Pastor Marty Saturday, May 1, 2021 at 7:52PM 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.
Pastor Marty Friday, April 23, 2021 at 8:33AM 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.
Pastor Marty Tuesday, August 27, 2019 at 4:39PM Mark 6:14-29. This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on August 25, 2019.
Our Passage today is about how people in power do not like to have anyone rail against their sins in public. Imprisonment and execution can be done in a moral manner and will occur under good governance, but they are the main methods and means of tyrants to keep a firm hold upon society. The Bible warns that in the last days mankind will be more likely to kill believers than less.
We should praise God for the protections that have been provided for us in t he United States of America. However, we are guaranteed that it will not last forever. It is important that we recognize that our purpose on this earth is to take our stand beside Jesus before all others and without shame. To do this without redefining Jesus in our own image, we must remember that our reward is not what we experience in this life, but what we shall experience in the life to come.
This story tends to work backwards in time, which doesn’t give us a good idea of when John had been imprisoned and executed, and how long before this it was. Those who have researched the history tend to see an overlap of less than a year in the ministry of John and Jesus before he is arrested. It is also thought that John may have been in prison up to a year. We will deal with the story by looking at the imprisonment and death of John first, and then we will come back to verses 14-16.
Before we get into John’s arrest, we must also take a moment to talk about the convoluted Herodian families, and just which Herod is being referenced here. The Gospels don’t always give good clues to us because they had lived through these things and it was obvious.
Herod the Great is the Herod that is mentioned in the stories about the birth of Jesus. He had been made king over all of Israel by the Romans. He is also the one who ordered all children under 2 years of age in Bethlehem to be killed. He was a dangerous man who was considered by many to be somewhat insane. He executed three of his sons under suspicions of plotting to assassinate him. Herod the Great died within 3-4 years of the birth of Jesus, which allowed Joseph and Mary to come back from Egypt and settle in Nazareth.
Upon the death of Herod the Great, his kingdom was broken up into 5 parts and divvied up between three sons and 1 daughter. Now, Herod had married many different wives and so, most of the brothers mentioned here are actually half-brothers. The Herod of our passage in Mark 6 is one of these sons and is usually called Herod Antipas. Herod Antipas was given rule over the Galilee (the western side of the Sea of Galilee including Nazareth) and another area called Perea, which was on the eastern side of the Jordan River between the Sea of Galilee and about half way down the Dead Sea. Notice that John the Baptist would have been baptizing people on the edge of his territory.
John the Baptist had a clear message. Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. He often challenged the people on specific sins, even calling out the Pharisees, but what got him in trouble was when he called out Herod Antipas for his sin. You see, Herod Antipas had gone to Rome at the same time as one of his half-brothers named Herod Philip (not Philip the Tetrarch who is mentioned in the Scriptures). There he had fallen in love with his half-brother’s wife, Herodias. Yes, as her name implies, she is related and is actually the half-niece of Herod Antipas. Apparently, the feelings were mutual because they divorced their spouses and married each other when they returned to Israel. Now, the Law of Moses specifically prohibits marrying your brother’s wife, while he is still alive, not to mention the flimsy “case” for divorce. Secondly, a case could also be made that she is too close in kinship to be lawful to marry. Thus, John the Baptist calls out Herod Antipas for an illegitimate marriage.
People in power do not like religious prophets calling them out for their sin. It is a personal affront, but also a political threat that can undermine their authority. John had multitudes of people listening to his words and responding in repentance, which leads Herod Antipas to have him arrested and thrown in prison.
Herod Antipas had enough of his father in him to imprison John, but not so much as to have him executed. He not only feared John as a holy prophet, but he also feared what the people would do if they heard he had killed John (Matthew’s Gospel specifically mentions this). Yet, we are told that Herodias, his unlawful wife, wanted John the Baptist dead. She could not do so because her husband stood in the way.
This sets up the scene, that Matthew and Luke both describe, wherein John the Baptist sends his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the Coming One, or do we look for another?” Of all the people in Israel, John the Baptist seemed the most confident in who Jesus was. Yet, after he had spent weeks and months in prison, it is clear that he began to wonder if he had missed something. How could the Messiah be in Israel, and I am in prison under threat of death? Surely, he will take power and set me free any day now. In those passages, Jesus tells the disciples of John, “Go tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the Gospel preached to them. And Blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” (Matthew 11:5-6 NKJV). The word “offended” here is the Greek word Skandalizo, and literally means “to cause to stumble.” It comes from the concept of a stumbling block or stone in the Old Testament. Basically, Jesus is telling John to hang on to his faith. He is right and Jesus was doing all he was supposed to do. Sometimes we think God should be doing things that the word never says that He must do. In those times, we must trust Him, even it means we will die.
Our text tells us that an “opportune day” came. This is in reference to the evil desire that Herodias had for John. Whatever we allow to grow in our hearts, will one day find an opportune time to be expressed. This is why we are warned to guard our hearts, not from being wounded in love, but from sinful desires that rise up and consume our inner dialogue from day to day. Herodias nurtured murder in her heart and finally an opportunity came and she fell headlong into the full expression of that sin.
The opportunity comes in the form of a party that Herod Antipas throws for his birthday. All his nobles, chief men, and high officers of his lands are gathered. Herodias has her daughter (Herod’s step-daughter) dance before the king and his assembly. No doubt, this is a typical, sensual dance that stirs up the passions of the king and was no doubt set up by Herodias, knowing her husband very well. Herod is so pleased by the dance that he offers the young girl anything up to half his kingdom as a reward. She goes and asks her mother what she should say, and her mother tells her to ask for the head of John the Baptist. I would not think the young girl had such a gift in mind. However, she does not seem to put up much of a protest. When she asks Herod for John’s head on a platter, Herod is in a bind. He had given his word by oath and would look weak, impulsive, and untrustworthy to his administers.
We are told that Herod is “exceedingly sorrowful” at this reply. This is the same word that is used of the rich young ruler who Jesus told to sell everything and come follow him. That young man was exceedingly sorrowful because he wanted to follow Jesus, but he also had a large amount of wealth that he did not want to give up. It is also the word used for Jesus in the garden on the night he was betrayed. As he prayed that night, he was exceedingly sorrowful unto death. This is part of the tragedy of sin. Most people are not as completely evil as they can be. However, we can become so tightly entangled in a great web of sin that it traps us into descending further. Many wicked things are done by unwilling people who feel that they are trapped and have no other choice. Yet, remember the message of John the Baptist. Repent. Herod was only trapped because he continued to refuse a place in his heart for repentance. We too are only as trapped as we are insistent on resisting the call to repentance.
This leads us back to the beginning of our passage. Herod had executed John and it bothered him enough to be superstitious, but not enough to repent. You see, when word of the exploits of Jesus reach him, he concludes that John the Baptist has come back to life and is going to cause him even more trouble. It is interesting that there is no statement of a fear of God, only of John. This scene is a reversal of the scene where Jesus asks his disciples who people are saying he is. There too we are told that a common theory of who Jesus was said that he was Elijah. This is not as strange as it may seem to us. Elijah had been taken up into the heavens by a heavenly chariot. Also, Malachi 4:5 prophesied that Elijah would appear before the great and dreadful Day of the Lord, and he would turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to the fathers. This is a beautiful picture of what wholesale repentance can do in a society. We know that this theory was not true.
The second theory was that Jesus was The Prophet or at least just one of the prophets. This is a reference to an interesting prophecy that Moses himself had given in Deuteronomy 18:15. He said that a particular prophet would come in the future that would be like him. This seems to mean that he would be on the same order and magnitude of Moses. Thus, many prophets had arisen since Moses, but none of them with such deliverance from bondage, and establishing a completely, new order within Israel. “The Prophet” was seen as either the same as the Messiah, or another who would work with the Messiah to reform Israel.
I take time to go through this because, in our flesh, we come up with religious speculation and superstitious conspiracy theories. Even today, many Christians exist in a kind of Herodian sphere where they have enough religion to speculate and respond in fear to the things ahead of us. However, the Holy Spirit of God is working to reveal to us that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. Herod put to death the very one who testified the truth about Jesus. If Herod had only listened then he would know exactly who Jesus is. He is the Messiah, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!
Our passage ends at this point. In Luke 13:31-33, we are told that Herod Antipas sought to kill Jesus. When the Pharisees bring this up to Jesus, he basically tells them to go tell “that fox,” I will do what I am going to do and he can’t stop it. Herod Antipas, or Caesar for that matter, had no power over Jesus. He had to go to Jerusalem and die there because that was the prophesied plan.
Herod Antipas received one more chance and gracious witness of the truth from God when Pilate was determining what to do with Jesus. He sends Jesus to Herod Antipas because Jesus was from Nazareth, which was in his territory. We are told that Herod was excited because he wanted to hear what things Jesus would have to say. However, Jesus refused to play his game and so Herod sent Jesus back to Pilate and deferred to his judgment. There was no place for repentance in his heart. Religion was only a fun game to play or a fine sounding instrument to play, and that was all.
Within ten years of the death of Jesus, Herod Antipas and Herodias are caught up in a political maneuver that causes them to be exiled to Gaul, where they later died. If only he had responded to the tremendous people who witnessed to him of the truth of God’s Word.
John the Baptist is not recorded as the first Christian martyr because Jesus stated that John was the last of the Old Testament prophets, and rightly belonged to the era of Israel under the Law of Moses. With Jesus, a new era was beginning. The remnant of Israel was called out in order to become the Church of Jesus, wherein both Jews and Gentiles would become one people of faith upon the foundation of Jesus and his apostles.
We too can find ourselves in a position much like John the Baptist. The difficulties and sufferings that we face in this life at the hands of selfish and even wicked people can cause us to question Jesus. Precious, few believers in America need to really fear martyrdom, dying for our faith and testimony in Jesus. However, this is part of the condemnation that comes upon this world. God has sent us prophets and righteous people speaking the truth, and we have persecuted them and put them to death. More people have died in this last century than all the previous centuries combined. Part of that is because of the increase in population, but part of it is because the world hates the message of Jesus, and thus hates those who truly follow him. Yet, such hatred, persecution, and even martyring, will not destroy us. The work of John was not destroyed by his death and the work of Jesus was not destroyed by his death. May we always remember that the things we do that are of God cannot be destroyed, but will only produce a harvest at thirty, sixty, even a hundred-fold!
Email Article | Print Article | Share Article | tagged Fear, Marriage, Martyrs, Murder, Persecution, Repentance Pastor Marty Tuesday, August 21, 2018 at 12:46PM Colossians 4:7-18. This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on August 19, 2018.
Throughout history it is clear that God uses specific individuals to open doors of ministry and accomplish great things for the Kingdom of God. However, today I hope you will see that even in such cases, no one ministers alone. God expects us to work together so that the work He intends will be accomplished in our area and beyond. Each Christian needs to seek the Lord regarding how we can help in ministering the Gospel to this world, whether that involves leading a new work, or coming alongside someone whom God has filled with a vision for reaching the lost. No matter how small and lacking in talent you may be, God has a place for you in His plan.
Starting in verse 7, Paul gives a series of explanations to the Colossians regarding different individuals who were helping him. The first two are those who had delivered this very letter from Paul, who is in Rome under house-arrest, to the Colossians. Such a journey required a lot more help than it would in today’s world. The first individual is Tychicus. He is described as a beloved brother, faithful minister, and fellow servant in the Lord. Paul saw Tychicus as more than a worker who would help him get things done. He had a familial relationship with him that was like a brother. We must never lose sight of this in the work of the Lord. If we treat it as a business and abuse one another in order to get things done, then we have lost sight of what God has called us to.
The second individual is named Onesimus and he is described as a faithful and beloved brother as well. Here we are told that Onesimus is “one of you,” which means he is from Colosse. This is the very same run-away slave of the letter to Philemon. Apparently Onesimus had run away from his Christian master, Philemon, and ran into Paul. Onesimus became a Christian through Paul. But, note that Paul does not describe Onesimus as a “run-away slave” here in this letter. He is called a brother in the work of the Lord. In fact, it may be possible that Onesimus had delivered the letter to Philemon at the same time as the letter to the Colossians.
Paul points out that the Colossians will be able to hear what was happening with Paul in Rome in order to comfort their hearts. When we are unaware of what is happening to others we love, it is very disconcerting. Thus they would receive comfort by the testimony of Tychicus and Onesimus. These two help Paul in some very practical ways. They helped him stay in contact with the churches by carrying letters on ships and over land. In our modern world of technological wonders we can forget that even our system of communication requires people helping and serving in very practical ways. Not all service to the kingdom looks super spiritual, but it is needed nonetheless.
Starting in verse 10 we have three individuals who are described as being part of “the circumcision.” Basically it means that they are Jews. However, the New Testament also describes a group of Jewish Christians who attempted to make Gentile converts to Christ follow the commands of the Law of Moses. Circumcision became a flag for this view. It doesn’t seem likely that these three held this view previously, so it is probably simply a way of referring to their Jewish ancestry and not their theological views.
By the way, it has been pointed out in the past that it is curious that there is no mention of Peter being in Rome at all. Those who teach that Peter was the first bishop of Rome have a time explaining this issue.
The first of this group is Aristarchus, who is also under house-arrest with Paul. Most of these individuals have come to Paul and are freely helping him. However, Aristarchus is stuck. Though he is Jewish, he was a Macedonian from Thessalonica, who had been helping Paul throughout his missionary journeys. In fact, he was with Paul in Ephesus, when they were arrested for creating a mob. “Great is Diana of the Ephesians!” (Acts 19:28). Thus Aristarchus is a helper who has been with him through thick and thin.
Next we have Mark the cousin of Barnabas. If you are not aware, Paul and Mark had some difficult history. Mark, also called John, had abandoned Paul and Barnabas on one of their missionary journeys. Later, when they went out again, Paul refused to let John Mark accompany them. Barnabas disagreed. This led to them going separate ways. (See Acts 13-15, esp. Acts 15:36-40). Several times in his letters, Paul goes out of his way to encourage churches to receive John Mark and not hold his previous failings against him. So here we see that John Mark had traveled to Rome in order to help Paul, and Paul is very appreciative. Christians are always going to have their times of strife. But, we must work in order to make things right and forgive one another. This is a classic picture of such in the early Church. By the way, Mark is the one who wrote the Gospel called by his name.
The third Jewish person was a guy named Jesus, or also called Justus. We know nothing about this Justus, other than that he was Jewish and had gone to Rome to help Paul. Perhaps he is a friend of John Mark and came with him. Paul seems to imply that others of “the circumcision” should have been there to help him. I don’t want to read more into this than is appropriate. However, Paul may be thinking of at least two things. First Paul is a Jew and so Jewish Christians naturally should go out of their ways to encourage him. Second of all, Paul was arrested in Jerusalem under false charges. Thus the Christians of Jerusalem should also feel an obligation to encourage him.
In all this, Paul praises these three for being a comfort to him. We all need comforted as we work for the Lord. No one is so spiritual as not to need comfort, not even our Lord Jesus. We must allow others to come alongside of us and comfort us. However, God’s supply of helpers in our life is not a steady stream. In the letter of 2 Timothy, Paul notes a time of having no one with him. Ultimately, we must always draw our comfort from the Lord first.
In verse 12 Paul quickly mentions some other helpers who want to greet the Colossians. Epaphras is a Colossian and a fellow slave of Christ. Though it is not mentioned here, in the letter to Philemon it is clear that Epaphras was also imprisoned with Paul. Note that Epaphras is praised for his many prayers for the believers in Colosse, Laodicea, and Hierapolis. He prayed “fervently” (the word denotes that pain is involved) for them. Thus just as some help is very practical, so some help is very spiritual, but both are needed and should be commended.
Next Luke the doctor is mentioned. He is the author of the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. He was with Paul throughout many of his journeys. In fact, if you read through the book of Acts, you will notice a change at times in the pronouns that are used. Sometimes he writes “we” did this and “we” did that. Then it switches to “he” did this and “he” did that. Paul calls Luke beloved. Perhaps Luke had to use his skills as a doctor time and time again to assist Paul in keeping healthy.
Little is said of the last individual Demas, other than that he greets them. It is believed that this is the same Demas of 2 Timothy 4:10 of whom Paul wrote, “Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica.” The ministry of the Gospel is not always easy and there are always those who will start out strong and then fall away from Christ. We must always keep an eye out and minister to one another so that no one is discouraged. However, the problem with Demas is rooted in his desire for the things of the world. He had been trying to plow with Paul while looking back at what he had left behind. No one can serve two masters for long.
Paul asks the Colossian believers to greet the Laodicean believers. He also asks them to greet the individual named Nymphas, and the church that met at his house. House churches were the norm. Thus there is something particular about Nymphas that causes Paul to mention them, as a means of encouragement. In fact, any church leader is always in need of encouragement. Some translations refer to Nymphas as a man and some as a woman. This is because some older manuscripts use a female construction of this sentence. Regardless, the point is not the gender, but the need for encouragement.
Beginning in verse 16, Paul gives some final instructions while closing the letter. He tells them to share his letters with the churches around them and to read the letter that he wrote to them. The early church did not have a New Testament. The letters of the different apostles were being written at the time and typically were only known in the areas where they were sent. Yet, over time they would be shared beyond their areas and eventually with all the Church. Here we see the apostle instructing and approving of such. Even though the letters were to a particular people at a particular time, they have value to any believer who would read them. In fact it is here that we read that there had been a letter to the Laodiceans that did not survive this process. It has been lost to the sands of time.
In verse 17 Paul gives a particular person a reminder of the duty of ministry. The man is Archippus, who is mentioned in the Philemon letter. There is clearly more to the back story that we are not aware of. Perhaps Archippus had a calling to ministry upon him and he was either not doing it, or being apprehensive in doing it. Regardless Paul encourages him in his duty to minister. Three things about ministry are told to us here. First, we must take heed or pay attention to the ministry that God has given us. Ministry doesn’t just happen. People must pay attention in prayer, in word, and indeed. We must watch out for others and allow God to speak through us in order to share the Gospel, and mature those who receive it. Second, ministry is received from the Lord. It is never “our” ministry except as that which has been delegated to us by the Lord. It is His ministry that we partner with Him in order to do it. Christ opens the doors and supplies the work of the Holy Spirit to make it effective. In ministry we must never get our eyes off of the fact that we do what we do for Christ, not for another person, or for ourselves. Third, Christ expects us to fulfill it. We must be diligent and obey the Lord in order to “fulfill” the ministry that He has given us. We don’t always understand why God sends us to some people and certain places. However, it is our job to be faithful and fulfill the purpose for which He has sent us, and not the purpose we imagine that He has sent us.
Lastly, Paul tells them to remember his chains. The chains are real, but are also symbolic of this world’s hatred for Christ and His people. They should never forget that even though they may not be in chains, there are others who are currently imprisoned for the cause of Christ. They should never forget that even when people are no longer in chains in their part of the world, the Gospel was brought forth by those who endured such hostility, and it will indeed come round again.
Ministry does not happen without the Lord, but neither does it happen without people saying “yes!” to Him. If we were to write a letter about the people who are helping with the ministry of Abundant Life Christian Fellowship in Everett, WA, or who have ever helped, that would be a long list, and we are a small church. What would be said of you or me? May God help us to be faithful to come alongside the ministry that He is calling us to do. We may not be the leader like Paul was, but we all need each other in order to help the ministry of the Gospel to go to fellow believers and to the lost.
This concludes our time in the letter to the Colossians.
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