The Apostle Paul, in Romans 15, is very explicit about what his role in the kingdom of God is.

Romans 15:15-19

But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ;

Paul was called by Jesus to be a minister of the gospel to the Gentiles, people who in Paul's own words from Ephesians 2:12 were "separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world." It was Paul's goal to preach the gospel to those who had not had the chance to hear.

Romans 15:20-21

and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation, but as it is written,

“Those who have never been told of him will see,
      and those who have never heard will understand.”

In terms of ministry, Paul was a pioneer. It was his burden to take the gospel to new horizons. That is why here in chapter 15 he is eager to go to Spain. It was a new adventure for Paul. A new land with people who had yet to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul was a trailblazer through parts of Asia and Europe, and now wanted to push the boundaries of the known world even further by heading west.

Ministry needs pioneers. There are people in our neighborhoods, cities, state, country and world who have not heard the message of the gospel. Paul is clear in Romans 10:14, "How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?" There was a need in Paul's day - and there continues to be a need in our day -  for new works of the Lord to go into places where the gospel has not penetrated, so that men and women, boys and girls can hear and believe.

However, ministry is not just about pioneers, it also includes builders. Paul did not simply blaze new trails, make converts and leave them to fend for themselves. He left builders in place. He left elders like Titus and Timothy behind to build the church in particular areas - to evangelize and disciple. He charged believers like Priscilla, Aquilla, and Apollos and others to do ministry - equipping the saints for the Lord's work. Churches in these various areas began to grow and thrive and multiply because of the work that many had done building upon the pioneer efforts of Paul.

So what about us? The question is not if you have been called to ministry. The question is: what type of ministry have you been called to? Every believer is a minister. All believers are called to live out the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. 

Are you a pioneer? Is God calling you to start a new work in this city, in this country, in this world? Is God calling you to take the gospel, the light of the world, into places that have been dark for a long time? 

Or, are you a builder? Are you ready to plug into the work of God in an existing location? There are countless places to serve in your church, in your community and in your city. Is God calling you to serve with kids, with the widow, with the orphan, the homeless?

Paul had no question whether he was called to ministry. He was sure of his calling and it refreshed and rejuvenated him constantly. Serving the Lord out of your gifts will not burn you out! We should not question our call to ministry either. If we are in Christ, we have been given gifts by God's grace to serve and lead in the church. Some will be builders. Some will be pioneers. All will be ministers.

Brian Tryhus
FBC Family Pastor

In our L3 reading this week, we came across these verses, which give us a clear baseline for how we are to regard our newfound freedom in Christ. Because the Law has been fulfilled in Christ, we have been "released" from it (Romans 7:6 ESV). As a result, we are free to do many things that we would not be able to do under the Law, because our righteousness no longer depends on our behavior, but rather on the finished and completed work of Christ on our behalf. 

However, in Romans 14, Paul gives us a simple yet challenging guideline for dealing with this freedom: love. Rather than being bound by the Law, we are bound to one another in love. Christ demonstrated the ultimate love for us in the cross, and we are called to reciprocate that kind of love to each other, serving one another and considering others' needs before our own. Although we may have the right to do certain things, we should not use that freedom at the expense of others. 

For example, some of us may not have a problem with consuming alcohol in moderation, while others of us may be prone to drunkenness and alcoholism. Are we demonstrating the love of Christ by tempting these weaker brothers and sisters to sin? Drinking alcohol in moderation is not sin, but if it comes at the expense of our brothers and sisters' well-being, we are abusing our freedom by causing others to stumble. We have thought of our own rights and freedom rather than others.

Paul's point is this: our first consideration ought to be love for each other. The questions we should be asking ourselves are: How can we better demonstrate the love of Christ for each other? How can we lay down our own rights and freedoms for the sake of others? How can we pursue peace in the body of Christ? How can we build the body of Christ by serving and giving rather than clinging to our own wants and desires?

Jesus laid down His own rights for us. Let us lay down our rights for the sake of our brothers and sisters in the body of Christ.

"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect (Romans 12:1-2 ESV)."

Our study in Romans has led us down a path of conceptual building blocks. Our knowledge of our own depravity (SIN) gives us eyes to acknowledge our desperate need for a Savior (SALVATION). The beautiful picture of rescue gives us a proper perspective on suffering, trial and blessing (SANCTIFICATION). Understanding that sanctification will not always, or even often, be an easily understood process helps us to accept and understand that God is accountable to no one, for He is all powerful and all consuming (SOVEREIGNTY).

The cumulative understanding of these truths leads us to a decision point. If we believe the Gospel, we understand that our lives are not our own. They have been bought by Christ with His blood. In light of this knowledge, the idea of “sacrificing” (going above and beyond) one’s life becomes almost laughable. Rather it becomes obvious that true Christian service is not a matter simply for the “super Christian” to undertake but the only logical and reasonable response for a disciple of Jesus Christ.

“Spiritual worship” sounds like a nice, ethereal and somewhat lofty goal. It can be easy to tell ourselves that we’ll achieve this someday or when we really get spirituality figured out. Or, we think we can only have “spiritual worship” when we’re in FBC’s building at 10th and Urish, or doing something outwardly “selfless” that others might see.

The Greek translation of this phrase shows that the intention of it is perhaps different than we might think. Logikos is used, which can mean logical or reasonable. Read 12:1 again while inserting “reasonable service” or “logical response” for “spiritual worship” - interesting how it moves the spotlight from us to God, isn’t it?
What this translation means is that our worship isn’t some “above and beyond” response to God - rather if we believe and know that we are sinners covered by the blood of Jesus - any response other than complete and total surrender to Him is insanity...it is illogical!

Our Christian sacrifice isn’t really a sacrifice at all. If we are to follow the greatest commandment to love the Lord with all our heart, soul and mind (Matthew 22:37) - then our “sacrifice” is really the only reasonable response.

The only logical response to God's sovereignty and loving payment for my wretched sin is 100% commitment to Him. The resultant Christian service is an authentic effect of salvation, not an affecting agent that can bring me to Him.

Aaron Catlin

This week, our L3 journals covered Romans 10:5-17, where Paul explains how people come to a saving faith in Jesus Christ. In this passage, we hear more about what it means to believe in Christ, how any of us have come to believe in Christ, and why it is important that we tell the world about what Jesus has done. These are some very critical teachings, and we need to pay close attention because our response will have an eternal effect and consequence.

First, Paul reminds us that the righteousness we need is that which is "based on faith (Rom 10:6 ESV)." We are not made righteous to God by anything that we can do for ourselves. It is only through the work of Christ that we are saved and made right with God. Paul explained this fully in Romans 3 through 5.

Next, in Romans 10:9-13, Paul gives us a portrait of that kind of faith by which God makes us righteous - confession and belief. For "if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved (Rom 10:9-10 ESV)." These two aspects are tied together in our faith, as we will see.

Confession means agreeing with God about something. In this case, we are agreeing with God that "Jesus is Lord (Rom. 10:9 ESV)." Jesus is Master, King, Ruler, Authority, and Lord over creation. We confess the truth of who He is when we truly believe it. Those things that we sincerely believe are also the things that we will proclaim to others. 

Belief (the same word that Scripture uses for "faith" in the original languages) means complete trust and dependence on something or someone. Here, Paul says we need to believe "that God raised [Jesus] from the dead (Rom 10:9 ESV)." Jesus is alive! The tomb is empty, and Jesus has conquered sin and death. He is the victor. We completely depend on what He has done, and trust that He has done this. We were dead, and now we are live together with Him because of His resurrection.

Paul continues to explain how this is connected with our salvation, quoting from Joel 2:32: "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." We call on the Lord to save us when we recognize that we cannot save ourselves - when we realize that we are helpless without Him. It is essentially a "crying out" for help. When we confess and believe the truth about Christ, we trust that He is able, and therefore we will call out to Him to save us and do what we cannot do. Paul also states here that "Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame (Rom. 10:11 ESV)." He will not disappoint those who have trusted in Him. Whoever calls out to Him will be rescued, not from their own works, but from trusting in the one who is able. He never fails, and He always keeps His word.

In Romans 10:14-17, Paul then shares why it is so urgent for us to share the news about Christ. Here is his argument (my paraphrase):

• How can someone call on Him if they do not believe in Him?
• How can someone believe in Him if they haven't heard about Him?
• How can someone hear about Him unless someone else tells them about Him?
• How can someone be told about Him unless someone is sent to tell them?

If we reverse this, and put the the ideas into statements rather than questions, the logic of the argument is more clear:

• We are sent to tell people about Jesus.
• When we tell people about Jesus, they can hear about Jesus.
• When people hear about Jesus, they have the opportunity to believe in Him.
• When people believe in Jesus, they will call on Him to save them.

Here, the urgency is clear. How will anyone hear about what Jesus has done, unless we tell them about it? We have been sent, as His Church, to tell our world the good news of Christ, and if we don't do it, people may not hear about Him. If they don't hear about Him, they don't have the opportunity to believe in Him. If they do not believe in Him, they will not call on Him to save them.

The bottom line? We need to tell people about Jesus. You and I have contact with people that may never have another friend who is believer. We may be the only person to ever tell them about Jesus. If we don't do it, who will? As Pastor Joe often says, "There is no Plan B." We need to be the ones who tell our friends and family the truth about Jesus. It doesn't need to be fancy or formal. Just share with them like you would share anything else that is incredibly important. Just tell them what Jesus has done, and how you have been changed because of it.

We are sent. Let's tell our world about what Jesus has done, that they may come to trust in Him and call on Him as their Savior!

This week our L3 Journal reading plan takes us through a passage of scripture that can be difficult to understand and potentially difficult to swallow.

Romans 9:13 - "As it is written, 'Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.'"

Romans 9:17 "For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, 'For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.'"

Romans 9:21-22 - "Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show His wrath and to make known His power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction..."

These verses trigger all the churchy buzzwords of election, foreknowledge, predestination, hardening and will; however, we will be best served framing the argument as Paul, the author of Romans, frames it.  The question does not revolve around salvation history, but it revolves around God.

What do we believe about God?

When the question first comes up about choice, Paul responds with verse 14: "What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means!"

For Paul, the argument begins not with fairness, but with whether or not God is just.  We would absolutely affirm the righteousness of God.

Exodus 34:6-7 - "The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, 'The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and fourth generation.'"

Romans 3:24-26 - "and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by His blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in His divine forbearance He had passed over former sins. It was to show His righteousness at the present time, so that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus."

These passages illustrate the holiness of God who does not overlook sin, but has provided a way out for sinners through the cross of Jesus Christ. To this point there is probably very little confusion, but the point we need to take away is huge.  God is a holy (set apart), righteous, just God who exemplifies all of these attributes in every action, judgment, and revelation.  Every movement of our God toward man in human history exemplifies His justice, His righteousness, and His holiness.

The question then becomes, how do we explain the tension that we feel when we look at passages of Scripture that we would view as unjust (remember the claim Paul is refuting in Romans 9:14)?

To answer this question is in many ways to not answer the question. Isaiah 55:8-9: "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."  The reality is that when we feel tension in Scripture, we must rely on the truths about God that we know.  We know that God is good.  We know that He is holy, righteous, and just.  We know that His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts.

A.W. Tozer says it this way in his highly recommended work, The Knowledge of the Holy, "What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us." In other words in will define how we view the world, the Scriptures and God's actions.  We must believe rightly about God and that will help us when the Scriptures cause tension.

What do we believe about the sinfulness of man?

Well, this section is much shorter.

Romans 3:10 - "as it is written: 'None is righteous, no, not one...'"

Romans 3:23 - "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God..."

Romans 6:23 - "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

So, when it comes to how we stand before a holy God, every human is guilty and deserving of the ultimate penalty of death and separation from God.

How does all this fit together to help me understand what is going on in Romans 9:11-23?

We now have a clear lens to look through.  God is holy, righteous, and just in every action.  Humanity is wickedly depraved and sinful, deserving of death.  God's ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts.

It is impossible for humanity to earn salvation.  That is clear in Romans 9:15-16: "For He says to Moses, 'I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.'" So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. Our salvation, the fact that our eyes have been opened to see Jesus, has nothing to do with our goodness, but on the mercy and compassion of God alone. To this end, when it comes to salvation, God is seen as just and the justifier of all who believe, and is seen as lovely.

But what about the rest? What about those whose hearts have been hardened? What about those who are unable to resist his will (verse 19) and are vessels of wrath prepared for destruction and dishonorable use? There is not a great answer except to quote Paul in Romans 9:20, "But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, 'Why have you made me like this?'"

His ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts. In the end it really does not do any good to look at the Potter and say that He made a mistake. God is at work to make His power known (verse 9:22) and to "make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which He has prepared beforehand for glory." His eternal purposes might not make sense in our 21st-century American culture of fairness, but to be fair, He tells us as much when He says as the heavens are high above the earth so is the difference between His ways and thoughts and ours.

So what do I do with this?

If you have been made to see Jesus and trust in His name and work, you owe Him everything.  From the depths of gratitude for being a vessel of mercy to the heights of obedience in proclaiming His truth to a world who desperately needs Him.

People mistake the doctrine of divine election as an excuse to be selfish with the gospel.  This, however, could not be further from the call of God on our lives.  Eventually Paul gets to Romans 10:13-15, "For 'everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.' How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!'"

His ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts.  Here again is tension. Salvation is the work of God, but He includes human responsibility not only in the believing, but also in the sending.  If you are a child of God, who has been blessed with the free gift of salvation that we could not earn, it is our divine obligation to advance the kingdom of God by making disciples of Jesus Christ.

Brian Tryhus
FBC Family Pastor

In Romans 8:1, we read one of the most beautiful statements in all of Scripture: "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (ESV)." What we find throughout the book of Romans is the constant contrast between the words "condemnation" and "justification." These two words are exact opposites, and describe the two states in which we can stand before God. At their root, these words are both legal terms. We either stand condemned or justified in the sight of the Righteous Judge.  

Each of these terms are used throughout the Bible as declarative terms, assigning a status to the object. They do not necessarily speak of the reality of the character of the person, but rather how they are perceived before the court. For example, in the Old Testament, we see many instances where God expresses His extreme displeasure with the one who "justifies the wicked and... condemns the righteous (Prov. 17:15 ESV)." He calls each of these false declarations "an abomination." There are also instances where someone attempts to "justify" God (Job 32:2). Clearly, these statements are not making God righteous, but rather declaring Him to be so.

These statuses of condemnation or justification are a result of the representation or advocate of the accused party. Therefore, whomever we choose to represent us - ourselves or Jesus Christ - becomes a decision of the greatest importance. When we place our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, we are choosing Him to be our representative. He stands for us as our "Advocate (1 John 2:1)", and justifies us, declaring us as righteous in Him. His life, His death, and His resurrection become our own when we trust in Him rather than our own work, because He has substituted Himself for us. When God the Father sees us, He sees us through Christ. He sees us as righteous, not because of anything we have done, but because of what Jesus has done for us. He stands in our place, and we are justified because of Him.

This is the beautiful news here: in Christ, we no longer stand condemned before God. Instead, we are justified in His sight because of the finished work of Jesus, our Advocate, and we now have freedom as a result.

May we never cease to thank and praise Jesus Christ for His amazing mercy and grace toward us!

In the Son,

Bill Horn
FBC Worship Arts Pastor

(Romans 6:6-11 ESV)

Examine the word translated as “consider” (ESV), “count yourselves” (NIV) or “reckon” (KJV) in Romans 6:11: “So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” An important idea, Paul uses it 19 times throughout Romans and a proper understanding of it is necessary for a proper understanding of the book.

Translated from Greek, consider means to “impute (or put into) to one’s account.” In this case, “consider” doesn’t simply mean to think about or even meditate on. Rather, it states that we are to take account and own two things: (1)we are dead to sin (2)we are alive to God in Jesus Christ We aren’t just to think of these concepts in an academic sense; we must recognize that their reality is the only thing that matters.

A true grasp and embrace of our death to sin (through Jesus’s work on the cross) and resurrection through Jesus is a profound game changer for the Christian. No longer bound by the constraints of guilt and shame, we are free to live for that which will truly satisfy.

Many times, our relationship with God is a corrective one, apologizing, confessing and trying to fix what we’ve messed up. Confession is absolutely necessary, but we must do more than just avert our eyes or move our gaze from sin. For transformation to happen, we must not just look away from bad stuff, but actually gaze into the glorious face of Jesus.

In The Weight of Glory, C.S. Lewis famously said: “We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea.”

As Christians, we often realize that we aren’t supposed to continue to play with the “mud pies” of this life, but our simple avoidance of the muddy field doesn’t automatically mean we enjoy the pleasures of the seaside. If you know Jesus, you are dead to sin. You are alive to God. Nothing else matters. Go today and take your eyes off that which doesn’t matter and gaze into His glorious face.

Aaron Catlin

When reading Romans 5:12-21, it is clear that Paul is drawing a parallel between the work of Adam and the work of Christ; however, the two events are as different as they are similar. “In each case, a critical spiritual condition has been introduced into human history through the act of one man” (Moo, The Epistle to the Romans, NICNT, 339), but comparing the events is akin to comparing cancer and the cure.

To look at these realities, we will implore the old boxing device of “The Tale of the Tape” to see how they measure up.

While the acts are parallel, the effects of each are polar opposites. The sin of the first Adam brought the grave consequences of death into this world that has infected every being born since. It was the moment that destruction and despair were allowed to rule the day. Whether under the law, or even before the law, the curse of death ran rampant through all men and women as they all willfully chose to partake in the reign of sin. All people, born since that day, have come into this world as enemies of God (Romans 5:6, 8, 10).

But the glory of the gospel is that the story doesn’t end there. God sent the Last Adam, Jesus, into this world, while we were still sinners, to die in our place. Christ, in another singular act in human history, changed the destiny for all who would believe in His name. In place of condemnation, Jesus offers justification. In place of death, He offers life. In place of our unrighteousness, the Son of God offers us His righteousness. Where despair once ruled our existence, we can now live with hope. The reign of sin will not forever increase, but grace will rule the day and forever expand.

The two events are forever intertwined, but are as different as night and day. The act of the first man, Adam, is truly a day that should forever live in infamy. However, the act of the last Adam, Jesus, is a day that needs to be celebrated and declared from every corner. Jesus’ glorious obedience to his Father and the free gift He offer us demands our unbridled worship and undivided loyalty.

Brian Tryhus
FBC Family Pastor

"But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it--the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith." (Romans 3:21-25a)

This week in our L3 journals, we have been reading through Romans 3 and 4, which together serve as one of the clearest explanations of salvation and justification. These two chapters are preceded by Paul's thorough discussion on sin in chapters one and two. In those first chapters, we see that we all stood condemned under God's righteous wrath against sin, because we have all sinned. This was our hopeless status before God, and where we would have remained if God had not stepped in to alter the course of our lives.

In chapter three and following, we find the solution that God provided for our reconciliation with God. We find that the way for us to "patch things up" with God is not by anything of our own doing--not by "works of the law." It is only by God's doing that we can have a reconciled relationship to Him. It is only because He was so gracious and loving that He sent His Son to be a sacrifice in our place, as a "propitiation by his blood." This word, "propitiation" (Greek, hilasterion) is the word that I would like to focus on today.

The occurrence of this word here in Romans 3:25 is the only time it appears in Paul's writings. The only other use of the word in this form is in Hebrews 9:5, where it is translated as "the mercy seat." This alternate translation of this word gives us some insight into its meaning. By the usage of this word in Scripture, a link is made between the function of Jesus in His death and the mercy seat from the ark of the covenant.

The mercy seat was essentially the cover for the ark of the covenant (the Hebrew word literally means, "cover"), which contained the two tablets of the ten commandments, Aaron's budding rod, a jar of manna, and the first Torah scroll written by Moses. This cover (see an artist's rendition above) consisted mainly of two angels with their wings spread out toward one another and covering their heads. The place where these wings came together was called the mercy seat, and this is where God dwelt when His people were bringing their offerings and sacrifices to Him.

The ark was kept in the Holy of Holies, which was the innermost section of the tabernacle and eventually the temple in Jerusalem. This section of the tabernacle and the temple could only be entered on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), and then only by the High Priest. This priest would take the blood from the sacrificial bull and enter the Holy of Holies to sprinkle the blood onto the mercy seat to make atonement for himself, for his family, for the other priests, and for the people of God. The High Priest did this each year to satisfy the righteous wrath of God against sin.

 As Romans 3:25-26 points out, God would not be just if He did not punish sin. In order to be a righteous judge, sin must be dealt with and punished; Jesus bore that punishment in our place, as the perfect sacrifice (superseding bulls and goats) for our redemption. These verses say that God was basically being patient with humanity, and not punishing our sin. Instead, He was deferring punishment of those sins until Jesus would bear them once for all. He could not let them go without punishment forever, and that was never the plan.

As the book of Hebrews says, the blood of bulls and goats was not sufficient to completely cleanse humanity from their sin nor to satisfy the wrath of God. Jesus' sacrifice, however, was sufficient. No other sacrifice is needed now. Jesus is enough. Jesus is the atoning sacrifice for our sin, reconciling us with God by His blood. He did what we could not do, which was to satisfy the righteous wrath of God.

Truly, "justification means this miracle: that Christ takes our place and we take his" (Emil Brunner, Mediator, p. 524). This is the beauty of this word, "propitiation." In our place, He bore our condemnation, taking the punishment of God's wrath against sin. In place of condemnation, Jesus accounts His righteousness to us. This is all a free gift received only by trusting and believing in what He has accomplished for us. The mercy seat and the Day of Atonement of the Old Covenant has been replaced by Jesus--our atoning sacrifice--and the righteous wrath of God is satisfied with His precious blood, that of the spotless Lamb of God.

In the Son,

Bill Horn
FBC Worship Arts Pastor

This week in our L3 journals, we have been reading through the first few chapters of Romans, and came across one of the foundational verses for Paul's entire case for the gospel through this letter, Romans 1:17. In this verse, Paul quotes from Habakkuk 2:4: "The righteous shall live by faith." In this post, I just want to help clarify a few things, which will help us as we set out on our journey through the book of Romans.

In the previous verse, Paul had just finished saying that the gospel is "the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes," and then continues in this verse by saying, "for in it (the gospel) the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith." What Paul means in these statements is that the gospel message reveals God's righteousness, which has always been through faith (the unusual phrase "from faith for faith" or "from faith to faith" is most often interpreted as meaning "faith from beginning to end" or "faith from start to finish"), is the power of God for our salvation. The message of Jesus Christ's life, death, and resurrection reveals the righteousness of God, and is our means for salvation.

Paul then quotes the verse from Habakkuk that we mentioned earlier, "The righteous shall live by faith." There is another way to translate this from the original language, and it is often mentioned in the footnotes of our Bibles: "The one who by faith is righteous shall live." This verse says that life (i.e. salvation and eternal life) belongs to those who are righteous by faith. These are the ones who have been declared righteous by God through our trusting in Him.

What does Paul accomplish by bringing this verse into the discussion? He proves his previous statement. God's way for us to be saved has always been through faith in His work on our behalf. His plan was never for us to think that we could save ourselves by being good enough or by working our way into His good graces. It has always been by trusting in God's righteousness and mercy.

Christ was the perfect fulfillment of God's plan from the beginning. While many religious leaders from the time of exile through the first century had corrupted this message and lost sight of the true way of salvation, God had always intended for His people to be redeemed by trusting and believing in His work on their behalf. In this way, as Paul will soon tell us, God is the one who gets the credit and glory for our salvation; not us.

In these two small verses of Romans 1:16-17, we find the theme that Paul will emphasize throughout his letter to the church in Rome. Salvation is, and has always been, through trusting in the Lord - in His work on our behalf, in His righteousness, in His goodness. In Christ's life, death, and resurrection, it is now clearer than ever. As a result, Jesus Christ is the one who is worthy of all praise and honor and glory. He is the one who has saved us. He is the only one is deserving of our worship.

As it has been written, "The righteous shall live by faith."

In the Son,

Bill Horn
FBC Worship & Arts Pastor

A song that was released a few years ago made me more aware of this concept, and I was really encouraged by it. It speaks of Christ's arrival as a declaration of war against sin, death, and darkness. Christ's coming changed everything. He has won the victory over sin and death. He conquered the grave. That is what He came here to do. He is Lord and King.

Below are the lyrics and a video of Dustin singing this song. 

"This Is War"
Words and Music by Dustin Kensrue

This is war like you ain’t seen.
This winter’s long, it’s cold and mean.
With hangdog hearts we stood condemned,
But the tide turns now at Bethlehem.

This is war and born tonight,
The Word as flesh, the Lord of Light,
The Son of God, the low-born king;
Who demons fear, of whom angels sing.

Hallelujah, a Child is born
He is the rescue we've waited for
The throne of David He will restore
The reign of mercy forevermore

This is war on sin and death;
The dark will take it’s final breath.
It shakes the earth, confounds all plans;
The mystery of God as man.

May the true significance of Advent stay at the forefront of our minds as we celebrate it with our friends and family this weekend. We have peace and hope because Jesus Christ declared war on sin and death, and became sin for us, so that we could be reconciled to God. Jesus is our peace.

May God bless you with the awareness of His presence during this Advent.

In the Son,

Bill Horn
FBC Worship Arts Pastor

The distinction between light and darkness begins very early in the history of this world. Like from the beginning. And by the beginning I mean Genesis 1:3-5. At this time however, distinction between light and dark is not sin, but the contrast is stark. Day and night wereseparatedby light or lack thereof; however, the contrast would take a new narrative in chapter 3 when the fall changed everything.

From that time on, sin has come to be described as darkness, or theabsenceof light. This makes sense, because sin makes us want to hide, and there is no easier place to hide than in the dark. It is where our guilt, our shame and our pleasure in badness runs rampant. Every one of us was born in darkness. Born to love evil and war against the light.

God on the other hand is defined as light, and in whom can be nodarknessat all (1 John 1:5). Many of our L3 passages in the last two weeks have gone to greatlengthsto show this comparison and teach us about the much-older-than-we-are struggle between darkness and light. 1 John 1:6-7 lays out the bottom line for us.

If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

There is no such thing as having a foot in both worlds. You can't be in darkness and light and the same time. They are opposite. Dark either overwhelms the light or the light cuts through the darkness. There are many who want relationship with God (salvation and ongoing) but don't want to give up a lifestyle or habit. The verse is clear. We can say we have fellowship with the Light and walk in darkness, but it is a lie.

If you have been cleansed by the blood of the Son, you are free from darkness; it has no hold on you. It can never reclaim you. But you can choose to let the dark hide your light for a time. Like Paul in Romans, we are no longer slaves to sin, but we can sure act like we are at times. We are not children of darkness, but sometimes our light is very dim.

So what do we do if our walk is clouded bydarkness? Run towards the light. Get in the Word. Let the Spirit convict you of sin. Confess. Make things right. Be in the Light. Let the Light shine through you. Be a child of light, a city on a hill, so that all may see you and glorify your Father in Heaven. Our God is in the restoration business. He is continually at work, sanctifying us and building us into what He has created us to be - sons and daughters of light.

Brian Tryhus
FBC Family Pastor

During this Advent season, we are breaking from our usual sequential readings and taking smaller sections from throughout the Bible that point to the coming of the Messiah. These readings can point to Christ's first coming in the flesh, which we celebrate through Christmas; they may also point to the second coming of Christ as the King of kings.

The season of Advent is one of thanksgiving, expectation, longing, and hope. We remember how Christ, the Lord of all the earth, came in the flesh to rescue us from sin and death. We also look forward to the day of His victorious return, when He makes all things new, and when He wipes every tear from our eyes.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. (Revelation 21:1-7).

We have this hope and expectation because He came the first time, and changed everything. He rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into His kingdom (Col. 1:13). Let us look back with thanksgiving on what He has already done for us, and let us look forward with joy at what He is about to do.

In the Son,

Bill Horn
FBC Worship Arts Pastor

Our reading this week in L3 takes us through the resurrection and events immediately following. The importance of this event is impossible to overstate.

The Resurrection is the linchpin of our Christian faith.

Paul says as much in 1 Corinthians 15:13-14... "But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain."

Believe in the Resurrection

But here is the issue, I can't prove to you that the resurrection happened. In this era of Twitter, Facebook, iPhones and YouTube, we have evidence of everything, but the resurrection is not something that can be seen to be believed.

What we have is eye-witness testimony found in the Gospels, documents whose validity are attested to more than any other ancient piece of literature, the incredible testimony of faith passed down from generation to generation for close to 2,000 years and the Spirit of the Living God confirming the truth of the resurrection in our lives.

Don't sleep on the last one. Many people look at the Resurrection. Some believe. Some don't. What makes people look at the same evidence and come to different conclusions? Those who believe in the the truth of the resurrection have been made to see by the Holy Spirit, preparing their heart for faith.

That is in fact the purpose of John, right? John 20:31 - "but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." We are being called to believe in the resurrection, so that we may have life.

Declare the Resurrection

Jesus appeared to the disciples to confirm with them that indeed the resurrection had occurred. They were scared, frightened and held up in a locked room, and Jesus entered proving beyond a shadow of a doubt who He was. Truly he was the Son of God.

But proof and comfort were not his only mission in appearing to them. John 20:21 "...peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you." Jesus was telling them to take His message to the world. The resurrection gave them full confidence to boldly declare the gospel because they knew the truth, the truth that sets them free. No longer would they be hiding in a locked room; they would be out declaring the risen Savior. The proof of the resurrection and the subsequent sending of the Holy Spirit were the catalysts that led to coming explosion of the Gospel in the book of Acts.

We are no different from the disciples. If we look at the Jesus and the resurrection and we believe, then we are to go. Believe and tell. Receive and give. It is a true mark of a disciple and the desired responses that God wants from us as we dwell on the empty tomb.

Brian Tryhus
FBC Family Pastor

About a decade ago, reading Jim Bishop’s The Day Christ Died, I realized that I had for years taken the Crucifixion more or less for granted — that I had grown callous to its horror by a too easy familiarity with the grim details and a too distant friendship with our Lord. It finally occurred to me that, though a physician, I didn’t even know the actual immediate cause of death. The Gospel writers don’t help us much on this point, because crucifixion and scourging were so common during their lifetime that they apparently considered a detailed description unnecessary.

So we have only the concise words of the Evangelists: “Pilate, having scourged Jesus, delivered Him to them to be crucified — and they crucified Him.” I have no competence to discuss the infinite psychic and spiritual suffering of the Incarnate God atoning for the sins of fallen man. But it seemed to me that as a physician I might pursue the physiological and anatomical aspects of our Lord’s passion in some detail.

What did the body of Jesus of Nazareth actually endure during those hours of torture?

This led me first to a study of the practice of crucifixion itself; that is, torture and execution by fixation to a cross. I am indebted to many who have studied this subject in the past, and especially to a contemporary colleague, Dr. Pierre Barbet, a French surgeon who has done exhaustive historical and experimental research and has written extensively on the subject.

Apparently, the first known practice of crucifixion was by the Persians. Alexander and his generals brought it back to the Mediterranean world — to Egypt and to Carthage. The Romans apparently learned the practice from the Carthaginians and (as with almost everything the Romans did) rapidly developed a very high degree of efficiency and skill at it. A number of Roman authors (Livy, Cicer, Tacitus) comment on crucifixion, and several innovations, modifications, and variations are described in the ancient literature. For instance, the upright portion of the cross (or stipes) could have the cross-arm (or patibulum) attached two or three feet below its top in what we commonly think of as the Latin cross. The most common form used in our Lord’s day, however, was the Tau cross, shaped like our T.

In this cross, the patibulum was placed in a notch at the top of the stipes. There is archeological evidence that it was on this type of cross that Jesus was crucified. Without any historical or biblical proof, Medieval and Renaissance painters have given us our picture of Christ carrying the entire cross. But the upright post, or stipes, was generally fixed permanently in the ground at the site of execution and the condemned man was forced to carry the patibulum, weighing about 110 pounds, from the prison to the place of execution.

Many of the painters and most of the sculptors of crucifixion, also show the nails through the palms. Historical Roman accounts and experimental work have established that the nails were driven between the small bones of the wrists (radial and ulna) and not through the palms. Nails driven through the palms will strip out between the fingers when made to support the weight of the human body. The misconception may have come about through a misunderstanding of Jesus’ words to Thomas, “Observe my hands.” Anatomists, both modern and ancient, have always considered the wrist as part of the hand.

A titulus, or small sign, stating the victim’s crime was usually placed on a staff, carried at the front of the procession from the prison, and later nailed to the cross so that it extended above the head. This sign with its staff nailed to the top of the cross would have given it somewhat the characteristic form of the Latin cross.

But, of course, the physical passion of the Christ began in Gethsemane. Of the many aspects of this initial suffering, the one of greatest physiological interest is the bloody sweat. It is interesting that St. Luke, the physician, is the only one to mention this. He says, “And being in agony, He prayed the longer. And His sweat became as drops of blood, trickling down upon the ground.” Every ruse (trick) imaginable has been used by modern scholars to explain away this description, apparently under the mistaken impression that this just doesn’t happen. A great deal of effort could have been saved had the doubters consulted the medical literature. Though very rare, the phenomenon of Hematidrosis, or bloody sweat, is well documented. Under great emotional stress of the kind our Lord suffered, tiny capillaries in the sweat glands can break, thus mixing blood with sweat. This process might well have produced marked weakness and possible shock.

After the arrest in the middle of the night, Jesus was next brought before the Sanhedrin and Caiphus, the High Priest; it is here that the first physical trauma was inflicted. A soldier struck Jesus across the face for remaining silent when questioned by Caiphus. The palace guards then blind-folded Him and mockingly taunted Him to identify them as they each passed by, spat upon Him, and struck Him in the face.

In the early morning, battered and bruised, dehydrated, and exhausted from a sleepless night, Jesus is taken across the Praetorium of the Fortress Antonia, the seat of government of the Procurator of Judea, Pontius Pilate. You are, of course, familiar with Pilate’s action in attempting to pass responsibility to Herod Antipas, the Tetrarch of Judea. Jesus apparently suffered no physical mistreatment at the hands of Herod and was returned to Pilate.

It was then, in response to the cries of the mob, that Pilate ordered Bar-Abbas released and condemned Jesus to scourging and crucifixion. There is much disagreement among authorities about the unusual scourging as a prelude to crucifixion. Most Roman writers from this period do not associate the two. Many scholars believe that Pilate originally ordered Jesus scourged as his full punishment and that the death sentence by crucifixion came only in response to the taunt by the mob that the Procurator was not properly defending Caesar against this pretender who allegedly claimed to be the King of the Jews. Preparations for the scourging were carried out when the Prisoner was stripped of His clothing and His hands tied to a post above His head. It is doubtful the Romans would have made any attempt to follow the Jewish law in this matter, but the Jews had an ancient law prohibiting more than forty lashes. The Roman legionnaire steps forward with the flagrum (or flagellum) in his hand. This is a short whip consisting of several heavy, leather thongs with two small balls of lead attached near the ends of each. The heavy whip is brought down with full force again and again across Jesus’ shoulders, back, and legs.

At first the thongs cut through the skin only. Then, as the blows continue, they cut deeper into the subcutaneous tissues, producing first an oozing of blood from the capillaries and veins of the skin, and finally spurting arterial bleeding from vessels in the underlying muscles. The small balls of lead first produce large, deep bruises which are broken open by subsequent blows. Finally the skin of the back is hanging in long ribbons and the entire area is an unrecognizable mass of torn, bleeding tissue. When it is determined by the centurion in charge that the prisoner is near death, the beating is finally stopped. The half-fainting Jesus is then untied and allowed to slump to the stone pavement, wet with His own blood.

The Roman soldiers see a great joke in this provincial Jew claiming to be king. They throw a robe across His shoulders and place a stick in His hand for a scepter. They still need a crown to make their travesty complete. Flexible branches covered with long thorns (commonly used in bundles for firewood) are plaited into the shape of a crown and this is pressed into His scalp. Again there is copious bleeding, the scalp being one of the most vascular areas of the body.

After mocking Him and striking Him across the face, the soldiers take the stick from His hand and strike Him across the head, driving the thorns deeper into His scalp. Finally, they tire of their sadistic sport and the robe is torn from His back. Already having adhered to the clots of blood and serum in the wounds, its removal causes excruciating pain just as in the careless removal of a surgical bandage, and almost as though He were again being whipped the wounds once more begin to bleed. In deference to Jewish custom, the Romans return His garments. The heavy patibulum of the cross is tied across His shoulders, and the procession of the condemned Christ, two thieves, and the execution detail of Roman soldiers headed by a centurion begins its slow journey along the Via Dolorosa.

In spite of His efforts to walk erect, the weight of the heavy wooden beam, together with the shock produced by copious blood loss, is too much. He stumbles and falls. The rough wood of the beam gouges into the lacerated skin and muscles of the shoulders. He tries to rise, but human muscles have been pushed beyond their endurance. The centurion, anxious to get on with the crucifixion, selects a stalwart North African onlooker, Simon of Cyrene, to carry the cross. Jesus follows, still bleeding and sweating the cold, clammy sweat of shock, until the 650 yard journey from the fortress Antonia to Golgotha is finally completed. Jesus is offered wine mixed with myrrh, a mild analgesic mixture. He refuses to drink. Simon is ordered to place the patibulum on the ground and Jesus quickly thrown backward with His shoulders against the wood. The legionnaire feels for the depression at the front of the wrist. He drives a heavy, square, wrought-iron nail through the wrist and deep into the wood. Quickly, he moves to the other side and repeats the action, being careful not to pull the arms to tightly, but to allow some flexion and movement. The patibulum is then lifted in place at the top of the stipes and the titulus reading, “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews,” is nailed in place.

The left foot is now pressed backward against the right foot, and with both feet extended, toes down, a nail is driven through the arch of each, leaving the knees moderately flexed. The Victim is now crucified. As He slowly sags down with more weight on the nails in the wrists, excruciating pain shoots along the fingers and up the arms to explode in the brain — the nails in the wrists are putting pressure on the median nerves.

As He pushes Himself upward to avoid this stretching torment, He places His full weight on the nail through His feet. Again there is the searing agony of the nail tearing through the nerves between the metatarsal bones of the feet. At this point, as the arms fatigue, great waves of cramps sweep over the muscles, knotting them in deep, relentless, throbbing pain. With these cramps comes the inability to push Himself upward. Hanging by his arms, the pectoral muscles are paralyzed and the intercostal muscles are unable to act. Air can be drawn into the lungs, but cannot be exhaled. Jesus fights to raise Himself in order to get even one short breath. Finally, carbon dioxide builds up in the lungs and in the blood stream and the cramps partially subside. Spasmodically, he is able to push Himself upward to exhale and bring in the life-giving oxygen.

It was undoubtedly during these periods that He uttered the seven short sentences recorded:

The first, looking down at the Roman soldiers throwing dice for His seamless garment, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”

The second, to the penitent thief, “Today thou shalt be with me in Paradise.”

The third, looking down at the terrified, grief-stricken adolescent John — the beloved Apostle — he said, “Behold thy mother.” Then, looking to His mother Mary, “Woman behold thy son.”

The fourth cry is from the beginning of the 22nd Psalm, “My God, my God, why has thou forsaken me?”

Jesus experienced hours of limitless pain, cycles of twisting, joint-rending cramps, intermittent partial asphyxiation, searing pain where tissue is torn from His lacerated back as He moves up and down against the rough timber. Then another agony begins -- a terrible crushing pain deep in the chest as the pericardium slowly fills with serum and begins to compress the heart. One remembers again the 22nd Psalm, the 14th verse: “I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.”

It is now almost over. The loss of tissue fluids has reached a critical level; the compressed heart is struggling to pump heavy, thick, sluggish blood into the tissue; the tortured lungs are making a frantic effort to gasp in small gulps of air. The markedly dehydrated tissues send their flood of stimuli to the brain. Jesus gasps His fifth cry, “I thirst.” One remembers another verse from the prophetic 22nd Psalm: “My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou has brought me into the dust of death.” A sponge soaked in posca, the cheap, sour wine which is the staple drink of the Roman legionaries, is lifted to His lips. He apparently doesn’t take any of the liquid.

The body of Jesus is now in extremes, and He can feel the chill of death creeping through His tissues. This realization brings out His sixth words, possibly little more than a tortured whisper, “It is finished.” His mission of atonement has completed. Finally He can allow his body to die.

With one last surge of strength, he once again presses His torn feet against the nail, straightens His legs, takes a deeper breath, and utters His seventh and last cry, “Father! Into thy hands I commit my spirit.”

The rest you know. In order that the Sabbath not be profaned, the Jews asked that the condemned men be dispatched and removed from the crosses. The common method of ending a crucifixion was by crurifracture, the breaking of the bones of the legs. This prevented the victim from pushing himself upward; thus the tension could not be relieved from the muscles of the chest and rapid suffocation occurred. The legs of the two thieves were broken, but when the soldiers came to Jesus they saw that this was unnecessary.

Apparently, to make doubly sure of death, the legionnaire drove his lance through the fifth interspace between the ribs, upward through the pericardium and into the heart. The 34th verse of the 19th chapter of the Gospel according to St. John reports: “And immediately there came out blood and water.” That is, there was an escape of water fluid from the sac surrounding the heart, giving postmortem evidence that Our Lord died not the usual crucifixion death by suffocation, but of heart failure (a broken heart) due to shock and constriction of the heart by fluid in the pericardium.

Thus we have had our glimpse — including the medical evidence — of that epitome of evil which man has exhibited toward Man and toward God. It has been a terrible sight, and more than enough to leave us despondent and depressed. How grateful we can be that we have the great sequel in the infinite mercy of God toward man — at once the miracle of the atonement (at one ment) and the expectation of the triumphant Easter morning.

May we never forget the price that was paid to redeem us and rescue us from sin and death. Jesus is so good to us.

In the Son,

Bill Horn
FBC Worship Arts Pastor

This past weekend, Joe taught from John 14 about how the Spirit is our help from God to love and obey Christ. The Spirit empowers us to live a life of worship that honors our Savior. Our response are either to be led by the Spirit, to ignore the Spirit, or to deny the Spirit. This week in our L3 readings, one of the passages we read was in John 16, where Jesus continues to teach about the Holy Spirit, who would come to the disciples after His death.

The Advantage

In this passage, Jesus goes so far as to say, "It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you (John 16:7)". He is telling His disciples that it is better for Him to leave them than it would be if He had stayed in the flesh. Why is that? How could it be better for Him to go away? I can only imagine the questions that the disciples had to be feeling after having spent three solid years physically walking with Jesus. It had to feel, in a way, like He was abandoning them. However, that couldn't be further from the truth.

God With Us

In his book The Problem Of Pain, C.S. Lewis wrote something that has always stuck with me in regards to the distance and nearness of God. He says this: "God is both further from us, and nearer to us, than any other being" (The Problem Of Pain, p. 33). In the context of this quotation, Lewis is discussing the relationship between the Creator and the creature. As the Creator, God is very different than His creation. He is infinite, we are finite. He is omnipresent, we are in one place at a time. He is perfect, we are sinful. In these ways (and many others), God is very far from us. 

However, Lewis also speaks of how near God is to us (also called His "immanence"), in that He supplies every breath that we breathe, and any powers we have in this life are supplied by His endless power and energy. This divine nearness is further amplified by the Spirit's presence with us when we are in Christ. He is truly God with us. Before Christ's death and resurrection the Spirit was only given positionally to those who were leading God's people (kings, prophets, and priests). But, because Christ died in our place for our sins, we stand before God in Christ's perfect righteousness, and therefore His Spirit can dwell in us. Everyone who trusts in Christ has the Spirit.

In the Spirit, God is nearer to us than would be possible in any other way. This is why it was better for Christ to "go away," because rather than having only His physical presence in the flesh, we have His Spirit dwelling in us every moment of every day, empowering us to live a life that loves and obeys Christ, giving Him the glory He deserves as our Savior!

The Bottom Line

With the Spirit dwelling in us, we can follow His leading to love, honor, and exalt Jesus. We have God's continual presence in our lives, teaching us, transforming us, and making us holy. This work will be completed when we finally see Jesus face to face. Praise God for the gift of the Spirit, and may we never take His presence with us for granted.

In the Son,

Bill Horn
FBC Worship Arts Pastor

John 13:34-35; 14:21-24; 15:12-17

"Salita al Calvario" ("The Climb to Calvary"), By Giacomo Jaquerio, 1430.

This week in our L3 journals we have had readings in John 13, 14, 15, and the beginning of chapter 16. In this section of the Gospel of John, we see Jesus repeatedly emphasizing one characteristic of true believers above all others: love. Jesus tells His disciples that love is the new commandment; love is the proof that they are His followers; love for Him is the motive for keeping His commandments; and the greatest love is demonstrated by self-sacrifice.

Love Is The New Commandment

In John 13:34, Jesus tells His disciples, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another (ESV).” This new commandment of love supersedes all the commands that were given before. Jesus says elsewhere that, by loving God completely and loving our neighbor as ourselves, we would be fulfilling all the rest of the commandments in Scripture (Mt. 22:36-40). Here we also see Jesus giving us the standard of the type of love: His own love for us. We are to love each other the way He loved us. John echoes this thought in 1 John 4:10-11, where he writes, “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” Jesus’ sacrificial death to rescue us is the example and the standard of our love for one another.

Love Is The Proof

Immediately following this, Jesus says that our love for one another will be the way that people will know that we are His followers (John 13:35). Our love is the proof that we are His disciples. Again, in 1 John, we can see this thought echoed: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love (1 John 4:7-8).” Love for others is the defining characteristic of our transformation in Christ from being born again in Him.

Love Is The Motive

In our world, there are numerous motives one can have for doing anything. There are many reasons we can give ourselves for obedience to God’s commands. Jesus gives us the only one that is valid: love (John 14:21, 23). We are to obey His commandments, not from fear or in a quest for approval, but because of love. When we truly love Him, we will do what He calls us to do. When we truly love Him, we will love others as well. Love is our motive.

No Greater Love

Jesus says in John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” Love, taken to its ultimate and deepest level, is demonstrated by self-sacrifice. When we are willing to give our lives for others, whether in living or in dying, we demonstrate the greatest form of love. Jesus’ love is our example, demonstrated in the most amazing wayat the cross of Calvary.

The Bottom Line

May our love, for our Savior and for others, be the command we live by. May our love be the proof of our relationship with Christ. May love be the motive for all we do in this life. May we all lay down our lives for one another in the name of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

In the Son,

Bill Horn
FBC Worship Arts Pastor

This week in our L3, we have been reading predominantly through John chapter 12, and here's what we have been reading about: the religious leaders' plot to kill Jesus develop further, Mary anointing Jesus' feet, Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Greeks beginning to seek Jesus, Jesus saying that He must be lifted up and that He will draw all people to Himself, the unbelief of the people, and Jesus' statement that the one who believes in Him also believes in the Father who sent Him. This last statement is where we will focus for the remainder of this post.

The Revelation of God

Jesus says in 12:44-45, "Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. And whoever sees me sees him who sent me" (ESV). He also says in 12:50, "What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me." The idea here is simple. Jesus is one with the Father. He is the exact representation of the Father. When we see Him, we see God. When we hear His words, we hear the words of God. When we obey His words, we obey the words of God. Jesus says that He came "into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness." Part of Jesus' purpose in coming in the flesh was to make the invisible God visible to a lost and dying world. He came as revelation. Paul says it this way in Colossians 1:15, "He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God" and, in 1:19, "in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell." 

The Bottom Line

When we see Jesus, see what He does and what He says, we clearly see God in action. We can know the heart and mind of God. We see one who speaks the truth in love. We see one who cares for the broken and downtrodden. We see one who heals the sick and the lame. We see one who hates sin and death, and who will go to the ultimate length to end it once and for all.

We have the chance to know God more through His written Word, the Bible. Let us not take it for granted. Let us take full advantage of our opportunity to see the image of the invisible God, Jesus Christ, in action.

In the Son,

Bill Horn
FBC Worship Arts Pastor

This past week in our L3 readings, we have been reading through John 10 and John 11, and we have been getting a clearer picture of who Jesus really is. In one section of these readings, Jesus used the analogy of a shepherd to describe Himself, as well as others who would try to fill His role for His people. In this post, we will examine some of the imagery that Jesus uses, so that we can better understand what He means when He calls Himself the "Good Shepherd."

The Shepherd

The first and dominant image Jesus uses is that of the shepherd. In relationship to the sheep, the shepherd is the sole source of guidance and provision for the sheep. Sheep are lost without their shepherd telling them where to find food and providing shelter for them. They are truly helpless on their own.

Another related image we see early in this passage is that of the sheepfold. It was usually made of stones or branches (as in the image above) to provide protection from predators or thieves during the night. Many times it was even in a cave with these elements set up in front. In this protective barrier, the shepherd would often leave a gap, or "door," through which the sheep and the shepherd would enter and exit. We will focus more on this aspect later, but Jesus' point at the beginning is that the real shepherd enters and exits by the door, which is the right way. Anyone else would have to break in or use some other way of entering, which would not be the proper way. It would reveal them as false shepherds, or worse.

In 10:3-5, Jesus also refers to His sheep knowing His voice. This is a testament to how sheep connected with their shepherd. Sometimes several flocks of sheep would reside in one pen overnight, and a shepherd's sheep recognize his voice so well that they would follow only when he would call. If anyone would even try to imitate their shepherd's voice, they would scatter in fear. Their attachment to their own shepherd is truly uncanny.

Also, as the true Shepherd of the sheep, Jesus says that He lays His life down for the sheep. He was willing to die to rescue them from danger. He would give up His own life for their benefit. His love for His sheep knows no limit, and He would spare no expense of Himself to save them.

Thieves and Robbers

The next image is that of thieves and robbers, which have very specific meanings, respectively. Both of these are contrasts to His role as the Shepherd for His people. According to A "thief" here means someone to deceives or tricks the prey. A "robber" implies violence and and plundering (from "The Expositor's Bible Commentary" on John). In each case, those who would try to come to the sheep by some other, improper means come only for one purpose: harm to the sheep.

The Door

The third main image is that of the door (some translations use "gate"). When Jesus used this word, He was referring to a specific practice of the shepherds of His day. Once all of a shepherd's sheep were in the sheepfold for the night, and he was sure his pen was secure, he would lay down in the gap at the entrance and literally be the "door." If anything was going to enter the sheepfold, it would have to go through him. To come into the fold, we literally have to go through Jesus.

The Hired Hand

The last major image that Jesus uses is that of the hired hand. This is the second image that He uses as a contrast to Himself. Jesus is probably referring to the religious leaders here. These leaders do not have ill-will for the sheep, and may guide them to provision and protection, but they are certainly more concerned with their own well-being than that of the sheep. They will not risk their own lives for the sake of the sheep. When trials come, they will run and leave the sheep to fend for themselves.

The Bottom Line

Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He is the one who cares most for us and knows how to lead us and guide us through life. He knows us better than we know ourselves, and cares deeply for us. He is the one who laid down His own life willingly for our benefit and salvation. He laid down His own life to rescue us, and He has taken His life up again by His own authority, and He reigns forever as our Good Shepherd.

May we each trust in His care and love for us. May we know His voice and hear Him when He calls us and leads us. May we trust in His life, death, and resurrection on our behalf, so that we may live with Him forever, with a quality of life beyond imagination.

In the Son,

Bill Horn
FBC Worship & Arts Pastor

Abraham

This week, we have been reading John 8:12 - 9:41, and have seen Jesus declare some important truths: He is the Light of the World, the truth will set the knower free, and the Jewish leaders' father was the devil. Perhaps most significant, however, is Jesus' comparison of Himself with Abraham, who is considered the father and founder of the Jewish faith, and the first man to be given a covenant from God. He is considered THE ancestor of all Jews. He is the one of the first real pictures of a lifetime of faith in the Bible (before Abraham, all we catch are glimpses and moments of faith). He trusted God, left his home for an unknown land, believed God's promise of a son and a lineage for he and his barren wife, and then willingly offered that son as an offering to God when asked to do so. God told Abraham that the number of his descendants would equal the number of the stars (Gen 15:5). This man trusted God, perhaps like no other. We don't really see him perform any miracles, but we see him witness miracles that God performed for him. We see him trusting and walking with the Lord in all his endeavors. In terms of knowing the Lord and truly walking with the Lord in faith, there really is none before Abraham.

The Kicker

Jesus knew full well who Abraham was, and what he meant to the Jewish faith. In reality, Jesus cared more about Abraham than any of the leaders by whom He was being questioned. When Jesus said that the one who keeps His word would never see death (Jn 8:51), the Jews accused Him once more of having a demon, because Abraham and the prophets all died. By saying this to the Jews, Jesus was claiming to be greater than Abraham and the prophets, which was a preposterous claim to the Jews because there was no one greater than Abraham and the prophets. Jesus responded, 

"If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, 'He is our God.' But you have not known Him. I know Him. If I were to say that I do not know Him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know Him and I keep His word. Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad (Jn 8:54-56)."

Which raises the natural question: "You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham (Jn 8:57)?" Indeed, how could someone around thirty years of age claim to know the thoughts of Abraham, who lived centuries ago?

Jesus' answer: "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM (Jn 8:58)."

The Jews responded by trying to stone Him to death, because this was blasphemy to them.

I AM

Why was this statement so controversial and blasphemous to the Jews? What exactly was Jesus saying about Himself here? Why did He say it like this?

Because Jesus just said that He is God. We've all probably heard someone argue that Jesus never called Himself God or the Messiah, and that that was only something other people said about Him, but this is not true. It's right here, plain as day. We just need to understand the context.

Let's head over to Exodus 3, where Moses encountered the Lord in the burning bush. When Moses asks the Lord for His name, God responds, "I AM who I AM... Say this to the people of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you' (Ex 3:14)." God proceeds to give another name, with which we hear more often: "Yahweh (YHWH, usually translated by most versions as "The LORD")." All of these names stem from the verb that means "to be." What His names say of Him is that He is eternal, always self-existing, and the source of all life and being in all of creation. There is nothing that exists apart from Him. He IS.

Some translations try to add a "he" to the end of Jesus' sentence (so it would say "I am he"), but that is not in the original language. Jesus simply says of Himself, "I AM." He is equating Himself with the one who spoke to Moses from the burning bush. The one who is eternally self-existing. The one who is the source of all life and being. Jesus IS. Not only had Jesus seen Abraham--He made Abraham. He gave Abraham life, and made the covenant with Him. You can see these truths echoed throughout the New Testament, like we see in Colossians 1:15-20. This is a massive statement by Jesus, and we need to pay attention.

The Bottom Line

Jesus is one with the Father. He is not only our Savior and Friend. He is worthy of our worship and lives' obedience. He is to be exalted above everything else. There is no one who compares with Him. Jesus is God.

May we all worship Him like He deserves to be worshiped!

In the Son,

Bill Horn
FBC Worship Arts Pastor

This week in our L3 journals, we read about something Jesus said on the last day of the Feast of Booths. He said, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink" (Jn. 7:37). He continued, "Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water'" (Jn. 7:38). What is not readily obvious to us here is that Jesus is referring to a particular narrative from the book of Exodus, and it will help us understand the work of the Spirit in believers.

The Feast of Booths

The Feast of Booths is a celebration of God's protection and provision in the wilderness after the Hebrew people crossed the Red Sea. They would set up "booths," which were shelters built from branches, to remember God's protection and shelter; then they would take a pitcher of water out of the Pool of Siloam and pour it out to remember God's provision of water from the rock. In Exodus 17:1-7, we find that God's people were thirsty and began complaining against God and against Moses (as they often did in the wilderness), and they looked back favorably upon their time of slavery in Egypt. They accused God and Moses of bringing them out into the wilderness to kill them. When Moses prayed to the Lord for help and for guidance, God told him to go ahead of the people with the elders, and to strike a rock at Horeb. When Moses did this, water came flowing from the rock. This was a miracle of God's provision.

A Different Story

Later, in Numbers 20:2-13, we see a similar, but different, scene. God's people were thirsty yet again, and again they were complaining against God and against Moses. This time, however, God told Moses "to tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water" (Ex. 20:8) Instead, Moses chided the people and struck the rock twice with his staff, and the water came out. God counted this as sin, and it is the reason Moses was not allowed to enter the Promised Land with God's people.

Why was this an issue? Why was this a sin? Well, on the Sinai peninsula and the surrounding areas, rain seeps down through the rocky plateaus and mountainous regions, and forms mineral deposits on the sides of the rock. Bedouin people, even today, can find these deposits, knock them off of the rock, and drinkable water will come out.

The first time God told Moses to strike the rock, He was teaching Moses how to find water for the people. The teaching was the miracle then. In this second occurrence, Moses speaking to the rock was supposed to be the miracle God was going to perform. God was going to get the glory that way, because it wasn't something Moses could do. Instead, Moses settled for his own, lesser glory, and took the credit for himself by making a show of it. This is why it was a sin before God. Moses knew that striking the rock would produce water, so he did it his way. He wanted the glory for himself in that moment. God responded to Moses' actions by saying, "Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them" (Ex. 20:12). Moses did not trust God to do what He said He would do.

The Work of The Spirit

This idea translates to the work of God that Jesus is speaking about in John 7. Whoever believes in Jesus will have "rivers of living water" flowing from his heart. If we believe in Him, He will give us the Holy Spirit, and our hearts will be changed, and we will have "living water" (the outflow of the Spirit's work in and through us) to share with those around us. We will be conduits of God's blessing to others, as we share His love and mercy, which was shown to us through the cross of Christ.

Notice, however, that John clarifies: the Spirit is only given to those who believe in Jesus. Not everyone has the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament, we see the Spirit coming and going from certain "anointed" people (usually kings and prophets), such as Saul and David. Now because of Christ, the Spirit comes and remains with those who believe in Him. When we are in Christ, we have the Spirit, and the miraculous work of God in us. This is not something that can be manufactured or faked before God. He knows what is really happening within us. He knows if we truly believe, or if we are putting on a show. He can see it by what is flowing from our lives.

The Bottom Line

The real question for each of us is this: what is flowing from our lives? Is it the living water of Christ, or something else? Do we truly believe in the saving work of Jesus on the cross in our place for our sins, and giving Him all the glory for our salvation? Or are we faking it, and still attempting to make it into His favor by our good works, and really taking the credit for ourselves inside? Which is it? We cannot have it both ways.

In the Son,

Bill Horn
FBC Worship Arts Pastor

(A modern-day model of what the Pool of Bethesda looked like in 1st century Israel)

This past week in our L3 journals, we read about Jesus' healing on the Sabbath at the Pool of Bethesda in John 5:1-17. In this post, we will look a little deeper into what happened that day at the pool, and why it is significant. 

The History

In the first century where we find Jesus encountering this man, the Pool of Bethesda was a place of healing. Located near the Temple mount, hundreds of "blind, lame, and paralyzed" (Jn 5:4) would lie in the colonnades and wait. What were they waiting for? The angel of the Lord. Every so often, the angel of the Lord would come down and stir the waters of the pool, and the first one in the water would be healed of his or her infirmity. 

The Man

The man who we find laying at the pool in this story "had been an invalid for thirty-eight years" (Jn 5:5). He had probably been waiting for a long time, as Jesus knew that the man "had already been there for a long time" (Jn 5:6). My guess is that Jesus saw the man laying there the last time He was in Jerusalem, or even at Passover the year before. Remember that Jesus did not live in Jerusalem, but only came occasionally to minister there and to celebrate the Passover. It was probably during one of these prior trips that Jesus had seen this man laying at the pool. The man's problem was that he could not get himself into the water before anyone else when the angel of the Lord would stir the pool's water. He could not even move. He required the help of someone else, and that was something he didn't have.

The Great Physician

Enter Jesus. He knew the man's predicament, but asked anyway, "Do you want to be healed?" The man told Jesus about his situation, and Jesus bypassed the pool altogether: "Get up, take up your bed, and walk." Can you imagine the surprise of the crippled man? What kind of questions ran through his mind when Jesus said this to him? Based on the verses that followed, he had no idea who Jesus was. Therefore, the crippled man had no reason to believe that Jesus had any power to heal. He had not been able to move himself for thirty-eight years, yet now he was supposed to just get up and walk? That is exactly what happened; the man was healed immediately, stood up, picked up his bed, and walked away (Jn 5:9), still clueless about the real identity of the one who healed him.

Is There A Problem?

The Jews (mainly the Jewish leaders) had a problem with Jesus doing this, because it happened on the Sabbath. You see the Jews took the written words of the Torah (law) very seriously (notice I did not say they took the spirit of the law...). When Exodus 20:8-10 says,

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates.

they took that to the extreme, and continually updated the list of what was considered "work" and what was not. For instance, the Mishah (a collection of first century rabbinic teachings) has a list for this purpose. Here's a list of some of the things that qualify as "work" (for expanded explanations, see here):

1. Planting
2. Plowing
3. Reaping
4. Gathering
5. Threshing/Extraction
6. Winnowing
7. Sorting/Purification
8. Grinding
9. Sifting
10. Kneading
11. Cooking/Baking
12. Shearing
13. Scouring/Laundering
14. Beating/Combing Wool
15. Dyeing
16. Spinning
17. Warping
18. Making two loops
19. Weaving
20. Separating two threads
21. Tying
22. Untying
23. Sewing
24. Tearing
25. Trapping
26. Slaughtering
27. Flaying
28. Curing/Preserving
29. Smoothing
30. Scoring
31. Measured cutting
32. Writing
33. Erasing
34. Building
35. Demolition
36. Extinguishing a fire
37. Igniting a fire
38. Applying a finishing touch
39. Transferring between domains

As you can see from this list, the rules were exhaustive regarding what was permissible and impermissible on the Sabbath. The Jewish leaders who were getting angry with Jesus were merely trying to uphold the rules of their religion, the Torah. What they failed to see, however, was the reason for the rules and for the Sabbath. As Jesus said in Mark 2:27, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath." The law was given by God for the benefit of humanity, to help us live the best life possible on this earth by loving God and loving others. The law was meant to show mankind what that looked like. The Sabbath was created so that we would rest and trust God. Even God rested, and He created us with a need to rest. If someone doesn't sleep for days, he will go crazy, because we need to sleep and rest. When we rest on the Sabbath, and cease from our work (using common sense when considering what is work, and not going to the excess of the Mishnah), we are essentially expressing our trust in God's sovereignty. We are trusting that God will continue to provide for our needs, even though we aren't working for it. We are trusting that He is good and gracious, and that He is true to His promises. 

When Jesus spoke and healed the man, He was in complete keeping with the purpose and spirit of the law (Rom 2:29). He was fulfilling God's purposes. The Jewish leaders could not see God's heart behind the law, and could only see the written rule, and tried to reduce the law to a checklist which they could control and understand. The spirit of the law requires much more of ourselves than merely completing a checklist of do's and don't's. It requires our love. Paul said it this way, "the whole law is fulfilled in one word: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself'" (Gal 5:14).

The Bottom Line

Fulfilling God's calling and will in our life may mean doing something we don't understand fully. It may involve doing something that makes us look foolish to others. It may draw insults and derision from friends or family. So, what is the point? What is the goal here? To give all glory and honor to God, and to share His gospel of salvation with the people we encounter in this world (1 Cor 10:31, Col 3:17). Whatever it takes to give glory and honor to God, whatever it takes to share His gospel of salvation with others, that is what we are to do. That is what Jesus did in this situation. Jesus healed the crippled man to give glory to God the Father and to proclaim the gospel of salvation to him.

Let us follow in Jesus' footsteps, and let us lay aside our pride and our reputation to glorify God and to proclaim His gospel to the people we encounter.

In the Son,

Bill Horn
FBC Worship & Arts Pastor

(Jacob's well from John 4 - in a Greek Orthodox church building that has been built around the site)

In our L3 journals this past week, we read John 2 through John 4. In John 4, we read of Jesus' encounter with a Samaritan women at Jacob's well, on the outskirts of Sychar. As Joe shared this weekend, Jesus, exhausted from His journey and the noonday heat, began the conversation by asking her for a drink, then spoke of the "living water" that only He could offer, and then launched into telling the woman her own life story. When she realized that Jesus was a "prophet" (which, at the least, meant that she knew He was 'gifted'), she began to discuss the differences in the theology of the Samaritans and the Jews, specifically in reference to the place of worship.

The History

Around 400 B.C., the Samaritans built a rival temple on Mt. Gerizim (see the location in relation to Sychar on the map below, and read Deuteronomy 11:29-30 and 27:2-7, 12 for context), which was destroyed in the 2nd century B.C. by Hasmonean leader John Hyrcanus of Judea as their empire expanded north. This only served to increase the mutual animosity between the Jews and Samaritans. Despite the destruction of their temple, the Samaritans continued to worship on Mt. Gerizim. 

(The well is located near Sychar, along the road north from Jerusalem to Galilee)

No Mountain Necessary

When the Samaritan woman raises this subject, Jesus responds by telling her, "the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father" (Jn. 4:21). In other words, the previously assigned locations for worship will soon be superseded by a better way for those who worship the Father. Then, Jesus speaks of the nature of divine revelation in the two people groups: the Samaritans only believed that the first five books of the Old Testament (aka the Pentateuch - Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy) were divinely-inspired Scripture, while the Jews held the entire Old Testament (the Tanakh) was divinely-inspired. In John 4:22 Jesus tells the woman that the Samaritans worship what they "do not know" (i.e. they are "outside the stream of God's revelation" [D.A. Carson - The Pillar New Testament Commentary on John, 223]). Inversely, He tells her that the Jews worship what they know, "for salvation is from the Jews" (Jn. 4:22). He is saying here that Jews know the person and work of God because they have believe all of God's revelation in Scripture, and know that the Messiah (thus, salvation) will come from the Jewish line and according to the prophecy of the entire Old Testament.

The New And Living Way

Then, in John 4:23-24, Jesus once again shows how this way of worship is superseded by a better way. he says to her, "But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." What is Jesus saying here about worship? He is saying that a new era has dawned with His own coming. He is saying that "this worship can take place only in and through Him; He is the true temple" (Carson, 224) (remember Jn. 2:19-22). Jesus is the turning point between the old way and the new way. He is the cause and the means for true worship.

To worship "in spirit and truth" is not dependent on a location, but on a person, Jesus Christ. John 4:24 says that "God is spirit"--invisible, not limited to a specific place, divine, and somewhat unknowable "unless He chooses to reveal Himself" (Carson, 225)--and therefore He must be worshiped in a manner that goes beyond physical things and comes from the depths of one's being. Tied to this is the idea of worshiping in "truth." The idea of truth is connected to God's Self-Revelation and Self-Expression in Jesus. Jesus is the Truth. Jesus is the Word of God. Both of these ideas ("spirit" and "truth") share one preposition in the original Greek ("in"), and are inseparable. We cannot have one without the other. So it is that "unless they are born from above, unless they are born of the Spirit, they cannot see the kingdom of God, they cannot worship God truly" (Carson, 225).

The Bottom Line

"The worshipers whom God seeks worship Him out of the fullness of the supernatural life they enjoy ("in spirit"), and on the basis of God's incarnate Self-Expression, Christ Jesus Himself, through whom God's person and will are finally and ultimately disclosed ('in truth'); and these two characteristics form one matrix, indivisible" (Carson, 225-226). True worship of God is only made possible by the person and work of Jesus Christ, the "Truth" who reveals to us who God (being "spirit") truly is. True worship encompasses all of who we are as His people, redeemed and born-again because of His death and resurrection.

May we worship the Father in spirit and truth each and every day from here to eternity!

In the Son,

Bill Horn
FBC Worship & Arts Pastor

Over this past week, we read through the first chapter of the Gospel of John. As Joe said this weekend, John's Gospel starts out in a different way when compared with the other three Gospels (aka the "synoptic gospels"). He describes who Jesus is and what His incarnation accomplished. Here's a list of some of what we can learn about Jesus from John 1:

• Jesus (the Word) was in the beginning with God (1:1, 2).
• Jesus (the Word) is God (1:1).
• Everything was made through Jesus, and without Him, nothing was made that was made (1:3).
• Jesus' light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it (1:5).
• All who receive Jesus have been given the right to become children of God (1:12).
• The Word, Jesus, became flesh and dwelt among mankind (1:14).
• Jesus, in the flesh, reveals the glory of God (1:14).
• Grace and truth come through Jesus (1:17).
• While no one has ever seen God, He has been made known through Jesus (1:18).
• Jesus is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (1:29).
• Jesus is the Son of God (1:34).
• Jesus is the Christ (literally, "the Anointed One," or "Messiah") (1:41).
• Jesus is the one about whom Moses and the prophets wrote and prophesied (1:45).

This chapter is packed with powerful truth about the person and the work of Jesus. As we continue through John's Gospel, we will see these descriptions and titles developed as Jesus begins His ministry to mankind, and His journey to the cross for our redemption.

In the Son,

Bill Horn
FBC Worship Arts Pastor

With all Biblical prophecy, it is important to remember that there was both an immediate fulfillment (one which could be seen by the initial hearers to determine whether the prophecy was valid or not), as well as a future fulfillment, which neither the prophet or the initial hearers would see fulfilled in their lifetime. The Bible has serious words for anyone who would be considered a prophet:

"But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die. And if you say in your heart, 'How may we know the word that the Lord has not spoken?'--when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him" (Dt. 18:20-22 ESV).

"And if anyone again prophesies, his father an mother who bore him will say to him, 'You shall not live, for you speak lies in the name of the Lord.' And his father and mother who bore him shall pierce him through when he prophesies" (Zech. 13:3 ESV).

From these passages (along with many others in the Bible), we can see two things: 1) God gave people a way to know if someone was a true prophet--seeing if what they said came to pass, and 2) God takes the matter of people speaking in His name very seriously, with false prophets being sentenced to death.

In the case of John, the same criteria applied. Many of John's prophecies in Revelation may have seen their immediate fulfillment in Rome and the evil that came from that empire. However, there is a bigger picture here that allows us to see into the spiritual realm of principalities and powers, and unveils some of the story of the end of this world as we know it. Indeed, the Greek name of the book of Revelation, Apocalypsis, describes it well: it means "a lifting of the veil."

It is a beautiful thing to discuss the prophecies in this book, and to try and envision the return of Christ. If we're not careful, we can go too far, and that's not what anyone wants. My encouragement to you is use grace, humility, and love in your interpretation of prophecy. The Word of God is true, and will be proven so in the end. Our individual interpretations are probably going to be wrong in some areas. Speculation will definitely get us into trouble. Ultimately, may we all say together as the body of Christ, "Lord, come quickly!"

In the Son,

Bill Horn
FBC Worship & Arts Pastor

This week in our L3 journal, we have begun reading John's book of Revelation. He begins by describing the context in which the subject matter of the letter was given to him, and then jumps right into the words that Jesus had for seven churches in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). You can see the location of these churches next to the bluish dots in the image above. Some receive praise, while others receive a rebuke for straying from the path. One of these letters is to the church at Laodicea (Rev. 3:14-22). This one in particular is often misunderstood, so we will deal with it here.

The city of Laodicea was situated on the bank of the Lycus River and on two major Roman roads. One of these roads Went from northwest to southeast through Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Colossae. The other went from west to east through Ephesus and Miletus and to the rest of Asia. Because of its location, Laodicea became a key city for trade and industry, and it became extremely prosperous as a result. The city was also a banking center, one that Cicero recommended to others in his writings. For income, Laodicea offered a rare, glossy black wool; it had developed a special eye salve. It was the wealthiest city of the seven mentioned in this section of Revelation. The city was so wealthy that when a devastating earthquake struck in 60 AD, they refused the help of the Roman government and rebuilt it with their own resources to maintain their independence.

(Google image of Laodicea's mound, with most of the ruins buried beneath the surface)

Neither Cold Nor Hot- Jesus' first and major judgment against the church at Laodicea is that they are neither cold nor hot. Jesus says to them, "Would that you were either cold or hot! So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth." These two verses have probably been misused or abused as much as any other in the Bible. The usual understanding that people have is that "hot" means near to God or "on fire for God, that "cold" means far from God, and that "lukewarm" means somewhere in between.

My question is this - why would God want anyone to be far from Him rather than somewhere in between? This understanding does not stand up to scrutiny. For the proper understanding, we must look to the geography of Laodicea. The city was located between Hieropolis and Colossae. Hieropolis had hot springs and Colossae had cold springs, but Laodicea had neither. They had to pipe in their water via aqueduct in order to have cold or hot water. However, by the time it made the long journey from either city to Laodicea, it had become tepid. 

Have you ever drank lukewarm water? It never feels right. If you're not a water drinker, imagine drinking lukewarm coffee or Mountain Dew. It's just plain gross. What do you feel like doing when that hits your mouth, when you were expecting something cold or hot? That's right - you want to spit it out! This was an image that the church at Laodicea would understand from experience. The water they got from Hieropolis and Colossae was never what it was intended to be. It didn't live up to the billing. It wasn't what it was expected to be. So it was with the church at Laodicea. They were not following God's will. They were not what they were intended to be. Rather, they became complacent. This is what the image conveys to us today. When we get complacent, satisfied, and independent, we are not longer living the life that Jesus has called us to, and that is an unpleasant taste in the Lord's mouth--so much so that it is nauseating.

Complacency - Jesus explains how they have come to this complacency: "For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked." Because of the wealth they experienced living in Laodicea, they stopped depending on God and felt that they had all they needed on their own. Notice how the descriptors Jesus uses answer to each of the supposed strengths of their city - wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. However, Jesus offers His own heavenly resources in place of what they thought they had, saying, "I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see." Essentially, what Jesus is saying is this: "You think you have all these things, but what you have in this world is temporal and meaningless. Come to me for the things that will truly last - eternal treasure in heaven, cleansing through Christ that makes you righteousness before God, and correct sight to see the things that really matter and to be generous (see Mt. 6:22-23; having a "good" eye in Hebrew thought was being a generous person and a right perspective of material possessions)."

Knocking at the door - Jesus tells the church at Laodicea that He is standing at the door and knocking. This verse is often used (I think incorrectly) to refer to evangelism and someone believing for the first time. In this context, however, it is referring to believers whom Jesus is disciplining and calling to repent from their errant ways. When we stray from God's best, He disciplines us. He calls us back. He loves us and won't rest until we live up to the potential He sees in His children.

The takeaway - May we never become complacent in our lives, thinking we have everything we need on our own and that we can be completely independent. We will never cease to need Jesus. We are hopeless without Him and without His help. We have nothing of any eternal significance or consequence apart from Him. He is everything, and we should desire Him and His resources more than the things of this world. May we never lose sight of this truth. May we be the people God desires us to be in Christ, living according to His perfect will.

In the Son,

Bill Horn
FBC Worship & Arts Pastor

Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. And they stripped him and puta scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.
As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross. And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots. Then they sat down and kept watch over him there. And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left. And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way. (Mt. 27:27-44 ESV)

The phrase that I highlighted here is what sticks out to me most from this passage today, and this is why: what the chief priests, scribes, and elders were saying in their mocking of Jesus was more true than they knew. Jesus could not both save us and save himself at the same time. In order for any of us to be rescued from our sin and from death, Jesus had to die. There was no other way for us to be rescued. The penalty for our sin could only be removed by the death of the perfect Man (aka "The Spotless Lamb"). Any other sacrifice would have been insufficient. God's righteous wrath against sin was poured out completely on Jesus in our place. He was condemned for our sin, despite His perfect innocence. If He came down from that cross and saved Himself the suffering, He could not have saved us. He stayed on the cross because of His great love for us, and His perfect obedience to the Father. This was the only way, and He would see it through, so that we could be redeemed.

When we choose to place our faith and trust in Jesus' finished work on the cross, where He took the penalty for our sin, we receive His gift of salvation. We can either choose to depend on our own goodness to attempt to earn heaven, but in so doing we also choose to bear the wrath for sin on our own. Or we can trust that Jesus paid it all, recognizing that we have nothing to offer God, and are completely dependent on His gracious gift of salvation through the cross. Truly, "there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).

Praise the mighty name of Jesus Christ, because He endured the cross and the wrath for sin in our place, and did not save Himself. May we each examine ourselves and know how truly desperate we were/are for His saving work on the cross. There was no other way for us to be saved. "He saved others; he cannot save himself."

In the Son,

Bill Horn
FBC Worship & Arts Pastor

In the Son,

Bill Horn
FBC Worship & Arts Pastor

1. The virgin birth - Isaiah 7:14/Matthew 1:23 - "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel."

2. Jesus' birthplace - Micah 5:2/Matthew 2:6 - "And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel."

3. Jesus' escape to and return from Egypt - Hosea 11:1/Matthew 2:15 - "Out of Egypt I called my son."

4. The slaughter of innocent children - Jeremiah 31:15/Matthew 2:18 - "A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more."

5. About the ministry of His cousin John - Isaiah 40:3/Matthew 3:3 - "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight."

6. Jesus' eventual hometown of Capernaum, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali - Isaiah 9:1, 2/Matthew 4:15 - "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles-- the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned."

7. Jesus' quiet ministry, telling the recipients of healing not to tell about Him - Isaiah 42:1-3/Matthew 12:18-21 - "Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. He will not quarrel or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets; a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory; and in his name the Gentiles will hope."

8. Jesus' listeners' lack of understanding of his message - Isaiah 6:9-10/Matthew 13:14-15 - "You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive. For this people's heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them."

9. Jesus' teaching in parables - Psalm 78:2/Matthew 13:35 - "I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world."

Isaiah was written around 700 years before Jesus was born. Jeremiah prophesied more than 580 years before Jesus' birth. Hosea died around 725 years before Jesus was born. Micah wrote around 700 years before Christ. 

Peter W. Stoner and Robert C. Newman wrote a book entitled Science Speaks. The book was based on the science of probability, and examined the odds of any one man in all of history fulfilling even only eight of the 60 major prophecies fulfilled by the life of Christ.

The probability that Jesus of Nazareth could have fulfilled even eight such prophecies would be only 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000.

Stoner claims that that many silver dollars would be enough to cover the face of the entire state of Texas two feet deep. With these odds, it would mean that a blindfolded man, heading out of Dallas by foot in any direction, would be able, on his very first attempt, to pick up one specifically marked silver dollar out of 100,000,000,000,000,000!

God used these prophets to tell of the coming Messiah, and their accuracy is nothing short of supernatural. They could not have done this in their own power or knowledge. It had to be the work of God, revealing Himself and His plans to these men. As we continue to read through Matthew, we will see more proofs that Jesus is the true Messiah. May these prophecies only serve to confirm for us that Jesus is truly the Messiah, and He is the only one worthy of our worship and faith.

In the Son,

Bill Horn
FBC Worship & Arts Pastor

A Greater Prophet
In Deuteronomy 18:15-19, as Moses is recounting the law for the Hebrew people, he tells of a greater prophet that would come after him. This prophet would be greater because the people would actually listen to him, and for anyone who did not listen, God would have stiff consequences.

"The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers--it is to him you shall listen--just as you desired of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, 'Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.' And the Lord said to me, 'They are right in what they have spoken. I will raise pu for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him.'"

Making the Connection
In the first five chapters of this gospel, Matthew goes to great lengths to show the similarities between Moses and Jesus. While Moses delivered the first Law, Jesus brought the New Law--the Law that would be written on the hearts of believers. Here are a few of the connections that Matthew makes:

• Both were descendants of Abraham (and therefore Jews)
  • Moses was the son of Amram, son of Kohath, son of Levi, son of Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham (1 Chronicles 23)
  • Jesus genealogy in Matthew 1 shows that He is a descendant of David, Judah, Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham (see verses 1-6)
• Both fled their homeland
  • Exodus 2:11-15
  • Matthew 2:13
• A slaughter of innocent children surrounded their births
  • Exodus 1:16
  • Matthew 2:16
• Both came out of Egypt
  • Exodus 13:3
  • Matthew 2:15
• Both went through the water
  • Exodus 15 (the Red Sea crossing was considered a "baptism" in 1 Corinthians 10:2)
  • Matthew 3:13-17 (Jesus was baptized)
• Both went into the wilderness immediately after going through the water
  • Exodus 15 and following
  • Matthew 4 (Jesus' temptation in the wilderness)
• Both went "into" the mountain to deliver the Covenant Law
  • Exodus 19:3; 24:18 ("anebe eis to oros" in Greek)
  • Matthew 5:1 ("anebe eis to oros" in Greek)

Into the Mountain
This last point is possibly one of the most significant, because it directly equates the authority of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) to the authority of the prior Old Testament Law of Moses. This is something that is not readily apparent in the English translations, but it something that happens in the original languages. In Exodus 19:3 and 24:18, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the Septuagint, uses a curious directional preposition to describe how Moses went up the mountain. It says that "he went into the mountain" ("anebe eis to oros"). This phrasing is only used in the Old Testament when referring to Moses and his receiving of the Law from God. Here, in Matthew 5:1, Matthew writes that Jesus, "seeing the crowds, went into the mountain" ("anebe eis to oros"). This is the only place this peculiar phrasing is used, and it is used for a special purpose. Matthew is telling us and all of his Jewish readers that Jesus is the prophet that Moses spoke of in Deuteronomy 18. Jesus initiated the New Covenant, and the new "law" that is a part of that covenant. 

The New Law
This new law is the law of the heart, which is impossible for man to fulfill on his own. It can only be accomplished through the inner transformation that God works in us through His Spirit, as we are born again through faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Notice two statements in particular, Matthew 5:20 and 5:47-48, which bracket Jesus' discussion on the common perspective of the Old Testament Law as compared with His divine perspective on the Law.

Matthew 5:20 - "For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds (literally, "is more than") that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."

Matthew 5:47-48 - "And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

The scribes and Pharisees stuck to every single letter of the Law. They were so diligent, they even tithed from their spices. Jesus told His disciples that their righteousness must exceed perfection as measured by the letter of the Law. It must be more than that. It must be a righteousness that pervades our being, and that comes from the inside out--the kind of righteousness that comes from love rather than fear.

May we trust Jesus' word. May we hear Him and follow. May we pursue the righteousness that comes from love and not from fear. May our righteousness be more, not for our own sake, but to honor the One who loved us and gave Himself up for us.