The Sermon on the Mount I

Subtitle: Behold Your King!

Matthew 1-5.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on December 3, 2023.

As we embark on our look at the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 through 7, we want to take time to adjust just how we see this scene.

The word “sermon” sounds as if Jesus is simply a preacher, and everyone that day was simply going to church.  As we will see, Matthew sees something far greater than a teacher exhorting us to live for God.

As an introduction to this series, I have picked the subtitle, “Behold Your King!”  These words are used in Zechariah 9:9 to point Israel to Messiah who would come to them as lowly, and riding on a donkey.  Both Matthew and John quote Zechariah 9:9 to Jesus, particularly the Triumphal entry before his crucifixion.

The early church understood that Jesus was presenting himself as king.  Even after his rejection and crucifixion, he is still King Messiah.  God had made him king, and God was not taking nominations for the position.  He wasn’t looking for our input on who it is going to be.  We see this in Psalm 2.

Matthew’s gospel is not just a diary that tells us what happened each day of the life of Jesus.  It does roughly follow his life, but it is presented, or packaged, in a way to help us see who Jesus really is.  Some of the crafting of this message is done by Jesus himself, particularly when we are reading his words.  However, in the chapters leading up to the sermon on the mount, Matthew is purposefully arranging things so that we will understand what he understood about Jesus.  In fact, the whole book of Matthew is clearly packaged in a way to highlight things about Jesus.  There are 5 large collections of the teachings of Jesus in Matthew with the Sermon on the Mount being the first.  Another one that we see is the Parables of the Kingdom.  It is believed that Matthew puts it in these 5 collections to map or to picture the five books of the law.  A similar thing is done with the five collections, or books, of the Psalms.

I say all of this because I want us to pay attention to how Matthew presents the very Jesus who gives the sermon on the mount starting at Matthew 5:3.  There are two main pictures that lay behind who Jesus is.  Let’s look at those.

Jesus is the greater David

In the very first verse (1:1), Matthew signals something important about Jesus.  He is descended from David, “the son of David.”  He is also descended from Abraham.  Matthew will go on to give the data of the genealogy of Jesus.  However, this is the most important connections.  Why? 

He does so because King Messiah would come from the lineage of David.  Matthew is ultimately presenting Jesus as the Messiah of God, sent to rule Israel and the nations.   He is also presenting Jesus as the ultimate fulfillment of The Promise to Abraham.  Through Jesus, all the nations of the earth would be blessed.

Yet, Messiah is not just a son of David.  Messiah, Jesus, is greater than his ancestor David.  David gives us a template of a righteous king versus King Saul, a template of a wicked king.  David was righteous, but not like Jesus.

If you think that I am making this up, then look at 1:18.  Matthew writes, “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows…”  For us, the word “Christ” almost comes off as a last name.  However, it is the Hebrew word for Messiah, and all of the prophecies in the Old Testament make it clear that Messiah is a king.  You can particularly go to Psalm 2 to verify that.

Yet, the king references given by Matthew continue.   In Matthew 2:2, the Magi come from the East and ask Herod a question.  “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?”  They are looking for a king, which is disturbing to Herod (isn’t he the king? Who is this king they are looking for?).  In 2:4, Herod inquires from his religious experts where “the Christ was to be born.”  Notice that Herod and his religious leaders make the connection from a king of Israel, that Gentiles would be looking for, to the Messiah, Christ.  The chief priests then respond by using Micah 5:2.  Messiah would be born in Bethlehem and would become the “Ruler,” and the “Shepherd” of Israel.

All of this harkens back to the Davidic covenant given in 2 Samuel 7 (also in 1 Chronicles 17).  There God tells David that one will come from his line who will be a son to God and that God would be a father to him.  This special son would reign as king forever.  This king would be directly anointed by God’s Spirit to fix and rule over Israel and the nations.

This is most likely why the exile (“captivity”) is mentioned by Matthew in his genealogy of Jesus, 1:17.  The captivity was a great crisis among the people of Israel.  The line of David was cast down, Jerusalem destroyed, and the temple gone.  What was God doing?  Was He done with Israel?  We will look more at this later.

In Matthew 4:17 and 23, the main thing that Jesus is proclaiming is “The Kingdom,” which is connected to King Messiah.  Jesus is not just a man from the house of David trying to be king.  He is being presented as the Messiah who brings in a special time of heaven’s administration on earth called “The Kingdom,” or “the Kingdom of Heaven.”   In the sermon on the mount alone, Jesus references “kingdom” nine times (five times in chapter five, three times in chapter six, and 1 time in chapter seven).  The Kingdom is important for Jesus.

Jesus tells them in Matthew 4 to repent for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.  They need to get things right with God, but they specifically need to listen to the one whom God was sending, Jesus.  He would show them how to fix everything in Israel and the nations.

The sermon on the mount becomes a king who is announcing his arrival, and declaring the terms of his kingdom.  Yet, this is not the only image that Matthew is projecting to us.

Jesus is the greater Moses for a new exodus

Jesus is not just giving Israel the word of the Lord.  He is the Word of the Lord.  Similarly, Jesus is not just another prophet in a long series of prophets.  He is The Prophet.  In fact, Moses prophesied that God would send another prophet like him in Deuteronomy 18.  Israel would need to listen to this prophet. This is important because Moses was not just another prophet.  The writer of the book of Hebrews in chapter three of his letter makes the connection between Jesus and Moses.  Moses was faithful as a servant in order to set up the House of Israel for Yahweh.  All the prophets that came after him were different in that they pointed Israel back to the writings of Moses.  They were not instituting a new thing, but maintaining what Moses helped set up.  Even the prophecies they gave of the future Messiah were in light of Israel. 

Jesus would similarly build a new house.  However, Jesus is greater than Moses.  He is not just building a house for God, but He is building a house as a son.  This is a marriage picture.  The son builds onto the house of his father to make room for him and his bride.  Jesus is The Prophet who is like Moses, and yet, who is also greater.

Matthew’s 5 large collections of the teachings of Jesus are presenting him in this light.  We can notice on top of this that Jesus goes up  in Matthew 5:1 “on the mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.”  “The mountain” is sometimes translated as “a mountain” simply because it is not defined in the passage.  Yet, the definite article is there.  Matthew is using language connected to the days of Moses, and the mountain they went to in order to receive the instruction of Yahweh. 

This may not be expected for us, but the Hebrews understood from the prophet Isaiah that God was going to do a New Exodus in order to solve the problem created by Israel’s sin.  Isaiah ends chapter 39 with the revelation that God was going to judge Judah and send her into exile in Babylon.  Yet, the next chapter opens with God telling the prophet to comfort His people.  God would send a servant that would bring Israel back from the captivity and enable the work of God to prosper in his hands.  This servant would set up the promised Kingdom of Messiah.  From chapter 40 to 66, the imagery of the Exodus is promoted as God’s template for saving Israel again.  The same God who saved them from Egypt would save them from Babylon, and even more than that.

Yes, it looked like Israel was done, and that the line of David was done.  However, through Isaiah, God says that He is not done!  When the enemy tells you, “It’s over,” and “There is no recovery from that,” don’t listen to him.  Whether it comes to mind about yourself, another person, or a certain Republic you know and love, it doesn’t matter if it is dead, the meat is completely rotted off of the corpse, and the bones are completely dry.  God is able to bring back from the dead in order to keep His promises.  This new exodus would be on a greater scale, and such an impact would require a greater Moses.

Christ would be the end of the captivity of not just Israel, but also of the nations.

Yet, Jesus is greater than simply being the greater Moses.  In Matthew 2, we see the child Jesus going down to Egypt in order to escape Herod’s attempt to kill the kids under two years old.  Isn’t it strange that we have a king killing babies, and Jesus going to Egypt?  There is purposefulness to this.  Jesus is even the greater Israel.  Everything that Israel went through and failed, Jesus will walk through and succeed, without sin.  He will be the perfect Israel, the perfect servant of the Lord, following the leading of Yahweh even through the desert.

Israel’s time in the wilderness was supposed to be an intimate time of God’s supernatural care and provision.  Yet, they fell to sin by grumbling and complaining.  They created a golden calf to serve, rebelled against Moses, and even committed sexual immorality at Baal Peor.  Yet, Jesus goes into the wilderness and is tempted at all points by the devil, only to come out of it having passed the test with flying colors.

All the promises to Israel fall upon the One who is the ultimate Israelite.  We should even note that the name Israel was not given to the nation.  It was given to an individual, Jacob.  Jacob had wrestled with God and is given a blessing of a new name.  It is often translated as “Prince with God,” which is fair.  However, it might be more impactful to think of it as “One who has power with God.”  Jacob had touched God, and God helped him.  He had power with God, not a power of control, but a power of relationship.  God cared for him.  Jesus is the greater Jacob, the greater Israel, the greater One who has power with God!  God listens to him.

Listen, God is not done with Israel even today.  Romans chapters nine to eleven show this.  Just as God did not throw off the gentiles forever, but used Israel to reach them, so too, God has not thrown off the nation of Israel forever, but will use the nations to bring Israel to a place where they will recognize Jesus as Messiah and repent before the Lord.

In Matthew 2:15, he quotes Hosea 11:1 “out of Egypt I called my son.”  When you look at the context of Hosea 11, you may think that they are misquoting.  It is clearly speaking of Israel as a nation.  Yet, when you see Israel as a prophetic, image in contrast, then you see how Matthew makes the connection.  Just as God called Israel out of Egypt, so Messiah would be brought out of Egypt.  Messiah is the ultimate Israel.

This connection of Jesus with King David and with The Prophet Moses will later be rounded out with The Great High Priest.  Jesus is presented as all of these roles all wrapped up into one.  He sits on the mountain and gives the Torah, the instructions of Yahweh for His people.   This is what Matthew is presenting.

So, when we read the sermon on the mount, we are not just hearing a nice sermon.  Jesus is setting up his kingdom, and we would do well to heed his instructions.  He is the prophet of god who we need to listen to so that we don’t perish in the wilderness (Exodus).  And, he is the king established by God that we need to submit to so that we don’t perish in the way when his wrath raises up just a little (Ps 2, Messiah).  Lastly, he is the High Priest who we need to remove our sins from us, to reconcile us to God so that we do not miss out on our inheritance.

Thus, Jesus tells us in the sermon on the mount, 5:17-18, that he did not come to destroy the law, but to fulfill it.  He is all that the Law was pointing towards.  He is the ultimate fulfillment of what the Law was showing us.  Hallelujah!

Behold King audio

The Acts of the Apostles 48

Subtitle: The Benevolence of the Antioch Church

Acts 11:27-30. This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on July 23, 2023.

We are going to look at the issue of benevolence among God's people.  Galatians 6:10 instructs us in such giving.  It says, "Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith."  Though he gives a command of general good, the context is specifically talking about helping with material needs, whether by giving goods or by simply giving money.

The church at Antioch was filled with new believers that had not grown up hearing the word of God.  It is a mixture of Jewish and non-Jewish people.  Thus, it was ethnically very different from the Jerusalem church, which was comprised of Jewish believers.

Perhaps you did not grow up in a strong family.  It is becoming rarer and rarer for people to have experienced family that helps one another.  Those people will need someone to come alongside of them and help them learn to be a brother, and a sister to other believers because that is what we are.  On the day you were saved, you joined a large family with a long history.

Not all of that history is good.  In fact, you may have had some run-ins with cranky, older siblings in the Church.  This is where we need a strong relationship with Jesus and our heavenly Father.  No matter what another believer may say or do, they cannot change God's love for you.  You are just as much a part of His family as they are.  If you ask, the Father will help you through it.  By keeping our eyes upon Him and hearing Him tell us that we are His own, we can learn to love and bless all of our brothers and sisters in the Lord.

The modern world uses the phrase "intangible religious benefits."  It simply means that any benefits are not clearly connected, or directly connected.  Let us be clear that we should not be benevolent in order to obtain benefits from God directly.  Of course, we know that He will bless us if we serve Him.  But we are not to do good things thinking that God owes us.  He died on the cross for you and gave you His all.  He doesn't owe us anything, but He does love to bless those who put their faith in Him.  In truth, our benevolence should flow directly from a heart of gratitude to God for His blessings to us.  He has blessed me so much.  How could I not give all that I can?

Let's look at our passage.

A prophetic word is given (v. 27-28)

In our passage, we have a word of prophecy that is given to the Christians in Antioch, which will prompt them to send aid to the church in Jerusalem.  However, we should deal with this aspect of prophets in general before we look at this specific prophecy.

We are told that some prophets from Jerusalem come to Antioch.  If you step back and look at Luke's narrative, we see that he describes several waves of God's grace in the form of people arriving in Antioch who came from Jerusalem.

The first wave was Jewish Christians who had made their way to Antioch due to Saul's persecution of the believers in Jerusalem.  Their arrival begins the presence of any "Christians" in that town.  On top of this, they freely spoke with Gentiles about Jesus.  This caused a rapid growth of the church in Antioch.

The second wave was led by Barnabas.  The Jerusalem church wanted to help and strengthen these scattered believers.  Barnabas was full of the Holy Spirit and gifted by God.  Thus, the church in Antioch saw even more believers coming in.  On top of this, Barnabas retrieves Saul from his nearby hometown of Tarsus.  Both of these men are powerful ministers of God's Spirit and Word and generally from Jerusalem.

The third wave of God's grace is in the form of some prophets who arrive in our passage today.  Let us just stop and recognize that God is blessing the cities and regions around Jerusalem, but Luke focuses in on Antioch because of the role it will play in taking the Gospel to the Gentiles.  God was really blessing this city.

There is no reason given why Antioch should be so blessed.  Yet, we should suspect that God's purpose was not to favor Antioch, but rather, to help extend His favor to cities farther away.

Some people are not comfortable with the talk of prophets and prophecies, or they are only comfortable if it stays in the Bible.  Ephesians 4:11-12 mentions that prophets are given by God as a spiritual gift to help equip His Church for ministry.  God especially works through prophets to give a timely word about things past, present, and sometimes about things in the future.  Part of our discomfort comes from the many abuses that have happened in this area.  It can be deemed as "safer" simply to shut it down completely.  However, it is our duty to become a mature group of believers who are able to deal with false prophets and false prophecies when they come.

Some people grew up within Christian communities that didn't allow any of this.  They will typically teach that prophets and prophecy were only for the first century.  However, God's Word doesn't say that.

So, what is the answer to uncomfortable things?  First, we should remember that the presence of fakes does not mean that nothing is real.  In fact, it is the fact that there is something that is real that gives fakers power over others. 

Think of it this way.  Do you quit using real money because someone somewhere counterfeits it?  Of course, my apologies go to those who would retort that none of our "money" is real and that the government is the counterfeiter in chief.  Please go with me on this example because it makes an important point.  You don't throw your money away because there are counterfeits "out there."  Instead, your dealing with actual dollar bills helps you to spot and recognize fakes (to some degree).  Often, people instinctively know that something is off about counterfeit bills.

Why would we take the "safe" route when it comes to prophets and prophecy?  We do so because it is easier on us.  However, I warn you that it is not actually the "safe" route.  If you shut every prophet down on principle, then you will eventually shut down a true prophet of God.  You will be found resisting and rebelling against the Spirit of God.  God says that He uses prophets, so it is our job to learn what that looks like.

This is the truly safe route.  Just like we use money, but keep our eye out for fakes, so the Church today should expect that God will give us true prophets, while watching out for fakes.  We won't be perfect, but God will bless us because we are walking in faith and seeking to be led by Him.  Basically, I am describing spiritual maturity.  We don't ask the new baby to be in charge of security for the family.  However, the adults are always vigilant in keeping the home secure, especially for those most vulnerable ones among us.

You cannot speed up spiritual maturity.  However, we can cooperate with God by humbling ourselves before His Word, and praying for His help.  In fact, the more time you spend prayerfully reading the Bible (which was written by mature prophets of God) the better you will get at recognizing the real thing.  Too many of our churches are weak in this area because of one of two mistakes.  They either foolishly accept every prophet that comes along, or they shut it all down completely.  Neither is the way of God's Word.

In our passage, we have a group of guys who are not completely unknown actors walking into the church.  Though they would be unknown to most, they are proven prophets from the Jerusalem Church for whom Barnabas could vouch.

Now getting to the specific prophecy that Luke relates, we see that a particular prophet, named Agabus, prophesies that a great famine was coming.  This is most likely the same Agabus that is mentioned again in Acts 21:10, who prophesied that, if Paul went to Jerusalem, he would be seized, bound, and delivered into the hand of the Gentiles.

Luke does not seem concerned with describing the day to day ministry of these prophets.  Rather, he brings up a specific prophecy that has to do with a great famine that would come on "all the world."  This is most naturally a reference to the Roman world of that part of the world.

Why would God be warning them?  We can think of Joseph and Pharoah's dream.  On one hand, they would be enabled to prepare themselves and stock up so that the times of difficulty would not be as difficult as they could.  We should be careful of consuming everything when we are in good financial times.  God may be supplying for you in advance for hard times to come.

Yet, there is another hand.  Egypt became a blessing and a help to all the lands around them.  In other words, the prophecy was not just for them to save their own hides.  God does not supply for His people in a "equal" measure.  He expects us to care for one another as needed out of wisdom and love.

The Jerusalem church had started out doing well.  In fact, Barnabas himself was one of those men who sold property in order to help the Christian widows in Jerusalem.  However, over time, they became poor as people moved away and persecution sapped their resources.  A famine on top of this would be particularly hard on the Jerusalem Church, and Antioch knew this, or were told this by men like Barnabas at the least.

Luke is writing this after the fact, so he inserts the comment that this happened in the reign of Claudius Caesar.  It is historically recorded that there was a series of difficult famines that happened throughout the Roman world in the early AD 40's.  Jerusalem was hit particularly hard, as well as Alexandria, Greece, and Rome.  It wasn't all at once, but seem to hit in one area and then another over the course of three to four years.  It was particularly devastating upon Jerusalem.

Luke states that Agabus "showed by the Spirit (or by the means of the Spirit)."  It seems that he was not just relating this.  Rather, it was given to him for the church while it was gathered.  This faithful prophet of the Lord has no agenda, but to speak what God gives him to speak.

There is a problem in modern Pentecostal circles.  When you invite a "famous" prophet to come and speak at your church, there is an expectation that they will have a prophecy, and often one for everyone who comes forward for a personal prophecy.  God's prophets are not fortune tellers giving people some secret knowledge about their future.  God does not give prophecy on demand.  What if God doesn't say anything to the prophet?  Think of how the undue pressure to "perform" can mislead even an honest prophet to always "hear something from God."  We can be in danger of operating the spiritual things of God with the natural mind.  Many of us pastors are pastoring out of the natural mind rather than letting the Lord lead us in this work that is just as spiritual as prophesying.

Let me just say this.  I want to hear from the Spirit of God and not the spirit of a man.

The believers respond in charity (v. 29-30)

The church at Antioch "determined" to send relief to their brethren in Judea.  Two things stick out here.  One is that they would likely be touched by such a great famine themselves, and yet, they determine to help others.  God's work in our life is not always about what will happen to me.  We need to prayerfully respond to the needs around us.

The second thing that sticks out is that they are concerned specifically with Jerusalem.  Are there not other people?  Of course, there are, but these are the ones who come to their mind.  Again, this calls for being a person of prayer so that our giving can be directed by God and not our natural mind.

Of course, we can be guilty of the old "I will pray for you" problem.  It is easy to say you will do something and then never get around to doing it.  Don't just intend to pray for people, or intend to help them financially, physically, etc.  Ask yourself this.  How will I do it and when?  In fact, there is no time like the present.  If you can't do it right away, then mark it on your calendar, or tell others, or do something that will ensure you follow through.

Antioch is being used of God to set an example for the greater Church among the Gentiles.  If you pay attention throughout the book of Acts, and the epistles of Paul, it becomes clear that Judea becomes a church that is not plump with money, and often in need.  They had been quick to give, but soon they came to a time when they were running out of people in Jerusalem who could meet the increasing needs.

The book of Acts will make it clear that after Antioch's help here, Paul would later stir up the Gentile churches of his missionary journeys to also send offerings of help to Jerusalem.  Paul was able to point to the generous example of the Christians of Antioch.

We should note that it is one thing for Jews to send money back to help their countrymen, but it is quite another for people of very different ethnic groups to help these Jewish believers.  We should not overlook that this was unheard of.  This is part of the world seeing how amazing the love of believers for one another was. 

The typical walls between ethnic groups were being torn down by the message of Jesus.  Yet, was it Utopia?  Of course, not.  They had their fair share of false teachers, false prophets, correction, church discipline, and in short, discipleship issues.  However, God was moving!

We are told that each gave according to their ability, which implies that some may not have been able.  It is good to recognize that there should be no compulsion, or undue pressure, put upon people in this area.  Yet, we all need to learn to become givers.  When you look at your bank account and it only has $100, it is safe to say that you do not have the ability to give $1,000.

Yet, ability is not always about our amount of funds.  Some people who have plenty of money are very stingy with their money.  They do not lack funds, but rather they lack compassion, and most likely faith as well.  Later, Paul would instruct the Corinthian church this way.  "Let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver." 2 Corinthians 9:7.  There is always "necessity" behind the people who are in need.  However, Paul speaks of the person giving.  We should not give under duress.  Our only obligation is the obligation of love.

God wants us to be givers, but He wants us to be a certain kind of giver, i.e., a cheerful giver.  People who are forced to give are pretty much always grumpy about it.  If you always give in response to the prompting of the Holy Spirit, and as an act of faith in Him, then the need of the person no longer becomes a pressure upon you.  You are free to look at your bank account and determine what you would like to do.  Can we displease God by the amount we give?  I believe that we need to be careful here.  There is no sense of this in Paul's inspired word to the Corinthians.  Giving in faith is not just about God continuing my supply; it is also about knowing that He is pleased that we gave.

This is important for givers and receivers.  If God hasn't supplied through me, then He has someone else.  Receivers cannot look to a person as their supply.  It is God's Spirit moving on that person.  Similarly, givers should not be manipulated into giving to a particular need.

Giving $1,000 dollars is a powerful act of faith, or it could be an ego inducing action of the flesh.  Let us be careful in this area.  Spiritual maturity is the answer.

We are also told that they sent the relief funds promptly.  There seems to be no hesitation in it.  They pulled together funds for the Judean Christians and sent it right away.  This may be a simple act of faith that the famine will come.  It is also possible that there was already trouble with the crops that season.  Jerusalem may have already been hurting, and now they knew it would only get worse.

Regardless, promptness requires a certain amount of faith.  Second guessing, as well as laziness, are two factors that can slow down (even shut down) our giving of benevolence to others.

Lastly, we are told that they sent the money by the hands of trustworthy men who put it into the hands of elders in Jerusalem.  Do you remember my earlier question?  When will I do it and how?  They did it immediately and used Barnabas and Saul to deliver the funds for them because they were trustworthy men.

Am I a trustworthy man or woman?  Can I be trusted to take someone else's money to another person?  Do I expect to be paid for such work?  Saul and Barnabas had many spiritual gifts, but the blessing they were that day was being a "mule" for Jesus.  This is not about station or greatness.  It is simply about being a servant of the Lord and His people.  They were demonstrating to the church at Antioch how to do humble work.  "Load me up; I'll take it to Jerusalem!"

The elders in Jerusalem may be the apostles, and it may be the deacons who had earlier been put in charge of caring for the widows.  Regardless, they were proven men who could be trusted not to embezzle for their own pleasures.  We can be caught up in titles like "elder."  However, the early Church was more focused on function. 

Being an elder is not about a title or position.  It was a function that God had created in certain ones.  An elder is a spiritually mature Christian within the body of Christ.  There is no time parameter per se.  Instead of worrying about becoming an elder, focus on faithfully growing in the Lord and being, becoming, a trustworthy person.  One day you will be looked to as an elder in the Church of Jesus if you have been faithful.  How do we get there?  We do so through a lot of little steps, following Jesus all along the way!

Benevolence of Antioch Church Audio

The Acts of the Apostles 7

Subtitle: Peter Preaches to the Crowd III

Acts 2:25-33.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on July 3, 2022.

We are continuing to look at Peter’s sermon to the crowd on the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was first poured out on the disciples of Jesus.

Let’s review his main points so far.

• He countered the mockers who said they were drunk.
• He then reminded them of the prophecy in Joel 2:28-32 where God promised to pour out His Holy Spirit upon all flesh in the last days.
• He then points them to everything that has just happened with Jesus: he was publicly proved by God to be from Him, he was given into the hands of the religious leaders, they had him executed and buried, but he was raised from the dead.

This last point that Jesus has been raised up from the dead leads Peter to point out another prophecy to Israel.  Why would Peter say it was impossible for Messiah to remain dead in the grave?

Peter points to Psalm 16:8-11 (vv. 25-28)

Psalm 16 speaks to Peter’s point of the impossibility of Jesus being held by death.  Peter will interpret this psalm in the next verses, so let me just point out some secondary points from these verses.

This whole psalm lays out the confidence that David has in the Lord to be his ultimate shepherd.  David had confidence in the present because he knew that the Lord was at his right hand (Psalm 16:8; Acts 2:25) no matter what he faced.

Do you have confidence that God is by your side?  That kind of confidence can only truly be ours if we are repentant of our sin before God and working to do His will in our life.  This world needs Christians who have a confidence that is not just based on theory, but on the reality of a repentant, humble relationship with Jesus the Messiah who is our savior and Lord.

Yet, this confidence also had a forward-looking hope while he was in the present.  God had given David a promise that was a secure hope that gave him rest, inner peace, in the now.

The world often argues that Christians are too focused on heaven and the future.  They don’t do enough for the present.  Whether that is true or not, the fault is not in having a future hope promised by God.  Just like David, we have promises from God of a future glory that cannot be taken from us.  This can enable us to have an incredible peace even when we face great obstacles and threats from the Goliaths of this world.

In Psalm 16:10-11, David brings up the hope of resurrection.  The truth of the resurrection of the righteous filled David with the knowledge that he would one day be full of joy in the presence of God.

We are given a measure of joy in this life that can even reside with us in troubled times.  However, David foresees a time of dwelling in God’s presence like we see pictured in Revelation 21-22.  The joy of the Lord in this life is a foretaste of that eternal joy that will know no subsidence.  What we have ahead of us can only be described as Life Eternal, of which we get a taste in the present. 

May we become more like David in these difficult days that require us to be filled with the Holy Spirit.  Yet, Peter is focused on why Jesus couldn’t stay in the grave, and that is found in Psalm 16:9, Acts 2:27.

Peter applies the passage to Jesus (vv. 29-33)

In verse 29, Peter respectfully points out that David is still dead and buried.  His flesh saw corruption, or the full process of decay. His tomb in Jerusalem stood as a witness to this.  It would be easy to ignore the words and say that it is not clear what he means.  Yet, Peter points out that David was not speaking about himself.

Now, I would point out that Peter clearly sees all of Psalm 16:10 as speaking about Christ.  However, he doesn’t exactly explain the interpretive method that he is using.  I am of the opinion that his “interpretive method” was simply witnessing the events and then learning from Jesus what it meant.  Even without a special revelation from Jesus, there is something going on in this verse.  David first says, “You will not leave my soul in Hades…”  Yet, in the second phrase he speaks of “Your Holy One.”  Though we can see this as pointing to David, it is quite possible that it is scoping out and David has in mind a greater being, the Holy One of God.

On top of this, the lives of the Patriarchs, and later men like David, were often prophetic enactments of things that pertained to God’s dealing with humanity.  So, even David’s reference to his soul not being left in Hades can speak to a greater Son of David, the Messiah, (of whom David is a picture) not being left in Hades as well.

Peter points out in verse 30 that David was a prophet.  Yes, his psalms were not collected and placed among the books of the prophets, but David was a prophet nonetheless.  In fact, all three Hebrew sections of the Old Testament have prophecy.  The Torah, or the Law, has plenty prophecies throughout it, even Moses pointing to “the prophet like me” in Deuteronomy 18:15-18 that Israel should listen to.  Psalms is placed among the Writings, or Wisdom literature.  However, not only are the psalms full of prophecies, but the book of Daniel, and even Job speaking of a time in Job 19:25-26 when his Redeemer will stand in the last days and, even though Job’s skin will be destroyed, he will see God “in my flesh.”  Our categorization of Scripture can be helpful, but it can also get in the way of hearing what the Holy Spirit is saying.

David was a prophet and Psalm 16 is not just some quaint worship song to sing at the temple.  It contains a prophecy about resurrection, yes of David, but even more so, of the ultimate Son of David, Messiah.  Yes, David had the hope of his own personal resurrection, but he knew that this hope was pinned in the person, the One, who would come from among his descendants that would be the Anointed One of God.  He foresaw that the Anointed King who would rule upon the throne of David forever, would also run into trouble just as he did.  He recognized that the spirit of this world would come against Messiah and slay him too.  Like Job, David knew that he had a redeemer that would come down into the grave and release him from its grip because it was impossible for the grave to hold Messiah, or to deny his plundering of its spirits.

Peter wants them to take David seriously.  David stated that the Holy One would not be held by the grave or see decay, which means he must first be killed and then resurrected!  Thus, in verse 32, Peter states that the 120 people that had been filled with the Holy Spirit were witnesses of all that Jesus had done, especially his resurrection.

I will point out that verse 24 and verse 32 use a word saying that God “raised up” Jesus.  This word can also be translated as to set up, or to establish something above.  In this sense there is a dual raising up.  To his enemies, it looked like Jesus was down and out as he died and went to the grave, Sheol, Hades.  However, he had been raised up from the dead and set, established, upon the earth.  For 40 days, he interacted with his disciples.  Yet, another raising occurs in verse 33.

Jesus has been exalted to a position at the right hand of the Father in the heavenlies.  It wasn’t enough to just raise Jesus up out of the realm of the dead like Lazarus.  He was raised up with an immortal body and further raised up into God’s heavenly domain, and further raised up to sit at His right Hand, the highest place.

This point is always difficult on our flesh.  Like the disciples in Acts 1 speaking to the resurrected Lord, will you now restore the kingdom to Israel?  Why didn’t he (doesn’t he even now) remain on earth and fix it?  The point is that in our flesh, we will always have an enemy to fight due to the fact that the enemy of sin is inside of us all.

It is at this highest position that Jesus receives from the Father the Promise of the Holy Spirit.  In a sense, this is talking about authority.  It is given to him, or he is authorized, to pour out the Holy Spirit as he sees fit.  In fact, that is exactly what Jesus was doing.  He was in heaven pouring out the Holy Spirit on that very day (and today as well!). 

Back in John 16:7, Jesus had told Peter and the disciples, “Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.”  The sending of the Holy Spirit is the same as the pouring out of the Holy Spirit.  The first accentuates his personhood.  The Holy Spirit is another comforter who is like Jesus, but different.  The second phrase accentuates the water analogy.  We need to be baptized, cleansed, by the Holy Spirit in order to be filled with Him to overflowing.

This is the same Spirit that we need in this hour.  We need the same Spirit that David had when he faced Goliath (an uncircumcised Philistine), and later King Saul (an uncircumcised in heart Israelite).  We need the same Spirit that Peter had as he spoke to the crowd that day and later gave his life in the Roman Colosseum.   We need the same Spirit that Jesus had in all that he did while he was on this planet.  This is the same Spirit that we can have as we daily open our hearts and minds to His leading and His purposes.

Let’s ask Jesus every day to fill us with the Holy Spirit in order that we may be his voice, his hands, and his feet in these the Last Days!

Peter Preaches III audio

The Fire of God's Judgment

2 Kings 1:1-18.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on March 11, 2018.

Speculation and predictions are everywhere in our society today.  Everyone has an opinion about politics, business, religion, or society.  It is easy to become cynical like Pilate was before Jesus when he said, “What is truth?”  However, no matter how confusing the times of speculation are, there always comes a time when God makes clear the wisdom or folly of those speculations.  A case in point would be the many who predict that religion is on the way out and that Christianity is in its death throes.  Of course, if we are talking about dead religion that only masks itself with outward show and yet has no life, then we should be the first to say, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus!”  However, I challenge us all to hear the word of the Lord and recognize that, when the dust settles, those who have put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ will survive the fire of His judgments.  But those who thought they had the best understanding of the future and how to control it, will find themselves trapped in their own folly.  If we learn anything over these next two sermons, let us understand that the consuming fire of God brings down the wicked who rebel against Him, but it raises up the righteous who walk in faith with Him.

God’s judgment on the house of Ahab continues.

The clash between the wicked, political power of Ahab’s family line and those faithful to Yahweh continues in this passage.  But this clash is ultimately orchestrated by God Himself, and not the prophet Elijah.  The first stage of God’s judgment on Ahab took place with Ahab’s death in the last chapter.  The next stage will involve the death of Jezebel and the death of all male heirs to the throne.  You would think that this would happen quickly after Ahab’s death.  However, it is going to be 12 years after Ahab’s death that this is all fulfilled.  So it is important to recognize that, even as God’s judgment is falling, He leaves room for those involved to repent or show their true colors.  The judgment is stretched out in order to give room for either one.  So when God’s judgment is held off longer then we think, it is easy to slip into thinking that it won’t come at all.  There are many today who have convinced themselves that this idea of Jesus coming back and the judgment of the world is all a fairy tale.  They believe that because another year has gone by, and another presidential election has taken place, that things will continue moving forward as they always have.  They believe that they have time to pursue their own designs for the future.  We must take warning.  Today is a day for repentance and not for doubling down on abandoning God.  Our culture ignores this at its own peril.

We are told in verse one that the kingdom of Moab had rebelled against Israel upon the death of Ahab.  This kingdom was on the eastern side of the Dead Sea.  Though Ahab had some strength as a leader, he had none morally.  We can blame the deterioration on his son, but the truth is that the roots of this downfall are in Ahab’s life.  He has brought judgment on his own dynasty.  Northern Israel does not need a strong “leader” as the world thinks.  What they need is a moral leader that would lead them to repentance and turning back to God.

We are told that Ahab’s son Ahaziah has a serious “accident.”  He falls through a protective lattice and down at least one floor if not more.  He is injured so badly that he is concerned that he may not live.  Being Ahab’s son, it is no shocker that Ahaziah would turn to Baal for help.  Specifically he sends messengers to inquire of Baal-Zebub, a local deity in the Philistine city of Ekron (it was about 50 miles away).  Here is a brief primer on the Canaanite religion.  Baal was considered to be the primary deity that humans interacted with.  The term Baal simply means master and so is used in a superlative sense, The Master.  The Canaanites also believed in local deities that were lesser than The Baal, however they were usually referenced as the master of “insert place name or descriptive term here.”  Thus Baal-Peor referenced the local deity of Peor who of course answered to The Baal.  In this passage the Philistine city of Ekron had a local deity they referred to as Baal-Zebub.  Over time this local deity had become known for having healing powers.  This is why Ahaziah asks his servants to inquire for him of this deity.  By the way, the phrase literally means Lord of the fly, where we get the term Lord of the flies.  Over the next 800 years this name became synonymous with Satan, the prince of demons (aka flies).  Thus, in the gospels Jesus is accused of casting out demons because he was in league with Beelzebub (alternate spelling of the time).

As the men travel towards Ekron, God sends Elijah to tell the men that God is not pleased with Ahaziah’s inquiring of a foreign, false god.  Thus a message is sent back to Ahaziah from Yahweh, the God of Israel, that he will not recover, but die.  It is presented in a way that shows his action of inquiring of Baal-Zebub seals his fate.  We will come back later and deal with this question about why Ahaziah seeks Baal-Zebub and not Yahweh.  When Ahaziah hears the story of the prophet from his servants he asks about what the prophet looked like and from the description he knows that it is Elijah.  Thus God confronts Ahaziah with his foolish decision through Elijah.  I guess we could say, like father like son.

Next we see that king Ahaziah sends a squadron of 50 men to capture Elijah and bring him in.  Notice that Elijah is not running this time.  He takes the position of sitting on top of a hill, waiting for them.  The captain addresses Elijah, “Man of God, the king has said, ‘Come down!’”  The command and threatening posture of Ahaziah’s troops does not show any humility or repentance.  Thus Elijah speaks out the request.  Let God decide which of us should be taken in judgment.  If I am a prophet of the Lord, and therefore quilty of nothing requiring the king to arrest me, then let fire come down from heaven and destroy you.  Of course God gives a clear decision as the 50 soldiers are killed by fire.   Ahaziah then sends a second detachment of 50 soldiers with the same mission.  That captain calls out to Elijah, “Man of God, thus has the king said, ‘Come down quickly!’”  Again there is no humility or repentance in the actions, and Elijah puts forth the same public challenge.  Let God decide which of us should “Come down quickly!”  Of course, fire falls from the sky again and kills the soldiers.  In a classic action of folly, Ahaziah sends a third detachment of soldiers to apprehend Elijah.  Clearly Ahaziah has no care for the troops that he sends to their doom.  Yet, this third captain is different.  He begs mercy of Elijah, and really of God Himself.  This captain humbles himself and shows that he understands whose judgment is to be feared.  Now these judgments with fire falling from the sky literally happened.  However, they also have a symbolic nature.  The Bible tells us that God is a consuming fire.  Judgment and decisions about His creation are part of His nature.  The decisions of God or the fire of His decisions can be a benefit to us or harm.  Just as fire can warm a person and prepare their food, so it can destroy them and take their life.  It is a healthy respect for fire that allows us to approach it and benefit from it.  Now God is more than the analogy of fire allows for.  God is a sentient being that can analyze our intent and hold us accountable for it.  Thus the same consuming fire of God that can destroy us in judgment, can also give us life.  It all has to do with how we approach him.  The humility of this captain saves himself and the life of the men under his command.  It is too bad that Ahaziah could not find the same humility within himself.

Elijah concedes to go with this third captain. He is brought before king Ahaziah and repeats what we have heard now for the third time:  “Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending to inquire of Baal-Zebub?”  Clearly there is a God in Israel who has proven Himself time and time again.  In fact the fire falling from the sky should be a clear reminder of the Mt. Carmel incident over 5 years ago.  For whatever reason, Ahaziah has followed the footsteps of his father in disregarding the power and proofs that God had given to them and rebelliously persisted in approaching the Baals of the Canaanite religion for help.  When we are not living for the Lord, we live in a state of fear and doubt.  We search and find the things of this world that can help us, whether through protection, or information for the future.  What are the things that I look to in order to determine how things will go?  Ahaziah knew he dare not approach Yahweh because he hadn’t been serving Yahweh.  So he tries to skirt around God by going to some other power.  Do I turn to my favorite business journal, or TV talk show host?  Do I turn to my favorite blog or internet website?  Do I search out prophetic voices that give me a sense of where things are headed?  Ultimately what we need is to turn to the Lord and seek Him.  Only then can we have the confidence that does not come from knowing the details of the future.  But what if I haven’t been living for Him?  Do what this third captain did.  Instead of hardening your heart towards God in pride, humble yourself and beg His mercy.  It is not the future you need to know.  Rather, you just need to know the One in whose hands your future lies. 

Today we see that those who make themselves enemies of God eventually will be taken in the fires of judgment.  But, next week, we will see that the same fiery judgment that brings down the wicked, lifts up the righteous.  Let us live for Jesus, not just on the outward, but within our hearts.  Let us put our trust in His ways and mercy, and not the ways of this world.

Fire of God's Judgment audio