M
MrVersatile48
Guest
From http://www.crosswalk.com
Live It!
Today's best advice for practical Christian living
http://www.Crosswalk.com
How to Respond to Horrifying Sayings of Jesus
John Piper
Desiring God Ministries
One of the things I am doing at this point in my sabbatical here in
Cambridge, England, is reading through the four Gospels and collecting all
the explicit and implicit commands of Jesus into various categories. I am
driven in this endeavor by Matthew 28:18-20. Jesus said, "All authority in
heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and . . . [teach all
the nations] to observe all that I have commanded you." So it is important
that we are able to do that. We should teach and obey "all that he
commanded us" because he has "all authority" in the universe. No one else
has the right, the wisdom, or the love to tell us how to live. Only Jesus
has that authority.
But when you read through the Gospels you find some horrifying things. If
you don't feel them as horrifying, you are not awake. I think they are
calculated to wake us up from our domestication of Christ and his book.
This one grabbed me because it relates directly to the issue of Jesus'
authority. At the beginning of the parable of the ten minas (or ten pounds)
in Luke 19:14, Jesus describes the citizens' relationship to the nobleman
like this: "His citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying,
'We do not want this man to reign over us.'"
Then at the end of the parable Jesus says in Luke 19:27, "As for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me."
This is horrifying. Jesus says that people who do not want his absolute
authority over them will be slaughtered before his eyes. What should our
hearts and minds do with this kind of talk in the mouth and heart of our
Lord?
1) First, we see what is really there: horrific language about the
condition and the destiny of certain people. They are enemies. They do not
want Jesus' authority over their lives. They will be slaughtered. Jesus
will not have it done in a private place but before his eyes.
2) We bow before the judgment of the Lord and reckon his way to be wise and
just and even loving for those who tremble at his word and repent.
3) We shudder at the terrible future that awaits so many people.
4) We are made to ponder what a moral and spiritual outrage rebellion
against Jesus is -- otherwise being slaughtered for it would be an unjust
overreaction.
5) We feel vulnerable knowing the remnants of rebellion in our own hearts.
6) We fly from the wrath of the Lamb (Revelation 6:16) to the cross where
he has made an escape from his own wrath ("Jesus who delivers us from the
wrath to come," 1 Thessalonians 1:10).
7) We feel the stunning, humbling, incredible truth that our escape from
the torture that comes from Christ into the ecstasy that we will enjoy with
Christ is by grace alone and not because of our righteousness (as Jesus
said, "When you have done all that is commanded you, say, 'We are unworthy
servants; we have only done what was our duty,'" Luke 17:10).
8) We feel pricked in conscience that there is too often a self-righteous
contempt for rebellious people that rises in our hearts -- and we add that
sin to all the rest that make us good candidates to be slaughtered along
with the rebellious.
9) We repent of our own rebellion and its many subtle forms, and find, by
grace, a love for rebellious people rising in our hearts so that, unlike
the elder brother in the parable of the Prodigal Son, it would really be
our joy if one of these rebels against the authority of Jesus would be
saved and join the celebration of grace--like Saddam Hussein, for example.
10) We are moved, in all our imperfections, as forgiven sinners, to move
into the lives of rebels and warn them of their condition, and commend the
work of Christ to them, and endure their derision, if by any means we might
save some.
This is not simple, and it is not easy. And I don't claim to do it well.
But it is how I endeavor to respond to horrific things in the Bible.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
John Piper has been the Pastor for Preaching at Bethlehem Baptist Church in
Minneapolis, Minnesota, since 1980. He has authored numerous best-selling
books, including The Passion of Jesus Christ, Don't Waste Your Life and
Desiring God. You will find 25 years of online sermons, articles and other
God-centered resources from the ministry of John Piper at
http://www.desiringgod.org. He also has a daily radio program, called "Desiring
God," which can be accessed online at http://www.desiringGod.org/radio.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'd say look at the potter's house in Jeremiah 18
The clay can't judge the Potter
But the Potter must judge the clay
1 Corinthians 1:18-27 enlighten us that man's supposed strength & wisdom are utterly eclipsed by God's
In other words, the 'Enlightenment', by putting folks' faith in human pontification, was really the endarkenment, as in Romans 1:18-32 clear downward spiral to decadence, in rejecting the Sovereignty of God over all creation & every area of life
U ain't a fraction clever enough to fool God
& you ain't a fraction strong enough to defeat Him
Armageddon will graphically prove - Joel 3, Zechariah 14 & Revelation 16-19 etc
'NOW is the acceptable time: behold NOW is the day of salvation'
Son, the instant airlift Rapture rescue of Matt 24:30-31 & 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11 will end the day of grace & salvation & begin the terrible day of wrath & judgment
Message ends
Can't preach after the Rapture
Won't be here to go thru the worst time on Earth
How @ you?
God bless all who hear & obey His Word!
Without delay
Pass it on!
Ian
Live It!
Today's best advice for practical Christian living
http://www.Crosswalk.com
How to Respond to Horrifying Sayings of Jesus
John Piper
Desiring God Ministries
One of the things I am doing at this point in my sabbatical here in
Cambridge, England, is reading through the four Gospels and collecting all
the explicit and implicit commands of Jesus into various categories. I am
driven in this endeavor by Matthew 28:18-20. Jesus said, "All authority in
heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and . . . [teach all
the nations] to observe all that I have commanded you." So it is important
that we are able to do that. We should teach and obey "all that he
commanded us" because he has "all authority" in the universe. No one else
has the right, the wisdom, or the love to tell us how to live. Only Jesus
has that authority.
But when you read through the Gospels you find some horrifying things. If
you don't feel them as horrifying, you are not awake. I think they are
calculated to wake us up from our domestication of Christ and his book.
This one grabbed me because it relates directly to the issue of Jesus'
authority. At the beginning of the parable of the ten minas (or ten pounds)
in Luke 19:14, Jesus describes the citizens' relationship to the nobleman
like this: "His citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying,
'We do not want this man to reign over us.'"
Then at the end of the parable Jesus says in Luke 19:27, "As for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me."
This is horrifying. Jesus says that people who do not want his absolute
authority over them will be slaughtered before his eyes. What should our
hearts and minds do with this kind of talk in the mouth and heart of our
Lord?
1) First, we see what is really there: horrific language about the
condition and the destiny of certain people. They are enemies. They do not
want Jesus' authority over their lives. They will be slaughtered. Jesus
will not have it done in a private place but before his eyes.
2) We bow before the judgment of the Lord and reckon his way to be wise and
just and even loving for those who tremble at his word and repent.
3) We shudder at the terrible future that awaits so many people.
4) We are made to ponder what a moral and spiritual outrage rebellion
against Jesus is -- otherwise being slaughtered for it would be an unjust
overreaction.
5) We feel vulnerable knowing the remnants of rebellion in our own hearts.
6) We fly from the wrath of the Lamb (Revelation 6:16) to the cross where
he has made an escape from his own wrath ("Jesus who delivers us from the
wrath to come," 1 Thessalonians 1:10).
7) We feel the stunning, humbling, incredible truth that our escape from
the torture that comes from Christ into the ecstasy that we will enjoy with
Christ is by grace alone and not because of our righteousness (as Jesus
said, "When you have done all that is commanded you, say, 'We are unworthy
servants; we have only done what was our duty,'" Luke 17:10).
8) We feel pricked in conscience that there is too often a self-righteous
contempt for rebellious people that rises in our hearts -- and we add that
sin to all the rest that make us good candidates to be slaughtered along
with the rebellious.
9) We repent of our own rebellion and its many subtle forms, and find, by
grace, a love for rebellious people rising in our hearts so that, unlike
the elder brother in the parable of the Prodigal Son, it would really be
our joy if one of these rebels against the authority of Jesus would be
saved and join the celebration of grace--like Saddam Hussein, for example.
10) We are moved, in all our imperfections, as forgiven sinners, to move
into the lives of rebels and warn them of their condition, and commend the
work of Christ to them, and endure their derision, if by any means we might
save some.
This is not simple, and it is not easy. And I don't claim to do it well.
But it is how I endeavor to respond to horrific things in the Bible.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
John Piper has been the Pastor for Preaching at Bethlehem Baptist Church in
Minneapolis, Minnesota, since 1980. He has authored numerous best-selling
books, including The Passion of Jesus Christ, Don't Waste Your Life and
Desiring God. You will find 25 years of online sermons, articles and other
God-centered resources from the ministry of John Piper at
http://www.desiringgod.org. He also has a daily radio program, called "Desiring
God," which can be accessed online at http://www.desiringGod.org/radio.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'd say look at the potter's house in Jeremiah 18
The clay can't judge the Potter
But the Potter must judge the clay
1 Corinthians 1:18-27 enlighten us that man's supposed strength & wisdom are utterly eclipsed by God's
In other words, the 'Enlightenment', by putting folks' faith in human pontification, was really the endarkenment, as in Romans 1:18-32 clear downward spiral to decadence, in rejecting the Sovereignty of God over all creation & every area of life
U ain't a fraction clever enough to fool God
& you ain't a fraction strong enough to defeat Him
Armageddon will graphically prove - Joel 3, Zechariah 14 & Revelation 16-19 etc
'NOW is the acceptable time: behold NOW is the day of salvation'
Son, the instant airlift Rapture rescue of Matt 24:30-31 & 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11 will end the day of grace & salvation & begin the terrible day of wrath & judgment
Message ends
Can't preach after the Rapture
Won't be here to go thru the worst time on Earth
How @ you?
God bless all who hear & obey His Word!
Without delay
Pass it on!
Ian