2020-10
2020-10
Sunday Oct 25, 2020
"Teach Us to Pray" (Luke 11:1-13)
Sunday Oct 25, 2020
Sunday Oct 25, 2020
"Teach Us to Pray" (Luke 11:1-13)Pastor Cameron JungelsEastside Baptist ChurchSunday AM, October 25, 2020Luke 11:1-13
11 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
2 He said to them, “When you pray, say:
“‘Father,hallowed be your name,your kingdom come.3 Give us each day our daily bread.4 Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.And lead us not into temptation.’”
5 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.
9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Main Idea: Prayer is an essential part of the life of a disciple of Jesus Christ.
1. When we pray we are speaking to our father God.
2. When we pray, we begin by honoring the greatness of God.
3. When we pray, we need to be in harmony with the priorities and plans of God.
4. When we pray, we express our dependence on God.
Matthew 6:33 NIV
33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
5. When we pray we ought to confess our sins before God.
6. When we pray we need to ask for spiritual protection.
7. When we pray, we are invited to come boldly to the throne of God.
Hebrews 4:16 NIV
16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
8. When we pray we must trust the goodness of God.
Wednesday Oct 21, 2020
“Priests at Work” (Chapter 17)
Wednesday Oct 21, 2020
Wednesday Oct 21, 2020
Created to Draw Near: Our Life as God’s Royal Priests by Edward T. Welch
“Priests at Work” (Chapter 17)
Priests came before Kings and Prophets.
Manifold Duties of the Priests
Priests at Work
Sanctified
Sacrifices
Holy Days
Blessings
Sanctified
Set Apart for the Ministry of the Priesthood
Provision from the Offerings of the People
“What the people gave to the Lord, the Lord shared with the priests and the Levites.” - Edward Welch
No Inheritance other than the Lord
Numbers 18:20 NIV
20The Lord said to Aaron, “You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any share among them; I am your share and your inheritance among the Israelites.
“When you get the Lord, you get everything else thrown in.” - Edward Welch
Luke 12:32 ESV
32“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Set apart by Ordination or Consecration
Cleansing
Investiture
Anointing
Sacrifices
Sin Offering
Burnt Offering
Ordination Offering
Food Offering
Meal at the entrance of the tabernacle
“The ordination service was for the male offspring of Aaron, but we know where the story is going. All God’s people were soon to be included in this ordination process. The details of the service look different for us because all these sacrifices have been condensed into the work of Jesus. But the rhythm of life for the Aaronic priesthood continues to be the rhythm of our lives.” - Edward Welch
The priests were:
Cleansed from sin
Devoted to the Lord
Thankful for the Lord’s provision
Blessed by his fellowship and care
Sacrifices
Division of duties
Priests who oversaw the sacrificial system
Daily burnt offering - continual pleasing aroma to the Lord for the entire night. Even while the people slept, the Lord was actively making a way for his presence to remain in the camp.
Daily morning and afternoon services
People came to the priests to offer various sacrifices.“To make an animal sacrifice, the worshiper laid hands on the animal and killed it near the entrance of the tabernacle. Everything was up close, participatory, and personal.” - Edward Welch
8 different kinds of sacrifices
Burnt offering - including burnt, sin, and guilty offerings. These involved the blood of animals and were for forgiveness of sin and purification and for expressions of devotion to God.
Peace offering - including cereal, drink, grain, vow, freewill, and wave offerings. These involved an expression of personal devotion and perhaps reconciliation and fellowship with the Lord.
“All of this created a pleasing aroma to the Lord, and it was God’s plan for meeting with his people (Ex. 29:42–43). Did the sacrifices earn God’s favor? No, they were in recognition of what God had done and would do, and they were effective because of his mercy. And the daily rhythm was gradually inculcated into the hearts of the priests and the people.” - Edward Welch
The people were:
Cleansed from sin
Devoted to the Lord
Thankful for the Lord’s provision
Blessed by his fellowship and care
Holy Days
Common days and Holy days
Holy days in cycles of seven
Sabbath every seventh day of the week
Day of Atonement in the seventh month
Year for releasing debts is the seventh or sabbatical year.
The Year of Jubilee is after the forty-ninth year, or seven times seven.
Feasts and Festivals
First festival - Passover and Week of the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Feast of Firstfruits
Second festival - Seven weeks and a day later was the Feast of Weeks, later also known as Pentecost.
Third festival - Seventh month was sanctified at the beginning with the Feast of Trumpets in preparation for the Day of Atonement 10 days later. On the fifteenth day of the seventh month was the Feast of Booths/Tabernacles, lasting a week.
All of these were marked by special sacrifices, rest, and particular remembrances.
Sabbath
Creation Week - the Sabbath is designated as Holy.“On the Sabbath God rested, and he invites us to rest with him. This is not so much that everyone takes a nap on the Sabbath. The point is that we don’t have to work, so we have time to meet with the Lord—and he meets with us. The point is shalom or peace, not sleep.” - Edward Welch
A Sabbath for Slaves“With the Sabbath, God essentially proclaimed that his people were not slaves but a royal priesthood.” - Edward Welch
Sabbath - an expression of trust in and dependence upon the Lord
Manna - trust God to provide for the 7th day.“This meant that they were to trust in the Lord’s care for them more than in the work of their hands. Trust is essential to a relationship.” - Edward Welch
Sabbath at harvest time - trust God to provide even with a day’s worth of harvesting lost.“The Sabbath was a good test for the soul. Trust does not come naturally; self-interest does. The Sabbath was an opportunity to say that all things come from the Lord.” - Edward Welch
Sabbath - distinguished God’s people from their neighbors.
Jesus reclaims the Sabbath from legalistic burdens.
Matthew 11:28 NIV
28“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
“In the Gospels, “on the Sabbath” is a marker that something important is about to happen. Jesus had come close, life was breaking in, heaven was piercing earth, and death was being pushed aside. Withered hands were being healed. Disciples were being fed. The Sabbath was a time for blessing, not burdens.” - Edward Welch
The first day of the week - in remembrance of the Lord’s resurrection - became set apart for worship and rest.
“The Sabbath reminds us that rest and peace can only be found in the Lord of the Sabbath.” - Edward Welch
The Day of Atonement
Sabbath dominated the weekly calendar
The Day of Atonement dominated the yearly calendar.
It was the only day when the curtain to the Most Holy Place was lifted for one representative of the people.
Holiest of Holy Days - marked by fasting rather than feasting
Bull and Ram - offered as a sin offering and burnt offering for the High Priest and his family
Two Goats - for the people as a whole - one for a sin offering and one for a “scapegoat.”
Leviticus 16:30 NIV
30because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the Lord, you will be clean from all your sins.
“So many spiritual realities were crammed into this day. Sin was purged by a substitute acceptable to the Lord, blood was sprinkled to bring life to people who had been polluted, and the wandering goat took sins “as far as the east is from the west” as a way to illustrate how far God removes his people from their sins (Ps. 103:12). God was making a way to get closer. To use Genesis language, a new Adam could go past the cherubim that guarded the presence of God. The Day of Atonement assured the people that intimacy with the Lord was still the plan, but it would happen gradually.” - Edward Welch
“As we bring these holy days into the present, what is most obvious is that our sins are our deepest and most profound problem. Our struggles with money, broken relationships, and poor health will be over when we see Jesus, but our sins have eternal implications unless they are sprinkled with the cleansing blood of the Lamb.” - Edward Welch
“All modern-day priests, therefore, should be able to identify personal sins. We could put this more strongly: to be fully human is to know our sins, to know that the sacrifice of Jesus has taken our sins away from the presence of God, and to do battle against ongoing temptations.” - Edward Welch
Blessing
“The priestly story is that of God reclaiming us, bringing us close, and blessing us. The Lord is not under compulsion to show us this kindness. He blesses us because it is his nature. He is inclined to bless, he has made a way to deal with sin so he can bless, and we certainly need his blessing.” - Edward Welch
Bless - to show favor
Blessed - to experience the happiness and joy of such favor
“When God speaks words over his creation, his creative power is put to work. Life appears. This happens with the earth, the sky, the seas, and with us. Blessing is God’s procreative power being brought to our lives. It is necessary for us if we are to live as he intends.” - Edward Welch
John 10:10 ESV
10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
As those who have been blessed, God invites us to speak his blessing on others.Numbers 6:22–27 NIV
22The Lord said to Moses, 23“Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: 24“‘“The Lord bless you and keep you; 25the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”’ 27“So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”
“The Lord bless you and keep you.” - He is close enough to shade you from the sun, always awake, and protecting your very life (Ps. 121).
“The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you.” - The lampstand is in view as well as the light that is characteristic of his presence. The blessing is that you would know his rescue when you are overwhelmed.Psalm 80:3 NIV
3Restore us, O God; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved.
“The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” - The Lord tells you that he sees and hears you. The face of the Father is toward his children. By his gentle care he will make things right and give deep and lasting peace.
We have been called to bless others in the name of Jesus. This is a premiere feature of our priestly calling.
Sunday Oct 18, 2020
"Stop and Listen!" (Luke 10:38-42)
Sunday Oct 18, 2020
Sunday Oct 18, 2020
"Stop and Listen!" (Luke 10:38-42)Pastor Cameron JungelsEastside Baptist ChurchSunday AM, October 18, 2020
Luke 10:38–42 (NIV)
38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Main Idea: It is impossible to faithfully serve Jesus Christ without devoting time to listening to the Word of Christ.
Wednesday Oct 14, 2020
“Job Descriptions” (Chapter 16)
Wednesday Oct 14, 2020
Wednesday Oct 14, 2020
Created to Draw Near: Our Life as God’s Royal Priests
by Edward T. Welch
“Job Descriptions” (Chapter 16)
Heart of the Priestly Job Description
Fellowship with the Lord
Enjoying his hospitality and protection
Living in his house
“May we never think that dour obedience is the essence of life in Christ. Lavish meals, satisfaction, peace, and pleasure are the lot of God’s priests. It could be no other way when we are invited to live at the junction of heaven and earth.” - Edward Welch
Duties of the Early Priests
Care for the weak, orphaned, widows, and poor
Prayer and encouragement in preparation for battle
“These early descriptions of the priestly mission were always pointing toward something more and someone more. The mission converges on Jesus, the true high priest, and from him our job description explodes with new meaning.” - Edward Welch
We still care for the weak, but we realize that we too are poor and needy.
We continue to prepare for battle, but now our battle is against the world, the flesh, and the devil.
Three Aspects of the Priests’ Job Description
Fill the earth with wise, discerning royal priests.
Care for the peace and purity of the believing community.
Reflect the Lord.
Fill the Earth with Wise, Discerning Royal Priests
The original creation mandate
Genesis 1:28 NIV28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
The updated new creation mandate
Matthew 28:19–20 NIV19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
“The job of subduing the earth continues unabated from the original commission. We are stewards of earth. But the souls of humanity have become our primary stewardship.” - Edward Welch
1 Samuel 12:23 NIV23 As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right.
“Priests call children, neighbors, and the world to draw near to Jesus.” - Edward Welch
Care for the Peace and Purity of the Believing Community
“The job of priests is to protect and keep God’s house.” - Edward Welch
Adam and Eve’s failure to protect the Garden of Eden
The Israelite Priests failure to protect the community of Israel
Jesus Christ the Great High Priest
The church, a royal priesthood under Christ
Imperfect but Sanctified
Seek unity not division
Seek justice not favoritism
Seek righteousness not wickedness
Seek love not selfishness
1 Corinthians 3:16–17 NIV16 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.
Reflect the Lord
Moses reflected the greatness and holiness of the Lord after having been in his presence.
Exodus 34:29–30 NIV29 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord. 30 When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him.
“Moses represented the people and was invited to draw near. When he drew near, he took on a characteristic of the one he beheld… As God is light, so Moses reflected that light.” - Edward Welch
Sunday Oct 11, 2020
"Who Is My Neighbor?" (Luke 10:25-37)
Sunday Oct 11, 2020
Sunday Oct 11, 2020
"Who Is My Neighbor?" (Luke 10:25-37)Pastor Cameron JungelsEastside Baptist ChurchSunday AM, October 11, 2020
Luke 10:25–37 NIV
25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” 27 He answered, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” 28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” 29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ 36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” 37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
John 13:34–35 NIV
34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
1 John 4:20 NIV
20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.
1 John 4:7–8 NIV
7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
1 John 3:17–18 NIV
17 If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
Luke 6:27 NIV
27 “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
Luke 6:32–36 NIV
32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. 35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
Main Idea: A disciple of Jesus Christ will perform acts of love and kindness for other people, no matter who they are.
Luke 10:25–28 NIV
25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” 27 He answered, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” 28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
Daniel 12:2–3 NIV
2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.
Luke 10:27–28 NIV
27 He answered, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” 28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
Luke 10:29–37 NIV
29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ 36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” 37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
Main Idea: A disciple of Jesus Christ will perform acts of love and kindness for other people, no matter who they are.
1 John 3:17–18 NIV
17 If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
Wednesday Oct 07, 2020
“In God’s House” (Ch. 14) & "Priests Clothed" (Ch. 15)
Wednesday Oct 07, 2020
Wednesday Oct 07, 2020
Created to Draw Near: Our Life as God’s Royal Priests by Edward T. Welch
“In God’s House” (Chapter 14)
Exodus 25:8–9 NIV
8 “Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them. 9 Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you.
“God’s Home(s)”
• Eden: life and communion
• Mt. Sinai: sacrifices, meals, communion, & promises
• Tabernacle
• Most detail provided in Scripture of any of God’s dwelling places
• Based on a heavenly pattern
• God’s people lived in tents, and he would dwell in a tent in the midst of them.
God’s “home consisted of a tent, surrounded by a courtyard, which was surrounded by the people of Israel, and beyond them was the world that needed the God of Israel.” - Edward Welch
Pictures of God’s Character
• The tabernacle’s design and composition revealed much about God’s character:
• Royalty
• Fine white linen, purples, blues, and reds, gold, silver, and bronze
• Righteousness
• Bronze Altar - people need to be forgiven and cleansed before going into God’s house.
• Purity
• Laver - the necessity for washing/cleansing
• Light and Life
• Golden lampstand shaped to remind of the tree of life in Eden
• Provider
• Table of the bread of presence - God’s care for Israel.
• Divine hospitality
• Grace and Beauty
• Altar of Incense - the sweet smelling aroma rising to the heavens represented the prayers of God’s people brought into the presence of God.
• Holiness and Glory
• Most Holy Place and Ark of the Covenant - God’s throne in God’s throne room
• Only allowed access once a year by the High Priest
• God’s glorious presence came to dwell among his people.
“The tabernacle was a visual representation of God’s world along with specific instruction on how his people were to come near. Each detail was intended to prepare humanity to recognize Jesus when he came and gathered all these details into himself.” - Edward Welch
“Priests Clothed” (Chapter 15)
For Glory and for Beauty
Exodus 28:1–2 NIV
1 “Have Aaron your brother brought to you from among the Israelites, along with his sons Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, so they may serve me as priests. 2 Make sacred garments for your brother Aaron to give him dignity and honor.
• God clothes us to make us beautiful and glorious to stand in his presence.
“God has designed our clothes, and they will make us quite presentable.” - Edward Welch
Characteristics of the Priestly Clothing
• Special - Consecrated
• Costly
• Ornate
• Holy - made of same linen and yarns of the tabernacle itself, gold plate on turban: “holy to the Lord”
“...image bearers—human beings—were the ones intended to represent God most accurately. The tabernacle, indeed, reflected his glory, but walking, living tabernacles were always the plan. The priestly coverings pointed to the Spirit-filled tabernacles that were to come, when we would all be made holy in Jesus Christ.” - Edward Welch
• Representative - names of the 12 tribes engraved on stones on the shoulder pieces and on the jewels of the breastplate.
“The high priest carried the people everywhere, even into the Most Holy Place.” - Edward Welch
• Wisdom - Urim and Thummim represented wise judgment in consultation with the Lord’s will.
“The image of God in humanity was being restored. The discernment and wisdom lost at Eden were available because God was with his people.” - Edward Welch
• Royal - Turban with royal, crown-like overtones
“When you take a step back, it becomes clear: the priestly garment mimicked the tabernacle... The priest was a living version of the tabernacle. The priest and tabernacle both imaged God.” - Edward Welch
Psalm 84:10 NIV
10 Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
“The priests were blessed to be attendants at God’s residence, but their presence there pointed to a much greater reality: his presence with his people would be so intimate that he would actually reside within them.” - Edward Welch
“We look ahead and see that we are, both singularly and corporately, living tabernacles, and a tabernacle is where God resides with his people.” - Edward Welch
1 Corinthians 6:19 NIV
19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;
“The Father over us, Jesus with us, and the Spirit in us—all this intimacy is now in view in the priestly story.” - Edward Welch
Sunday Oct 04, 2020
"Jesus' Missionaries" (Luke 10:1-24)
Sunday Oct 04, 2020
Sunday Oct 04, 2020
"Jesus' Missionaries" (Luke 10:1-24)Pastor Cameron JungelsEastside Baptist ChurchSunday AM, October 4, 2020
Luke 10:1-24, NIV
10 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.
5 “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ 6 If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. 7 Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.
8 “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. 9 Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10 But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’ 12 I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.
13 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. 15 And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades.
16 “Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.”
17 The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”
18 He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 20 However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
21 At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.
22 “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”
23 Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. 24 For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”
We Have Been Given a Privileged Mission (vv. 1-20).
We Have Been Given a Blessed Salvation by God’s Grace (vv. 20-24).
Matthew 16:15-17, NIV
15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.
John 14:6 NIV
6Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Main Idea: We have been given a blessed salvation and a privileged mission by God’s grace.
Wednesday Sep 30, 2020
"Holy" (Ch. 12) & "A Meal with God" (Ch. 13)
Wednesday Sep 30, 2020
Wednesday Sep 30, 2020
Created to Draw Near: Our Life as God’s Royal Priests
by Edward T. Welch
“Holy” (Chapter 12)
Set Apart
“Holy” found everywhere in conjunction with priests of God.
Holy days, places, objects, and people
Set apart by the Lord and for the Lord
God’s Classification System
Leviticus 10:10 NIV
10 so that you can distinguish between the holy and the common, between the unclean and the clean,
Holy
Common
Clean
Unclean
An Orderly Universe
Separated light from darkness
Separated water from water to form the sky
Separated water from land
A Holy Nation
Separated types of seed in fields
Separated kinds of fabric from garments
Separated clean and unclean foods
“These unusual expressions of distinctions and order were a bridge to the deeper order in which God’s people were to belong to him and separate themselves from sin. Sin is an alien kind that should not mix with those created in God’s image.” - Edward Welch
“Death, too, sin’s constant companion, is alien to the God of life, so we are not surprised that priestly laws contained taboos against anything that had ties to death.” - Edward Welch
The Clean and Unclean
Clean - welcomed and could draw near
Free to worship at the temple gates and enter the courtyard
Included in the community
Unclean - unwelcome and remain far away
The unclean were farther from God and closer in proximity to death.
Excluded from the community
“The unclean person’s only hope was that God would do something to redeem him or her from uncleanness, and he did. The entire sacrificial system was intended to point the way from death toward the life giver himself. The unclean were purified or cleansed.” - Edward Welch
The Holy
Near to God
Set apart from the rest of creation
Honorable because the Lord brings them near to himself
From Unclean to Holy
Since the Fall, God is reclaiming the unclean and making them clean and holy.
Consecration, Sanctification
Sacrifice was the way to cleanse and make holy.
“The purpose of humanity is to be brought near to God as a holy people.” - Edward Welch
Left to ourselves, we are unclean.
Sin and death (sin’s colleague) are our problem.
God has made a way for forgiveness of sins through sacrifice.
His mission is to draw us close to himself and give life.
He takes the unclean and makes them clean.
He takes the clean and makes them holy.
“A Meal with God” (Chapter 13)
“You know that God has accepted you when he invites you to a meal.” - Edward Welch
Exodus 24:9–11 NIV
9 Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up 10 and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli, as bright blue as the sky. 11 But God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw God, and they ate and drank.
One Way, His Way
It is by grace that we draw near to God.
It is by God’s word and command that we draw near his way.
Divine Hospitality
The feet of God - a partial view of God’s presence
A covenantal meal, prepared by God
“‘Come, live under my protection, enjoy a meal with me; it is my honor to treat you; let’s talk.’ That’s the gist of the Lord’s Table. It gets to the heart of priestly privileges and pleasures, and it is a recurring event where heaven and earth meet.” - Edward Welch
First of Many Meals
Priests shared a meal from the sacrifices presented to the Lord.
People who brought a peace offering shared in a meal with the Lord from that offering.
Those who remained faithful to the Lord received an invitation to a soul-satisfying and free banquet (Isa. 55:1–6).
Jesus himself gathered the most unlikely and unworthy to eat with him.
Mt. Sinai, the Tabernacle, and the Lord’s Presence
Mt. Sinai was like a vertical tabernacle.
The people were at the base in the outer courtyard - they saw the cloud of God’s glory.
The elders were invited farther up into the inner courtyard - they saw the Lord’s “feet.”
Moses was invited up to the summit to the Most Holy Place - He would later see God’s “back.”
What about Us?
We have the coming of Jesus who revealed the Father to us.
But there is even more to come.
1 Corinthians 13:12 NIV
12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.