Itself or Himself?
June 26, 2020 at 9:52 am | Posted in Uncategorized | 6 CommentsTags: Holy Spirit, intercession in prayer, intercessory prayer, personhood of the Holy Spirit, pneuma, pneumatology, Romans 8, the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit in prayer
Question: On the whiteboard left in our Sunday School classroom from children’s church someone had written out Romans 8:26, but over the word “itself” had written “Himself.” Does this mean that the Bible has the wrong word there?
Answer: Let me copy and paste the verse here, so we can see the context:
Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
Romans 8:26
The “itself” refers to the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is a Person (which we often call “Him”) as opposed to an object or thing (which we usually refer to as an “it”), so I’m guessing that a children’s church teacher was trying to make the point that the Holy Spirit is the third “Person” of the Trinity, and, as such, is a personal being, not a force or an inanimate substance. But I’m just guessing. I don’t know who wrote it or why.
As to your question, though, my understanding is that the Greek word for “Spirit” in Romans 8:26 is pnuema, which in the Greek is a “neuter” noun (as opposed to a “masculine” or “feminine” noun). The word translated as “itself” is autos, and it is there not to determine the gender or personhood of the Holy Spirit, but to emphasize that the VERY SPIRIT OF GOD!, as opposed to something lesser, intercedes for us with God the Father in prayer. Sort of the way we would say, “I know that Louisiana mosquitoes really CAN ruin a picnic – I have seen it ‘MYSELF‘ with my own eyes!” “Myself” in that statement is not necessary for the sentence to make sense, but it’s there for emphasis.
So, I don’t think the KJV translators were denying, or were mistaken, about the personhood of the Holy Spirit. I think they were just matching up a neuter emphasis word (“itself”) with a neuter noun (pnuema). Most of the other translations translate it “Himself,” and I can’t fault them for being theologically accurate, but neither can I fault the KJV translators for trying to be grammatically accurate.
For comparison, look at John 4:22. Jesus said to the woman at the well: “Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.” Jesus knew that the true God is a “Who” and not a “what,” but He used a figure of speech as if to say, “You worship a you-don’t-know-what. At least the Jews worship a they-DO-know-what.” The Holy Spirit probably had the Apostle Paul use a similar technique in writing Romans 8 just to anticipate or overcome the objection that other intercessors might be available for us in prayer, when we already have the greatest intercessor possible in the Holy Spirit.
That’s probably more information than you wanted, but the “TL/DR” version is: Yes, the Holy Spirit is a “He” and not an “it,” but, no, the KJV translation of Romans 8:26 is not wrong.
The Open Tomb, Eyes, Hearts, Minds, and Mouths
June 24, 2020 at 11:18 am | Posted in Biblical Eyesight, Luke | 4 CommentsTags: 1 Corinthians 15, 1 Peter 1, commentary on Luke, Luke 24, Resurrection, Resurrection of Jesus, Sunday School lessons on Luke, the empty tomb, the tomb of Jesus
Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
I Corinthians 15:12-19
If the tomb is not empty… if Christ is not alive today… if the Resurrection didn’t happen, we are of all men – all people – most miserable. But the tomb is empty. Christ Jesus lives today. He lives forever. The Resurrection is not a myth, a fable, a mere belief, or even a spiritual illustration. It is a TRUTH, a FACT. Have you ever suffered and longed to see mercy? To see grace? There would have been no Resurrection without the Crucifixion. Therefore, we are of all men – of all people – most joyful.
There is much to say about the power of the Resurrection, about the power and meaning of the empty tomb, but there is also much to learn about the OPENING of the tomb. First, the opening of the tomb opened the eyes of the disciples. In Luke 24 we see that even Jesus used the Word of God.
And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs.
Luke 24:13
And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
Luke 24:27
He taught about Himself. What a Sunday School class that must have been! Jesus showed how all the Scriptures applied to Him.
Once we see Him in the Word, we can feel Him in our hearts.
And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?
Luke 24:32
Then we can see Him in everyday things – even a common meal.
And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread.
Luke 24:35
First, the opening of the tomb opened the eyes of the disciples. Second, the opening of the tomb opened the minds of the disciples.
But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit.
Luke 24:37
They were terrified, even though He had spoken to them to calm their fears.
And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.
Luke 24:36
He showed them His hands and feet.
Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.
Luke 24:39
He ate physical food.
And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. And he took it, and did eat before them.
Luke 24:42-43
But they were not really assured until He opened the Scriptures.
Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
Luke 24:45-47
This gave them understanding of how His suffering and death were necessary for the promises to be fulfilled.
Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.
I Peter 1:10-12
First, the opening of the tomb opened the eyes of the disciples. Second, the opening of the tomb opened the minds of the disciples. Third, the opening of the tomb opened the mouths of the disciples.
And ye are witnesses of these things. And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.
Luke 24:48-49
Witnesses need power to be convincing. They are simply telling what happened, not really making an argument. So while we don’t witness FOR the Lord as much as His power witnesses THROUGH us, the motivation for our witnessing is HIM, as much as, or maybe even more so than, a loving desire to rescue lost sinners.
The Prayer for the Chosen
June 22, 2020 at 3:11 pm | Posted in Biblical prayer, John | 10 CommentsTags: Biblical prayers, chosen by God, commentary on John, High Priestly Prayer, John 17, knowing God, prayers of Jesus, Sunday School lessons on John, the Disciples, the Lord's prayer
The prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4 is commonly referred to as “The Lord’s Prayer,” but it is really a model prayer which Jesus taught to His disciples as an example of how THEY ought to pray. He would not have prayed this prayer for Himself. However, John Chapter 17 is a prayer that Jesus DID in fact pray for Himself and His disciples. As far back as the mid- to late-1500s this prayer (possibly given the name by theologian David Chytraeus) has been known as “The High Priestly Prayer.” If anyone asked me (and they haven’t!), I would call John 17 “The Lord’s Prayer,” and give the other one a different name. I hope that you appreicate the awesome privilege of being able to permissively eavesdrop on this amazing moment of loving intimacy, intercession, and insight between the eternal Son and the eternal Father.
John 17 is a chapter of the Bible which inspires special solemnity and humility and worship.
These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:
John 17:1
This possibly took place while Jesus and the Disciples were still in the upper room, or they might have already started making their way to the Garden of Gethsemane. The word “glory” or “glorified” is used eight times in the prayer, and five of them are in the first five verses. Was it egocentric for Jesus to ask God to glorify Him? No, the Father and Son share the glory that the Son receives in His Incarnation, His Crucifixion, His Resurrection, His Ascension, and His Exaltation.
As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.
John 17:2
In the opening verses He prayed for Himself. He spoke directly to the Father, but He spoke of Himself in the third person. This indicates that Jesus was praying personally, but still formally, and with an awareness that this was a semi-public prayer, and that the Disciples were listening and were supposed to be listening, and that this would become inspired Scripture – to be read by us even today.
And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
John 17:3-5
Here eternal life is defined as “knowing” God, so it can’t mean a mere intellectual grasp that the Biblical God is the correct God. It is a personal, intimate knowledge. Those who are in Christ, as shown in I Corinthians, are the “Knows,” and no one can really know God in a saving way without knowing Christ.
Jesus’s love for the Father is tied to His obedience, just as our love for Jesus is tied to our obedience.
The Word had been with God, and the Word had laid aside His glory (not His Deity).
He prayed in preparation for what He was about to go through, and He prayed (not selfishly) that God would glorify Him for the glory of the Father. He asked for the return of His preincarnate glory. Then He went on to pray for His Disciples – the capital D Disciples, the ones who were with Him at the time.
I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.
John 17:9-11
The “world” is another major concept in this prayer, along with “glory.” If you are a Christian you were “of the world” at one time. If you are not a Christian you are still “of the world.” If you are a Christian, even though you were “of the world” before trusting Jesus, you actually secretly belonged to God. He gave you to Jesus, and Jesus prayed for you in this prayer before you were ever born. In a very real sense you were chosen by Jesus, knowing that you already belonged to God, so that Jesus could present you back to God in Him, and He would be glorified for rescuing you from a system in which you had been captive. Yet you remain “in the world,” although you are no longer “of the world,” and Jesus has prayed for your protection, that you would be kept in God’s name, and we share in the love of the Father and the Son and in their eternal covenant, not as gods ourselves, but as redeemed children eternally united to God and Christ.
This was a prayer for the Disciples’ protection and their continuance in the faith, as well as for their sanctification.
I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
John 17:14-17
He ultimately prayed also for you and me – all future Christians.
Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
John 17:20-21
He prayed for our unity in the faith, and, coming back full circle to the idea of glory, that even we may be glorified with the Son and the Father.
And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.
John 17:22-26
Revolting Hearts
June 18, 2020 at 9:49 am | Posted in Jeremiah | 2 CommentsTags: Biblical freedom, Biblical yokes, commentary on Jeremiah, fear of the Lord, Jeremiah 5, rebellion, rebellious heart, revolt, Sunday School lessons on Jeremiah
I will get me unto the great men, and will speak unto them; for they have known the way of the Lord, and the judgment of their God: but these have altogether broken the yoke, and burst the bonds.
Jeremiah 5:5
If oxen are so stubborn, so rebellious, as to break out of their yoke, what sort of “freedom” will they find?
Wherefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them, and a wolf of the evenings shall spoil them, a leopard shall watch over their cities: every one that goeth out thence shall be torn in pieces: because their transgressions are many, and their backslidings are increased.
Jeremiah 5:6
It’s not a safe place out there for those who have “broken free” of God. Like a domesticated parakeet set free from its cage, we won’t survive on our own. Lions and wolves (both images for Satan and his followers), and leopards (a reference to our spotted sinful flesh) are just lying in wait to rip us to shreds.
Fear ye not me? saith the LORD: will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it: and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it?
Jeremiah 5:22
They were not afraid of the Lord, despite the fact that He is the One Who can order the chaos and destruction of nature and the elements.
But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone.
Jeremiah 5:23
We say that someone is “revolting” when they do something that shocks or sickens us, and I don’t think the pun is intended here, but in fact these people had revolting hearts in both senses of the word. They were rebelliously trying to get loose from their rightful authority, and were treasonously plotting and scheming to take over the throne for themselves with violence.
Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the LORD our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season: he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest.
Jeremiah 5:24
Note the blatant and callous ingratitude after all the Lord had done for them.
Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you.
Jeremiah 5:25
How many times have our own wickedness and our sins taken away the good things – the blessings – that God wants to give us?
Grace Negated by Anger?
June 15, 2020 at 10:19 am | Posted in Uncategorized | 2 CommentsTags: anger, Christian service, frustration, grace, grace and anger, ministry, sanctification
Question: Since, as a Christian, I am supposed to show grace to others, the best opportunities to do that, it seems, will happen when I encounter people who don’t “deserve” the kindness or love I am commanded to show them. If I am kind or loving to someone even though I don’t like them, or even if I feel anger toward them, does it even still count as “grace?”
Answer: Let me start by stating that I don’t believe the Bible teaches that ill will toward the people we choose to try to help negates the concept of grace, although unjust anger or hatred or even frustration toward a person, depending upon what is causing us to have those feelings, could be sins in and of themselves.
Certainly, being irritated by someone and choosing to help him or her could result in only one sin, whereas being irritated and refusing to help, out of spite, would be two sins instead of one, so there is at least a measure of grace involved any time we show undeserved kindness to someone else.
If I am angry at someone because they have personally offended me by intruding on my personal sensibilities or selfishness, that is sinful in and of itself. However, there are times when our feelings of frustration and anger are justified and not sinful, but to withhold kindness or love would be the sin. The Bible acknowledges our anger, but admonishes us not to let it cause us to sin (Ephesians 4:26). We also see Jesus (Mark 8:12-18) expressing something akin to frustration (maybe “holy grief” would be a better term for it), and we know He never sinned in thought, word, or deed (John 8:29; Hebrews 4:15).
Our sanctification (becoming like Jesus) is a lifelong process, and it may be that the ability to control our attitudes toward people who make us mad or frustrated is further down the road than we would like, at a stage of our sanctification that we haven’t yet reached. However, don’t exacerbate your tendency to let your emotions get the best of you by refusing to show the love of Christ to the people who seem the hardest to love.
A Secret at Supper
June 12, 2020 at 1:32 pm | Posted in John | 6 CommentsTags: commentary on John, John 13, Judas, Judas Iscariot, Sunday School lessons on John, the betrayal of Jesus, The Last Supper
When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake.
John 13:21-22
The Disciples honestly didn’t know who Jesus meant, and to their credit they were probably not only troubled by the presence of a traitor in their midst, but by the very real possibility that “could it be ME?!” We should not ever boast of our own valour in never betraying Jesus. Few of us have faced much harsh persecution or the confusion and threat of danger that fell upon those who publicly followed Jesus.
Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved.
John 13:23
This is an odd scene to us. The Jewish custom at that time was to sit on chairs at a table to eat, but the ancient Greek and Roman custom was to recline on the floor, leaning on the left elbow and eating with the right hand, feet extended out to the side and away from the table, placing those gathered for the meal in very close proximity. Also, we must keep in mind that the taboo about men expressing pure non-sinful friendship through physical touch going beyond handshakes, high fives, back slaps, and brief hugs is fairly recent, so nothing strange should be read into the fact that John (most likely the Disciple “whom Jesus loved”) leaned his head back against Jesus’s chest to be in a whispering position.
Simon Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he should ask who it should be of whom he spake.
John 13:24
Peter didn’t like the not knowing (which may be part of the rationale behind Da Vinci’s decision to paint him holding a dagger in his painting of this scene in “The Last Supper”), and prompted John to ask Jesus who it was.
He then lying on Jesus’ breast saith unto him, Lord, who is it?
John 13:25
This, as I said, was obviously whispered or at least spoken sotto voce:
Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.
John 13:26
He may have meant a piece of bread dipped in wine or olive oil, or a morsel of meat from a common platter or bowl. The emphasis is not on the culinary details, but on Judas. Perhaps it was a last opportunity for Judas to repent and ask forgiveness, but, if so, it was rejected, and Judas willingly turned the reins of his will completely over to Satan, which means that Jesus addressed Satan directly, although no one else realized it at the time.
And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly. Now no man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him. For some of them thought, because Judas had the bag, that Jesus had said unto him, Buy those things that we have need of against the feast; or, that he should give something to the poor. He then having received the sop went immediately out: and it was night.
John 13:27-30
The refernce to the night is both literal as to the chronology, and figurative as to the hour of the power of darkness.
The Resurrection and its Credibility, Confidence, Comfort, and Conquest
June 10, 2020 at 3:35 pm | Posted in Biblical comfort, Luke | 9 CommentsTags: Acts 13, Colossians 2, commentary on Luke, John 14, Luke 18, Luke 24, Resurrection of Christ, Resurrection of Jesus, Sunday School lessons on Luke
Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. And they remembered his words,
Luke 24:1-8
The Resurrection is one of the most significant doctrines of the Christian faith. It is absolutely essential. The doctrine of the Resurrection provides:
1. Credibility
Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again. And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.
Luke 18:31-34
Also, Jesus had said He would rebuild “this” temple in three days. The veracity of the Lord Jesus was at stake. Because He rose from death and lives we can believe everything He said.
2. Confidence
Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent. For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him. And though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain. And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre. But God raised him from the dead: And he was seen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto the people. And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David. Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption: But he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption. Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.
Acts 13:26-39
If Jesus could defeat death – if He could fulfill perfectly the prophecies made thousands of years before His death – He can forgive sins and even do what the Old Testament Law could not: He can JUSTIFY sinners.
3. Comfort
Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
John 14:1-3
Jesus died and and His body went into the grave, and then He came back. Death is the “last enemy,” but we are victorious over it in Jesus. No other belief system has a resurrected God.
4. Conquest
And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
Colossians 2:10-15
The Resurrection is the complete and utter triumph of Christ over all our enemies, and it is the complete and utter exposure of Satan and his minions for the imposters that they are. Jesus takes all spoils from Satan and shares them with His people. We are raised with Christ; we need to live like reigning victors, with the joy of new life now. Eternal life begins at salvation, not at death.
Heart Conditions: Cut and Clean, or Corrupted and Conquered
June 8, 2020 at 1:01 pm | Posted in Jeremiah | 3 CommentsTags: circumcised in heart, clean heart, commentary on Jeremiah, Ephesians 5, heart problems, Jeremiah 4, Josiah, Sunday School lessons on Jeremiah
Jeremiah 4 deals with the question of what we would expect to see in the lives of people who are truly repentant. Jeremiah attacked their hearts and he got extreme about it.
Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.
Jeremiah 4:4
These were men who were all circumcised outwardly, but God told them to go deeper. Don’t just do the external. Make the external symbolic of the internal reality. Cut your heart away from its own excess. Cut your heart off from outside sinful, worldly influences, and separate yourself unto the Lord. The way to escape real wrath is to acknowledge and separate from real evil – the evil of your “doings.” God is not fooled by our “sayings.” Unless we have a cut heart, we will wind up with a conquered heart.
For the people of Judah, they would be literally conquered by their enemies. For you and I, we will be conquered by whatever we love more than God. Our idols may be vanity when it comes to real deliverance, but they can really turn on us viciously once we have totally given ourselves over to them.
And it shall come to pass at that day, saith the LORD, that the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes; and the priests shall be astonished, and the prophets shall wonder.
Jeremiah 4:9
A heart conquered by God will be set free to flourish and will be given new life. A heart conquered by vanity shall perish: a cut heart or a conquered heart.
The other expectation of someone who is truly repentant is a desire to have a clean heart.
O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?
Jeremiah 4:14
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
Ephesians 5:25-26
The Word of God is a cleansing agent for the heart. Josiah had found the scroll of the Law of God in the Temple, and had instituted some reforms, but, as we’ve seen, outward reforms can sometimes mask inward hypocrisy. It’s good to read the Word of God. It’s better to memorize it. It’s even better to study it. But it has to get past the ears and the surface of the brain, and down into the heart where the real scrubbing needs to occur. Our hearts are not just a little dusty. They are inwardly filthy – apart from Christ.
As keepers of a field, are they against her round about; because she hath been rebellious against me, saith the LORD.
Jeremiah 4:17
The people had rebelled against God – very intentionally, and very personally.
Thy way and thy doings have procured these things unto thee; this is thy wickedness, because it is bitter, because it reacheth unto thine heart.
Jeremiah 4:18
They had done this to themselves. It was wickedness. And it had corrupted their hearts.
My bowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very heart; my heart maketh a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war.
Jeremiah 4:19
Sin is not going to be painless. It can hurt us in the conviction, or it can hurt us in the consequences. Jeremiah himself, in a foreshadowing of Christ, felt empathetically the pain which the figuratively corrupt heart inflicts on the literal heart. His internal organs hurt. His heart actually hurt. What kind of noise does a heart make? Thumping! The end was not just near, it was here. Will we have cut hearts? It might hurt, but not as much as a conquered heart. Will we have cleansed hearts? Again, it might hurt, but not as much as the attack, pain, and failure of a corrupted heart.
Repentance Through Divorce?
June 5, 2020 at 9:41 am | Posted in Uncategorized | 3 CommentsTags: Biblical marriage, divorce, forgiven sins, Matthew 19, remarriage
Question: I believe divorce and subsequent remarriage to another woman are sins, based on Matthew 19:9, but let’s say a man divorces and remarries another woman. Does that mean the only way to repent of the sin of divorce and remarriage is to now divorce his second wife?
Answer: I have heard some people teach that, but I do not believe it is correct according to the Bible. Although the act of remarrying in the situation you are describing would be sinful, so, too, would the act of committing a second divorce. There is support for this idea in Deuteronomy 24:1-4. If the man in your scenario is a Christian, he must confess the sins of divorce and remarriage, but he will receive forgiveness (I John 1:9). There will very likely be consequences and chastening for these forgiven sins, but he should repent by keeping the vows of his second marriage and loving and serving his second wife the way he should have done with his first wife.
The Deep End 
Jeremiah: A Prophetic Heart Attack
June 29, 2020 at 4:03 pm | Posted in Jeremiah | 7 CommentsTags: Biblical hearts, Book of Jeremiah, brokenheartedness, commentary on Jeremiah, heart attack, Jeremiah, Sunday School lessons on Jeremiah, the human heart, the prophet Jeremiah
Bible scholars and preachers often point to Jeremiah as an example of someone who didn’t see a great deal of earthly “results” in his ministry. By some calculations, despite preaching for over 40 years, we are hard-pressed to find even a single person converted in direct response to his ministry. Yet he remained faithful, laboring out of love, fear, and obedience to his mighty God to call God’s people to repentance, all the while going deeper than mere surface renovation, seeking rather to attack their sinful hearts.
Although there are many things we can and should emulate from Jeremiah’s life and calling, one thing that I would like to especially emphasize was his refusal to gin up some gimmicky solutions. Jeremiah was no shallow pragmatist. He wanted real transformation and revival, but he knew that the raw unadulterated power of God was the only real hope for that transformation. Perhaps this study of the Book of Jeremiah will help you make and keep a commitment to stay faithful and see what mighty things God will do in your life, your family’s life, the life of your fellow church members, and the even the lives of the people you know whose hearts seem so far from God.
The theme of the “heart” is prevalent in Jeremiah. Here are some examples:
I. Evil hearts (3:17): Very early in the Book of Jeremiah, the prophet, who felt as if he was HAVING a heart attack when God called him from the priesthood to the office of prophet, was used by God to attack the hearts of God’s people, and he did not pull any punches, but he ministered the cure as well as the diagnosis. God (and only God) can change an evil heart.
II. Unclean hearts and heart pains (4:14-19): When the hearts of God’s people get dirty, it should cause pain in their hearts – the pain of grief and of fear.
III. Rebellious hearts (5:23-24): The attack was not an unprovoked attack. Those with rebellious hearts are rebelling against their rightful king.
IV. Faint-hearted (8:18): We will not find the cure for our sorrowing hearts within our hearts themselves.
V. Imaginative hearts (9:14): Our hearts are very creative and imaginative. However, what they create and imagine are idols.
VI. Reined hearts (11:20): What is in our hearts controls the direction of our lives. We should want God to hold those reins. Like a spooked stallion, we will gallop into destruction if we are given control over our own reins.
VII. Deceived hearts (14:14): False teachers are deceivers, and are often themselves deceived. Our hearts have a weak spot for deceptive messages that appeal to our comfort or prosperity.
VIII. Joyful hearts (15:16): Lies might make us temporarily happy, but only God’s Word brings real (and contagious) rejoicing into our hearts.
IX. Departing hearts (17:5): There is a curse imbedded in departing from the Lord. First, we trust someone other than God. Then, we feel strong in and of ourselves. Finally, before we realize, our heart is far away from its true King.
X. Wicked, deceitful, and unknown hearts (17:9): This is one of the keys to understanding the ministry of Jeremiah, and the Book of Jeremiah as a whole. It is a stinging rebuke to the “follow your heart,” “trust your heart,” and “listen to your heart” movements. It leaves no wiggle room (“ALL THINGS”) for self-justification.
XI. Burning hearts (20:9): No pep talk, promise of rewards, shaming tactic, or 12-step program will motivate you to speak passionately about the Lord, but getting His Word down into your heart will overcome all embarrassment, shame, shyness, and fear, and make it impossible for you to keep silent about our wonderful Savior.
XII. Covetous hearts (22:17): If we do not heed the warning of “be careful little eyes what you see,” we will have a problem with “be careful little heart what you love.”
XIII. Broken hearts (23:9): A broken heart is not pleasant, but it is necessary. When we see the real Words of God held up against the lies we have believed, it should break our hearts.
XIV. Whole hearts (24:7): True repentance and true restoration and true revival come about when we turn away from idols and sin, and turn TO God with our WHOLE hearts.
XV. Searching hearts (29:13): Looking for God half-heartedly is only pretending to look for God. Unrepentant sinners can’t find God for the same reason bank robbers can’t find the cops.
XVI. Unified hearts (32:39-41): Divided hearts will be made into one heart. Man-fearing and circumstances-fearing hearts will be made into made God-fearing hearts. Unified God-fearing hearts get the blessing of seeing God rejoice in His own heart.
XVII. Haughty hearts (48:29): Haughtiness is trying to look big for others; it is a species of pride.
XVIII. Proud hearts (49:16): This is the kind of pride that not only attempts to impress others, but deceives the proud person himself.
Here are the links to the lessons on Jeremiah:
1. Open Up and Say “Ah” (1:1-6)
2. Throw Down (1:4-10)
3. God’s Sugar-Free Calling (1:5-10)
4. Blooming and Boiling (1:11-14)
5. Loud and Clear (1:17-2:5)
6. Don’t Baal on God (2:5)
7. The Last but Not the Least – Part 1 (2:5)
8. Idolaters in Heat (2:13-24)
9. Won’t Hold Water (2:13)
10. How Could We Forget? (2:31-32)
11. Forget-Me-Nots (2:32)
12. Turning, Not Burning (3:1-11)
13. The Only Cure for Evil Hearts (3:14-23)
14. Heart Conditions: Cut and Clean, or Corrupted and Conquered (4)
15. Beware the Freedom of the Foremost (5:3-5)
16. Revolting Hearts (5:5-25)
17. A Wonderful and Horrible Thing (5:15-29)
18. Designer Disaster and Divine Destruction (6:1-5)
19. Gleaned Grapes and Scrapped Silver (6:9-30)
20. A Pre-Church Sermon (7)
21. Abortion: The Torture and Murder of God’s Children (7:31-32)
22. Jeremiah and the Blackhearts (8)
23. Imaginations of the Heart (9)
24. Why I’m Not Proud to be an American (9:23-24)
25. Christmas Trees in the Bible? (10:1-6)
26. Idolatry and Sarcasm (10:2-9)
27. Obedience Matters (10:6-10)
28. The Insidiousness of Idolatry (11:1-10)
29. Jeremiah (and God) Contra Mundum (11:11-20)
30. Pulling on the Reins (12)
31. The Dirty Girdle (13)
32. Light Measures Time (13:15-16)
33. Lift up Your Eyes (13:20)
34. A Leopard Can’t Change His Spots (13:23)*
35. When God’s Patience Dries Up (14)
36. When Things Get Real (15)
37. Going Mad vs. Getting Mad (15)
38. For What Are You Hungry? (15:16)
39. Walking the Wrong Way (15-16)
40. The Heart of the Problem Is the Problem of the Heart (16:2-17:11)
41. Not What We Deserve (16:17-18)
42. The Lord’s Day (17:27)
43. Depraved Clay (18:1-4)
44. Pottery and Prayer Time (18:6-21)
45. That Ringing in Your Ears (19:1-5)
46. Experiencing, and Overcoming, Emotions in Ministry (19-20)
47. Surrender or Die (21)
48. The Lord Our Righteousness (22:11-23:6)
49. The Danger of Presuming to Speak for God (23:30-34)
50. Very Naughty Figs (24:1-7)
51. RIsing Early (25:3-15)
52. The Prophet’s Reprieve (26)
53. The Yoke’s on You! (27)
54. The Woke Bloke Who Broke the Yoke (28)
55. Don’t be Duped or Deceived by the Diviners and Dreamers (29)
56. The Days Will Come (30)
57. The Addict (His Characteristics) (30:15-17)
58. Reunion, Restoration, Regeneration, Reconciliation, and Rejoicing (31)
59. Sovereign Realty (32)
60. Answering the Call (33)
61. Fake Loyalty vs. Real Loyalty (34-35)
62. Going Under the Knife (36)
63. The Fireproof Truth (36-37)
64. Stuck in the Mud (38)
65. A Final and Unforgettable Sight (39:4-8)
66. Dissembling Hearts (40-42)
67. Idolatrous Wife, Unhappy Life (43-44)
68. God Hurts Those Who Help Themselves (45-49)
69. The Last but Not the Least – Part 3 (46:20-21)
70. Camels as Booty (49:32)
71. A Reminder of Recompense (50-51)
72. The Consequences of Evil (52)
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