Do not [your sin here]. Future joy coming. Jesus reigns.

What We Already Knew

and

What We Did Not Know

(Acts 18:4-11 (again), Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, December 30, 2012)

[4] And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks. [5] When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus. [6] And when they opposed and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” [7] And he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. His house was next door to the synagogue. [8] Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized.

We had an opportunity to consider the first part of this passage on December 9th. We now continue with this same text after a most unusual Christmas season in New England and in many of our lives personally.

[9] And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid,

The words of Luke 2:10-11 have been playing in my mind over these days. God gave the shepherds a command that was identical to the one he gave to Paul in verse 9 of this passage. “Fear not” or “Do not be afraid.”

The angel spoke to the shepherds about good news of a future joy that would be for all the people. That same future joy will fully come to us by the work of the One who was born that day in the city of David, our Savior, Christ, the Lord.

Paul preached in Corinth that the Christ was Jesus. He demonstrated this from the Hebrew Scriptures, but not everyone believed. Those in the synagogue who ultimately rejected his message became hostile and violent. That led to Paul's withdrawal from that place with Jews and Gentiles who believed that the Christ was Jesus. Where did they worship? At the house next door to the synagogue. The potential for further resentment and violence was substantial.

So when the Lord appeared to Paul in a dream, he began with the same words that were spoken to the shepherds. “Fear not.” The shepherds' fears would have been from God Himself. What would the Almighty do to them? Like Isaiah of old, they knew that they were sinful men who dwelt among sinful people, and they feared a message from heaven brought by an angel.

Paul's fear was from a different source. He had faced persecution that had forced him out of town before. What would happen now? Would he be able to complete his ministry?

but go on speaking and do not be silent, [10] for I am with you,

The Lord Jesus himself told the Apostle Paul to “go on speaking,” and then reinforced this command with the words, “do not be silent.” Paul was a messenger of good news. The Messiah had come. The proclamation of good news did not mean that the new heavens and the new earth would come immediately. Paul was very clear in his letters and preaching that the church could expect persecution and suffering. But Paul needed divine encouragement, a personal word for him containing information that he already knew, and some information that was news to him.

First, what did Paul already know? He knew that he needed to do the ministry that God had given to him, testifying to Jews and Greeks about Christ, the cross, and the resurrection. There are times when we should be silent. James tells us that we should be slow to speak and that not many should be teachers. But those who are called to preach the Word need to be ready to bring the message of Christ to the world with boldness and sincerity. Paul knew this.

Paul also knew that Jesus was with him. We have been celebrating the coming of the Christ. One of the names that the prophets gave for the Messiah was “Immanuel,” God with us. Paul knew about the indwelling power of God in him and in the other believers.

and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.” What Paul did not know was the specific plan of God regarding Corinth and the suffering that the apostle would face in that city. Would Paul have to leave Corinth quickly as he had in other places? Only God knew, and Paul would not know unless the Lord showed Him.

The ascended Jesus, the King and Head of the church revealed to Paul that no one would attack him to harm him, at least not immediately. This was unexpected. The controversy in Corinth had been very heated. The two sides in the ongoing debate among Jews concerning Jesus were right next door to each other. Could it have been reasonably expected that there would have been a lengthy period of peace? There would be peace, and knowing that he would be safe would help Paul to proclaim the Word boldly.

It would also be a great encouragement to Paul to know that the Lord had many people in this city whom He counted as His people. This detail could never have been known unless God revealed it.

[11] And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

This amazing revelation was a great help to Paul. He stayed in Corinth for a very lengthy time. He was able to teach the Word there, just as he would later in Ephesus.

Why would we need God to tell us things that we already know? Why would we need to know the details of His providence yet to come? The Lord knows the weakness of even His strongest servants. When the familiar truths of the Scriptures are proclaimed to us, it is not enough for us to know that the propositions are true. We need to know that they come to us from a God who knows us and who wants us to remember the central truths of Christian faith and life. There are also occasions when the Lord's apostolic servants needed to have new information granted to them in their weakness. The Lord knows our needs, and He will provide for us as He sees fit.

We will face opposition, but God will be with us. He will protect us in our trials. We can trust Him for His sustaining grace. But will our ministries touch the lives of many people in our region? Paul needed to have hope. God knows how to lead us forward in hope.

Whether it is through his personal reassurance to us that the foundational truths of the faith are still true, or in His special way of encouraging us about the days ahead, we need God. We need to know that His Word is for us.

Just as God said in Bethlehem and in Corinth, “Do not be afraid,” or “Do not [your sin here].” Here is a Word that you have already heard, but today it is just for you: Christ has won for you and for many others the rich resurrection blessings of eternal life through His life and His death on the cross, and he is reigning in heaven. This you know, but today it is spoken especially for you. And may the Lord lead you personally through every trial, granting you the encouragements and wisdom necessary to persevere in faith, hope, and love.

Paying much more attention to the Word...

1 12/30/2012

Title: The Speech of God

Old Testament Passage: Hosea 1

Gospel Reading: Mark 13:1-2

Sermon Text: Hebrews 1:1-2

Sermon Point: Jesus is the Final Word. He is Revelation incarnate, and He dwells in us.

[1:1] Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,

God has been speaking for a long time. He spoke the world into being. He spoke to holy men of old like Adam, Noah, and Abraham. He especially spoke to His people through the written Word that came through His prophets.

That Old Testament Word came in many installments. It was not all given at once.

It also came in many ways. In all of those ways, God had raised up just the right prophet to bring His message in just the right way. The result is the astoundingly rich document that we call the Hebrew Bible.

[2] but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.But as wonderful as the Hebrew Bible is, we have been given something more. We have Jesus.

The one who is the alpha and omega has come in person. The last days of gospel proclamation have come to us in Him, even back in the first century. In Jesus, God still speaks to us.

He is wise and powerful in His speech.

We can never safely ignore the Word of God.

We cannot safely ignore the Old Testament. It prepared the way for us to the Messiah. Still today it vindicates His perfect person and work. It proves to us that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer, die, and be raised again.

And how much more can we not safely ignore the New Testament. It is the authoritative Word concerning the meaning of the Hebrew Bible.

Most importantly, we cannot safely ignore Jesus. He Himself is the Final Word. He is Revelation incarnate, and He dwells in us.

All of Hebrews 1 is working toward this inspired command in Hebrews 2:1, “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.”

Hope for the Unconsolable

Holy Child of Bethlehem

(Matthew 2, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, December 23, 2012)

[2:1] Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, [2] saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” [3] When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; [4] and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. [5] They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:
[6] “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
[7] Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. [8] And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” [9] After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. [10] When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. [11] And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. [12] And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.This familiar account of the events in the city of Jerusalem and the village of Bethlehem at around the time of the birth of the Messiah includes one group of Persian wise men and a single vicious Edomite who called himself King Herod surrounded by the entourage that comes with the sword. Both groups were seeking a newborn baby. Both claimed a desire to worship Him.

The wise men from the east were well acquainted with the pathways of the stars and the planets in the night skies. They saw something there that spoke “king” to them, something that Herrod and the inhabitants of Jerusalem had not noticed. The Magi were sure enough about this message that they set off on a long journey in the correct direction. (See bethlehemstar.net for details.)

It appears that they had more than the revelation of the night skies. They had some Word from God, either immediately (see verse 12) or passed down through the centuries from the Hebrew Law. At the end of Numbers 24 one of their predecessors had received this oracle some 1500 years before their time.

I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the forehead of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth. Edom shall be dispossessed; Seir also, his enemies, shall be dispossessed. Israel is doing valiantly. And one from Jacob shall exercise dominion and destroy the survivors of cities!” (Numbers 24:17-19)

In this passage a star is connected to a Jewish ruler who will defeat the proud demonic enemies of Israel and exercise a noteworthy dominion. The wise men from the east in the days of Jesus seemed to know this, but they did not know where he was to be born.

Notice that Herrod was aware of a coming Christ, and was alarmed by the reports from the star gazers. He found out from the chief priests and scribes that Micah 5:2 had foretold that the child would be born in Bethlehem. The Magi went off to worship and to transfer wealth that would aid Mary and Joseph in their necessary journey. Herrod waited for the information he needed.

Meanwhile the Magi were again directed by the skies, and they were led to just the right home. They worshiped the child, no longer a newborn.

[13] Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” [14] And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt [15] and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”Jesus, the hope of the world, was taken by His parents out of Bethlehem according to a divine revelation. They knew what Herrod had wanted to conceal, his murderous intentions. They left immediately and went to Egypt, the land that had once been the place of bondage for the nation of Israel.

According to Hosea 11:1, written hundreds of years prior to the birth of Jesus, the Son of God would be called out of Egypt. The Lord of the earth, now under the protection of two poor descendants of King David, was the “Son” that Hosea had referred to. When all of Israel was delivered out of bondage at the time of the Passover in the days of Moses, that was only a dress-rehearsal for the redemption that would come one day from the blood of the true Lamb of God. Israel was only the son of God, because Jesus is the Son of God forever. And now all who put their trust in Jesus are sons of the Most High God. God calls us forward out of the bondage of sin and death into His holiness and life.

[16] Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. [17] Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:
[18] “A voice was heard in Ramah,
weeping and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”
Herrod was enraged. So he did what he could, murdering some Israelite boys of the right age based on the information that he had gleaned from the wise men. Mothers lost their toddlers and refused to be consoled.

The only hope we have, Jesus, had been spared that massacre. But the day of His death would come. So too would come the day of His resurrection, and there is our greatest hope. Even Jeremiah, who knew about mothers weeping for their sons who were no more, was able to speak of a coming day when those young people would live again in the land of Israel. That prophesy is much clearer to us now that Jesus has risen from the dead. Come Lord Jesus!

[19] But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, [20] saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead.” [21] And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. [22] But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. [23] And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.

But His death and resurrection would have to wait another thirty years. Until that time, the hope of the earth would be tucked away in Galilee in a city called Nazareth. Matthew tells us that this fact was known to prophets but was not recorded in writing in the Hebrew Scriptures.

We still mourn today as we wait for the coming resurrection. It is right for us to hate death, and to reject any quick and easy consolation. There was nothing quick and easy about the coming of the One who would overturn all that ails us. He came through centuries of preparation by the words of men like Micah and Jeremiah. The God of all creation and providence prepared our deliverance and displayed it all in the heavens through the careful movements of the stars and the planets that were given to watchful observers seeking signs of the coming king. The events of His few years on this planet culminated in a brutal cross and an empty tomb. He is our great hope of a new resurrection world where righteousness will reign forever. A woman encircled a man, as Jeremiah had foretold. Wait for Him. Do not lose heart. He is your eternal consolation.

Old Testament Passage: Jeremiah 31:15-22

The Anointed One - The Root of Jesse

12/23/2012 – Evening Worship

Reading: 1 Samuel 16:1-13

Message: Son of Jesse

[16:1] The LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” [2] And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.” And the LORD said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’ [3] And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do. And you shall anoint for me him whom I declare to you.” [4] Samuel did what the LORD commanded and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling and said, “Do you come peaceably?” [5] And he said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.A son of Jesse of the village of Bethlehem would be king in place of Saul. This would be God's doing. As He told Samuel concerning Saul, “I have rejected him.” But concerning Jesse, “I have provided for Myself a king among his sons.” There would be no need for Samuel to fear. The Lord had a plan. Samuel was to anoint “for Me him whom I declare to you.”

[6] When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the LORD's anointed is before him.” [7] But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.”

When God had chosen Saul, the target of His grace had looked the part. Samuel was warned not to presume that it would be that way again with the Son of Jesse. The Lord alone would choose the right man. The Lord sees. He looks on the heart. He knows what is in a man.

[8] Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the LORD chosen this one.” [9] Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the LORD chosen this one.” [10] And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD has not chosen these.” [11] Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.” [12] And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the LORD said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.”

None of the seven oldest sons of Jesse would be king. It would not be through their lines that the Anointed of God would come. Only through David, the Lord's chosen. The instruction to Samuel was direct and uncompromising. “Anoint him, for this is he.” This king of Israel would be chosen by God. If man had any role, it would be to agree with the choice that God had already made long before. That would be a great privilege, but we would be very mistaken to see the Anointed one of Israel as first and foremost our choice. He was God's choice.

[13] Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.That choice of God was confirmed with more than the oil of man. The Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David. How much more is Jesus the Anointed of God, and we who have loved Him, the chosen of God in Jesus Christ. God has chosen us. Let us walk by the Spirit of the Lord which has become the Lord's mark for His children.

Do you fear that you do not have the Spirit of Christ in you? Ask. Do you have the Spirit of Christ, but are disappointed with your lack of sanctification? Be filled with the Spirit. The faith of Jesus-followers is a Spirit-filled, Christ-exalting, God-first life. This is as it must be, for the unexpected blessing of Bethlehem comes to us through the merits and gifting of the ultimate Spirit-filled Person, the Anointed Son of David.

"David" in Hebrew letters: Dalet + Vav + Dalet = 14

The Family History of Jesus Christ

(Matthew 1, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, December 16, 2012)

[1:1] The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

[2] Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, [3] and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, [4] and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, [5] and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, [6] and Jesse the father of David the king.

And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, [7] and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, [8] and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, [9] and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, [10] and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, [11] and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

[12] And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, [13] and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, [14] and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, [15] and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, [16] and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.

[17] So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.In the wake of horrifying events that have taken place recently in Newtown, Connecticut, as we pray for those who are grieving we are also marking the anniversary of the coming of a second Adam, a new man, the Lord Jesus Christ. The first Adam's world has become a place of death, and that world is swiftly fading away. The second Adam's world began in the womb of a virgin and in the discovery of an empty tomb. That new world is a kingdom of life that will never end.

Jesus of Nazareth had a family heritage. In this first chapter of Matthew's gospel, the apostle Matthew wants us to see that heritage from the vantage point of both natures of the Christ. In verses 1-17 we are introduced to the human descent of Jesus, and in verses 18-25 we begin to grapple with the mystery of the divine Son of God, who is “God with us.”

In terms of His human descent, there can be no doubt that Matthew expects us to see the family heritage of Jesus in light of two of His ancestors, Abraham and David. God gave a promise to Abraham that would encompass the entirety of a new creation. In a descendant of Abraham, who lived 4000 years ago, all the nations of the earth would be blessed.

1000 years after Abraham, David, the king of Israel lived. God made a promise to David that he would have a descendant who would have an eternal kingdom. The first 14 generations listed in Matthew cover the period between God's promise to bless the world through Abraham and God's promise to institute an eternal kingdom through a coming son of David.

1000 years after David, Jesus came. He suffered, died, and rose from the dead. This period from David to Jesus is covered in two lists, each containing 14 generations. The first of these is a list of the kings of Judah. The second takes us from the sad moment when Rachel was weeping for her children called here the deportation to Babylon up to the coming of the Messiah when baby boys in the village of Bethlehem were slaughtered. That event is recorded in Matthew 2, which we will read next week. In Matthew 1, that moment that moved us from BC to AD is marked by the coming of the Man of Life, Jesus, the Christ.

Matthew's genealogy contains the names of five women: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba “the wife of Uriah,” and Mary. The story of these five women is the collective account of outsiders in deep distress who believed the Word and found a Savior. The final woman, Mary, gave birth to the baby who was her own Messiah. All these women experienced grave sorrow, summarized by a prophetic word to Mary, “a sword will pierce through your own soul also.” This is the story of Adam's world, a story of a dagger that cuts the hearts of men and women everywhere.

[18] Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. [19] And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. [20] But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. [21] She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” [22] All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
[23] “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”
(which means, God with us). [24] When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, [25] but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

The full account of the family history of Jesus Christ required something beyond a well-formed genealogy. It came to us from a heavenly revelation. In Matthew we learn of the revelation given to Joseph. In Luke we have the Word of God to Mary. The essence of the message to Joseph is all about Jesus, the eternal Son of God.

Verse 20: That which is conceived in Mary is from the Holy Spirit.

Verse 21: You shall call His Name Jesus: “Yahweh saves!”

Verse 22: This baby is Isaiah's Immanuel: “God with us.”

How does Christmas help us through our present darkness? It does not help us by the creation of a happy myth. The world of Christmas in Bethlehem was a world where death seemed to reign through the madness of a man. The world of the first Christmas was a world where a sword pierced the hearts of anyone who was capable of feeling love and grief. The world of the first Christmas is the real world, but it is temporary. It is Adam's world, but it is fading away.

But Christmas is much more than that. It is about the fulfillment of ancient promises of life. It is a gift that can be received. It is a joy from heaven in the midst of sorrow. It is hope made sure through Jesus, the I-AM God, who saves His people from their sins through His suffering life.

We need to see the difference between death and life right now. Are you horrified by a world of death? Has a sword pierced your own heart? Are you lost and without a family? Find a new home where outcasts have found hope for thousands of years. Believe the Word of God. Receive the Son of Abraham, the Son of David, the Son of God, God with us who saves us from our sins.

OT Passages: Genesis 12:1-3, 2 Samuel 7:12-13

O Baby!

12/16/2012 – Evening Worship

Reading: Ruth 1:1 and Ruth 4

Message: House of Bread

[1:1] In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. ...

[4:1] ... [9] Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses this day that I have bought from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and to Mahlon. [10] Also Ruth the Moabite, the widow of Mahlon, I have bought to be my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brothers and from the gate of his native place. You are witnesses this day.” [11] Then all the people who were at the gate and the elders said, “We are witnesses. May the LORD make the woman, who is coming into your house, like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you act worthily in Ephrathah and be renowned in Bethlehem, [12] and may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring that the LORD will give you by this young woman.”

[13] So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and the LORD gave her conception, and she bore a son. [14] Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel! [15] He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.” [16] Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse. [17] And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

[18] Now these are the generations of Perez: Perez fathered Hezron, [19] Hezron fathered Ram, Ram fathered Amminadab, [20] Amminadab fathered Nahshon, Nahshon fathered Salmon, [21] Salmon fathered Boaz, Boaz fathered Obed, [22] Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David.

Bethlehem (House of Bread) went from famine to “feast” with the gift of a child.

Naomi's family left this village during a time of famine. What is wrong with this world under the sovereignty of the Almighty God of Love? How could there be famine and death here? Naomi's husband and sons died in a foreign land. But a woman of Moab, Ruth, came with her mother-in-law back to the village where David the king would be born, and where a millennium later, the Savior of the world would make infant noises.

The coming of David the king is the proximate reason for the telling of the story of Ruth. But it is the pleroma, the fullness, of the story that interests us the most. Do not be thrilled about David and Bethlehem unless you are going to be thrilled about Jesus. He turns famine into feast with the coming of the new heavens and the new earth. The One who was born in a feeding troth in the little town of Bethlehem is the One in whom the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily. He brings a heavenly feast where there was once famine. He speaks new life to a world full of the burdens of death.

Jesus, the only possible Messiah

Who Is the Messiah?

(Acts 18:4-11, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, December 9, 2012)

[4] And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks.

Paul had work to do. Yes, he made tents with Aquila and Prsicilla, but all of his work and life was spent working with a greater Companion and Lord in building a tent that will last forever. That tabernacle of the Holy Spirit is still being built today.

Paul had preached Christ in many places, and now he had this good work to do in one of the major cities in Achaia. His message was first to the Jew, but as Paul reasoned in the synagogue in Corinth he was reaching many non-Jews who were attending there. God had worked in the hearts of many Greeks to have an interest in the faith of the Jews. They were there every Sabbath with Jews like Aquila when Paul arrived in Corinth.

[5] When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus. [6] And when they opposed and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”

Paul was occupied with this work, and he would remain occupied for many months with the goal of persuading his hearers of one central fact of the faith: that the Christ was Jesus. The word Christ means “Messiah” or “Anointed One.” Many Jews already believed from the Hebrew Scriptures that a Messiah would come. The Old Testament Law, the Psalms, the historical accounts of the kings, and the prophets of Israel all pointed to the coming of a special prophet, priest, and king, who would be the Anointed One of God. But who would that Christ be?

A more fundamental question for many people is the necessity of any Christ figure at all. Why do we need a Christ? The Anointed One would come as God's representative to establish an eternal kingdom. In this world of death, sin, and sorrow, we needed a man to win for us a kingdom of life, holiness, and joy. Those who find their ultimate happiness in Christmas presents and Hanukah geld will have no need for a Christ. If they do not believe that they have an eternal soul, they do not need to fear the judgment of God. They want all their presents now.

If God is our judge, and we hear His command to worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness, the topic of a Coming One who can secure for us a kingdom that will not fail is of paramount interest. If we receive the Word of God as true, we have been given abundant preparation in the Hebrew Scriptures not only to believe that a Christ will come, but even for the assurance that the Christ is Jesus of Nazareth. It was this last proposition that Paul was busy proving to the Jews and synagogue-attending Greeks in Corinth.

Proving that the Messiah was Jesus required a careful consideration of what those Scriptures said about the Coming One and then a fair accounting of the person and work of Jesus. Who was Jesus and what did He do? The life of Jesus and his suffering, death, and resurrection formed such an amazing story that no other person in all of history could have fulfilled all of the prophesies and preparations that the Scriptures contained regarding the Christ. He had to be born during the time of the Roman Empire. He had to be born in Bethlehem and live long enough to do the things that Messiah was supposed to do. He had to teach in parables. He had to work very specific miracles. He had to suffer and be rejected by the religious leaders of the Jews. He had to die on a cross as one forsaken of God as our Substitute. Especially, He had to rise from the dead, not to mortal existence to die again at a later date, but to the new life of the Resurrection Man. Then He had to ascend into heaven and to send forth the Holy Spirit upon the church in a way that gave testimony to the world that a new era of existence had come. He had to begin to build the kingdom of God on earth. Brothers and sisters, we do need a Christ, God promised that a Christ would come, and that Christ can be no other person than Jesus of Nazareth.

You are here today either because you believe this already or because you are open to the consideration of these claims. But when Paul taught that the Christ was Jesus in the synagogue in Corinth, the response he received was the one that he found everywhere. Some believed and some did not. Those who received Jesus, who believed in His Name, became children of God, and their lives began to change. Those who rejected Paul's message became angry and violent.

[7] And he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. His house was next door to the synagogue. [8] Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized.

That was not Paul's fault, and he testified to his innocence in their unbelief by shaking the dust of that synagogue off of his garments and going literally next door to start a church. The person who lived next door was one of those worshiping Greeks who was not a Jew that I referred to earlier. He is called here “a worshiper of God.” Who went over with them? People like Aquila and Priscilla, and many other Jews and Greeks including the leading elder in the synagogue, a man named Crispus and his entire household. Many Corinthians heard the message, believed, and were baptized. Imagine the dynamic here in Corinth of having a reduced synagogue right next door to a wildly growing vital Christian church.

[9] And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, [10] for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.” [11] And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

This was all by the design of the reigning Christ. We do not worship a baby in a manger this morning. That baby grew up. He has borne our griefs and has carried our sorrows. He died and rose again from the dead. He is the Lord who rules His kingdom right now from the heights of heaven. That Christ is still Jesus. Present tense. He spoke to Paul in a vision, calmed his fears, and assured him that there was much more work to do in the wild city of Corinth. What was Paul's job in the new Tabernacle of God? Anointed not with oil made by human hands but with the Holy Spirit, Paul was to go on speaking knowing that the Christ was with him and would be very able to protect him. Jesus had many people in Corinth. Paul was supposed to minister to them.

That word of encouragement propelled Paul through the next eighteen months. He was teaching the word of God among them. That work continues down to the present day in places like Syria, where Christians send word to their friends her today that they are worshiping God through Jesus Christ though they have not had bread for a week. They send this report to us this morning: “Again we thank God, because if we don't eat bread, is good for our diet. Despite all these tough situations, thank God that we had our worship service yesterday, and there were more than 70 people attending the Church, although there was no electricity or heat. But the people's hope is our LORD. Keep praying. God is great.” Yes God is great, and the Messiah is Jesus.

1. What was Paul's message to the Jews in Corinth? What does the word “Christ” mean?

2. What kind of hearing did Paul receive in the synagogue?

3. What was the Lord's encouragement to Paul?

4. How did Paul respond to that word from God?

OT Passage: Exodus 30:22-33

Glorious Names

Old Testament Reading: Amos 7:10-12

New Testament Reading: John 9:35-41

Message: Fellow Prisoners of Grace – Philemon 23-25

[23] Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you, [24] and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.
Throughout this brief letter, the apostle Paul has demonstrated an interest in Philemon not only doing the right thing regarding the freedom of his runaway servant, Onesimus, but doing the right thing with a free heart. Paul made this appeal as a prisoner of Christ Jesus.

The apostle was not alone in owning that title. He mentions Epaphras as one of his associates who is his “fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus.” Epaphras, at one point a minister in Colossae, sent his greetings here. So did Mark, the author of the gospel and early companion of Paul and Barnabas. Aristarchus and Demas, believers from Thessalonica, were also on this list, as well as Luke, the physician and gospel writer.

This little letter was very pointed. These men would not have added their names in these final verses if they did not agree with Paul's message. They too were fellow prisoners of the only man who could possibly be the Jewish Messiah.

The baby born in Bethlehem grew up in Galilee and died and rose again in Jerusalem. He was not only a man. He was the Son of God, and He had the power of an indestructible life. To be His prisoner is to be free. Free people are not in bondage to their property.

That is at least the theory, but even free people struggle. Paul says later of Demas in 2 Timothy 4:10, “Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica.” Let's not be too hard on Demas. You and I also struggle with covetousness, which, we are told in Colossians 3:5, “is idolatry.” We can covet people as well as possessions. When we covet, we are not acting as prisoners of grace. You will either be a prisoner of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ or a prisoner of your idolatries.

[25] The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

My prayer for you, and I hope, your prayer for me, is that we would be fellow prisoners of the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The story of grace is imprisoning and freeing at the same time. To trust in the One and Only possible Messiah, the Son of God and Son of David, who willingly came, suffered, and died for us, rising from the dead for our justification, is to be captured by His love. When we are imprisoned by His grace, we can finally be free of lesser lords, like money, power, and fleshly pleasures. This good work of God brings life to your spirit, so that you can now say that the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ is with your spirit, and seek to see that grace visit some other person's spirit. That kind of change is worth celebrating. Do you believe that freedom Christ has set you free? Join the list of all the prisoners of the grace of Jesus, and rejoice that His grace captured not only Onesimus, but also Philemon.

One Lord - One Life

Tentmakers

(Acts 18:1-3, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, December 2, 2012)

[18:1] After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.

We need to take a moment to recap Paul's current missionary journey and to set the stage for where we are headed. Remember that Paul had visited some of the churches that were started during his earlier missionary journey with Barnabas. Now with Silas, he was traveling westward with the hope of going into the region to the south, called Asia. God would not allow it. His next plan was to go north toward the Black Sea. Again the Lord prohibited. He kept heading west until he reached the sea. Then the Lord called him over to Macedonia through a dream. There he had the adventures we have been considering for many weeks in Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea, facing persecution from Jews who rejected Jesus as the Messiah and the whole notion that the Old Testament Scriptures required the coming of a suffering servant Messiah.

When his persecutors followed him even to the comparatively insignificant town of Berea, the disciples in the newly formed church there sent Paul south, out of Macedonia, and into a region that was then known as Achaia. Most recently we have been following what happened when Paul was left alone in Athens, and especially how the Lord led Him to speak at Mars Hill. There Paul gave a message to people who had figured out a way to worship a god that they did not know. He introduced to the people of that great idolatrous and intellectual city Jesus Christ, a Savior they could know as opposed to one they thought probably existed but did not know. Christ, the historic man that no reasonable person should claim to be mythological, clearly had taught his disciples that he would suffer, die, and rise again on the third day. As C. S. Lewis famously said, this Jesus was either a liar, a lunatic, or the Lord. There are no other possibilities.

The only way to make up your mind on that question would be to hear the message that has been given to us of His life from those who were eyewitnesses. The Gospel according to Mark, the shortest of the gospels, gives any person today an opportunity to learn about this Jesus. But that account, which was not yet written in 50 AD when Paul was in Athens, takes some time to teach publicly. (What we call “Mark” was being communicated orally by Peter at this time, and was reduced to writing in the next ten to fifteen years.) Learning from Mark also requires a group of people who actually want to know the identity of the God they may have already experienced through creation, life, and tragedy, but whom they do not presently know. But what if people would prefer to call out to an unknown god in a time of panic or even in a time of joy, and yet keep him conveniently unknown, so that they can approach him on their own terms? That God need not be liar, lunatic, or lord. Just an unknown idol. There were a few people who responded to Paul's message in Athens. But after calling Athens to repent regarding agnostic idolatry, Paul went on to the city of Corinth. The progress of the Christian message in this important city and in the Asian city of Ephesus will be the story before us as we go into the new year, taking us through Acts 18, 19, and 20. After that, the remainder of Acts is filled with Paul's arrest in Jerusalem that eventually leads us to his arrival in Rome. Though other places are mentioned in passing, it may help us to keep in mind that the rest of this book has much to do with what the Lord was doing in the cities of Corinth and Ephesus, and then finally about what took place in two capitals, Jerusalem and Rome, the capital of the empire. For now, on to Corinth.

[2] And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. And he went to see them, [3] and because he was of the same trade he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade.

When Paul came to Athens in the prior chapter the focus of God's Word was on Athens and the idolatry there. There was much that could have been said about Corinth as he entered that city, but that was not where the Lord took us in Luke's account. He introduced us instead to an important Christian couple who were living in Corinth at that time, Aquila and Priscilla.

Aquila and Priscilla were Jewish followers of Jesus Christ who had only recently come to Corinth from Rome. Along with many other Jews, they were forced out of Rome by the emperor's edict in A.D. 49. The reason for the edict seems to be that there were disturbances in the synagogues, probably over the Christian message. It was now about 17 years since the day of Pentecost when Peter preached the message that Jesus was the Messiah to visiting Jews from as far away as Rome. Many believed and stayed in Jerusalem for some time. Eventually they and other Christian Jews would have made their way to the capital of the empire, bringing back to the synagogues word about Jesus. See Acts 2:5-11 and 28:21-22. Jews in Rome did not know about Paul yet, but they did hear about Jesus, and there must have been first a trickle, then a stream, soon a river, and eventually a flood of people bringing to the leading city of the empire the good news that the Messiah of the Jews was the Savior of the world. As in every gathering of Jews where that message was communicated, it created violent division. Aquila and Priscilla saw all this firsthand, and because of the emperor's command, they ended up in Corinth.

Aquila was not from Rome, but Pontus, which was on the southeastern shores of the Black Sea. The name Pontus appears in Acts 2 as a location from which some Jews traveled to Jerusalem for the Jewish festivals. Aquila could have heard about Christ as the Messiah in Jerusalem, in Pontus, in Rome, or in many other places where he may have journeyed with his wife. In the providence of God, Paul found this couple in Corinth. They would be important in the church in at least Corinth, Ephesus, and Rome. See Romans 16:3-4 to see how Paul felt about them. They were his fellow workers in Christ Jesus. They risked their necks for Paul. They suffered greatly for Jesus in daily toil and in facing loss. Let me just say this: Jesus was worth all their troubles.

Paul went to see them in Corinth and began there a relationship that would bear much fruit for many years. One of the reasons that he stayed with them is that they were tentmakers. People in the ancient world were taught a trade at home. Jesus had one. So did Paul. That was their work. They had families like we do. Aquila had a wife, Priscilla. She was very important to everything that he was doing, and he was important to her. They were practicing Jews, so they also had a synagogue life where they gathered together with a community a faith. What they did not have was an equal share with their neighbors of what people count as the good life. They did not have all their family nearby. They did not have a history of everyone in their faith community living together in peace. They did not have the stability of living their lives in one place. They did not know where they would be next year.

What did they have? They had one life, and not three. They did not have a work life, a family life and a church life, all separate from each other, and in danger of a messy collision if they ever came together. The reason they had one life was that the person who was Lord of their work, family, and church, was One. They lived for the God who came to earth to make a tent where He would dwell. Somewhere in their travels, Aquila and Priscilla became followers of a historical person, Jesus. They heard the claims that He taught His disciples, that He would suffer, die, and rise again on the third day. They knew that He was not a liar or a lunatic, but the Lord of all, and that He had died for them, so they determined to live their whole life for Him.

1. What do we know about Paul's ministry in and to Corinth?

2. What do we know about the ministry and lives of Aquila and Priscilla?

3. How did this couple end up in Corinth?

4. How did Paul and this couple end up spending so much time together?

OT Passage: Exodus 26:1-6

Do you seek great things for yourself?

Old Testament Reading: Daniel 7:13-14

New Testament Reading: John 13:30-35

Message: You will do even more... – Philemon 21-22

[21] Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say.

You are a Christian. You have received Jesus Christ, the crucified, as your Savior. It is now your privilege to walk in Him as your resurrection Lord.

What can you be confident of?

You can be confident that Jesus has a life already in reserve for you in the heavens that is beyond anything that you can ask for or even imagine. What can you be confident of in terms of present material blessings or answered prayers for you and your loved ones, or any other matters that have to do with this present passing age?

Nothing. And if you have food and clothing, you should be very thankful for that.

What else can you be confident of for this life? If you really desire, above all that this world pretends to promise you, the gift of obedience from the Lord's blessed storehouse of sanctification from heaven, this shall be given to you. Great news for those who want to obey! As Paul was confident of Philemon's obedience, Jesus is confident of your obedience, dear saint, and I will believe that for you and for me. But if you are a double-minded man or woman and you are playing at obedience while your heart really yearns for just one last look at the beauty of Sodom, I don't think it will go well for you. The world will break your heart, and it will seem like God does not care about you either.

But if you really love the wisdom of true obedience, if you ask for that, I think it will be given to you, and even more than you expected could every be given will be given to you right now in this life!

[22] At the same time, prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping that through your prayers I will be graciously given to you.And with that great gift flowing from heaven and from heaven's King, who did not get much for Himself here below but had the perfection of full obedience to the Father, will come the blessing of communion with others who also long for His appearing.

You do not have any promise of health, wealth, or ease in this troubled world, particularly at this late date. Jerusalem is falling. Do you seek great things for yourself while God's church is being decimated? Seek them not, Baruch (Jeremiah 45). Better to do what Jesus the victorious King has commanded. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. You will get that if you want it. And then watch and see if God does not send the joy of a Christian friend to bless you around your table.

And in everything, give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.