Daily Word

About the Kingdom of God...

(Acts 19:-8-10, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, January 27, 2013)

[8] And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God.

This passage describing Paul's important ministry in Ephesus begins with his work in the synagogue where we read that he was teaching about “the kingdom of God.” It ends with Paul doing daily classes in a place called “the hall of Tyrannus” where he taught Jews and Greeks “the Word of the Lord.”

Are we to understand these as two different messages or was the teaching about the kingdom of God essentially the same as the Word of the Lord? It may help us to know that what Luke calls “the kingdom of God,” Matthew most frequently refers to as “the kingdom of heaven.” Passages about Jesus' teaching that are virtually identical in every way use the words “kingdom of heaven” in Matthew, but when Luke quotes them he uses the phrase he writes here in Acts 19 synonymously, that is “the kingdom of God.”

The Word of the Lord is from the Lord of heaven and earth. It is the Word of King Jesus, who when He had accomplished His ministry on earth, ascended into heaven, from where He now reigns as King. He is coming again to bring the glories of His heavenly kingdom upon the earth. This is at least a portion of what we pray for in the Lord's prayer when we say together, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” We want to see the Kingdom of God grow on the earth now, and we want to see it come in fullness when the Lord returns. Both now and in the future the Kingdom of God will come through the Word of the Lord.

The church is to speak that Word boldly, reasoning and persuading others about Jesus and the resurrection. In other words (from earlier passages in Acts), we are to prove “from the Scriptures that the Christ is Jesus.” The church is to preach “Jesus and the resurrection,” not just His resurrection as an isolated fact, but His resurrection as the beginning of a new era. This is “the Kingdom of God.” This is “the Word of the Lord.”

[9] But when some became stubborn and continued in unbelief, speaking evil of the Way before the congregation, he withdrew from them

Paul says in another place that this preaching and teaching of the Christian hope is a word of life unto life for those who will receive it, but it is a word of death to those who reject it. A divided response should not surprise us. When the kingdom of heaven is established in fullness there will no longer be a division of this kind. The grace of the Lord will be with all in the Kingdom of God. All of us will eagerly, immediately, and fully receive the Word of the Lord. That is one of the delightful characteristics of the life to come for the children of God. One day the struggle within us and outside of us will be over. That day is not today for you and me.

Today we still face some measure of division. As with Paul in the synagogue in Ephesus, three months of relative peace can come to an end. The hidden rejection of the Word of the Lord in some hearts can suddenly become an open and stubborn unbelief that leads to speaking against the Way of the Lord, sometimes right in front of the congregation. This is not a sign that we should shrink away from our faith. We must stand firm in the truth speak the truth in love.

Speaking the truth in love will require wisdom from God. But before we can speak the truth with the integrity and power of heavenly love, we must hear that truth and surrender to it. That can happen in an instant by the power of God, but that is not the universal story of how everyone grows in faith and holiness.

and took the disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus. [10] This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.

Whether instantly or gradually over a number of years, we need to see that our growth in understanding and in obedience in the kingdom of God is worth our daily attention.

When Paul faced a point in his synagogue ministry where he finally knew that it was time to leave, he did what he had to do. He found a place where the Word of the Lord could be faithfully proclaimed to those who had not already rejected it. He did not leave alone. As in other places, the apostle took some with him who were sensing life in this message that Paul preached.

A couple of the ancient manuscripts add some words indicating that this teaching took place during the off hours, mid-day, when the hall was not otherwise in use. In other words, the Ephesian church had to make do with a less than ideal building situation. The essence of the church is not in the right circumstances or in the latest idea of how to make belief in God and His kingdom convenient to those who have some possible casual interest in a new religion. The kingdom comes most powerfully when the children of God are so eager for the Word of the Lord that they will make whatever provision necessary to grow in that Word every day of their lives.

This was happening in Ephesus. Jews and Gentiles were coming from all over the province of Asia in order to take advantage of Paul's teaching curriculum. The passages prior to these verses had shown how important the need was. When great men like Apollos did not know any baptism beyond the baptism of John, and when twelves disciples in Ephesus had not even heard that there was a Holy Spirit, the church needed to be soundly taught about Jesus and the resurrection.

Is this need for the daily work of the Word of God just a thing of the past, or does the church have this same need today? We have more Christian materials quickly and cheaply available to us than any other generation, but as we examine the state of the church over the last century we have to conclude that matters that are central to the Christian faith have been neglected.

Even among those who know what the faith is, so many have decided that they would rather teach people about methods of reaching others rather than building them up in the Word and Spirit of God. Many have little sense of the Kingdom of heaven until someone dies. Then the question of what God is actually up to, so central to both the Old and New Testaments, takes on a heightened level of importance. But will the church teach the disciples about the kingdom of God? Will they give people the Word of the Lord? And will those who have been baptized into the wonderful Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, concluded that hearing that Word every day is of more value to their souls than every amusement and vanity that would have such a strong claim on our affections?

Every church should have a vigorous teaching ministry focused on the central truths of our faith. Leaders in the church need to be taught. Every child of God needs to be in the Word and prayer. Jesus is worth our hearty attention. He is the Lord who has a Word for us. He is the King of the kingdom of God. He has ascended into heaven. He has given us a living hope that will never fail.

An Example: Have you taken the time to consider the importance to you of Christ's ascension?

Old Testament Passage: Psalm 24 – Ascension Psalm

Gospel Passage: Luke 24:44-53 – The Ascension of Jesus Christ,

Sermon Text: Acts 19:8-10 – Paul's ministry in Ephesus

Sermon Point: The Word of the Lord and of His heavenly kingdom is worthy of your daily consideration.

Where He Is Now

January 27, 2013 Evening:

Title: Who is this glorious Man at the right hand of the Majesty on high?

Old Testament Passage: Joshua 5:13-15 – The Commander of the Lord's Army

Gospel Reading: John 19:28-30 - “It is finished.”

Sermon Text: Hebrews 1:3d “After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,”

Sermon Point: Consider where Jesus is right now and pay attention to His Voice.

After making purification for sins,

Jesus has made purification for sins. The priests of the Old Covenant had to perform cleansing rituals and make sacrifices even for their own sins before they could do so for others. But Jesus had no sin. He made purification for the sins of His chosen people.

This work took time. According to the plan of God, there was a lengthy preparation for His work on earth recorded for us in the Old Testament. At the fullness of time Christ was born. At just the right time He came to be baptized by John, was tempted by Satan in the wilderness, and then preached and taught the kingdom of God for three years.

There were those around Him who were urging Him to make Himself known and to accomplish His mission on a schedule other than that of the Father. But He heard His Father's voice and followed Him. At the season of Passover He gave His life as the perfect sin offering. Among His dying words were these, “It is finished.”

After three days He rose from the dead, having accomplished what was necessary to secure our peace as our peace offering. It was at this great moment on the third day in connection with the Old Testament feast of firstfruits that a new heavenly era began on the earth. Then at just the right time He ascended into heaven.

he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

Even now He performs the work of our Prophet, Priest, and King. He does so at the place of majestic power and glory, at the right hand of the Majesty on high. From that place, on the day of Pentecost, Jesus poured forth His Holy Resurrection Spirit from heaven, that we might know the truth that sets us free.

He is our glorious Lord. He has taken His seat at the center of all holiness, power, and love which is far above all lesser realms. There is no higher place than where Jesus has been rightly seated.

Therefore we must hear His Word, and hear it rightly as the final Word of God to us.

His Word is a Covenant Word that marks the change from an administration of preparation to an administration of fulfillment. The old ways of purification for sins in Israel are gone. Jesus is the new way to be free from every stain of sin for the Israel of God among all the families of the earth.

His Word is a Kingdom Word that calls us to new life in a world that will never end. There is no Christianity without resurrection hope. That hope is alive already on the earth by the Gift sent forth from the Father and the Son. In that great Gift the church experiences Jesus and the glorious kingdom today, both here on earth, and more perfectly in heaven. Pay attention to His Voice and experience His power.

Beyond John's Baptism

A More Fruitful Baptism

(Acts 18:24-19:7, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, January 20, 2013)

[24] Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures. [25] He had been instructed in the way of the Lord. And being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John.

The two accounts that close Acts 18 and begin Acts 19 both deal with baptism and growth in the Christian way of life. The first is the story of a great preacher, Apollos, and the second is about twelve or so unnamed disciples in Ephesus.

Apollos was a great preacher of the early church who needed help from Priscilla and Aquila to be greater still. Look at what Luke says about him positively. He was eloquent. He was a very competent Bible teacher. He had listened well to others who showed him what it meant to live the life of a Christian. He was very zealous in spiritual pursuits. Finally, his teaching was accurate concerning Jesus Christ.

Yet he was missing something. He only knew about John's baptism. John the Baptist, the miracle child of the devout elderly couple, Zechariah and Elizabeth, prepared the way of the Lord. John proclaimed and performed a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. He also taught that a mightier One was coming who would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire(!). This baptism began for the whole church at Pentecost. See Acts 2 and also Acts 10-11. But a greater fullness of the Holy Spirit also has an individual dimension.

It thrills our hearts that the Messiah came not only to die for our sins and to win for us eternal life. He also has given to the church the great gift of the Holy Spirit. This third person of the Godhead was hovering over the face of the waters in the days of creation. He filled the prophets of old, like Joel, who foretold of a greater era to come. In that day all of God's children in His kingdom would have the benefit of His truthful, mighty, gracious, and holy presence. See also Numbers 11:29. John could not give that gift in his baptism. The ascended Jesus, our King and Redeemer, has blessed us with the best of all donations that God could give or we implore.

[26] He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. [27] And when he wished to cross to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. When he arrived, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed, [28] for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus.

Apollos was a great Bible teacher, but he had an opportunity to be a more fruitful man of God. The Lord used Priscilla and Aquila to explain to him the way of God more accurately. They helped him to know more about a Christian baptism that was more than the baptism of John. They may have used passages like Joel 2 to show how the Hebrew prophets prepared the church to expect the gift of the Holy Spirit. They may have used teaching received from Paul and others concerning the words of John the Baptist, like those recorded now for us in Mark 1.

Apollos received their instruction, and a great servant of God became greater still. He then was sent by the church in Ephesus to labor across the sea in Corinth. When he arrived there he was a great help to the believers in that city. It is by the grace of God that anyone in Corinth had come to believe that the Christ was Jesus. Those who had the gift of faith faced rigorous opposition from those Jews who did not believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah. Apollos was a help in this fight, because he was able to show the truth from the Scriptures and had now received a more accurate understanding of Christian baptism that went beyond the baptism of preparation and repentance that characterized the ministry of John the Baptist.

[19:1] And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. [2] And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” [3] And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John's baptism.”

Apollos was not the only one missing something. The account in the opening verses of Acts 19 tells us of some other disciples in Ephesus who had not even heard that there was a Holy Spirit. Why would Paul have asked them this question: “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” Their answer was plain: “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

Their problem was like that of Apollos. They understood about John's baptism, but not about the baptism that John had foretold.

[4] And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.” [5] On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. [6] And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. [7] There were about twelve men in all.Paul was able to correct their understanding with the same teaching that John himself had given. With the combination of some new Christian baptism (?) and the laying on of hands, these men were given a new measure of the Holy Spirit. Luke says, “the Holy Spirit came upon them.” The gift was evident in outward manifestations that were like those that had taken place in Jerusalem in Acts 2 on the day of Pentecost and in Caesarea at the home of Cornelius in Acts 10. They were speaking in other languages in a reverse Babel experience and the Word of God was coming through them as it had to the parents of John the Baptist so long ago.

From these passages we can see that even those who have a very true and good understanding of Jesus Christ may be missing a very important blessing. They may have a very critical need for a greater work of the Holy Spirit in their lives. In Acts 19 about twelve Christians did not even know that there was a third person of the Godhead. That missing knowledge is less likely among our number after so many centuries of confessing the truth of the Trinity. Yet it is still very probable that we are lacking more blessing that will enable us to be more fruitful servants of Jesus Christ possessing a more accurate knowledge of the way of following our King.

But how do we know if we are missing something? Jesus told his disciples that they would be recognized by their fruits. Paul listed some of the fruit of the Spirit in his letter to the Galatians. Without some work of the Holy Spirit we cannot even be a part of the kingdom of God, but we can grow in our life of faith that our joy might be more full, and that our unnecessary agitation would be replaced by powerful prayer and loving kindness.

When we see a lack of the fruit of the Spirit in our lives what can we do about it? Jesus told us to ask, but how can we ask for something about which we have no knowledge? Someone must teach us, and then we must be willing to receive the blessing that God has for us. There is a greater fullness of the Holy Spirit for every disciple of Jesus who will receive. What a kind Savior we have! Our Lord loves to give Himself to His children. What a gift! The Holy Spirit!

Old Testament Passage: Joel 2:28-29, Gospel Passage: Mark 1:4-8

Sermon Point: Have you heard that there is a Holy Spirit? Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?

God's Word of Power - Jesus

January 20, 2013 Evening:

Title: The Word of His Power

Old Testament Passage: Psalm 29

Gospel Reading: Matthew 7:28-29

Sermon Text: Hebrews 1:3c “and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.”

Sermon Point: Jesus is the Word of God's power. There is much power from God in His Word.

God created the universe by His Word of Power. He also upholds the universe (literally here “all things”) by that same Word of Power. Jesus is God's Word of Power!

Creation: The opening of John's gospel tells us not only that Jesus is the Word, but also such important truths as these: Jesus is God. Jesus is God with God. Without Jesus, nothing was made that was made. In Jesus is life. Jesus is the source of grace and truth.

When we look back at Genesis 1, we find this phrase repeated six times: “And God said...” Who was this God who spoke? Was it not God the Son, the Word, the Voice of the Almighty?

Providence: Paul agrees with John's assignment of the works of creation to Jesus. He writes in Colossians 1:16, “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.” But he goes on to say that Jesus is God's Word of Power in providence, including all the events of life, past, present, and future. “In Him all things hold together.”

Resurrection: Jesus is God's Word of Power that started the new creation of the resurrection world. In John 10:17 Jesus says, “For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again.” Jesus not only was God's Word of Power in dying for us. He not only freely laid down His life. Having died for us, the One who has the power of an indestructible life then took His life up again.

Glory: This rising from the dead was not only an isolated and unique instance of resurrection to immortality. Jesus is the firstborn among many brethren. Everything in the current heavens holds together by Him, God's Word of Power. The settled eternal purpose of God expressed in Ephesians 1:10 is God's “plan for the fullness of time to unite all things in him (Jesus), things in heaven and things on earth.”

If Jesus is God's Word of Power in all His providence in both this world and the next, it follows that we do not need to be anxious about anything.

It also follows that we should turn to Him in every need, praying without ceasing, and casting all our anxieties upon Him, because He cares for us.

How much power do you need to face the current day? How much power do you need to be strong in the Lord for whatever tomorrow may be? There is that much power and more in Jesus. He is God's Word of Power. May that powerful Word be in you through the darkest night and into the most glorious resurrection morning.

It is no longer I who live...

The Brothers, the Church, the Disciples

(Acts 18:18-23, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, January 13, 2013)

[18] After this, Paul stayed many days longer and then took leave of the brothers

Paul's life was not his own. The love of Christ controlled him because he had concluded this, that One had died for all. Therefore all had died, (including him). Christ died for all in the new resurrection world so that those who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who for their sake died and was raised.

In the life that he lived, he lived for Christ, and he lived for the ones that Jesus was pleased to call His brothers. Paul would instruct the church in Rome, “Love one another with brotherly affection.” He had given himself for over 18 months to the church in Corinth. Now the time had come to take leave of the brothers.

and set sail for Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae he had cut his hair, for he was under a vow. [19] And they came to Ephesus, and he left them there, but he himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. [20] When they asked him to stay for a longer period, he declined. [21] But on taking leave of them he said, “I will return to you if God wills,” and he set sail from Ephesus.He was headed back to Syria ultimately, but he went by way of Ephesus with his special companions and co-laborers, Priscilla and Aquila. On the way he cut his hair. Why? He had made a solemn promise, a vow. The details of the vow are not known to us. What we do know is that he was living his life for God, and that a promise was a promise.

His hair was not his own. He loved his friends Priscilla and Aquila, but he left them to do the work that God had called them to do in Ephesus, because his friends were not his own. He risked his neck again by proclaiming that Jesus was the Christ. He reasoned with the Jews in the synagogue. His safety was in the hands of the One who had promised him in Corinth that He would protect him.

The Jews in Ephesus wanted Paul to stay for a longer period, but he said no for now. He set sail from Ephesus with this testimony, that he would return to them if God willed that he should return. He had given his life over to the pleasure of God. This was the way that Christ led. This was not only the life of an apostle. It was the testimony of any follower of the Christ. Jesus went to the cross because it was the Father's will that He do so. If God wills that we go anywhere then we go. If God wills we that we stay then we stay. It is really that simple for the person that has decided to follow the Lord.

[22] When he had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church,

He arrived at the seacoast town of Caesarea, and he went to see the church. Since he “went up” Luke is probably referring to the church in Jerusalem. Who can tell. The church was everywhere.

The word for church comes from a word that means to call out. Paul had been called out of a dying world together with all who have found their lives in the Savior who died and rose again for them. When we meet the church, we meet brothers and sisters in Christ. Paul started his journey when he was sent from one coast by his brothers in Christ. When he arrived at another coast, he greeted the church.

and then went down to Antioch. [23] After spending some time there, he departed and went from one place to the next through the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.

From the church in Jerusalem he traveled north to the church in Antioch. He spent some time there and then went throughout Galatia and Phrygia visiting the churches. The people in these churches were called disciples. That word “disciples” referred to their role as students and followers of Jesus Christ. Paul came to them as an apostle and teacher, an ambassador who proclaimed the Word of the King of the Kingdom of God. They were students and followers of that King. Paul strengthened them by bringing them His Word.

The brothers in Corinth, the church in Jerusalem, and the disciples throughout the cities of Galatia were part of a new world. They had learned the Word of Christ and had believed. God was using the Word proclaimed by Paul, and now by many others, to start a new creation, and to cause that new creation to experience healthy growth and development.

God speaks life to people through the lips of people. They are granted an understanding of the meaning of His words. This is how God helped His people to understand the Law in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah. But we have so much more than they did. The Messiah has come in person, and the Spirit of God has been poured out upon the church.

Jesus intended the kingdom to grow. He casts seed upon the soil using His servants. Those servants sleep at night and get up with the sun. The Word planted in the soil of ready hearts somehow sprouts and grows. How does that happen?

How does a decomposing acorn turn into this little sprouting green thing that when nurtured would become a mighty oak tree? That I don't know. How does the Word of God preached to your ears take root in your hearts so that you would say with Paul, “I have been crucified with Christ,” and still consider yourself alive in Christ? I don't know that either.

I do know these three things.

1. Those who find life in Jesus Christ have entered God's family. They have a Brother in heaven who looks on them with the deepest affection. He is not ashamed to call them His brothers and sisters.
2. Those who find life in Jesus Christ have been called out of an old world that is destined for destruction. They are the now a part of the church of the Firstborn from the dead. They call upon the Name of the Lord who died for them and rose again.
3. Those who find life in Jesus Christ are His disciples. They want to hear His Word. They want to learn it so that they can follow it. They are not ashamed of the gospel, for they know that it is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes.

The children of God, the church, and the disciples are all one and the same. They love the Head of the church, Jesus Christ. Therefore they love the body of which He is the head. He will not abandon them.

We do well to see Paul not as an extreme religionist. He is nothing of the sort. He is a Christian who has heard the message that he has dared to preach wherever he goes. He has dared to believe the Word that God has called Him to preach. He has brothers. He is in the church. He is a disciple.

Old Testament Passage: Nehemiah 8:1-12

Gospel Passage: Mark 4:26-29

Sermon Point:.The Kingdom of God emerges out of this fading world as the Word of Christ is preached and received by those who believe.

Just like God...

January 13, 2013 Evening:

Title: The Visible God

Old Testament Passage: Daniel 3:24-25 - “like a son of the gods”

Gospel Reading: John 10:22-31 - “I and the Father are one.”

Sermon Text: Hebrews 1:3b “and the exact imprint of his nature”

Sermon Point: Jesus Christ, who is with us through our trials, is the perfect visible representation of the invisible God, and even God with us.

Jesus is not a bad copy of God.

Many prophets, priests, and kings prepared us for His coming as our Savior from heaven. They did their part, but none of them was the perfect glorious image of the Father.

God created man male and female after His own image, in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, with dominion over the creatures. Every human being should have been completely dedicated to the imitation of God. But no matter how pious, wise, or holy any of them would have been, none would have approached what Christ accomplished.

Christ is the fulfillment of every holy desire within us to be like God. He is the exact image of the Father.

Our Father in heaven has an essence, an essential character and being. Jesus is full of sovereign majesty. We can never surprise Him. We could never defile Him. He is the unchanging standard of all that is right and good.

Jesus came as the exact representation of this One great God. More than that, He Himself is God. He needed to come to earth for our salvation. He entered the fiery furnace of the wrath of the Almighty in order to save us from certain doom. And He achieved what He set out to do.

He is the exact visible representation of the holiest being that ever has existed and ever will exist. In particular, Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit without measure. He perfectly imaged the divine nature who has loved us with an everlasting love.

Here is a shock: What Jesus has in fullest measure is also for those who would follow Him. Through the promises of God, we can become partakers of His divine nature. God is love. We can be filled with a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him who called to his own glory and excellence. We need to pay clear attention to His promises and to believe His Word.

All the godness of the Father was perfectly present in our humble Savior, Jesus our Lord. All of the divine boldness and the humility of the Messiah which He lived out, was displayed for our salvation.

Even when we have been a bad copy of Jesus, our confidence remains this: Our Savior is an exact representation of all the image of God that any man could ever possess. He is with us in the fiery furnace of present trials. He will carry us through our worst moments to glory. He is God with us.

Worship - The New Normal

Persuading People to Worship God

(Acts 18:12-17, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, January 6, 2013)

[12] But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him before the tribunal,

God made a promise to the apostle Paul. “I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.” For 18 months Paul had been able to teach the Word of God in Corinth. He had a significant impact on people, or we would never have received the verses before us that we are considering this morning.

Eventually the Jews who had rejected Jesus as the Messiah made a “united attack” against Paul. They pursued legal channels in order to attempt to stop him and his ministry. They brought him before the tribunal for all Achaia where a man named Gallio was the judge.

[13] saying, “This man is persuading people to worship God contrary to the law.”

Their charge can be broken into two components. First, “This man is persuading people to worship God.” Second, Paul would have them worship God “contrary to the law.”

The apostle was being effective. His enemies did not say that he was merely attempting to persuade people of anything. He was persuading people. God was vindicated. There were many in that city who were His people. Paul was persuading them to change their worship practices.

Did Paul want them to worship God contrary to the law? If this second part of the charge referred to the laws of man, it could be that his accusers had a point. Paul wanted people to worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness even when the nations of the world might prohibit such worship. He knew that all the earth needed to tremble before the God of the Jews. If a choice had to be made as to whether people should obey God or obey the laws of any land, could there be any doubt as to Paul's teaching? Obey God and not man's customs or laws.

Then again, perhaps the law being referred to was the Hebrew Law, the Law of God, the ceremonial Law in the Old Testament. Here again, they may have been correct. Paul certainly understood that the Old Testament system of temple worship had been put aside by God in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God. A new way of worship had appeared in Jesus.

[14] But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of wrongdoing or vicious crime, O Jews, I would have reason to accept your complaint. [15] But since it is a matter of questions about words and names and your own law, see to it yourselves. I refuse to be a judge of these things.” [16] And he drove them from the tribunal.

Gallio was not about to be a part of their religious squabbles. He knew what law he was supposed to enforce, Roman law. He heard enough of their words to know that they were fighting about their own religious customs. He rightly refused to be a judge in those controversies. They could see to their own religious debates. He sent them out.

[17] And they all seized Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the tribunal. But Gallio paid no attention to any of this.
This did not end the controversy. Some group (they all) took the words of Gallio as permission to do their own speedy trial. They seized a man named Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him right there.

One might have expected Gallio to stop this attack. Now a group of people was doing something illegal. Did they have the right to take a man and beat him up? But he did nothing. In fact, he paid no attention to any of this.

That gets me thinking. What do we not see? Gallio sees what he sees? He is blind to the rest.

We get so used to the idea that the worship of God is optional, that we seem to have forgotten the Law that says, “I am the Lord your God. You shall have no other gods before me.” We can also easily dismiss another of the Ten Commandments that says, “Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy.” And do we feel the beauty and power of Psalm 96? It sings to us, “Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness!”

But some will consign all of this to the Old Covenant, and see no necessity of any continuing law to gather for worship. Yet Hebrews 10 teaches us, “[23] Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. [24] And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, [25] not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

Perhaps our problem is that do not see the New Testament era as the time when all the earth should hear and believe that the Day of Christ is drawing near.

Maybe we can learn from Paul's accusers. It is amazing to see what comes out of the mouths of those who stand against Christ. Often we discover striking statements of truth. Here is one that was spoken against Jesus in Matthew 26:61, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.’” So much to think about. Jesus did that. Worship Him.

In the case of Paul and his accusers, God uses even their words to challenge us. What charge would anyone want to bring against us as a church and against you as an individual?

I would like to persuade the whole earth to worship God in the fulness of sincere holiness. I want that for myself and for everyone else. But I must confess that I often assume that persuasion of others is beyond me. But God can use me and you in His own effective work of persuasion.

Is it right for all the earth to worship the God of the Jews? Absolutely. Shouldn't we say something about that? Something as simple as this might be a phrase that you can use: “I know that God is calling the whole earth to worship Him.”

We should urge people to worship God. Are we then urging them to go against the law? Well, it is not against the law of this nation to worship the God of heaven through Jesus His Son. But we are challenging the religious customs of some. Are you comfortable with that?

This might help. No one has been worshiping God according to the Old Testament Law since the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 AD. But Jesus became the fulfillment of the Law for us through His life and His death. When we celebrate the Lord's Supper here every Sunday, we do what we must to recognize Him as the only sinless Worshiper of God. We uphold the Law by kneeling before the one Messiah for whom the Law and the prophets prepared us. He is the only One who is the fulfillment of the Law and the only One that cannot unite the world in worship.

Old Testament Passage: Psalm 96

Sermon Point: If it were possible to do so, we would want to persuade the whole earth to worship God through Jesus Christ who is the fulfillment of the Old Testament Law.

Glory to God in the Highest

January 6, 2013 Evening:

Title: Jesus, the Radiance of the Father's Glory

Old Testament Passage: Exodus 13:21-22

Gospel Reading: Matthew 17:2

Sermon Text: Hebrews 1:3a “He is the radiance of the glory of God”

Sermon Point: If you have seen Jesus with the eyes of faith, then you have seen the glory of God.

God revealed Himself to His people in many times and in many ways. When they were traveling through the wilderness from the land of bondage to the place of promise, the Lord was a glorious light to them. He led them on their way.

“21 And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. 22 The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.”

When Jesus revealed Himself to His closest disciples, they saw the glory of God in His shining being.

[2] And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. (Matthew 17:2)

This coming of the Christ was a fulfillment of the Old Testament Word. But now the Word had been made flesh.

Yet it is not as if we are to think of the glory of Jesus as something that is past. The author says about Jesus in Hebrews 1:3 that “He is the radiance of the glory of God.”

Jesus is. He ascended into heaven. He reigns from the place of all power. This Jesus loves you and leads you by His glory. You should pay careful attention to Him.

Do not make Him merely one among many. He is your shining All-in-all.

The glory of God was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Why without end? His work lasts. The new heavens and the new earth already held in reserve in the heavens are coming down from the Father of lights. He makes all things new.

That eternal glory is in you even now. His Word, His Spirit, His Worship, and His church is overflowing with heavenly glory. My cup runneth over. Drink up. Do not be drunk with wine, but be filled with the Holy Spirit. Taste the radiance of the glory of God in the cup of His blessing this evening.

The One who died and rose again for you is the radiance of the glory of God.

Any other religious system has the dust of decay all over it. We must see Jesus. If you have seen Jesus with the eyes of faith, then you have seen the glory of God. Do not settle for anything less than the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Look for His glory and be led by Him.