Jesus - Our Mediator

Monday, 26April2010, Hebrews 7 - 10: selected verses

"for one is God, one also is mediator of God and of men, the man Christ Jesus"
1 Timothy 2:5 YLT

At the end of my last post two months ago entitled, "Jesus, the Son of God", I have mentioned that our Lord has accomplished three things for us, namely,

1. He is the Model of our faith,
2. He is the Mediator of our salvation and
3. He is the Master of our obedience.

I had also explained briefly on the first point, that our Lord Jesus is the Model of our Faith, for our empowerment, our endurance and most of all for our emulation as we live as testimonies for Christ in this world.

Today, I'd like to continue with the second point, that our Lord Jesus is the Mediator of our salvation. I have surveyed chapters 7 through 10 of the epistle to the Hebrews and have come across the following descriptions of what our Lord Jesus, the Son of God, has done for us:

(1) He is our High Priest

A prophecy in Psalm 110:4 tells of YeHoVaH declaring to his anointed, Messiah,

"YeHoVaH has sworn and will not relent, You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek".

This prophecy is quoted at least three times, in Hebrews 5:6, 7:17 and again in 7:21.

In commenting on this verse, Hebrews 7:24,25 says that our Lord Jesus, the priest who lives forever, is able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through him. Note carefully in these verses, the reason why Jesus can do this is because he always lives to make intercession for them.

Further, in 7:28 the writer goes on to say that our Lord Jesus has been made perfect forever. This is followed subsequently in 8:1 which tells us that Jesus is a High Priest who is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

This helps us to understand more clearly why our Lord Jesus had said in John 14:6 that he is the way, the truth and the life, and that "no man comes to the Father except by me". Indeed, the whole purpose of our Lord Jesus, the sinless man, the only begotten Son of God, having to live as a servant, resisting temptation, to be tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin (Heb 4:15), to learn obedience in his sufferings (Heb 5:8), is to be made perfect by God, so that all men can come to God through him.

Having obeyed his Father completely, even to the point of death on the cross, he was raised from death by God and is given a place at the right hand of God forever - where he always lives to intercede for all those who come to God through him.

Behold our Lord Jesus: he is made perfect by God to be our High Priest, forever.

(2) He ministers in the True Temple

Hebrews 8:2 says that Jesus is a minister of the holy place in God's true temple. This is not any man-made temple on earth. Instead it is the temple of God which is put up by the Lord (i.e. YeHoVaH) and not by man. This reminds us of the words of the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 (Young's Literal Translation) where he says, " have ye not known that ye are a sanctuary of God, and the Spirit of God doth dwell in you? if any one the sanctuary of God doth waste, him shall God waste; for the sanctuary of God is holy, the which ye are".

Yes, indeed we, the body of Christ make up this temple of YeHoVaH, the true temple in which our Lord is the high priest who ministers in the holy place, the temple built by God and not by the hands of man.

Verse 6 goes on to elaborate on the ministry of our Lord Jesus in this true temple of God. It compares our Lord's ministry with that of the Levitical priests who serve under the Law of Moses. It points out to us that Jesus has obtained a more excellent ministry than those earthly priests. Furthermore, he is the mediator of a better covenant than the covenant under Moses.

Similarly if we turn to chapter 9 verse 15 we read that our Lord is the mediator of a "new covenant" by means of his death. This explains for us the mean of the words, "has obtained" mentioned earlier in Heb. 8:6, telling us that this excellent ministry of our High Priest, in the true temple of YeHoVaH is made possible only by our Lord's death on the cross. It was by means of his sacrificial death, a death from which YeHoVaH God raised him, and glorified him, that Jesus, our Messiah, becomes our Mediator of this more excellent ministry and this better covenant.

Indeed, our Messiah, has come as High Priest of the good things to come, with a greater and more perfect tabernacle - not made with hands, and not of this creation! (Heb. 9:11)

Behold, our Lord Jesus: by his death, he has obtained a more excellent ministry than the earthly Levitical priests. He ministers in the true temple of YeHoVaH.

(Posting resumed on: Sun. 15-5-2010)

(3) He Offered himself to God

Finally, Hebrews 9:14 tells us that our Lord Jesus offered himself as an unblemished sacrifice to God, through God's eternal Spirit. In doing so, his blood cleanses our conscience "from dead works" so that we may serve the living God. This further explains the assertion made two chapters earlier in Hebrews 7:24,25, that he is able to "save to the uttermost" those who come to God through him.

Furthermore, it is stated in Hebrews 10: 10-12 that this sacrifice of our Lord's body is a "once for all" sacrifice which is effective for all sins forever. No other sacrifice is ever needed again. And our Lord has been raised by God, to be seated at God's right hand and is given a transformed and glorified body, never to die again. Now, at the right hand of the throne of YeHoVaH Almighty, our Lord Jesus waits for his enemies to be subject to his authority, figuratively, to be made his footstool (v.12 and 13).

Conclusion:

In his days on earth, our Lord Jesus had always obeyed God, his Father. He always did things that pleased his Father. (John 8:49). He honoured his Father and did not seek his own glory. (John 8:49,50). He did not honour himself, but instead received honour from his Father. (John 8:54). In fact, he went about teaching his disciples that only those people who does the will of his Father will enter the kingdom of heaven!

It was because of such complete obedience to God his Father that our Lord had successfully become the Mediator between God and man.

He gave himself, his body, as the unblemished, once-for-all sacrifice to God. He was raised by God from the dead to become our eternal high-priest. He lives forever, interceding at the right hand of God, having the ability to "save to the uttermost" all who come to God through him.

And his ministry is a more excellent ministry than that of the Levitical priests on earth, for he ministers in the true temple of God, a temple not made with hands but instead comprises all of us who have died together with him and who have been made alive with him.

Today, our Lord Jesus Christ sits at the right hand of God, waiting for his enemies to be subject to him. Psalm 8: 6 contains a prophecy of God giving Christ authority over all of God's creation and putting all things "under his feet",

"You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet."

The apostle Paul explained this prophecy in 1 Corinthians 15 by saying that Christ must reign until God has put all his enemies, under his feet. And the last enemy to be destroyed is death itself. In the end, i.e. at the resurrection, Christ will deliver the kingdom to God after destroying "every rule and every authority and power". (v.20 - 28 ESV)

Dear Christian, let us hold fast to the truth: that our Lord Jesus learned to obey God in his sufferings (Heb. 5:8) and, in doing so, has been made perfect by God to be our mediator forever (Heb. 7:28).

Behold the Anointed One, the eternal high priest, the mediator between God and Man, the man Christ Jesus.

The Peace of God, the God of Peace

Saturday, 10April2010, Philippians 4:6-9 YLT

"for nothing be anxious, but in everything by prayer, and by supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God; " v. 6

About three days ago, I read a heartbreaking news report about a man in the province of Guangdong in Southern China who beat his daughter to death on a street in full view of the public. While beating the child, he scolded her for refusing to attend "night school" - a type of cram school where many students are forced to attend in order to improve their chances of passing university entrance exams in future.

The news report says that students in China face intense pressure to pass such "make or break" entrance exams in order to join the ranks of the educated strata of society. Such competitive pressure leads to very anxious parents who appear to have no choice but to force their children to undergo gruelling hours of study starting from a tender age.

The Chinese girl who died from such cruel treatment by her father was only nine years old!

This makes me think of my own country, even of my town where I have been living and working for the last twelve years, where parents are facing similar anxieties over the future of their children. I've come across many students who have been given no choice at all by their parents, but who instead have been forced to attend a string of tuition classes after school throughout the week, both in the day-time as well as at night.

One of them, a family friend's daughter, once pleaded with her mother saying, "I can't take it anymore. If you make me attend any more tuition classes, I will die . . ." . My wife tried unsuccessfully to persuade the mother to reduce the number of tuition sessions for her daughter. Her reply was typical, "We are not educated people. If she can't go to good schools and universities in future, will you be responsible?"

It appears that parents everywhere are anxious. So anxious that, they have almost taken over their children's lives "by proxy" - making every decision for the kids, from the time they get up in the morning to the time they go to bed at night. I know of another family who even have to feed their primary school child his lunch in the family van each afternoon - in their hurry to bring him to his first tuition class immediately after school dismisses!

I feel sad for the hundreds and hundreds of pitiful school-children who are robbed of their happy childhood solely because their parents are anxious over their future "success in life". In my opinion, these parents have unwittingly destroyed the emotional and mental health of a whole generation of young people.

Such powerful and overwhelming anxiety: it gives parents no time to pause and think of better alternatives. Isn't there a better way of dealing with these "make or break" circumstances? Isn't there some way of having peace of mind, or peace in our hearts over this nagging issue?

Yes, dear Christian parent, there is. The word of God tells us in Philippians 4:6,7:

"for nothing be anxious, but in everything by prayer, and by supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God; and the peace of God, that is surpassing all understanding, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus." v. 6,7

The answer for us is to make known our requests to our God by our prayers and supplications - with thanksgiving. By doing so, we can have peace in our hearts. Not any kind of short-lived, momentary and fleeting peace, but the peace of God. This peace that is of God is higher than our understanding. It "guards our hearts and thoughts" in Christ.

By having the peace of God guarding our hearst, we Christian parents can escape from the anxieties of this world and avoid falling into the cruel ways of so many parents around us.

And instead of being preoccupied with the anxieties of our children's "make or break" success in exams, there are better things for us to think of and be occupied with. Verses 8 and 9 says:

"As to the rest, brethren, as many things as are true, as many as [are] grave, as many as [are] righteous, as many as [are] pure, as many as [are] lovely, as many as [are] of good report, if any worthiness, and if any praise, these things think upon; the things that also ye did learn, and receive, and hear, and saw in me, those do, and the God of the peace shall be with you." v.8,9

Yes, besides having the peace of God guarding our hearts, we can also have the God of peace being present with us. When we stop getting entangled with being anxious over many things of this world, but instead "think upon" things which are true, upright, pure, lovely and things which are of good report, the God of peace will be with us.

May the peace of God guard your hearts. May the God of peace be with you all.

Motherless children, Fatherless Christians

Monday 05April2010, John 15:1-17 CEV

Last Saturday was a memorable day for me. I had arrived with my family at the Hokkien cemetery in Sungei Jelok in Kajang in the early afternoon to clean up my late father's grave and to reflect briefly on his days together with us before he had left us after a long illness in 1995.

As we were walking down a gentle hill-slope to return to our car, we met a group of three children who had just arrived at the cemetery. If I remember correctly they were a sister with her two brothers, and they all appeared to be of about primary school age. They were talking happily to one another as they ran towards one of the newer graves in front of us.

Following behind them, a short distance away was a gentleman who called out loudly to them in Chinese, "Over here! This is your mummy's grave. This is where your mummy is buried. Next year ask your papa to bring you here again, understand?" And the children nodded quietly to this man, whom I presume by then was their uncle.

The kids had come to their mummy's grave empty-handed. They stood close to each other, looking somewhat awkwardly after hearing what their "uncle" had told them. Their happy chatter had stopped suddenly and there appeared to be a tinge of sadness and longing on their faces for their mummy.

I was saddened by the scene.

As we continued to walk down-slope to our car, I turned to my wife ChooyLin and remarked, "Poor children! They are so young and they've lost their mother already. . ." I couldn't understand why their father was not with them that afternoon, and why they had to be brought there by an uncle, if indeed the gentleman was their uncle. I only wished somebody could bring their mummy back.

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That evening ChooyLin and I attended the 36th Anniversary Dinner of IKUPM at a restaurant in the Mines Shopping Fair. It was a pleasant evening, filled with the joy of meeting with brothers and sisters who studied and fellowshipped together with us back in the 1980s in the CF. The current batch of students were also warm and friendly. At our table was Grace, LiNa, Gloria, Sheryl, Eugene, Au Yong Chee Meng and also Colin (who later went over to a nearby table).

We chatted happily together, and soon the sadness of seeing those three empty-handed children at their mother's grave began to fade from our thoughts.

All the more so, when a very interesting, meaningful and entertaining sketch was performed by three very talented young people on stage by BiYao @ Gobby depicting a young graduate who was being severely tempted by a seductive looking Devil played by BeeKoon as he stepped into the working world, while a serious sounding Angel played by Ivan Lee tried repeatedly to urge him to turn to God. Eventually, after falling badly, this young man decided to pick himself up and return to God - to the joy of the Angel and the dismay of the Devil.

I enjoyed the sketch very much and I must congratulate Gobby, Ivan and Bee Koon for their excellent acting on stage. By then I had all but forgotten about the sad scene of the motherless children at the Kajang cemetery, when quite unexpectedly I came across a passage of scripture printed in the programme booklet. It was the passage from John 15:1 - 17 taken from the Contemporary English Version, which I'd like to quote below:

"Jesus said to his disciples:

I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts away every branch of mine that doesn't produce fruit. But he trims clean every branch that does produce fruit, so that it will produce even more fruit. You are already clean because of what I have said to you.

Stay joined to me, and I will stay joined to you. Just as a branch cannot produce fruit unless it stays joined to the vine, you cannot produce fruit unless you stay joined to me. I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you stay joined to me, and I stay joined to you, then you will produce lots of fruit. But you cannot do anything without me. If you don't stay joined to me, you will be thrown away. You will be like dry branches that are gathered up and burned in a fire.

Stay joined to me and let my teachings become part of you. Then you can pray for whatever you want, and your prayer will be answered. When you become fruitful disciples of mine, my Father will be honored. I have loved you, just as my Father has loved me. So remain faithful to my love for you. If you obey me, I will keep loving you, just as my Father keeps loving me, because I have obeyed him.

I have told you this to make you as completely happy as I am. Now I tell you to love each other, as I have loved you. The greatest way to show love for friends is to die for them. And you are my friends, if you obey me. Servants don't know what their master is doing, and so I don't speak to you as my servants. I speak to you as my friends, and I have told you everything that my Father has told me.

You did not choose me. I chose you and sent you out to produce fruit, the kind of fruit that will last. Then my Father will give you whatever you ask for in my name. So I command you to love each other. "

I have read this passage many times before but that evening I noticed, for the first time, that in the midst of our Lord Jesus' commands to his disciples to abide in him and to obey him, there were at least three references to the Father. Once at the beginning, several times in the middle and once more at the end of the passage.

At the beginning of the passage, I read that our heavenly Father is our Gardener. God is our Father who cuts away fruitless branches from the vine and trims the fruitful ones so that the fruitful disciples will bear even more fruit. Every Christian who abides in the commands of our Lord Jesus remains as part of this vine in this garden.

And those of us who bear fruits in Christ will be pruned, trimmed and tended to by our Father in heaven, so that we will bear even more fruits. However, we must beware of the pitfall of living fruitless lives should we depart from obeying Christ in our lives - our Father will cut such people away from his kingdom!

Then about halfway through the passage, I realised that our heavenly Father is our Guide. The Lord Jesus told his disciples that their fruitfulness in life was to glorify his Father (rather than to glorify Jesus himself). He went on to tell them twice that he his love for the disciples was guided by his Father's love: first by saying that he loved them just as his Father has loved him, and again by saying that he would keep loving them if they obeyed him just as his Father keeps loving him because he had obeyed his Father.

Indeed, it is clear that our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One, the only begotten Son of God looked to his Father in heaven as his guide in his love for his disciples and in his obedience to his Father. This is the same God who is our heavenly Father today, who is our guide as we obey the commandments of our Lord Jesus Christ.

And finally, at the end of the passage, I saw that our Father in heaven is our Giver. The Lord Jesus told his disciples that he had chosen them and had sent them out to produce fruit in life that will endure. And then his Father will give them whatever they ask for in Jesus' name. This is the joy that all who follow and obey the Lord Jesus Christ can have everyday of their lives: the joy of being chosen, of being sent out to live fruitful lives and the joy of receiving from our heavenly Father whatever we ask in the name of Christ.

Suddenly it occurred to me that those three poor little motherless children whom I encountered at the Kajang cemetery could still have hope and joy in life. Although they can't have their mother back in this world, someone can tell them that there is an everlasting Father in heaven.

There is a Father for these little children to turn to the rest of their lives. They can turn to God always as their Father!

Sitting there at the dinner table, looking at this passage in the programme book, I was strongly convicted that we Christians must live our lives by continually turning to our Father in heaven to be our Gardener, our Guide and our Giver. A Gardener who tends our lives to become more fruitful. A Guide for our love towards others and for our obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God. And a Giver for all that we ask in Jesus' name, in obedience to Christ.

Now my sadness for those motherless children at the cemetery is accompanied by another sadness. It is the sadness of knowing that there are many Fatherless Christians around me. Christians who profess and confess the name of Christ, but who do not turn to God: the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Dear Christian, I urge you to return to our Father in heaven in your life. In your prayers, ask good things from our Father. In your obedience to the Lord Jesus, glorify the Father. In your love for others, follow the Father's love just as our Lord Jesus had done so in obedience to his Father.

Let us beware, that we do not become Fatherless Christians.

Psalm 23 - A Literal Translation

Monday, 29March2010	Psalm 23:1-6, Young's Literal Translation.
In the year 1862, Robert Young translated the Bible into English by following the original Hebrew and Greek very strictly. In the preface to his Second Edition, he wrote, "If a translation gives a present tense when the original gives a past, or a past when it has a present; a perfect for a future, or a future for a perfect; an a for a the, or a the for an a; an imperative for a subjunctive, or a subjunctive for an imperative; a verb for a noun, or a noun for a verb, it is clear that verbal inspiration is as much overlooked as if it had no existence. THE WORD OF GOD IS MADE VOID BY THE TRADITIONS OF MEN. [Emphases in original.]" Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young's_Literal_Translation (Accessed 29/3/10) I have reproduced Psalm 23 below from Young's Literal Translation. However, in this post I have used YHWH as the name of our God in place of Jehovah which was originally used in Young's version.
--------------------------------------------- A Psalm of David. YHWH [is] my shepherd, I do not lack, In pastures of tender grass He causeth me to lie down, By quiet waters He doth lead me. My soul He refresheth, He leadeth me in paths of righteousness, For His name's sake, Also -- when I walk in a valley of death-shade, I fear no evil, for Thou [art] with me, Thy rod and Thy staff -- they comfort me. Thou arrangest before me a table, Over-against my adversaries, Thou hast anointed with oil my head, My cup is full! Only -- goodness and kindness pursue me, All the days of my life, And my dwelling [is] in the house of YHWH, For a length of days!---------------------------------------------
Dear Believer, let us put our trust in our God YHWH through his Only Begotten Son, our Lord Yeshua the Anointed One!

A Prophecy of Two Messengers - its fulfillment

Saturday, 27 March 2010, Luke 3:1-20 (cf Malachi 3:1-5)

Part of a sermon delivered at IGBC 13 Dec 2009

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. (Luke 3:1-2 NKJV)

In my previous post entitled, A Prophecy of Two Messengers, I explained how Malachi had prophesied about two messengers of God who will be sent to Israel: the first, called "My Messenger" who will prepare the way for another much greater messenger, called "The Lord" or "The Master".

In that year

One day this prophecy of the one called "My Messenger" by God himself came true and is recorded for us in Luke 3:1-20.

It was the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar. Pontus Pilate was then governor of Judea. Herod was tetrach of Galilee while his brother Phillipi was tetrach of Iturea and Trachonitis. And Lysanias was tetrach of Abilene.

All these names can be verified in the literature of secular history, showing us that it was in that particular year, at that particular place in the world that the prophecy of Malachi 3:1 began to get fulfilled. That year, Annas and Caiaphas were high priests over the people of God.

John the Baptist - "My Messenger"

John son of Zechariah is more commonly known as John the Baptist to us today. Luke chapter 3 says that the Word of God came to him, and he went into all the region around Jordan. He preached a baptism of repentance - for the remission (NKJV) or forgiveness (NIV) of sins.

John was highly respected by many. In v.12-14 we can read that tax collectors and soldiers went to see him and called him Teacher. At the same time he was highly unpopular with one man, the powerful tetrach, Herod. (v.20)

John's preaching was beginning to bring about the drastic change as prophesied in Malachi 3:1-5, as we shall see in the following sections of this post.

A voice crying in the wilderness

Another prophecy written about John the Baptist is recorded in Isaiah 40:3-5 ESV,

3 A voice cries: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD;

make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

4 Every valley shall be lifted up,

and every mountain and hill be made low;

the uneven ground shall become level,

and the rough places a plain.

5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,

and all flesh shall see it together,

for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

Let us look at the "crying out" of John the Baptist more closely in Luke 3:7-14. Here are some strong words from this voice in the wilderness to people who came to him to be baptised:

He called them a brood of vipers! (v.7) And he noted that they were fleeing from the wrath of God that was coming upon them.

He also told them to bear fruits in their lives - fruits that are worthy of repentance (v.8), warning them against thinking of themselves highly as Jews who descended from Abraham.

And finally he prophesied that "every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire".

This very same cry for repentance in the wilderness was to be repeated later in the ministry of the apostle Paul, in obedience to his vision of the Lord Jesus at Damascus, going every where calling people to repentance, a ministry that is summarised in his own words when making his defence before King Agrippa in Acts 26:19,20

"Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance. . . ."

What shall we do then?

The people who heard John's crying out for repentance asked him, "What shall we do then?"

[Malaysian slang, "So, like that then how leh?"]

John's answer:

Share your necessities with the poor and needy. He who has two sets of clothes must give away one set to him who has none (v.11). And he who has food should do likewise, i.e. share half of it with him who has no food to eat!

He went to tell the tax collectors and the soldiers to flee from greed:

To the tax collectors, John said, "Stop collecting more than required by law" (v.12). And to the soldiers, "Stop threatening people, or falsely accusing people for gain" (v.14)

In other words, John's message to them was that they should be contented with what God had provided them.

The most important question

Finally, we see in v.15-17 that John the Baptist answered the most important question of all,

"Is this person the Messiah, or not?"

Note that they dared not confront John the Baptist, but had instead reasoned in their hearts, tacitly as it were, conferring among themselves this crucial question.

Somehow, John the Baptist was aware of this tacit question. He began to tell them of the Second Messenger that was prophesied in Malachi 3:1 - the messenger whom they longed for, and in whom they delighted to see, the one who was called Adon, the Lord in Malachi 3:1.

John told them that while he baptized them with water for repentance, (to turn them away from the love of the world to the love of God), the second messenger who would come later would baptize them with God's Spirit (to make them God's children, see Romans 8:13-14) and with fire (to make them pure).

This reminds us that Malachi 3:2 has prophesied that when the Adon comes, he would bring about a great purification in Israel:

Malachi 3:2

But who will be able to endure the day when he comes? Who will be able to survive when he appears? He will be like strong soap, like afire that refines metal.

Indeed, John says, the winnowing fan is in the hands of this second messenger, the Adon of Malachi 3:1, who will thoroughly clean out his threshing floor. He will gather the wheat grains but he will burn the chaff with unquenchable fire.

In this way, the Lord Jesus who would come after John the Baptist, would bring about the great and drastic change among the people of God as prophesied by Malachi: a purification, a restoration and a final judgement - by unquenchable fire.

The Adon, Jesus the Messiah

In closing let us read Luke 3:12-22. It tells us that Jesus of Nazareth, who had no sin, who needed no repentance, also went to John the Baptist to be baptized by him. Note carefully that after Jesus came up and out of the water, he received the Holy Spirit of God in him. And the voice of God, his Father, spoke from heaven saying, "This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased"

In this way, our Lord Jesus had indeed become the pioneer of all Christians. Like him we too must be buried together with him in death during baptism. Like him, we will also be raised to a new life and will receive the Spirit of God in us when we come out of the waters of baptism. In this way we are to be born again, by water and by God's spirit.

Later, in John 3:5, our Lord Jesus told King Nicodemus,

"I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. . . ."

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, let us heed the cry of this voice in the wilderness - a cry telling us to turn away from covetousness and from the love of money. A cry that tells us to let God's Spirit to come upon us, to fill us and to empower us, giving us new birth as children of God. And it is a cry that tells to let God's fire purify our lives from sin and to restore us to be a holy and royal priesthood of God, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

A Prophecy of Two Messengers

Friday, 26 March 2010, Malachi 3:1-5; Luke 3:1-22

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N.B. Unless otherwise stated, all Bible texts quoted in this post are taken from TEV. For OT texts, however, I have used YHWH instead of "the LORD" whenever the name of God, the tetragrammaton, occurs while YHWH Sabaoth is used for "the LORD of hosts".

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I am about to send my messenger, who will clear the way before me. Indeed, the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his temple, and the messenger of the covenant, whom you long for, is certainly coming,” says the LORD who rules over all*. (Malachi 3:1, NET Bible)

*  YHWH Sabaoth, or the LORD of hosts.

Two Messengers

In Malachi 3:1, two messengers are mentioned. Firstly, the one referred to as, "my messenger", who will prepare or clear the way before YHWH Sabaoth, the LORD of hosts. And secondly, one who is called "the Lord (adon) you are seeking" who will suddenly come to his temple. He is called "the messenger of the covenant whom you long for" and the people of God delights in him (NASB).

In order to understand this prophecy properly, it is helpful to compare the name of the prophet, Malachi, with the use of the term, "my messenger".

In Malachi 1:1, it is written that the Word of YHWH came to Israel by the hand of Malachi. In Hebrew, the word malach means messenger, and it's the same word used to refer to angels, while malachi means "my messenger". Thus, the name of the prophet, Malachi is a personal name which simply means "My Messenger" - a fitting messenger indeed sent personally from God himself to carry this prophecy about two future messengers.

The First Messenger

Turning back to Malachi 3:1, we find that the same term "my messenger", malachi, used in reference to the first messenger, refers to a person who will be sent to clear the way before God. Interestingly, this malachi is also later referred to as Elijah the Prophet in chapter 4:5, a reference explained by the angel of YHWH when announcing the birth of John the Baptist to Zechariah in Luke 1:17,

"He will go ahead of the Lord, strong and mighty like the prophet Elijah. He will bring fathers and children together again; he will turn disobedient people back to the way of thinking of the righteous; he will get the Lord's people ready for him."

Similarly, the reference to this first malachi as Elijah was further explained by our Lord Jesus himself in Matthew 11:10,14

For John is the one of whom the scripture says: 'God said, I will send my messenger ahead of you to open the way for you.' . . . and if you are willing to believe their message, John is Elijah, whose coming was predicted.

It is obvious, therefore, that the prophecy of this first messenger was fulfilled in the ministry of John the Baptist in the NT.

The Second Messenger

Moving on to the second part of Malachi 3:1, however, we find that the second messenger, in contrast to the first malachi is given the title, "adon", meaning a master of slaves, or a lord over people:

Indeed, the Lord (ha-adon) you are seeking will suddenly come to his temple, the messenger (ha-malach) of the covenant whom you long for is coming, says YHWH..

Now, adon is a term in Hebrew which carries the connotation of a human master or human lord, and like the term malachi, the addition of the suffix -i, adoni, carries the meaning of "my Lord"e.g. Adoni Zedek means My Lord the Righteous, while Adoni Bezek means My Lord the Lightning.

In the OT, Joshua 10:1 carries an account of the capture and execution Adoni Zedek, a King of Jerusalem by Joshua's men, while Judges 1:4-7 tells us of Adoni Bezek, the cruel Caananite king who, in his days had captured seventy other kings, cut off their thumbs and big toes and forced them to pick up food scraps under his table. Finally, YHWH gave Adoni Bezek into the hands of Judah and Simeon who gave him a taste of his own medicine by cutting off his thumbs and big toes, before bringing him to die in Jerusalem.

It is clear, from the second part of 3:1, that this second messenger, adon, or master, is the long awaited Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ, whose path was to be cleared before him by the first messenger, who was John the Baptist.

This adon is the Lord whom Israel had been seeking. He is the human King, the messenger of God's covenant whom Israel longed for, and who would come suddenly to his temple.

A Drastic Change

According to Malachi's prophecy, the coming of this adon, the Messiah, will bring about a drastic change to Israel. When we look more closely into Malachi 3:3-5, we can see at least three sweeping changes that is to come about among God's own people:

A Change for Purification

Malachi 3:2

But who will be able to endure the day when he comes? Who will be able to survive when he appears? He will be like strong soap, like afire that refines metal.

When the Adon comes he will bring about a painful change of purification - a purification likened to refiners' fire and launderers' soap. This is a purification that removes wickedness and evil from Israel. And it's so severe that Malachi appeared to ask, "Who can endure it? Who can stand it?"

Surprisingly, it is the priests, the Sons of Levi, who will have to be purified under this painful removal of sin by soap and by fire. Not any sinner, nor wicked man nor any evil enemy of God in the land. Instead, they are the very priesthood of God, chosen among the people to serve God.

Malachi 3:3

He will come to judge like one who refines and purifies silver. As a metal-worker refines silver and gold, so YHWH's messenger will purify the priests, so that they will bring to YHWH the right kind of offerings.

It reminds us also that in the NT, Christians are called to belong to the priesthood of God too. Twice in the first epistle of Peter, the apostle reminded the church that they are a "holy priesthood" and a "royal priesthood" of God (1 Peter 2:5, 9)

Brothers and Sisters in Christ, today our Lord, Adon, Jesus Christ has already come in obedience to God, his Father and our Father. He has died for us, that we may also likewise die together with him. And God who has raised him from the dead, the same God, YHWH, has also raised us to a new life of obedience to serve Jesus the Messiah as our Adon, our master forever.

In this way we have become part of our God's holy and royal priesthood. And as priests, we too are called to be pure - a purity brought about by our endurance of various trials in life, in the course of following our Lord Jesus Christ. The apostle Peter wrote about this when telling us to look forward to the abundant blessings that God has kept for us in heaven, in 1 Peter 1:6

Be glad about this, even though it may now be necessary for you to be sad for a while because of the many kinds of trials you suffer.

He goes on to explain in v.7 that trials are necessary, and are meant to prove how genuine our faith is, comparing it to the purification of gold by fire - so that our faith may endure until the return of our Lord Jesus, when we will receive "praise and glory and honour" from God .

Their purpose is to prove that your faith is genuine. Even gold which can be destroyed is tested by fire; and so your faith, which is much more precious than gold, must also be tested, so that it may endure. Then you will receive praise and glory and honour on the Day when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Indeed, this purification continues every day of our lives, working in us like launderer's soap and refiner's fire! Let us strive to remain part of this purified priesthood.

A Change for Restoration

Malachi 3:4

Then the offerings which the people of Judah and Jerusalem bring to YHWH will be pleasing to Him, as they used to be in the past.

The drastic change that the Adon will bring about is also a change to restore all the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem to a state where they will be acceptable again - a state described in verse 4 here "as in the former years" or "as they used to be in the past"

This acceptable offering, or sacrifice, is expounded in great detail in the book of Hebrews in the NT, where the Messiah, the Son of God is described as having entered into the most holy place of God's temple and has offered himself as a "once for all" sacrifice for the sins of the world.

Hebrews 10:11 says, "Every Jewish priest performs his services every day and offers the same sacrifices many times, but these sacrifices can never take away sins." The subsequent verses then go on to explain,

Christ however, offered one sacrifice for sins, an offering that is effective for ever, and then he sat down at the right-hand side of God. There he now waits until God puts his enemies as a footstool under his feet. Hebrews 10:12-13

Finally, in verse 14, the writer concludes, "With one sacrifice, then, he has made perfect for ever those who are purified from sin."

Thus, today we acknowledge our Lord Jesus Christ, whom we call Adoni, as our one single sacrifice for all our sins, effective for ever. This is the sacrifice that is acceptable and pleasing to YHWH, by which we are made perfect by our Lord and are purified from sin.

A Change for Judgment

Malachi 3:5

YHWH Sabaoth says, "I will appear among you to judge, and I will testify at once against those who practise magic, against adulterers, against those who give false testimony, those who cheat employees out of their wages, and those who take advantage of widows, orphans and foreigners - against all who do not respect me."

Finally, the coming of the Messiah, Adoni, brings about a final and ultimate judgment upon all peoples. Note that while verse 3 says earlier that the Adon would come to judge and purify the priests of God, here in verse 5 the prophecy states clearly that it is YHWH himself who eventually come to his people for judgment.

Indeed, YHWH will testify quickly against those who practise sorcery, against the adulterers and false witnesses and against those who cheat poor labourers of their wages, including those who oppress widows and orphans, and who deny justice to alien peoples!

Dear Christians, behold, our God, Adonai YHWH, who will judge those who do not fear Him!

Conclusion

Brothers and sisters, let us remind ourselves that we have been purified from sin by the acceptable, once-for-all, sacrifice of our Lord and Master, our Adoni, Jesus the Messiah.

Let us fear YHWH, our God and Father in heaven before whom we must stand on Judgment Day!

To be continued in the next post: A Prophecy of Two Messengers - its fulfilment.

How did Paul preach the Gospel?

Tuesday, 16March2010, Acts 26:19, 20

"Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem . . . that they should repent, turn to God and do works befitting repentance." v 19,20

We are all familiar with the apostle Paul's teaching on salvation by faith.

When the jailor at Philippi asked him, "What must I do to be saved?", Paul had replied, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved . . ." (Acts 16:30-31)

And after a detailed exposition in Romans chapter 4 on the issue of justification by faith in contrast to that by works of the Mosaic Law, Paul had concluded in Romans 5: 1, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:"

Furthermore, in Romans chapter 10, he had written, "If you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and shall believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. . . . For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Romans 10:9, 13)

All these, along with other similar accounts, appear to tell us that salvation is based on only one simple step: just believe in Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour, who died in our place for our sins, and just call him Lord with our mouths.

However, when I read the account last Sunday, of Paul making his defense before King Agrippa against his Jewish accusers in Acts chapter 16, I realised that I have missed a significant statement in Paul's testimony: that in his preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ everywhere he went, he told people to do three things:

1. That they should repent,
2. and turn to God,
3. and do works befitting repentance!

It occurred to me then, that underlying Paul's teaching about justification by faith is his call to repentance and to return to God Almighty, creator of heavens and earth! In other words, there is no justification without repentance.

I am also reminded from the Gospel accounts that calling people to repent was carried out as an essential preparation before our Lord Jesus began his ministry. Luke chapter 3 carries a vivid account of how John the Baptist called many people to repentance:

John called the crowds who came to him for baptism, "You brood of vipers!". Not a very pleasant thing to say to anyone who's coming forward for salvation! And he went on to tell them to produce fruits that befit repentance. It sounded very similar to Paul's words in Acts 16:20.

There were tax-collectors who came to John to be baptized, calling him Rabbi, and asked him what they should do. He told them not to collect any more than they were required by the Roman authorities to collect.

Others who came to John were soldiers. They too asked him what they should do. He told them not to extort money, nor accuse people falsely, but instead to be content with their pay.

But it was to those among the crowd that he gave them what appeared to be the most demanding reply of all:

"What should we do then?" the crowd asked. Luke 3:10

John answered, "The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same." Luke 3:11

Such were the demands made by John the Baptist. His was indeed a call to honest and total repentance. Anything less would have been insufficient in preparation for receiving the coming of their Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, in Judea and Galilee.

And when I read Acts 16:19-20, I can see this very same call to honest and total repentance, the call of John the Baptist, being made by the apostle Paul everywhere he went in obedience to his heavenly vision of the Lord in Damascus.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us uphold this ministry of calling for repentance. Let us call people to repent before we ask them to sign a card, or raise a hand or say a simple prayer of acceptance. Let us call them to turn completely and honestly from their sins in the same way that John the Baptist called the tax collectors, the soldiers, and yes even the ordinary "man in the crowd" - to stop cheating, stop extorting and starting sharing with the poor!

Like the apostle Paul, let us call the penitant to turn to the Only True God, the God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to receive grace from God through the sacrifice of His only begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

And finally, like both Paul and John, let us seek the fruits of repentance from people: that anyone who says that he has faith, that he believes that God has raised the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead must subsequently show his faith by doing "works that befit repentance".

Brothers and Sisters, merely asking people to agree with some statements about Jesus is not enough. Instead, let us preach Christ by declaring to people:

Repent, turn to God and do works that befit repentance!