Faith

The Blessings of Jesus

June 19, 2010, by No comments yet

Bible class audio for June 20, 2010: [audio:http://www.gregchaney.com/wordpress/audio/0620_092004.MP3]
Bible class audio for June 13, 2010: [audio:http://www.gregchaney.com/wordpress/audio/0613_091627.MP3]

We interpret the blessings of  Matthew 5 through the eyes of materialistic and superficial Americans.  In our modern world happy has come to mean a conscience state of a feeling well or ecstatic.  If WE are happy WE feel good.  I’m not doubting that if we love God and obey his command we will be internally happy, but I firmly believe the emotions Christ was trying to evoke were much deeper.   Speaking to Jews he was asking them to recall familiar passages from the Torah (Deuteronomy 28) in which the Jews were brought into a state of blessedness because of their obedience.  They were blessed because they were reconciled to God into the peace (Shalowm) He intended.  The opposite state was cursed or separated from God.

Each beatitude pronounces the person who possesses that quality as “blessed.” We need to understand this word because, as some have rightly noted, the Greek word used by Matthew,makarios, can also be translated as “happy.” Happy, however, is not the correct translation in this context.Happinessissubjective; the same things do not always make everybody happy. And we can certainly rule out mourning as a producer of happiness. Instead, Jesus makesobjectivejudgments about the state of the citizens of God’s Kingdom. He declares, not what they feel like, but what God thinks of them. People with these qualities gain His approval. Because God thinks well of them, they are “blessed.” God’s blessing is far broader and exceedingly more important than merely being “happy.” From Ritenbaugh, John W. Forerunner “Personal” February 1999

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Sermon Audio: Nicodemus

June 16, 2010, by No comments yet

[audio:http://www.gregchaney.com/wordpress/audio/0613_174059.MP3]

Nicodemus

When:  Sometime after he cleared the temple

Who:  Ruler on the Jewish ruling council (71 members tasked the elite) V1

  • “As under the Greek rulers the Jews were allowed a large measure of self-government, many points of civil and religious administration fell to the lot of the high priests and the gerousía to settle. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13444a.htm “
  • “Teacher of Israel”  v10 Only the most trained became teachers of the Law in general, the ruling council, and certainly “Teacher of Israel.
  • the Jewish Encyclopedia and many Biblical historians have theorized that he is identical to Nicodemus ben Gurion, mentioned in the Talmud as a wealthy and popular holy man reputed to have had miraculous powers.
  • Sanhedrin…put Jesus to death

Motivation:

  • Sent by the ruling council “we know” to address the incident in the temple (Sadducees were the target)
  • Possibly sent to recruit him
  • Inspired by his message…a prodigy recognized by a Jewish master. ILLUSTRATION: The master musician and the hillbilly prodigy

[SEGUE NOTE:  Regardless of the motivation Nicodemus becomes flustered with Jesus’ answer to a question he never asked.)

The Message:

v3-5 The kingdom is experienced by rebirth not reform ILLUSTRATION:  The president of a college of theology

v5-8 Rebirth is spiritual not physical

  • ILLUSTRATION: Jewish ceremonial rebirths.
  • The Jews were fixated on the Messiah coming as a physical King of Israel (Triumphal entry)
  • Pharisees were the experts in external

v13- 14Jesus is not from God he is God (Jesus finally answers implied question) Jesus must be lifted up on the cross (compare to Moses in Numbers 21)

Conclusion (The Cameos)

John 7:45-52 Nicodemus, knowing the law risks retribution to defend  Jesus but was not yet willing to give up his status

John 19:38-42 Nicodemus gives Jesus the burial of a king

Call

John 3:16:  The message to Nicodemus is clear Jesus isn’t  just from God he is God.  He was lifted on the cross so that whoever like Jews on the serpent gazes on it will be saved through a rebirth through the spiritual cleansing of baptism.  Our rebirth isn’t just a new addition to our life or a way to reform it…we die to the old life.  If Nicodemus can do it so can we.

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Bible Class Audio: The Blessings of Jesus

June 13, 2010, by No comments yet

[audio:http://www.gregchaney.com/wordpress/audio/0613_091627.MP3]

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Sermon Audio: The Journey

May 29, 2010, by No comments yet

Sermon Audio “The Journey”

When the Israelites stood at the far side of the Red Sea they had escaped certain death and were delivered to life by the hand of God, but their journey wasn’t over.  The Israelites wandered through the wilderness before reaching their promise, and it wasn’t always pretty.  At times God’s anger burned toward them but in the end both He and they looked back their wanderings with fondness.

The Israelite’s story is our story.  When we stand at the banks of our salvation we have to know that our spiritual journey is not over, it’s only beginning.  We will journey through the wilderness of our lives and like the Israelites, Christian wilderness travelers trust God, need each other, look for God’s glory, and never turn back.

Exodus 14, Exodus 33, Jeremiah 2:1-2, Psalms 103, Luke 9:23, Matthew 22:36-40, 1 John 1:7, Philippians 3:12-14

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Bible Class: Defining the Kingdom of Heaven (God)

May 12, 2010, by 2 comments

Bible Class Audio May 23, 2010 “Kingdom of God (Part 2)

Bible Class Audio May 16, 2010 “Kingdom of God (Part 1)

“From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Matthew 4:17 (TNIV)

1.  A Central Theme of Jesus Teachings

The Kingdom of heaven is a central theme in the teachings of Jesus throughout his ministry.  It’s difficult to gain the deeper faith and understanding from his message without understanding the kingdom message first.

As you discover the depth to which the kingdom of God message is infused into the preaching of Jesus and the Apostles you have to wonder where in our church history was that message lost?  If it was so central to the original message, why did we water it down?

“It may be said that the teaching of Jesus concerning the Kingdom of God represents his whole teaching. It is the main, determinative subject of all his discourse. His ethics were ethics of the Kingdom; his theology was theology of the Kingdom; his teaching regarding himself cannot be understood apart from his interpretation of the Kingdom of God” (Dr. F. C. Grant, from “The Gospel of the Kingdom,” Biblical World, 50, pp. 121-191).

The gospel  (good news) message is still preached proudly, something from which we can never stray.  Jesus is the salvation for the world, He is the final sacrifice for sins, He was crucified and buried in a tomb, He was triumphant over death, He is the mediator of the new covenant.  What has been lost I’m afraid is the rest of the story, that Jesus has redeemed us into the Kingdom of God.  As Jesus said,

“The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached…” (Luke 16:16 TNIV) Read more →

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Bible Class: Jesus the Rabbi and the Talmidim

May 9, 2010, by No comments yet

Bible Class Audio May 9, 2010 “Jesus and the Talmidin”

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

1.  Galilee – The most religious Jews in the world, a place of intense study of scripture (Torah and Mishnah)

2.  Jewish Education:

At five years old [one is fit] for the Scripture, at ten years the Mishnah (oral Torah, interpretations) at thirteen for the fulfilling of the commandments, at fifteen the Talmud (making Rabbinic interpretations), at eighteen the bride-chamber, at twenty pursuing a vocation, at thirty for authority (able to teach others) Aboth 5:21, The Mishnah, Herbert Danby, ed., Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1985

  • Beth Sefer – (elementary school) All Jewish children attended, focused on the Torah and memorization
  • Beth Midrash – (Secondary School) Only the best children attended after learning a trade, began to learn interpretations of the Mishnah (Oral Torah) Luke 2:41
  • Talmidin – Very few of the Beth Midrash students sought permission to follow a Rabbi with S’mikhah
  • The education of Jesus:  Grew in wisdom – Luke 2:52, Participated in Passover – Luke 2:41, Learned a trade Matthew – 13:55, spent time with John the Baptist -John 22-26, Began his ministry about thirty – Luke 3:23

3.  The Rabbi (Teacher of the Law, Scribe)

  • Taught in the Synagogue, Beth Sefer, Beth Midrash
  • Teachers of the Law could only teach accepted interpretations
  • Those with authority (S’mikhah) could make new interpretations and pass legal judgments Matthew 7:28-29
  • Authority must be confirmed by the witness of two other rabbis

4.  The Talmid (Disciples)

  • Disciples would “Yoke” to a Rabbi
  • “be covered with the dust of his feet
  • Followed, learned, imitated, devoted

Next Week: The Kingdom of Heaven “From that time on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.’” Matthew 4:17

Links to resources:

Life of Jesus in the First Century Context

Religious Leaders in Jesus Day

Wikipedia on the Mishnah

Rabbi and Talmidim

Jesus as Rabbi

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Motivation 3.0 for the Christian Leader

February 24, 2010, by No comments yet

I grew up in a time when church frequently included special gospel meetings that featured a guest preacher imploring nightly over the course of a week to get right and reap the rewards of heaven or certainly go to hell. We were encouraged to invite our friends and neighbors where every night the message and volume would escalate until a satisfactory number had responded to avoid the punishment of hell. Unfortunately, the fear motivated responses rarely resulted in life-long change, many left the church quickly never to return.

As I read Daniel Pink’s book Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us it struck me that we have built a church, family, and work culture based on an inferior motivational model. In a sense, our churches are stuck in a 20th century when such practices were the norm, but fall short with today’s generation. Because we were raised in this environment most of today’s leaders are just modeling what we know.

Pink presents a compelling case for a deeper method of personal, peer, and subordinate motivation. He contends that human motivation has evolved from a basic needs model, to a “carrot and stick” model, and as he proposes, a more stable intrinsic motivation model. In modern vernacular he labels these models in the style of a progressive human operating system upgrade: Motivation 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0.

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Seeing God Clearly

November 8, 2009, by No comments yet

Picture God in your mind…

If you’re like most of the people I’ve asked, you probably thought of some combination of a man in a gray beard floating in the clouds or a scowling judge glaring down from his judgment bench.  Both are wrong.  God has a presence in the world today, and how we see Him determines how we see ourselves and others.

When the Spirit of God descended into the Temple built by King Solomon the power was so great the priests couldn’t perform their ceremony (I Kings 8).  There was no doubt that God was present and the temple would be the dwelling place for God among His people.  In those days the temple was the center of the Israelites life and worship.  Their lives revolved around the presence of God in the Most Holy Place.  Then…

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 NIV

Jesus is the Son of God, is God, and was His physical presence on this earth.  Jesus said, “But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself” (NIV).  He became the center of life and worship drawing everyone to Him.  From the moment Christ was crucified and the temple was torn in two everything changed.  God is no longer contained in one building or one group of people.  (John 12:32, Mark15:38)

Through Christ’s death and resurrection God is once again present in His temple, the center of life and worship.  Believers are God’s temple. We are His dwelling place through His Spirit.   When we clearly see God it will change how we see ourselves and how we see others.  (1 Corinthians 3:16-17, 6:19; 2 Corinthians 6:16)

  1. When we see the Spirit of God dwelling in ourselves it focuses our worship, actions and lives.  (1 John 3:9-10)
  2. When we see God in fellow Christians we are able to unconditionally love each other deeply (1 Peter 1:22, 4:8; 1 John 3:16-18)
  3. When Christians see God in each other we can join in unity and the body of Christ is lifted up to “draw all men to [Himself].” (Ephesians 2:18-22, 4:12-13)
  4. When Christians are built together as the temple of God we become God’s workers in His plan of redemption. (Ephesians 2:6-10)

How we see God determines how we see ourselves and others.  How we see ourselves and others determines how, through the unity of the Spirit, the work of God is accomplished.

We have work to do…