Why will you still be struck down? Why will you continue to rebel? The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in it, but bruises and sores and raw wounds; they are not pressed out or bound up or softened with oil. Your country lies desolate; your cities are burned with fire; in your very presence foreigners devour your land; it is desolate, as overthrown by foreigners. And the daughter of Zion is left like a booth in a vineyard, like a lodge in a cucumber field, like a besieged city.
- Isaiah 1:5-8
It is a remarkable thing to see someone run from God and suffer the consequences. God makes it clear in these verses that when we ignore Him and run that we are not being rational. We can't escape the “Why?” with an “I don't know.” Israel at this time had been fighting the Assyrians. They were more powerful and Israel couldn't cope without God. We can't cope without God either but we do wait until our whole head is sick, our whole heart is faint, and we don't seem to have anything working correctly. These Scriptures also show that we don't have any effective means of healing apart from God. As Jeremiah 8:22 says, “Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has the health of the daughter of my people not been restored?” The answer to that question is that we avoid the physician. Scripture shows us our sin and our sin causes to look away from Scripture. God in His mercy will restore us and heal us but repentance from our sins must come from His Grace first. But remember that He was wounded for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:5). The contrast here is in the condition of Israel as deserved and the condition of our Saviour as undeserved. We'll See God's salvation often in Isaiah.
Apart from God, we are unable to stand against our enemies. Our best things lie desolate and burned. We stand and watch our best devoured and overthrown when we decide to live without God. The reference to a booth and a lodge indicate a temporary shelter that was only used for a few weeks by watchmen in the fields during harvest and would be abandoned and decaying. So the youth and future hope of Zion is abandoned and decaying. The wisdom of this world comes up far short and is unable to save. The solution is not in better politics but in serving God with a whole heart.
If the Lord of hosts had not left us a few survivors,we should have been like Sodom, and become like Gomorrah.
- Isaiah 1:9
God in His mercy sets a limit to the judgment to prevent the complete destruction of Israel. The nation was falling apart from within (untended wounds) and from without (in your presence foreigners devour your land). We can rejoice that God is perfect in mercy as He is perfect in holiness. Merit would say that Israel (and we as Israel) should suffer judgment but mercy sends our Saviour. The name for God here is Lord of Hosts. It is a name that sets to nouns side by side. It sets Lord next to Hosts. Hosts being a plural of diversity or “every sort of” or unbounded resources. God's perfections are infinite both with regard to quantity and quality. So the infinite quality of His mercy is found with the infinite quality of His holiness. Consequently our Judge is also become our Saviour. Not one of us could stand for an instant before His holiness and we would all fall at the judgment throne but for the Grace that clothes us in His righteousness.
If you have accepted Christ as your Saviour then you are one of the survivors kept by the Lord of Hosts. You can call Him the Holy One with a holy fear in your heart and not the terror that you should feel apart from His mercy. Sodom and Gomorrah were judged because they deserved it. Had God never intervened in our lives then we would have been judged because we deserved it. It truly is amazing Grace.
Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom! Give ear to the teaching of our God,you people of Gomorrah! “What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats.
- Isaiah 1:10-11
Here God applies the names of Sodom and Gomorrah to Israel to warn them as ask them to hear His word and His teaching. But the picture is of a people who give themselves to sin being commanded to be righteous.
God then begins to explain His view of worship offered by a guilty and sinful people. First He says He has had enough of it. Not that there is anything wrong with the rams, or other animals. In fact He says they are well fed. Then He says that He doesn't delight in the bulls, lambs, or goats offered. These are all sacrifices offered by a people with a heart that is not committed to serving God. They want God in the place they have created for Him. They want Him caring for them and helping to keep the Assyrians at bay when Israel is having trouble but not being Lord of All or a Lord who convicts of sin.
There is an appropriate outward form for our faith as there was for Israel. When that outward form becomes a false representation of our hearts then we are inviting the Lord's discipline in our lives. If your worship is a lie then it is not truly worship and we have a God who cannot be fooled. Our ethics must be consistent with our actions in worship. In Sodom sin was on parade and accepted. We can't live in Sodom all week and then find worship in our hearts on Sunday.
The “says the Lord” is better translated “The Lord says and keeps on saying”. Blood was the key to sacrifice and worship but it was not acceptable before a Holy God.
“When you come to appear before me,who has required of you this trampling of my courts?
- Isaiah 1:12
When God asks you to tell Him who it was that asked you to come to church then it is time to repent for sure. He actually indicates that they are defiling His house with their presence and the presence of their sacrifices. God still claims the Temple as His. There was nothing wrong with the place and nothing wrong with God ordained worship but this was a false worship from sinners who were simply trying to use worship as a means of getting what they wanted.
Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations— I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.
- Isaiah 1:13-17
So from a position of “enough” and “do not delight” God moves to “bring no more” and calls their worship an “abomination”, says He can't endure it, He hates it, they are a burden, they weary Him, and He will no longer see or listen to there prayers.
The response is to their sin. They show up for worship physically but their hearts are trapped in sin. Nothing changes as they prepare to meet God. The sins of the week are not repented of and they carry a sinful lifestyle right into the worship service. Rather than conforming to God's will they were simply practicing what was acceptable and helpful to themselves.
Isaiah is not critical of observing the Sabbath or feasts or any part of the process of worship that God has ordained. What Isaiah is critical of is those who shrug off their sin and whose “hands are full of blood” or guilt. To consecrate a person carried with it the idea of total preoccupation with God and to “have your hands full”. Similar to our use of the expression. So if you hands are full of sin and covered with guilt then you are consecrated to sin and not God.
So in remedy the command is to 1) wash, 2) stop sinning, 3) learn God's will, and 4) work to accomplish that will in your life and in the lives of those around you.
“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
- Isaiah 1:18-20
This is presented in a way that can be interpreted as a legal judgment. It is a wonderful judgment considering the guilt of scarlet and crimson. It isn't presented as irony but as a promise. God has placed a limit on the deserved justice for sin and God will have a people who are pure. You are washed by repentance and forgiveness that only God can give, you come to God, you learn from God, you then live for God. The judgment is on the way if you are willing and obedient, you eat the good of the land; if you refuse and rebel, you are eaten by the sword.
These warns are acts of Grace, to be told of our sin is an act of Grace, to be given a promise of forgiveness is Grace unimaginable. We look at the phrase “willing and obedient” versus “refuse and rebel” in that verse and our wicked hearts make us think works. If it were works we would all perish in our sins. There would have been no warning for the Children of Israel and there would surely be no warning for us. Our low view of our treason against God and our great pride in our own judgment make us balk at Gods promise of blessing and cry “works righteousness” when it would (and could only) be God blessing the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
— Isaiah 1:1
Types of Biblical Literature
When we begin to read within Scripture it is important to keep in our minds what kind of Scripture we are reading. You can frame Scripture in your mind as the Law (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy), History (Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1&2 Samuel, 1&2 Kings, 1&2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther), Poetry (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon), Major Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel), and Minor Prophets (Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi). Similarly the New Testament Scripture can be thought of as History (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Acts), Epistles/Teaching (Romans, 1&2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1&2 Thessalonians, 1&2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1&2 Peter, 1,2&3 John, Jude), and Prophecy (Revelation).
This doesn’t mean you won’t find cross over between the types. Some prophecy is written as poetry, some poetry is prophetic, you clearly find teaching in the historical gospels, and we recognize that the gospel of John is special in the way it approaches the life of Christ in contrast to what are known as the synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke). Luke wrote most like a historian and God used him to present us with the book of Acts.
As we approach Isaiah we approach one of the Major Prophets. It is major because of the length of the book and minors are minor because they are relatively short books. As prophetic literature we look to see God speaking His message through a man to a people that need to hear Him. God speaks in a context and even as we begin with verse 1 we see the names of 4 kings that give us a historical context for our study.
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.
— 2 Timothy 3:16-17
We don’t pick out one type of literature or one spot in the Bible and figure the rest has nothing to teach us. We study all of Scripture looking for God’s teaching, reproof, correction, and training so that we as men may be competent and ready to do the works He has prepared beforehand for us to do. In Isaiah we’ll see flashes of light that stretch from 750 years before Christ right down to our day.
Isaiah the Man
Isaiah was well-educated, married, and had two children. He was obviously surrendered to God and was chosen by God to prophecy in Jerusalem. Isaiah’s prophecy was delivered between 740BC to 700BC. For about 200 years folks have argued about the authorship of this book. Some have granted Isaiah with the chapters 1 to 39 but then suggest another prophet for chapters 40 to 55 and then another for chapters 56 to 66. This is because of slight changes in language. Nothing in the book suggests multiple authors. Books like Psalms with multiple authors state that they have multiple authors. New Testament authors indicated that Isaiah had a single author. I think the real problem that critics have had with Isaiah was that he was a prophet. What I mean is that he named Cyrus more than a century before there was Cyrus. He also predicted the virgin birth of Christ. Isaiah was remarkable because of God’s work in his life and we find his words quoted often. The book of Isaiah is so often quoted that I pray God will tap you on the shoulder each time you hear an Isaiah quote outside this class during our study. Isaiah was a beautiful writer, a wonderful preacher, a poet, and a man who loved God deeply and without reservation. According to tradition, he was killed by being sawn in two. God loves us and has a wonderful plan for our lives. That plan can include great courage and Isaiah glorified God in his death as well as his life (Hebrews 11:37).
Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the Lord has spoken: “Children have I reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against me. The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master’s crib, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand.” Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, children who deal corruptly! They have forsaken the Lord, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are utterly estranged.
— Isaiah 1:2-4
Isaiah prophesied during a time of decline in the relationship of Israel with God. They were living in the shadow of the Assyrians. Notice that Isaiah doesn’t deal with the godless nations surrounding them but addresses the people of God. Often we are distracted by what goes on around us in morality, in prosperity, and in all those things that cause us anxiety. We forget God and His call on our lives. We start to accept sin as a way of life, we seek the gods of those who forget God (like money), and we forget that God is in control. We need to remember whose we are (like the ox) and remember who our provider is (like the donkey). We are Israel in this age and much of the Christian Church, especially in America, is laden or weighted down with sin just like those outside the church. We have churches that are named Christian who have been taught to deny the atonement and teach others the same making them offspring of evildoers who deal corruptly. They clearly have forsaken the Lord. They despise the Holy One of Israel. They are estranged from God. They may do great things but they are not acting for God and they are in danger of hearing Christ say that He never knew them (Matthew 7:23).
The heavens and the earth bear witness to the broken covenant with God (Deuteronomy 30:19 and 32:1) and the God is called Lord to indicate the personal revelation of God. In addition, this is presented as a court case in which the facts are to be listed and judgment given. God raised up children and they were children by being created as His children (Isaiah 45:11), elected as His children by redemption (Isaiah 49:7), and children of a covenant (Isaiah 24:5). Likewise, if you’ve been born again, are a child of God by creation, by election, and by a new and living covenant. We should be even more careful than those few who remembered God in Isaiah’s time to seek Him first in everything we do and place all of our lives under Christ’s Lordship. Rebellion in particular should have no place in our lives since it is a violation of God’s rule over our life that finds its beginning in our hearts.
One of Isaiah’s favorite names for God is “The Holy One of Israel” (used 26 times). This name draws attention to the perfection of God and the relationship with His people. You, if you are born again, are grafted in regardless of your earthly heritage and have become Israel. You need to see your name linked to the Holy One. Place your name there after the Holy One. He is the One who will tolerate no unrighteousness and no darkness and no impurity. The “Holy One of Dwight” scares me. It reminds me of my proximity to the God before whom I live my life (coram Deo). It should place the fear of God in our hearts.
I think of the following study as a meditation. I enjoy thinking about these Scriptures and the way they emphasize the power and majesty of God and His redemptive work in my life.
Psalm 19:1-4 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.
This Scripture tells me that I have something to learn. God is bigger than I think. He will always be bigger than I think. I’m finite and He is infinite. We are challenged to hear what scripture is telling us about God.
I will give you some numbers about creation but the numbers are only to give us a “feel” for the magnitude of creation. It won’t work because I know that creation causes my mind to stagger at it’s size every time I try to think of it. You’d have a better chance trying to measure the Pacific Ocean with a yardstick. Even with this sort of planned failure each time I think on these thinks it is still a blessing.
I start by thinking of the earth the size of a marble (1.5 cm or on 850 millionth actual size rather than 7,921 miles in diameter). If we were that big in relation to the earth we could flick it out of existence. We would be pretty big.
Moon: Distance - 19 inches away; Size - 0.16 inches
Venus: Distance - 126 yards; Size - 0.56 inches
Jupiter: Distance - depends; Size - 6.5 inches
Sun: Distance - 192 yards; Size - 5.3 feet
The Sun is 93 million miles away.
If the sun went out right now it would be 8.3 minutes until we were in the dark. Light would take 76 minutes to go 1 mile.
You could walk at 3 to 4 times the speed of light in this imaginary universe and you could bicycle at 25 times the speed of light. Even in Startrek that would be fast so you could begin to explore creation.
Our solar system would be about 10 miles across. So if you wanted to find Pluto then you’d be looking for something about the size of a peppercorn hanging in space a few miles out there. It would be pretty hard to find but you could at least get there.
The nearest star would be about 30,000 miles away (28,469). That is more than one trip around the actual size earth. Stars are other suns not just little lights in the sky. Many of them are larger than our sun. You could cycle 30,000 miles as long as someone was helping you and you had lots of time. I’d need lots and lots of time but pretend the course is flat (since up would be arbitrary) and I could do about 80 miles a day for a year.
Our galaxy, the Milky Way, has 100 billion stars (at marble size they would circle the earth about 42 times). If you had 100 years to look at stars, and God assigned the Milky Way to you, then you would need to look at 32 stars per second. From earth to the center of the Milky Way (30,000 light years) would still be over 200 million miles. Over twice the actual distance to the sun. The diameter of the Milky Way (80,000 light years) on this reduced scale would be 500 million miles. You’re not going to cycle 500 million miles so that even at 25 times the speed of light you’d never make it.
Now remember that the Milky Way is just one galaxy in God’s creation. The nearest other galaxy is 2 million light years. So not only could you not cross the galaxy you live in, you would have no chance of seeing even the closest other galaxy with another 100 billion stars to look at.
A few years ago I read that astronomers had mapped 2 million galaxies in a portion of the sky. That was just a portion of the galaxy. One of my favorite pictures from the Hubble Telescope is a deep field shot that just shows galaxies stretching off to forever.
Solomon rightly said, “But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!” 1 Kings 8:27.
The Psalmist said, “What is man that you care for him, the son of man that you think of him? Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow.” (Ps 144:3)
The Psalmist said, “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens. From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? (Ps 8:1-4)
God says, “To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One. Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing. (Is 40:25-26).
Even on the marble scale I wouldn’t qualify for dust in God’s smallest closet. The depth of God’s love is beyond imagining and really beyond understanding. We live on a planet in rebellion against the creator of this universe and we are sinners. We ourselves have broken His law.
If you don’t have a fear of a God this big then you are not thinking clearly.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline (Prov 1:7)
It should be particularly terrifying that He is aware of you and is Holy and hates sin. Living in a corrupt world has so corrupted our minds that we think of people as great. We make idols of entertainers and ignore God.
By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; he puts the deep into storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him. For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. (Ps 33:6-9)
Creation should cause us to stand in awe of God. If we are thinking clearly there is no way we can ignore God.
Sing, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy. The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm. On that day they will say to Jerusalem, “Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” Zep 3:14-17).
We see this scripture fulfilled in our salvations. He does take great delight in you and rejoices over the Church.
so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. (Eph 3:17-19).
I like the stretch and fail of “to know this love that surpasses knowledge.” Every time we stretch and fail we grow in our knowledge of His infinite love. Eternity will not be enough time to learn about His love.
He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God (Jn 1:10-13).
This scripture says a bunch about how fallen the world is. The creator was here and the world did not recognize Him. But we who are born of God know Him.
because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory (Ro 8:14-17).
The God of the universe claims you as a son. Why would he want us? I have no idea. Why would He make us heirs? I have no idea.
He also says, “In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end.” (Heb 1:10-12).
The psalmist is saying that the heavens will wear out. He may have seen a “falling star” but that wouldn’t really be a star it would just be a rock. Only by inspiration could the psalmist have know that stars do wear out. They collapse and explode but the psalmist probably wouldn’t have know that. Even the big dipper is wearing out. In 100 thousand years the handle will be bent and the lip bent out of shape. It won’t really look like a dipper and the North Star will be out of place. If you know Him then you’ll see it. Remember you heard it hear first or I’ll have to come find you and say I told you so (assuming God will put up with me doing stuff like that in heaven). The heavens will wear out but God doesn’t change and the highest heavens are not big enough to contain God. We children of dust are Heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. It boggles the imagination.
how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. (Heb 2:3-4).
To ignore the God of creation is irrational. How could a rational thinking person ignore a God that big and expect no consequences. The demands of God should be first in our minds and not something we ignore. That His Grace is poured out on us it truly a blessing and His mercy endures forever.
How can love take a small place in our hearts when God has defined the Glory of His Love by Creation and His demonstrated mercy in salvation? It takes love beyond imagining to become flesh, dwell among us, to pay our debt for rebelling against God, to reconcile us, and make us His children.
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us (1 Jn 4:7-12).
God’s love in the context of creation forms a context for this command to love like God. As He enables us we can obey this command but it is a much greater command than we would imagine in ourselves.
The majesty of God in creation is staggering and while the fear of God is often thought of as “awe” and “reverence” towards God there is also a fear that comes when you realize who God is in His power. But God has sought to redeem us and heal us and bring us into a relationship with Him.
“I, even I, am he who comforts you. Who are you that you fear mortal men, the sons of men, who are but grass, that you forget the Lord your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth, that you live in constant terror every day because of the wrath of the oppressor, who is bent on destruction? For where is the wrath of the oppressor? The cowering prisoners will soon be set free; they will not die in their dungeon, nor will they lack bread. For I am the Lord your God, who churns up the sea so that its waves roar— the Lord Almighty is his name. I have put my words in your mouth and covered you with the shadow of my hand— I who set the heavens in place, who laid the foundations of the earth, and who say to Zion, ‘You are my people.’ ” (Is 51:12-16).
Are you going to live in the fear of man? It can only happen if you forget the Lord your Maker. Are you going to live in the fear of the enemy of your soul? God has freed His children, put the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God in our mouths, and then He covered us with His hand. Who is going to pull His hand up to get us? Nobody! There is no creature that can even budge the hand of the Creator and He says that you belong to Him.
Soli Deo Gloria!
To God Alone Be Glory!
Demand #49 – Make Disciples of All Nations, for All Authority Belongs to Jesus
All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
—Matt. 28:18-20
The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.
—Matt. 9:37-38
Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled.
—Luke 14:23
I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
—Luke 15:7
As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.
—John 20:21
The basis of our going, making disciples, baptizing, and teaching is the absolute authority of Jesus. He said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matt. 28:18). So when we share the gospel with one or one thousand the authority of Christ backs us.
What Is Authority?
Authority refers to the right and the power to hold sway in a given relationship. We see lines of authority at work, in the home, in the Church, and in the military. And I imagine all of us have seen individuals who didn’t like the lines in all those situations. When we are in authority we also have clear limits and guidelines to enforcement. If you ignore me in the DMSSC (and assuming I get it right) and God’s discipline is your problem but in most cases not even Church discipline would be appropriate (not that you should find that comforting). If you ignore Mark Sizemore while he is on duty then bad things could happen to you as a result of the civil authority he represents. In reality we don’t keep a rational balance and forget the holiness of God and worry more about parking fines than our obedience to God.
Then this shows up when we are called on to share the Gospel. When we share we think we are selling something and really don’t have any authority and that undermines our faith. We start to wonder if we are good salesmen and maybe we just need more “customers” to show success or to try harder. We have the authority of Christ. We need to rest in that and give the clear trumpet call and let the Holy Spirit do His work. At work, when I tell my people that we have a change in the plans and we will not renovate building C rather than A first because the Area Director has decided that, then I’m not doing a sales pitch and don’t need to get lucky and find a willing hearer. I’m functioning under authority and all those in the authority structure hear and obey (yep and whine too and complain about the decision and that is another lesson). As we minister we need to realize that we are not alone. We are part of the Body of Christ and we are ministering with His authority. His authority has no limits and we need to pray and minister with that knowledge.
The Total Authority of Jesus
1) Authority to forgive sins (Mark 2:7-12)
2) Authority in teaching Scripture (Mark 1:22; Matt. 5:17-18)
3) Authority over the enemy and unclean spirits (Matt. 4:10; Mark 1:27)
4) Authority over nature in diseases (Matt. 4:23), water into wine (John 2:9; 4:46), storms (Mark 4:39).
5) Authority over life and death (Mark 5:41-42; Luke 7:14-15; John 11:43-44) and even over his own death “No one takes [my life] from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again” (John 10:18).
6) Authority at the Judgment Throne (John 5:27; John 17:2).
How Jesus Lays Claim on the World
Any soul that doesn’t give allegiance to Christ is in rebellion against Him. I know we have problems with that and want to run our own lives but it is “cosmic treason” as it has been called by R.C. Sproul. If you don’t know Christ the call is to repent, confess your sins and inability to make yourself pure before a holy God, and accept the righteousness provided by the Blood of Jesus. For the saved, we are then called upon to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matt. 28:19). He works through us and we work in His authority (John 13:20; Matt. 10:40; Matt. 16:18; John 10:16; John 17:20)
The Mission Lasts as Long as This Age Lasts
The ability to stay on task until you are told to do something else is an important skill. Jesus said “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations. . . . And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:19-20). So the mission of the Church will not change until the “Church age” ends.
The Followers of Jesus Speak on His Behalf
We need to prepare ourselves to accurately and precisely present the truth of the Gospel in a world that really doesn’t like to hear that someone believes in objective truth. The truth claims of the Gospel do not sound good to those who are perishing. Jesus said, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. . . . Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him” (John 3:36; 5:23; cf. 15:23). Our hope in sharing the Gospel is in the overwhelming power of the Holy Spirit to kick open doors and break down walls our confidence is that nothing is lost in service to Christ even if you are martyred.
Jesus Demands That We Pursue Ethnic Diversity in His Kingdom
An implication that we may miss from Jesus’ command is that since we “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,” we should expect tremendous diversity in the Body of Christ. It is really something to have that gap between peoples spanned by Christ. Nationality, race, language and background fall aside as Christ puts us together.
Demand #50 – Make Disciples of All Nations, for the Mission Cannot Fail
I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
—Matt. 8:11-12
But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake. This will be our opportunity to bear witness.
—Luke 21:12-13
They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
—Luke 21:24
God’s Roundabout Way of Pursuing the Nations: Focusing on Israel
Piper spends some time on what may seem to us to be an unusual way of building a people and blessing the nations. Israel is unique is some aspects. Those who were Israel according to the flesh were called by Jesus, “the sons of the kingdom” (Matt. 8:12). Jesus came as a Jewish Messiah and announced the kingdom but He didn’t bring the kingdom in the way they wanted or expected. Jesus focused on the Jews. During the ministry He told the disciples to, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt. 10:5-6) and said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt. 15:24). It was right to offer redemption to those who were Abraham’s and Isaac’s and Jacob’s seed according to the flesh first.
Jesus’ Focus Was Rejected, and He Turned to the Nations
Most Jews rejected Jesus as the Messiah (Matt. 21:39; Mark 15:11-13; John 5:47; 6:36; 8:45; 12:37) and didn’t recognize Him. He said, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” (Luke 24:25-26). His sacrifice made it possible for all the nations to be blessed and to become the seed of Abraham. Never the less, the early Church was essentially Jewish. The blessing was then extended to all nations by the power of the Holy Spirit and this was foreshadowed in Scripture “All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. . . . I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth” (Ps. 22:27; Isa. 49:6; cf. Gen. 49:10; Deut. 32:43; Ps. 66:4; 67:3-4; 68:32; 72:8; 86:9; 97:1; 138:4-5; Isa. 11:10; 42:10-12; 45:22; 49:12; Jer. 16:19; Dan. 7:14; Mic. 4:1-4).
The Times of the Gentiles
We know that we see God moving in various places around the globe to build the Body of Christ. We saw the terrible judgment on Jerusalem in 70 AD and “Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled” (Luke 21:24). God is currently making children for Abraham from every type of people on the planet. The mission can’t fail because the Holy Spirit is driving it. We are commanded to participate. Many people expect a special revival in Israel among those who are ethnically Jewish prior to Christ’s return so that Israel will finally say, “blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” (Matt. 23:39). One caution is that we don’t want to act like God hasn’t been saving those who are ethnically Israel all along. Many Christians expect a great revival but if this Church sent 100 believers to walk through Jerusalem that would not be a fulfillment of Luke 21:24because, as we saw in Romans, believers are now Israel. However, we can all affirm that “this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matt. 24:14). There is no maybe.
The Blessings of Abraham Are for the Nations
God kept Israel for centuries, in part, so that you can believe in His ability to keep you. They were so contrary, disobedient, and idolatrous that we can see ourselves in them. “Now the LORD said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. . . I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen. 12:1-3). All the families of the earth are blessed because, in Christ, they are grafted in and become the children of Abraham. Jesus said, “Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you [Israel] and given to a people producing its fruits.” You clearly have nothing to brag about. God gets all the glory for His grace in your life.
His Final Demand: “Make a Global Claim on My Behalf”
We need to remember to never think that Jesus’ call and judgment is anything less than global (Matt. 25:31-32; John 5:22; Matt. 28:19-20).
By Prayer, Word, and Suffering
While we know that we’ll be successful (Matt. 24:14), we are the ones who do it. God chooses to use us. Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” (Luke 10:2). So, if we are obedient, we must pray and seek to aid in the harvest in the ways God opens up to us. Our prayers are commanded and we will see God do things that would not have otherwise occurred (Matt. 10:27; Luke 14:23; Luke 15:7; Matt. 10:32-33). We may suffer. We may be called to suffer but look for God’s grace at that point to lift you up.
He Is Worth It
“They will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake. This will be your opportunity to bear witness” (Luke 21:12-13). It sounds like persecution is firing up in Myanmar. It has been going on for years in China. Large numbers of our brothers and sisters are unknown to us in, for example, China and North Korea. But God has a people. His authority saves and His move is effective. Nothing is lost in Him. He told us that, “whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it” (Mark 8:35). “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven” (Matt. 5:11-12). The only lasting satisfaction is found in Him and nothing can be lost in pursuit of Him.
Demand #47 – Let Your Light Shine before Others That They May Glorify Your Father who is in Heaven
You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
—Matt. 5:13-16
Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.
—Mark 9:50
As I think about this command I’m not sure that I ever had any concrete idea of what was being demanded. Even at the beginning of thinking about it I’d have to say that it isn’t just “be nice so people think nice things about God” but I’m afraid some of that might creep into a day to day approach. We are told to glorify God by letting our light shine. We’ll look at specifics and try to get a better understanding from Scripture of exactly what is being demanded here.
Jesus’ First Passion and Supreme Value
When Jesus taught us to pray, the first thing He taught us was to pray that we should pray that God’s name was hallowed. In other words, we should seek to see the Father’s name glorified first. We want holiness manifested and God’s glory shining in our lives. The word for hallowed is built on the word for glory. We want His name hallowed first in our hearts and also then in our family, church, nation, and world.
Consequently when we adopt the position of hallowing God’s name we are aligned with Jesus’ passion to see God’s name hallowed and then we begin to show that the Glory of God is the most valuable thing in the universe. His infinite perfection and infinite purity produce or manifest or radiate a real thing that is the Glory of God.
We see in part an expected progressive growth or awareness of God’s holiness in Leviticus 10:1-3, “Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, which he had not commanded them. And fire came out from before the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD. Then Moses said to Aaron, ‘This is what the LORD has said, “Among those who are near me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified.”’” These two guys did not obey God. They decided to do their own thing and that God would somehow be pleased anyway. As a priests in your home then you much treat God as holy in all you do and then everyone who knows you will see God glorified in your life. If you pursue sin or excuse sin in your life then you do not hallow God’s name and you do not glorify God in your life. Once again we run into the process of sanctification in our lifes.
What Is the Glory of God?
It is quite difficult to use words to establish what “glory” is. In relation to God in His perfection when we in our fallen and sinful state try to describe His glory, I’m afraid it is more than difficult. But we can at least begin by acknowledging that there is a real product (His glory) of God’s perfections that are infinite in quantity and infinite in quality. In particular His moral perfection and my sinful depravity apart from Him are frightening. If you meditate on His glory then you should once again realize that the fear of God is the beginning of knowledge.
We can perhaps begin to get a handle on this in a small way if we, “Consider the lilies of the field. . . . Even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. . . . God so clothes the grass of the field” (Matt. 6:28-30). So God gave us things like this to help. The lilies of the field are giving you a stepping stone. Pat got some iris blooms yesterday and as we were driving home she was simply staring at them and saying how much she liked them. I reminded her of Oregon when we would take a ride and see wild iris in fields along the road. The “perfection” we see in those things helps us connect the concept of perfection to glory and our appreciation of it. For me, orchids produce such perfect blossoms that I stare at their “glory”. I also love the “glory” of desert, mountain, sea, … they are each different but when I go the wilderness I really don’t want anything to mar the “glory” of that particular place. Wildlife in their natural places also speak to this issue. Even domestic animals in their place have a “glory” that we can enjoy. It is, in part, why we enjoy watching sports. As Piper points out, we really do like to look at glory. We were created to enjoy seeing it. And Jesus came into the world to more fully show us the glory of God. He showed us the glory of God more fully than nature ever had otherwise. John 1:14 says “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” In particular, these teaching of His commands and His life given for our atonement reveal God in His perfections of mercy and grace in ways that we would not learn from nature. John 3:19-21 says, “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his deeds have been carried out in God.” When you are “in God” you do “what is true” in the light for God’s glory.
How Jesus Glorified God
At the end of His life, Jesus prayed, “I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do” (John 17:4). Scripture records that God’s glory and the people glorifying God was the product of Christ’s living His life (John 2:11; Matt. 9:8; Matt. 15:31; Luke 17:15; Luke 13:13; John 11:40).
The atonement is the most striking of all the aspects of God’s glory that Jesus revealed. In Christ’s substitutionary atonement the guiltless died for the guilty. The perfect wrath of God was shown, His perfection, His justice, His love, His mercy, and His Grace were revealed. Jesus said, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:23). Both the suffering and the resurrection show God’s perfection and glory. Jesus said, “Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” (Luke 24:26).
The Father and the Son Glorify Each Other
Jesus said, “Now [in this very hour of suffering] is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once” (John 13:31) and “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you” (John 17:1; 12:27-28). The Light was blazing at that point. The Trinity’s perfections, infinite in quantity and quality, were shown to our finite minds for our salvation.
No Greater Love than God’s Glorifying Himself in Jesus for Us
So the Trinity displayed their glory clearly in the atonement so we could see it, find our highest satisfaction in it, and also be forgiven for not treasuring God’s glory. Jesus said that, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. . . . He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you” (John 16:13-14). The Holy Spirit works to open your eyes to the glory of the Father and the Son out of love for you (John 3:3, 8; Matt. 16:17).
Demand #48 – Let Your Light Shine before Others – The Joyful Sacrifice of Love in Suffering
Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
—Matt. 5:11-16
In what ways then would we expect to act as we seek to “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 5:16). God is saying that our lives should be beautiful and point to His glory.
Shine with the Light That You Are
Jesus said, “You are the light of the world” (Matt. 5:14). The heart change produced by the Holy Spirit works to produce an outward change. The works are not the light. Even skilled hypocrisy will not shine the light of God. Duh! Right? Well then why is that such a popular well to draw from? In humility, let God direct your life and actions so that the works are His and He is glorified. Hypocrisy is the easier road but it doesn’t go where you need to go.
What Actually Is the Light That People See?
So to get at the meaning of being “the light of the world” we can look close in Scripture and back up to see the Beatitudes in which we learn that blessed are the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and those who suffer for righteousness’ sake (Matt. 5:3-10). This is really different from the typical point of view expressed in secular culture and even generally in religious culture. The verse closest to our command says “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matt. 5:11-12). But it makes sense in context with the other verses. When you truly shine from a passion for God’s glory then you get a response to the light. Those God calls will like the light and others will not like the light. So you can rejoice when you are falsely accused for His sake because you are actually lit up with His light! No strange fire (like Nadab and Abihu from Leviticus 10) on the altar but the light of the Holy Spirit. So it is good when we understand what is happening. So given the proximity to the verse on being salt and light you’d suggest that our response to hardship will be the general way in which we produce light and serve as salt. Our treasure is in heaven so our lives should reflect that fact (Matt. 5:12). When natural pleasures are removed, we still have our treasure and our life should show it. Those in the world will see it, the Holy Spirit will move on hearts, and then people will give glory to our Father in heaven (Matt. 5:16).
Of course we don’t just do works. We also speak and minister in various ways (Matt. 10:7-8; Luke 9:2; 10:9; Matt. 24:14).
Is the Glory of God an “Ulterior Motive” for Love?
In Matthew 5:16 Jesus says, “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” I think we need to clearly see that when our light shines, in obedience to God, that our works are seen. We are not manipulating but loving when we yield to God. I know that we sometimes want to do “X” and get “Y” but in this process of living for God the response is a product of the Holy Spirit and we can’t manipulate or control Him or the process. Your light shines in this world so they may be seen. We want to see someone respond to our obedience because that is a loving attitude. It is not manipulation and we can’t manipulate anyone an inch closer to heaven.
Jesus Loved Us by Obtaining for Us at the Cost of His Life God’s Glory
The One who created the universe only asked if He could avoid one job. That one job was suffering the price for your sins but He told the Father, not My will but Thine be done. He refused to pray, “Father, save me from this hour” because that hour was why He came into this world. Instead He prayed, “Father glorify Your name.” He prayed, “Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory.” That attitude and value of God’s glory doesn’t make sense to a fallen man. But if your reward is in heaven it makes perfect sense. Don’t let your flesh, the enemy of your soul, or the cares of this life cause you to forget where your treasure and values are.
Letting Our Light Shine, Like Jesus, in the Way We Die
You know sometimes Piper is more thorough than I care for. He brought up a point that I don’t have any real desire to spend too much time thinking about. That point is that we are called to let our light shine in the way we die. Just as Jesus spent His final days and hours glorifying God we should too. Jesus told Peter (where John could hear) “‘Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.’ (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God)” (John 21:18). God expects you to die like a disciple. Hank Williams wrote a song titled “I’ll Never Get Out of this World Alive”
Now you're lookin' at a man that's gettin' kind a mad
I had lots of luck but it's all been bad
No matter how I struggle and strive
I'll never get out of this world alive.
It is sad to hear the words of someone who speaks about eternity without speaking the truth. God is sovereign. Luck is a term we use to explain our ignorance. The term is useful for making decisions sometimes but everything is in God’s hands and not one atom in the universe is off on its own course outside God’s knowledge. Our struggle and strife are temporary in this world and while we will die the real problem Hank had was that he was going to get out of the world alive to stand before the judgment seat of God. As a disciple, you are called on to live and die in a way that glorifies God.
Jesus said, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows” (Matt. 10:29-31). From that Scripture I would generally say, “See how God cares for me and will be present in all the details of my life” and that is true. However, Piper is right, that the point is that God ordains every sparrow’s death and every death of a hair follicle on my head and will ordain the day of my death. Not as cheery as my natural take but truth nonetheless.
Jesus’ Light and Ours at His Second Coming
For those of you hoping for an early rapture, “The Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father . . . all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. . . . Then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory” (Matt. 16:27; 24:30; 25:31, KJV). We will then shine like the sun in the kingdom of our Father (Matthew 13:43) as an eternal occupation as we explore the infinite quality and quantity of God’s perfections and enjoy Him forever. Apart from what God is doing in your heart now, you would not survive the exposure to God’s glory that you’ll someday rejoice to live in. Moses (Exodus 33:18) asked to see God’s glory and God said that no man can and live but He let Moses see just a bit of his back. And Moses face shown so that he scared the other children of Israel and he had to cover his face.
The Bright Demand
The bottom line is that today, right now, in your life you are commanded to find Christ all-satisfying as you dwell in and meditate on His glory. He forbids you to trust in things other than Him and commands that your treasure be outside this world. And He commands you to show His glory as you become a light so that others would see and enjoy His glory in you and come to Him.
We are in desperate of His enabling Grace. As Augustine prayed, “Grant what thou commandest and then command what thou wilt.”
Demand #45 – Do This in Remembrance of Me, for I Will Build My Church
[ Jesus] said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
—Matt. 16:15-18
Make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
—Matt. 28:19
And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.
—Luke 24:49
“I Will Build My Church”
I hope that you understand that when Jesus promises to build His church that he means us. That is the living stones that He builds together to make His body or “church”. He gathers a people who trust him as their Lord (John 13:13; 20:28) and Savior (John 3:17; 10:9). Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd” (John 10:14-16).
The Shepherd is creating His flock. He also says that the Kingdom is like a net that “gathered fish of every kind” (Matt. 13:47). Think of the Kingdom of God not as a physical territory or a race of people but as a rule or reign. The King is building His kingdom and during this time there are other unfaithful persons present. In a parable Jesus said, “A man planted a vineyard and let it out to tenants and went into another country for a long while” (Luke 20:9). Jesus planned on being gone a while prior to His return but He made provision for us. He made provision for His church.
Jesus Took Care to Provide for the Church Though the Holy Spirit
Jesus established a framework along with the sacraments to guide us. He sent the Holy Spirit to each of us and through the Holy Spirit inspired the Scripture and provided additional guidance for the church. He said, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you” (John 14:18) and “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you” (John 14:16-17). We have one God, one essence, but in three persons so we each can have access.
“Let Not Your Hearts Be Troubled”
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:27).
Jesus Provides a New Testament for His Church
The Apostles served the early church in teaching and leadership. So “Israel” according to the promises of God moved through that phase in which they had 12 Apostles rather than 12 tribes. After Judas left, Jesus said: I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. (John 16:12-14) He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. (John 14:26). I don’t find the argument very instructive regarding the Acts 1 selection of Matthias or God’s selection of Paul. God in His Grace and mercy used Paul as an apostle. We don’t know what happened to Matthias. Maybe the 11 jumped the gun. God worked it out either way and we have the New Testament to guide us today.
Jesus asked the disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus responded, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matt. 16:15-19). So in a positive way, Peter (the pebble) well be used to build the church on the boulder of the revelation of Jesus as Messiah along with all who share the revelation. This will contrast with the Pharisees who shut up heaven and won’t go in themselves and serve their father the devil since Peter and the others will unlock the revelation and bind the enemy. The spiritual revelation is shared to build the kingdom.
The Spirit and the Word Are Inseparable
We have both the Holy Spirit and Scripture. We wouldn’t try to separate them. That would be foolish. No one may grasp Scripture rightly apart from the Holy Spirit. All sorts of errors and cults have appeared (and regularly reappear) when Scripture bent to some human perversion. They work together and never apart. Any teaching or “revelation” is always held up to the standard (or plumb line) of Scripture.
People are moved by the Holy Spirit to feed on Scripture and make it part of them. “Unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:6).
Although the early Church held councils regarding the canon of Scripture, the early Church did not make Scripture to be Scripture. The early Church simply recognized that Scripture was Scripture. This may seem like a small distinction but it is crucial to understanding why we reject teaching, even historic teaching by the church fathers, if it deviates from Scripture. The Church, and no leader in the Church, has the authority to modify or alter Scripture. It is sin to modify or alter Scripture. And I can’t tell you how happy I am that I can teach that without risking my life because many have died for that principle (Sola Scriptura).
Demand #46 – Do This in Remembrance of Me – Baptize Disciples and Eat the Lord’s Supper
If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
—Matt. 18:15-17
And [ Jesus] said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.”
—Luke 22:15-20
How Jesus Demands That We Handle Sin in the Church
The first part of this chapter deals with Church discipline. As Christ builds His Church we’ll occasionally need to deal with unrepentant sin in the Church. I mentioned a few weeks ago that you may have secret sin but there is no such thing as private sin because we are one body. However, at this point, I’m talking about public sin that is not repented of. The person will not repent of the sin even when faced with multiple individuals who are asking for the sin to be repented of. So the person is sinning and is in your fellowship and will not stop. Then, Jesus says, let them be as a Gentile or tax collector. You greet them. You don’t “shun” them. You are not hostile. You are pleasant but they can’t be part of your fellowship. For example, you wouldn’t share the Lord’s Supper with them. You wouldn’t baptize them if they hadn’t been baptized yet. We don’t do Church discipline very well. We try to do this and sometimes I think we are making progress. Culturally we have difficulties with the concept and folks generally get mad and leave.
Go, Make Disciples, Baptizing Them
We recently went over baptism as an ordinance or sacrament. Just before Jesus ascended into heaven, He said we should “make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:19). Baptism is integral to discipleship so we do place appropriate emphasis on it as Baptists. John the Baptist ruffled feathers (a polite way to express the rage that got his head cut off) by teaching that an outward sign was required of the Jews to show that they were the people of the Messiah. To the claim of simple inheritance as Abrahams offspring, John replied, “Do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham” (Matt. 3:9). As John indicated, there is a difference between true believers and mere descendants of believers.
I think one of the most permanent changes in my mind from our study of baptism a few months ago is the understanding of the symbolism of the water as the wrath and judgment of God (1 Peter 3:20-21). This is the only verse that points at a direct meaning for baptism and it is Noah’s flood.
As Jesus practiced baptism, it was a mark of conversion and outward sign of an inward and spiritual event. It corresponds most closely to Justification since it is once for all and is not a repeated ordinance or sacrament.
“Do This in Remembrance of Me”
We have also recently taken an in depth look at the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper. In the Lord’s Supper Jesus altered and modified Passover. It was a completion and fulfillment of Passover. He said, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ And ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood’” (Luke 22:19-20). It is our Passover in which Jesus is our Passover lamb (Exod. 12:13, 23).
How Is the Cup and Bread the Blood and Body of Jesus?
Piper is careful to present a view of the bread and cup that is purely commemorative and symbolic. He is also careful to say ordinance and not sacrament. When we did our in depth study I indicated that I think more happens than a memorial meal. I think we are spiritually in communion in a special way and that is why the warnings about communion are so serious. It is spiritual and not physical. There is no confusion between the physical and spiritual Body of Christ.
There is nothing of what I would call idolatry. Dropping and spilling are not tragedies. Stewart doesn’t need to eat and drink all the leftovers to avoid disposing of the body and blood of Christ. But in my view it is clearly more than “just” a memorial meal. When you partake unworthily, you are doing a dangerous thing.
The Demand of Jesus: Be the Church
What we are and what we do as a Church has been planned and directed by Jesus. We are not the product of a “plan b” after Jesus failed. We are the product of the Grace of God and His Sovereign plan being worked out in the world. Jesus is on mission in the world today building His church and as we pray for the unsaved and share the Gospel we are on mission with Him.
Demand #43 – Render to Caesar the Things that are Caesar’s and to God the Things that are Gods
Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle [ Jesus] in his talk. And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying . . . “Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”—Matt. 22:15-21
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. – Gen. 1:27
These verses in Matthew are probably my favorite response from Jesus to a question. His answer is short but profound. Since this exchange occurred in the first century we know that the Jews were living under the Romans totalitarian rule. The coin they likely brought to Jesus would have had Tiberius Caesar’s head on it with an inscription claiming a divine ancestry from Augustus and it probably had the empress on the other side as the high priest of the Roman religion. So the coin was blasphemous and promoted emperor worship.
The Trap
The Pharisees were trying to trap Jesus in a political conflict. The Jews wanted the pagan Romans out of Israel. Even paying taxes had become a religious offense with the blasphemous inscription and the cult of the emperor. So if Jesus says to pay tax then His popularity fades and if he says not to pay taxes then He is a revolutionary and He would be quickly executed.
Jesus calls them hypocrites so that they know He knows their motives. They wouldn’t attempt to answer the question. Jesus said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin for the tax.” So they brought him a denarius. And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Matt. 22:17-21).
Jesus’ answer was brilliant. It was truth and cut right to the heart of the issues involved. Scripture says that when they, both Pharisees and Herodians, heard the answer they marveled and when away. Whose likeness is this? Caesar’s and so where is God’s likeness? Male and female created in His image. So go give the coin to Caesar and give that with God’s image on it to Him. And Caesar, you claim to be a god and all you can make is a little stamped piece of metal with a poor copy of your face on one side and your wife on the other. They can’t draw a breath or make a noise or even think of their creator but God’s creations can praise Him and know that He is God in all the fullness of what it means to be eternal, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God. Jesus put Caesar in his place, God in His place, and the listeners in theirs. The hypocrites went away with admiration. They may have been snakes and vipers but they recognized genius on that day.
The Unexpected, Penetrating Answer
It is one of those times (and there are many) when we wish we could have watched and listened. The expressions on the Pharisees and Herodians would have been fascinating. Half way through the answer the Pharisees would be thinking they had Jesus and He would never be popular with the people. The Herodians would have been thinking that He was no revolutionary. Then after the second half of the answer they Pharisees would be thinking they had just heard the most brilliant and Godly response possible and the Herodians would have wrinkled brows wondering what that last part meant.
Rendering to Caesar Is Rendering to Jesus, or It Is Treason
It is important for us to realize that God demands all. Some of us think He demands 10% and that we can negotiate a better deal but He demands 100%. Jesus has absolute authority over all things. He is above all other rulers. When He died Jesus chose to die. He said, “I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again” (John 10:17-18). After His resurrection He said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matt. 28:18). We don’t yet fully see Jesus rule manifested but that is no excuse for us who know Him to forget that He has all authority.
Consequently we need to be careful when we submit to authorities to submit as unto Jesus because otherwise we are living as if we are committing treason. The reason I say this is because we often view government as independent of Jesus. If you obey them as if they are independent then how are you in submission to Christ? We need to submit to government while realizing that they are under the control of God. If the Church in the first century could do this then we clearly should be able to manage it. We whine but no one I know has been thrown to the lions (literally) recently.
There Is No Authority Except What Is Given from Above
We respond to all subordinate authorities (Government, Work, Church, and in your role in the home) because ultimately we see their authority as God ordained. So the two errors are to reject authority and ultimately your rebellion is against God or to submit to authority without acknowledging the truth that they are instituted by God. Jesus said even to Pilate, who seemed to have authority over Him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above” (John 19:11). Human authority is legitimate but not absolute. We need to realize that the danger we face from wicked corrupt governments is not nearly as great as the danger we face from our rebellious nature. The Caesar inside of us is way more dangerous than the Caesar’s outside of us. As wicked as Caesar was and as unjust as some Roman actions were they still never sent one person to hell.
When I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America then I’m thankful I’m allowed to say, “one nation, UNDER GOD”. Since I was only babbling on June 14, 1954, I can thank Dwight D. Eisenhower and a Presbyterian Minister from Scotland named Docherty that I’ve never been called on to take that pledge in any other way.
Demand #44 – Render to Caesar the Things that are Caesar’s as an Act of Rendering to God What is God’s
Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle [ Jesus] in his talk. And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying . . . “Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”—Matt. 22:15-21
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For the same reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed. – Romans 13:1-7
Jesus demands absolute allegiance. All our other allegiances are subordinate to this supreme allegiance to Jesus as the King of kings.
When Caesar Demands What God Forbids
What do we do when Caesar tells us to sin? Typically we go the extra mile in submission to earthly authorities but not when they tell us to sin. We have great Scriptural and Historical examples. For example, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who faced the fiery furnace rather than worship a false god. Historically we have Polycarp in the first century who was in his late 80s when he refused to say “Away with the Atheists” indicating that Christians were atheists for refusing to worship pagan gods. Polycarp waved his hands at the people seated in the stadium seats who rejected Christ and said, “Away with the atheists.” He was martyred for that.
Jesus told the Church that they would face persecution and a test of loyalty to Him above any loyalty to government. Jesus said, “They will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake . . . some of you they will put to death” (Luke 21:12, 16). So we don’t render to Caesar everything that Caesar thinks is Caesar’s. Most of the martyrs faced this distinction.
We Submit to Caesar to Acknowledge the Supreme Lordship of Jesus
We are obedient to Caesar because Jesus is Lord and Jesus told us to be obedient to Caesar. Our obedience doesn’t put earthly rulers in an exalted position but rather it puts Christ in an exalted position. So, although we are submissive toward authority, it is because the second line supervisor tells us to be submissive.
How Jesus’ Authority Shapes Our Disobedience to Caesar
In civil disobedience, Jesus was disobedient at times when faced with demands that were sinful or simply outside the authority granted by God. Jesus himself did not comply with Herod’s demands (Luke 23:9) or Pilate’s demands (Mark 15:5) or the demands of the high priest (Matt. 26:62-63). We can see what His civil disobedience looked like in Scripture.
Shaping Civil Disobedience by the Demands of Jesus
Jesus demands in other portions of Scripture will change the way we would express civil disobedience. Jesus said, You have heard that it was said, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” But I say to you, Do not resist one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. . . . And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you. (Matt. 5:38-42) This seems very passive but then He said, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is 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. . . . You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” This requires and active love seeking the good of your enemy.
When Love for One Demands Resistance to Another
So if you won’t give because of selfishness and fear then you need to be broken by Jesus words and go the extra mile. But passive compliance is not the only form of love. It could just be cowardice. Love has to weigh the claims of justice and mercy of all the folks involved. Then, at times, love may drive the money-changers from the temple (Mark 11:15).
The Greatest Battle Is to Be Brokenhearted in Our Resistance
So our civil disobedience can’t be motivated by fear, vindictiveness, or selfishness. We live for others. We live for both oppressors and the oppressed. We pray for the oppressor. We do good to them within our ability but we still protect the oppressed and threatened. We work for ending abortion and yet pray for and love those who continue down that road. We speak out against racism and speak the truth in love to racists. We don’t necessarily even look like we are practicing civil disobedience. It isn’t the laws of our land that are the biggest hurdle. The biggest hurdle is getting our hearts right and becoming Christ like in our disobedience. Men raised up by God have cleared this hurdle by the Grace of God and we can too.
Demand #40 – What God Has Joined Together Let No Man Separate, For Marriage Mirrors God’s Covenant with Us
Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh”? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.
—Matt. 19:4-6
Your Maker is your husband, the LORD of hosts is his name.
—Isa. 54:5
These three chapters are certainly difficult to deal with in the climate we live in. Popular culture generally, and often even Church culture, simply doesn’t view marriage as a permanent relationship.
Scripture teaches that marriage is a very special and permanent relationship between a man and a woman. It isn’t viewed as an easy thing but it is viewed as a “till death” thing. In a sacred way, a man and a woman become one flesh in marriage. It mirrors Christ and the Church in spite of our perverse view of marriage in our day. God demands we be faithful in our marriage and view it as a sacred covenant that only ends in the death of a spouse.
Marriage: The Mirror of God’s Covenant with His People
Scripture repeatedly draws the parallel of God’s relationship to us as a picture of marriage. For example, God said, “Your Maker is your husband, the LORD of hosts is his name” (Isa. 54:5). And “In that day, declares the LORD, you will call me ‘My Husband.’ . . . And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the LORD” (Hos. 2:16, 19-20). And “When I passed by you again and saw you, behold, you were at the age for love, and I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness; I made my vow to you and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Lord GOD, and you became mine” (Ezek. 16:8). And “Surely, as a treacherous wife leaves her husband, so have you been treacherous to me, O house of Israel, declares the LORD” (Jer. 3:20).
God’s view of marriage and divorce then would be a view that would be consistent with His actions down through history. Marriage then is a way of showing His relationship with His people. So the union of a man and a woman is uniquely suited to teach us about our relationship with God.
God Creates the Union of Each Marriage for His Glory
As Christians who are in submission to Scripture we hear God say that marriage is God’s creation. He says, “What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate” (Matt. 19:6). God, not man, is the decisive creator of the marriage union. Implicit then is the idea that we can’t really separate what God has joined together. It isn’t just your choice. Your union is analogous to God’s covenant with Israel. To divorce is to create a false testimony to God’s faithfulness. It is a lie about God. God never divorced Israel. Israel separated herself from time to time but God always took her back and redeemed her. Read Hosea. In Jeremiah 13:11 God says, “As the loincloth clings to the waist of a man, so I made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to me, declares the LORD, that they might be for me a people, a name, a praise, and a glory.”
But What about Moses’ Permission of Divorce?
This helps us understand the exchange between the Pharisees and Jesus. They had heard what He was teaching and they couldn’t believe He would teach what they heard. So the Pharisees asked “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” (Matt. 19:3). Rather than going to the Law Jesus goes to creation drawing the attention to the design. Jesus says, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate” (Matt. 19:4-6). Well that says NO divorce. So the Pharisees think they have Jesus trapped and running contrary to the Law so they ask, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” (Matt. 19:7). Jesus responds, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so” (Matt. 19:8). “And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery” (Matt. 19:9).
The Devastation of Divorce
People vary on the way they interpret divorce in the life of a Christian. I’m aware that divorce is a part of life in America and that I’ve not faced divorced because of God’s Grace in my life but I’m going to try to tell you want Scripture says. I think that Piper is likely correct in his interpretation of the whole of Scripture as forbidding divorce for any reason with marriage only ending with the death of a spouse. Piper does a good job of explaining his position and gives references to additional materials. But certainly people do find reasons for divorce and we’ll look at those in a bit.
As Piper points out divorce can be as painful, or more painful, than the death of a spouse and the impact on children is also heartbreaking. We aren’t looking to aggravate wounds. I taught the older singles for 5 years and know that often these wounds take decades to heal in the best of conditions. Sometimes you just weep with those who weep and sometimes people are not ready to deal with what Scripture says. However, eventually we want to know what God says. Ultimately that is what we want to be face to face with.
The Challenge to Love Biblically
Jesus was compassionate in a perfect way but He also was clear on His teaching against divorce and in a way that amazed the Pharisees and even His disciples. We can’t just open up channels for divorce without eroding what marriage means. Jesus’ view of marriage is much higher than that of mankind and unless we are reminded we forget what it means.
Demand #41 – What God Has Joined Together Let No Man Separate, For Whoever Divorces and Marries Another Commits Adultery
Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.
—Mark 10:11-12
Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.
—Luke 16:18
It was also said, “Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.” But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery. And whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
—Matt. 5:31-32
And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.
—Matt. 19:9
As we’ve seen in other chapters, Jesus specified a moral law that was higher than the Mosaic Law. We thought of the Mosaic Law as hard but Jesus showed that the bar was too low and that the hardness of our hearts even prevented a full explanation of God’s will.
Clues in Moses That Divorce Did Not Destroy God’s Union
The moral law preceded the Mosaic Law and reflected God’s will in creation (Genesis 2:24; Deuteronomy 24:1-4). God’s establishment of a “one-flesh” relationship can’t really be broken by divorce or remarriage.
Consider what Moses wrote:
When a man takes a wife and marries her, if then she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, and she departs out of his house, and if she goes and becomes another man’s wife, and the latter man hates her and writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, or if the latter man dies, who took her to be his wife, then her former husband, who sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after she has been defiled, for that is an abomination before the LORD. And you shall not bring sin upon the land that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance. (Deut. 24:1-4)
While divorce is assumed in Deuteronomy I think it is obvious that the result is that God is simply dealing with the hardness of the heart. In the way that an eye for an eye was limiting retribution these rules were limiting the sin that would otherwise occur.
It seems to imply that you don’t break a second marriage to restore a first one. Even if the second marriage is disobedient it is still a covenant that shouldn’t be broken.
The Prohibitions Without Exception
Twice in the Gospels Jesus expresses with no exceptions his prohibition of divorce followed by remarriage. In Luke 16:18 he says, “Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.” It really appears that Jesus is standing against typical positions held in His day (and clearly in our day) and the Pharisees seem to have understood it that way.
Jesus says that a man who marries an abandoned woman, Jesus says, “commits adultery.” That is a pretty hard saying and even close to home folks tend to reject that verse or try to spin it another way. We don’t really find a right to remarriage following divorce in the teaching of Jesus (Mark 10:11-12; Luke 16:18; Mark 10:11-12.
Is There a Permission for Divorce in Matthew 5:32?
However, Matthew 5:32 and 19:9 seem to hint at an exception to the rule of no remarriage after divorce. In Matthew 5:32 Jesus says, “Everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery. And whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” Again in Matthew 19:9 he says, “Whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.” So what is the nature of this exception?
Jesus is opposed to remarriage because the marriage bond is not breakable and it isn’t the conditions of the divorce that make a difference … to Him. Notice that this verse teaches that if you do divorce a woman on the grounds of sexual immorality then one who marries her commits adultery.
The Exception Clause in Matthew 19:9
Most Christians assume that if one party commits adultery then a divorce is justified. However, God doesn’t treat His relationship with His people in that way so I think we had better be careful and I’m afraid Piper may have it right. Matthew may be making an explicit statement of something that the other writers thought was implied and the absolute prohibitions of the other Gospels might be consistent with this:
See - http://www.desiringgod.org/resourcelibrary/articles/bydate/1986/1488/
Matthew uses the Greek word porneiva (porneia, “sexual immorality”) instead of the word moiceiva (moicheia) which means adultery. Sexual immorality in marriage would be adultery so why didn’t Matthew say adultery? Matthew uses a word that means fornication or sexual immorality without reference to marital unfaithfulness. It seems that Matthew is thinking of an exception other than adultery. Jesus was accused of being born in “porneia” and not adultery (John 8:41).
The Relevance of the Exception Clauses for Joseph’s Betrothal to Mary
In Matthew 1:18-20 Joseph and Mary are referred to as husband and wife while betrothed. When I was reading an email list called “Ask the Rabbi” it was interesting to learn that after betrothal the couple are essentially married but without sexual relations. A man was told to defend his “wife” before his parents sense he was, in a sense, already married to her. In the first century, betrothal was a more significant commitment at that time than engagement is today. In Matthew 1:19 Joseph resolves to “divorce” Mary though they were only betrothed, that he was “just”, and of course she was assumed to be guilty of sexual impurity (but not adultery). Only Matthew has told that story of Joseph’s crisis, Matthew, as a follower of Jesus, would not consider this kind of “divorce” wrong, and it would not have prevented Joseph (or Mary) from marrying another.
Only Matthew told the story, raised this question, and he was the only Gospel writer who would feel a need to make clear that Jesus’ absolute prohibition of divorce followed by remarriage did not include a situation like Joseph and Mary’s.
Now I understand that the “majority report” differs on these points but I think Piper is correct. However, you won’t find any problem getting people to tell you that if your wife commits adultery you can divorce her and in fact we also consider abandonment as a reason for divorce.
As Piper points out, this interpretation of the exception clause has several advantages:
• It does not force Matthew’s Gospel to disagree with the seemingly plain, absolute meaning of Mark and Luke.
• It provides an explanation for why the word porneia is used in Matthew’s exception clause instead of moicheia.
• It squares with Matthew’s own use of porneia (for fornication) in distinction from moicheia (for adultery) in Matthew 15:19.
• It fits Matthew’s wider context concerning Joseph’s contemplated “divorce” from Mary (Matt. 1:19).
The Gospel writers were inspired by the Holy Spirit and that what they wrote in Greek accurately represented what Jesus taught.
Demand #42 – What God Has Joined Together Let No Man Separate – One Man, One Woman, By Grace, Till Death
The disciples said to him, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.” But he said to them, “Not everyone can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given. For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it.
—Matt. 19:10-12
If Such Is the Case, Better Not to Marry?
After Jesus finished teaching on marriage and divorce in Matthew 19:3-9, his disciples were stunned by how strict Jesus’ standards were. So they said, “If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry” (Matt. 19:10).
Jesus said “Not everyone can receive this saying [the saying that marriage is permanent], but only those to whom it is given” (Matt. 19:11). The point is not that some disciples are given the grace and some are not. The point is that this grace (or faithfulness in singleness and marriage) is the mark of a disciple. “Those to whom it is given” are followers of Jesus. God gives the grace for what he demands. (Matthew 19:11 and 13:11, Matthew 19:12 and 13:9, 43; 11:15, and Matthew 19:11 and 19:26)
Eunuchs for the Kingdom
God can give grace for singleness “For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let the one who is able to receive this receive it” (Matt. 19:12). You will not die if you don’t have sex. In fact you won’t even go crazy contrary to the view of popular culture. There is tremendous freedom in being single and if God directs you to live that way then it is a good way to live.
Marriage is a great thing and a picture of God and the Church. It really should get the attention is gets but it is a permanent covenant in the eyes of God. Go read Hosea if you think otherwise.
Are Divorce and Remarriage the Unforgivable Sins?
No thankfully it is not an unforgivable sin. It is often an unrepentant sin in our culture. We commit unforgivable sin when we cleave to a sin so long and so tenaciously that we can no longer confess it as sin and turn from it. What Jesus calls “the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit” (in Matthew 12:31-32) and “eternal sin” (in Mark 3:29) is the resistance against the Holy Spirit’s convicting work to the point where he withdraws, leaving the sinner in helpless hardness of heart, unable to repent.
What Does a Follower of Jesus Do Who Has Divorced and Remarried?
As Piper says, Jesus “would also expect that we not separate from our present spouse.”
1) Jesus seemed to regard multiple marriages as wrong but real. He said to the woman at the well in John 4:18, “You have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband.” She is living with a man now, but there has been no marriage—no covenant-making. The others he calls “husbands,” but the one she is with now is not her husband.
2) Jesus knew that Deuteronomy 24:4 spoke against going back to a first husband after marrying a second. He did not go out of his way to qualify this provision.
3) Covenant-keeping is crucial to Jesus. Therefore, even though the current covenant is adulterous in the making, it is real and should be kept. Its beginning in sin does not have to mean that it is continuously sinful and without hope of purification.
4) There are illustrations of God taking acts of disobedience and turning the result into God-ordained plans. One example is the fact that it was sin for the people of Israel to ask for a king to be like the nations (1 Sam. 12:19-22). Nevertheless, God turned the sinfully instituted kingship into the origin of the Messiah and the kingship of Jesus. Another example would be the sinful marriage of David to Bathsheba. The adultery with her, the murder of her husband, and the marriage “displeased the LORD” (2 Sam. 11:27). So the Lord took the life of the first child of this union (2 Sam. 12:15, 18). But the second child, Solomon, “the LORD loved” and chosehim as ruler over his people (2 Sam. 12:24).
5) Through repentance and forgiveness on the basis of the blood of Jesus and through the sanctifying work of the promised Holy Spirit, a marriage that was entered sinfully can be consecrated to God, purified from sin, and become a means of grace. It remains less than ideal, but it is not a curse. It may become a great blessing.
Marriage: Great and Precious, but Not Ultimate or Permanent
Jesus’ demand for faithfulness to the marriage covenant is radical in our modern culture. Is He Lor or not. His standards are high. They do not assume that this earth is our final home. Marriage is an ordinance for this age only. “For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven” (Matt. 22:30). Marriage is a great but brief blessing that is not an ultimate or permanent covenant. Marriage does not and cannot meet all our needs and singleness is a realistic lifestyle in obedience to Christ. Jesus is for eternity and the marriage supper of the Lamb is the party for which we are preparing ourselves.
