Christ be about His business as Prophet... habitually.

So, I'm teaching Sunday School again this year. I'm so glad that our church has decided to use a curriculum created by Children's Desiring God (part of Desiring God ministries), because whenever I plan for a lesson using this SOLID curriculum I feel that I'm even more blessed and amazed at God's grace than the kids are. The curriculum for the class I'm teaching this year is called "How Majestic is Your Name". Every week we discuss a different name of God: what it means, why it applies to God, how God manifests the characteristics of this name in Scripture, how it affects us as God's people, etc. Last week, for example, we talked about Jesus as "The Lamb of God", so we discussed things like sin, blood atonement, temporary vs. perfected sacrifice, etc. Pretty common conversation topics with 10-year-olds, right? Diggity.

The name for this morning's lesson was "High Priest". We talked about the Tabernacle, the separation of the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies, the Mercy Seat of the Ark of the Covenant, the role and duties of the High Priest on the Day of Atonement, and so on. The discussion got me thinking about the awe-inspiring nature of the fulfillment of the threefold office of the Christ of God: Prophet, Priest and King.

There were three offices to which God appointed men of Israel under the Old Covenant. These three offices fulfilled distinct roles as servants to both God and His elect in that they, respectively, brought God to His people (Prophet), interceded on behalf of the people to God (Priest), and united the people under God (King). In each of these offices, Christ is seen as perfectly and infinitely glorious because He both inherits each office eternally, as well as redeems and completes the glory of the office by fulfilling it to its perfection. I'd like to do a post about each of these offices*, starting with Christ as Prophet.

The prophets of the Old Covenant served as God's voice to His children. God chose specific men to fulfill specific roles as the ones who were to declare the great and glorious "thus says the LORD" to the people of Israel. This is how God revealed His nature and will to His chosen people. However, Jesus has become the final and perfected Prophet of God the Father to His people, as it is written:

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.

-Hebrews 1:1-2

God spoke to His chosen people in order to reveal Himself to them. In what better way can He choose to do this than by sending His very self to His people to live among them, and die in their midst as an atonement for their sin? There is no greater way, and God has done precisely this:

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

-John 1:14

Christ is the very Word of God, the absolute reflection of His character to His people, because Christ is at the same time both fully human and fully God: the perfect communication from God to mankind! Indeed, there is nowhere other than to God the Son that we need look in order to find God the Father:

Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?

-John 14:8-9

The incarnation of God in the flesh has perfected the ministry of the prophet of God. Because of the revelation and ministry of Jesus on earth, God has now fully revealed to His creation all that is necessary for men to know about their Creator in order to be reconciled to Him. Jesus Himself has shown that the revelation of God's Word in the Old Testament served as a witness to Him (John 5:39-40). Possibly without even knowing it, God's prophets of old were giving glory to Christ and pointing the way to him! And now that Jesus has been revealed to the world, the ministry of the prophet has been fulfilled, since the entirety of the Holy Scriptures, all of God's word that He has chosen to speak to His people, points to Jesus. And Jesus continues to speak to men and women as the final, perfected Prophet through His Spirit, convicting the world of sin and revealing Himself to the sheep of His fold through the Scriptures that have been written about Him.

The revelation of God to mankind began with creation (through Christ), continued with selected dispensation of prophecy (about Christ), has been fulfilled in the revelation of God's Word on earth (in Christ), and now draws men and women to redemption as found in the Gospel (by the Spirit of Christ).

Soli Deo gloria, yo.

*If you want to read more about Christ's roles in the threefold office of Prophet, Priest and King, you can read about John Calvin's thoughts on the matter here. It was Calvin who first brought this idea to a prominent light in Christian doctrine.

God has been broken

I was reading in Ezekiel again today. The first part of the book is talking about God's judgement on the sin and idolatry of Israel. I was particularly struck by a part of chapter 6, verse 9:

"...I have been broken over their whoring heart that has departed from me and over their eyes that go whoring after their idols."

There were three things here which really caught my attention, and kept it throughout the day.

Firstly, God uses some pretty strong language to describe Israel's idolatry: it's whoredom. Promiscuity at its dirtiest and its worst. This is what idolatry is, plain and simple.

Secondly, idolatry breaks God. I don't know what that looks like, for God to be broken, to have His heart crushed. I'm not sure that I can fit that kind of thing into my puny theological framework. But God is saying this about Himself here, so whatever it is, it's true. And it sucks. Idolatry breaks God... and that sucks.

Thirdly, Israel was no worse than I am. Sure, their idols might have been more concrete than mine, but look at the simple language that's used here... a heart that has departed from God?... eyes which turn away from God and onto other things? That's me. That's what I do. That's my M.O., as a sinner. I can easily be a whore, just like Israel was.

...but that's not where the story ends, thanks be to God!

The Lord has already poured out His wrath against my idolatry on His own Son. Because of this sacrifice, He has removed my heart of stone and given me a heart of flesh (11:19), He has become my God (11:20), He has atoned for all that I have done (16:63), He has redeemed me for His name's sake (20:44), and He has put His Spirit in me and raised me from the dead (37:13-14), He has established an everlasting covenant of peace with me (37:26), and He has become my inheritance (44:28).

He is risen indeed... and that actually matters!

Who could have ever possibly guessed that I would do a blog post about the Gospel on Easter Sunday? WHO, I ask, WHO?!

What can I say? I'm predictable.

Easter Sunday is one of 365 days in the year when it is important to remind ourselves and others of the significance of the work, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the eternal Lamb of God.

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.

-1 Corinthians 15:3-5

Paul was a major stud. Along with Luther, I'm definitely going to be buying a beer for this brother after I'm resurrected (You hear me, Martin and Paul? I'll keep the tab open; Brother Martin, you find Jesus; Paul, go grab a table at the back of the pub.). Paul was a stud because, no matter what happened to him, he kept it real. He was focused on one thing after his conversion: preaching the Gospel to whoever was put in his life. The brother preached, and preached, and preached, and he never watered down the message that Christ had given him on the road to Damascus!

Paul received from Jesus Himself, and preached to others, a message of first importance: a Man who had claimed to be God was put to death by the local government, was buried in a tomb, and was then raised back to life. Why was this message so important to Paul? What was it about this bizarre series of events that turned Paul from one of the greatest persecutors of the Body of Christ into one of its most vocal members? He gives his reason just a few verses later:

And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

-1 Corinthians 15:17-19

For some reason, the resurrection of Christ was a big deal to Paul. Such a big deal, in fact, that he actually believed that the entirety of his religion hinged on this singular event. But why? Why is it necessary for Jesus to literally have been raised from the dead? Wouldn't it be enough for Him to be raised "in our hearts"? Can't it be simply alright that Jesus was a good moral example and leader? Can't this be good enough for Christianity to be the one truth?

NO, IT CAN'T.

That's largest font size Blogger is capable of, by the way, so I don't know how to make this point any clearer: Christ had to be raised from the dead. If He wasn't resurrected then, as Paul said, we are of all people most to be pitied, because our faith is futile and we are still in our sins.

So what's the reason for this? Why did Paul believe that the physical resurrection of Christ was necessary for his faith? Read on:

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.

-1 Corinthians 15:20-23

Ahhh, I see... it has to do with sin and redemption! The first Adam brought all mankind under the rule of sin and death, but Christ, the second Adam, will one day bring those who belong to Him into eternal life! Christ had to die in order to become sin in our place, so that we might receive His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). And He had to be raised in order that He might raise us as well when He returns to complete His conquering of sin and death.

Furthermore, the resurrection of Jesus is proof that His atoning sacrifice for the sins of those who belong to Him was actually accepted by God. If Jesus was not who He claimed to be, if Jesus was not God, if Jesus was not sinless, then His sacrifice would have been a pointless death. It would have been pointless because it wouldn't have actually paid for anything: not my sin, not yours, not anyone's. God demanded the sacrifice of a spotless lamb to atone for sin. Jesus was that Spotless Lamb, the final sacrifice for sin. His resurrection on that wonderful Easter morning was proof of this, because it meant that the sacrifice was a good one, that it pleased God, and that it fulfilled the demands of the Law... forever.

He is risen! He is risen indeed! And I thank the Lord that this actually matters.

Creation: like a beautiful book

(From the Belgic Confession)

Article 2: The Means by Which We Know God

First, by the creation, preservation, and government

of the universe,

since that universe is before our eyes

like a beautiful book

in which all creatures,

great and small,

are as letters

to make us ponder

the invisible things of God:

his eternal power

and his divinity,

as the apostle Paul says in Romans 1:20.

All these things are enough to convict men

and to leave them without excuse.

Second, he makes himself known to us more openly

by his holy and divine Word,

as much as we need in this life,

for his glory

and the salvation of his own.

My only comfort

(From the Heidelberg Catechism)

1 Q. What is your only comfort

in life and in death?

A. That I am not my own,

but belong -

body and soul,

in life and in death -

to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ.

He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood,

and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil.

He also watches over me in such a way

that not a hair can fall from my head

without the will of my Father in heaven:

in fact, all things must work together for my salvation.

Because I belong to him,

Christ, by his Holy Spirit,

assures me of eternal life

and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready

from now on to live for him.

Ahhh... it is so good.

(From the Heidelberg Catechism)

56 Q. What do you believe

concerning "the forgiveness of sins"?

A. I believe that God,

because of Christ's atonement,

will never hold against me,

any of my sins

nor my sinful nature

which I need to struggle against all my life.

Rather, in his grace

God grants me the righteousness of Christ

to free me forever from judgment.

6th century BC, 1st century AD, 21st century AD... let's keep preaching!

Six centuries before the revelation of God in the flesh, the Lord GOD spoke the following words to His prophet Ezekiel:

"And you shall speak my words to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear, for they are a rebellious house. But you, son of man, hear what I say to you. Be not rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you."

Moreover, he said to me, "Son of man, all my words that I shall speak to you receive in your heart, and hear with your ears. And go to the exiles, to your people, and speak to them and say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD,' whether they hear or refuse to hear."

-Ezekiel 2:7-8,10-11

Seven centuries later, Paul, "an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God according to the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus", wrote the following to the evangelist Timothy:

Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

-2 Timothy 4:2-4

And yet another two millennia later, I don't believe that anything has changed for the people of God, who are charged with proclaiming the glory of the LORD on His earth, and who will find true joy in nothing else.

There always have been, and always will be people who refuse to listen to the word of God. There always have been, and always will be people who will persecute those who bring that word. There always have been, and always will be seasons when the Gospel of Christ will be received, and others when it will be abhorred.

But we must not forget that there also always has been, and always will be a great and sovereign God whose ultimate ambition is to proclaim His great worth, drawing men and women to experience His everlasting glory. We must not forget that the Gospel of Christ has been sovereignly planned and executed by this glorious God. And we must not forget that the Gospel will go forth, because it is a manifestation of God's glory. The Gospel will not fail, because God cannot fail.

So let us preach the word of God, in season and out of season, whether they hear or refuse to hear. It is God's Gospel that we bring, not our own. He will ultimately sustain it, but He chooses us to be blessed by being the messengers.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.

-Romans 1:16a