In All The Scriptures

3/31/2019 “In All the Scriptures” “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. Luke 24:25-27 Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures I Cor.15:3 1 3/31/2019 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Gen.1:27-28 The micro version…In the Garden God’s presence Choices: Life or death (exile) “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”… (God) You shall not die, you will be like God, knowing good and evil. (serpent) He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life. In the promises land (macro version)– God’s presence Choices: Life or death (exile) 2 3/31/2019 If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.” Deut.30:16-20 If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.” Deut.30:16-20 If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.” Deut.30:16-20 3 3/31/2019 Breaking moral commandments (important as they are) are secondary, The human problem is not so much “sin” seen as the breaking of moral codes—but rather idolatry and the distortion of genuine humanness it produces. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. Rom.1:18 they … exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. Rom.1:23 they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator Rom.1:25 they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die Rom.1:32 “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Mt.4:9 the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. Jn.4:23 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. II Cor. 3:18 We will become like the object of our worship Through the death of Jesus the original human calling/vocation has been reestablished, so that redeemed humans are now seen as the “royal priesthood” or a “kingdom of priests;” there claiming that the original project of creation is on track again… and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood— and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. Rev.1:5-6 4 3/31/2019 The calling/vocation of the Church giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Col.1:12-14 (The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ) making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, Eph.1:9-11 It is also the calling/vocation of Israel… ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.” Exodus 19:4-6 5 3/31/2019 The vocation generates the remarkable vision… Isaiah 49:1-12 If you read through Israel’s scriptures, you will discover that, contrary to some popular suppositions, they tell a single great story; but the story is strangely inconclusive. It seems to be pointing toward, but not finding an appropriate ending… At the end of Deuteronomy, Israel is warned about rebellion, exile, and death At the end of Chronicles, the exile is still continuing At the end of Malachi, God is promising to come back and sort everything out, but it had not happened yet Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath the Lord God of heaven given me; and he hath charged me to build him an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? The Lord his God be with him, and let him go up. II Chron.36:22-23 6 3/31/2019 “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. Malachi 3:1 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans; In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. Dan.9:1-2 A “deeper” exile “Seventy weeks of years are decreed concerning your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place. Dan.9:24 Adam and Israel “Read the story of Adam and Eve and you see, close up, the stark meaning of the much longer story of Israel. Read the full story of Israel and you see, worked out in great and tragic detail, what the plight of the human race really meant.” N T Wright 7 3/31/2019 Getting the Original Purpose Back on Track God called Abraham and Sarah to reverse and undue the problem of Adam and Eve. The promised land was to be the new Eden 1. The promised land would be the place of life, as opposed to death. Cp Deut.30:15-20 with Gen.3:22-24 Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil; and now, lest he put forth his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever”— therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man; and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life. Gen.3:22-24 Getting the Original Purpose Back on Track God called Abraham and Sarah to reverse and undue the problem of Adam and Eve. The promised land was to be the new Eden 1. The promised land would be the place of life, as opposed to death. Cp Deut.30:15-20 with Gen.3:22-24 2. The land would eventually become the place of divine presence 8 3/31/2019 The original heaven-and-earth creation was meant to function as a dwelling, not only for humans, but for the Creator God Himself. Creation as a whole was a kind of Temple, with Humans, the divine “image” placed at its heart. The tabernacle in the wilderness and then the Temple in Jerusalem-a creation in miniature; a sign of the eventual intention to renew and restore creation itself and fill it with His powerful presence. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. Rev.21:3 but truly, as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord, Blessed be his glorious name for ever; Num.14:21 may his glory fill the whole earth! Amen and Amen! Ps.72:19 They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. Isa.11:9 Getting the Original Purpose Back on Track God called Abraham and Sarah to reverse and undue the problem of Adam and Eve. The promised land was to be the new Eden 1. The promised land would be the place of life, as opposed to death. Cp Deut.30:15-20 with Gen.3:22-24 2. The land would eventually become the place of divine presence 3. The explicit expansion of the “promised land” to include the whole world 9 3/31/2019 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. Ps.2:8 He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth…. Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him… His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed. Ps.72:8,11,17 The Lessons The divine purpose is to eventually bring the whole world under the rescuing and rehumanizing rule of Israel’s God In Adam and Eve’s case and Israel on a much larger scale they sinned and exile/death was the result. The subsequent moral failures were the result of their idolatry. In choosing the worship the creature they gave power to Satan Romans 1 For all have sinned (missing the mark), and come short of the glory of God Rom.3:23 The mark or target is a full human life of worship and stewardship….of being a royal priesthood Idolatry and sin is, in the last analysis, a failure of vocational responsibility; a way of declining the divine summons of reflecting God’s image 10 3/31/2019 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same nature, that through death he might destroy (nullify)him who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong bondage. Hebrews 2:14-15 Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.” Jn.12:31-32 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me; Jn.14:30 And when he comes, he will convince the world concerning… judgment…concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. Jn.16:8-11 “When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness.” Luke 22:53 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age Gal.1:4 11