Month: October 2013

“And they made a calf in those days, offered sacrifices to the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands. Then God turned and gave them up to worship the host of heaven…”
Acts 7:41-43

“Then God turned and gave them up…”  What a fearful thought–that God would turn from a people and give them up to follow their fleshly desires unrestrained!  Here, God is saying, “I’m not going to deal with your heart any more in conviction.  I’m just going to let you go and fulfill those sinful lusts unhindered.”  God stepped back and let them go!  We know God doesn’t change.  “For I am the LORD, I do not change…” (Mal 3:6) “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” (Heb 13:8) If God would react this way to a people then, He will do the same today to a people who continue to refuse the truth and run after the idols they’ve established in the place of God.

In Rom 1:20, we find that God’s creation declares enough of Himself to render man inexcusable for refusing to acknowledge Him.  V. 21 speaks of a people who knew God because of the creation’s witness, yet “they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.”  The reaction of God is then the same as that which our main text declares.  Rom 1:24 says, “Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness,” and so they spiral down, deeper and deeper into sin.  V. 26 repeats this pattern because as they exchanged God for their idols, “God gave them up to vile passions,” and in v. 28, “even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind”.  God gives up and steps back.

It’s a fearful thing to think there will be no more gospel warning for such a people.  Even a hardened prophet like Jonah, barely warning Nineveh of their pending doom, would be a mercy to this people.  But there is no conviction.  No word of rebuke.  God just walks away.  If God walks away from a people, they have no hope!  Joh 16:8 tells us that part of the function of the Holy Ghost is to “convict the world of sin”.  What a merciful act of a righteous God!  But if God steps back from a people and gives them up, there is no longer this influence in their life.  They are left to their own devices, and they cannot save themselves for, “Salvation is of the LORD.” (Jon 2:9)

2Th 2:3 says during the last days there will be a great falling away from the truth.  But you’ve got to know the truth in order to fall away from it!  When the children of Israel were in the wilderness and made the golden calf, they had been eye witnesses to God’s miraculous deliverance from Egypt and the crossing of the Red Sea.  They had eaten manna in the wilderness and drunk water from the rock.  They were a people who knew God.  They were inexcusable!  Such is the picture set before us in 2Th 2.  The people of this day have the truth, but in v. 10, “they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.”  The pattern is thus the same, and in v. 11 we read: “And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” (2Th 2:11-12)

If God sends the delusion, you are at the point of no further opportunity to the love the truth!  Similar to the way God temporarily removed King Nebuchadnezzar’s sanity in Dan 4:29-37, God permanently removes any and all understanding of the truth from this people who rejected it.  They will believe the lie!  These people are still living and breathing, but they have sinned away their opportunity to know God.  If God turns away and gives a people up, they are without hope!  No wonder the instruction is to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling”! (Php 2:12) May we approach this God with the respect, reverence, and fear of which He is worthy, and seek the LORD while He may be found. (Isa 55:6)

Jamie

“And when forty years had passed, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire in a bush, in the wilderness of Mount Sinai. When Moses saw it, he marveled at the sight; and as he drew near to observe, the voice of the Lord came to him, saying, ‘I AM THE GOD OF YOUR FATHERS—THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND THE GOD OF JACOB.’ And Moses trembled and dared not look.
Act 7:30-32

We know the Son of God to be eternal.  Heb 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”  When Jesus spoke of Abraham as if He knew him, the Jews questioned, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” Jesus responded, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” (Joh 8:57-58) Not, “I was”, but “I AM”, the very name God gave to Moses in Exo 3:14 when asked His name (“I AM WHO I AM”)!  Since Christ has always been, it should be no surprise to us that at times He manifested Himself in a visible way to men and women in the Old Testament.  One of these times seems to be in the account that Stephen references in our text today.  When Moses saw this “Angel” (or “Messenger” as it’s also translated) manifesting Himself in the bush, Exo 3:6 says that “Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God“!

This Angel is referred to again in Exo 23 as the One who would lead and keep the children of Israel in their journey to the Promised Land.  God made some glorious promises to Israel in that passage, but all of these promises were dependent on their proper relationship to this Angel!  “Behold, I send an Angel before you…Beware of Him and obey His voice; do not provoke Him, for He will not pardon your transgressions; for My name is in Him. But if you indeed obey His voice and do all that I speak, then I will…” (Exo 23:20-22) We know Israel rebelled against God, breaking this covenant (Jer 31:32), and thus did not enjoy these benefits that could have been theirs.  However, the promises of Exo 23 still apply for those who properly relate to the Messenger of the Lord, our glorious Savior Jesus Christ, for “all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.” (2Co 1:20)  Just listen to what belongs to you church!

1) “I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries” (Exo 23:22)
“But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; Let those also who love Your name Be joyful in You. For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as with a shield.” (Psa 5:11-12) “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom 8:31)

2) “He will bless your bread and your water” (Exo 23:25)
The church has no lack of sustenance for Christ Himself is our Bread and Water, satisfying every longing!  “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.” (Joh 6:35)

3) “I will take sickness away from the midst of you” (Exo 23:25)
Not a single spot of sin will remain in the bride of Christ.  She will be whole and without sickness!  “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.” (Eph 5:25-27)

4) “No one shall suffer miscarriage or be barren in your land” (Exo 23:26)
Everything the church does in Christ will succeed and prosper!  We are encouraged to press on “in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” (1Co 15:58) “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (Rom 8:28)

5) “I will fulfill the number of your days” (Exo 23:26)
They were promised long life if they followed the Angel before them.  I’d say “eternal life” qualifies as long, wouldn’t you?!! “So He said to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life.'” (Luk 18:29-30)

Beloved, we are the most blessed people on the face of the earth!  Don’t let this world get you down when such an inheritance is yours.  Quit looking around and keep looking up!  “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2Co 4:17-18) Thank God for every blessing that is ours because of our blessed Redeemer.  He is worthy of our honor, glory, and blessing! (Rev 5:12)

Jamie

“But when the time of the promise drew near which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt till another king arose who did not know Joseph.  This man dealt treacherously with our people, and oppressed our forefathers…”
Acts 7:17-19

Last week we considered Joseph as a clear picture of the Lord Jesus.  Stephen intended to convey this comparison in Act 7 because he was warning the Jews that they were making the same mistake their ancestors had made.  In the same way Joseph’s brothers had rejected the One that the Lord would raise up to save them, they likewise were rejecting Christ, the One who God had sent as their Deliverer.  With this continued awareness of Joseph as a type of Jesus, I want to examine our text above.

The descendants of Joseph enjoyed great peace and prosperity in Egypt until a generation came along that didn’t know Joseph.  As the book of Exodus opens, we find that the Egyptians had forgotten that their nation would not have even survived had Joseph not been used of God to prepare them for the seven years of famine that devastated the land.  They reaped the benefits of Joseph’s rule but had no awareness of his wise leadership and no thankfulness for his care for them.  Do you not see the picture of the world as they relate to Jesus Christ today?!  Speaking of Christ in Col 1:16-17, Paul writes, “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.  And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.”  The word “consist” literally means “to stand together”.  In other words, it is by Christ’s wisdom and power that the universe continues and stays together in a way that preserves every living creature.  We owe our very breath to Him!  And yet, in spite of His daily mercies upon us, the average human being has no awareness of His gracious care and no thankfulness for His many blessings.

Because this new generation in Egypt knew not Joseph, they hated and despised his family.  The Jews were viewed to be of little value compared to the Egyptians, and they were enslaved and cruelly treated by them.  Understanding Egypt and its citizens as a picture of the world, do we not expect the same pattern for those who are part of the family of the Lord Jesus?  Could the parallel be any clearer as Jesus speaks of the certain hatred of the world  toward His children?  “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.  If you were of the world, the world would love its own.  Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.  Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.  If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.  But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me.” (Joh 15:18-21)  Paul reiterates this thought in 2Ti 3:12:”Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”

So, being mistreated and unfairly afflicted by the world should NEVER surprise us.  After all, they don’t know our heavenly Joseph!  “In the world you will have tribulation,” Jesus said.  But, I’d only be telling you half of the story if I stopped there.  He continues, “but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world”! (Joh 16:33) In this affliction, we find ourselves to be “more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” (Rom 8:37) Though we will be taken advantage of, lied against, shunned, and overlooked for Christ’s sake, rather than feeling anger toward our afflictors, we should feel pity.  Poor souls!  They don’t know our heavenly Joseph!  Will we tell them of Him, not only in word, but in action?  The affliction WILL come.  When it does, will we embrace our victory in Christ?  Will we lash out at the ones who afflict us?  Will we harbor feelings of ill-will in our hearts?  Or, will we pray after the pattern of our Lord, “Father, forgive them”?  Stephen prayed the same prayer later in Act 7 as they stoned him to death.  May we in that hour prove ourselves to be children of the King of kings and testify of Him in word and deed!  “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” (Mat 5:44-45)

Jamie

“And the patriarchs, becoming envious, sold Joseph into Egypt. But God was with him and delivered him out of all his troubles, and gave him favor and wisdom in the presence of Pharaoh, king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.”
Act 7:9-10

In our text today, Stephen has just begun his response to the accusations made against him by the Jews.  His message is an interesting one.  In fact, for many years I struggled to see why he said what he did.  He seemed to just give a history lesson before exploding in condemnation of his accusers in v. 51, but I now I understand that all which he says before v. 51 is setting the stage for his pointed rebuke of the Jews.  They hated his word because they hated the Christ he preached,and as Stephen begins his discourse, he gets right to the heart of the matter.  This sin of rejecting the Savior is nothing new in Jewish history for their ancestors also rejected the ones God raised up to deliver them.  The first of these Old Testament types of Christ that Stephen deals with is Joseph.  Some of the most thrilling times of study in the word of God have been when the Lord has shown me Himself in events and figures of the Old Testament.  It would be worth your time to read the account of Joseph and his brothers with a consciousness of the foreshadowing of Christ.  Here are a few comparisons to jump start your study:

1. Joseph was the most beloved of his father.  In Gen 37:3 we read, “Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children…”  Of whom has the heavenly Father ever spoken audibly from heaven, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased”? (Mat 3:17) None but Christ!
2. Years before he ascended to the throne, it was prophesied that Joseph would reign over his brethren. (Gen 37:5-11) The same was prophesied of Christ by the prophets and again by the angel Gabriel in Luk 1:31-33: “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
3. Joseph was hated and rejected by his own brethren as we see in our text today and also in Gen 37:4 where it says, “they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.”  Of Christ, we read: “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.” (Joh 1:11) By the way, they sold Joseph for silver…sound familiar? (Gen 37:28 cmp Mat 26:15)
4. Joseph was treated unjustly when he was sold into slavery by his own brothers (Gen 37:28) and when he was falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife (Gen 39:13-20), and yet neither time did he open his mouth in his own defense.  We read concerning the Lord Jesus: “He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth.” (Isa 53:7)
5. Everywhere he went, Joseph was always second in command, having full authority with the exception of the one that put him in authority.  Such was the case in Potiphar’s house (Gen 39:4-6), in prison (Gen 39:21-23), and finally in Pharaoh’s court (Gen 39:39-41).   God the Father has exalted His only begotten Son in the same fashion!  “For ‘HE HAS PUT ALL THINGS UNDER HIS FEET.’ But when He says ‘all things are put under Him,’ it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted.” (1Co 15:27)
6. You will not find a single accusation brought against Joseph in the Scripture.  Of other great men of faith, we find they still fell short–Abraham in weakness produced an Ishmael, Moses struck the rock in disobedience to God, and David sinned with Bathsheba.  I’m not saying Joseph was sinless but simply that the record of Scripture mentions no deficiency in him.  In this way, he reveals the Lord Jesus “Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth”. (1Pe 2:22)
7. When Joseph was imprisoned for a crime he did not committ, he was “numbered with the transgressors” even as Christ was per Isa 53:12 and Luk 22:37.
8. Joseph’s suffering and rejection by his brethren was according to the plan and purpose of God for their salvation!  As Joseph said to his brethren, “But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.” (Gen 50:20) Jesus’ suffering was also according to the eternal purpose of God for the salvation of His people: “Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death”. (Act 2:23)
9. Not only was Joseph the savior of his brethren but also of the whole world, for “all countries came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, because the famine was severe in all lands”. (Gen 41:57) But, in a very unique and special way, he saved his brothers and their families, saying, “Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” (Gen 50:21) Likewise, Christ is said to be the “Savior of all men, especially of those who believe.” (1Ti 4:10) All mankind owes thanksgiving daily to the Lord who causes His rain to fall on the just AND the unjust, but He is especially a Savior to the family of God, Who he not only preserves now but will eternally!
10. Joseph didn’t hold a grudge but sincerely forgave his brothers, even telling them not to be upset with themselves! (Gen 45:4-5) Thank God we have a Savior Who even when on the cross prayed, “Father, forgive them!” (Luk 23:34) Because we have such a Savior, God says of His brethren, “Their sins and lawless deeds will I remember no more”!

I could go on, but I hope the thoughts above have at least whet your appetite to study Joseph further.  Remember, when we read the Old Testament, we should not be looking for a history lesson.  We should be looking for Christ!  May we not make the mistake of the Jews in Jesus’ day of whom He said, “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.” (Joh 5:39)

Love in Christ,

Jamie