regardless of what they were thinking, the elders of Naboth’s town sell him out in order to please the king.  They know it is all a lie, and yet they go along with it. 

Such wickedness is bad enough between nations, but for a leader to do such a thing to their own citizen is unconscionable.  God deliver us from such leaders, but it is not only kings that can abuse their power.  Every level of power over others down to our job and families can be abused in wickedness.  The wrath of God is coming for such things, and woe to the person who is found by him doing it.

Wicked plans always crush innocent people in order to satisfy the lusts of the wicked.  However, Naboth is not just innocent of the lies against him.  The story pictures him as a godly man.  In general, it would be his right not to sell to Ahab, but in Israel land was a birthright that was passed down from your ancestors, and ultimately it was a portion given by God.  To sell it would be seen as the same as Esau selling his birthright for a bowl of beans.  Naboth knows that the land has been given to his family by God, and he will not sell it for any price.  A gift from God meant more to him than mountains of money.

Ahab and Jezebel have nothing on Naboth because he has lived a godly life.  They then concoct bald face lies to pin on him.  Did anybody from Jezreel protest that day?  Who were these scoundrels accusing their friend Naboth of something they knew could never be?  In fact, although it is not mentioned in this story, 2 King 9:26 makes it clear that Naboth’s sons were killed with him, so there would be no heirs.  All of this because Ahab thought it would be nice to have a vineyard that was close to his palace.

Ahab didn’t enact the plan, but he knew it was going on, and was all too happy to rise up and take possession of the land after the heinous deed.  This was an abomination to God on Jezebel’s part, Ahab’s part, on the part of the leaders of Jezreel, and on the part of everyone who remained silent in the face of obvious wickedness. 

God then sends Elijah who just happens to catch Ahab as he is in Naboth’s field.  What is God’s message?  In short, Ahab will die in the same place that the dogs licked up the blood of Naboth and his sons, outside the city like an outcast.

Of course, the Pharisees tried this ploy on our Lord Jesus.  In their midnight phony trial, several witnesses were put forward as false witnesses against Jesus, but their testimony didn’t match and would stand the light of day.  However, the Lord knew what would give them the charge they sought.  When he declares that they will see him sitting at the right hand of the God, and coming on the clouds of heaven (a direct reference to Daniel 7:14), they believe that he has blasphemed, and that is what he was tried for, blaspheming God and the king (Caesar). 

Yes, in this world, wicked men seem to get away with wicked plans.  However, do not go along with them, no matter how afraid you are, or how much you will get ahead in this life by it.  This is an abomination to God and a righteous man will do his best to expose them.

So, what does God love?  I want to look at John 3:35-36 and then Revelation 3:14

God loves one who witnesses to the truth

If we are to carry out the imagery in Proverbs, we see that Jesus is animated by a pure spirit, wind, breath.  It is a holy spirit that is truth itself, and gives witness to the truth without fault.  This is the one who is loved of God.

Yes, it seems obvious that the Father loves the Son, but He loves us too because we have put our faith in the Son.  Jesus is the perfect image of God.  For all of the lies that Satan has spread against God, Jesus hanging on the cross shuts the mouth of all accusations for all eternity.  How can you question God’s love and motives after that?  Jesus became our template, but he also is our leader.  We will never get to being like him without his direction and help.  He is also the one who empowers us by his Holy Spirit.

The main purpose of this life is for us to learn to become more like God the Father through Jesus.  Of course, there are many who are trying to be gods in this world, and it will only get worse until the One True God ends it.  You cannot separate God’s power from His character.  You can’t try to obtain that power and reject His character.  It will never work.  There are two paths presented to us in this world.  The first is from the spirit of this world and it encourages humanity to follow its lusts, and pool its gifts in order to make ourselves gods.  God’s path requires us to turn away from our lusts and to embrace Jesus.  Of course, we won’t become God, but we will be like Him; we will be the Sons of God.  No matter how god-like humans become, we will one day have to give an account to the One who truly is God.  No one who is unprepared can survive that moment. 

Christians must not become tempted by that path, no matter how successful it may look.  Keep your eyes upon Christ and become more like him, not this world.  If we believe in the Son, we will see eternal life, and the wrath of God will not remain upon us, but His love will rest upon us.

In Revelation 3:14, I want to focus on two of the Titles that Jesus uses for himself.  The first one is The Amen.  It may seem to be a strange title, but it really isn’t.  “Amen” basically means that something is true and trustworthy.  Jesus used this to emphasize his statements to his disciples.  It is translated as “verily” in the KJV, and “most assuredly” in the NKJV.  Twice, Jesus doubles up the word, “Verily, verily I say unto you.”  This is a way of doubly intensifying the meaning.

Jesus is a metaphorical Amen to the Father’s will.  He not only assents that the Father’s plan is true and trustworthy, but he gives his strength to carrying it out.  He is not just declaring true and trustworthy things.  He himself is the Truth and Trustworthiness!  When we stand in Christ, we stand alongside the greatest one of all creation declaring a cosmic “Amen!” to the Father.  When we follow Christ and obey his commands, we are shouting “Amen!” to the Father in heaven with our lives.  Father, we praise you for you are True and Trustworthy regardless of what we see and experience down here!

He is also called The Faithful and True Witness.  I mentioned this earlier, but think of all the slander that the enemy whispered about God the Father throughout history.  Jesus came down to set the record straight.  His death on the cross makes it clear that the Father does not want people to die in their sins and go into the Lake of Fire.  Jesus did not just give a faithful and true witness about God.  He was Faithful and True in all that He said and did, faithful and true to his Father in heaven.

Yes, you and I have a lot of work to do to become like Jesus, and there are many in this world who are witnessing of Jesus, using his moral credentials, but they are not being faithful and true to God’s Word.  With the help of Jesus, this work will be finished in us, if we will just believe him and his word.  Let us be faithful and give a true witness of Jesus, and in so doing, become more like our Father in heaven!

The Things that God Hates 5: A Heart that Plots Wicked Plans

Proverbs 6:16-18; 1 Samuel 18:8-27; Esther 8:3; Psalm 51:10-11.

This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on September 12, 2021.

We have made it to the fourth thing that God hates.  I would take a second to remind those who balk at the concept of God hating something to read the first sermon on this topic dated August 13, 2021 on this blog.

God hates a heart that plots wicked plans

Proverbs 6:18 moves to the heart and the wicked plans that are often plotted in it.  We have many examples of such in the Old Testament.  Let’s start with Saul plotting against David in 1 Samuel 18:8-27.

By this time, Saul has already been told by Samuel that God has rejected him as king because of his rebellions against God.  It is in 1 Samuel 15 that Saul is confronted by the prophet and two things are pointed out.  First, Saul’s problem began when he ceased to be “little in his own eyes” (1 Sam. 15:17), aka pride.  Second, Saul’s rebellion was like the sin of witchcraft, and his stubbornness was like idolatry.  Of course, Saul is king.  Such things are not always evident to the common people in a nation or republic.  God rejected Saul because Saul had continually rejected His words and instructions.

This is the context of David’s great deliverance over Goliath, and his subsequent rise to public glory.  The women had been singing a song that said “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.”  Saul becomes jealous of David’s popularity that has risen above his own.  In his jealousy, he flat out tries to kill David with his spear.  When this doesn’t work, he talks David into marrying his daughter with a steep dowry.  He hopes that David will be caught in a Philistine trap with his own daughter as the bait.  Despite Saul’s hopes, David is doubly successful and Saul became David’s enemy “continually,” or literally “all the days.” (verse 28).  Saul begins to publicly slander David as a rebel and an outlaw to the people of Israel, when this is exactly what Saul was.  He had become a rebel against God plotting plans that were against the Law of God (shedding innocent blood).

Another example is found in the book of Esther, and is mentioned specifically in 8:3.  Haman plotted against Mordecai and the Jews.  Notice that this story begins when Haman’s pride (ceased to be little in his own eyes) was wounded by the fact that Mordecai the Jew did not bow in his presence.  Haman plots against Mordecai in order to hang him on gallows that he had specially made for the occasion.  Yet, this was not enough for Haman.  Haman wants to exterminate the people that Mordecai belongs to, the Jews. 

It is worth noting that Haman is called an Agagite.  This means he is descended from Agag the Amalekite king who Saul did not kill when he was instructed to do so by God.  That is an interesting twist in the story.  However, through Esther, God moves the heart of the King of Persia to be against Haman and with the Jews.

When you compare this plotting to Saul’s, you find that Saul’s plotting is focused on one man, David.  Yet, he is also plotting against the Lord, and the interests of the people of Israel.  He may not be trying to kill the Israelites, but he is injuring them by his actions.  Haman is actively plotting against the people of God out of wounded pride.  Perhaps, he knew the history of the death of his ancestor, and that fueled his hatred.  Ultimately, even though he wouldn’t think so, Haman is plotting against the plans of God.

Always remember when you are worried about the plans of the wicked that the High King of heaven has plans as well.  The plans of the wicked will eventually come to nothing, but the plans of the Lord are established forever!

Lastly, I would point to the plotting that the chief priests and elders of Israel did against Jesus.  It is the same story as before.  Their pride is injured because Jesus exposes their sins.  Instead of choosing repentance, which is the proper action, they plot to kill him.

Even today, the world is plotting against the Word of God, and King Jesus whom the Father has installed as the authority above all in heaven and on earth.  It is not just “wicked Jews,” or any other ethnic group, that we should be pointing the finger at.  Just as God has people from every tribe, nation, and tongue who are his, so Satan has workers from them all.  They are a proud people who bristle at having their sin exposed, who even hate that the things they love are called sins.  They imagine that their plans against God’s people will be successful, but they walk the path of Saul the Benjamite, and Haman the Agagite, men who are like the wicked one.

Many are the designs of the wicked, but those plans are all an abomination to God, and He will destroy them.  Choose this day whose side you are on, the Lord’s or Satan’s. 

Yet, many who are going along with these plans are unwitting.  They are unaware of the wicked plotting and slander.  They are duped in speaking for the cause by the one who disguises himself as an angel of light.  Our job is not to hate even those who plot.  Our job is to spread the Gospel.  God does not delight in the destruction of the wicked.  He would rather that they see their coming judgment, repent, and be saved from it, and so must we.  Now is not a day to get offended and hurt.  It is a day to take a kiss on the cheek and a knife in the back, all the while sharing the good news that they can be saved from their sin and guilt.

This is what God hates.  So, what is it that He loves?  Psalm 51 teaches us that God loves a clean heart.

God loves a clean heart

It is interesting that David had been hated and abused by King Saul.  God delivered David from the wicked plans of Saul, but He did not deliver Uriah from the wicked plans of David.  This mystery, of when God steps in and when He doesn’t, often angers people, but the true issues of life are not about getting justice.  The ultimate issue of life is my heart, what is in it, and what am I becoming.  David ends up becoming the very thing that he prayed God would save him from.

When David was faced with his sin by the prophet Nathan, David was forced to make a choice.  He could kill another man, and add to his guilt, or he could stop and repent.  This is the setting of Psalm 51, which begins with the cry, “Have mercy on me, O God!”  This is a cry that should rise up from every person around the globe and in every language on earth. (Hebrew) חָנֵּנִי אֱלֹהִים. (Greek)  ἐλέησόν με ὁ θεός. 

In verse 10 of Psalm 51, David recognizes that his heart needed cleaning.  It had become defiled.  That defilement began when he contemplated, plotted, to sin.  His plots grew until he was trapped by his sins.  Everyone would know when Bathsheba began to show her pregnancy.  He then plotted to neutralize the trap by adding to his sins the murder of Uriah the Hittite.  How ironic it is to see that Uriah the Hittite, that is not an Israelite, had more integrity at this juncture than David who had been the poster-child for integrity in his youth.

David had no one to blame, but his own heart.  Saul was no longer around to blame.  Jesus reminds us in the New Testament that a man is not defiled by what goes into his body, but by what comes up out of his heart.  Adultery, murder, and deception (lies), came up out of David’s heart and flowed into his life.  David is proof that even the most righteous among us are faced with a heart that gravitates to sin.  Unless we are daily vigilant at keeping it clean of those “gravitations,” we can do the basest of things.  My heart, your heart, needs cleaning.  All the hearts on this planet need a clean heart more than they need justice for the sins done against them.

David recognizes that he can’t do this cleaning by himself.  He needs God’s help.  This is not the cry of a man on the couch asking God to get him a drink from the fridge (I.e., do for me what I don’t want to do).  This is a man who is broken over his sin and realizing that he cannot remove it by himself.

Throughout this whole Psalm, there is wording that makes it clear that David recognizes that he has become what Saul had been.  In verse 11, David begs that God will not cast him away (as a rebel), and also remove His Holy Spirit from him.  When Saul was rejected by God, an evil spirit began to bother him.  David recognized what comes next.  He should be cast away and harassed by an evil spirit.  Such is the lot of those who rebel against God.  Yet, this is not God’s desire for Saul or David.  David begs for mercy where Saul only doubled down on his insolence.

Let us not fool ourselves.  If we fail in embracing God’s heart-cleansing program through pride and arrogance, then we will eventually come under the judgment of God.  It is not enough to be a church member, or to have been a Christian for decades.  Each time we are faced with defilement in our heart, we must humble ourselves and take our medicine.

Cleaning begins with a broken spirit and a contrite heart.  In verse 16, David points to the sacrifices that God is not looking for, those that could be done on a public altar, but are not from the heart.  Interesting, Saul had several times used public sacrifices as an excuse for his sin.  One time, he did the sacrifice himself instead of waiting for the prophet.  The second time, he tried to justify his disobedience to God by saying he wanted to make a big sacrifice out of it.  Saul tried to create a moral fig leaf for his sin, but God saw through it to the heart behind the actions. 

God has not called us to do what we want for Him.  There are a lot of Church leaders today who have great plans they are promoting for God, but they are not doing what He told them to do.  In short, they are rebelling.

May God stop us from only seeing their sin and their defilement.  May He help us to first deal with our own through a broken spirit and a contrite heart.  My heart must be broken, not because I am devastated to learn that I can sin, but because I realize that God’s love is only by His grace, that I never deserved, and even now only deserve His wrath.  It must be contrite.  Contrition requires two aspects: a sense of guilt over our sin, and a desire for God’s cleansing.  May we come to Him today with contrite hearts, and may we learn to do the actions of repentance in every aspect of our life.

Lessons from the Underground Church 6: The Moment of Crisis

This is a 13 week series that will not be posted on our website.  If you would like an audio of the sermon or a written article on the sermon contents then please contact the church at AbundantLifeEverett@frontier.com.  You can also leave a message at 425.438.1500.  Thank you for your interest.

Seated at the Right Hand of God

Mark 16:15-20.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on April 11, 2021.

The authority and power of Jesus is something that the world pays little attention to.  It seems to have no bearing upon the process of answering the problems of our society.  Yet, God’s Word tells us that Jesus is seated at the right hand of God the Father.

May God help us to hold on to this truth, and to live it out in a society that is increasingly casting off the truth of Jesus.  Don’t give up your inheritance for a bowl of beans.  Don’t cast aside the only thing that can give your life meaning today, and prepare yourself for the eternity that awaits once you die.

The textual issue of Mark 16:9-20

I did not go over this last week, but will do so now.  There is an issue with the text of Mark 16:9-20.  The NKJV just has a footnote that mentions that these verses are missing in Codex Sinaiticus & Codex Vaticanus, but are in nearly all other manuscripts- codex simply means a book.  This makes it sound like there is little contrary evidence to retaining these verses.  The NIV states, “The earliest manuscripts and some other ancient witnesses do not have Mark 16:9-20.”  This makes it sound like most of the evidence, or at least the best evidence, is on the side of omitting these verses.  The NLT actually lists a shorter ending, and a longer ending and gives some footnotes.  So, what is up with these verses and should they be in the Bible?

Let’s look at the manuscript evidence first.  We do not have the originals of any biblical books and, in fact, do not have whole copies of the New Testament that date any further back than the 4^th century, or the 300’s AD.  So, the two codices (plural for codex) that the NKJV list are considered the most ancient full copies of the Bible, even though they are old and have some pages missing, etc.  There is another codex called Codex Alexandrinus that is considered just as important as the other two mentioned.  They were created within 50 years of each other.  In this case, Sinaiticus and Vaticanus omit the verses and Alexandrinus retains the verses.  It is important to know that Sinaiticus and Vaticanus do not always agree in textual issues.  For example, there are times when Sinaiticus agrees with Alexandrinus against Vaticanus, and other times that Vaticanus agrees with Alexandrinus against Sinaiticus.  This should give us pause and make us ask why this would be so in this case.

Another issue regarding the manuscripts is that 99% of the manuscripts have the verses in them.  However, two of the most ancient copies of Mark that we have do not have the verses.  This causes a pause for all scholars.

Another line of evidence is found in ancient translations.  The Latin translation by Jerome that was done in the 300’s AD has the verses in them.  Interestingly, Jerome mentions some of the manuscripts from his day (we do not have these) did not have verses 9-20.  Weighing the evidence of his day, he determined that they should be retained.  There are some other translations to other languages that occur later, which leave these verses out.  However, this only reiterates the reality that there was a question in this area.  Most ancient translations retained the verses.  So, this line doesn’t really help to determine anything more than that a question existed from the 300’s on that most scholars chose on the side of retaining the verses.

Lastly, we do have evidence that is older than the 300’s and this comes from writing of the early Church Fathers, or Leaders.  Some of these are from the 100’s AD and some from the 200’s AD.  Tatian created a harmony of all 4 gospels between 150 and 170 AD.  He essentially collated the verses in an approximate order so that all 4 gospels were in one book.  He has these verses in his harmony, called the Diatessaron.  Irenaeus, in his book Against Heresies, quotes from these verses (this would be around 180 AD).  There are no writers from the 100’s AD that dispute its veracity.  It is in the 200’s that we begin to run into writers that mention some manuscripts not having the verses.  So, now we know that the issue at least goes back to the 200’s, and that if it was known about earlier, either no one felt it important enough to point out, or were unaware of any issue.

This leaves scholars to try and come up with a scenario that would explain these facts.  The most likely of the proposed scenarios so far is that it is possible that the original copy of Mark’s Gospel had its last page/leaf/(scroll) damaged or lost.  Perhaps later when it was being copied the verses were supplied from memory (by Mark? Or someone else?).  It is difficult to know for sure.  It is hard to believe that someone could just add verses that had no connection to the Gospel without others disputing it.  So, the verses must have been original or very close to the original so as to cause no alarm. 

The main problem with omitting these verses is that verse 8 of chapter 16 would be a strange place to stop for the Gospel.  I believe that the evidence points to the fact that they should be included, but even then, everything that we find in these verses can be verified from the other Gospels and the book of Acts.

The mission of the followers of Jesus

Back on January 24, 2021, we looked at the Great Commission from all four Gospels.  There, we recognized that they clearly detail the same event, but have different emphases.  Jesus was getting ready to leave his disciples in the sense that he would not be physically appearing to them again, like he had been doing for nearly 40 days.  Thus, he gives them the work, or mission, that he wants them to focus on as they move forward.

The scope of this mission is “all the world,” and “to every creature.”  Previously, they were restricted to go to the “House of Israel,” but now Christ is expanding their task.  They are to go to all the world.  This was not an idea that the world of those days held.  Pagans saw the world as controlled by territorial spirits.  You appeased the spirits of your location.  It wouldn’t make sense for everyone to worship only one God.  On the other hand, Jews saw the nations as rejected by God, though they would teach those who were interested, but that was it.

Christ would no longer leave the nations in the dark, but sends his disciples out with the truth that would set the Gentiles free from the long servitude under ignorance and the false teaching of evil spirits, and fallen angels.  “Every creature” emphasizes that which is created by God, and clearly is focused on humans.  God had created all of humanity to bear His image, not just Israel.  It was time to aggressively enter the nations and remind them of this truth, and the Good News of Jesus.

We have our marching orders and should not stop until our commander returns.

The activity of this mission is to preach the Gospel.  Mark emphasizes proclaiming the Gospel (the word translated preach is a simple proclamation made by anybody).  From the other Gospels, we know that this is to include discipling those who believe.  It is a critical component of the teaching of Jesus that we are to persuasively proclaim him to others.  However, the idea that Christians should leave others alone in their belief systems is growing in its adherents today.  At the same time that a case for Christians leaving others alone is made, there is an aggressive proselytizing of Christians to believe what the world wants us to believe.

The hallmark of Christianity is the arena of ideas and truth claims.  Christians are not to be afraid to go toe to toe with other religions or philosophies because we have been sent by the Truth.  Yet, we should also remain humble.  We are not the Truth itself.  To the degree that we rightly represent Christ is to the degree that we are right.  This point has often been transgressed much to the harm of the cause of Christ.

The response to this proclamation will be either belief or rejection.  Many will reject the Gospel and Jesus that we proclaim, but some will believe.  Mark mentions that those who believe and are baptized will be saved.  This is not a statement of what saves, I.e., one is not saved until baptized, but of what should happen.  Baptism was seen as symbolic of what had happened in responding hearts, and a public declaration of a person’s inclusion into the Christian Community, and identification with them and Jesus.

Christians should always be a community that makes room for new believers, who are new spiritual babies.  We are to be a family that is learning to become like Jesus together.  This requires a lot of work beyond baptism, which Matthew calls “teaching” and “discipling.”  Of course, God’s response will always be to save those who believe.  That gives us three important “responses:” the believer who responds to Christ’s command by proclaiming the Gospel, the receiver of the Gospel who believes the message, and God who responds to that faith by saving them.

The signs that follow the mission that is done in Christ’s name are noted as: casting out demons, speaking in new tongues, not harmed by venom or poison, and healing of the sick.  It is important to note the wording here.  “These signs will follow those who believe.”  Though Christ is in heaven, he would be with his disciples by the Holy Spirit.  Christ would confirm the Gospel preached by his disciples with powerful signs at his determination.  Thus, this is a list of the types of things that would happen and not a command for us to do them.  We can be guilty of associating too closely the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the person through whom they happen.  This wording is a balance to that.  The power is always in Jesus and from Jesus, not us.  We are to be faithful and he will confirm as he determines.  Our mission is the proclamation, not doing signs and wonders.

None of these signs should be controversial among believers, but they sometimes are.  Casting out demons may not be acceptable to secular psychologists, but it is clear that their theories do not explain all things.  Speaking with new tongues is a reference to Acts chapter two, and outpouring of the Holy Spirit.  The venom of snakes and poison is not a test of faith, nor a statement that no true Christian can be harmed by them.  The Bible even records an example of this in Acts 28.  Notice in that story that Paul is not purposefully looking for a serpent to prove himself.  The healing of the sick, has sometimes become a mockery and a scam by the activity of pretenders.  This is a tragedy and a sin against Christ.  In all of these things, we should recognize that these are signs that would happen from time to time, and they did, and they are even today.

The ascension of Jesus

In verse 19, the translation “received up” is probably better translated “taken up” due to its usage today.  From Acts 1, we know that Jesus lifted up into the air until he went into the clouds, and they could no longer see him.  This would function to cement in their minds that they would not see him again, until he came back on the clouds in judgment.  The continual appearances that had happened in the weeks after the Resurrection had now come to an end.  Jesus was now residing in heaven, at the right hand of God the Father.  Thus, Jesus has come full circle, back where he started.  However, now he has the additional nature of a man, and the only rightful claim to the earth’s title.

We are then told that Jesus sits at the right hand of God.  This speaks to the closeness with the Father, he is the right-hand man of God, and it speaks to his authority and power.  Romans 8:34 adds that in that place Christ is interceding for believers.  We have a savior who intercedes on our behalf before God the Father daily.  This ought to comfort us a great deal and should always quash the idea that God doesn’t care about us, or doesn’t know about our problems.

Ultimately, we see that the disciples began the work that Christ gave them, and Christ fulfilled his duties.  He worked with them by confirming the word that they preached with signs.  How important it is for us to make sure that we are proclaiming the words of Jesus and the Bible.  If we are proclaiming our ideas and opinions then why would Christ confirm those?  We aren’t always right, but He is!

May this be our testimony today that we are a people living out the word of Christ and sharing that with others.  May we be a people who are making room for those who are being saved, and may we be helping them to become followers of Jesus, and imagers of God, along with us.

Seated at the right Hand audio