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Hello, and welcome to Lechem Panim. In today’s message from the book of Acts, we are going to discuss the greatest call that you and I can have on our lives.
Close to Extinction-- I remember in one of the writings of the late Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias, his asking: [And what is the first call for each one of us? It is to understand God’s primary description of who and what we are. {Ravi Zacharias put it thus:} All the other accolades that people want to thrust at us are secondary at best. The fact that someone writes, another speaks, still others invest or play sports, is merely the means to express the greater end. {He said} Some time ago, I attended a Bible study session with some sports professionals. The speaker that morning challenged the players to leave a legacy they could be proud of. He began by asking them how many knew the name of their great-grandfather. A handful of hands went up. Then he asked how many of them knew where their great-grandfather was buried. Most of the hands stayed down. With each more specific question, fewer hands went up. He then made his point: “Each one of us is just three to four generations away from extinction.” {Ravi said} Silence gripped the room. How sobering to think that, just a few generations down the family tree, no one would even know I had ever existed! Then the speaker challenged these men about the legacy they would leave behind. One after another, the players responded. But then one said, “Really, I don’t care whether or not my great-great-grandson or great-granddaughter knows that I played ball professionally. It really doesn’t matter that much. I just want them to know the God I served and loved.” The words came from the heart, and for a moment, in the silence, {Ravi said} we all knew the truth of both thoughts. Our devotion to God’s call and to his claim on our lives provides the groundwork of all that ultimately matters. Words like those of the professional ballplayer are all the more profound, because many of our youth consider his calling a dream. But the greatest dream of all is to know God and to know what he has intended for your life.] The greatest call upon your life is the call He has given for you to follow Him in radical, world-changing discipleship. Soldiers of the Cross-- And that was Jesus’ ultimate mission while here on earth (aside from the cross); to make disciples who would be world-changers. As someone once pointed out: [He did not want to be just a Bible teacher to a group of spiritually hungry souls who would get their only ration of spiritual food once a week from his sermons. He wanted to train a band of strong, rugged soldiers of the Cross who would then collaborate with him in the work of the ministry in the church.] No Other Plan-- And the man who said that (LeRoy Eims) also shared a personal story in his book The Lost Art of Disciple Making. He said: [I had gone to a Christian conference and in one of the messages the speaker was emphasizing how vital these men were to Jesus’ mission. He told us a story that stirred our imaginations. He spoke of the return of Jesus to heaven—His ascension—and the excitement that it caused among the angels. He painted quite a picture, for he was good with words. He told of one of the angels who asked the returned Son of God a question, “What plan do You have to continue the work You began on earth?” Without hesitation Jesus answered, “I left it in the hands of the apostles.” Another angel asked, “What if they fail?” Again there was no hesitation, “I have no other plan.” The speaker assured us it was only a story, but it got the point across. The future of Christianity, humanly speaking, rose or fell on the ministry of these men.] Our Responsibility-- Now when you think about that, the implications are profound. Jesus has entrusted the success of His Great Commission to you and to me. He has placed the fate of the world in our hands. It is up to the obedience of individual men and women who (daily) have to choose how sold out they are to Jesus Christ; just how dedicated they are to Christ’s mission of discipleship. And that is a choice that you and I have to make as well. Are we going to orient our lives around Jesus Christ and His mission? The 40-day gap— Now in our passage today, Jesus had recently risen. But the ascension doesn’t happen right away. There is a forty-day gap between the resurrection and the ascension in which Jesus is appearing to the disciples, instructing them, training them, and preparing them for His ministry that they are about to continue in the world. Verse 3 says that He was also speaking to them about the kingdom of God; that kingdom they would soon be bringing people into. And it says in… Acts 1:4-5 (ESV)-- 4 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” Awaiting The Holy Spirit-- So we see here that Jesus doesn’t want the disciples to leave Jerusalem until they have received the Holy Spirit. Why? Because He knows that in order for any ministry to be affective, we must have the Holy Spirit go with us (and also “before us”), because it is not ultimately our work. Rather we join in the work the Holy Spirit is already doing. And so Jesus is preparing the disciples for the more immediate event of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit will come down upon them and cleanse them and empower their lives and ministry. A Time of Excitement-- Now just imagine the excitement the disciples had during this time. Their Lord had risen; He was walking and talking with them once again. The hope in Him as their Messiah, that hope they lost at His death, was restored. And they are beginning to get excited about knowing what comes next. And we see that Jesus has led them to [the Mount of Olives (v. 12), at the foot of which lay Bethany (Luke 24:50).] My Journey to Olivet-- I remember when I went to Israel, coming to the Mount of Olives. And one of the things I remember seeing that I did not expect was a massive number of tombs; white sepulchers all over. And in fact there are an estimated 150,000 graves on the Mount. Tombs traditionally associated with Zechariah, Haggai, Malachi, and Absalom are among them. Numerous rabbis and Jews are buried there even to the present age; though at an exorbitant price. It is very expensive to be buried there. And when I asked why, our guide said it was because of a very interesting prophecy in the Old Testament. It says in… Zechariah 14:3-4, 9 (ESV)-- 3 Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. 4 On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward. {And verse 9 says…} 9 And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day the Lord will be one and his name one. They Missed It-- Now after telling me this, our guide said of many of the Jews then, “They missed it.” And you know, they still miss it even today because they are not being told. But the disciples see what is happening; they see Jesus, their Messiah, leading them up the Mount of Olives. And the whole time their knees are like buckling and shaking. They’re thinking “Is this the moment?” “I don’t know.” “Should we ask the Master?” So verse 6 says... Acts 1:6 (ESV)— 6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” What The Disciples Expected-- And they asked Him this because they had drawn the conclusion from his resurrection and promise of the Holy Spirit that era of the Messiah had dawned and Israel’s final salvation and restoration was at hand. But keep in mind that they were still expecting the Messiah to drive out the Romans and restore Israel to physical, military, and political glory, as God had done numerous times in and throughout the Old Testament. But look at Jesus’ response. He says… Acts 1:7 (ESV)— 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. And in that we see that Jesus is not interested in revealing to us the hour of His return. Rather He wants us to focus on abiding in Him in the present, doing the work that He has commissioned us (as His ambassadors) to do in the world. Look at what He says in… Acts 1:8 (ESV)— 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” “Be My Witnesses”-- [Jesus corrected them...but by telling them (Acts 1:8) that they would receive power from the Holy Spirit, not in order to triumph over Roman armies but to spread the good news of the gospel throughout the world.] The disciples wanted to know the hour of the coming of Christ’s kingdom. Jesus says, “Don’t worry about that. It’s in God’s hands. But until then, you are to proclaim my name; be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. And then He gives them the Great Commission, which is recorded for us in… Matthew 28:19-20 (ESV)— 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” I am with you always-- Now that last phrase I am with you always is an intriguing phrase. We often treat it like a separate promise of His presence to be with all believers. And that may be true. But you almost get the sense that this promise is also connected with the commission He just gave. It’s almost like He’s saying, “I am with you always, to the end of the age” as you continue in the work of making disciples. And what this may be hinting at is the reality that you and I are never going to experience Christ more fully or more closely (in our own lives) than when we are bringing somebody to Jesus or into a closer walk with Him. You want to experience Jesus Christ? Go where He’s at work and join with Him. And when you do, you will find that you will have connected yourself with one of the central purposes of your life; and that will allow God to bless you in ways He otherwise would never be able to. And so let us commit to live lives where we are intentionally reaching out to make disciples. Amen.
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Hello, and welcome to Lechem Panim. As we have started a new series on the book of Acts, we have been taking a look at the testimony of Luke (author of the both the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts). Luke had become the companion of Paul and one the early Church’s greatest historians. Now although Luke writes as a historian, Luke’s occupation before this had been quite different. He had been a physician.
Medical Machinery-- I remember not long ago I went to visit a gentleman in the hospital; to both minister and pray with him and just be with him through a very difficult time. And as I stepped into that hospital room I found myself almost instantly surrounded by all kinds of medical equipment. Now I didn’t know what much of that equipment does. But I remember a nurse came in with a rather large piece of machinery. And as she proceeded to hook my friend up to it and to press other pieces of machinery onto his chest, I saw on the computer screen live video images of my friend’s heart. And as she moved the equipment around, she began to take precise computer measurements, calculating every sound; every pulse. Laid out in visual form were the wavelengths; the very heartbeat of my friend. Now that kind of thing is awe-inspiring to me. But it also leads me to wonder what it must have been like to receive medical care in the first-century world of Jesus. In talking about this, my wife remarked to me how she could not even imagine giving birth during that time. And in fact, if she had, she would probably never have made it because of how our son was positioned in her womb. She very likely would have died in childbirth. Conditions and injuries that we would consider relatively minor were so much more dangerous then. Some of you tuning in today may be in the medical field. Have you ever imagined what it would have been like to treat somebody in ancient times or during this time period in and around the life of Christ? Luke’s Focus on Christ’s Birth-- Well, Luke didn’t have to imagine, because that was his primary occupation; he was a physician. And interestingly, he is the gospel writer who gives us the most details concerning the events in and surrounding the birth of Jesus. Maybe as a physician he was just so captivated and couldn’t get over the fact that in the womb of Mary; that womb that medically sustained Jesus, was the very Creator of the Universe who was at that moment already sustaining her; that her very blood which was bringing Him life would one day be poured out on the cross, bringing life to her. Luke’s Focus on The Healings of Jesus-- Also we find that Luke places special emphasis on the healing ministry of Jesus; and when we understand he was a physician, we can kind of see through his eyes and recognize why he was so fascinated by it. Jesus needed no equipment; Jesus never prescribed any medication; He never had to make a single surgical cut. He merely spoke and the worst conditions imaginable; even those that were beyond the hope of cure; conditions that Luke had encountered over and over again, were cured. I wonder how many times Luke had to tell someone, “I’m sorry, you will never see again,” “I’m sorry, you will never walk again,” “I’m sorry, but this infliction is incurable.” Luke presents Jesus in a way that only a physician could; because Jesus had succeeded in many of the same kinds of situations where Luke himself had failed. Only one time in all four of the Gospel accounts is Jesus called or thought of as a medical Physician; and it is here in the Gospel of Luke; Luke 4:23. Luke simply could not get over the power of God made manifest in Jesus Christ in the absolute worst of medical situations; how every illness and every defect left at the mere touch (or even just the mere spoken word) of Jesus. And Luke, like Matthew, also recognizes this as a fulfillment of prophecy. Isaiah 35:5-6a (NIV)-- 5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. 6 Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. At one point John the Baptist sends messengers to ask Jesus if He truly is the promised Messiah. And Luke says in… Luke 7:20-22 (NIV)-- 20 When the men came to Jesus, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’” 21 At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. 22 So he replied to the messengers, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. So Luke points out how Jesus knowingly fulfilled these prophecies from Isaiah; the last of which is that the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Luke the Gentile-- And this is another one of Luke’s major themes (particularly in his Gospel); [Jesus’ compassion for Gentiles, Samaritans, women, children, tax collectors, sinners, and others often regarded as outcasts in Israel. <In fact,> Every time he mentions a tax collector (3:12; 5:27; 7:29; 15:1; 18:10-13; 19:2), it is in a positive sense.] In a time in which women were on the bottom rung of society, [Luke emphasized the central role of women in the life and ministry of our Lord (e.g., 7:12-15, 37-50; 8:2-3, 43-48; 10:38-42; 13:11-13; 21:2-4; 23:27-29, 49, 55-56).] And the reason Luke has a special place in his heart for outcasts was because he himself was an outcast. In Colossians 4:11-14, Luke is clearly distinguished from those of Paul’s fellow workers who are of the circumcision. He isn’t circumcised because he’s a gentile. And in fact, that makes him the only non-Jewish writer of the New Testament. And because he was not a Jew, according to Jewish thought he was not an inheritor of the promise. And yet in his Gospel Luke shows how Jesus opened up the way for anybody, no matter who they were or what they had been through, to become a part of the family of God; that the mercy of God has been extended to all people; whether Jew or Gentile. And in Luke’s first book, the Gospel of Luke, he reveals this as the mission of Jesus; and here in Luke’s sequel to the book (the sequel being, of course, the book of Acts) we see revealed how that mission unfolded in the early life of the Church. Both books are united by that same central theme, and together they make up the largest part of the New Testament. Now where did Luke get this idea? Well, remember he was a companion of Paul, who wrote the epistles long before he wrote his gospel and no doubt mentored him. And Paul had said in… Galatians 3:28 (NIV)-- 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. The Compassion of Jesus-- Luke found hope and exceeding joy that he, though an outcast, could become a part of the family of God. This is why Luke was so fascinated by the compassion Jesus extended to all who were considered lost. In his Gospel he therefore records more of the parables of Jesus than any other gospel; many in which God’s mission (carried out by Jesus Christ) is shown to be one of pursuing; God being likened to characters who are searching for something that has been lost. He is like a shepherd seeking a lost sheep (Luke 15:1-7); He is like a woman searching for a lost wedding coin (Luke 15:8-10); He is like a father yearning for the return of a lost son (Luke 15:11-32). A.W. Tozer once wrote a book that has since become one of the great Christian classics, entitled The Pursuit of God. Yet this is somewhat of a misnomer because here we find that what Luke was captivated with was God’s pursuit of us; Jesus is seen to be the one who pursues us into the darkness; into the night; so that He might bring us back to God. This was absolutely central to Luke’s theology. Luke 19:10 (ESV)-- 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” A Misplaced Phone and Document-- I remember one week when my wife and I misplaced two things. She misplaced her cell phone and I misplaced a very important document. And so on two separate occasions in that same week we found ourselves searching all over the house, overturning all kinds of things in order to find that cell phone and that document. And in each case there was joy when that item was discovered. A Misplaced Engagement Ring-- I can still remember back when she and I first got engaged, her tearfully telling me some days afterwards that she had misplaced her engagement ring. She had woken up, looked at her hand, and discovered that it was gone. And she had been going frantically through every part of her dorm looking for it. And soon afterwards, after being allowed in to help her search, we found it in her bed; having slipped off while she was asleep. And I still remember the joy in her face and the tears in her eyes when she joyously put the ring back on her finger. God’s Pursuit of us-- And I just think, what an amazing thing that God pursues each and every one of us with just as much (in fact infinitely more) fervency. God does not leave one stone unturned in His pursuit of us. We are all valuable to Him; Jew or Gentile, man or woman, adult or child, righteous or sinner; rich or poor. God is pursuing you. And He will find you if you let Him. And He will make you His own. And in every healing Luke records, he shows how Jesus points people to the part of them that needs to be healed the most; their hearts. In Jesus, God has provided that ultimate healing. All we have to do is receive Him, surrender to Him, and allow Him (as our Great Physician) to heal and transform our hearts. And so I want to encourage you today, if you need to receive that healing today, invite Him into your life and say, “Lord, I need you to heal my sin; I need you to heal my brokenness; I am crippled, blind, deaf and mute without the abiding presence of your Holy Spirit in my life. Come fill me, heal me, change, and transform me.” Receive healing from Jesus. Amen. Hello, and welcome to Lechem Panim. Last week we started a new series on the book of Acts, beginning first by taking a look at the life and ministry of the author (Luke), who had formerly been a physician but who left everything to follow Christ and come alongside and minister with the Apostle Paul. And (as we will see today) God used Luke in remarkable way and (as He so often does) redirects Luke in a way he himself probably could never have imagined, as he went on to become the historian of the early Church.
Our Historian— You know, it’s interesting; whenever we visit my Grandmother in Kentucky, she will often tell us various stories of when she and my grandfather (and their children, my father, aunts, and uncles) were missionaries in Taiwan. And those stories are fascinating to listen to. But more often than not, when she is telling these stories, she has sitting by her side my dear Aunt Faith, whose memory surpasses the memory of anybody I have ever known. She can remember many addresses and phone numbers not only from the current time, but can also tell you what they were at any given stage of their life. She can remember every fact and every detail. She is, without a doubt, our family’s personal historian. She catches the mistakes and (when necessary) points them out in order to make sure the story is accurately passed down. And so far (thanks to her) they have been. Luke the Historian-- And so we see here (and really throughout the entirety of his Gospel) that Luke writes with the same kind of precision as any first-class historian. He had said back in his introduction to his Gospel (which is the prequel to the book of Acts written to the same recipient: Theophilus)… Luke 1:1-4 (NIV)— 1 Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. 3 With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught. Three Atheists Converted— Luke wanted his recipient Theophilus and all else who would read this account to know the facts, so that (knowing the facts) they might reasonably place their faith in Jesus Christ. Three great men I would put Luke in the same category with are C.S. Lewis, Josh McDowell, and Lee Strobel. All three of them were unbelievers until they began investigating the reliability of the accounts given to us in scripture. C.S. Lewis said he was very reluctant to the idea of becoming a Christian, but eventually was dragged (in his own words) “kicking and screaming into the kingdom” because the evidence he found for Christianity was so absolute and irrefutable. Josh McDowell likewise was very cynical of Christianity, but was challenged by a group of loving friends of his who were Christians to actually look at the evidence. And so he set out on a personal vendetta to try to disprove Christianity. He ended up also becoming a Christian; because of the overwhelming amount of evidence. Lee Stobel, author of The Case for Christ was a reporter for the Chicago Tribune; and a devout atheist. And the worst thing he thought could happen happened; his wife became a Christian. And he was terrified that she was going to become some kind of religious prude, and so he decided to take all his skills as an investigative journalist and expose Christianity for the cult he knew it had to be and convince his wife to get out of it. And his book chronicles his journey, as he interviewed scholars and numerous experts and authorities on the issue. But he was surprised at what he found; and that was that there are mountains of evidence stacked in Christianity’s favor. And he says he finally sat down and wrote a list of all the positive evidences for Christianity and then another (what he perceived to be) negative list of the evidences against Christianity and put the lists side by side. And he said he found (to his amazement) that after comparing those lists it would actually take more faith for him to maintain his atheism. And so he also was compelled to become a Christian. Luke’s Desire for Proof-- Now I say all this because Luke would have been like these men; he would have wanted proof beyond a reasonable doubt, which is why he investigated as thoroughly as he did. He wanted to be sure for himself; but he also knew that others were not going to believe unless they also had sufficient evidence. And so he became a historian; perhaps the greatest historian of all time. And as we move through the book of Acts, one of the things we will see is that Luke is a guy who (like in his Gospel) is very much concerned with the details; the facts in and surrounding the life and ministry of Jesus. This is why he is careful to give us the [details that helped identify the historical context of the events he described] He takes time to explain when they happened and what was going on during that time period. Phrases like In the time of…, In those days…, In the ____ year of.… Over and over again Luke ties his Gospel in with known history. And these details can be checked out. Sir William Ramsay-- In the [Late 1800’s/early 1900’s Sir William Ramsay was a well-known archaeologist and historian…{and} was considered to be the world's most imminent scholar on Asia-Minor, and it's geography and history. He read the book of Acts and said,“the book of Acts is a highly imaginative and carefully colored account of primitive Christianity” (in essence, “of my knowledge of history, I have no respect for Luke as a historian”). {But} Then he went to the middle east for the express purpose of proving the Bible wrong in its history. He came home and wrote the book, “Luke, The Beloved Physician” in which he proclaimed Dr. Luke to be one of the worlds foremost historians. Here’s a quote from Sir William Ramsey…this was after looking carefully at the evidence: “I take the view that Luke’s history is unsurpassed in its trustworthiness. You may press the words of Luke in a degree beyond any other historian, and they will stand the keenest scrutiny, and the harshest treatment.”] [Luke is a historian of the first rank; not merely are his statements trustworthy . . . this author should be placed along with the very greatest of historians”] Pretending The Bible Was True-- Now what is fascinating about the story of Sir William Ramsey is that he had decided (almost as a joke) to pretend that the Bible was true and to start using the Bible as the basis for his archeological digs. And what ended up happening is he made discovery after discovery after discovery using the Bible as his starting point. And he came to this conclusion (and we don’t know if he ever became a Christian or not). But this is the conclusion he came to (and I paraphrase): “If the Bible (Luke in particular) can be trusted at every single point that it can be checked out, I wonder if I shouldn’t take more seriously those areas that can’t be checked out.” An Accurate Habit of Mind-- And this was his reasoning. He said: “There is a certain presumption that a writer who proves to be exact and correct in one point will show the same qualities in other matters. No writer is correct by mere chance, or accurate sporadically. He is accurate by virtue of a certain habit of mind. Some men are accurate by nature; some are by nature loose and inaccurate.” And so his conclusion was that Luke was this kind of accurate person; consistently accurate. Why Luke Wanted To Get The Details Straight-- Luke was trustworthy in his investigation; and the reason was because Luke didn’t want have a false picture of Jesus (remember his own salvation was on the line); rather he wanted to know for certain who this Jesus really was. And he had to be thorough in his investigation because, unlike Matthew and John, he was not an eyewitness of the events of Christ’s life. And so he had to get most of that information second-hand. Positioned to Examine Witnesses-- And Luke is in a fantastic position to gather information about Jesus because he was (as we said before) a close friend and traveling companion of Paul, which allowed him to come into contact with and interview those who were eyewitnesses; not just the disciples, but the many others as well. Jesus touched a lot of people and therefore there were a lot of witnesses. Think about all the people He touched; all the miracles He performed. It says in John’s Gospel… John 21:25 (NIV)-- 25 Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written. Many Witnesses— And so we see that there would be many accounts because there were many witnesses of all these events. Even just the number of those who were witnesses to the Resurrection (to whom Jesus appeared to after He rose from the dead) is staggering. Paul writes in… 1 Corinthians 15:5-8 (NIV)-- 5…that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. Eyewitness Records-- And Paul was a reluctant witness as well. He didn’t want to believe. But then he encountered the risen Christ and had to change his beliefs based on what he saw. But all this to say, there was a multitude of witnesses to all these events and therefore there was a multitude of stories and accounts. And many endeavored to write them down, as we see in verses 1-2 of Luke chapter 1. Luke 1:1-2 (ESV)— 1 Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, A Reasonable Faith-- Now I say all this because sometimes we need to be reminded that the Bible is unlike other religious works in that (by giving us specific historical details) it puts kind of puts its neck on the line and says “come and see”; come and check this out; come verify that this is true. Are we to accept what it says by faith? Yes. But what we must always remember that it is not a blind faith (believing not having any real reason to) but rather we have a faith in Christ and His Word that rests on the sufficiency of the evidence. It is a reasonable faith. We can trust the scriptures and find in them solid reason to believe that Christ is who says He is. And consequently (because of that) we can also have assurance that He can do for us what He says He can do; and that is to redeem us from all our sins. And so let us give Him thanks for that today. Amen. Hello, and welcome to Lechem Panim. Thank you for joining us today as we begin a new series on a book of the Bible that has so much to say to us as we face these difficult and unusual times. If you are seeking a book that shows what God can do in and through men and women sold out to Him, this is it, as it gives us an account of the dynamic birth and explosive growth of the Early Church. And of course I am talking about the book of Acts, a book that (in the midst of what we are facing now) will really help us to grasp what it means to be the Church during all these trials that we are facing in these days.
Who’d You Follow?-- Now the way I want us to start off today is by having you think of the many giants of the faith in and throughout all of scripture; the men and women you admire the most. And I want you to think; which is the one (besides Jesus, of course) that (if you were given the opportunity) you would want to follow around the most? If you had the opportunity to minister with and be discipled by anybody (to share in their life experiences) who would that be? Would you join Noah in his ministry of building the ark and preaching repentance to the people? Would you sit under Daniel in Babylon and then Persia, joining him in prayer in that room with its windows open facing Jerusalem; would you even be willing to join him in a den of lions? Would you follow David through his many excursions; joining him on the battlefield to face Goliath or running with him in fear from King Saul, who would be seeking to take both of your lives? You know, what is amazing when we think of these giants of the faith is that nobody that we would want to seek to follow, to sit under, and to emulate had a perfect or stress-free life. Many (if not all) of them faced persecutions and dangers like we can’t even imagine. Following Paul-- There are a number of men (and women) in scripture I look up to and would love to follow, but whom I also think would be very challenging to follow in ministry. And one of these in particular (although I would love to follow him), it would be incredibly difficult because of what he faced. He was the victim of numerous hate crimes, being pelted with stones; being whipped mercilessly; dealing with imprisonment and even shipwreck. And of course I am talking about the apostle Paul. I can think of few people I admire more than him; and yet at the same time I think about how difficult it would be to share in his ministry. And [We know enough of what Paul and his fellow travelers endured to know that anyone identifying with Paul and the cause of Christ were candidates for the same sufferings.] Growing Pain-- But suffering (especially for the sake of Christ) is not something we should seek to avoid. And that’s because suffering and difficulty is what causes us to grow. This is why James writes in… James 1:2-4 (ESV)-- 2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. Strengthened Character-- And so while in looking at the life of Paul our flesh might hesitate to want to share in his sufferings, we know that to walk with somebody like that through the things that they faced would be both an honor and a privilege; and would produce such a strength of character in us. Luke, A Companion of Paul-- Paul had that steadfastness; and those who walked with him had that steadfastness as well. And one of those men who walked with Paul is the author of our book; a man who was willing to follow Paul to the ends of the earth for the sake of the Gospel; and that was a gentile convert to Christianity by the name of Luke; author of both the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts. [Although some of the material in Acts was no doubt collected from different sources by Luke, much of the material comes from his own experiences traveling with Paul (Col 4:14; 2Tm 4:11; Phm 24). {There are}…many instances in Acts where the point of view changes from “he/they” to “we,” implying that the author himself was there with Paul during those periods.] He was with Paul in the midst of many of his trials and tribulations. He was with Paul on Paul’s second missionary journey and saw the savage and brutal attacks on Paul and Silas, their subsequent imprisonment, and their miraculous release (16:10-17). He was with Paul on Paul’s sea voyage from Caesarea to Rome when (as you remember) the ship was overcome by a storm of hurricane-like force that battered and ultimately wrecked their ship upon the coast of Malta. Luke had swum with Paul through the breakers as the ship ran aground before being broken apart by the waves. We also know that (among other circumstances) Dr. Luke also stayed by Paul’s side when Paul was under arrest in Rome (27:1—28:16; Col. 4:14). Now the question is, “Why go through all of this?” Why would anyone choose a religion like Christianity that would involve so much pain and suffering? Beans or Songs— [Tim Stafford, a senior writer for Christianity Today, wrote in one of his articles, saying: A pastor I know, Stephey Belynskyj, starts each confirmation class with a jar full of beans. He asks his students to guess how many beans are in the jar, and on a big pad of paper writes down their estimates. Then, next to those estimates, he helps them make another list: their favorite songs. When the lists are complete, he reveals the actual number of beans in the jar. The whole class looks over their guesses, to see which estimate was closest to being right. Belynskyj then turns to the list of favorite songs. "And which one of these is closest to being right?" he asks. The students protest that there is no "right answer"; a person's favorite song is purely a matter of taste. Belynskyj, who holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from Notre Dame asks, "When you decide what to believe in terms of your faith, is that more like guessing the number of beans, or more like choosing your favorite song?" Always, Belynskyj says, from old as well as young, he gets the same answer: Choosing one's faith is more like choosing a favorite song. Tim Stafford writes: When Belynskyj told me this, it took my breath away. "After they say that, do you confirm them?" I asked him. "Well," smiled Belynskyj, "First I try to argue them out of it.”] Meaningful or True?— The concept of truth is an important issue because it affects how we view Christianity. Are we Christians only because it is meaningful to us, or is it because we know it to be true? You see a lot of people today (even many Christians) think that what is true for me is true for me and that what is true for you is true for you. But what they really mean is “what is meaningful for me is meaningful for me and what is meaningful for you is meaningful for you.” It is pretty much the same as choosing your favorite music artist; it simply comes down to what you feel speaks to you. But I want to stress to you that this is not how the early Christians came to faith in Christ. If choosing Christianity was like choosing a song, I am sure they would have sought a different tune. No, for the disciples it was more than that. Listen to what Luke writes in… Luke 1:1-4 (ESV)-- 1 Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught. Eyewitnesses —> Certainty-- You have the word “eyewitnesses”, which is why there were ministers by the way. People were willing to be ministers because there was eyewitness evidence that Christianity (founded on the resurrection of Christ) was actually true. And then you have in verse 4 this amazing word. And that is the word “certainty”. Luke writes to Theophilus in order (he says) that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught. Now look at the rest of Luke’s introduction at the opening of the book of Acts. It says in… Acts 1:1-3 (ESV)-- 1 In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3 He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. Why Luke Followed Christ-- Any Christian who says you can’t prove (at least beyond a reasonable doubt) that Christianity is true has not really read Luke; because Luke believed the resurrection was a proven event. And the evidence he uncovered is what provided Luke with the intellectual groundwork to be able to receive and accept Christ. You see, if you were a Christian at that time, you had a good reason. It wasn’t just because you found Christianity to be meaningful or because it gave you warm fuzzies inside. No, it is because it was true; it was verifiable; it was rooted in facts; in history; in geography. It wasn’t out there somewhere in the cosmos. No, Jesus had happened right there in their very midst! There were witnesses (hundreds of witnesses) to His resurrection. And these early Christians had nothing to gain in this world for following Christ other than pain, persecution, and even death. And what I want you to note is that Luke’s decision to follow Christ could not have been an easy one. Luke abandoned his whole livelihood. His whole medical career he abandoned completely to follow Christ. As the disciples who had been fishermen left their nets to become fishers of men, so Luke left his practice to become a physician (not just for people’s physical bodies) but for THE Body of Christ; for the sake of the Kingdom. He went from a clinic (whatever that looked like) to binding Paul’s many wounds and no doubt caring for him and nursing him back to health after his many beatings; and he himself may have endured some of that. This was a major life change for Luke; a change that can only be explained (not by the latest fad religion on the block) but rather in encountering the truth of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The truth changed him; and Luke allowed it to re-shape and change the course of his entire life. Truth Shaping Us-- And that is how it always is when we truly encounter Jesus. It changes us; it empowers us; it moves us out of our comfort zone and makes us willing to face any persecution necessary in order to bring people the good news of the hope of salvation in Jesus. My hope is that in and throughout our study, we also might not just learn the history of the early Church, but that we will also experience the same kind of Spirit-empowered change that Luke, the apostles, and the rest of the believers experienced as they followed Christ. May we embrace the truth as fully as they did. And may it shape us into being the men and women Christ has called us to be. Amen. Hello, and welcome to Lechem Panim. Thank you for joining us from wherever you are choosing to listen today.
Jesus' Deliverance Foreshadowed— As you know, we have in the book of Esther; and today we will be wrapping up this 20-week journey we have been taking together through this marvelous book. And the overall theme of the book of Esther has been the victory of God on behalf of His people; and so it is very pertinent to us today, as we need hope; we need victory during these very unusual and difficult times. In this book God gave His people victory over their enemies who sought to destroy them. He is shown to raise up the smallest of people (like Esther; like Mordecai) to bring about that divine victory. And in our passage today that victory has already taken place. The enemies of God’s people have fallen and His people are preserved. Now anytime there is an awesome victory, there is almost always celebration. And that is what we see here in Esther chapter 9. After the Jews experience this incredible victory that God has given them, they break out in spontaneous celebration. Verse 17 and following says… Esther 9:17-19 (ESV)— 17 This was on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar [(February-March)], and on the fourteenth day they rested and made that a day of feasting and gladness. 18 But the Jews who were in Susa gathered on the thirteenth day and on the fourteenth, and rested on the fifteenth day, making that a day of feasting and gladness. 19 Therefore the Jews of the villages, who live in the rural towns, hold the fourteenth day of the month of Adar as a day for gladness and feasting, as a holiday, and as a day on which they send gifts of food to one another. From Victory to Celebration-- You know when God breaks through; whenever you have victory, there must always be celebration; a recognition of who God is and what He has done for you and for me. And that is what we see here, as Jews (all throughout the Persian empire) celebrate the faithfulness of God. But you know, we often forget the things God has done for us because we don’t take the time to look back. And you know, that harms our faith. Because it is in looking back that we observe how God has faithfully led us in the past and therefore it provides us the rational grounding we need to trust God also with our future. And so God therefore wanted His people to be a people who were constantly looking back; constantly remembering How He had moved faithfully in their midst time and time again. Institution of Festivals-- And one of the ways He led them to look back was in and through festivals. He had written into the lives of the Jewish people 7 festivals for them to observe throughout the year. And they would come together as a community at specific times of the year to throw (basically I’ll call them) God-parties. He wanted His people to come together to joyfully and collectively and remember. Now festivals (unlike just written reminders of God’s faithfulness) are participatory; they would not only help His people to remember, but they would also give them a personal way to actively and joyously orient their hearts, their minds, and really their entire lives around remembering and personally engaging with God. Jesus Within a Culture of Remembrance-- What would it be like to be a part of a culture in which every holiday; every feast; every communal celebration all revolved around remembering what God has done for us? That is what it was like to live as a Jew. And it is important to note that Jesus Himself observed all these festivals. In fact, many of the main events in His life took place in accordance with the timing of these Jewish festivals. And we’ll talk more about that in the future. But Jesus observed them. Post-exile (Ordained by Man)— And I want to point out that the Feast of Purim is not among the feasts that God instituted, which were all instituted before Israel was sent into exile in Babylon and then Persia. Two human-ordained feasts were established post-exile that are still being observed even until today. And those are Hanukkah and Purim. But Jesus still observes both of them, Hanukkah in John 10:22 (also called the Feast of Dedication) and Purim, which is most likely the unnamed feast mentioned in John 5:1, which verse 9 reveals took place on a Sabbath. And chronologically, the only feast that occurred on Sabbath between the years of 25-35 CE was in fact Purim (in the year 28 CE). And it is ironic that this feast is not named explicitly in John because remember that the book of Esther doesn’t explicitly mention the name of God. And so perhaps God (who guided the Gospel writers) is showing a little bit of humor here. As His name is concealed in Esther, so in John the name of the feast is also concealed. Establishing Purim-- But although Purim was not a festival ordained and commanded by God, Mordecai and Esther established it because they wanted God’s people to always remember what He had done for them in Persia. So they take this spontaneous outbreak of celebration by the people, and officially establish it as a feast to be kept annually from generation to generation. Verse 20 and following says… Esther 9:20-22 (ESV)— 20 And Mordecai recorded these things and sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far, 21 obliging them to keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar and also the fifteenth day of the same, year by year, 22 as the days on which the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month that had been turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, days for sending gifts of food to one another and gifts to the poor. Now those Jews in Susa fought an extra day and therefore celebrated a day later. [Mordecai avoids any difficulties this might cause by ordering that both days be observed.] We see also that there were [gifts of food. This would enable all alike to share in the feasting, including the poor (cf. Deut. 16:11; Neh. 8:10, 12; note on Est. 2:18).] Everybody’s to celebrate. Nobody is left out. Verses 23 and following say… Esther 9:23-32 (ESV)— 23 So the Jews accepted what they had started to do, and what Mordecai had written to them. 24 For Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast Pur (that is, cast lots), to crush and to destroy them. 25 But when it came before the king, he gave orders in writing that his evil plan that he had devised against the Jews should return on his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows. 26 Therefore they called these days Purim, after the term Pur. Therefore, because of all that was written in this letter, and of what they had faced in this matter, and of what had happened to them, 27 the Jews firmly obligated themselves and their offspring and all who joined them, that without fail they would keep these two days according to what was written and at the time appointed every year, 28 that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, in every clan, province, and city, and that these days of Purim should never fall into disuse among the Jews, nor should the commemoration of these days cease among their descendants. 29 Then Queen Esther, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew gave full written authority, confirming this second letter about Purim. 30 Letters were sent to all the Jews, to the 127 provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, in words of peace and truth, 31 that these days of Purim should be observed at their appointed seasons, as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther obligated them, and as they had obligated themselves and their offspring, with regard to their fasts and their lamenting. 32 The command of Queen Esther confirmed these practices of Purim, and it was recorded in writing. Purim Celebrated Today-- Now the Jews still celebrate and remember the feast of Purim even to this day. And the way they do that is: [the day preceding (13th Adar) is kept as a fast day (called "the Fast of Esther"), in accordance with the command of the queen (4:15-16). As soon as the stars appear the festival commences, candles are lit, and all the Jews go to the synagogue, where, after the evening service, the benediction is pronounced, and the book of Esther is read {in its entirety}… As often as the name of Haman is mentioned in the reading, the congregation stamps on the floor, saying, "Let his name be blotted out. The name of the wicked shall rot!" While the children shake rattles. After the reading the congregation exclaims, "Cursed be Haman; blessed be Mordecai!" etc.; the benediction is said, and all go home and partake of milk and eggs. On the 14th, in the morning, the people go to the synagogue; several prayers are inserted into the regular ritual; Ex 17:8-16 is read as the lesson from the law, and Esther, as on the previous evening. The rest of the festival is given up to rejoicing, exchanging of presents, games, etc. Rejoicing continues on the 15th, and the festival terminates on the evening of this day.] And that is how they remember what God did for them. Remembering Our Heritage-- Now this leads me to ask, “How are we passing true remembrance and communal worship of God down to the next generation? What symbols do we have in our homes to remind us of what God has done for us?” God instituted these festivals so the Jews would constantly live in a spirit of remembrance. Do we remember? The book of Esther was written so that the Jews of a later generation might understand the mighty hand of God that moved on their behalf. What steps are we taking to make sure that the next generation knows what God has done for them? Are we modeling to them lives that are truly centered on Jesus Christ and on living in remembrance of what He has done for us on the cross, and in the empty tomb, and in the giving of His Holy Spirit and Pentecost? We need to; future generations are depending on our remembering and our teaching them to remember. The Greatness of Mordecai— Now the book of Esther closes by telling us what happened to Mordecai; the one who remembered and obeyed the Lord; the one who (though Haman sought to destroy him) God chose to lift up. It says… Esther 10:1-3 (ESV) The Greatness of Mordecai-- 1 King Ahasuerus imposed tax on the land and on the coastlands of the sea. 2 And all the acts of his power and might, and the full account of the high honor of Mordecai, to which the king advanced him, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia? 3 For Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Ahasuerus, and he was great among the Jews and popular with the multitude of his brothers, for he sought the welfare of his people and spoke peace to all his people. Lifted Up— If we are obedient to God as Esther and Mordecai were, He will lift us up. If we choose to live in remembrance and in the fear of Him, He will bless us and He will preserve us; and His favor will be and will remain with us. Let us be a people who are obedient; who remember; let us be a body that is truly centered on our Lord in every way. Let’s do so. Amen. |
Rev. Cameron Ury graduated from Asbury University in 2007 with a B.A. in Bible and Theology. From there he continued his studies at Wesley Biblical Seminary in Jackson, MS. It was there that he met his wife Tanya, who graduated from WBS with her M.A. and M.Div. degrees. Cameron and Tanya got married in 2009. Cameron then graduated with his M.Div. degree with a pastoral concentration in 2011.
After shepherding churches in both Mississippi and Ohio, they joined the ministry team at Renton Park Chapel in January of 2018, where Cameron serves as Senior Pastor and Teacher. Cameron is also the founder and host of Lechem Panim, a weekly radio show that airs on KGNW 820AM "The Word Seattle". The ministry of Lechem Panim is centered around leading people into the life-giving presence of God in and through Bible study, prayer, and active discipleship with the aim of ministering to a world that is in desperate need of the healing touch of Jesus Christ. Archives
January 2022
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