"Once for all entrusted to the saints" (Jude)

CONTEND FOR THE FAITH (Jude)

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Dr. Paul Manuel—2015

When you engage in a new activity, there are often aspects you did not expect to encounter, elements you may not have thought through.

When Timmy turned eight, he was old enough to go fishing on his own for the first time. While he loved fishing, he knew little about how fish got from the pole to the plate. His mother arrived home to find a note he'd left for her on the counter: "I caught three fish.... Can you peel them for me?"

When you engage in a new activity, there are often aspects you did not expect to encounter. That can happen if someone questions what or why you believe. At that point you may have to follow Jude's admonition and Contend for the Faith.

The author of this brief epistle calls himself "a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James" (v. 1), indicating that he is probably one of Jesus' four brothers.¹ He does not identify the recipients of the letter, but it is apparently a particular congregation. Jude originally intended to write on a positive note but changes his mind upon discovering that the church is having trouble with certain "godless men."² Jude expresses his concern in v. 3 with an exhortation—

I. You must defend the faith (Jude 3).

Jude 3 Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.

Jude was going to write about what they share together: salvation.³ Instead, he finds it necessary to write about what they believe together: the faith. He says to them, "You must defend the faith." By "faith" he does not mean a vague notion about God. They should...

A. Know that it is propositional.

In other words, it is a body of knowledge or doctrine they can state and, therefore, communicate to others. Paul gives an example of this in...

1 Cor 15:3 [W]hat I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins... 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day... 5 and that he appeared to Peter...to the Twelve.... 6 [and] to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living....

They (and we) can also hold this faith with confidence that it will not shift over time. Consequently, they should also...

B. Know that it is permanent.

It is not subject to revision; it is "once for all" (also v. 5a). The reason for this stability lies in its source. What they believe comes from and is about a God, who does not change, either in His person nor in His plan. Moreover, God has "entrusted to the saints" this truth, making it their responsibility "to contend [or "struggle"] for the faith."⁴ It is also the standard by which they can evaluate other claims to authority. This implies, of course, that they know what they believe.

False teachers (2 Peter 2)

BEWARE OF FALSE TEACHERS (2 Peter 2)

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Dr. Paul Manuel—2015

It is important to know the facts before making an assertion that may prove not be true and that may leave you embarrassed...or worse. The following may be a true story.

Two British traffic patrol officers were checking for speeding motorists. One of the officers used a hand-held radar device to test the speed of a vehicle approaching over the crest of a hill, and was surprised when the speed was recorded at over 300 mph. Their radar suddenly stopped working, and the officers were not able to reset it. Just then a deafening roar over the treetops revealed that the radar had in fact latched on to a Tornado fighter jet, which was engaged in a low-flying exercise, approaching from the North Sea. Back at police headquarters, the chief constable fired off a stiff complaint to the RAF Liaison office. A quick reply came in true laconic RAF style: "Thank you for your message, which allows us to complete the file on this incident. You may be interested to know that the tactical computer in the Tornado had detected the presence of, and subsequently locked onto, your hostile radar equipment and automatically sent a jamming signal back to it. Furthermore, an air-to-ground missile aboard the fully-armed aircraft had also automatically locked onto your equipment. Fortunately, the pilot recognized the situation and overrode the automated defense system before the missile was launched and your hostile radar installation was destroyed.... Have a good day."

It is important to know the facts before making an assertion that may prove not be true and that may leave you embarrassed...or worse. This is so when relating what you believe. If not, you may promote erroneous doctrine, such as those whom Peter warns against in his second epistle, where he says, Beware of False Teachers.

Several of our primary beliefs are connected to the doctrine of Christ's second coming. Among these are the physical resurrection of the saints, the establishment of a physical kingdom on earth, and, of course, the expectation of the messiah's physical return. Well, I have run across new light on these issues from some ancient manuscripts that may change the way you view the future.

Make every effort (2 Peter 1:10-11)

WELCOME! (2 Pet 1:10-11)

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Dr. Paul Manuel—Homecoming—2002

Whether you are in a strange motel room or spending the night at some else's house, waking up in unfamiliar surroundings can be a disorienting experience.

A church deacon underwent surgery in a local hospital. When he came out of the anesthesia, a nurse's smiling face greeted him. Looking around, he noticed that the shades on the windows were down and asked the nurse why. "Well," she replied, "the house across the street is on fire, and we didn't want you to wake up thinking the operation was a failure." (Adapted from Streiker 1998:84 = Hodgin 1998:159)

You, of course, hope that awakening to the next life will also not be in that other place and that you will encounter a friendly face to welcome your arrival. At church this morning, I trust you will find friendly faces to welcome your arrival. As you await that awakening to the next life, is there anything you should do? ...In his first epistle, the apostle Peter speaks about how you can and should prepare now for that great event. Please turn in your Bibles to 2 Peter 1.

After Jesus' resurrection, as the early church begins to grow, the movement encounters opposition. There are political forces that would destroy the church, viewing it as a threat to the status quo. There are heretical forces that would distort the church, turning it away from the truth. The pressure is on Christians to give up their commitment to God or, at the very least, to make it a less prominent part of their lives.

There are more urgent concerns—needs in the family and demands of the job—matters that require immediate attention. Surely, those things should take priority because they are what matter now. Religion is fine in moderation, but let it run your life and it will ruin your life. Lighten up, kick back, enjoy the ride.

To such advice, Peter offers this response in...¹

2 Pet 1:10a ...all the more, make every effort to confirm His calling [you] and [His] choosing you.

"The guardian of Israel never sleeps" (Psalm 121)

THE LORD IS THE GUARDIAN OF HIS PEOPLE (Ps 121)

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Dr. Paul Manuel—2015

Most people want to be helpful, but sometimes they go beyond what is really necessary.

Jim walked into the lobby of his apartment building and was greeted by this notice: "To whoever is watering these plants, please stop. They are the property of the building, and our maintenance staff will take care of them. They may already have been watered, in which case you will be over watering them. Besides...these plants are fake."

Most people want to be helpful, but sometimes they go beyond what is really necessary. God wants to be helpful, and he never goes beyond what is necessary. In fact, He provides much-needed help, because The LORD Is the Guardian of His People.

Whenever we read the psalms, it is good to bear in mind that they were written for various occasions. This morning I would like to examine one psalm from a collection that was used to help prepare people for worship. God said to Moses,

Deut 16:16a Three times a year all your men must appear before the LORD your God at the place he will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread [Passover], the Feast of Weeks [Pentecost] and the Feast of Tabernacles [Booths].

As these pilgrims made the journey up to Jerusalem, they probably sang about the God they were going to worship. The Bible preserves a collection of 15 ascent songs in Pss 120-134. This morning, I would like to examine my favorite Ascent Psalm. Please turn to Ps 121.

He will not stumble forever (Psalm 15)

WHO MAY ENTER GOD'S PRESENCE? (Ps 15)

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Dr. Paul Manuel—1999

A Song of David

1. LORD: Who may sojourn in Your tent?
               Who may dwell on Your holy mountain?

2. He who walks blamelessly
          and does righteously
          and speaks truth from his heart.
3. He has not slandered with his tongue,
          has not done evil to his neighbor,
          and has not cast blame on his neighbor.

4. A contemptible man is despised in his eyes,
          but he will honor those who fear the LORD.
    He has sworn to his own evil,
          but will not change.
5. He has not given his money with interest,
       and has not taken a bribe against the innocent.

    He who does these things
        will not stumble forever.

When we have guests in our home, we do not want to give the impression that they are interrupting something or have come at an inconvenient time. We straighten up the papers in the study, vacuum the carpets, make the bed, and set the table with our good dishes. We prepare for their arrival so that they will feel welcome.

A woman was preparing for some very special guests and had spent the whole day getting things in order. Not wanting either her husband or their teenage children to undo what she had labored to complete, she gave them careful instructions not to make a mess of anything. Knowing from past experience that she would probably have to remind them of certain things, she left a rather graphic note for them pinned to the guest towels in the bathroom: "Use these, and you're dead meat!" To her surprise, the place remained tidy until the guests arrived. The evening passed pleasantly, and she eventually bade the guests farewell. Exhausted, she went into the bathroom to get ready for bed and discovered the guest towels in perfect order...with the note still attached. (Adapted from Phillips 1998:106)

If her guests had ventured into the bathroom that evening, one wonders how welcome that note made them feel. Most of us would not visit someone who would not be glad to see us. When you go to church, though, have you ever wondered if God is glad to see you? That is the question the author of Ps 15 answers: Who May Enter God's Presence?

Many of the psalms were composed for use in worship, but Ps 15 is also about worship in that it considers the qualifications of those who have the distinct privilege as well as divine permission to come before God and to express their devotion to Him.¹ Scholars call it a liturgical psalm,² and it treats what God expects from His people. What is particularly interesting, is that in the three liturgical psalms we have (Pss 15, 24, and 134), most of the qualifications are practical not theological; and in Ps 15, these requirements concern our relationships with each other (horizontal) rather than our relationship with God (vertical),³ suggesting that how we behave is at least as important to the One we worship as what we believe.⁴

"How long, O Lord?" (Psalm 13)

"HOW LONG?" (Ps 13)ⁱ

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Dr. Paul Manuel—1999

People react in various ways when they face a difficult situation. Some hide, hoping the storm will pass by them. Others ignore the problem, hoping it will go away. Still others cry out for help, hoping someone will lend them a hand.

A public-safety communications operator on the graveyard shift received a call from a very frightened and intoxicated citizen. He and some friends had been out celebrating all night. As they left the party for their respective homes, he wandered off in the wrong direction. All he could get across to the operator was that he was alone and lost somewhere near a large body of water. "Are there any houses nearby?" she asked. "Yes," he replied. "Good," she answered. "Go and stand in front of the nearest one and sing very loudly.... A police officer will be along shortly." He did, and there was. (Adapted from A.D. Lawson's contribution to "All In a Day's Work")

Our natural inclination in difficult situations is not to break forth in song, yet that may be just the thing to do, as David suggests in Ps 13.

This psalm falls neatly into three sections.ⁱⁱ Following the superscription, which English versions generally print in small type, the poet opens with a series of complaints in Ps 13:1-2, each of which he begins with the same formulaic question: "How long?" Next, in Ps 13:3-4, the psalmist presents his petition, including the consequences he faces if God does not intervene. He closes, though, in Ps 13:5-6 by expressing confidence in God's unblemished record of deliverance, asserting that he will yet testify of that divine goodness in his own situation, as we see in...

I. The Psalmist's Complaint (Ps 13:1-2)

At some point in our pilgrimage, we will encounter difficulty that will tax our spiritual resources to the limit.

• It may be the frustration of years of planning as we see the results of careful preparation and hard work crumble before us,
• It may be a prolonged illness with no foreseeable end in view.
• It may be an unresolved dispute with a friend, a coworker, or a family member that has begun to hinder our ability to cope in other areas.

The worst part, though, is when our turning to God elicits little or no relief, as if heaven has shut itself to our petition. At such times, we cry out like this psalmist:

A. How long will You neglect my situation? (Ps 13:1)

The psalmist's primary concern, and the one he voices first, is spiritual because it pertains to his relationship with God.

Ps 13:1 How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?

If you love me... (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)

LOVING GOD:
The First Order of Priority—A Holistic Command (Deut 6:4-9)

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Dr. Paul Manuel—2008

Have you ever had the feeling, as you were getting ready for one thing, that you were overlooking something else? You wrack your brain, but nothing comes to mind. Finally, you say to yourself, "If it's really important, I'll eventually remember it." The truth is: You probably will. The only question is: Will you remember in time?

A husband and wife were on their way to a much-needed vacation. As is the case with most people, they had more to do before they left home than time would allow. Knowing the plane would depart with or without them, they decided to leave the bed unmade and the house in some disarray so as not to miss their flight. They rushed to the airport, made it through security, and boarded just in time. Finally, the jet reached its cruising altitude, and they could breathe a sigh of relief.... Then they both remembered something. "Oh my," the wife said. "I think I left the iron on. What if it starts a fire, and the house burns down!" That prospect, which so troubled her, did not have the same disturbing affect on her husband, who actually took the news quite well. "Don't worry, dear," he replied confidently. "The house will not burn down." "How can you be so sure of that?" she asked. "Because," he answered... "I forgot to turn off the water in the bathtub!"

What is important to you, and will you remember it in time to do something about it?¹

It is helpful, and usually easier for me to remember, when something is regular not occasional:

• The garbage goes out on Monday;
• Choir rehearsal is on Tuesday;
• Tai Chi class meets on Wednesday.

(Eighteen years in school probably hardwired my brain to a weekly [class] schedule.) That is probably true for most people. We like consistency, and it is when things are inconsistent, when they are only occasional, that we tend to forget—like turning off the iron or the faucet. Consistency also enables us to establish priority. When we know something is regular, we can fit it into our schedule with confidence. God may even have designed us to work best with consistency because He is consistent or, as theologians term it: He is immutable, unchanging.

Please turn to Deut 6, which contains in v. 4 one of the most important theological statements in scripture, the Shema, so-called because that is the first word in this Hebrew phrase.²

Moses is addressing a new generation of Israelites about to enter the Promised Land, and many commentators have assumed that in this verse he is contrasting the monotheism of the Israelites with the polytheism of the Canaanites:³ Israel, unlike its neighbors, has one God not many gods. The context, however, suggests that Moses may be declaring something more fundamental and relevant for this new generation.⁴ Moses is not talking about the quantity of God—how much of Him there is, one or many⁵—Moses is talking about the quality of God—that His character is always one and the same. No matter what else may change for the Israelites, God's nature is stable and reliable. Moses is stating here that the God of this generation about to enter Canaan is the same God their fathers knew in the wilderness, the same God who brought their ancestors out of Egypt, because "the LORD is one."⁶ Furthermore, because there is one God, there is also one law, which is why much of Deuteronomy ("second law") is a restatement of what Moses received at Sinai.

My ways are not your ways

EXPECTATION AND REALITY IN MATTHEW'S GOSPEL:
The Difference between Man's Way and God's Way

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Dr. Paul Manuel—2016

In the course of Jesus' instruction he often highlights differences between man's way and God's way, whether in solving problems or in setting goals. To recognize these differences a person must understand that everyone who resides on the earthly plane has a limited and potentially false perspective, whereas God, who resides on the heavenly plane, has an unlimited and ultimately true perspective.¹ As He declares through Isaiah, "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, [for] as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:8-9). Matthew records how Jesus repeatedly illustrates differences between man's expectation and God's reality.²

When Satan attempted three times to derail Jesus' mission by suggesting an easier course, Jesus responded by contrasting God's more demanding yet ultimately rewarding course. Moreover, each of Jesus' responses to the devil's recommendations (temptations) evinces an awareness of the supernatural realm and presents a clear contrast.

• Satan wants Jesus to exercise his ability (his power)—"You can solve this problem right now"—but Jesus knows that God expects him to recognize longevity:³

After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."⁴ Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God' [Deut 8:3b]."⁵ (Matt 4:2-4)

• Satan wants Jesus to exercise his authority (his position)—"You can pull rank and handle this yourself'—but Jesus knows that God expects him to resist immodesty:⁶

Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: 'He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone' [Ps 91:121." Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" (Matt 4:5-7)

• Satan wants Jesus to exercise his individuality (his preference)—"You can decide whom to serve"—but Jesus knows that God expects him to respect authority:⁷

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me." Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan!"⁸ For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only [Deut 6:13]." (Matt 4:8-10)

In all three cases Satan recommends a course of immediate gratification (man's way) to reach the kingdom goal another way,⁹ but Jesus prefers delayed gratification, to reach the kingdom goal the right way (God's way), knowing that ultimately it will prove more satisfying.¹⁰

In Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (chapters 5-7) he offers several series of similar contrasts. Jesus stacks popular notions ("it was said") against God's perspective ("I tell you").

Betrayal (John 13:21-30)

ENCOUNTERS WITH JESUS IN JOHN'S GOSPEL:
Interaction with a Traitorous Disciple (John 13:21-30)

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Dr. Paul Manuel—2016

This sermon series: Encounters with Jesus in John’s Gospel:

• His interaction with a commercial enterprise ( John 2:13-16)
• His interaction with a royal official (John 4:46-53)
• His interaction with a sick friend (John 11:1-44)

 

A good marriage depends on trust. So it is disturbing when one party seems not to trust the other, especially when suspicion surfaces in the wedding ceremony itself.

During a wedding rehearsal, the groom approached the minister with an unusual offer: “I’ll give you $100 if you change the wedding vows. When you get to the part where I promise to “love, honor, and obey and, forsaking all others, be faithful forever,” just leave that out.” He passed the minister a $100 bill and walked away satisfied. On the day of the wedding, when it came time for the groom’s vows, the minister looked the young man in the eye and said: “Do you promise to prostrate yourself before her, obey her every command and wish, serve her breakfast in bed every morning of your life together, and swear eternally before God and your lovely wife that you will not even look at another woman, as long as you both shall live?” The groom gulped, looked around at all the people present, and said in a tiny voice, “Yes.” The groom then leaned toward the minister and whispered: “I thought we had a deal.” The minister put the $100 bill into his hand and whispered back: “She made me a better offer.”

A good marriage depends on trust. Actually, every good relationship depends on trust, including the relationship between a rabbi and his disciples.

In the first century, the relationship of a rabbi to his disciples is very close, much like that of a father to his sons.¹ Jesus is only one of several rabbis at this time who has disciples.² As we conclude the series Encounters with Jesus in John’s Gospel,³ we consider his Interaction with a Traitorous Disciple. For whatever reason, Judas is dissatisfied with his lot as one of Jesus’ closest followers.⁴ Perhaps he thinks that the rabbi is too hesitant about promoting his messianic identity and that by increasing pressure from the Jewish establishment it will encourage Jesus to be less timid, or maybe Judas simply sees an opportunity for financial gain.⁵ For whatever reason, he chooses to betray Jesus to the religious authorities and that decision will lead to the rabbi’s death. This is not entirely unexpected. Jesus has been predicting his betrayal for some time, even before Judas’ initial contact with Jesus’ enemies in the priesthood.⁶ When after three years together Jesus meets with his disciples for their last Passover before his death,⁷ he raises again the uncomfortable subject of impending betrayal.

I. The rabbi makes a disturbing declaration (John 13:21-22).

John 13:21 Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, “I tell you the truth,⁸ one of you is going to betray me.” 22 His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant.

"Lazarus has fallen asleep" (John 11:1-44)

ENCOUNTERS WITH JESUS IN JOHN'S GOSPEL:
Interaction with a Sick Friend (John 11:1-44)

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Dr. Paul Manuel—2016

This sermon series: Encounters with Jesus in John’s Gospel:

• His interaction with a commercial enterprise ( John 2:13-16)
• His interaction with a royal official (John 4:46-53)
• His interaction with a sick friend (John 11:1-44)
• His interaction with a traitorous disciple (John 13:21-30)

 

There are many different kinds of literary forms in the Bible, from poetry to prophecy, from treaties to obituaries. That last literary type appears today on tombstones, as three Irishmen discover after an evening at a local pub.

Paddy, Sean, and Shamus, were stumbling home late one night and found themselves on a road that led past an old graveyard. “Come and look at this, says Paddy, “It’s Michael O’Grady’s grave, God rest his soul. He lived to the ripe old age of 87.” “That’s nothing,” says Sean. “Here’s one named Patrick O’Toole. It says that he was 95 when he died.” Just then, Shamus yells out, "I found a fella who died when he was 145!” “What was his name?” asks Paddy. Shamus lights a match to see what else is written on the stone marker and exclaims…“Miles, from Dublin.”

There are many different kinds of literary forms in the Bible, including obituaries, which a man named Lazarus may not have had the first time he died. It happened during one of the Encounters with Jesus in John’s Gospel,¹ specifically his Interaction with a Sick Friend in chapter 11.²

Jesus’ healing ministry brought him in contact with countless needy people clamoring for his attention, something he did not deny them. At times the unrelenting demands of ministry would cause him to seek solitude “far from the madding crowd,” even apart from the disciples, his closest companions. On one occasion, “after he had dismissed them, he went…by himself to pray” (Matt 14:23a), which he may have done often. Still, whenever Jesus “saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were…like sheep without a shepherd” (Matt 9:36).³ Sometimes we think of Jesus as a solitary figure on the stage of history, the “voice of one calling in the desert” (Isa 40:3). But he was not alone; he had friends and family, people who cared about him and cared for him, such as Lazarus, a close friend, along with Mary and Martha, his two sisters.

I. Jesus receives the news of Lazarus’ death (John 11:1-15).

A. He waits to visit Lazarus before he died.

John 11:1 Now a man named Lazarus⁴ was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.⁵ 3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love⁶ is sick.” 4 When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.”⁷ 5 Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.⁸ 7 Then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.

When the report of his friend’s grave illness reached Jesus, the response is curious because he does not to go immediately to Lazarus’ aid, even though Jesus, better than anyone else, could have helped. Jesus has treated scores of people and a myriad of maladies, never encountering one he could not cure, leprosy to lameness, blindness to deafness. Still, Jesus delays until it is too late, yet he says, “This sickness will not end in death” (v. 4). The ultimate goal of all Jesus did was to promote “God’s glory” (vv. 4, 40).⁹ Surely healing Lazarus would have advanced that cause.

B. He goes to visit Lazarus after he died.

John 11:11 After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.” 12 His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.”¹⁰ 13 Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep. 14 So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, 15 and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”

Jesus’ explanation of Lazarus’ state is puzzling to the disciples, for he likens Lazarus’ passing to sleep, which is often the way death appears to the living, as if the deceased is asleep. That notion gave rise to the concept of “soul sleep,” an idea that John Milton may have introduced in his Paradise Lost (“Such a peal shall rouse their sleep”) and that religious movements of the 19^th century promoted, like Seventh Day Adventism. Although the Bible does depict death as sleep (as Jesus does here), it does so only from the perspective of the living.¹¹ From the perspective of the dead themselves, the deceased are awake and aware.¹² At first, the disciples think Jesus is speaking figuratively, until he
clarifies the situation: “Lazarus is dead” (v. 14).

"Your son will live" (John 4:46-53)

ENCOUNTERS WITH JESUS IN JOHN'S GOSPEL:
Interaction with a Royal Official (John 4:46-53)

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Dr. Paul Manuel—2016

This sermon series: Encounters with Jesus in John’s Gospel.

• His interaction with a commercial enterprise ( John 2:13-16)
• His interaction with a royal official (John 4:46-53)
• His interaction with a sick friend (John 11:1-44)
• His interaction with a traitorous disciple (John 13:21-30)

 

When you pray, are you confident that God will answer or do you wonder if He even listens?

The minister's six-year-old daughter had been so naughty during the week that her mother decided to give her the worst kind of punishment. Her mother told her she couldn’t go to the church picnic that weekend. When the day arrived, however, her mother felt she had been too harsh and changed her mind. She told the little girl she could go to the picnic after all, but the child's reaction was one of gloom and unhappiness. “What's the matter?” her mother asked. “I thought you’d be glad to go to the picnic.” “It’s too late!” the little girl replied…. “I’ve already prayed for rain.”

Be careful what you pray lest God’s answer be what you asked but not really what you wanted. Most times, we would be happy if God’s response matched our request, as was the father who petitioned for his son’s healing.

All three synoptic gospels record that from the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry he engaged in helping the many who came to him:

• Matthew writes that “Jesus went throughout Galilee…healing every disease and sickness among the people” (Matt 4:23).
• Mark writes that “Jesus healed many who had various diseases” (Mark 1:34).
• Luke writes that “people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and…he healed them” (Luke 4:40).

Unlike the synoptics, John makes no such blanket statement in his gospel, although
he does mention several specific cases:

• The rabbi heals a lame man.

Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. (John 5:8-9)

Without any surgery, drugs, or physical therapy, Jesus effects this cure solely with his word.

• The rabbi heals a blind man.

Jesus made some mud with…saliva and put it on the man’s eyes…. The man…washed and came home seeing. (John 9:6, 7b)

Saliva is not a sanitary substance. Apparently Jesus was not familiar with the danger of infection, or he certainly would have used a different treatment.

• The rabbi heals a dead man.

Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out…. (John 11:43)

The cause of this man’s death is unknown, but the cause is practically irrelevant once he has died. Knowing the cause may be helpful in treating future cases, but it makes no difference to Lazarus at this point. He is dead, and has been that way for three days. This is another cure Jesus effects solely with his word.

Toward the beginning of this fourth account of the savior’s life, the author records yet another one of the Encounters with Jesus in John’s Gospel,¹ the rabbi’s Interaction with a Royal Official, perhaps a member of king Herod’s court,² who petitions Jesus on behalf of his son.³

I. The father requests Jesus’ aid (John 4:46-49).

A. He knows the rabbi’s healing power.

John 4:46b Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. 47 When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death.

The last time Jesus was in Cana was to attend a wedding. There he performed his first recorded miracle. While one might assume that turning water to wine was not Jesus’ only special ability, it does not follow that other abilities would include the power to heal disease. Most likely, Jesus has already displayed curative skill by treating many of the sick and infirm who come to him, as the other gospel writers record, and it is those other cases that have encouraged this official to approach Jesus on behalf of his son. He knows about the rabbi’s healing power. More than that…

In the Temple courts (John 2:13-17)

ENCOUNTERS WITH JESUS IN JOHN'S GOSPEL:
Interaction with a Commercial Enterprise (John 2:13-17)

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Dr. Paul Manuel—2016

Some animals are so quiet that you are not even aware they are present. Other animals are so noisy that their presence is never in doubt.

Jeff, a mechanic, was working for the Air Force Academy. Things do not always turn out the way you expect, and you need to be prepared for certain changes. The soldier at the gate approached Jeff’s pickup and asked, “Would you mind if our new guard dog practices sniffing your truck?” Jeff obliged, and the dog went to work, quietly at first. Then it latched onto a scent and jumped into the truck bed sniffing and barking furiously. Jeff became nervous. His mind was speculating wildly: “What could the dog be after? Had he left some ammo there from his last hunting trip? Had his coworkers tossed in something illegal, perhaps as a prank, knowing the dog was in training?” A few minutes later, the guard approached Jeff. “Sorry,” he said sheepishly…“but our dog ate your lunch.”

Some animals are so noisy that their presence is never in doubt. That was probably the case when Jesus visited the temple and found there some extra animals.

The four gospels all recount the ministry of Jesus, but they are not identical. The first three—Mathew, Mark, and Luke—are called the Synoptic gospels because they have a similar perspective, treating many of the same events: Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, his Sermon on the Mount, the Last Supper, his Great Commission. The fourth—John—has a different perspective, treating several events not in the others, and we will consider four of these in a new series: Encounters with Jesus in John’s Gospel.¹

• His interaction with a commercial enterprise ( John 2:13-16)
• His interaction with a royal official (John 4:46-53)
• His interaction with a sick friend (John 11:1-44)
• His interaction with a traitorous disciple (John 13:21-30)

We begin with an incident that actually appears in some form in all four gospels.²

• Jesus’ interaction with a commercial enterprise (John 2:13-16)³

Jesus lived in obedience to God’s commands,⁴ which included His command that all adult males appear before Him thrice annually:⁵

Three times a year you are to celebrate a festival to me.
Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread [Passover]….
Celebrate the Feast of Harvest [Weeks or Pentecost]….
Celebrate the Feast of Ingathering [Tabernacles or Booths]…. (Exod 23:14-16)
Three times a year all your men must appear before the LORD your God at the place he will choose…. No man should appear before the LORD empty-handed. (Deut 16:16)

These gatherings attracted Jews from all over the Roman empire, and it would have been impractical for travelers to bring with them on their journey the animals they intended to sacrifice. So, local merchants provided what worshipers needed.⁶ It was a common practice in Jesus’ day, but during one holiday visit…

Passover Seder

PASSOVER OVERVIEW

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Dr. Paul Manuel—2004

The Passover seder (service) commemorates Israel’s exodus from Egypt, so it dates back thousands of years. We can trace most aspects of the seder at least to the late Second Temple Period, when Jesus ministered, and the major aspects we can even trace to the original event. We need two things to conduct the seder: certain symbols of the exodus, and the story of the exodus.

The symbols remind us of Israel’s experience in Egypt, and the three major elements appear in…

Exod 12:8 [The Israelites] are to eat the meat [of the Passover sacrifice] roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast.

• The matzah (unleavened bread), also called the “bread of poverty,” reminds us that Israel was poor in Egypt, and that the people had to leave quickly, before their bread could rise (Exod 12:39).
• The maror (bitter herbs = romaine lettuce) symbolizes the bitterness of Israel’s bondage (Exod 1:14).
• The zeroa‘ (shankbone) is in lieu of the Passover sacrifice, which was discontinued after the destruction of the temple.

There are others elements, but these are the three major symbols of the exodus.

• Because this is a joyful celebration, and because the “fruit of the vine” is a symbol of joy, attendees partake liberally of four glasses during the seder.

Realizing that the disciples consumed quite a bit of food along with all that wine, explains why they had trouble staying awake with Jesus when they moved from the upper room to the garden of Gethsemane.

God is immutable

OUR UNCHANGING GOD 
(Num 23:19; I Sam 15:29)

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Dr. Paul Manuel—2016

Some people are always after the latest gadget. Others are quite satisfied with what they have and would rather keep things as they are. They find innovation, especially new technology, too confusing.

A young officer was working late at the Pentagon one evening. As he came out of his office, he saw a General standing by the classified document shredder in the hallway, a piece of paper in his hand. "Do you know how to work this thing?" the General asked. "My secretary has gone home and I don't know how to run it." "Yes, sir," said the young officer, who turned on the machine, took the paper from the General, and fed it in. "Now," said the General... "I just need one copy."

Change can be confusing. While God is not at all troubled by change, it is good for us that He Himself does not change, that no matter how circumstances (even technology) may shift around us (or completely pass us by), the Lord remains the same. He is Our Unchanging God.

God has many qualities we admire, such as His righteousness, goodness, and love. One quality we depend on especially is His immutability, His consistency, that He does not change in His essence, attributes, or will.¹ It is the truth about Israel's God that Samuel reveals to Saul and that Balaam affirms to Balak. These two incidents illustrate God's immutability.²

The first incident we will consider that illustrates God's unchanging nature is Israel's encounter with the Amalekites along with the interaction between Samuel and Saul. When God's people left Egypt, the people group Israel initially contacted was the descendants of Esau. Whereas the Israelites would have preferred to proceed uninterrupted to Canaan, the Amalekites' unprovoked attack against God's people led Him to declare: "I will completely blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven" (Exod 17:14b). God helped the Israelites to fend off the attack and continue on their way. But later, when Israel was about to cross the Jordan River into Canaan, God repeated His intention to destroy Amalek:

When the LORD your God gives you rest from all the enemies around you in the land he is giving you to possess as an inheritance, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget! (Deut 25:19)

Years after Israel was settled in the Promised Land, God told King Saul to "attack the Amalekites and totally destroy...them.... Put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys" (1 Sam 15:3). King Saul did defeat the Amalekites³ but thought their total destruction was wasteful, so he made two revisions to God's plan.

• Saul spared the Amalekite king, perhaps as a bargaining chip for some future negotiations, and....
• Saul spared the best of the livestock as spoils of war, for sacrifice to the Lord and for payment to his troops.

The rest of God's instructions Saul followed, killing all the men, women, and children.

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Such carnage may seem exceedingly cruel, uncharacteristic of a loving God, until we realize that the highest value in God's economy is not love (or life) but holiness, which is God's preeminent attribute, the one that best describes Him and the one His people must appreciate if they would know Him:

• In Isaiah's vision of the heavenly court, the angels in attendance are not extolling God's love (although that is certainly important). They are calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty" (Isa 6:3).
• In John's vision of the heavenly court, the angels in attendance are not extolling God's love (or His righteous and goodness): "Day and night they never stop saying: 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty" (Rev 4:8).

The highest value in God's economy is His preeminent attribute, the one He uses most often to describe Himself and the one that accounts for everything He does. It is also an attribute He expects His people to emulate: "Be holy, because I am holy" (Lev 11:44, 45; 19:2; 20:7; 1 Pet 1:16; cf. 20:26; 21:6; 1 Cor 1:2; Eph 1:4; 1 Pet 1:15; Rev 22:11). In order for that attribute to characterize His people, they must separate themselves from what is unholy, a process that requires drastic measures as well as different thinking.⁴

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The prophet Samuel confronted Saul on his return from battle with the Amalekites and wanted to know why he disobeyed God's order to destroy them all, including their livestock. Saul either thought God had not really meant what He said or thought that He would be amenable to a less wasteful course of action. Israelite soldiers captured the Amalekite king (a valuable prisoner) and spared the animals (as spoils of war). After all, why disregard a useful bargaining chip and destroy a good food source? Surely God would see the wisdom of this change in His original orders.

The problem was that God had given specific instructions that did not allow for such variance. What King Saul did not realize (or chose to ignore) was that God is immutable. When He says something He sticks with it. Had He been of the opinion that killing all the Amalekites and their livestock was wasteful, He would have given different orders, but He was not, so He did not.

Nations will come to your light...

GENTILE ATTRACTION TO JUDAISM: GRACE WITH A GOAL

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Dr. Paul Manuel—2016

When God chose the descendants of Abraham as His people, it was an act of grace, but it was grace with a goal. He had a plan for them to tell others about the great God they served.¹ It will be an especially prominent feature of the Messianic Age:²

In the last days the mountain of the LORD's temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths." The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. (Isa 2:2-3) Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. (Isa 60:3)

This mission (which actually began long ago) attracted two types of gentiles: those who lived inside the borders of Israel and those who lived outside those borders.

• A sojourner or resident alien was a gentile who followed God and lived inside the borders of Israel:

• An alien living among you who wants to celebrate the LORD's Passover must have all the males in his household circumcised; then he may take part like one born in the land. No uncircumcised male may eat of it. The same law applies to the native-born and to the alien living among you. (Exod 12:48-49)
• Any Israelite or any alien living among you who hunts any animal or bird that may be eaten must drain out the blood and cover it with earth.... Anyone, whether native-born or alien, who eats anything found dead or torn by wild animals must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be ceremonially unclean till evening; then he will be clean. (Lev 17:13, 15)
• Whoever kills an animal must make restitution, but whoever kills a man must be put to death. You are to have the same law for the alien and the native-born. I am the LORD your God. (Lev 24:21-22)
• You must have the same regulations for the alien and the native-born.... 15 The community is to have the same rules for you and for the alien living among you; this is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. You and the alien shall be the same before the LORD: The same laws and regulations will apply both to you and to the alien living among you.... One and the same law applies to everyone who sins unintentionally, whether he is a native-born Israelite or an alien. (Num 9:14b-16, 29)
• Assemble the people—men, women and children, and the aliens living in your towns—so they can...follow carefully all the words of this law. (Deut 31:12)

• A foreigner was a gentile who followed God and lived outside the borders of Israel:

• These are the regulations for the Passover: "No foreigner is to eat of it.... (Exod 12:43)
• You must not accept such animals from the hand of a foreigner and offer them as the food of your God. They will not be accepted on your behalf, because they are deformed and have defects. (Lev 22:25)
• Do not eat anything you find already dead. You may give it to an alien living in any of your towns, and he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner. But you are a people holy to the LORD your God. (Deut 14:21 a-b)