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“Failing to Remember God’s Word is Dangerous” Jude vv. 5-7
“Failing to Remember God’s Word is Dangerous” Jude vv. 5-7
“Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing”
A Sermon Series in Jude
“Failing to Remember God’s Word is Dangerous”
Jude vv. 5-7
Introduction
When our kids were younger Kimberly’s uncle and family were staying with us for a few days, and he was incredibly helpful. He helped me fix my weed eater, he installed an outlet outside, and on one of the days we were working in the attack. If you have ever worked in an attack you will know that it is typically hot, itchy, and difficult. I left to got to the big box store for supplies and while I was there Kimberly called and told me to get some drywall while I was there – David had fallen through the ceiling. Later when David and I were talking he explained that he just got too comfortable walking from rafter to rafter and for whatever reason decided just to step on the insulation in between the rafters, and down he went. One miss step away from disaster.
Satan works like that. He makes dangerous things look safe. He gives us a false sense of security. He makes it easier for us to make a mistake. Satan tries not to scare us to death, but rather to make us think we face little danger of a spiritual fall.
Jude warns of the dangers of false teachers, whose end is destruction. We must be alert for them, and recognize their deception. Earlier in verse 4 is says that false teachers had crept into the church “long ago were designated for this condemnation,” because their sin resembles three well-known events in the OT.
Prayer
Don’t Forget What God Has Already Done (vv. 5-7)
Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it,
Jude continues his warning of “wolves in sheep’s clothing” that have crept into the church by reminding them of something they once knew. Often, we don’t need new information, we just need to be reminded of something we already know. To enable believers to contend for the faith once delivered to them, Jude begins by recalling three biblical examples in which God judged those who departed from his ways.
The memory here is not just to recollect these stories. It is to remind them of the stories so that they will take action based on remembering what happens in the stories. All of the stories end in destruction. Hebrews 4:7 “. . . again he appoints a certain day, “Today,” . . . . ., “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” To wake up the apathetic pew person, he gives three lessons from the past:
Remember The Danger of Failing to Persevere in Faith (v. 5)
that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.
The Israelites exited Egypt victorious. They saw God perform the plaques, ending with the death of the first born. They were spared everyone one of the plagues, and were given the Passover feast to remind them of how God had passed over their households. They exited Egypt plundering the Egyptians as they left.
At Kadesh-Barnea they passed through the Red Sea and watched the Egyptian army drown. They arrived at the edge of the Promised Land and they sent in spies, who came back and gave a report of what they saw. 10 of the 12 reported back that it was impossible to win a victory; only Joshua and Caleb said that it could be done.
But because of their unbelief and rebellious hearts they were not able to enter the promised land – instead that generation was doomed to wander in the desert for the next forty-year. They lost the victory because of their unbelief.
“Amazingly, the Israelites did not believe that the same God who had parted the Red Sea, destroyed Pharoah’s army before their eyes, provided manna from heaven every morning, led them with a cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night, and provided water from the rock could enable them to overcome the land in Canaan after He had promised to do so all along.”[1]
Paul gives a similar warning as Jude in 1 Corinthians 10:1-5 “For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 and all ate the same spiritual food, and fall drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.”
Why were they overthrown in the wilderness? Why was God not pleased with them? Because they refused to believe God in spite of the victories God had given them. Jude warns the church that God deals sternly with those who turn their back on Him in unbelief after having seen Him use such wonderful power. This supports our definition of an apostate, “Israel’s judgement was a vivid reminder of what happens to those who, having heard what God expects and witnessed what He can do, still fail to believe.”[2]
The truth of manna, and the parting of the Red Sea, and deliverance from Egypt, the plagues, etc. should have informed and strengthened their faith in the present. God never tells us to refer back to a time in order to show faith, He requires that we have faith in the present. Are you trusting God today, now?
The apostle Paul says, 2 Corinthians 13:5 “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?” Filling out a card at youth camp, praying a prayer when you were a kid, walking an aisle, getting wet in a tank years ago – are not avenues of assurance. Today, right now, are you looking to the cross, are you trusting in Christ? We must believe and trust God’s Word all the way to the end.
“Israel’s apostacy stands as a warning to all those who think an initial commitment secures their future destiny without ongoing obedience. Those who are God’s people demonstrate the genuineness of their salvation by responding to the warning given.”[3]
Jude wants us to draw a connection between the Israelites and the church today. But remember that Israel was a country (a nation) and the people of God. So, not every circumcised member of Israel was truly circumcised in heart (Deut. 10:16: 30:6; Jer. 4:4).
“Jude constructed an analogy between the saving of Israel out of Egypt (a physical act) and God’s saving act in Jesus Christ, but we ought not necessarily to conclude from this that the Israelites liberated from Egypt were truly circumcised in heart, that they truly belonged to the people of God.”[4] There were those among the Israelites who thought they were God’s people, but their lack of faith showed that they were not.
An apostate is a person who has received light but has no life.
Remember The Danger of Failing to Do What You Have Been Assigned (v. 6)
6 And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day—[5]
The second lesson from the past is a reference to angels who lost their position, their vocation. Verse 7 tells us that the sin of the angels was similar to the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah, sexual immorality and perversion.
Genesis 6:1-4 may give us some insight into what Jude is referring to, “When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. 3 Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” 4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown.”
“The term “sons of God” is translated “angels” in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the original Hebrew text). Also, the Hebrew rendering of “sons of God” is used exclusively in the Old Testament to describe angels.”[6]
These angels left heaven and rebelled against God in order to have relations with humans, thereby losing their position in heaven. These angels of heaven and light now live with the consequence as they are, “kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day,” This sin was so severe that God placed the offending angels in chains to prevent them from committing such perversity again. They cannot go back to heaven.
“Scripture does not spell out the specific realms of angelic authority, but there are hints that some are assigned to specific roles (Dan. 10:18-21; Luke 1:18-38).”[7] Jude describes these angels as leaving their dwelling place (and the original language indicates a finality of their leaving) rather than remaining in their proper place of service, and did things they should not have done. They rebelled against God’s plan and design for their lives in order to pursue the lust of their heart. In the context of false teachers and the church, and our being the church – God has a purpose and calling for you here and now, don’t be pulled away from it by anything.
We see pastors and leaders step away from their calling, and pursue things they have no business pursuing. And once that happens there is no going back. What disqualifies a pastor or leader from ministry and is that disqualification permanent?
The church is being warned to wake up from its forgetfulness and apathy and hold a high standard based on the truths of Scripture – the church has a very special calling. James 5:19 says, “My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”
Remember The Danger of Being Immoral (v. 7)
7 just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.
The third historical example or lesson that is to shock us into remembering, Jude gives is Sodom and Gomorrah. Jude is referencing Genesis 19. Two angelic visitors, appearing as humans, came to visit Lot. Lot invited them into his home for the night, and a crowd gathered outside of his house. The men of Sodom wanted the two visitors to be brought outside so that they may engage in homosexual acts with them.
Genesis 19:4-5 “But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house. 5 And they called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them.” The angels were not known to be angels; the men from the town thought they were men from out of town.
In an effort to appease the crowd, Lot offers his daughters to them (19:8). They did not want females, they wanted the two men. God strikes the crowd with blindness, but they still grope around looking for Lot’s door. The men of Sodom were consumed with lust for the men, and so God judged them. The angels, Lot and his family make their way out of the city before it is destroyed. “Somewhat like the perverted angels before them, the Sodomites in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh. They too perverted God’s intended design for them by soliciting sexual favors from His holy messengers.
Luke 17:28-30 says, “Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, 29 but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all— 30 so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed.”
Israel’s sin was unbelief. The angels sin was rebellion of their assignment. Sodom and Gomorrah’s sin was sexual indulgence, Jude says, “indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire.” And when the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed, they “serve as an example” for all to see. The destruction of these cities is mentioned more than twenty times in the Bible.[8]
Israel stopped doing what they were supposed to do because they didn’t believe God would do what He said, Angels stopped doing what angels were supposed to do because of their lust (they left heaven forever). An entire city was judged because it abandoned living as families were designed to live. What is the common theme? Apostates do not live by faith, they reject authority (especially God’s authority), and they cannot control their sensual passions – they depart from the truth of the gospel.
Israel’s dying in the wilderness because of their unbelief (consequence was not entering the promised land). Angels wanting to have sex with humans (consequence was eternal chains), then humans wanting to have sex with angels (consequence was death by fire and brimstone). Again, Jude’s words are not written to the lost world, it was written to the church. Those that are called, who are the Beloved of God, kept by Christ, and blessed.
Jude calls the apostates who have snuck into the church as false teachers, others. The Others are like the people of Israel, like the angels, and like Sodom and Gomorrah. These Others have fallen from a position of privilege and are headed towards destruction.
The best way to know if you are saved is what you do with the sin in your life.
Do you live each day trusting God and His Word?
Are you submitting to God’s Will for Your Life?
Are you daily turning from the sin in your life?
In 1818, Ignaz Philip Semmelweis was born into a world of dying women. The finest hospitals lost one out of six mothers to the scourge of “childbed fever.” A doctor’s daily routine began in the dissecting room where he performed autopsies. From there he made his way to the hospital to examine expectant mothers without ever pausing to wash his hands. Dr. Semmelweis was the first man in history to associate such examinations with the resultant infection and death.
After eleven years and the delivery of 8, 537 babies, Dr. Semmelweis lost only 184 mothers. He spent much of his life lecturing and debating with his colleagues. Once he argued, “Puerperal fever is caused by decomposed material, conveyed to a wound… I have shown how it can be prevented. I have proved all that I have said. But while we talk, talk, talk, gentlemen, women are dying. I am not asking anything world shaking. I am asking you only to wash… wash your hands.”
But virtually no one believed him. Doctors and midwives had been delivering babies for thousands of years without washing, and no outspoken Hungarian was going to change them now! Semmelweis died insane at the age of 47, his wash basins discarded, his colleagues laughing in his face, and the death rattle of a thousand women ringing in his ears.
How often do you wash your hands? How often do you wash your heart? We all collect “dirt” in our hearts each day. There are things we see, hear, or do that are not pleasing to God. Going on about our lives without stopping to clean our hearts from these things will harm us spiritually.[9]
“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” Psalm 51:10
______________________
[1] O. S. Hawkins, In Sheep’s Clothing, Jude’s Urgent Warning about Apostacy in the Church (Neptune, New Jersey; Loizeaux Publishing, 1994) 42.
[2] John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, 2 Peter & Jude (Chicago Illinois; Moody Publishing, 2005) 164.
[3] Thomas R. Schreiner, The New American Commentary, An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of Scripture, 1, 2 Peter, Jude (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman & Holman Publishing, 2003) 446.
[4] Schreiner, 447.
[5] See also 2 Peter 2:4-8
[6] Osborne, 45.
[7] Matthew S. Harmon, Expository Commentary, Volume XII, Hebrews -Revelation (Wheaton, Illinois; Crossway Publishing, 2018) 512.
[8] Daniel L. Akin, New Testament Commentary, Christ-Centered Exposition, Exalting Jesus in 2 Peter and Jude (Nashville, Tennessee; Holman Reference, 2018) 158.
[9] https://ministry127.com/resources/illustration/wash-your-hands-after-dealing-with-death
“Holding On to the World” 2 Kings 5:14-27
The Gospel B.C.
“Discovering God’s Redemptive Plan”
Naaman Part 2 of 2
“Holding On to the World”
2 Kings 5:14-27
Introduction
Men who trap animals in Africa for zoos in America say that one of the hardest animals to catch is the ring-tailed monkey. For the Zulus of that continent, however, it’s simple. They’ve been catching this agile little animal with ease for years. The method the Zulus use is based on knowledge of the animal. Their trap is nothing more than a melon growing on a vine. The seeds of this melon are a favorite of the monkey. Knowing this, the Zulus simply cut a hole in the melon, just large enough for the monkey to insert his hand to reach the seeds inside. The monkey will stick his hand in, grab as many seeds as he can, then start to withdraw it. This he cannot do. His fist is now larger than the hole. The monkey will pull and tug, screech and fight the melon for hours. But he can’t get free of the trap unless he gives up the seeds, which he refuses to do. Meanwhile, the Zulus sneak up and nab him.
In our faith, there are some things that we must let go of. We have to let go of our plan for our lives, and trust in God’s plan. We have to let go of our understanding of how things are supposed to work, and trust in His wisdom and His understanding. This morning we will look at a man who saw many miracles and worked right beside a great prophet, but could not let go of greed in his life, and it greatly affected his life.
Prayer – Lord, show us this morning where we are holding on to things that we need to let go of, and give us the wisdom to cling even tighter to your promises found in your word.
A Repentant Man’s Faith Displayed (vv. 14-19a )
“14 So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. 15 Then he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and he came and stood before him. And he said, “Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel; so accept now a present from your servant.” 16 But he said, “As the Lord lives, before whom I stand, I will receive none.” And he urged him to take it, but he refused. 17 Then Naaman said, “If not, please let there be given to your servant two mule loads of earth, for from now on your servant will not offer burnt offering or sacrifice to any god but the Lord. 18 In this matter may the Lord pardon your servant: when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to worship there, leaning on my arm, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, when I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, the Lord pardon your servant in this matter.” 19 He said to him, “Go in peace.”
Notice Naaman’s process and display of faith; First, Naaman goes down to the Jordan and dips seven times. He follows the instructions that were given to him. If you dip seven times, you will be healed – so he does and he is.
The same process is true for us today, how are we to be ultimately and completely healed? Romans 10:9 “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Second is a confession of faith “Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel.” He believes this because it was only the Lord that could heal him. Jesus begins his public ministry and it is the mention of Naaman and this declaration that causes the Israelites to try and throw him off a cliff.
Jesus said; Luke 4:23-30 “And he said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘“Physician, heal yourself.” What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.’” 24 And he said, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown. 25 But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, 26 and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27 And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” 28 When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. 29 And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff. 30 But passing through their midst, he went away.”
When Jesus is speaking to the crowds they understand that he is rebuking them, because of their lack of faith in Him. Others on the outside were experiencing being fed, while they starved. God’s own people were not living a life of faith that pleased God, so others (from the outside) were being healed.
When God’s people stop living a life based on faith, and begin to live in their own strength based upon what they can see, they become powerless and lack the one things that makes them different. God’s people were embracing other gods that could not heal. But God, will show His glory.
Third, upon experiencing healing (which was free), His heart’s desire is to commit himself to God in new ways. He tries to give Elisha a gift as a way of saying thank you, which indicates his gratitude for the human instrument of healing. He no longer desires to purchase his healing through someone else’s God, he wants to worship his God by giving gifts to Him, because of a cheerful heart.
Luke 17:11-19 “On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers,6 who stood at a distance 13 and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” 14 When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16 and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”
Fourth, Naaman says this, “please let there be given to your servant two mule loads of earth, for from now on your servant will not offer burnt offering or sacrifice to any god but the Lord.” He is desiring to take dirt home, in order to build an alter for his home, so that he can worship God where he lives.
Where Naaman lives, there is no place for him to worship God. All the temples in his homeland are to foreign and false gods, who do not heal. He wants to sacrifice and worship God the right way, and to be able to present proper sacrifices. We know that Naaman’s faith is genuine because he desires to worship regularly.
Fifth, there is conviction of sin and a need to figure out actions in his life, that he needs to seek permission and advice regarding, “In this matter may the Lord pardon your servant: when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to worship there, leaning on my arm, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, when I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, the Lord pardon your servant in this matter.”[1]
Naaman has already announced his belief in God, as the one and only God – he believes that there are no other gods and that he will never worship another god. So Namaan is not worshipping Rimmon. But he finds himself in a career, in which he has to be apart of assisting his king, in helping him up and down, during worship. Part of this assisting requires that he bow before a statue, and rise again.
When a person makes a genuine commitment to follow God, through Jesus, he immediately begins to become convicted of sin in his life. An example would Zacchaeus in the New Testament. Jesus had pointed him out of a crowd, gone to share a meal in his home. While the crows calls him a sinner, Jesus saves him. Luke 19:8 “And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.”
Sixth, Naaman has peace in his life. The peace that Naaman receives is not just because of the physical healing, it is also because of the restored relationship between man and God. Jesus says in John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
“This text contains one of the great Gentile conversion accounts in the Old Testament. Like Rahab (Josh. 2:9-13), Ruth (Ruth 1:16-18), and the sailors and Ninevites in Jonah (Jonah 1:16; 3:6-10), Naaman believes in the Lord. From Genesis 12:2-3 onward, God desires to bless all nations through Israel.”[2]
Naaman placed his trust in God,
followed His plan for His healing, and leaves having peace in his life.
A Man’s Unguarded Heart Is Compromised (vv. 19b-24)
But when Naaman had gone from him a short distance, 20 Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, “See, my master has spared this Naaman the Syrian, in not accepting from his hand what he brought. As the Lord lives, I will run after him and get something from him.” 21 So Gehazi followed Naaman. And when Naaman saw someone running after him, he got down from the chariot to meet him and said, “Is all well?” 22 And he said, “All is well. My master has sent me to say, ‘There have just now come to me from the hill country of Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets. Please give them a talent of silver and two changes of clothing.’” 23 And Naaman said, “Be pleased to accept two talents.” And he urged him and tied up two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of clothing, and laid them on two of his servants. And they carried them before Gehazi. 24 And when he came to the hill, he took them from their hand and put them in the house, and he sent the men away, and they departed.
If there should be anyone in the story other than Elisha whose heart should be at peace, it should have been Gehazi. He worked, ministered to and with, and served the Lord beside a prophet. He had every need taken care of, and he saw regularly the miraculous hand of God.
But, there is a lack of peace that we see in the heart of Gehazi. He gets to be apart of healings, and miracles as Elisha’s assistant, but he is not gracious over this – for him it is a job, and believes he should get paid every time he is “working.” He should “get something.” What he doesn’t realize is that he is getting something, he is getting to be apart of God’s work.
There was a lack of peace in Gehazi also because he has allowed his heart to become compromised. He undermines Elisha’s desire that they not receive payment. Gehazi, didn’t agree, so he waits until a good time, and then lies to Naaman. Then he hides what he has done, by placing the goods in the house, and sends the men away. One sin, leads to another, and then another, and then another.
Gehazi’s character is described to us as being, greedy, not respectful of authority, he is a liar, and deceptive. Working in ministry and even seeing and being in the group where God’s Spirit is moving – doesn’t mean that you are where you need to be spiritually, or that your character cannot become contaminated and diseased. Proverbs 4:23 says, “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.”
This whole process began with a thought, and I believe it began when Naaman appeared at the door the first time – “wow, look at all those chariots full of stuff.” Clothes, silver and gold – we have hit paydirt.” “we are going to be rich!” But instead of dealing with the greedy thoughts, he allows it fester within him. One sin leads to another, and he finds himself running after the chariots.
(v. 21) “And when Naaman saw someone running after him, he got down from the chariot to meet him.” Earlier in the chapter when Naaman went to prophet’s door and a servant appeared before him he was angry, but now when a servant comes after him, he stops, and gets down from his chariot[3] – showing again Naaman’s heart change – contrasted with the heart of a person who should be forever changed.
Gehazi allows his own greed to potentially
compromise Elisha’s teaching of healing ministry.
A Selfish Man’s Reward Is Given (vv. 25-27)
“He went in and stood before his master, and Elisha said to him, “Where have you been, Gehazi?” And he said, “Your servant went nowhere.” 26 But he said to him, “Did not my heart go when the man turned from his chariot to meet you? Was it a time to accept money and garments, olive orchards and vineyards, sheep and oxen, male servants and female servants? 27 Therefore the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and to your descendants forever.” So he went out from his presence a leper, like snow[4].”
After all that he has done, he then goes and “stood before his master Elisha,” as though he has done nothing wrong. Elisha asks, “Where have you been, Gehazi?” He gives him one last chance to confess his sin. – but he lies again. “Your servant didn’t go anywhere.”
If God is going to punish Gehazi for his greed, why did He give him leprosy? “. . . the leprosy taken from Naaman on account of his faith in the living God, should pass to Gehazi on account of his departure from the true God. For it was not his avarice only that was to be punished, but the abuse of the prophet’s name for the purpose of carrying out his selfish purpose, and his misrepresentation of the prophet.”[5]
Naaman was supposed to learn that “there was truly a prophet of the One true God in Israel.” Gehazi threatened that realization, and stood do discredit the name of the Lord. How many people have not placed their trust in the one true God, because someone has discredited the gospel by greed and deception. The message becomes contaminated by how those that are supposed to be healed live are though they are not.
Naaman comes as an unbeliever who has leprosy, and leaves a believer being healed of leprosy – he goes home in peace. Gehazi begins as a believer, but he leaves the story having inherited the leprosy and disease – a lack of peace. The love of money becomes a corruption in his heart. Gehazi inherits Naaman’s leprosy, and Naaman seems to inherit Gehazi’s faith.[6]
It is possible to be a believer in Jesus, and still live an absolutely miserable life, because you refuse (like the monkey’s fist in the melon) to let go of sin in your life.
2 Kings 5 shows us that Gehazi remains Elisha’s assistant in ministry. He is able to continue to do ministry, but the consequence of his sin (leprosy) remains. When we don’t guard our hearts, and sin, we can seek the Lord’s forgiveness, but the Lord does not take away the consequences. Gehazi’s reward for his greed is that he has the problems that the unhealed world has – and it controls his life.
________________________
[1] “Rimmon is another name for Hadad, the storm god and the national god of Aram. He wants to avoid any appearance of unfaithfulness to the God to whom he just committed himself.” David T. Lamb, The Story of God Bible Commentary, 1-2 Kings (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Zondervan Academic, 2021) 329.
[2] Paul R. House, The New American Commentary, 1, 2 Kings (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1995) 273.
[3] John Gray, The Old Testament Library, 1 & 2 Kings (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Westminster Press, 1963) 458.
[4] Exodus 4:6-7 “Again, the Lord said to him, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” And he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow. 7 Then God said, “Put your hand back inside your cloak.” So he put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh.” God used leprosy as a sign to show his prophet to be authentic.
[5] C. F. Keil and F. Delitzsch, Commentary om the Old Testament in Ten Volumes, Volume III (Grand Rapids, Michigan; William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1983) 323.
[6] House, 274.
“God’s Covenant and Abraham’s Response” Genesis 15:1-21
The Gospel B.C.
“Discovering God’s Redemptive Plan”
“God’s Covenant and Abraham’s Response”
Genesis 15:1-21
Introduction
The sermon illustration I will never use again – the injured eagle in the chicken coop.
In Genesis 15 we find a man named Abram, who has just finished rescuing his nephew Lot from being kidnapped by several local kings that had war with eachother. And earlier in Genesis 12:1-3 “Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” If you go and follow the Lord, He will use you to bless the world.
So now since Genesis chapter 12 and chapter 15 some time has passed, and God has approached Abram multiple times. “There were nine successive manifestations of God to Abram, of which this is the fifth.”[1] This is the first time Abram responds back.
God Promises Abram an Heir (vv. 1-6)
(After these things) the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision[2]: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” 2 But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.”
God has already promised to make him into a great nation, and now God tells Abram that God is his shield and his reward (which will be great). God is Abram’s protection, and his reward for following Him would be great. The word for reward is the payment to the victor for winning the war (the divided spoils of war).[3] In the battle God will protect him, and when it’s all over there will be a great reward. They would fight together.
The promise is a relationship with God,
the great reward is a continued relationship with God.
And with an heir this relationship could pass from one generation to the next.
The fear, to which God responds, “Fear not,” is that Abram will not have an offspring to inherit the reward from the Lord. How will he be a great nation, and how will his reward be great if it all stops with him? Abraham and Sarai don’t have any children.
In ancient times when a couple don’t have children, they would typically adopt a person to serve as their child to make sure they are taken care of in their old age, the see that they have a proper burial, and that person would then inherit their estate. It would seem that this adopted person was named Eliezer of Damascus.
4 And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” 5 And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 6 And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.
God says to Abram, very forcefully, “This man shall not be your heir,” – no, he was going to have a child from his and his wife’s own body. To impress upon him how many children he would have, and to what a great nation his offspring would become, he took him outside and had him look up at the stars, “So shall your offspring be.”
In God’s trying to show how vast the influence Abram’s offspring would be, and how wide of a sweep of God’s purpose for him, he gives Abram three visuals; 1) “The dust of the earth,” Genesis 13:16 2) “stars in the sky,” Gen. 15:4 & 3) “the sand of the seashore,” Gen. 22:17. All three can not be counted – the impact of those who are Abram’s offspring is so vast and so important that it cannot be measured.
(v. 6) “And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.” – In response to these promises, Abram puts his faith in God. “This is the first time that this word – aman – appears in the Bible, and it will be used only two more times in Genesis (42:20; 45:26).[4] Abram has already taken actions of faith but here it is highlighted.
In v. 1 and v. 4 both say, “the word of the Lord” came to Abram. This is the first time when this phrase is used, and it’s the first time that faith is defined as believing. Faith is believing the word of the Lord.
If God is talking about having many people be a great nation, why is there a mention of Abram’s righteousness? Abram up to this point has seemingly done nothing wrong. He was told to leave his homeland, so he left. He showed hospitality when God visits with him, and he fought bravely to rescue his nephew. He shows us that the best of men are still sinners – they still need to be made right before God (and they are not made right by their actions) if they are to have a relationship with Him.
Here we are introduced to the theological idea of justification – “the act of God by which he credits the righteousness of Christ to the believer and declares him just.”[5] How is Abram made righteous? God counted righteousness to him because he believed what God told him. Justification by faith alone. The plan of redemption for the world begins with a person being made right with God by faith alone.
Abram would go on to have a people that would come from his son Isaac, and there would also be many who would be considered children because they also had faith in God. Romans 4:13 “For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith.” Galatians 3:7 “Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham.”
If justification (being made right with God) is by faith alone,
why was there a need for a bloodline?
Why the need for an eventual separate nation?
As part of the serpent’s curse in the Garden of Eden, Genesis 3:15 says “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” There are two races of people mentioned, the serpent’s offspring, and Adam & Eve’s offspring. These races would fight and ultimately Adam and Eve’s offspring will strike a death blow to the serpent’s offspring. There would be the race of people who live by faith in God, and the race of people who do not. Those that have faith in God will inherit a promised place where God is present with them.
One other thing before we move to v. 7. Abraham was 75 years old when God first made the promise that Abraham would be made into “a great nation.” Genesis 21:5 tells us that Abraham was 100 years old when Sarah gave birth to Isaac, which means Abraham had to wait 25 years! “Those who believe the promise and hope against barrenness nevertheless must live with the barrenness.”[6] We must wait for God to keep His promise.
God Seals the Covenant with Abram (vv. 7-21)
7 And he said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.” 8 But he said[7], “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?”
Here is another promise from God to Abram, that he will give him the land where he was standing (a promised land). He tells him the reason why he commanded him to leave his homeland of Ur was to give him this land to possess. Abram responds by asking for a guarantee that these things would take place. In ancient times this form of agreement, a guarantee, would often take the form of a covenant. So . . .
9 He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10 And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half. 11 And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
God commanded Abram to get a three-year-old heifer, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtle dove, and pigeon. Everything except for the birds were cut in half – and each half was laid so that a path of carnage was made. And the detail was given that as the day was going on, birds of prey would come and pick at the carcasses, and Abram would drive them away.
A promise has been made by God, Abram is waiting for God’s timing and while he is waiting the birds of prey are trying to drag off the carcasses to eat them. He has to stand guard and be ready for when God appears.
Typically, both parties would make a promise, invoking their individual gods, that if we don’t keep part of the agreement, then may this (carnage) happen to me and then they would walk through the middle of the bodies as part of the covenant ceremony.[8]
12 As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him. 13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. 14 But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15 As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. 16 And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”
(v. 12) “a deep sleep fell on Abram,” – a deep sleep and the darkness thrown upon Abram, in other words God caused him to go to sleep. The covenant ceremony had begun, and Abram couldn’t move, he was asleep.
God then outlines for the father of this coming nation what was going to happen. God tells Abram of the eventual Egyptian slavery, how judgement would come upon Egypt, and when they leave this servitude, they will have great wealth. But he would not have to go through this time, “you shall go to your fathers in peace,”
Abram and Sarai had to wait 25 years for a child, His children would have to wait 400 years to receive the promised land. Faith involves waiting for God to do what He has promised.
17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. 18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, 19 the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, 20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, 21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites.”
The covenant ceremony continues as the sun had gone and it was dark. In this type of ceremony each side would say what role they will play, rules they will follow, boundary lines they would agree to keep, etc. Promises have been made from God to Abram (a relationship where he would be a shield for him, a child from his and his wife’s own body, offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky, a promised land) – Abram has faith in what God has promised.
Now it is time for the two people making the covenant to walk through the carnage, agreeing that if I don’t keep my part, my promise, then may this happen to me. But God has caused Abram to sleep- he can’t walk through the path of blood.
(v. 17) “a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.” – Later God will lead his people in a pillar of smoke during the day, and pillar of fire at night (Exodus 13:17-14:29). Some commentators say the fire pot represents a purifying furnace, and the torch light, etc. It is difficult to say exactly what each means – but it clearly means that God went through the animals, that He was making a promise to Abram, and then following through the ceremony alone.
But why did God make Abram go to sleep, why not make him walk through the animals? Because God’s plan of redemption involves Him doing all the work, and ultimately salvation comes from Him alone. Our part is to have faith, God provides everything else for us to be made right before Him.
God’s plan for redemption is divinely one-sided.
God promises, God gives, God assures, Man receives.
Later God will gather His people at Mt. Siani and Moses would go up and receive the ten commandments. But as much as God’s people wanted to keep the commandments they could not. Humanity is not capable to keeping the law – we cannot do, in our own effort, what is required. God made Abram go to sleep because he could not keep a promise to God. So God in His grace, said “I will do what is needed to have a relationship with you.” His only requirement of His people is that they trust Him to keep His promises.
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[1] W.H. Griffith Thomas, Genesis, A Devotional Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan; WM. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1971) 136.
[2] The word for vision (mahazeh) is only used here and in reference to Balaam (Num. 24:4,16).
[3] John E. Hartley, New International Biblical Commentary, Genesis (Peabody, Massachusetts; Hendrickson Publishers, 2000) 155.
[4] Victor P. Hamilton, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament, The Book of Genesis Chapters 1-17 (Grand Rapids, Michigan; William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1990) 423.
[5] Daniel L. Akin, General Editor, A Theology for the Church (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman and Holman, 207) 746.
[6] Hartley, 157.
[7] In v. 2 and in v. 8 Abram responds back to God with a question, “But Abram said,” is not a sign of doubting God, but similar to the father in Mark 9:24 “Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” He believes what God is saying, and is asking for more clarification.
[8] “This idea of self-imprecation is reflected in the prospective witness who swears under oath: ‘I promise to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me God.’ If I prevaricate on the witness stand, then I will have to contend with God.” Hamilton, 430.
“The Christian’s Extension of the Gospel” Colossians 1:24-2:5
“The Supreme Life”
A Sermon Series in Colossians
“The Christian’s Extension of the Gospel”
Colossians 1:24-2:5
Introduction
A pastor named Epaphras was leading a church in Colossae and there was something so troubling to him that was going on in the church that it drove him to travel to Paul in Rome (about 1,000 miles) to seek his help and to have an authoritative address (Paul as an apostle) to the issue.
In the part that we will look at today we begin to get an idea of what the problem was. The ancient society was influenced by Greek philosophy, specifically Plato. Plato believed that in the heavens there was an ideal for everything here on earth. A perfect ideal tree, and what we see here are shadows, copies, reflections of that ideal (so there is variety and differences).
So when Jesus comes along, they try to blend their worldly philosophy with Christianity. There was also the belief that anything of matter was evil. So, if Jesus was God he couldn’t be material, He had to be spiritual. According to them, Jesus was not physically here, He only appeared to be real, but was really a spirit only (in fact they believed that His feet never really touched the ground).
So in chapter 1 we see Jesus as (v. 15) “the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”
Jesus was fully God who became fully man and made the relationship between God and man right again by his dying a cross. What is at stake is the gospel that the church had correctly received from Epaphras being corrupted by the philosophies of the world.
Prayer
The Extension of the Gospel Involves Suffering (vv. 1:24-25)
24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, 25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known,
Paul is in prison and with a chain on his wrist he writes, “I rejoice in my sufferings,” “Now when I contemplate the lavish wealth of God’s mercy, now when I see all the glory of bearing a part in this magnificent work, my sorrow is turned into joy.”[1]
When Paul says, “filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions,” he does not mean that Christ’s crucifixion and death were not enough, be has already made it plain here and in other books that Christ’s death alone is what is needed for salvation (not works, family lineage, following the law, etc.)
2 Corinthians 1:5 “For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings,” but instead Paul is an extension of Christ’s ministry, and he is suffering on prison, while he writes this book. “The Church is built up by repeated acts of self-denial in successive individuals and successive generations.”[2] They continue the work that Christ began.
In the ancient world if you were the minister of a pagan religion, it was very common to have a slow revealing of secret information, and special knowledge. Once you get to a higher level, shown your loyalty or dedication, then new information would be revealed, and then the person was to keep these things secret in their closed circle. The Christian mystery is revealed to all, and the information is complete from the beginning.
Paul is a minister and he understands his job is to “make the word of God fully known.” We as believers are to follow Jesus’ and Paul’s example to make the word of God fully known, and because we live in a world hostile to the truth of the gospel it may also involve suffering.
Paul is an extension of Jesus’ ministry and he is in prison, Epaphras is an extension of Jesus’ ministry and he traveled 1000 miles for the sake the health of this church, and the church at Colossae is an extension of Jesus’ ministry – and there is a danger that the word of God may not be fully known, but instead corrupted.
The Extension of the Gospel Includes Everyone (vv. 1:26-27)
26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
“Christ in you,” – “God and his plan for salvation that had remained hidden in the past but that had now been revealed.” When the Jewish leadership of Jesus’ day should crucify him! Crucify Him! And the demons of hell rejoiced as they saw Christ on the cross, they had no idea that this was the plan the entire time for the redemption of humanity. This plan for salvation now includes not just the Jewish people, but the entire world. By faith, anyone could be “in Christ,” and as Paul says here, “Christ in you.” Because Jesus is our head, our representative, and we are his people – we have a hope of glory.
The Extension of the Gospel is Difficult Work (vv. 1:28-29)
28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.
It is “Him,” Jesus we proclaim – we don’t proclaim our preferences, our agendas, our wants, our opinions – we proclaim Jesus. With that proclamation are two things 1) warnings (to stimulate repentance), and 2) teachings (to enhance faith). Warnings are what the Bible says about the sin of this world and its affects upon our lives (we warn people of the danger of sin, we don’t placate to it), and we teach what the Bible says and how our lives need to be changed and how we profit from applying to our lives, by doing what it says.
This warning and teaching has to be done “with all wisdom,” Jesus said to “speak the truth in love. (Eph. 4:15)” What you say matters, and how you say it matters as well. What you say may be true, but if you say it in an unwise manner, it will not be received.
When we use wisdom to properly warn and teach people, they then mature in their faith. Paul says that this is a toil and struggle and it takes all his energy. The proclamation of Jesus and the warning and teaching to others is hard (even for an apostle). And when Paul says, “For this I toil,” is a word picture of an athlete in his training, and then contending.
It is an exhausting work – that we all share a part. This is the wonder of the church – each using their gifts, talents, life experience, doing their part (as Paul describes a body or feet, hands, etc.) to expand the work of Christ, the gospel. But what makes it exhausting is . . .
People don’t like to be told what they are doing is wrong (unrepentant),
and they believe they know everything (unteachable).
Paul is in prison for his dealing with one heretical teaching in Ephesus (mixing the law with faith), and now he has received a pastor from Colossae with another false teaching -church work is tiring. There is an “Intellectual exclusiveness taught by the Gnosticizers”[3] Plato and Aristotle both taught a form of higher philosophy, it relates to those who have transcended the bounds of the material. The common everyday believers had faith in Christ, but there was a secret mystery of Christ that could be achieved.
The Extension of the Gospel Leads Us to Encourage Others (vv. 2:2-3)
2 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, 2 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
Paul talks about his struggle (continuing the image of an athlete in an arena) and how hard the gospel ministry is (for their church and he mentions another church in Laodicea), and for those believers he has never met and he wants, “their hearts may be encouraged,” – The word used for “encouraged in heart” or “to have hearts encouraged” is therefore a way of referring to an encouragement that touches the deepest part of our being and that affects every aspect of our persons.”[4] The word encourage means to pull someone next to you, beside you – by being next to you they are lifted up.
What should encourage us is not secrets or false promises
but that we are struggling, like Paul, for the continuance of the gospel.
He also wants his ministry to unite them, to “knit them together,” and the context that surrounds all of this is love. What unites us, and those who proclaim Jesus, is our knowledge and proper understanding of the gospel, and who Jesus is, and what He has done for humanity. We should not be knit together by anything but our love for Jesus and his crucifixion. The church is where we gather to talk about Jesus, to sing about Jesus, to study Jesus’ teachings, — we are knit together by our knowledge and love for Him.
Let me insert here the importance of church membership – when a person joins a church they are saying, “I agree with this church’s beliefs and how they are proclaiming the truth of the gospel, and what they teach about Jesus and His Word. I therefore am going to live out the Christian life in fellowship with these other believers in love.”
A church should not tolerate any teaching or beliefs within its fellowship that teach a corrupted Jesus, or twists the Bible to mean something it does not. But it is also the unity in the expression of the gospel that is a witness to the world, “The late Francis Schaeffer called the unity of the church “the final apologetic” to the watching world.”
(v. 3) “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” – “Christ is the one in whom is to be found all that you need in order to understand spiritual reality and to lead a life pleasing to God.”[5] When you place your faith in Jesus – you get Jesus (you don’t fly, move things with your mind, or project to other places, you don’t get special powers, you don’t learn hand gestures to enter other dimensions, or secret knowledge or spells. You get Jesus in the beginning of your journey, and He is with you all the way to the end – Paul wants us to understand Jesus is enough (He is preeminent). The work of the gospel is the work.
(v. 3) In verse three we see the word apocryphal – this word was applied to esoteric writings, where sectarians claimed a secret authority and they carefully guarded their publications or secret books. Jesus is the revelation of all true wisdom and knowledge.
People want an easy access to spiritual growth.
Your Journey to Find Spiritual Truth and Fulfillment
Begins with Jesus and Ends With Jesus.
“The basic attack of all false systems throughout history has been to deny either Christ’s deity, His sufficiency to save and sanctify, or both. Any group or person doing so is guilty of teaching “doctrines of demons” (1 Tim. 4:1). As purveyors of another gospel, they are accursed (Gal. 1:8). Believers need to have a settled conviction about Christ’s deity and sufficiency to be able to withstand the onslaught of such false teaching.”[6]
The Importance of Extending the Correct Gospel (vv. 2:4-5)
4 I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. 5 For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.
(v. 4) “delude you with plausible arguments,” – Mankind has always asked the question, “Why am I here?” or “Where am I going?” “The word philosophy comes from two Greek words, phileo, “to love” and sophia, “wisdom.” Philosophy is a love and pursuit of wisdom. Since the ancients there have been many who seek to explain the universe.
Any time we seek to explain the universe and leave God out of it our thoughts become dark and we realize we are without hope. Romans 1:21-22 describes it this way, “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools,”
Paul does not give us the specific danger the church at Colossae faced, but he reminds them of Christ’s role in the universe. He is calling the church to be aware, “to watch out,” to a constant awareness because danger is near. The church constantly faces the danger of false teachers. Jesus warns in Matthew 7:15, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.”
These false teachers “delude” them. Is a compound word made up of “booty” – captured materials form war, and “to carry off.” It means to kidnap, or to carry off spoils of war. We must be careful not to allow ourselves to become pray of a false teacher who will carry us off as captives of war.
These false teachers carry off church members “with plausible arguments,” – the root of these words means deceit, fraud, or trick.” Whatever the false teaching was that drive this pastor to seek Paul’s help was not what it appeared to be. No matter how religious and profound it may have sounded and appeared to them, it was false and hollow.
In the following verses (that we will get to next time) Paul is going to give two specific examples of these arguments that seem plausible at the outset, but ultimately show themselves to be false and dangerous. But ultimately, we like Adam and Eve, stand at the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
God said you can eat from any tree in the garden except this one tress, but look what happens in Genesis 3:6 “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise,2 she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.” Satan promised them hidden knowledge that God was keeping from them. Paul is telling us that we have the full knowledge of wisdom and understanding in Christ – God has held nothing back.
Whenever we, as human beings, take God out of the equation, when we place ourselves as god of the universe, we allow ourselves to be carried off into lies. Adam and Eve thought they knew better than God what was good for them. This is the fall of mankind. When I put myself over God’s Word, then I am doing the same thing and Adam and Eve in the garden.
It’s all about Jesus.
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[1] T.K. Abbott, The International Critical Commentary, The Epistles to the Ephesians and to the Colossians (Edinburgh, Scotland; T&T Clark Publishing) 228.
[2] J. B. Lightfoot, St. Paul’s Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon (Lynn, Massachusetts; Hendrickson Publishing, 1982) 166.
[3] Lightfoot, 170.
[4] Douglas Moo, The Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon (Grand Rapids, Michigan; William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2008) 165.
[5] Moo, 169.
[6] John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, Colossians and Philemon (Chicago, Illinois; Moody Publishing, 1992) 90.
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