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Emmaus is a Reformed Baptist church in Hemet, California. We are a community of Christ followers who love God, love one another, and serve the church, community, and nations, for the glory of God and for our joy.
Our hope is that you will make Emmaus your home and that you will begin to grow with us as we study the scriptures and, through the empowering of the Holy Spirit, live in a way that honors our great King.
LORD'S DAY WORSHIP (SUNDAYS)
10:00am Corporate Worship
In the Emmaus Chapel at Cornerstone
26089 Girard St.
Hemet, CA 92544
EMMAUS ESSENTIALS
Sunday School For Adults
9:00am to 9:45am most Sundays (Schedule)
In the Chapel
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43430 E. Florida Ave. #F329
Hemet, CA 92544
The Realm is our church's online network. We use this tool as our primary means of communication. Be sure to check it often and don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.
Interested in becoming a member? Please join us for a four-week study in which we will make a case from the scriptures for local church membership and introduce the ministries, government, doctrines, and distinctive's of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church.
Learn MoreEmmaus Essentials classes are currently offered online Sundays at 9AM. It is through our Emmaus Essentials (Sunday School) that we hope to experience an in depth study of the scriptures and Christian theology. These classes focus on the study of systematic theology, biblical theology, church history, and other topics practical to Christian living.
An audio teaching series through the Baptist Catechism aimed to instruct in foundational Christian doctrine and to encourage obedience within God’s people.
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A fourteen-week Bible study in which we consider “what man ought to believe concerning God, and what duty God requireth of man” (Baptist Catechism #6).
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At Emmaus we believe that God has given parents, especially fathers the authority and responsibility to train and instruct children up in the Lord. In addition, we believe that God has ordained the gathering of all generations, young to old, to worship Him together in one place and at one time. Therefore, each and every Sunday our children worship the Lord alongside their parents and other members of God’s family.
Learn MoreEmmaus Reformed Baptist Church is committed to the fullfilment of the Great Commision given by our Lord when he said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:18-20 ESV), through the planting of local churches, both at home and abroad.
Nov 23
12
Q. 107. What doth the preface of the Lord’s Prayer teach us?
A. The preface of the Lord’s Prayer, which is, ‘Our Father, which art in heaven,’ teacheth us to draw near to God, with all holy reverence and confidence, as children to a father, able and ready to help us, and that we should pray with and for others. (Matt. 6:9; Luke 11:13; Rom. 8:15; Acts 12:5; 1 Tim. 2:1-3)
“So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” (Romans 8:12–17, ESV)
Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.
I was looking over our Confession of Faith the other day when chapter 12 caught my eye. If you are reading the confession in a full-page format it really stands out because it is so brief. It is by far the shortest chapter in our confession being only one paragraph long. And what is chapter 12 about? The title is, “Of Adoption”. It is situated right in the middle of those chapters which speak of those things which God alone does for his elect in salvation. In chapter 10 we learn that God effectually calls his elect to himself, in chapter 11 we learn that God justified his elect the moment they believe, and in chapter 13 we learn that God sanctifies his elect, making them more and more into the likeness of Christ. Chapter 12 is situated right in the middle of all of that. There we learn that God adopts the elect as his own. There is something so tender and warm about this teaching. The doctrines of effectual calling, justification, and sanctification are vitally important, of course. But so too is the doctrine of adoption, and I have found that it is often neglected. It is a shame because the doctrine of adoption really gets to the heart of the benefit of our redemption in Christ Jesus, namely reconciliation with God the Father through faith in the Son by the working of the Holy Spirit. Because of sin, we are by nature children of wrath. But through faith in Christ, we are adopted as beloved children of God. Think of that. Is this not the highest blessing of our salvation? Not only have we been cleansed. Not only have we been pardoned and declared not guilty. We have also been reconciled to God and adopted as his sons and daughters, through Christ the Son, so that we might call him Abba, Father.
I’d like to read chapter 12 of our confession to you.
“All those that are justified, God vouchsafed, in and for the sake of his only Son Jesus Christ, to make partakers of the grace of adoption, by which they are taken into the number, and enjoy the liberties and privileges of the children of God, have his name put on them, receive the spirit of adoption, have access to the throne of grace with boldness, are enabled to cry Abba, Father, are pitied, protected, provided for, and chastened by him as by a Father, yet never cast off, but sealed to the day of redemption, and inherit the promises as heirs of everlasting salvation.”
Oh, what a blessing! How comforting and warm!
So what does this have to do with the preface to the Lord’s Prayer and Baptist Catechism 107? Well, I think you can see. “The preface of the Lord’s Prayer, which is, ‘Our Father, which art in heaven,’ teacheth us…” – my words now – to pray to God according to the reality of our adoption in Christ Jesus. Those who have faith in Christ do not pray to God merely as Creator, nor as Lord, or Savior, or Provider — he is all of those things to us, and these truths should be considered in prayer too — no, Christians are invited to pray to God Almighty as Father, and this is possible only because they have been effectually called, justified, and adopted.
This brings up an important observation. Not everyone may regard God as Father. Liberal theologians like to talk about the universal Fatherhood of God and the universal brotherhood of man. By this they mean to say, all have God as Father, and all are therefore brothers. There is a bit of truth to this. If by “Father” we mean “Creator” or “source”, then it is true. God is the Father of all, and we human beings made in the image of God are all brothers and sisters. But that is not how the term is used in the scriptures.
When Christ taught his disciples to pray, “our Father in heaven”, he invited them to pray to God as the one who had redeemed them from sin, Satan, and death unto adoption. The scriptures are so very clear that we do not have God as beloved Father by birth, but we are “by nature children of wrath” (see Ephesians 2:3). Jesus himself spoke to those who persisted in unbelief, saying, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here… You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires…” (John 8:42–44, ESV). This is our natural condition ever since Adam, our federal head, fell into sin and broke the Covenant of Works that God made with him. So no, we are not natural children of God. By nature, and in sin, we are his enemies! But by his grace, he has washed us in Christ’s blood and adopted us as his own through Spirit-wrought union with his beloved Son, received by faith.
The words, “Our Father in heaven.”, are to remind us of all of that. And being reminded of all of that, we are then enabled to “draw near to God” – that is what our catechism says next. In prayer, we are to draw near to God. We are invited to pray to God, not as God Almighty, or LORD (he is God Almighty and LORD to us!), but as Father. Think of that for a moment. We are invited to come near to him and to know for certain that he loves us and cares for us as his beloved children. And this is owed to his eternal decree and the accomplishment of our redemption by Christ.
This catechism question is so very helpful in teaching us how we are to draw near to the Father. We are to draw near:
“[W]ith all holy reverence…” To revere God is to fear and respect him. Yes, God is our Father, but he is no ordinary Father. He is our Heavenly Father. He is God Almighty, creator of heaven and earth, YHWH, the self-existent, eternal, and unchanging one. He is our Father, but this does not mean that we should approach him carelessly, and certainly not irreverently. We are to draw near with holy reverence.
Next, notice the words “with… confidence.” We may come boldly before the throne of grace because we approach the Father not by our own merits, but according to the merits of Christ. By the way, this is what it means to pray in Jesus’ name. It is not that we must add Jesus’ name to the end of our prayers, but rather, we must approach the Father through the Son, being found in him by faith.
We are to come to God “as children to a father…” Those who had evil fathers, or absent fathers in this world may find it a little more difficult to know what this means, but it is possible to learn, isn’t it? I think that all know what a father should be like. And we understand that even the best of earthly fathers fall far short of the perfection that is our heavenly Father. This is analogical language being used here. When we think of God as Father we must strip away everything creaturely and every imperfection found in earthly fathers and know that through faith in Christ, God is our heavenly Father, and he is a perfect father.
In Christ we are to come to God “as children to a father”, knowing that he is “able and ready to help us…” He is able to help us, for he is God Almighty. Nothing is too hard for him. And he is ready because he is willing. He has set his love upon us, has promised to finish the work that he has begun in us, and to keep us faithful to the end. To come to the Father knowing that he is “able and ready to help us”, requires faith. We must pray believing that what the Word of God says is true.
Lastly, our catechism adds these words: “and that we should pray with and for others.” Where does this insight come from? It comes from the plural pronoun “our” found at the beginning of the Lord’s prayer. Christ taught us to pray our Father in heaven, not my Father in heaven. This will not only help us in corporate prayer, but in private prayer too. For even when we pray in private we are to pray being mindful of others.
So then, the preface of the Lord’s prayer helps us to remember who it is that we pray to. It reminds us that we are praying to our God who has shown us great mercy. Though we are by nature rebel sinners, he determined to set his favor upon us. He worked our salvation through Jesus Christ. He has applied this salvation to us by his word and Spirit when he called us to Himself. And the end result is that we have been adopted as beloved children of God. The words, “our Father in heaven” are to remind us of all this (and more). And so these words are of great help to us as we enter into prayer.
As you probably know, the petitions of the Lord’s Prayer are not intended to be simply recited. Rather, they are to be expanded upon. They introduce themes that should prompt us to pray from many things that fall under those themes. And I think something similar can be said of the preface to the Lord’s Prayer. The words, our Father in heaven may be greatly expanded upon. How so? Well, thanksgiving and praise are to be a constant element of prayer. And so when you say, our Father in heaven, may it prompt you to think upon our great God in heaven, of the mercy he has shown to us, of his love and constant care, and to give him thanks and praise. Thank him and praise him for his perfections and his goodness. Thank him and praise him for Christ, our salvation in him, and the benefits thereof – justification, adoption, sanctification, and the many blessing that flow from these. The words, our Father in heaven ought, to warm our hearts, and move us to gratitude, thanksgiving, and praise.
“Pray then like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” (Matthew 6:9–13)
Q. 107. What doth the preface of the Lord’s Prayer teach us?
A. The preface of the Lord’s Prayer, which is, ‘Our Father, which art in heaven,’ teacheth us to draw near to God, with all holy reverence and confidence, as children to a father, able and ready to help us, and that we should pray with and for others. (Matt. 6:9; Luke 11:13; Rom. 8:15; Acts 12:5; 1 Tim. 2:1-3)
Oct 23
29
“Awake, awake, put on your strength, O Zion; put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city; for there shall no more come into you the uncircumcised and the unclean. Shake yourself from the dust and arise; be seated, O Jerusalem; loose the bonds from your neck, O captive daughter of Zion. For thus says the LORD: ‘You were sold for nothing, and you shall be redeemed without money.’ For thus says the Lord GOD: ‘My people went down at the first into Egypt to sojourn there, and the Assyrian oppressed them for nothing. Now therefore what have I here,’ declares the LORD, ‘seeing that my people are taken away for nothing? Their rulers wail,’ declares the LORD, ‘and continually all the day my name is despised. Therefore my people shall know my name. Therefore in that day they shall know that it is I who speak; here I am.’ How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’” (Isaiah 52:1–7, ESV)
“Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means.” (Luke 8:1–3, ESV)
Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.
I was not expecting to be so captivated by the first three verses of Luke 8. On the surface, this passage seems to be rather insignificant and plain – a transitional passage meant only to provide us with a few details about the ministry of Christ to move us along in the narrative. But as I meditated upon this text, two things grabbed my attention.
First of all, the words, “the good news of the kingdom of God” stood out to me. Luke tells us that Christ “went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God”, but he does not tell us what that message was. So, we are left to wonder, what did he preach? What was the content of his message? What is this “good news of the kingdom of God” that Christ proclaimed?
In the previous sermon, I attempted to show you that the good news of the kingdom of God is the story of Scripture. To know what it is we must start with Genesis 1. To appreciate the fullness of the good news of the kingdom we must read all the way through to the end of the book of Revelation. In brief, the good news of the kingdom of God is that, though man has fallen into sin, rebelled against God the King, lost communion with God his Maker, and has come now under his wrath and curse, being now liable to all the miseries of this life, to death itself, and to the pains of hell forever (see Baptist Cathecism 22), God the King has shown mercy and grace. He has sent a Savior, Christ the King, to defeat Satan, the usurper king, to overthrow his illegitimate kingdom of darkness, and to conquer sin and death. More than this Christ the King has atoned for the sins of those given to him by the Father in eternity – this he did by dying on the cross in their place. And because Christ lived a sinless life, he has righteousness to give to those who turn from their sins to trust in him as Lord and Savior. And please hear this: not only did Christ come to redeem a people for himself to reconcile them to God the Father, but he also redeemed a place. Satan, the usurper – the one who tempted Eve in the garden, and the one to whom Adam bowed the knee – is called in the Scriptures, “the ruler of this world”. It is so very important to recognize this. The Scriptures teach that Satan has been the ruler of this world since man’s fall into sin. He is an illegitimate king, who rules over an illegitimate kingdom. And where is this kingdom? On earth. And who are the citizens of this kingdom? They are the descendants of fallen Adam born into this world in sin. But it is also importaint to remember the words of Christ in John 12:31: “Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out” (John 12:31, ESV). You see, King Jesus did not only come to redeem a people by atoning for their sins and by clothing them with his righteousness so that they can stand upright and holy in the presence of God Almighty to behold his glory – King Jesus also came to take back a realm – a realm that was stolen by a hostile invader – namely, the earth. In brief, this is “the good news of the kingdom of God” that Christ and his Apostles preached. It is the good news that we have believed and that we are to proclaim as well.
Here is the second thing that captivated me as I meditated upon the first three verses of Luke 8: I was struck by the primacy and power of preaching. Here in our text, we are told that Jesus Christ “went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God” (Luke 8:1, ESV). This agrees with what we read in Luke 4:43. There we hear Christ say, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose” (Luke 4:43, ESV). Furthermore, here in Luke 8 we are told that the “twelve were with him…” Who are these twelve? They are the twelve Apostles that were named in Luke 6:12. What does the word, Apostle mean? An Apostle is a messenger or delegate. An Apostle, as we will soon see, is one who is sent to proclaim a message. In fact, when we come to Luke 9:2 we read, “and [Jesus] sent [the twelve Apostles] out to proclaim the kingdom of God…” (Luke 9:2, ESV). Lastly, in our text for today, we are told of a group of women who followed Jesus and accompanied the Apostles. And what did these women do? The text says that they “provided for them out of their means” (Luke 8:3, ESV). In other words, they used their time, their treasures, and their talents to support Christ the his Apostles so they might do what? Devoted themselves to preaching the good news of the Kingdom of God. Notice, dear brothers and sisters, the primacy and power of preaching.
When I speak of the primacy of preaching, I’m referring to the supreme importance of it. The word primacy means, of greatest importance, preeminence, priority, or superiority. And here I am making the observation that preaching the good news of the kingdom of God was of supreme importance to Jesus. He himself said that he came for this purpose. He gathered twelve Apostles (delegates, messengers) to himself to train them to preach this same gospel of the kingdom and to send them out. Others followed him too. In our text, women are mentioned. These believed in Christ and his message. These were transformed by him. And these devoted themselves to the support of his ministry. They provided for Christ and his Apostles so that they could proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God. Preaching the good news of the kingdom of God was clearly of primary importance to Christ and his Apostles.
The question I have is, why? That’s a good question, isn’t it? Why was preaching this message, or telling this story, of primary importance to Jesus? Stated differently, some might ask, couldn’t Jesus have done better things with his time than to proclaim this message?
For example, there must have been many poor and hungry people in the villages. Would it have not been a better use of time for Jesus to feed the poor? After all, Jesus demonstrated to have the ability to take a very small amount of food and multiply it greatly. Why not feed the poor, Jesus? Why spend your time and energy telling a story?
And there must have been many who were sick in these villages. Why not make healing them of primary importance? Again, Jesus demonstrated that he had the ability to heal the sick. Why not make this primary? Why spend time telling a story?
Or given the fact that Isarel was at this time occupied and oppressed by the Romans, why not gather an army of zealots and train them to fight rather than training twelve Apostles to preach?
I could go on and on. Certainly, there were many uneducated people. Why not establish schools? I’m sure there were many dysfunctional families. Why not counsel? We know that there was great corruption and injustice within the political class of both Israel and Rome. Why not seek to transform society through political reforms?
I’m quite sure that Jesus saw all of this suffering and darkness within the world. Why then did he make preaching primary? Why did he say, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose” (Luke 4:43, ESV)? And why does Luke tell us, that he went “on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him…” (Luke 8:1, ESV). The answer is that there is true power in this message. As good and right as these other endeavors may be, they pale in comparison to the power of preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and so never shall they be primary for the Christian church. But preaching the gospel of the kingdom will always be primary.
Let us consider, for a moment, the power of preaching. And of course, I am not here referring to the power of preaching in general, but the power of preaching the good news of the kingdom of God. For it is not the act of preaching that is powerful, but the content of the message that Christ and his Apostles preached.
You see, this story that I have told you – extensively in the previous sermon, and very briefly in the introduction to this one – regarding the accomplishment of our redemption and the establishment of the kingdom of God, is powerful. It is life-changing. It is life-changing in the here and now, and for tonight. Indeed, it is through this message about the person of Christ, his fished work, and the establishment of his eternal kingdom that men and women are forgiven, saved, and renewed.
This is why Paul the Apostle says in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” (Romans 1:16, ESV). Please allow me to say a few things about this famous verse.
One, the gospel that Paul preached is the same gospel that Jesus preached. Gospel means “good news”. Jesus proclaimed the gospel of the kingdom of God. His Apostles were trained and commissioned to preach this same gospel. And Paul was called to preach this gospel too. The gospel of the kingdom of God is the gospel of Jesus Christ. And the gospel of Jesus Christ is the gospel of the Apostles. And the gospel of the Apostles is the gospel that Paul preached, for he was an Apostle of Jesus too, having been commissioned personally by the risen Lord.
Two, when Paul wrote, I am not ashamed of the gospel, he acknowledges that it is possible to be tempted to be ashamed of it. Were it not tempting to be ashamed of the gospel, then why would Paul write, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel”? Was Paul tempted to be ashamed of the gospel of the kingdom of God? Perhaps he was tempted. Think of all of the ridicule and mistreatment he endured as an Apostle of Christ – a herald of this message of good news. Perhaps he was tempted to pull back and to alter his course. But having considered all things carefully and according to the truth of Scripture, he was resolved: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel”, he says.
One of the reasons that Christians are sometimes ashamed of the Gospel of the kingdom of God is that others do not see the point of it, and so they ridicule it. The story of salvation through faith in a crucified and risen Savior seems foolish to them. This is what Paul says, in 1 Corinthians 1:18: “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18, ESV). So then, for those who are dead in their sins, who have no spiritual light or life in them, the message of salvation through the cross of Christ sounds foolish. But to those who have been the gift of faith – to those who have been given eyes to see and ears to hear – this message of redemption through the crucified and risen Christ, sounds like “the power of God.”
This brings us back to Romans 1:16 where Paul says something very similar. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” Why was Paul not ashamed to proclaim the good of the kingdom of God, and of Christ the crucified and risen, King? Because he was convinced that it was the power of God unto salvation.
Brothers and sisters, it is not the act of preaching that is powerful. A preacher may preach with great eloquence. A preacher may preach with great oratorical skill. But if the message he proclaims is not the true gospel of the kingdom of God, then his message will have no power to save. Conversely, a preacher may lack eloquence and skill, but if the message he proclaims is the true gospel of the kingdom of God, then his preaching will have the power to save. You see, it is not the preacher or the act of preaching that has power, but the message. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16, ESV).
So, why does the good news of the kingdom of God have such power – yes, even the power to save sinners?
The Gospel Of The Kingdom Is Powerful Because It Is True
First of all, the gospel of the kingdom is powerful because it is true. The gospel of the kingdom tells us the truth about God and the world he has made. The gospel of the kingdom tells us the truth about our sin and misery now that man has fallen into sin. The gospel of the kingdom also tells us the truth about the grace of God, the Savior he has provided – Christ the Lord – the victory he has won, and his eternal reward. The gospel of the kingdom of God is a story. It is the story of God, creation, man, sin, salvation in Christ Jesus, and the consummation of all things at the end of time. It is the story that is told in the Bible from Genesis 1 through to the end of Revelation. It is the story of the kingdom of God – the kingdom offered, promised, prefigured, inaugurated, and consummated. And I am here simply observing that this story is powerful because it is true.
Truth is powerful (or at least it has the potential to be), don’t you agree? The truth has the potential to free us to live according to what is real. Lies will lead only to division, darkness, and death. But truth sets people free. And this is especially true when it comes to the truth of the gospel. This is why Christ spoke to the Jews who had believed in him, saying, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31–32, ESV).
It is so sad to think that many people live their entire lives according to a lie. They have believed the lie, perhaps, that God does not exist, that there are many gods, or that there is one only, but that they are right with him, and have no need for a Savior, therefore. These are lies that bind people in darkness. These are lies that lead straight to hell. But the gospel of the kingdom of God is true – the one that is proclaimed from Genesis 1 through to the end of Revelation – is true. And the truth has the power to set men and women free.
The Gospel Of The Kingdom Is Powerful Because In It Christ Is Offered To Us
Secondly, the gospel of the kingdom is powerful, not only because it is true, but because it is through this message that we come to be united to Christ the Savior and to have him as King.
Brothers and sisters, please allow me to make a very important distinction. We are saved – and by that I mean, our sins are forgiven, we are made righteous in God’s sight, and transferred out of the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of light – not by believing in the gospel message per se, but by trusting the person of Jesus Christ and the work he has done for us as he is offered to us in the gospel. This is a fine distinction that I am making, I know. But it is an important one. It is not the gospel message that saves us. It is Jesus who saves. And we come to be saved as we trust in him, as he is offered to us in the gospel. Stated another way, the gospel is powerful, not because it is a powerful or moving story, but because the person of Jesus Christ is introduced to us and offered to us in the gospel.
You’ve heard me talk about how much I love our catechism. And one of the things I love about our catechism is its precision. Listen to Baptist Catechism questions 90 and 91. The gospel is preached in these questions. Q. 90 “What doth God require of us, that we may escape His wrath and curse, due to us for sin?” Put into simpler terms, what must we do to be saved? A. “To escape the wrath and curse of God due to us for sin, God requireth of us faith in Jesus Christ, repentance unto life, with the diligent use of all the outward means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption.” How do we come to be saved? Baptist Catechism 90 is right to say that is through faith in Jesus Christ. Now listen to question 91. It asks, “What is faith in Jesus Christ?” A. “Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace [gift], whereby we receive and rest upon Him alone for salvation, as He is offered to us in the Gospel.” What did you notice about Baptist Catechism 91? I hope you caught it. It is there reiterated and further emphasized that we are saved by the grace of God alone and through faith in Christ alone. In fact, it is said that by faith, “we receive and rest upon [Jesus] alone for salvation”. You see, to be saved we must receive Christ as our Lord and Savior. We must receive him as our mediator. We must receive him as our Covenant Head. We must receive Christ as our King if we wish to be citizens in his eternal kingdom. And to receive Christ is to rest in him. I do love the words receive and rest in this answer. They very much help to clarify what it means to have faith in Christ. The word receive reminds us that Christ and the salvation offered to us through him is a gift. You don’t earn Christ, you receive him by faith! And the word rest communicates that to have Christ as Lord and Savior, one must fall humbly and helplessly into his loving arms. Friends, you don’t work your way to Christ, you rest in him by faith!
The point that I am here making is that we are saved by the person of Christ, not the gospel. But it is through the gospel – it is through the message of the good news of the kingdom of God – that Christ is offered to us. Did you catch that at the end of Baptist Catechism 91? Hear it again: Q. “What is faith in Jesus Christ?” A. “Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace, whereby we receive and rest upon Him alone for salvation, as He is offered to us in the Gospel.” It is through the gospel – it is through the good news of the kingdom of God that Christ, his Apostles, and the true church in every age proclaims – that men and women, boys and girls, come to trust in the person of Jesus Christ and in the work he has done for sinners, unto salvation. Stated in yet another way, the gospel is the power of God unto salvation, not because the gospel message, in and of itself, saves, but because Jesus saves. And it is Jesus who is offered to sinners in the preaching of the gospel.
You might be thinking that this distinction is too fine, but it is not. I do wonder how many people have been brought up in the church hearing the preaching of the good news of the kingdom of God, and even thinking, yes, this message is true! This is what the Bible teaches, ect! But never have they placed their faith in Christ. In other words, they have heard and even agreed with the sound doctrine that is taught, but never have they received the gift of Christ. Never have they humbly and helplessly fallen into the strong and loving arms of King Jesus.
You’ve probably heard it said that true Christianity is not about doctrine, it’s about a relationship. That statement is half true. True Christianity is about a relationship. It is about sinners being reconciled to the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, through a personal relationship with Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God incarnate. But how do we come to know this Jesus? How do we come to be united to him by faith? It is through the proclamation of the good news of the kingdom of God, and that involves doctrine or teaching.
The Gospel Of The Kingdom Is Powerful Because Through It We Are United To Christ By Faith And Come To Have All Of The New Covenant Blessings That He Has Earned
So then, the gospel of the kingdom of God is powerful because it is true. And it is powerful because it is through the gospel that Christ – his person and finished work – are offered to us. Thirdly, the gospel of the kingdom of God is powerful because through it we are united to Christ by faith and come to have all of the benefits of the redemption he has accomplished as our own.
This good news of the kingdom of God will change your life now and for eternity if it is believed. And of course, I mean that your life will be changed now and for eternity if you believe upon King Jesus, who is offered to us in the gospel.
And no, I am not merely talking about some kind of superficial, momentary, or earthly change. I’m talking about deep, spiritual, and everlasting change. I have no doubt that if you are a drunkard now, Christ can and will change your life if you come to him by faith. He will free you from bondage to that sin. I have no doubt that if your marriage is on the verge of disaster, Christ can change that. But please hear me, Christ did not lay down his life, rise again on the third day, ascend to the Father, and sit down on his thrown to merely set you free from drunkenness and to bless you with a better marriage. No, those who come to Christ to receive and rest in him as he is offered to us in the gospel, are blessed in him with blessings far deeper than these.
Those who come to Christ to receive and rest in him as he is offered to us in the gospel, come because they have been given spiritual life. Through the preaching of the gospel, and by the working of the Holy Spirit, they have been given eyes to see and ears to hear. They have been given new life, and so they come to Jesus to receive and rest in him. This is what Jesus meant when he spoke to Nicodemus as it is recorded for us in John 3:3, saying, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3, ESV). And a bit later he said, “unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5, ESV). The gospel of the kingdom of God will be received by those who are called and regenerated by the Spirit. Indeed, the parable of the sower that follows the passage we are now considering in Luke 8 makes the same point, but in a different way. Christ did not come to give you a better life now, friends. He came to redeem his people. He came to thoroughly renew them, and to bring them from a state of sin and death to life.
And what blessings do those who trust in Christ as he is offered to us in the gospel receive? They are justified by God. This means their sins are pardoned, or forgiven. They are clothed with the righteousness of Christ. This means that Christ’s righteousness is given to them as a gift. They are adopted into God’s family! Though they were by natural birth children of the devil and children of wrath, they are, through faith in Christ, adopted as God’s beloved children. Those who trust in Christ are set free from bondage to sin. They are transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light. They have a new King, therefore. He is Christ the Lord. They have a new identity, a new name, and even a new nature. Their minds are renewed. So too are their affections and their wills. If united to Christ by faith, the drunkard will not continue in his drunkenness, and the abuser will not continue in his abuse. Why? Because in Christ Jesus, he is a new creation. Friends that is the thing that Christ has earned through his life, death, and resurrection – a new creation. And if you are in Christ Jesus, you are a new creation. The question is this: how do we come to have these New Covenant and new creation blessings as our own? It is through faith in the person and work of Christ, as he is offered to us in the gospel.
This is why we agree with the Apostle who said, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…” (Romans 1:16, ESV). And this is why we agree with Christ and his Apostles that preaching the gospel of the kingdom, as foolish as it may seem to those who are perishing, is of primary importance.
Let us now move to a conclusion by considering some possible applications.
First, the church of Jesus Christ must be resolved to keep the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom of God primary. Yes, pastors and elders have a special role to play in this, but the members of Christ’s church must also be resolved and see to it that the preaching of the gospel is kept primary.
To be clear, this does not mean that every sermon preached must be like the one that was preached last Sunday – a sweeping overview of the gospel of the kingdom from Genesis through Revelation. And neither does it mean that every sermon must focus exclusively on themes of redemption and atonement, or faith and repentance. There are many things that ministers of the word must address in their preaching, for there are many things addressed in the Scriptures! Preaching should be well-rounded and varied, touching upon many different heads of doctrine, and addressing the many concerns faced by the people of God as they sojourn in this world. But please hear me, no matter what topic or concern is addressed from this pulpit, it must be centered upon Christ and the gospel of his Kingdom. You’ve probably heard me say that all theology hangs together. By this I mean, all of the doctrines of the Christian faith are connected and intertwined so that if you pull on this thread of doctrine here, it will have an effect on another thread of doctrine over there. And to this statement, I should add, that all doctrine has the glory of the Triune God as its aim and is centered upon Christ and the redemption he has accomplished for his people. Your growth in holiness, your victory over sin, the health of your marriage, your approach in parenting, struggles in your emotional life, your confidence or assurance before God – whatever the topic or concern may be – the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ and of his kingdom must be kept central. Paul the Apostle, for example, addressed many of these concerns in his letters, and yet he said, “we preach Christ crucified” (1 Corinthians 1:23, ESV). And in Colossians 1:28 he said, “[Christ] we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ” (Colossians 1:28, ESV). Did you hear it? Ministers must not only preach Christ in an evangelistic way, urging men and women, boys and girls, to turn from their sins and to trust in him for the forgiveness of their sins. Ministers must also preach Christ and the gospel of his kingdom to those who have already believed, drawing out its many implications, so as to present those under their care unto God, “mature in Christ”. The gospel of the kingdom does not only save sinners, it sanctifies saints as the Spirit works.
Members of Christ’s church must desire to have the good news of the kingdom of Christ proclaimed. They must insist that preaching Christ be kept primary given its power to save and to sanctify. They must also support the preaching ministry of the church with their time, treasures, and talents. This is my second suggestion for application.
We see this principle in our text, don’t we? Jesus Christ went from town to town preaching the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him. They were being trained to do the same. Soon they would be sent out to preach this message. And there were women who accompanied Christ and his Apostles. What did they do? They “provided for them out of their means”. Their ministry of service was vital.
Not all are called to the ministry of the word, brothers and sisters. Most within the church are called to serve and support the ministry of the word. This is not the time for a thorough teaching on the doctrine of spiritual gifts. For now, it will suffice to say that the gifts of support and service are of vital importance in Christ’s church. It is vitally important, brothers and sisters, that you serve one another under the leadership of the deacons. It is important that you use the gifts that God has given you, whatever they may be, for the building up of the body of Christ. It is important that you work and give so that the teaching ministries of the church might be sustained and expanded. As Galatians 6:6 says, “Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches” (Galatians 6:6, ESV).
Brothers and sisters, this is how Christ’s kingdom will be advanced, through the preaching and teaching of the gospel of the kingdom of God. Men must be appointed to preach. Some will need to be sent out to preach, even to the ends of the earth. And these will need to be supported.
1 Peter 4:10-11 will be a good text for us to conclude with, for in it both speaking gifts and service gifts are mentioned, and the conclusion is very much about Christ and his kingdom. Listen now to Peter, and with this, we close. “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (1 Peter 4:10–11, ESV)
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Q. 106. What rule hath God given for our direction in prayer?
A. The whole Word of God is of use to direct us in prayer, but the special rule of direction is that prayer; which Christ taught His disciples, commonly called the Lord’s Prayer. (Matt. 6:9-13; 2 Tim. 3:16,17)
“I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” (Philippians 1:3–11, ESV)
Q. 106. What rule hath God given for our direction in prayer?
“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
Pray then like this:
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Matthew 6:5–15, ESV)
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“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ 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.’ And God said, ‘Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.’ And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.” (Genesis 1:26–31, ESV)
“Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means.” (Luke 8:1–3, ESV)
Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.
I think it would be good to remember that here in chapter 8 of Luke’s Gospel, we are still learning about things that happened near the very beginning of Jesus’ public ministry.
What was Jesus doing from the start of his public ministry? In Luke 8:1 we read, “Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God…” (Luke 8:1, ESV). This agrees with what was said back in Luke 4:43. There we heard the words of Christ, “‘I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.’” And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.” (Luke 4:43–44, ESV) Christ was sent for the purpose of proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. And here in 8:1, we learn that this is what he did. First, he preached the good news of the kingdom of God in the synagogues of Judea, and now we learn that he traveled around to other towns and cities proclaiming this same good news. Jesus was a preacher. I wonder, do you think of him as that? He came to proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God.
The question that we should ask is, what was the content of Jesus’ preaching? What exactly did he say? In other words, what is the “good news of the kingdom of God” that he proclaimed?
Notice that our passage does not tell us. Neither Luke 4:43 nor Luke 8:1 reveal the content of Jesus’ message – they simply say that he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God. And so we are right to ask, what was this message?
Don’t you want to know? You should! For it is through believing the good news of the kingdom (the gospel) that men and women are saved. Furthermore, this gospel of the kingdom that Jesus preached is nearly identical to the gospel of the kingdom that you are I are to preach. I say “nearly” because there are slight differences that have to do with perspective. Jesus pointed to the future and said, repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. In other words, it is almost here. We point to the past and preach, repent for the kingdom of heaven is here. And of course, Christ pointed to himself as the King of this kingdom. We point away from ourselves and to him. But the point remains, the gospel that you and I have believed and are called to proclaim to others is substantially the same gospel that Jesus preached – it is the gospel of the kingdom of God.
Before moving on, I should say that it would not be correct to strictly equate the teaching of Jesus recorded for us before and after this text with the good news of the kingdom. What I mean is that it would not be correct to point to the sermon that Jesus preached to his disciples on the plane (as recorded in Luke 6:20-49) or to the parable that is recorded for us later in Luke 8 and to say, here is the gospel of the kingdom of God. No doubt, these teachings of Jesus are related to the gospel of the kingdom that he proclaimed. In the sermon on the plane, for example, we find kingdom ethics. In the parables of Luke 8:4ff. Christ teaches us about who will come into this kingdom, how, and why. But it would not be correct to point to the sermon on the plane in Luke 6, or the parable of the sower in Luke 8, and to say, here is the good news of the kingdom of God that Jesus preached.
What is the message, then? What is the good news of the kingdom of God? Where do we find its content? The answer might surprise you. We find the content of the good news of the kingdom of God first in the Old Testament Scriptures. Yes, this message is found in the New Testament too. But it is not presented to us in the New Testaments as if it were a brand new message. Instead, the good news of the kingdom of God is presented to us in the New Testament as a very old message that has advanced, been filled, and will one day be brought to completion.
You see, this is why Luke tells us that Jesus came preaching the good news of the kingdom of God but does not bother to tell us what his message was, exactly. He does not tell us because he assumes we have read the first half of the Book wherein the gospel of the kingdom of God is clearly revealed. And more than this, he expects that we will finish reading his Gospel so that we might learn how this kingdom of which Christ spoke was established. Furthermore, he expects that we will read his second volume, the book of the Acts of the Apostles, to consider the gospel message that the Apostles of Jesus preached. You see, they were commissioned by Christ to preach the same good news of the kingdom of God, and they did. We have a record of their preaching in Acts. And more than this, we have a record of the Apostolic preaching and teaching in the many letters they wrote – Romans through Revelation.
Do you wish to know what the good news of the kingdom of God is that Christ preached? Then you must read the Holy Scriptures! You must take up the Bible and read it (or listen to it read and preached), not beginning with Matthew 1 or Luke 1 but with Genesis 1. And to fully appreciate the good news of the kingdom of God, you must read all the way through to the end of the book of Revelation, for in the closing chapters of the book of Revelation we are given a picture of what this kingdom – the kingdom of God of which Christ spoke – will be like when it is brought to its full and final form.
So what is the good news of the kingdom of God? If someone asked me to sum it up in only a sentence or two I think I might go to a passage that describes the consummation or completion of the kingdom of God. Revelation 21 is one such passage. There the Apostle John records for us a vision he saw of the new heavens and earth. In verse 2 he tells us that he “saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And [he] 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” (Revelation 21:2–3, ESV). I think this is a wonderful summary of the good news of the kingdom of God. It is the good news that God will be the King of his people, that he will dwell in the midst of them (and they with him) in his kingdom, and that his kingdom will fill all the earth, just as it is described in the final chapters of the book of Revelation. This is the good news of the kingdom of God. Hear it again: “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” (Revelation 21:2–3, ESV).
I hope you will agree that this is good news. In fact, I hope you will consider it to be the best news of all.
Those who love God will surely agree that there is no greater blessing than to be at peace with God, to dwell in his presence, to commune with him, and to behold his glory. Indeed, we were made for this purpose – to know God, to walk with him, to worship him, and to enjoy him forever and ever.
And those who love God will also agree that it is the best of news to hear that God is our King. Think of how good and pleasant it would be to dwell in a kingdom where the King of that kingdom is perfectly holy and just, all-powerful, perfectly wise, lacking in nothing, and full of love for those he rules. Can you imagine living in a kingdom and under the rule of a King like this?
And those who love God will also agree that it is the best of news to hear that God’s kingdom fills heaven and earth with no territory at all given to any competing king or kingdom.
This, as you likely know, is the picture that is painted at the end of the book of Revelation. There we find a picture of God’s kingdom brought to its full and final form. Who is the King of this kingdom? God is. Who are the citizens of this kingdom? They are those whom God has redeemed through King Jesus the Messiah – they are those who have turned from their sins to trust him as Lord and Savior – and none other. And where are the borders of this kingdom? God’s kingdom will on the last day fill all of heaven and earth – “nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Revelation 21:27, ESV).
This brothers and sisters, is the good news of the kingdom of God that Jesus proclaimed in its full and final form. It is the good news that those who trust in Christ will be reconciled to God the Father. They will have God as their King. He will dwell in the midst of them and they will behold his glory. They will dwell secure in his kingdom forever and ever, and lack no good thing, for God, their King, will keep them and bless them with every blessing – the greatest blessing of all being the gift of uninterrupted communion with God himself.
As we ask the question, what is the good news of the kingdom of God that Jesus preached, it is helpful to start at the end and to consider what this kingdom will be when it is here in full. But as I take this approach, I suspect that you are all thinking, but what about the backstory? Yes, it is wonderful to talk about the good news of the kingdom of God from the vantage point of the consummation or end, but isn’t there so much more to this story? What about Old Covenant? Israel? What about Christ? How did we get here? And how do we get there? I’m glad you asked, for to understand what the good news of the kingdom of God is, we cannot only the end, we must also know the beginning and middle of this glorious story.
Luke tells us that Jesus “went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God” (Luke 8:1, ESV), and he does not explicitly tell us what the content of Jesus’ message was because he expects to know all about the kingdom of God from the storyline of Scripture beginning with Genesis 1.
Friends, the Bible is about the kingdom of God from beginning to end. Yes, the story of Scripture centers on King Jesus, on his person and work. And yes, the story of Scripture has as its aim the glory of God Almighty, Lord Most High. And yes, the Bible does tell us how we can be brought into a right relationship with God through faith in Christ. But the story contained in Scripture is the divinely inspired record of the establishment of God’s worldwide and eternal kingdom. To miss this overarching narrative, or to error in some of the details concerning the unfolding of this story, will leave you very confused regarding the message and meaning of the Bible.
So where does the story of God’s kingdom begin? Not in Revelation 21, not in Luke 1. Not in Exodus 1, not in Genesis 12, but in Genesis 1. To understand what Luke means when he says that Jesus “went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God”, to Genesis chapter 1 we must go.
It is in Genesis chapter 1 that we learn that God is the King of the universe. God exists in eternity. He had no beginning and will have no end. No one made God. Rather, in the beginning, God created out of nothing the heavens and earth, that is to say, all things seen and unseen. So then, there is the eternal and self-existent God, and there is his creation. All that exists falls into one of these two categories. There is God and there is God’s creation. And God is King of his creation.
When God created the heavenly (invisible) and earthly (visible) realms (see Col 1:16) he spoke them into existence out of nothing by the Word of his power. And then he formed and fashioned the earthly, visible realm to make a place suitable for human habitation. God the King created multiple realms within the earthly realm – the heavens above, the sky, the oceans, and the dry land – and then he filled those realms with rulers – rulers who were created by him to do his bidding and to govern the world that he had made. The sun, moon, and stars were put into place to rule the day and the night. The birds of the air and the fish of the sea were to fill the sky and the oceans. Animals were created to fill the land. But man – male and female – made in the image of God, was the pinnacle of God’s creation.
And we should ask, what does it mean for man to be made in the image of God? One thing it does not mean is that man was made to look like God physically, for we know that God is invisible, a most pure spirit, without body and without parts (John 4:24). What then does it mean to be made in God’s image? Well, some have pointed to the fact that man is a moral creature. Like God, man has the capacity to discern good from evil and to image his holiness, therefore. Others have noticed that man is a rational creature capable of thinking God’s thoughts after him and imagining God’s wisdom. Others have noticed that man is a relational being capable of communing with or corresponding to God. All of these observations are good and true – and more observations like this can be made – but do not miss the fact that God created man with all of these qualities so that they might rule and reign on earth as his little kings – vice-regents – in the world that God had made.
Notice that kingdom language is all over Genesis 1. I’ve already pointed out that the sun, moon, and stars were put into place to rule the day and night (Genesis 1:16). But listen again to Genesis 1:26-28: “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ 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” (Genesis 1:26–28, ESV).
The point is this: The man and the woman were created in the image of God – they were created with certain God-like capacities and characteristics – so that they might rule on earth in his kingdom. They were to rule on earth, not independent of God, but in continual submission to his Sovereign rule. They were to exercise dominion over God’s creation and subdue the other creatures, not as tyrants and oppressors, but as loving rulers who seek the good and betterment of their subjects. And if we were to consider Genesis 2 we would see clearly that the man and the woman were made to enjoy communion with God in this creation. They were to worship him, obey him, and live for his glory. The garden was created by God for this purpose. And the man and the woman were to fill this garden paradise with offspring, guard it from every impure thing, and expand it until it filled all the earth.
This scene that I am now describing to you should sound to your ears very much like the scene that we encountered at the end of the book of Revelation. In the garden, before sin entered the world, God was King, and he was honored as such. Adam was a King too, living under under the authority of God Almighty. And as King, he was to rule, subdue, and protect this realm that God had entrusted to him. He was to fill it and expand it until it was brought to its consummation or end. Had he succeeded – had he passed the probationary period symbolized by the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil – he would have been permitted to eat of the Tree of Life, and he, along with all he represented as King, would enter into glory.
You know the story, though. King Adam did not last long in his state of perfection. When an intruder came, he was not on guard. The serpent spoke to his wife and deceived her, and she conveyed the lies to him, he believed them, and he rebelled. Adam the king became a traitor when he rebelled against his Maker and listened to the voice of another. And so God banished this traitor king from the garden kingdom and sentenced him to death, and another king of another kingdom began to rule on earth – Satan, the usurper – the liar and father of all lies. To use the language of Paul, he is the “prince of the power of the air” who works in the sons of disobedience (Ephesians 2:2). To quote Jesus, he is the “ruler of this world” (John 12:31, 14:30, 16:11). He is the rebel, traitor, king who bound the nations in sin, idolatry, and darkness.
In Genesis chapters 1 and 2 we see that the kingdom of God was offered to Adam and to his posterity in the Covenant of Works (life, creation) that God made with him, but in Genesis 3 we learn that Adam gave this kingdom away to another by listening to his voice instead of the Word of God.
God would have not been wrong to leave the world in this state of sin and misery. He would not have been wrong to abandon this rebel kingdom and to commit it to judgment. But because God is merciful, and for the glory of his name, God determined to defeat the usurper, Satan, to dethrone him from his illegitimate throne, to overthrow his kingdom of darkness, and to rescue many of the fallen and sinful children of Adam, to bring them out of the kingdom of darkness and into his kingdom of light.
How would he do it? The first hint of this rescue mission – the first hint of this counter-offensive – was given even to Adam and Eve. The good news of God’s plan of redemption was delivered to them in the form of a curse pronounced on the serpent who had deceived Eve, and through her, Adam. In Genesis 3:14, “The LORD God said to the serpent, ‘Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:14–15, ESV). This curse has puzzled many Bible interpreters. When it is interpreted in the context of the whole of Scripture, the meaning becomes clear. A righteous line would descend from Eve – people who had faith in YHWH and sought to worship him. And a wicked line would also be present in the world. These too would descend from Adam and Eve physically, but they would be children of the Devil spiritually speaking. Hostility would exist between these two groups. Those of the serpent would strike continually at the heels of those of Eve– that is to say, of those who had the faith of Eve. But one day a child would be born to Eve, and this child would deliver a fatal blow to the head of the serpent.
You see, in this mysterious way, God promised to overthrow the works of the Devil and his kingdom. Salvation would be accomplished through the seed of the woman. He would be a great warrior King. He would win the victory. He would do so through suffering (his heal would be struck), but he would deliver a decisive blow to the head of his advisory, the devil.
You see, Jesus Christ was not the first one to preach the good news of the kingdom of God. God himself proclaimed this good news even in the presence of Adam and Eve. The words, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15, ESV), were the very first articulation of the gospel of the kingdom of God. And of course, we know that scull crushing seed of the woman was Christ.
How then did we get from Adam to Christ? The answer is, through Israel. There, in Old Covenant Israel, the kingdom of God that was offered to Adam (but forfeited by his fall into sin), and graciously promised to Adam (after his fall into sin), was pictured or prefigured through many types, and shadows (read Hebrews and see that the land, the temple, the priesthood, and the people were all types or pictures of heavenly and eternal realities). And it would be through Israel that the promises of God concerning the coming Messiah were preserved (see Romans 9:4-5). And finally, it would be through Isarel that Jesus Christ the Messiah would be born into the world. He is the Son of God, the son of the virgin Mary, who was the daughter of Eve.
How then did we get from Adam to Christ? As I have said, it was through Old Covenant Israel. Please allow me to very rapidly remind you of this history.
The righteous line of Eve is traced for us in Genesis chapters 4-10. See especially the genealogy of Genesis 5. That genealogy takes us up to Noah and his three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. After this, we find the story of the flood. And after the story of the flood, we find a very interesting story about Noah and his three sons. The end result is that a distinction is made between the sons of Noah. No curses Canaan, the son of his son, Ham. He blesses Shem supremely, and he blesses Japheth too. Listen very carefully to the blessing that Noah (who was a kind of second Adam) pronounced upon Shem and then Japheth.
In Genesis 9:10 we read, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem…” [So Shem had YHWH as God – he was of the righteous line of Eve] “…and let Canaan be his servant…” The Canaanites would descend from Canann. They were of the wicked seed of the serpent and were especially cursed. “May God enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem, and let Canaan be his servant.” The blessings that Noah pronounced on his sons, Shem and Japheth, are very important. If you trace the line of Shem in Genesis 10 and 11 you will see that it goes through Eber (Hebrews) and terminates on Abram, whom you know as Abraham.
Before we go further with Abraham, I want to draw your attention to the blessing that Noah pronounced upon Japheth. Hear it again. “May God enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem, and let Canaan be his servant.” The genealogy of Japheth is found in Genesis 10:2. Like Ham, Japheth would become Gentile nations. But Japheth was blessed. Noah prayed that Japheth would be enlarged, that he would come to dwell in the tents of Shem, and that Canaan would be his servant. A careful study of the rest of Scripture reveals quite clearly the meaning of all this. After the flood, which was both an act of judgment and a new creation, humanity was divided into three groups – two we call gentile, and one Hebrew. The Hebrews who descended from Shem were uniquely set apart and blessed, but from the beginning, their purpose was to be a blessing to the sons of Japheth.
This becomes even more clear when we come to Abram, the descendent of Shem, and the father of ethnic Isarel. In Genesis 12:1 we read, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:1–3, ESV). This is in fulfillment of the blessings pronounced by Noah upon his sons. Abram, the Shemite, would become a great nation on earth. Land would be given to his descendants. Later, the Lord tells him that kings would come from his loins. So, the Lord would establish a kingdom on earth – it would be the Kingdom of Israel. But do not miss what God said to Abram in the beginning. It is an amplification of what Noah said to Japheth – “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
So whatever God would do with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and the kingdom that would come from them, it was to be understood from the beginning that the purpose was to bless all nations through them. Japheth would be enlarged. Japheth would be blessed in the tents of Shem.
As you know, Abraham would have a son named Isaac, and Isaac would have a son named Jacob, or Israel. And Israel would have twelve sons. Of particular interest to us today is Israel’s son, Judah. When Israel was about to die he called his sons to himself to tell them what would happen to them in days to come (Genesis 49:1). His words to Judah were particularly impressive. “Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down before you. Judah is a lion’s cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples” (Genesis 49:8–10, ESV). So then, it would be from Judah that the kings of Isarel would come. It would be Judah who would rule. And it is suggested here that Judah would rule forever, and he would rule all peoples. Hear it again, “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.”
I hope that you are remembering the theme of the kingdom of God, brothers and sisters. I hope that you are thinking of the earth as it was in the beginning, of the earth as it was after man’s fall into sin, and of the earth as it was in the days of Noah, and then in the days of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Think of all the kingdoms of the earth that then existed. Think of how they were bound in the darkness of sin and idolatry and under the power of the Evil One. And then ask, where is the kingdom of God that was offered and then promised to Adam? Can you see that it was present in the world in those days, but only in the form of promise? Shem would be blessed, and Japheth would be blessed in the tents of Shem. Abraham would be blessed. Kings would come from his loins. And in him all the nation of the earth would be blessed. And then we are told that the kings of Israel would descend from Judah, the son of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The kingdom of God was present in the world in those days, but only in the form of promise.
When did the kingdom of God first become visible? Answer, in the days of Moses after the Exodus. For the first time, the children of Eve, Seth, Noah, Shem, Eber, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were gathered together as something more than a family or a clan. They were rescued from Pharoah and Egypt (who were a type of Satan and his dark kingdom). They were led out into the wilderness and towards the land that was promised to them. And please do not miss this – God dwelt in the midst of them as their God, and they were set apart from all the peoples of this earth as his people. He led them day and night in the wilderness. He manifests his glory in the tabernacle. The tribes of Israel camped around this tabernacle, signifying that the LORD was their God and they were his people.
The kingdom of God that was first offered to Adam in the garden then promised from Adam to Moses, was for the first time made visible on earth at the Exodus. But when would this earthly kingdom come in full? Answer: in the days of King David. Saul was the first king of Israel, but he was a king like the kings of the other nations. He ruled according to human strength and wisdom. He did not have regard for the word of the Lord. He did not rule as if under the authority of God Most High. In this respect, he was like the rebel king, Adam. But the Lord had, by his grace, selected David to be king of Israel. He was not like the kings of the other nations but had regard for God and his word. This is why David is called a man after God’s own heart. Though he was a sinful man, he did rule in Israel knowing that God was King over him and over them. He ruled in Israel knowing that he was but a vassal king – one who ruled under God’s authority. David was King after God’s own heart in the sense that he understood God’s plan of redemption, to bless the nations of the earth through Israel, and to restore and bring to completion that which Adam had lost. David was a man after God’s own heart in that he did not think of himself as Lord and King but looked to God as King, and looked forward to the coming of Messiah, who would descend from his loins.
2 Samuel 7 is immensely important. There we find a record of the covenant that God made with King David. The whole passage is important. For the sake of time, listen to what God says to David in verse 12: “When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever” (2 Samuel 7:12–13, ESV). And listen to verse 16: “And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever” (2 Samuel 7:16, ESV). Solomon’s son David would rule after him, but it should be clear to all that these promises were not fulfilled by Solomon. And neither were they fulfilled by the many kings who would descend from Solomon. None of them ruled forever. They all perished and another king would take their place. This promise would find its fulfillment in the Messiah, Christ the Lord. King David knew this. Do you want proof that he knew this? Then read Psalm 110. The New Testament cites this Psalm often to demonstrate that the promise concerning a king who would rule forever and ever was by no means fulfilled by King David (Matt. 22:44; Mark 12:36; Luke 20:42, 43; Acts 2:34, 35), but that the king of this eternal kingdom would be David’s Lord. “A PSALM OF DAVID. The LORD says to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool’” (Psalm 110:title–1, ESV)
You see, the kingdom of Old Covenant Isarel – the land, the temple, the priests, the people, and the kings – was but an earthly picture, type, or shadow of better things to come. Abraham knew this (Hebrews 11:1). Moses knew this (Exodus 25:9, 40). David knew this (2 Samuel 7, Psalm 110). And the prophets of Old knew this too. All who had true faith under the Old Covenant knew that were worshiping at a temple and living in a kingdom that was typological – for these were pictures of heavenly and eternal realities. The eternal temple and the eternal kingdom would be built and established by the Messiah. The Messiah (David’s Lord) would be king of this Kingdom.
So when did the kingdom of God that was offered and rejected, promised, and prefigured arrive with power? It was at Christ’s first coming. This why John the Baptist and Christ came preaching, repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. And this is why Christ went about preaching the good news of the kingdom of God.
The good news of the kingdom of God is the news that the King of this kingdom has come – he Jesus Christ the Lord, the son of Adam, the son Abraham, the son of David, the Son of God.
The good news of the kingdom of God is the news that the king has stomped the head of the serpent to defeat him and to overthrow his kingdom. Christ has defeated the Evil One. He has bound him so that he can no longer hold the nations in darkness. The King is now plundering his house.
The good news of the kingdom of God is the news that the way into this everlasting kingdom has been opened up for the citizens of the kingdom through faith in Christ the King and by his finished work.
The good news of the kingdom of God is the news that the kingdom that was offered to Adam, but forfeited, has been earned. Where King Adam failed, King Jesus has succeeded. The new heavens and earth have been earned by Jesus, and he will fill the earth with the people he has redeemed.
Finally, The good news of the kingdom of God is that in the new heavens and earth, God will dwell in the midst of his people. “Behold, the dwelling place of God [will be] with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God” (Revelation 21:2–3, ESV). How can these be given our sin and rebellion? This reconciliation with God is made possible only by the person and work of King Jesus through faith in him.
You see, Christ the King has won the victory. He lived for sinners, died for sinners, defeated sin, Satan, and death for sinners, by rising again from the dead on the third day. As Paul says, “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 order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For ‘God has put all things in subjection under his feet.’ But when it says, ‘all things are put in subjection,’ it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.” (1 Corinthians 15:20–28, ESV)
This, brothers and sisters, is the good news of the kingdom of God.
The good news is not about your personal salvation only.
Nor is it about the establishment or reestablishment of some earthly, temporary, typological kingdom.
No, the good news of the kingdom is that “the dwelling place of God [will be] with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God” (Revelation 21:2–3, ESV). This will be our blessed and eternal experience in the new heavens and earth given the victory that Christ the King has won. His kingdom is here now. It is manifest in his church where Christ is honored as Lord. It will be here in full at the end of time when Christ returns to make all things new. Lord Jesus, come quickly. Amen.
Oct 23
21
Q. 105. What is Prayer?
A. Prayer is an offering up of our desires to God, by the assistance of the Holy Spirit, for things agreeable to His will, in the name of Christ, believing, with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgment of His mercies.
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” (Philippians 4:4–9, ESV)
I should probably begin by reminding you that we are considering the outward and ordinary means of grace that God has given to his people through which he distributes the benefits of the redemption that Christ has earned to his elect in every place and age.
Does God work inwardly upon the hearts of his people to bring them to faith and to sanctify them further? Yes, works upon our hearts by his Spirit. But we are here considering the outward means of grace, that is to say, things external to us that God uses to bring his people to faith and to grow them up in it.
And does God work in the lives of his people in unique and unusual ways? Of course! He uses many things that are unique to each one of us to bring us to faith and to grow us up in it. He uses other people and life circumstances to shape us and to refine us. But here we are talking about the ordinary means of grace. There are the things that God ordinarily uses to save and to sanctify his people. These are things that God has ordered or ordained us to partake in.
Question 93 of Baptist Catechism asks, What are the outward means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption? A. The outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption are His ordinances, especially the Word, baptism, the Lord’s Supper and prayer; all which are made effectual to the elect for salvation. So, we have learned about the Word and how God uses it to save and to sanctify his people. We have also learned about baptism and the Lord’s Supper. And now, in question 105, we begin to learn about prayer. Prayer is the fourth and final external and ordinary means of grace mentioned in our catechism.
Before we get into the details of Q 105, I think it would be good to observe that our catechism concludes with teaching on prayer. Questions 105 through 114 (which is the last question in our catechism) are all about prayer. I think this is wonderful, and let me tell you why.
Way back in Baptist Catechism question 22 the question was asked, “What is the misery of that estate whereunto man fell?” Questions 16-22 tell us about sin, and again, question 22 asks, “What is the misery of that estate whereunto man fell?” A. “All mankind, by their fall lost communion with God, are under His wrath and curse, and so made liable to all the miseries of this life, to death itself, and to the pains of hell forever.” What was the very first misery mentioned? The loss of communion with God? And where does our catechism take us? Through the gospel of Jesus Christ, our catechism takes us back to communion with God. Through faith in Christ (as he is offered to us in the Word) we are washed and renewed. Baptism is a symbol of this. Through faith in Christ, we are reconciled to God. The Lord’s Supper is a symbol of this. And through faith in Christ were granted bold access to the Father. Stated differently, through faith in Christ our communion with God is restored. Now granted, we will enjoy the fullness of this communion in the new heavens and earth after Christ returns. But it is a benefit of our salvation that we enjoy even now. Even now we are invited to come boldly in to the presence of the Father, through the Son, and by the Spirit. And how do we do this except through prayer? I say it is fitting and beautiful that our catechism concludes with teaching on prayer because it is, in a sense, the high point of our salvation in Christ Jesus. Through faith in him, we are granted access to the Father. The communion with God that was lost when man fell into sin has been restored. We are invited to enter boldly into his presence through prayer.
What is prayer? It is important to know, don’t you think? I doubt we will pray well or often if we don’t know what prayer is.
Some have wondered about the purpose of prayer. They ask, doesn’t God already know what we need? Doesn’t he already know what will happen in the future? Why pray then? Well, prayer would be pointless if its purpose was to inform God about what we need. Indeed, he knows what we need. Jesus reminds us of this in the middle of his teaching on prayer, saying, “Do not be like them [those who heap up empty phrases], for your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Matthew 6:8, ESV). And yes, God knows the future. More than this, he has decreed it (Isaiah 46:10)! So, the purpose of prayer is not to tell God things that he is unaware of. And neither is the purpose of prayer to change the course of history.
What is prayer then? Answer: It is a means of grace for us. It is one of the ordinary and external means by which we enjoy communion with God through faith in Christ. It is one of the ordinary and external means through which God works in our lives and in the lives of others. How are sinners saved and then sanctified further? Through the means of the word of God read and preached, Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. And the same may be said of prayer. Prayer is a means of grace for us.
What is prayer? Our catechism is right to teach that prayer:
Yes, prayer changes things. Not the decree of God, of course. But you and me! It is a means of grace for us.
And we know that God has determined to accomplish his decree through means, and prayer is a means of grace.
Oct 23
15
“A SONG OF ASCENTS. Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD! O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy! If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared. I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning. O Israel, hope in the LORD! For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption. And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.” (Psalm 130, ESV)
“One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table. And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, ‘If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.’ And Jesus answering said to him, ‘Simon, I have something to say to you.’ And he answered, ‘Say it, Teacher.’ ‘A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?’ Simon answered, ‘The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.’ And he said to him, ‘You have judged rightly.’ Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, ‘Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.’ And he said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’ Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, ‘Who is this, who even forgives sins?’ And he said to the woman, ‘Your faith has saved you; go in peace.’” (Luke 7:36–50, ESV)
Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.
I do love how stories convey truth. Of course, the truth of Scripture can (and must) be presented in a straightforward and factual way. It is important that you know the facts about God, his creation, man, sin, and salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. It is good and right to be taught in a very direct way that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), that none is righteous, no not one (Romans 3:10), that salvation cannot be obtained through keeping the law (Galatians 2:16), and that salvation comes only to those who humbly turn from their sins and fall at the feet of Christ the Lord, trusting in him, and in his fished work – his life, death, and resurrection – for them and in their place.
You see, the Apostles of Christ teach these things in a straightforward way in their letters. Consider what Paul says, for example, in Galatians 2:15-16: “We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified” (Galatians 2:15–16, ESV). You probably noticed the repetition in that passage. Paul, in a very short space, manages to say that we are not justified by the works of the law three times. And he also manages to mention faith in Jesus as being the only way to be justified before God three times. I think he’s trying to make a point! And his teaching is very straightforward and direct.
Well, the point that I am trying to make in the introduction to this sermon is that the same truths Paul (and the other Apostles) make in a straightforward way in their letters concerning salvation through faith in Christ alone, and not through obedience to the law, is made by Luke in his Gospel through the story that he tells about the sinful woman who fell at Jesus’ feet, the self-righteous Pharisee, named Simon, and Jesus’ rebuke of him. As I said, I do love the way that stories convey truth. Biblical stories like this one have a way of bringing these doctrines to life, don’t they?
So let us go now to our text to consider it in three parts.
First, let us consider the sinful woman who fell at the feet of Jesus in verses 36-38 to see what we can learn from her.
The scene is set In verse 36. There we read, “One of the Pharisees asked [Jesus] to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table” (Luke 7:36, ESV). This is interesting. Many of the Pharisees were critical of John and Jesus. We’ve been hearing about that in Luke’s Gospel. But this Phareeses invited Jesus into his home to eat with him. Sounds promising, doesnt it? On the surface, it appears that this Pharisee was a friend of Jesus – maybe even a follower of Jesus. He invited Jesus into his home and ate with him! Soon we learn that he was no true follower of Jesus – at least not at this point in his life. And so it is with many who are religious. They have an external appearance of religion. They might even be found dining with the Lord at Table. But there is no heart religion – no true faith in Christ – no true love for him. But I’m getting ahead of myself a bit. Our focus is on the sinful woman and what we can learn from her.
In verse 37 we read, “And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that [Jesus] was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment” (Luke 7:37–38, ESV). What an extravagant expression of love!
Notice a few things about this description.
One, we are told that this woman was a sinner. I think we are to take this to mean that she was a notorious sinner – one who violated the seventh commandment as a way of life in that city.
Two, her name is not given. Some have guessed that she was Mary Magdalene, but there is no evidence for that. She is left unnamed. Perhaps so as to not amplify the past sins of this dear sister in Christ, whoever she is.
Three, she clearly knew about Jesus before this moment in time. Why else would she have sought him out? She must have heard the good news that Christ was the promised Messiah. Perhaps she witnessed his miraculous deeds. Maybe she was one who was healed by him of some infirmity. We are not given the details. But one thing we know for sure, she was, at some point and in some way, called externally by the preaching of the Word and inwardly by the Spirit to place her faith in Christ and to turn from her sins. Why else would she feel compelled to come to him to express her love and gratitude so extravagantly?
Four, notice that her expression of love was extravagant. She fell at Jesus’ feet as he reclined at the table. She was weeping. Why was she weeping? Given the details of this story, I think it is safe to say that she wept for two reasons – out of sorrow for her past sin, and out of a sense of gratitude and joy for the offer of the forgiveness of sins through faith in Jesus the Messiah. Those who have faith in Christ will understand this strange mingling of emotions – sorrow and joy. At once, our tears are tears of sorrow for sin, and tears of joy for the forgiveness of sins. This woman was weeping profusely so much so that her tears fell to the feet of Jesus. And when they did, she washed Jesus’ feet, not with a rag, but with her own hair. She kissed his feet. And she anointed his feet with ointment.
Clearly, this woman was overwhelmed with sorrow for past sin and great joy for the present grace that was shown to her in the face of Christ Jesus. She was humble, broken, and contrite. She was filled with love and appreciation for the Messiah. She fell at his feet, taking the posture of a lowly servant. She anointed his feet as if to acknowledge the fulfillment of the Scripture that says, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns’” (Isaiah 52:7, ESV). This woman’s sin was great, but so too was her faith in and love for Christ. And here she expressed her love for him in a most humble and extravagant way.
Of course, the question we are pressed with as we consider this story is, do we have a love like this for our Lord and Savior? We will return to this question. Now we must turn our attention to the Pharisee to see what we can learn from him.
“Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, ‘If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.’” (Luke 7:39, ESV).
Notice that in verse 39, it is revealed to us what this man was thinking. The text says, “he said to himself, ‘If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.’” Question: How do we know what this man was thinking? Answer: we know because Jesus knew his thoughts. And Jesus knew his thoughts because he is God’s prophet and Messiah, the eternal Word of God incarnate.
Perhaps you have detected the irony in this story. Apparently, this Pharisee invited Jesus over to examine Jesus to see if he really was the prophet of God and the Messiah of God as he claimed, but Jesus examined him. He examined even his thoughts and the condition of his heart. It’s ironic, isn’t it, how men and women will pretend to stand in judgment over God and Christ, and yet we know that it is God who will judge men through Christ. Men in their arrogance and pride will try to put God and Christ on trial, but this is not how things are in reality. In fact, “the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” (Hebrews 4:12–13, ESV). It is ironic that this Pharisee invited Jesus into his home to judge him, but the opposite happened. Christ the Word looked upon this man with a sharp and piercing gaze and discerned even the thoughts and intentions of his heart.
There is also irony in this: When this woman came and began to anoint Jesus’ feet, the Pharisee “said to himself, ‘If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is…” The Pharisee was correct. If this man were a prophet he would have known. And he did know. Ironically, Jesus also knew what he was thinking.
Well, now that we are inside the head of the Pharisee, let us ask the question, what sort of belief system could produce a thought such as this? What must this Pharisee have believed to evoke within him feelings of disgust and thoughts of disapproval as he observed this moving scene? By the way, I hope you understand that this is how human behavior works. As we live in this world we perceive things. And as we perceive things we are constantly making judgments – is the thing good or bad? And as we make judgments, we are drawn towards that which we perceive to be good, and we are repulsed by that which we perceive to be bad. But our deeply held beliefs about things like God, man, this world in which we live, and eternity will have a profound and ever-present impact on our perception of things. This is why two people can consider the same thing and yet have totally different responses to it. One may say, that is good and beautiful! And the other may say, that repulsive. I do hope that you considered the scene of the sinful woman falling at the feet of Jesus to extravagantly express her love for him to be beautiful. The fact is, this Pharisee was repulsed by what he saw. My question is, what sort of deeply held beliefs would produce a response like this?
I’ll mention only two things:
Clearly, this Pharisee thought that if men and women were to draw near to God and to Christ then they must earn it through holy living. Only those who lived a holy life were permitted to draw near to God and to associate with God’s servants. Some people were simply too sinful, and they were to be avoided.
Secondly, this Pharisee viewed himself as worthy. He was righteous. He was holy. And so it was right for him to have Jesus into his house to recline at his table. But this sinful woman… there was no place for her.
To put it into theological terms, this Pharisee believed in justification by works. He believed that men and women were right with God through their obedience to the law of God. This sinful woman had broken God’s law – particularly the seventh commandment – repeatedly and in a direct way, therefore, therefore, she was out. But he was a lawkeeper. Therefore, he was on good terms with God. This man must have believed in justification by works, and he must have had a very low view of sin, for he thought much of the woman’s sin, but he thought very little of his own. He was self-righteous and puffed up with pride. And that is why he looked upon this beautiful scene with disgust. His mind are heart were twisted, and so he recoiled at a scene that he should have been drawn to.
The question we are pressed with as we consider the Pharisee is, do I have a pharisaical attitude towards others? Do I look down on others and despise them, making much of their sin, and little of my own? And if so, what are the deeply held false beliefs that produce such a response within me? We will return to this question. For now, let us consider the words of Jesus to learn from him.
In verse 40 we read, “And Jesus answering said to him, ‘Simon, I have something to say to you.’ And he answered, ‘Say it, Teacher’” (Luke 7:40, ESV).
Luke tells us that Jesus answered the Pharisee even though the man never said anything. He spoke within himself, remember. Jesus answered the man’s thought with his Words. Thankfully, the Lord does the same thing with us today. By his grace, he will answer our errant thoughts by his Word.
Notice that Jesus called the Pharisee by his name: “Simon, I have something to say to you”, he said. We don’t know anything about this Simon fellow. I do wonder what became of him. I think we should acknowledge the possibility that he himself became a disciple of Jesus. We don’t know, but it is certainly possible. For not only is Jesus able to forgive the sins of a harlot, but he is also able to forgive the sins of a self-righteous Pharisee too, should he repent. And here we see that Jesus is in his house and calling him by his name. Perhaps the calling was effectual. I suppose we will find out in eternity.
Jesus spoke to Simon saying, “I have something to say to you”. Brothers and sisters, Christ says the same thing to us every time we open his Word. John… Robin… Barbara… Joe… I have something to say to you… And what should our response be? The response of Simon was good: “Say it, Teacher”. Perhaps a better response would be, say it, Lord.
Jesus’ words to Simon are marvelous. He addressed the false beliefs that I mentioned earlier – the ones that prompted the abhorrent thoughts in his mind – and he did so by way of a parable.
Listen to the parable starting in verse 41: “A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” (Luke 7:41–42, ESV).
There are a few observations to make about this parable.
One, notice that there are three characters in this parable – a moneylender and two debtors.
Two, notice that the debtors have a few things in common. One, they both owe money to the same lender. Two, they both owe a lot of money. A denarius was a piece of money worth about a day’s wage for a common worker, so it is not difficult to calculate how much these debtors owed. Both of them owed a lot, but one of them owed a lot more than the other. One owed fifty denarii and the other owed five hundred. So, one was about a month and a half’s worth of wages in debt, and the other a year and a half. And here is the last thing they have in common: both of them were unable to pay.
The third observation to make about the parable is the very surprising and unusual thing that the money lender does. “When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both.” Other English translations render the Greek this way: “he freely forgave them both”(NKJV), or “he graciously forgave them both” (NASB95). This is surprising, isn’t it? For this is not how moneylenders are expected to behave. Moneylenders do not simply forgive debts, do they? That sounds absurd. But that is the point.
Clearly, this parable is meant to communicate the truth about sin and salvation. The moneylender is God. In general, the two debtors represent all of humanity. All stand before guilty. All are in debt to him as sinners. Yes, some have sinned more than others, and are, therefore, in greater debt. To use the language of Paul from Romans 2:5, some, by their excessive sin and the hardness of heart are storing up for themselves wrath on the day of judgment. But pay very careful attention to this part of the parable. No one is able to pay the price. No one is able to settle the debt they have with God. In general, these two debtors represent all of humanity. In particular, they represent the woman who had sinned more, and the Pharisee who had sinned less.
Can you see how this little parable was aimed at the two false beliefs buried deep within the mind and heart of this Pharisee that cause him to look with disgust at this woman who fell weeping at the feet of Jesus?
The Pharisee thought, if men are to stand right before God then they must keep his law! This woman is a lawbreaker, therefore she is not worthy to come to God, nor is she worthy to touch the feet of God’s prophet, if indeed Jesus is God’s prophet! But Jesus set this man straight by teaching him that all are debtors. None is righteous no not one. And there is no way for men to pay off the debts they owe to God. No amount of future obedience or future good works will cancel the debt of past sins nor fix the problem of inward corruption and imputed guilt. The only hope for men and women is to have their debts graciously canceled or forgiven by God. And where is this forgiveness found? It is found at the feet of Jesus.
The Pharisee thought of himself as righteous, but by this parable, Jesus made it clear that he too was a guilty sinner. Granted, he had not lived in blatant and open sinful rebellion as this woman had for so many years. Nevertheless, his debt before God was still very great, and he was unable to repay it. If he wished to stand right before God – if there was any hope for him to stand guiltless before his Maker – it would have to be through forgiveness, the gracious cancelation of his debt. In other words, the Pharisee would have to come to God in the same way that that sinful woman came – by bowing at the feet of Jesus. For it is through faith in Jesus that our sinful debts are canceled, for canceled them through his suffering on the cross. And it is through faith in Jesus that his righteousness is imputed to us, a righteousness that he obtained through his obedience in the whole of life.
Notice this. After Jesus told the parable to Simon the Pharisee, he asked him a question. It is found at the end of verse 42. “Now which one of them [the one who was forgiven little, or the one who was forgiven much] will love [the gracious moneylender] more?” Verse 43: “Simon answered, ‘The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.’ And [Jesus] said to him, ‘You have judged rightly’” (Luke 7:43, ESV).
The word “judged” grabs my attention. The Pharisee was judging the woman and Jesus in his mind just a moment before, but he was judging wrongly. His theology was all messed up, therefore his perceptions, his thoughts, and his judgments were all messed up. Jesus set him straight with the parable and now he judged rightly. Also, I am reminded of what Jesus said in that sermon on the plane. “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven…” (Luke 6:37, ESV). The Pharisee has judged wrongly in the past, but now he is beginning to judge rightly.
But the question Jesus asked was about love. “Now which one of them will love more?” Will the one who is forgiven much or little love more? The Pharisee was right to say, the one who was forgiven much. Verse 44: “Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, ‘Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little’” (Luke 7:44–47, ESV).
“He who is forgiven little, loves little.“ What do these words mean? Does Jesus mean to say that a person who comes to faith in Christ at a young age who has lived a good life (relatively speaking) will be incapable of loving Christ greatly, given that they have been forgiven little (relatively speaking)? Conversely, does he mean that it is only those who have lived a life full of sin and immorality and then, having placed their faith in Christ and having been forgiven of all of that great sin, will be able to love him with a deep and profound love? I think not.
This is about perception, friends. The truth of the matter is that we have all sinned against God. We all stand before him guilty and carry around a large debt that we can never repay. Granted, some have sinned more than others! But it is those who are aware of the greatness and severity of their sins and of what their sins deserve who will love God and Christ greatly when they see that their debts have been canceled through faith in the Savior that God has provided, through his life, death, and resurrection.
This Pharisee was a great sinner, but he did not see it. Therefore, he did not perceive that Jesus was a great Savior. This woman was also a great sinner. And it is true, she was a very great sinner. But she knew it. For this reason, when she heard and believed that Jesus was the promised Messiah, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, she perceived him to be a very great and lovely Savior. Her love for him was, therefore, extravagantly expressed.
Before we move to the conclusion of our text, I must draw your attention to the order of things. This woman loved much because she was forgiven much, she was not forgiven much because she loved much. The entire flow of the passage is clear about this. The woman’s extravagant expression of love for Christ – her falling at his feet, her tears, her washing his feet with her own hair, and the anointing of his feet with ointment – was a demonstration of her faith in him and of her love for him because she knew that through him her debts before God were canceled. She heard that he was the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, she believed that he was, she placed her trust in him, and being moved by a sense of gratitude, she expressed her love and appreciation for him in this way. Stated in yet another way, when Jesus spoke to the woman in verse 48, saying, “Your sins are forgiven” (Luke 7:48, ESV), it was not because of the love that she showed. On the contrary, her debts were canceled by the free grace of God. Here debts were graciously forgiven. This love that she displayed for Jesus was the response to the love and grace that he first extended to her. She heard of it through the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom. Having been called inwardly, she believed in this gospel, and then she came and fell at the feet of Jesus showing him this honor. Friends, “We love [God through Christ] because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19, ESV).
Verses 49-50 bring our passages to a conclusion. There we read, “Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, ‘Who is this, who even forgives sins?’ And he said to the woman, ‘Your faith has saved you; go in peace.’” (Luke 7:49–50, ESV)
Three brief remarks need to be made about these verses.
One, that it was the woman’s faith in Jesus that saved her, and not the works she performed, is explicitly stated in verse 50. “Your faith has saved you”, Christ said.
Two, the command of Christ to “go in peace” is more than a formality. Truly, having your sins forgiven brings peace to the soul. To be at peace inwardly one must be at peace with God. Apart from faith in Christ, we are not at peace with God. We are enmity with him. It is no wonder then that we lack inward peace. But to be at peace with God through faith in the Redeemer he has provided brings peace to the soul.
Three, those who sat around the table with Jesus were right to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” This is to remind us of the question the scribes and Pharisees raised earlier in Luke’s Gospel: “And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, ‘Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?’” (Luke 5:21, ESV). They were certainly correct in their belief that God alone can forgive sins. But they were wrong in their assessment of Jesus. They failed to recognize that Jesus is no mere man. He is the Lord’s Messiah. Indeed, he is God incarnate, the eternal Word who took to himself a true human body and reasonable soul. This is why he could speak to the sinful yet repentant and believing woman, “Your sins are forgiven you”, and “your faith has saved you; go in peace”.
Let me conclude with a couple of very brief suggestions for application. Application is something you must do, friends. With the help of the Holy Spirit you must answer the question, how should this passage of Scripture change the way that I think, feel, speak, and act? Here are two suggestions.
Firstly, we must be sure to avoid the outlook and attitude of this Pharisee. He should have rejoiced exceedingly to see a sinner turn from their sins and to bow at the feet of Jesus the Messiah, but instead, he looked down on her condemningly, thinking that she was not worthy to touch the feet of Jesus. But pay careful attention. His bad attitude and his bad judgments were the natural result of bad theology. His understanding of God, man, sin, and salvation was off, and so he could not perceive the world around him in a way that was right and true. Right beliefs will lead to right practices, friends. If someone is lacking in their love for God and their fellow man, it is not because they have too much theology, it is likely because they have poor theology. Jesus corrected this man’s bad attitude and incorrect judgments by correcting his understanding of God, man, sin, and salvation. So then, I am exhorting you to fill your minds with the truth of God’s word, to believe these truths in your heart, and see if your heart is not filled with more and more love for God and for others – certainly the self-righteous and judgemental attitude of the Pharisees will not be able to abide for long in one who understands the severity of their own sin and the marvelous grace of God that has been extended to them in the gospel.
Secondly, I urge you to contemplate your sin, the wisdom of God’s plan of salvation, and the great love that God has shown you in Christ Jesus. Think upon these things and grow in your understanding and faith so that your love for Christ would grow and grow, moving you to fall at his feet and express your love for him extravagantly as this sinful woman, saved by the free grace of God, did. You know, I have watched plenty of people over the years make a show of religion for a brief time only to fizzle out. They fizzle out because their hearts were never truly captivated by the love of God in Christ Jesus. I’ve known others who seem to be religious but when you look close you see that there is no love. These are like the Pharisees. They have the appearance of godliness but deny its power (2 Timothy 3:5). I have also been blessed to know many true believers who have been constant in the faith. Do you want to know what is true of them all? They know they are sinners saved by free grace. They are humble, broken, and contrite. And yet they are filled with love, joy, and peace. This is because they know they are forgiven by Jesus. They love Jesus truly because they see him as the wonderful Savior that he is. And they worship him constantly and extravagantly.
Oct 23
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Q. 103 Who are the proper subjects of this ordinance?
A. They who have been baptized upon a personal profession of their faith in Jesus Christ, and repentance from dead works. (Acts 2:41,42)
Q. 104. What is required to the worthy receiving of the Lord’s Supper?
A. It is required of them that would worthily partake of the Lord’s Supper, that they examine themselves, of their knowledge to discern the Lord’s body; of their faith to feed upon Him; of their repentance, love, and new obedience: lest, coming unworthily, they eat and drink judgment to themselves. (1 Cor. 11:27-31; 1 Cor. 5:8; 2 Cor. 13:5)
“It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father’s wife. And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you. For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” (1 Corinthians 5:1-8, ESV)
Q. 103 Who are the proper subjects of this ordinance?
A. They who have been baptized upon a personal profession of their faith in Jesus Christ, and repentance from dead works. (Acts 2:41,42)
“And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18–20, ESV).
The Lord’s Supper falls under the category of “ teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” It is to follow baptism, therefore.
Baptism marks the beginning. The Lord’s Supper signifies the continuing.
Baptism may be compared to a wedding. The Lord’s Supper may be compared to an anniversary dinner.
In baptism, we say, “I believe”, and “Jesus is Lord”. In the Lord’s Supper, we say “I still believe”, and “Jesus is still Lord”.
In baptism, God says, “this one is mine”. In the Lord’s Supper, God says, “I am ever faithful and with you still.”
Q. 104. What is required to the worthy receiving of the Lord’s Supper?
A. It is required of them that would worthily partake of the Lord’s Supper that they examine themselves:
One, of their knowledge to discern the Lord’s body…
Two, of their faith to feed upon Him…
Three, of their repentance, love, and new obedience…
lest, coming unworthily, they eat and drink judgment to themselves.
Oct 23
15
"Him we proclaim,
warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom,
that we may present everyone mature in Christ."
(Colossians 1:28, ESV)
