Exodus – Josh Hanson Ministries

Authority (pt 3)

Josh — Fri, 01 Aug 2025 05:10:00 +0000

‌SCRIPTURE: Romans 13:1-7 (ESV)

DATE: 8–3-25

As always it’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And there’s one thing I want you to know — and this is true if you’re worshiping with us for the first time — if you’re joining us at our North Main Campus or are with our friends in Bucyrus — I want you to know that God loves you and that I love you too.

INTRODUCTION

We’re continuing our series in Romans this weekend. We’re in the practical application section of Paul’s letter where — after eleven chapters of rich theological truths — Paul shows us how what we believe is to shape how we live. That’s the journey we began with Paul’s “therefore” statement…

Romans 12:1–2 ESV

1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Paul tells us to live our lives as sacrificial offerings to God — where our lives are acts of worship that make our God look glorious to the world because of what we believe. And — one of the ways that our lives can make God look glorious to the world — is something we’ve been looking at for a few weeks. For Paul’s forcing us into the nitty gritty of life so we see how — what we believe — is to shape how we live. And this is all incredibly practical stuff — for it addresses how the Christian faith actually changes us.

So — if you have your Bible — please turn with me to Romans chapter thirteen. We’ll be in Romans chapter thirteen — looking at verses one through seven. There Paul writes…

Romans 13:1–7 ESV

1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

If you’re just joining us, two weeks ago we saw that what this text teaches is pretty straightforward — it’s not hard to understand. But we returned to this passage for a second and third week because — though it’s straightforward and easy to understand — applying this text is where things get hard. Last week we looked at what God’s Word says both to those in authority and those under authority and — today — we’ll look at some implications of this text and how we’re to live because of our faith in Jesus Christ.

Now — if you wouldn’t call yourself a Christian — know that we’ll be talking about politics today — but not how you might think. You see — when we talk about submitting to authority — one area of life where this can’t be ignored is in the area of government. And — generally speaking — politics is a religion in our country. And we’re a nation full of fully devoted followers of the religions of the Republican and Democrat parties.

For example, it’s not a surprise to me that — after the first week on authority and submission — I started hearing you all ask the question, “What about Hitler?” Our culture’s aversion to submission has made Hitler the go to example. First, I don’t know that Nero — the Roman Emperor that Paul refers to in Romans — was much better than Hitler. Admittedly we don’t have near the detailed history on Nero that we do on Hitler — but what we do have on Nero isn’t all warm and fuzzy.

And — second — and this gets to the religiousness of politics in our country — both political parties in our country love to compare the other side to Hitler and Nazism.

On the right — author Eric Metaxas — in his book Letter to the American Church — essentially compares living under the Biden administration to living in Germany in the 1930s, compares the American Church of today with the German Church of the 1930’s — who conceded to Hitler — and uses Dietrich Bonhoeffer as the example of how Christians should respond to what was happening in the US with civil disobedience.

But now that Trump is president — Bonhoeffer is the example used by the left because — of course — Trump is like Hitler, the Republican Party is like the Nazis, and so on. When the other party’s in charge — this is absolutely believable. But when your party’s in charge — it’s absolutely ridiculous to make such a comparison. And — that’s the case — because — politics is a religion in our country.

Now — today — as I promised — we’ll focus on two questions: When to obey authority and when to disobey authority.

THE PURPOSE OF GOVERNMENT

But — first — we need to talk about the purpose of government according to the Bible. Did you know that God has a purpose for government? That’s what Paul tells us in verse three when he writes…

Romans 13:3–4 ESV

3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.

Government — when it fulfills its God-given purpose — will promote what is good and prohibit and punish what is evil — good and evil as defined by God. This is God’s purpose for our government — here in the United States, here in Ohio, and here in Findlay. Yet this is also God’s purpose for the governments of the United Kingdom, Brazil, Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea. All governments have this purpose — no government is outside of God’s authority and — as governing authorities under his absolute authority — they have an obligation to do what God has created them to do.

This is no different than God’s purpose for any of us as individuals. For example, God has a purpose for every single Christian.

Ephesians 2:8–10 ESV

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Every single Christian has been saved by God to make him look glorious to the world by doing the works he’s called us to do.

God has also created the church — a gathering of his people here on earth — for a purpose. The way we describe this purpose at Gateway is “we exist to glorify God by making disciples of Jesus Christ.” For Jesus said…

Matthew 28:18–20 ESV

18 “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

And — in our verses from Romans — Paul tells us that the purpose of government is to promote what is good and to punish what is evil. When governments — any government — promote what is good and punish what is evil it is fulfilling its God given purpose. And when governments — any government — don’t do this — they’re not fulfilling their God given purpose.

As I mentioned two weeks ago — the Westminster Confession of Faith — our denomination’s doctrinal standard — says…

God, the supreme Lord and King of the whole world, has ordained civil authorities to be over people under him for his own glory and the public good. For this purpose he has armed civil authorities with the power of the sword to defend and encourage those who are good and to punish wrongdoers. (WCF 23.1)

But did you notice how Paul describes governing authorities as God’s servant? Some translations have “God’s ministers.” This tells us that those who serve in government are not to be self-serving — how about that for a radical idea? Instead, those serving in government are to serve their citizens with the purpose of God being glorified. For that’s what it means to be a servant of God.

Additionally, being called God’s servant implies that those in government have an obligation to submit themselves to God’s authority, commands, and definition of what is good and what is evil. Those in government are not free to do whatever they want. They’re not free to choose what is good and what isn’t. They’re not free from authority — but occupy a position of authority because they’ve been appointed by God and are under his authority.

Like I said last week — Paul’s words would’ve been a warning to Caesar — the emperor of Rome. A man who assumed he was at the top of the authority org chart. The man everyone else in the Roman Empire also assumed was at the top of the authority org chart. To the emperor, Paul says, “Caesar, you’re God’s servant. He’s put you in authority to do his purpose. You’re no god — you’re a servant of God.”

Instead of “in God we trust” on their coins — the Roman Empire had some variation of “Caesar is Lord” or “Caesar, the son of a god” on them. If only we — the citizens of a nation who have “in God we trust” on our money — would live up to our motto. The citizens of the Roman Empire — they lived up to their motto — which is why Jesus was once questioned about whether people should pay taxes to Caesar or not. So he asked for a Roman coin…

Mark 12:16–17 ESV

16 And they brought one. And he said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said to him, “Caesar’s.” 17 Jesus said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they marveled at him.

A Roman Coin had Caesar’s image on it — so give the coin back to Caesar — pay your taxes. But don’t forget that God has put his image on something — and that is something all of us are to give back to him.

Do you know what that something is? Us — for we’re all made in the image of God — Christian or not — including Caesar. Including President Trump, and Governor DeWine, and Mayor Muryn, and all who serve in government — here in the US — and anywhere else.

All of this is on Paul’s mind when he calls those in government God’s servants. “Give yourself first to God — so that — in your position of authority — you promote what God has said is good and punish what God has said is evil.”

Mr. President, give yourself first to God — so that — in your position of authority you promote only what God has said is good and punish only what God has said is evil.
Mr. Governor, give yourself first to God — so that — in your position of authority you promote only what God has said is good and punish only what God has said is evil.
Madame Mayor, give yourself first to God — so that — in your position of authority you promote only what God has said is good and punish only what God has said is evil.

As followers of Jesus, this is to be our attitude towards those in government — when the person in office is who we voted for and when it’s not. And — this being our posture — means that we’ll be different than those who are followers of the Republican or Democrat religions. For we take God at his Word — and trust that there is no governing authority except those who’ve been appointed by God to be his servant. Including Nero. Including Biden. Including Trump. And — yes — even including Hitler. For the only alternative is to believe that God’s sovereign authority is limited — that he’s not above Nero or Hitler or Biden or Trump. And a God who isn’t above all things, people, places, and nations is not a god worthy of our worship.

WHEN TO OBEY AUTHORITY

With that being said — and in knowing that all those who serve in earthly authority are sinners and may inadvertently or purposely promote what God has said is evil and punish what God has said is good — including those who are members of your political party — we now turn to the nitty-gritty and controversial topics of when to obey those in authority and when to disobey.

Let’s begin with when to obey authority. But — first — a reminder of what Paul tells us.

Romans 13:1–2 ESV

As I’ve been reiterating, God — in being sovereign — in being in control of all things — has appointed all who hold a position of authority — including those in government.

The people you voted for.
The people you didn’t vote for.
The people who serve in our country’s government.
And the people who serve in China, Iran, Iraq, Somalia, North Korea, you name it.
For there is no government outside of God’s control and there are no individuals in authority who are outside of his sovereignty either.
Thus — Paul says — be subject to the governing authorities. Submit to them. Obey them.

Which tells us that the starting point — for every follower of Jesus — when it comes to your relationship with those in authority — is one of obedience. Our default position should be obedience — not disobedience. For we’re to obey them — regardless if we voted for them or not — when what they ask or command us to do is not sinful. And that’s key: If what those in authority over us are asking or commanding us to do — is not sinful — we’re to obey.

And I know what some of you are thinking, “But what if — it’s not sinful — but I still disagree?” We’ll get to that in a moment, but for now — what I want you to see — from Paul’s words — which are God’s Word to us — is that our relationship with those in authority begins with our submission. Rebellion against God’s authority is what destroyed our relationship with him in the first place. Satan was first to rebel against God’s authority and he convinced Adam and Eve to rebel as well. And — for the rest of us — it didn’t take any convincing — we were born rebellious against God’s authority. And much of the tension we’ve felt while exploring the topic of authority and submission — is rooted in — not our distrust and rebellion against earthly authority — but is really rooted in our distrust and rebellion against God and his sovereignty over all who are in authority. Something true for Christians and non-Christians alike.

Remember — Jesus said pay taxes to Caesar.
Remember — that Paul wrote these words while a wicked man was emperor of Rome.
Remember Joseph — and how he submitted to Pharaoh and served as his second-in-command in Egypt.
Remember Nehemiah and Daniel — who served Babylonian kings. And Esther who was married to one.

We have biblical example after biblical example after biblical example — in addition to clear commands — of what our posture is to be towards those who are in authority over us: When they’re not asking us to sin — we’re to submit to their authority.

WHEN TO DISOBEY AUTHORITY

But now we turn to what you all have been waiting for. For there are times when we must disobey authority. One last reminder from Paul.

Romans 13:3–5 ESV

When those in authority — instead of promoting what is good — as defined by God — and punishing what is evil — also as defined by God — promote what God has said is evil and punish what God has said is good — then we must disobey. And because we live in an age that is defiant to authority — even godly and God-appointed authority — I want you to pay close attention to these biblical examples of disobedience to authority.

When Pharaoh ordered the murder of all male Jewish babies — some midwives refused to obey his command. This was before “thou shall not murder” was etched in stone — but it was still sin. Here’s what happened.

Exodus 1:15–17 NLT

15 Then Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, gave this order to the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah: 16 “When you help the Hebrew women as they give birth, watch as they deliver. If the baby is a boy, kill him; if it is a girl, let her live.” 17 But because the midwives feared God, they refused to obey the king’s orders. They allowed the boys to live, too.

Why did they refuse the king’s order — what was the root of their disobedience? Their fear of God. A pastor from the 1600’s said, “The carnal person fears man, not God. The strong Christian fears God, not man. The weak Christian fears man too much and God too little.” When our disobedience to those in authority is required — it must be rooted in our fear of God.

This was true of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who — though threatened with death if they would not sin by worshiping the statue of King Nebuchadnezzar — said to the king…

Daniel 3:16–18 ESV

16 “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. 18 But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

The midwives disobeyed because they feared God and the consequences of murder which they knew — even without the Ten Commandments — was evil. Daniel’s three friends also feared God and refused to disobey his command “thou shall have no other gods before me.” But what I want you to notice is how they would rather die than sin by following the orders of the king. And they did not resist being thrown into the furnace. They did not resist the sword that Paul refers to in Romans — that may slaughter us. Rarely are we asked to commit sins such as murder or false worship today — and yet — our default position is not only to disobey authority — we also get upset when there are consequences for our unbiblical disobedience.

Continuing with biblical examples.

Daniel 6:10 ESV

10 When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.

Daniel’s opponents had convinced the king to sign a decree that no one could pray to anyone but him — and Daniel disobeyed the decree — even when he knew it would mean meeting some hungry lions up close and in person. When’s the last time the US government asked you to pray to a political figure?

Or take Esther who — when learning that her fellow Jews were in serious trouble because of a decree her husband had been tricked into signing — and knowing that the law of the land stated that if anyone approached the king without being invited — including her, his wife, the queen — they were subject to possibly being killed! She says…

Esther 4:11–16 ESV

11 “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside the inner court without being called, there is but one law—to be put to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter so that he may live. But as for me, I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days.” 12 And they told Mordecai what Esther had said. 13 Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think to yourself that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. 14 For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” 15 Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, 16 “Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.”

Another case where the act of disobedience came with the potential of death. Not inconvenience — death! Not even jail time — but death! Oh how far we’ve fallen — not only in what we will disobey authority over — but also in how we think that our disobedience should come without consequences. Yet this is not what we find in the Bible.

The biblical examples continue — there’s Peter and John. Who were arrested and threatened by those in authority for preaching about Jesus. The authorities told them to stop preaching about Jesus. What was their response to these threats?

Acts 4:19–20 ESV

19 But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20 for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”

And — after being arrested and threatened again — because they were preaching about Jesus…

Acts 5:29 ESV

29 Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.

And — before being released — the authorities had them beaten for their disobedience. Do you know how the apostles responded to their beating? They rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer for Jesus. Why do so few Christians today find it a joy to be counted worthy of suffering for Jesus? Because we want our disobedience without the suffering, don’t we?

All of these examples are summarized by one of my Bible commentaries, which states…The Bible gives a very clear basis for civil disobedience; namely, if the state commands what God forbids, or if the state forbids what God commands, then civil disobedience is a Christian duty.

On the Conscience and Is Yours Biblical?

Which leads to one last aspect of submission and authority: What if what’s being asked isn’t sinful, but you still disagree with the decision of those in authority? This is the question of conscience. This is a question in which we must be biblical in our answer and not take our cues from the culture around us. For it’s far easier than we think to confuse our conscience with what God has said in his Word — and we’re far too trusting of our conscience — as if our conscience is the Holy Spirit or untainted by sin or something. Yet listen to what Paul says about this.

1 Corinthians 4:3–4 ESV

3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. 4 For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me.

Paul says, “When others judge me — even in a court of law — that’s no big deal. I’m not aware of any reason for me to be judged — my conscience is clear. But” — and this is key — “just because my conscience is clear doesn’t mean I’m innocent. The Lord will judge me.”

Did you know that your conscience being clear doesn’t mean that you’re innocent when it comes to God? That’s true for the Christian and non-Christian. Which is why we Christians must be biblical in our relationship to those in authority. For as one author writes…In an era when respect for authority is at low ebb, it is necessary to point out that Christians must be very careful to ensure that any act of civil disobedience is a matter of conscience inspired by divine principle, because there is an unfortunate tendency for Peter’s dictum — “We must obey God rather than men” — to be applied in a manner far removed from the original intent.

CONCLUSION

Some concluding thoughts based on what we’ve seen over the past three weeks.

First, remember that we — Christians — are people who follow a Savior who submitted himself to those in authority even when it cost him his life. And he’s called us to be people who — not only look to his cross for salvation — but carry our own — as we follow his example of submitting ourselves to those God has placed over us in authority.

Second, remember that God’s purpose in our submission to authority is to grow our trust of his sovereignty and — simultaneously — to grow us in humility. Did you know that God is more concerned about your trust in him than he is in your civil liberties? And that he’s more concerned about your humility because — when God says he opposes the proud — he means it. And submission to authority is a key way God destroys our pride.

Third, we must remember that Jesus never promised us a fair fight in this world. In fact — he warned us to not be surprised when those in authority use it against us. He even said, “If they treat me this way, how do you think they’re going to treat you?” Our submission to authority isn’t about us being treated fairly — it’s about us trusting our God.

Fourth, remember that being treated unfairly — being persecuted even — by those in authority is not what sends a person to Hell — and this is good news! Pride, unbelief, and being self-centered are reasons people spend eternity in Hell. If you have faith in Jesus there is nothing anyone can do — not Caesar, not Hitler, not Biden or Trump — there is not anything anyone can do to keep you from eternity with Jesus if you believe in him.

Finally, we must remember that — not only will our submission to authority show an unbelieving world how Christ has changed us — but our being respectful and honoring to all in authority will make our God look glorious to the world. For this is the kind of submission to authority that he’s called and commanded his people to display — for it reflects our submission to his authority over our lives, our marriages, our families, our churches, our city, state, nation — and yes — over the entire world. For our submission to authority is first and foremost about our submission to him — before it’s about our submission to them. Let’s pray.

PRAYER

Sovereign God, what a challenging word — yet again — for us today. It seems as if everything in us wants to follow the path of Satan when it comes to submission — we want to rebel. Like Adam and Eve we so easily distrust you and your Word to us that we our default is to disobey you. We think we know better. We choose to go our own way: The way of the fool. The way of the wicked. The way of those who will be judged by you.

Spirit of God, if not for you calling us out of the darkness of our rebellion — none of us would submit ourselves to your authority. And — yet — you delight in opening the eyes of the spiritually blind, of giving ears that hear to those who are spiritually deaf, to give new — full of life — hearts to those who’ve been hard towards your love — hearts that find joy in submitting to your authority.

This is all possible because you — Jesus — fully submitted yourself to your Father’s authority. Including obeying ahead of time what Paul would later write in Romans — for you submitted yourself to the governing authorities of your day. Even when they used their power and position to murder you. Forgive us for believing that we’re able to benefit from your submission while not submitting ourselves to your Word on this issue. For your Word makes it clear: We’re to submit to authority. Yes — there are times where disobeying authority is biblically valid and necessary — but based on the examples we’ve seen — many aren’t submitting when we should and we rebel when we have no biblical grounds. Forgive us for not representing you well. And help us — empower us — remind us of your Word — so that we do represent you well from this day forward by obeying your Word and making you look glorious to the world. And we pray all of this in your name. Amen.

BENEDICTION (Prayer teams available)

May your submission to your sovereign God be displayed in your submission to the authorities he’s placed over you. Amen.

God loves you. I love you. You are sent.

Authority (pt 2)

Josh — Sun, 27 Jul 2025 11:02:42 +0000

‌SCRIPTURE: Romans 13:1-7 (ESV)

DATE: 7-27-25

INTRODUCTION

We’re continuing our series in Romans this weekend and we’re in the practical application section of Paul’s letter. You may remember that — after eleven chapters of rich theological truths — Paul gets to the “so what” in chapter twelve. Meaning he addresses how all of the theology — that’s found in the first eleven chapters — is to play itself out in how we live. That’s the journey we began earlier this year with Paul’s big “therefore” statement — when he writes…

Romans 12:1–2 ESV

Because of the theology he’s taught us — Paul now tells us to live our lives as sacrificial offerings to God — where our lives are acts of worship that make our God look glorious to the world. And one way our lives can make God look glorious to the world — that Paul addresses in our verses — leads us to what may be the most controversial subject I’ve ever preached on.

So with that teaser — if you have your Bible — please turn with me to Romans chapter thirteen. We’ll be in Romans chapter thirteen today — looking at verses one through seven. There Paul writes…

Romans 13:1–7 ESV

Last week we saw that what this text teaches us is pretty straightforward — it’s not hard to understand. But we’re returning to this passage because — though it’s straightforward and easy to understand — applying this text is where things get hard. Which is why we’ll spend today — and next week — looking at some implications of this text and how we’re to live differently — in our submission to authority — because of our faith in Jesus Christ.

Now — if you’re here and wouldn’t call yourself a Christian — know that — just like last week — today’s sermon will include talking about politics — but not how you might think. You see, when we talk about submitting to authority, one area of life where this can’t be ignored is in the area of government. That’s why I said this may be the most controversial subject I’ve ever preached on because — generally speaking — politics is a religion in our country. And we’re a nation full of fully devoted followers of the religion of the Republican and Democrat parties. And these religions — like all religions — don’t like to be messed with — even when a truer and more authoritative religion comes along.

So we’ll be addressing submission to political authorities — in addition to submission and authority in other areas of life beyond politics — the home, the church, the workplace, and so on.

Last week we focused on what Paul says in our verses and the important doctrine of the sovereignty of God that this text teaches us — a doctrine we must first believe in order to have any hope in knowing how to apply what this text teaches. Next week — we’ll focus on many implications and scenarios and “what about’s” you may’ve been thinking about all week long — including when to obey and when to disobey authority.

But before we can talk about when to obey or disobey — we need to look at authority from two perspectives — which is what we’re going to do today. We’ll look at authority from the perspective of being in authority over others. And then we’ll look at authority from the perspective of being under the authority of others. Being in authority — which — if we have to pick one or the other — this is most people’s choice over being under the authority of others.

But before we get to these two perspectives on authority — we need to first turn somewhere that may surprise you — to the Ten Commandments.

AUTHORITY AND THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT

Back in 2023 — if you were with us — you may remember that I preached through the Ten Commandments. One of the sermons was titled God’s Family. Does anyone remember what commandment I preached on for that sermon? The fifth commandment which is…

Exodus 20:12 ESV

12 Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

You may be thinking, “What does this commandment have to do with submitting to authority?” In that sermon, I said, “The word honor means to consider someone or something as worthy of respect. It means to show them reverence — meaning appreciation — and awe — which means a sense of admiration. To give someone honor has the idea of giving weight or a heaviness to them. And — to honor someone — is to treat them as significant.”

I also said, “You can dishonor someone by physical actions and you can dishonor someone by your attitude towards them. And this second one — in particular — is the part of the commandment we don’t want to submit ourselves to. We get that spitting in someone’s face or calling them a derogatory name is dishonoring and unacceptable — so we’ve learned to control our actions and — most of the time — our words. But breaking this commandment is just as easily done by our thoughts about people. Hoping that their plan fails. Wanting to see them get what they deserve. Not even saying a bad word about them, but deep down — in the depth of your soul — desiring ill will towards them.”

We then looked at how this commandment applies to the local church — which is a spiritual family — and how the authors of the New Testament use the same language — one of honor — to describe our relationship with those in authority over us.

1 Timothy 5:17 ESV

17 Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.

And just as children are commanded to obey their parents — Christians are commanded to…

Hebrews 13:17 ESV

17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

In response to these verses I said, “And the way you help your leaders give an account for your soul with joy is by obeying them — and submitting to them — as your pastors submit themselves to Christ and to each other. And this is not something to be taken lightly — neither on the part of the elders who will give an account to God some day for how they lead — nor on the part of you — the congregation — who will give an account to God some day for how joyful you made it for your pastors to lead you. Pastors are not to imitate ungodly, abusive authority just as congregation members are not to imitate rebellious, unsubmissive, ungodly children.”

Last week I had us turn to the Westminster Confession of Faith — our denomination’s doctrinal standard. Today I’m going to have us look at the Westminster Larger Catechism. As you may know — when I’m not preaching — staff and elders have been preaching a series based on the Westminster Shorter Catechism. The shorter catechism was written for children and has less questions and answers — which is what a catechism is — questions and biblical answers. But with less questions it was shorter in length — thus its name — the shorter catechism.

The larger catechism was written primarily for adults and has more questions and answers making it longer in length — resulting in its catchy title. The one hundred and twenty-third question of the larger catechism is…

Q. 123. What is the fifth commandment? A. The fifth commandment is: Honor your father and your mother so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.

The next question asks…

Q. 124. To whom does father and mother refer in the fifth commandment? A. Father and mother refer not just to our parents but…specifically to those whom God has ordained to be over us in positions of authority, whether in our family, the church, or civil government.

Now I just reviewed the sermon I preached two years ago on this commandment — but know that there’s much biblical warrant for applying this commandment to these other relationships. For example — in First Timothy — Paul describes our relationship with our fellow Christians using familial terms.

1 Timothy 5:1–2 ESV

1 Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, 2 older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity.

And — in the Old Testament — there are examples of those in authority being referred to as a father — Naaman being one example in Second Kings. All that to say the application of this commandment goes beyond our earthly parents.

Continuing in the larger catechism we read…

Q. 125. Why are those over us referred to as father and mother? A. The terms father and mother remind those in authority that, like fathers and mothers, they are responsible for and should act in a loving and tender way, appropriately reflecting their particular relationship, toward those under them; and those under them are also encouraged to accept their authority more willingly and cheerfully, as if they were their parents.

Leading us to the next question…

Q. 126. What is the general scope of the fifth commandment? A. In general, the fifth commandment outlines our obligations to others, depending upon our particular relationship to them, whether over, under, or equal to them.

Over, under, or equal to them. We’re not going to focus on the “equal to” relationships in our lives today — just the relationships where someone is either over us — in authority — or under us — in submission. And we’ll begin by addressing those who are in authority.

TO THOSE IN AUTHORITY

Something interesting I discovered — while preparing for this sermon — is that some scholars believe that Paul expected Caesar to read his letter. Paul’s writing this letter to Christians living in Rome — which the Roman Empire is named after. Paul had some run-ins with the Roman government by this point. Some date his arrest in Jerusalem to be as early as 55 AD — and he wrote Romans around 57 AD — so potentially after his arrest. Paul also knew that Christians in Rome were experiencing the beginnings of conflict with the government.

But with this expectation — that Caesar may read his letter — imagine the boldness in making the statement…

Romans 13:1–4 ESV

1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.

Paul calls Caesar God’s servant. “Caesar, I know your title is emperor — I know that you have people worship you like you’re a god — but I want you to know that you’re accountable to the One true God — for you are his servant.” Talk about fighting words. Who tells the emperor that he’s not at the top of the pecking order? Only someone who really believes in the sovereignty of their God, that’s who — see last week’s sermon.

Next week we’ll touch on the purpose of government — to promote what is good and stop what is bad — as God defines good and bad — but for now — let’s return to the Westminster Larger Catechism and the instruction it gives to all who are in authority.

Question one hundred and twenty-nine asks…

Q. 129. What is required of those in authority towards those under them? A. As is appropriate to the position of power they have received from God and to the particular relationship involved, those in authority should love, pray for, and bless those under them. They should teach, advise, and warn them, approving, praising, and rewarding those that do well while disapproving, blaming, and punishing those who do wrong. They should also protect those under them and provide the things they need for soul and body. Those in authority should also be examples of serious, wise, and holy behavior so as to bring glory to God and honor to themselves and thereby maintain the authority God has bestowed on them.

I don’t think any of us would have issues submitting to authority if those in authority fulfilled these requirements established by God. Love, pray for, and bless those under your authority. Teach, advise, and warn them. To those who do well — approve, praise, and reward. To those who do wrong — hold them accountable — because you love them. Protect those under you. Provide for them. Be an example to them.

As Paul tells Timothy — who’s pastoring in Ephesus…

1 Timothy 4:12–16 ESV

12 Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. 13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. 14 Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. 15 Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. 16 Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.

Pastors — who have authority in the local church — are to be an example to their congregation — something God expects of all in authority to be for those who are under their leadership.

Husbands — set an example to your wives.
Parents — set an example to your children.
Those in government — set an example to the citizens.
Bosses — set an example to your employees.
And so on.

Returning to the catechism — the next question asks…

Q. 130. What are the particular sins of those in authority? A. In addition to failing to do what is required of them and using their position for self-aggrandizement and for their own glory, ease, profit, or pleasure, the sins of those in authority include: commanding things that are unlawful or that cannot be accomplished by those under them; persuading, encouraging, and rewarding those under them for doing evil; dissuading, discouraging, and not rewarding them for doing good; excessive punishment; carelessly exposing or allowing them to do wrong and to be put in the way of temptation or danger; provoking them to anger; and anything that dishonors themselves or undermines their authority by being unjust, imprudent, too severe, or lax.

These are the behaviors that concern us when we’re under authority, right? But does the fact that authority can be abused give us biblical justification to not submit?

TO THOSE UNDER AUTHORITY

That’s where we turn now because Paul’s command is about submitting to authority. Our verses aren’t about how one should behave when in authority — though Paul does imply some things for those in authority — but the thrust of his mandate is to those under authority.

So back to the behaviors that concern us when we’re under authority: Does the fact that authority can be abused give us biblical warrant for disobeying Paul’s mandate? It doesn’t.

For example, David submitted to King Saul’s authority even after God had anointed him — David — to be king. David even refused to speak ill of Saul — much less rebel against his authority. Did he flee for his life? You bet he did! But he still respected the fact that Saul was king — so he fled while submitting himself to Saul’s authority as king.

And don’t forget that Paul’s words about submitting to authority come after he wrote…

Romans 8:35–37 ESV

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

Paul acknowledges that Christians are being slaughtered and killed — he didn’t forget this a few chapters later when he writes about submitting to authorities. And — listen — I’m just like you. This is incredibly challenging to everything I want to be true. I want God’s Word to say something like, “Don’t submit to those who slaughter you” or something like that. But Paul — inspired by the Holy Spirit — doesn’t write that. He acknowledges that the Roman Empire is killing them — and yet — he says, “Submit to them anyway.”

And — when we reject this mandate to submit — we sin. For when God’s Word mandates or commands us to do something — when we don’t do it — we sin. Like I said last week and this week — this isn’t going to be a popular sermon.

And since this sermon can’t lose much more popularity — let me ask: What’s your favorite sinful way to respond to authority? Few of us are bold enough for straight up — in your face — rebellion — we like our paycheck too much for that — we don’t want to go to jail — and so on — so what’s your go to sinful response to authority that still keeps your life pretty comfortable?

Complaining to your spouse.
A growing resentment towards a government official.
Social media slander.
Wasting time at work to “pay back the man.”

The sin of those in authority over us does not excuse our sinful response. For our submission to them is — as I said last week — ultimately a display of our submission to Christ — who submitted himself to sinful authorities even when it cost him his life.

What does the larger catechism have to say to those of us who are under authority?

Q. 127. What kind of honor is owed to those over us? A. Those over us deserve respect in our hearts, our words, and our actions. We must pray and give thanks for them, emulate their virtues and gifts, willingly heed and obey their lawful commands and advice, submit to their correction, be faithful to them, and defend and support their persons and authority, as is appropriate to their rank and position. We must also tolerate their imperfections and infirmities and cover them with our love, so that we will be an honor to them and to their authority.

And question one hundred and twenty-eight asks…

Q. 128. What are the particular sins against those in authority by those under them? A. The sins of those under authority against those over them are: any failure to perform what is required by them; being envious of, holding in contempt, or rebelling against their person or position as reflected in their lawful advice, commands, and correction; cursing at or making fun of them or any kind of stubborn resistance and disgraceful display that brings shame and dishonor to their person and authority.

And if you’re looking for a scriptural escape clause — know that the Bible is unified on this topic.

Titus 3:1–2 ESV

1 Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, 2 to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.

No escape clause. Submit to rulers and those in authority. Speak evil of no one.

Colossians 3:18 ESV

18 Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.

No escape clause. Wives submit to your husbands.

Ephesians 5:18–21 ESV

18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

No escape clause. Christians submit to one another.

1 Peter 2:13–19 ESV

13 Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. 17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor. 18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. 19 For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly.

No escape clause. Submit to every human institution and — by the way — honor the emperor. Yes. The guy who’s slaughtering you.

Next week we’ll look at times when we must disobey those in authority and — spoiler alert — biblically justified disobedience to authority usually results in extreme persecution — like getting thrown into a fiery furnace, a lion’s den, or actual death.

Which may cause someone to wonder, “Are we free to publicly disagree with those in authority over us?” Yes. But how we do so is incredibly important

What do we see biblically? We have the example of Daniel who publicly criticized two kings in his day — Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar. After interpreting Nebuchadnezzar’s dream — the dream where God warns him about his pride — Daniel concludes his interpretation with…

Daniel 4:27 ESV

27 Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you: break off your sins by practicing righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, that there may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity.”

As you probably know — Nebuchadnezzar doesn’t listen to Daniel’s warning. But notice how respectful Daniel was to the king.

John the baptist publicly rebuked King Herod for his relationship with his brother’s wife.

Mark 6:18 ESV

18 For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”

Which resulted in John’s imprisonment and eventual beheading because — even when respectfully given — some will want our heads for what we say.

And then there’s Paul — the guy who wrote the words that are challenging all of us. He’s been arrested…

Acts 22:30–23:3 ESV

30 But on the next day, desiring to know the real reason why he was being accused by the Jews, he unbound him and commanded the chief priests and all the council to meet, and he brought Paul down and set him before them. 1 And looking intently at the council, Paul said, “Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to this day.” 2 And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth. 3 Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Are you sitting to judge me according to the law, and yet contrary to the law you order me to be struck?”

Paul’s not a fan of having his face beat in. Yet watch what happens next.

Acts 23:4–5 ESV

4 Those who stood by said, “Would you revile God’s high priest?” 5 And Paul said, “I did not know, brothers, that he was the high priest, for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’”

Paul immediately acknowledges that his reaction to getting punched in the face went against God’s Word. When he first spoke — in reaction to being struck — he wasn’t aware that Ananias was the high priest — and thus an authority over Paul in the Jewish religion. But as soon as he’s told what position Ananias held — Paul confesses that what he did — in response to getting hit — was wrong. He doesn’t justify himself. He doesn’t point the finger at what caused him to speak out. He admits to being wrong. What submission to God’s Word and those he placed in authority.

CONCLUSION

Oh there’s much we can learn from Paul when it comes to submitting to God’s Word on this issue! Yes — those in authority will be held accountable for how they steward their responsibilities — but when their accountability becomes our main focus — we lose sight of what we will give God an account for: Our submission to those he’s put in authority over us. For every authority God puts in your life is there to make you more like Christ. And that’s God’s goal for you — to become more like Jesus.

So pray for the salvation of those in authority over you.
If they’re a Christian — pray for their growth in godliness and Christ-like character.
Ask God to lead them in their responsibilities.
Pray for their success — for God will only bless success that brings him glory.
Pray for your response to those in authority over you.
And thank God for the opportunity he’s giving you to grow by submitting to the authority he’s put in your life.

For when you do — and when I do — we’ll show the world the submission that our Savior displayed while here on earth. For Jesus did say…

John 6:38 ESV

38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.

And he said…

John 8:29 ESV

29 And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.”

And we can — and will — please God when we submit to him — by submitting to those he’s placed in authority over us — trusting that there is no authority in our life except which comes from him. Let’s pray.

PRAYER

Father, you are sovereign. We continue to meditate on what it means for you to be in control of all things — including all who are in authority. For none are in authority except those whom you’ve put there. That’s true for those who make you look glorious by stewarding their responsibilities well. And that’s true for those who — like Caesar — need to take heed that they’re working for you whether they realize it or not — for they will give an account for how they use the authority you’ve given them.

Spirit, give comfort to those who fear authority — who’ve been abused by authority — who’ve seen the destruction that those who misuse authority can cause. Remind them that all in authority will give an account to you. You’ll make the final judgment — and your decision will be just.

And — Jesus — you submitted yourself to your Father’s authority and to the human authorities who used what God had entrusted to them to bring about your death. You are our Savior and our example of what a life looks like that makes our Heavenly Father look glorious through our submission to authority. Ultimately — may our submission to others come from our lives being first and fully submitted to you.

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — these are tough thoughts — challenging ideas — yet a clear picture of the “therefore” life we’ve been called to live. We need your power to do so. Your grace to do so. Your protection to do so. Your mercy to do so. Please give us everything we need to make you look glorious through our submission. And we pray all of this in Jesus’ name. Amen.

BENEDICTION (Prayer teams available)

May you go — submitting your life to Christ — and trusting him as you submit to others. Amen.

God loves you. I love you. You are sent.

SERMON TITLE: Authority (pt 2)

‌SCRIPTURE: Romans 13:1-7 (ESV)

SPEAKER: Josh Hanson

DATE: 7-27-25

TURN MIC ON / WELCOME

INTRODUCTION

Romans 12:1–2 ESV

Romans 13:1–7 ESV

So we’ll be addressing submission to political authorities — in addition to submission and authority in other areas of life beyond politics — the home, the church, the workplace, and so on.

But before we get to these two perspectives on authority — we need to first turn somewhere that may surprise you — to the Ten Commandments.

AUTHORITY AND THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT

Exodus 20:12 ESV

12 Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

1 Timothy 5:17 ESV

17 Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.

And just as children are commanded to obey their parents — Christians are commanded to…

Hebrews 13:17 ESV

Q. 123. What is the fifth commandment? A. The fifth commandment is: Honor your father and your mother so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.

The next question asks…

1 Timothy 5:1–2 ESV

1 Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, 2 older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity.

Continuing in the larger catechism we read…

Leading us to the next question…

TO THOSE IN AUTHORITY

But with this expectation — that Caesar may read his letter — imagine the boldness in making the statement…

Romans 13:1–4 ESV

Question one hundred and twenty-nine asks…

As Paul tells Timothy — who’s pastoring in Ephesus…

1 Timothy 4:12–16 ESV

Pastors — who have authority in the local church — are to be an example to their congregation — something God expects of all in authority to be for those who are under their leadership.

Husbands — set an example to your wives.
Parents — set an example to your children.
Those in government — set an example to the citizens.
Bosses — set an example to your employees.
And so on.

Returning to the catechism — the next question asks…

These are the behaviors that concern us when we’re under authority, right? But does the fact that authority can be abused give us biblical justification to not submit?

TO THOSE UNDER AUTHORITY

So back to the behaviors that concern us when we’re under authority: Does the fact that authority can be abused give us biblical warrant for disobeying Paul’s mandate? It doesn’t.

And don’t forget that Paul’s words about submitting to authority come after he wrote…

Romans 8:35–37 ESV

Complaining to your spouse.
A growing resentment towards a government official.
Social media slander.
Wasting time at work to “pay back the man.”

What does the larger catechism have to say to those of us who are under authority?

And question one hundred and twenty-eight asks…

And if you’re looking for a scriptural escape clause — know that the Bible is unified on this topic.

Titus 3:1–2 ESV

No escape clause. Submit to rulers and those in authority. Speak evil of no one.

Colossians 3:18 ESV

18 Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.

No escape clause. Wives submit to your husbands.

Ephesians 5:18–21 ESV

No escape clause. Christians submit to one another.

1 Peter 2:13–19 ESV

No escape clause. Submit to every human institution and — by the way — honor the emperor. Yes. The guy who’s slaughtering you.

Which may cause someone to wonder, “Are we free to publicly disagree with those in authority over us?” Yes. But how we do so is incredibly important

Daniel 4:27 ESV

As you probably know — Nebuchadnezzar doesn’t listen to Daniel’s warning. But notice how respectful Daniel was to the king.

John the baptist publicly rebuked King Herod for his relationship with his brother’s wife.

Mark 6:18 ESV

18 For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”

Which resulted in John’s imprisonment and eventual beheading because — even when respectfully given — some will want our heads for what we say.

And then there’s Paul — the guy who wrote the words that are challenging all of us. He’s been arrested…

Acts 22:30–23:3 ESV

Paul’s not a fan of having his face beat in. Yet watch what happens next.

Acts 23:4–5 ESV

CONCLUSION

So pray for the salvation of those in authority over you.
If they’re a Christian — pray for their growth in godliness and Christ-like character.
Ask God to lead them in their responsibilities.
Pray for their success — for God will only bless success that brings him glory.
Pray for your response to those in authority over you.
And thank God for the opportunity he’s giving you to grow by submitting to the authority he’s put in your life.

For when you do — and when I do — we’ll show the world the submission that our Savior displayed while here on earth. For Jesus did say…

John 6:38 ESV

38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.

And he said…

John 8:29 ESV

29 And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.”

PRAYER

BENEDICTION (Prayer teams available)

May you go — submitting your life to Christ — and trusting him as you submit to others. Amen.

God loves you. I love you. You are sent.

Gifts of the Spirit: Leadership

Josh — Fri, 25 Apr 2025 05:10:00 +0000

‌SCRIPTURE: Romans 12:4-8 (ESV)

DATE: 4–27-25

INTRODUCTION

After a short break for Easter — we’re returning to our series in Romans this weekend — taking a look at the spiritual gifts that Paul mentions so we all understand what these gifts are and how they’re to be used in our faith family. The purpose of the spiritual gifts is something I’ve reminded us of many times before: Spiritual gifts are abilities given to individual believers by the Holy Spirit in order to equip God’s people for ministry, both for the edification of the church and for God’s salvific mission to the world. – Lexham Survey of Theology

Here’s what Paul says about the gifts — in Romans chapter twelve — beginning in verse four.

Romans 12:4–8 ESV

4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

We started off by taking two weeks to explore the gift of prophecy. Then we looked at the gifts of service, teaching, and exhortation. And — just before Holy Week — we looked at the gift of giving. Which means that — today — we’re going to look at the spiritual gift of leadership, which Paul mentions next in his list where he writes…

Romans 12:8 ESV

8 the one who leads, with zeal;

WHAT IS THE GIFT OF LEADERSHIP?

So let’s begin by answering the question, “What is the gift of leadership?” The definition of this gift that I shared with you a few weeks ago is…

Leadership

The gift of leadership is the divine strength or ability to influence people at their level while directing and focusing them on the big picture, vision, or idea.

Now — in the original language of Greek — the word that we translate as “leads” — similar to other gifts we’ve looked at — has both a general application in Scripture — meaning — regardless if you have the gift there’s some “leading” that God expects you to do — and — the word also has specific uses that would appear to be for those who have this spiritual gift. Let’s briefly look at the general application — ways that leading applies to all who follow Jesus.

Paul — who wrote Romans — wrote many of the letters in the New Testament. One of his letters was to a man named Titus who was pastoring on the island of Crete. After reminding Titus of the ways sin had control over us — before we had faith in Jesus — Paul writes…

Titus 3:4–8 ESV

4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 8 The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people.

A few verses later — Paul writes…

Titus 3:14 ESV

14 And let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful.

Now — you probably noticed that you didn’t hear me say the word “lead” anywhere in those verses. That’s because a different English word was used to convey a similar idea: the word “devote”. So here’s the general principle: Because of all that Christ has done for his people — in saving us not by our works — but by his perfect work — those who believe in him are to devote themselves — or lead themselves — to do good works — which Paul repeats a few verses later.

So again — in a very general sense — all Christians are leaders because — at the very least — we’re to be leading ourselves in living a life that’s a proper response to all that Christ has done for us. We’re not to live life on auto-pilot. We’re not to be passive and “let go and let God.” We’re to be actively engaged in putting our faith into practice. For that’s what it means to follow Jesus — we follow the One who intentionally and actively lived his life in love for us and calls us to intentionally and actively live our lives in love for him in return.

Here’s another general application for all of us — even those who don’t have this spiritual gift. To the Christians living in Thessalonica, Paul writes…

1 Thessalonians 5:12–13 ESV

12 We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work.

Another case where we don’t explicitly see the word “lead” but the same Greek word is used — but here it’s translated as “over”. So the general application here is to respect those who are over us — those who lead us. We’re to hold them in high regard because — in leading us — they’re displaying care for us — even when they admonish or warn us.

For many years — and it’s still a bit of a struggle for me today — allowing others to hold me in high regard was hard. I don’t like attention. I prefer to disappear in a crowd. But this is an area that God has — and continues to — grow me in. Especially to not dismiss or prevent you from obeying this biblical principle. So — thank you for your patience with me. And I’m still gonna be awkward — when you hold me in high regard — but hopefully less awkward than I once was.

One last general application — still Paul — but this time we’re looking at his letter to Timothy who’s pastoring the church in Ephesus. Paul writes…

1 Timothy 5:17–18 ESV

17 Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. 18 For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages.”

The word “rule” is the same Greek word as “lead” in Romans. Here — similar to what we just read — the application for all of us is to honor those who lead us. For those who rule — or lead — well — and this is specifically referring to leading in the church — should be considered worthy of double honor — a reference to the financial pay they receive — as made evident by Paul quoting something Jesus said in Luke chapter 10.

So to recap: All Christians are to — one — lead themselves in doing good works in response to being saved by Jesus — two — respect and hold in high regard those who lead us and — three — honor those who lead by taking care of them financially.

THE GIFT OF LEADERSHIP IN SCRIPTURE: DEBORAH

Now let’s look at a few potential examples of this spiritual gift at work in Scripture. We’re going to look at two passages from the Old Testament. First, we’ll look at a woman named Deborah. This is her story as found in Judges chapter 4.

Judges 4:1–10 NLT

1 After Ehud’s death, the Israelites again did evil in the Lord’s sight. 2 So the Lord turned them over to King Jabin of Hazor, a Canaanite king. The commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-haggoyim. 3 Sisera, who had 900 iron chariots, ruthlessly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years. Then the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help. 4 Deborah, the wife of Lappidoth, was a prophet who was judging Israel at that time. 5 She would sit under the Palm of Deborah, between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites would go to her for judgment. 6 One day she sent for Barak son of Abinoam, who lived in Kedesh in the land of Naphtali. She said to him, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, commands you: Call out 10,000 warriors from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun at Mount Tabor. 7 And I will call out Sisera, commander of Jabin’s army, along with his chariots and warriors, to the Kishon River. There I will give you victory over him.” 8 Barak told her, “I will go, but only if you go with me.” 9 “Very well,” she replied, “I will go with you. But you will receive no honor in this venture, for the Lord’s victory over Sisera will be at the hands of a woman.” So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh. 10 At Kedesh, Barak called together the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali, and 10,000 warriors went up with him. Deborah also went with him.

So Deborah goes with Barak into battle. And things happen just as Deborah said they would. At one point in the battle she has to urge Barak on with the words…

Judges 4:14 NLT

14 “Get ready! This is the day the Lord will give you victory over Sisera, for the Lord is marching ahead of you.” So Barak led his 10,000 warriors down the slopes of Mount Tabor into battle.

Being in a position of authority doesn’t mean someone’s a leader — that’s one lesson we learn. Barak’s a cowardly man in a leadership position — while Deborah — who definitely had the spiritual gift of prophecy — and likely leadership as well — led Barak — and his army — into a victorious battle.

I bring up Deborah as an example to make it clear that — though we’re a church that holds a complementarian view of the office of elder — that’s a fancy theological word that means we believe that the office of elder is reserved for men only — though we’re complementarian — we do believe that women are empowered by the Holy Spirit with the gift of leadership. And we need women — who are empowered by the Spirit in this way — to use their gift of leadership for our good as a congregation.

Now — you may wonder, “Why are you complementarian? If you believe that women can be empowered with the gift of leadership why don’t you allow them to serve as elders — the highest office of leadership in the church?” Here are two reasons why but — for more information — I suggest grabbing a copy of the booklet on leadership that’s available at your campus resource center.

Why don’t we allow women to be elders at Gateway — and I know that our friends in Bucyrus hold a different position — so feel free to put me on mute for the next minute or so. And — by the way — this is one of the characteristics of the EPC — our denomination — that I so appreciate. That churches can hold different views on this topic and not go their separate ways. Because — no matter our view on this topic — we all hold a high regard for Scripture — its authority, sufficiency, inerrancy, and so on — yet come to different interpretive conclusions.

So back to why Gateway doesn’t have female elders — I’ll give two reasons. First, nowhere in the New Testament do we see a woman referred to as an elder in a local church. Though the reason why we have female deacons is because we do see Phoebe — in Romans 16 — referred to as a deacon.

Second — and most compellingly — Jesus chose twelve men to be his apostles who originally held the highest office of leadership in the church. Some argue that Jesus chose only men because he was a man of his time — and rabbis didn’t pick women to be their followers. This argument always baffles me because…Jesus was not a man of his time! Jesus allowed women to financially fund his ministry, allowed a woman who was a prostitute to wash his feet — which was scandalous — had no problem having a private conversation with a Samaritan woman — just as equally scandalous — and so on. Jesus did not conform to the cultural expectations when it came to his relationship with women. Yet he only chose men to be his apostles — something we have to seriously consider when thinking through this topic.

But — here at Gateway — we honor women. We encourage women who have the spiritual gift of leadership to use their gift for God’s glory and our good — as we do our best to apply what we see in the New Testament when it comes to who God calls to the highest office in the church.

And — if you don’t know — on staff — three of our six departments — worship, connect, serve, go, next gen, and business/ops — three of the six departments are led by women — Lindsay, Kristi, and Ashely. And — our executive director — “the boss” as we like to say — is as well — Laura — who’s heart is filled with joy every time I call her the boss. I kid. You see — we believe that God gifts women with the gift of leadership for our good — as we hold a complementarian view of the office of elder.

THE GIFT OF LEADERSHIP IN SCRIPTURE: MOSES

Now let’s look at a moment from the life of Moses. As you may be aware, Moses was called by God to lead the Israelites out of their enslavement in Egypt. But — if you know their story — the people left Egypt only to become a grumbling, complaining, distrusting in God’s ability to provide for them — kind of people. And — a people like this — end up with all kinds of disputes, disagreements, and arguments among themselves. And Moses — because he was the leader — found himself being the judge for all of the disputes, disagreements, and arguments going on among the — wait for it — few million Israelites! Talk about a never-ending, exhausting job for Moses.

Thus — in one of the few positive in-law stories in known history — I kid — Moses’ father-in-law — a man named Jethro — has an idea. This is what we read in Exodus chapter 18.

Exodus 18:13–27 NLT

13 The next day, Moses took his seat to hear the people’s disputes against each other. They waited before him from morning till evening. 14 When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he asked, “What are you really accomplishing here? Why are you trying to do all this alone while everyone stands around you from morning till evening?” 15 Moses replied, “Because the people come to me to get a ruling from God. 16 When a dispute arises, they come to me, and I am the one who settles the case between the quarreling parties. I inform the people of God’s decrees and give them his instructions.” 17 “This is not good!” Moses’ father-in-law exclaimed. 18 “You’re going to wear yourself out—and the people, too. This job is too heavy a burden for you to handle all by yourself. 19 Now listen to me, and let me give you a word of advice, and may God be with you. You should continue to be the people’s representative before God, bringing their disputes to him. 20 Teach them God’s decrees, and give them his instructions. Show them how to conduct their lives. 21 But select from all the people some capable, honest men who fear God and hate bribes. Appoint them as leaders over groups of one thousand, one hundred, fifty, and ten. 22 They should always be available to solve the people’s common disputes, but have them bring the major cases to you. Let the leaders decide the smaller matters themselves. They will help you carry the load, making the task easier for you. 23 If you follow this advice, and if God commands you to do so, then you will be able to endure the pressures, and all these people will go home in peace.” 24 Moses listened to his father-in-law’s advice and followed his suggestions. 25 He chose capable men from all over Israel and appointed them as leaders over the people. He put them in charge of groups of one thousand, one hundred, fifty, and ten. 26 These men were always available to solve the people’s common disputes. They brought the major cases to Moses, but they took care of the smaller matters themselves. 27 Soon after this, Moses said good-bye to his father-in-law, who returned to his own land.

Moses was wearing himself out by not delegating leadership to others. He apparently mistook God’s calling on him to lead the people to mean that he alone was to do all the leading. And God has never intended leadership to be an individual endeavor — and Jethro understood this. So he gave his son-in-law some good, godly advice. Using language we find throughout the Bible — about the kinds of characteristics we’re to look for in those who lead in the church — Jethro tells Moses to select some capable, honest men who fear God and have integrity and appoint them as leaders over groups of various sizes. Because — again — one man — Moses — can’t do all the leading. And he’s not the only one gifted to lead. For the Spirit of God uses many to lead the people of God.

But notice the structure and hierarchy. Some are gifted to lead ten people. Others fifty. Others a hundred. Others a thousand. The leader of ten isn’t less significant than the leader of a thousand — both are needed! Just ask people who are in the group of ten if the one who leads them is important. But — at the same time — those being led have to understand that structure and hierarchy are needed because one man can’t handle the responsibility and time it takes to lead and care for every single individual when a group — apparently — gets bigger than around ten people. We’ll see how this plays itself out at Gateway in a moment.

THE GIFT OF LEADERSHIP IN THE CHURCH

But this story in Exodus — is very similar to what we read about those who led the church in the New Testament. For example, to Timothy Paul writes…

1 Timothy 3:1–13 ESV

1 The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. 2 Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, 5 for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7 Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil. 8 Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. 9 They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. 10 And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. 11 Their wives likewise must be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. 12 Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. 13 For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

We’ve looked at these verses in previous sermons on the spiritual gifts — but we return to them now looking at the importance of the spiritual gift of leadership among those who are in positions of authority in the local church. Both elders and deacons are to be good managers of their homes. Manager is the same word translated as lead in Romans — so managing in your homes — or leading in your homes — is a prerequisite for leading in the church.

And selecting capable individuals — who have the character to match — reminds me of how the church chose the first deacons.

Acts 6:1–7 ESV

1 Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. 2 And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. 3 Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. 4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” 5 And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. 6 These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them. 7 And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.

Did you notice the similarities in the situation Moses found himself in and the apostles situation here in Acts? And how a similar solution is agreed upon? I bring this up to remind us of the different leadership roles in our church, what they do, and how we all benefit when each of these groups are leading in the way God has gifted and called them to lead. Again — you can read more about this in the booklet on leadership that’s available at your campus resource center.

But here at Gateway — we’re blessed with a group of faithful men and women who serve in leadership. There are the elders — men who spiritually protect and shepherd the congregation. There’s the staff — whose role is to equip, train, and resource the members of Gateway to do the work of ministry. And there are our deacons — our lead servants. The elders, staff, and deacons all have a leadership role to play in our church.

Let’s begin with elders. Elders spiritually protect and shepherd the congregation. The way we elders describe our role is in a vision statement we have for ourselves.

Our primary responsibility, as elders, is to represent the mind of Christ as we spiritually lead Gateway Church. We’re to collectively discern his will for Gateway in all our decisions. Additionally, we’re called to be men who…

1) study, learn, and teach the Word of God,

2) shepherd the sick, lonely, elderly, and those in need,

3) disciple the children and adults of the church and seek after those who become inactive,

4) guard against dangers to the faith and life of those under our care,

5) warn, admonish, and reclaim those who stray and, when necessary, enact church discipline,

6) and seek out and raise up new leaders within the church.

We didn’t come up with this on our own — this is what our church constitution — what’s called the Book of Order — tells us is our role as your elders.

The elders — collectively — represent the mind of Christ for this church.

Together — we seek Christ’s vision for what we’re to be doing.

This isn’t a one man at the top of the org chart kind of team — the vision and direction of Gateway isn’t any one person’s responsibility or authority — it’s the responsibility of the elders together.

As is the teaching of God’s Word, and the shepherding of the people — that’s why we’ve divided our members into shepherding groups — and the discipleship of the next generation, and the guarding against false doctrines, and the disciplining of those who are ensnared by sin, as is the raising up the next generation of church leadership.

What about the church staff? The church staff are to equip, train, and resource the church members to do the work of ministry. The staff’s primary role is not to do the ministry work, but to serve the church members by resourcing and equipping them — making sure church members have what they need to do the ministry work of the church.

Now we turn to the deacons. The deacons are our lead servants. They assist the staff and elders to make sure the ministry work — that the staff has equipped the congregation to do — gets done. Deacons are key in both freeing up the elders — so we can focus on our role of shepherding and protecting — while also freeing up the staff so they’re able to equip, train, and resource the church members to do the ministry work of the church.

But there’s one more important leadership role in our church — our Life Group leaders. Those who lead a small group of people — helping them spiritually grow and follow Jesus more faithfully — so they love God and each other more passionately.

CONCLUSION

And when elders are fulfilling their leadership role, and staff theirs, and deacons theirs, and Life Group leaders theirs — and when we all see the beauty of having leaders responsible for tens, and fifties, and hundreds, and thousands — we’ll all be better served and cared for and led by those the Spirit has empowered with the gift of leadership. We’ll feel the intimacy of being led by our Life Group leaders — of course we’ll need to be in a Life Group to experience this leadership — and — as we serve we’ll be led by the staff — of course we’ll need to be serving to experience this leadership — and we’ll be shepherded by our elder — of course we’ll need to be a member to be part of a shepherding group — some gentle reminders that the care that we often desire comes by means of submitting to those who serve in a leadership role in the church.

That’s how care and discipleship work at Gateway — it can’t really work any other way. Which takes us back to where we began — and those general principles of leadership that we saw earlier. How each of us is responsible to lead ourselves — to devote ourselves to good works — including the good work of being a fully engaged member of the local church that we’re part of. Worshipping, connecting, serving, and going are what you hear us say around here a lot. And how each of us is responsible for growing as a follower of Jesus who’s a Word and Spirit Christian, who’s generous and Kingdom-minded, who makes disciples, and who makes it clear that they’re a member of this faith family.

If you’re in leadership — whatever your role may be — thank you for leading. Thank you for allowing the Spirit of God to empower and use you for our good. And to those of you who — your only leadership responsibility is that of leading yourself well — thank you for doing so. And may we all grow in our thankfulness to God for the leaders he’s appointed over us. Let’s pray.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, thank you for the way you lead your people. You lead us through your Word — the Bible — where you tell us what to do, how to live, and what to believe. You lead us through those you’ve called to serve in roles within the church. And you lead us through the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Holy Spirit, thank you for empowering many with the gift of leadership. For those you’ve called to lead thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens — all are needed for us to be the church you’ve called us to be. Empower more — we ask — for the glory of our great Savior and for our good.

And — Jesus — we thank you for not abandoning us when you ascended to Heaven — but you called men and women to be the leaders of your church. And you — with your Father — sent the Holy Spirit to empower these leaders. Jesus — as we follow you as a church — may we follow you faithfully in whatever role we’ve been called to. For then we’ll grow in our spiritual maturity — and will care well for one another — and be a church that sees even more lives changed by the good news of the gospel. And we pray all of this in your name. Amen.

BENEDICTION (Prayer teams available // Leadership booklet)

May you go grateful to God for those he’s called and gifted to lead his church. Amen.

God loves you. I love you. You are sent.

Gifts of the Spirit: Prophecy (pt1)

Josh — Fri, 28 Feb 2025 06:47:00 +0000

SCRIPTURE: Romans 12:4-8 (ESV)

DATE: 3-2-25

As always it’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And — if this happens to be your first time worshiping with us — or if you’re joining us at our North Main Campus or are with our friends in Bucyrus — I want you to know that God loves you and that I love you too.

INTRODUCTION

We’re continuing our series in Romans this weekend but — honestly — this is sort of a series within our Romans series. For Paul has recently mentioned spiritual gifts in his letter — and we’re taking time to explore the spiritual gifts so we all understand how these gifts are to be used in our faith family. I realize that you may not be a Christian — and my hope for you is that you’ll see a glimpse of the matchless power that’s found in the one true God as we explore spiritual gifts today.

Now — the purpose of the spiritual gifts is something I have — and will continue to remind you of: Spiritual gifts are abilities given to individual believers by the Holy Spirit in order to equip God’s people for ministry, both for the edification of the church and for God’s salvific mission to the world. – Lexham Survey of Theology

I’m not going to say anything else about the purpose of the gifts today — you can go listen to my sermon from two weeks ago for more on that — because our goal now is to work our way through the spiritual gifts Paul mentions.

To remind us of what Paul says about the gifts — in Romans chapter twelve — beginning in verse four — we read…

Romans 12:4–8 ESV

In our last sermon in Romans — I showed you a list of spiritual gifts with a short definition for each. I also mentioned how there’s not a definitive list of the spiritual gifts. There are a few places in the Bible where we find lists of spiritual gifts — like here in Romans 12 — but in other places we read things like…

Exodus 28:3 ESV

3 You shall speak to all the skillful, whom I have filled with a spirit of skill, that they make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him for my priesthood.

And…

Exodus 31:2–5 ESV

2 “See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, 4 to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, 5 in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft.

Are these examples of spiritual gifts in the Old Testament? Are skill, ability, intelligence, knowledge, and craftsmanship spiritual gifts? Maybe? Some Christians include all of these as gifts of the Spirit — while others only include what are found in the New Testament.

From my perspective — we don’t need to be overly dogmatic about it — as I don’t think Paul’s goal was to list out all of the possible ways the Holy Spirit empowers and equips God’s people. Remember Paul was writing to help specific churches grow and mature in their faith. Often Paul was responding to a particular situation that a church was facing — so it shouldn’t surprise us that he’d mention some spiritual gifts to one church, and other gifts to a different church, and not even mention the gifts to another church. What he wrote about was dependent on the needs of the church he was writing to.

And yet we shouldn’t be surprised that he brings up spiritual gifts to the Christians in Rome. I say this because of something Paul writes early on in his letter. Way back in the first chapter Paul writes…

Romans 1:11–12 ESV

11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you — 12 that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.

Near the start of his letter Paul says he longs to be with these Christians so he might impart to them a spiritual gift. And then he goes on to give two reasons why he wants to do this. One — so they’ll be strengthened. And — two — so that both he and they will be encouraged. And — as we’ve previously seen — strengthening and encouraging others are two reasons the Spirit equips and empowers his people with spiritual gifts.

Now — imparting a spiritual gift may sound strange to you — “Doesn’t the Holy Spirit choose who gets what spiritual gifts?” Yes the Holy Spirit does. However, we also see in the Bible that the Holy Spirit will use others to be the means by which he gives a Christian a spiritual gift.

For example — to Timothy — Paul writes…

1 Timothy 4:14 NLT

14 Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received through the prophecy spoken over you when the elders of the church laid their hands on you.

And in another letter to Timothy Paul writes…

2 Timothy 1:6 NLT

6 This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you.

Paul warns Timothy — who’s pastoring the church in Ephesus at this time — to not neglect the spiritual gift he has. And Paul reminds Timothy that this gift was given to him by a prophetic word as the elders laid their hands on him. In a second letter, Paul reminds Timothy again of this moment — when hands were laid on him as he was given a spiritual gift. About this moment in Timothy’s life — one of my study Bible notes says that the laying on of hands is, “A gesture used to symbolize the impartation of power. Paul recognizes that God empowers and equips believers for ministry…and uses (the laying on of hands)…to do so.” (Lexham Study Bible)

Now — to be clear — there’s nothing magical about having elders lay hands on you and pray for you to be empowered with a particular spiritual gift. The Spirit of God can — and has — given his gifts to individual Christians without the laying on of hands. Yet I wonder what blessings we might experience if more of us would humble ourselves — and put into practice the act of having the elders pray for us to receive particular gifts through the laying on of their hands?

So here’s something we’re going to do each week while we look at the gifts of the Spirit. At the end of our worship services — at both of our Gateway campuses — elders will be available to lay hands on those who desire to receive the specific gift preached on that day. This isn’t a “general come up for prayer” — we’ve got prayer teams available to pray for you in that way — instead — this will be an opportunity for us to model what we see in Timothy’s life. So at the end of the worship service — come forward if you desire the specific gift that was preached on.

And it’s OK if there’s no desire on your part for a specific gift. And it’s OK if you already know what your spiritual gifts are and have no need for us to pray for you. But — I also want it to be OK — for those who do desire a particular spiritual gift — to come forward and be prayed for by the elders. In fact — I don’t just want it to be OK — my hope is that this would become normal for us. You know — it being normal for us to do what we see in the Bible.

PROPHECY AND ITS PURPOSE

So let’s start looking at specific gifts. And we’ll start where Paul starts — with the gift of prophecy. In verse six Paul writes…

Romans 12:6 ESV

6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith;

The definition of prophecy that I shared last week is…

The gift of prophecy is the divine strength or ability to communicate God’s truth and heart in a way that calls people to a right relationship with God.

That’s a pretty user-friendly definition of prophecy. Others have defined the spiritual gift of prophecy as…

The human report of a divine revelation. – Sam Storms

And as…

Telling something that God has spontaneously brought to mind. – Wayne Grudem

So — the first thing to notice in these definitions — is that the New Testament spiritual gift of prophecy is not the same as the gift of preaching or teaching. How do we know this? Because the gifts of prophecy and teaching are always mentioned as distinct gifts from one another — and preaching — spoiler alert — is never officially called a spiritual gift in any of the lists we find in the Bible.

Here are some examples where we see the gifts of prophecy and teaching being mentioned as distinct from one another. We’ll start with some verses that you’re becoming very familiar with.

Romans 12:6–7 ESV

6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching;

It would be odd for Paul to say, “According to the grace given to us by God, some of us have been given the gift of prophecy — which means teaching — while others of us have been given the gift of teaching — which also means teaching.” Who writes like that? No one!

Additionally, in First Corinthians he writes…

1 Corinthians 12:28–29 ESV

28 And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles?

And later he writes…

1 Corinthians 14:6 ESV

6 Now, brothers, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how will I benefit you unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching?

If Paul meant for us to view the gifts of prophecy and teaching as the same thing — why would he go out of his way to make a distinction between the gifts?

So how are the gifts of prophecy and teaching different? Let’s start with the definition of teaching that I shared with you previously.

The gift of teaching is the divine strength or ability to study and learn from the Scriptures primarily to bring understanding and depth to other Christians.

Teaching is a gift of the Spirit where an individual — having studied the Bible — explains God’s Word to others so they understand it better. So teaching is text-based — meaning it’s an explanation of Scripture — whereas prophecy is a word or thought or vision that’s spontaneously brought to an individual’s mind by the Spirit.

Now — at this point — some of us may be concerned about the integrity of the Bible. If the Holy Spirit gives prophetic revelation today — wouldn’t these revelations need to be added to the Bible? This is an often used argument against the gift of prophecy being for today. Now — it’s a great question with an easy answer. Do prophetic revelations today need to be added to the Bible? The answer is no! Why? Because we know that not everything prophesied in biblical times was written down as part of Scripture. Here’s an example from the book of Acts.

Acts 21:8–9 ESV

8 On the next day we departed and came to Caesarea, and we entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him. 9 He had four unmarried daughters, who prophesied.

Luke — the author of the book of Acts — tells us that one of the early church leaders — Philip — had four daughters. And his daughters prophesied — they were equipped and empowered by the Holy Spirit with the gift of prophecy. Do you know what these women prophesied? You don’t — not from Scripture — because their prophecies are not recorded in the Bible. And there are many other examples in the Bible of people empowered by the Holy Spirit as prophets — and yet their words were not included in the Bible. And — if that was true for both prophets in the Old and New Testaments — why wouldn’t we expect the Holy Spirit to empower and equip Christians today with the gift of prophecy without this causing concern about the authority, sufficiency, and finality of God’s Word?

But — even more helpful — or challenging — depending on your view of the gift of prophecy — Paul writes these words to the Christians in Corinth.

1 Corinthians 14:1–5 ESV

1 Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. 2 For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. 3 On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. 4 The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. 5 Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up.

And — a bit later — Paul writes…

1 Corinthians 14:24–25 ESV

24 But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, 25 the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you.

And near the end of the chapter he writes…

1 Corinthians 14:39 ESV

39 So, my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy…

A couple of points about the gift of prophecy. First, Paul starts the chapter off with two commands — and the commands are — one — pursue love and — two — earnestly desire the spiritual gifts. And — to make his point —he adds “especially that you may prophesy.” And near the end of the chapter he repeats the command: “earnestly desire to prophesy.”

Now — I don’t think anyone’s going to argue against Paul’s first command — pursue love. And — given that he just finished the love chapter of the Bible — it’s understandable why pursuing love is on his mind. But his command to earnestly — or eagerly — that we’re to be dedicated to desiring the spiritual gifts — especially the gift of prophecy — and — then repeats his command at the end of the chapter — well — this command many Christians justify not obeying.

But notice how this is a positive command — we’re to earnestly desire the gift of prophecy. But we also find a negative command in regards to this gift. To the Christians in Thessalonica Paul writes…

1 Thessalonians 5:20–21 ESV

20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good.

Here we’re given three commands. We’re commanded to not despise prophecies, to test everything, and to hold fast to what is good. So — not only are we to earnestly desire the spiritual gifts — especially that you may prophesy — we’re also commanded to not despise prophecies. Commands in the New Testament that would seem to make it clear that this was an important and beneficial gift to New Testament Christians. And — if beneficial to them — why wouldn’t it be beneficial to us today?

Some answer this question with, “Because we have a complete Bible now. That’s why we don’t need the gift of prophecy today.” After all, Paul did write…

1 Corinthians 13:8–10 ESV

8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.

Now — I will concede — Paul makes it clear that there will be a point in history when prophecies and tongues and knowledge will cease: when the perfect comes. And some claim that the completed Bible is what Paul means by the word “perfect” — which wasn’t finished when he wrote these words. But if we continue reading, Paul writes…

1 Corinthians 13:12 NLT

12 Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.

Now we see in a mirror dimly, but then — when the perfect comes — we’ll see face to face. Now we know in part but then — when the perfect comes — we’ll know things fully — or completely — just as God knows us fully and completely. That’s what Paul says.

So…question. If the Bible is the “perfect” that Paul is referring to — who among us believes they can explain — with perfect clarity — in fact as clearly as God perfectly knows each of us — everything to us? Because that’s what Paul says will happen when the perfect comes. Any takers? It sure seems like we still see things partially, doesn’t it?

Now let me be clear: I believe that the Bible is inerrant and infallible. That it is God-breathed and without error. And — as given by the Spirit to the original authors — is indeed perfect — Old and New Testaments.

But what Paul describes as the result of the “perfect” coming — to me at least — seems to indicate that he must have been referring to a different “perfect” — something else other than the Bible — or — I should say — Someone else. For I believe that what Paul is referring to is the second coming of Christ — the Perfect Son of God — who even shares the title Word of God with the Bible. For when he returns — we won’t need the gifts of prophecy or knowledge or tongues — because we’ll be able to speak face to face with Jesus. We also won’t need the gifts of evangelism, healing, or teaching — because we’ll be in the presence of Jesus. In fact — none of the spiritual gifts will be needed when Jesus returns — for — as Paul says — when the perfect comes we’ll all see things with perfect clarity.

Alright — so back to the gift of prophecy. Many verses ago we read the purpose of prophecy. Paul writes…

1 Corinthians 14:3 ESV

3 On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation.

So the New Testament gift of prophecy has a purpose. Like all other gifts it’s meant to strengthen the church — yet the particular way the gift of prophecy strengthens the church is by building up, encouraging, and providing comfort to God’s people. In the equip class I’ve been leading — we’ve looked at various spiritual gifts — including prophecy. And this verse on prophecy is usually a surprise to people in the class. Why? Because most people think of prophecy as something about knowing what’s going to happen in the future. And — to be clear — that is a part of the gift of prophecy. But — in the New Testament — foretelling — knowing the future — is less prominent than is forthtelling — speaking a strengthening, encouraging, comforting spontaneous word to other Christians to build them up in their faith.

CONCLUSION

Next week — we’ll look at this gift again. We’ll explore the differences between prophets in the Old and New Testaments. And we’ll spend time looking at how this gift can be beneficial for us today — even beneficial for those among us who aren’t Christians. But I want to end today’s sermon with a story. A personal story that happened a few months ago. A story I asked permission to share with you all as it involves someone who’s part of our faith family.

It was a normal Sunday afternoon and I was busy doing something “super holy”. I was checking to see who had won the Rogue Invitational — which is a CrossFit competition.

Anyway…I was doing this “super spiritual” activity when my wife came to the table and said, “Josh, I think you should come to the living room and pray with us.” The “us” was her and another woman who was over at our house. The visitor had been having a rough ten days with a depression like she’d never experienced before. She had no idea why she was experiencing it. My wife invited me over because she knows that — for reasons only the Spirit of God knows — at times I hear from him in situations like this. So I asked a few questions. “Did you do anything recently, change any behaviors or medications — questions like these…” to try and see if there was something that caused the start of her depression.

Nothing.

My wife and I asked a few other questions and discovered a few things to pray for. I led the time of prayer — modeling for her a prayer of repentance for something she’d done years ago. I prayed a blessing over her because of some experiences she’d witnessed as a kid. And then I didn’t know what to pray next.

So I paused.

Clark.

That’s what came to my mind.

A name.

Clark.

And — I kid you not — here’s what I thought.

“I recently watched the documentary on John Williams. John Williams wrote the score for the Superman movie. Clark Kent is Superman. So that must be why the name Clark popped into my head. Oh boy. Now things could get weird. Do I mention the name Clark to her or not?”

All of these thoughts went through my head in seconds. And now you’re going to be super impressed with the faith of your pastor.

I said, “Does the name Clark or the word clerk mean anything to you?” I threw in “clerk” because I was too nervous to only go with Clark. I didn’t want to look any more odd than where this was already headed.

She said, “Clerk doesn’t mean anything, but Clark. I haven’t thought of that name in years.”

At this point, I apologized to her, my wife, and to God. I knew that Clark was what I heard, but I was too much of a coward to just say it. So I threw in “clerk” as if it would strengthen the odds of me not looking like a fool. Oh ye of little faith…

It turns out that Clark had done some really bad things to her years ago. So we prayed. She let go of the power Clark had on her and — in her words — “Was able to take a deep breath for the first time in a long time.”

She didn’t know what God had in store for her that day. I didn’t either. I was busy doing other “super holy” stuff. Thankfully my wife was paying attention. And she knew that God — for reasons only he knows — speaks to me in this way at times for the good of others. To strengthen them. To encourage them. To comfort them. To help them take a deep breath for the first time in a long time. And I’m not the only one among us who — I believe — the Spirit has equipped and empowered with this gift for the benefit of our congregation. A benefit we will experience only if we — as a church — pursue love and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts — especially that we may prophesy. Let’s pray.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, today we’ve learned what it means for your ways to not be our ways. Why give us your written Word and then speak to us in other ways? It’s not what we would do — your ways are not our ways.

Holy Spirit, you’re the giver of these spiritual gifts. You choose how to equip and empower your people so that we’re strengthened and built up in the faith. And you’ve given us the Bible to help us understand what your spiritual gifts are and how they’re to be used for our benefit, to reach the world, and to make our Savior look glorious. We submit ourselves to you — empower and equip us with your gifts as you see fit.

And — Jesus — to you our Savior. You fulfilled everything the prophets of old foretold about you. Including what they foresaw about your sacrificial death on a cross. A sacrifice that is the reason why we have hope of new life — an empowered life — an equipped life — a Spirit-filled life to be lived for your glory.

Father, thank you for the gift of salvation made possible because of the life, death, and resurrection of your Son who — with you — has sent the Holy Spirit to live in, equip, and empower us as your people. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

EPISODE 43: Q&A

Josh — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 12:24:57 +0000

Date: 8/26/2020

Lighting Round

Kinos when set up his reign for the first 1000 years (Rev 20) and then “Neos” when a new heaven and earth comes down from above (Rev 21)?
1. Nope.
2. New Heavens and New Earth isn’t mentioned in Revelation 20.
3. As I said in my sermon, when New Heavens and New Earth are mentioned in Revelation, the Greek word for “new” is always kainos. (2 Peter 3:13 as well)
4. Maybe revisit the marriage illustration from sermon.

As my boys delight in fishing, I have been speaking with them about how God has given Man the responsibility of caring for creatures. So this week’s sermon hit on topic for our family. One thing that my mind keeps dwelling on is the word “dominion” in Genesis 1:26. Is having dominion over creation the same as caretaking?
1. The Hebrew word that we translate as “dominion” means to exercise authority over.
2. What’s important to remember is that this came before the Fall so we need to not think of authority being exercised in any way that’s sinful or sin influenced.
3. So this is an exercise of authority that’s for the benefit of those under authority. What we long for from those in authority over us. Where they lead us, but do so with our good in mind.
4. So does dominion mean the same as caretaking? I think it at least includes caretaking, because of the fact that sin was not a thing yet when God gave mankind this mandate.

Loved your sermon about taking care of creation on Sunday. What can we as a church be doing better, practically, even on Sunday mornings? Has Gateway implemented a recycling program themselves? Can we reduce the paper handouts that often get thrown out, or encourage people to bring their own coffee mugs?
1. Someone texted me after the service asking if the coffee cups in our cafe are made of styrofoam.
2. I’d love for folks to bring their own coffee mugs.
3. We’ve done our best to reduce paper copies of most everything (handouts, etc…).
4. We’ve recently installed new lighting that will be better economically and in use of electricity.
5. Recycling?

Questions

I want to love others with no record of wrong (1 Corinthians 13:5). But when my mind is quiet I unintentionally go to a place where I relive past conversations and hurts. I want to hold every thought captive to Christ. How do I accomplish this?
1. The last verse was 95% quoted correctly. But a key word was left out.
  1. 2 Corinthians 10:5 “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ”
  2. Paul is arguing against critics of his in Corinth who are trying to divide the church. And essentially, Paul says, “Remember that we all belong to Christ. And all have work to do on his behalf. But shouldn’t divide but be a united people.”
2. So regarding this person’s situation who is having trouble reliving past hurts.
  1. Have you forgiven them?
  2. Forgiving doesn’t mean forgetting and there may be times when you do need to think about the past in order to move towards personal healing.
  3. They also say this is “unintentionally” — this thinking about the past.
    1. Are there any patterns that this “unintentional” thinking happens?
    2. Is it when you’re bored? Alone? Or some other pattern that maybe you can recognize.
3. Obedience comes by being empowered with God’s Spirit and by living under the authority of God’s Word. The Spirit desires to help you obey God’s Word, but you have to know it in order to obey it. So be a person of the Word (read, study, memorize, meditate on it).
4. Resources (in other doc)

Questions from an almost 10 year old about Moses and the Passover (submitted by her dad): I know God is holy, but how can He be holy if he kills people?” (then we talked about God’s righteousness and justice). Does God (or His angels) kill people or does he allow Satan to kill people for Him? Also, why is it that children ask their most deep spiritual questions when they know it’s already past bedtime??
1. Why do kids ask these questions at bedtime? They want to stall going to bed.
2. Difference between killing/murder and righteous judgment (which is hard for us to distinguish).
3. It’s easy to think of the people who are judged as innocent. As being in the wrong place at the wrong time. But that’s an inaccurate view.
  1. All have sinned.
  2. All are guilty.
  3. All deserve judgement.
  4. Yet God is merciful. What should surprise us is his mercy not his judgment. But it’s his judgment we question and we presume upon his mercy.
4. Finally, Satan kills (steal, kill, and destroys). God judges. I’d be cautious to say that God kills because that seems to imply innocence on the one killed and guilt on the one who kills. And that’s vastly different than God judging guilty people.

The question asker has concluded a nearly 3 year personal Bible study on God, the Holy Spirit; His Person, Characteristics, and Ministry. At the conclusion of the study, a specific question continually surfaced. After all that God has done for us through the New Covenant, why do we Christians live our lives at a much lesser spiritual quality than Jesus died to give us?
1. We’re like the father in the gospel of John. We believe but we need help with our unbelief.
2. We get caught up in what our eyes can see instead of what faith requires of us (believing and living for things not seen).
3. We’re still in a spiritual war.
4. Resource recommendations (in other doc)

Q&A: What Is The Context? // Gateway Church Podcast Episode 160

Josh — Sat, 12 Oct 2024 18:36:17 +0000

Release Date: June 28, 2023

Questions

What are your thoughts on eloping? (2:20)

I recently went through the 10 Most Misunderstood Verses in the Bible study on RightNow Media. I love to share Scripture with people in cards and want to be careful not to misuse the verses I share. How can I be sure I am sharing Scripture accurately and not misrepresenting what certain verses actually mean? (6:20)

Referencing 1 Chronicles 21, was it a sin for Joab to conduct the census, knowing well that it was a sin for David to order one? Then as a follow up, how should we handle instances where an earthly authority demands something immoral or sinful? (13:40)

I was reading Isaiah 65 and I think verses 17-25 are about the new heavens and the new earth, which I think is a reference to heaven. If that is the case, I am confused by the second half of verse 20. In the NIV it says, “he who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere youth; he who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed.” I thought there would be no more death in heaven. And how would there be anyone accursed there? (19:25)

What kind of stone were the 10 commandments written on? I came across this article (and many others like it) and I am simply mind blown! Is there a lot of evidence to support they were written on something other than sapphire? (24:40)

Miracles, Pronouns, and more! (Q&A) // Gateway Church Podcast Episode 155

Josh — Sat, 12 Oct 2024 15:32:42 +0000

Release Date: May 24, 2023

Questions

Referring to Genesis 49 where Jacob blesses his sons before he dies, is there a different context to the word “blessing”? Many of Jacob’s blessings for his sons don’t sound like what we would consider blessings in the modern context. (5:20)

Is there any correlation or significance when we see the “hand of God” in Scripture? We see it in the Exodus narrative with God’s hand being against Pharaoh and Egypt, then the Pharaoh’s magicians admitting one of the plagues is the “finger of God,” the Ten Commandments were written by the finger of God, and later on in Daniel we see a manifestation of a hand writing on the wall sent by God. (7:30)

How long did Job go through his season of suffering? (10:20)

Are the sons of Korah that wrote a few of the psalms from the same Korah that we find in the lineage of Esau? (10:55)

In Joshua 21:43, it says the Lord gave the Israelites all the land he swore to give their fathers and they took possession of it. However, God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 15:18-21 included land from Egypt’s river to the Euphrates river and my research is mixed as to whether the Israelites ever possessed land to the Euphrates and some researchers interpret Egypt’s river as the Red Sea instead of the Nile river, because almost everyone agrees the Israelites didn’t possess land to the Nile. Is this an instance of being lost in translation or is there something I’m missing? (11:45)

My daughter attends the local Catholic school and she comes home with many questions about the Catholic faith that are difficult to answer. Recently, she learned of different miracles in the Catholic Church such as a priest eating the bread at communion and it literally turned into flesh dripping with blood and another where a doll of Mary was crying real tears. She asked me if they were true and if I believed them. The honest answers to these questions are “I don’t know” and “I’m very skeptical” but I didn’t say that to her. I found myself struggling to find a response that would encourage her to be discerning of these miracles but also not so skeptical to never believe in the miracles that God clearly did all throughout the Bible and still does today. How should a Protestant Christian respond to these miracles? How should I have responded to her question? (13:25)

I was talking to my Mother-in-law over Easter and we are both struggling on what the right thing to do is with – pronouns. We have a gender confused nephew who identifies as a woman and his girlfriend identifies as they/them. Jesus loves everyone and we should live like Jesus. These gender issues today are really the devil playing mind games with people. There are 2 genders – man and woman. Also in the Bible only the devil is referred to as they/them. As a Christian how should we approach this gender issue? (21:35)

Article (What’s Josh Reading?) in our weekly email back on February 24, 2023. https://www.str.org/w/why-agree-to-use-preferred-names-but-not-preferred-pronouns-

Matt kept saying that the Lord provides (present tense), but when he was talking about Jesus being our substitute, he switched to past tense. Was that correct or should they all have been in present tense? Or is either tense correct? (23:25)

Matt was kind of light-hearted about the name of the place being called Jehovah Jireh, but how did we move historically from it being the name of a place to a name of God? (24:20)

Family (Live Q&A PLUS A Special Guest!) // Gateway Church Podcast Episode 144

Josh — Sat, 05 Oct 2024 13:24:07 +0000

Release Date: February 6, 2023

Guest Interview

Tell us about yourself (0:30)

How did you become an Adjunct Professor at Knox? (2:50)

We’ve got a scholarship program at Gateway for members who want to pursue a seminary education. What would be your encouragement to someone who’s thinking about seminary or maybe hasn’t considered it before — how would they benefit from what Knox offers? (6:50)

You’re doing a Saturday seminar on the importance of confessions. (10:30)

You were a missionary in Mexico for 25 years and will be preaching on missions on Sunday. Don’t preach your entire sermon now, but give us a sneak peek as to what to expect this weekend and why this message is important for us to hear? (13:45)

Any final thoughts (16:05)

Questions

Where did you see in the Bible that Jesus’ mother doubted him? (18:35)

Out of all the commandments, this seems to be the one where there is reference to if you obey this commandment there is a reward. What is the significance of this commandment? (22:05)

Practical steps for ways to honor those who have abusive or hard parents that in our eyes don’t deserve the respect and honor. (25:15)

Josh had mentioned that Jesus rested in the grave for 3 days during the sermon Sunday. I thought he defeated Satan, sin, death, and hell? Was he really resting? Or was that said hyperbolically? (32:00)

After listening to Josh’s sermon about the fourth commandment to keep the Sabbath, how does one reconcile this message with Colossians 2:16-17 which reads, “Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.” This question isn’t motivated by a quest to find a loophole because I think keeping the Sabbath is a good thing.. rather, the intent is to understand the theological point Paul is making regarding the Sabbath. If we now find our rest in Jesus who freed us from our enslavement and captivity to sin, does Jesus’ fulfillment of the Sabbath mean that we don’t need a day, so to speak, in order to find rest? Romans 14:5 says, “One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind.” This passage was regarding strong vs weak Christians and what each believed regarding food or a Sabbath. So ultimately the question is.. does scripture teach that the Sabbath is still objectively binding on us today taking personal convictions out of the mix? Again this is more of a theological question rather than one motivated by finding a loophole for not obeying this command. I personally believe keeping the Sabbath is a good thing and one I should be faithful to practice. Thanks! (36:50)

Rest! (Live Q&A) // Gateway Church Podcast Episode 143

Josh — Sat, 05 Oct 2024 12:47:27 +0000

Podcast Episode 143

Release Date: January 29, 2023

Trusting God through terminal illness (7:50) (https://www.evangelicalmagazine.com/article/trusting-god-through-terminal-illness/?utm_source=pocket_saves)

Sometimes Efficiency is Overrated (11:20) (https://women.pcacdm.org/sometimes-efficiency-is-overrated/)

Rest takes work (15:25) (https://www.challies.com/articles/rest-takes-work/)

Questions

If someone was sitting there and they think “Yeah, actually I do think God bores me but I don’t know what to do about it.” What would you suggest and where would you suggest where someone would start? (22:40)

In Genesis 11:8-9, God scatters people throughout the earth. How did the people get spread out? Did God pick them up and place them somewhere? (27:00)

When Jacob wrestled with God, was God using God-like strength or did he “ease up” and fight like a human? (28:40)

Exodus

Josh — Sat, 28 Sep 2024 20:58:01 +0000

SCRIPTURE: Exodus 14:5-31 (ESV)

DATE: 7-14-19

It’s good to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And one thing I want you to know is that God loves you and I love you too.

SERIES INTRODUCTION

And we’re in week 2 of our Finding Jesus series — where I’m covering an entire book of the Bible in one sermon — which isn’t easy — by the way. Last year, we looked at the Old Testament Major Prophets and — this year — we’re looking at the first five books of the Bible — which are also called the Pentateuch — the books written by Moses.

And one of my goals — in doing this series — is I want you to be familiar with all of the Bible.
I want you to be able to see how the whole Bible tells one story.
I want you to know how to find Jesus — no matter where you are in the Bible.

Now maybe you’re new to Gateway — or you’re sort of checking out Christianity — or it’s been awhile but you’re back in church — well one of the big obstacles about the Christian faith — and I hear this often — is something like — “I don’t know how to read the Bible. I don’t even know where to begin.” And this series is meant to help all of us understand how to read and understand the Bible better.

And the idea of Finding Jesus, comes from a story found near the end of the gospel of Luke. After Jesus died on the cross, he appears to two men on a road. And though they’re talking to him — they don’t it’s Jesus — somehow — Jesus hides who he is from them. And in this conversation Jesus gives them — and us — a hint as to how we’re to read and understand the whole Bible.

“And he (Jesus) said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. 18 Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” 19 And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. 21 But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. 22 Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, 23 and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. 24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” 25 And he (Jesus) said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27 And (watch what Jesus does here…and…) beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” (Luke 24:17-27 ESV)

That’s why we’re doing this series — where I help you find Jesus in all of the Bible. Jesus tells us that the whole Bible is about him. He even began with the writings of Moses — the books we’re looking at in this series.

So here’s what we’re going to do today. I’m going to introduce you to a book of the Bible that may or may not be familiar to you. I’ll begin by giving you an overview of the book — and then we’ll focus in on one section which I’ll use to show you how to find Jesus — how to find the one story the whole Bible is telling — the story of Jesus.

So let’s turn to our book for today.

ANNOUNCE THE TEXT

If you have your Bible please turn with me to the book of Exodus. We’ll be looking at chapter 14.

And, if you’re a guest with us, something we like to do at Gateway is let you ask questions that we answer on our podcast. So if you have a question, you can text it in to the number printed on the bottom of the sermon notes sheet or you can submit it on the Gateway app.

OVERVIEW OF EXODUS

Now to set up the book of Exodus, I need to remind you how Genesis — our book from last week — ends. Last week, we looked at the story of a young man named Joseph. And Genesis ends with Joseph being second in command of Egypt. Joseph — and you’ll need to go and listen to last week’s sermon to understand all that he went through — or better yet — go and read Genesis for yourself — but through a series of circumstances — Joseph finds himself in a position where he’s able to rescue his family and the nation of Egypt from a devastating famine.

And our book — Exodus — picks up 400 years later.

We’re still in the land of Egypt.
But the current Pharaoh doesn’t know anything about Joseph.
In fact, the new leadership of Egypt feels threatened by the descendants of Joseph’s family — the Israelites — who have greatly increased in size.
And this new king decides the best way to subdue the Israelites is to force them into slavery.
And eventually Pharaoh makes a decree that all Hebrew boys must be killed at birth.
God’s people are enslaved. They’re being threatened by a wicked enemy. They’re even being killed. And they desperately need to be rescued.

Now the Hebrew women resist Pharaoh’s orders, and one woman — seeing no other way to save her newborn son — puts him in a basket and sends him afloat down the Nile river. Last week — we learned that God reigns — even when things are bad and evil seems to be running rampant — God is in control. And he can use the most difficult circumstances in our life — things other people mean for evil — to be used for his glory and our good. So this mother — who’s reached a point beyond hopelessness and despair — sends her baby down river to die.

But God had other plans for her baby boy. Pharaoh’s daughter discovers the abandoned child — the daughter of the man who wants this boy killed — finds him — and rescues him. And — as God would have it — she asks the boy’s mother to care for him until he’s done nursing. So the Hebrew boy is raised in the house of Pharaoh — and he’s given the name Moses.

Now as Moses grows up — he’s aware of his Hebrew roots. And — one day — he sees an Egyptian beating up an Israelite slave — and Moses comes to the slave’s rescue and — in the process — he kills an Egyptian. And this doesn’t sit well with Pharaoh — as you can imagine — but it doesn’t sit well with the Hebrew slaves either — “What — are you here to rescue us? ‘Mr. I’ve been living the good life in Pharaoh’s palace’ all this time.”

So Moses flees from Egypt in fear for his life and winds up in a town called Midian. And there he meets a man named Jethro and eventually marries Jethro’s daughter and Moses begins a new life as a shepherd. Now I’m not 100% certain — but I think — that Moses thinks — he’s successfully run from his problems — that he’s saved his own neck.

And 40 years go by. Now something else we learned last week — is that God is faithful. And he’s concerned for his people — the Israelites — who are suffering as slaves. So God appears to Moses in the form of a burning bush — a bush on fire that doesn’t burn up — and God speaks to Moses telling him of his plan. “Moses. I’m going to use you to rescue my people out of slavery and lead them to the Promised Land.” God tells Moses to go back to Egypt.

Now Moses doesn’t really like the idea of going back to the place where he’s wanted dead — so he gives God some excuses as to why he’s the wrong guy for the job. I mean — everyone knows that sometimes God needs us to keep him informed of things — especially when he tells us to do something we feel we’re unqualified to do — that’s when he definitely needs us to give him an update, right? So Moses tells God about his lack of eloquence — apparently he’s not great at public speaking — and some other excuses — and Moses refuses to go back to Egypt.

And God’s a bit — how do I say this — angry. And he tells Moses to go back to Egypt anyway. And this whole section ends with Moses asking God — and this is me paraphrasing — “So what’s your name? Because if I’m going to do this — walking to my death and all — I’d at least like to know who’s sending me to the grave.” And God tells him, “My name is I AM WHO I AM.”

So Moses returns to Egypt. And he confronts Pharaoh. He demands the release of the Hebrew slaves. He performs a miracle — to show that God is with him and that Pharaoh needs to listen up — he turns his staff into a snake — but Pharaoh is unimpressed and only increases the workload for the Hebrew slaves.

And God responds by inflicting a series of plagues on Egypt — 10 of them. The Nile River turns into blood, frogs cover Egypt, the dust of the ground turns into gnats, swarms of flies infest the houses of Pharaoh and his officials. God strikes Egypt’s livestock with disease, he creates festering boils on humans and animals, God sends hail that destroys the crops, livestock, and people who refuse to find shelter. God sends a swarm of locusts on the land and then covers Egypt with “a darkness that can be felt.”

Now before each plague, Moses demands the release of the Israelites and — we read — that God “hardens” Pharaoh’s heart so that he refuses Moses’ request. Which all leads to the tenth and final plague — the death of all the firstborn sons in Egypt.

And just before this final plague, Moses instructs the Hebrew people to cover their doorposts with the blood of a sacrificial lamb as a sign for God to protect their homes from this plague of judgment and death — we’ll look more at sacrifices and how they point us to Jesus next week — but for now — know that after the final plague — Pharaoh relents and releases the Israelites.

And something we see throughout the Bible is the Israelite people remembering this day — this day of rescue — a day that becomes known as the Passover — when they remember God’s judgment “passing over” their homes.

So they leave Egypt. And they’re guided by a pillar of cloud during the day and by fire at night — the cloud and fire are the presence of God.

And though they’ve just been rescued — it doesn’t take long for everyone to have a change of heart. Pharaoh decides it was a bad idea to let his slave labor go and begins to chase after them. The people — trapped between Pharaoh’s army and the Red Sea — complain that all Moses has accomplished is taking them out of Egypt to die in the wilderness — “this isn’t a rescue mission — this is a death march.”

And yet who — might you guess — is the faithful One in this story? God is — God is always faithful. And he parts the sea so the people can cross on dry land. Pharaoh tries to keep up the chase and follows them — but the waters close back — drowning Pharaoh and his army.

Now the people have just experienced a second miraculous rescue — and they decide — “Hey! Moses is our guy again.” And they sing a song — not “for he’s a jolly good fellow” — they sing a song praising God for being great, and powerful, and a loving warrior. But these people are fickle. Their optimism is brief. And they quickly start to worry about food and water. They’re back to the whole “this is a death march” idea again. How quickly they doubt God’s faithfulness — “aren’t you glad that we’re not like them” — the pastor asks rhetorically.

And God responds to these doubt-filled people by sending them bread from heaven to eat. He gives them water to drink in the desert. He even gives them power to defeat enemies they run in to.

So — to recap.

God rescues them out of their slavery in Egypt.
He provides them a way to escape his plague of judgment and death.
He parts the Red Sea.
He provides them with food and water.
He gives them victory over their enemies.
And then — after rescuing them — then — God gives them the 10 commandments.

And this is important — we’ll look at the 10 commandments later in this series — but for now I want you to notice something that’s often misunderstood about the Christian faith — and that’s this. Often people think of Christianity as “If you do all of these things — if you obey these rules — clean up your act — start behaving the right way — then God will start taking care of you.” But the Exodus story tells us something completely different.

Here we’ve seen that God rescues people first. Then he tells us how to live. God rescues first — then he gives commands. Why does that matter? Well it means that the problem most people have with Christianity — that it’s a religion of rules — isn’t quite accurate. Christianity is first and foremost a religion of rescue — and those who are rescued by God desire to live in a way that pleases the One who’s rescued them.

Additionally, the fact that God rescues first — and then gives us his commands — addresses something else most people dislike about Christians — and that’s that we’re judgmental. Did you know — if you’re a Christian — did you know that we’re not supposed to judge non-Christians by Christian standards? Be grieved by their decisions. Warn them of their sin. But we’re not to judge unbelievers based on the commands God has given to his people — leave their judgment to God.

But for those who have been rescued by God — for people who say they’re a Christian — well — and this may surprise you — we are to judge fellow believers based on God’s expectations of his people. And this is often where we miss the mark. Often Christians are known for judging unbelievers but rarely do we hold each other to the expectations God has for his people.

So that was bonus material for anyone listening who thinks Christians are too judgmental. You’re both right and wrong. We’re too judgmental of non-Christians and not judgmental enough of fellow believers — in the sense — that we often don’t hold each other to God’s expectations of his people.

Now after the 10 Commandments, there are a few other stories in the book of Exodus but mainly we find the expectations God has for his people. How are they supposed to live? What does it mean to be God’s people? And so on. But now I want us to look at our text so we know how this book points us to Jesus.

RE-ANNOUNCE AND READ THE TEXT

Here are the words found in Exodus chapter 14. Beginning in verse 5.

“When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the mind of Pharaoh and his servants was changed toward the people, and they said, “What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” (As I said — Pharaoh has second thoughts about releasing all of his slaves.) 6 So he made ready his chariot and took his army with him, 7 and took six hundred chosen chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. 8 And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the people of Israel while the people of Israel were going out defiantly. 9 The Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and his horsemen and his army, and overtook them encamped at the sea, by Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon. 10 When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord. 11 They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” (Now that’s some incredible faith and trust in God, right? I’m kidding folks. Remember — who’s faithful? God is faithful. And who is God faithful to? Unfaithful people. Even though they’ve witnessed the 10 plagues and have been rescued out of Egypt — these people think returning to slavery is a better option than contuining to trust God.) 13 And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. (Who’s going to make their salvation happen? God — not them — God’s doing the saving here.) For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” (“God will fight for you. You — well — you just keep your mouth shut.” Some of us can learn a lot from this one verse.) 15 The Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. 16 Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground. 17 And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they shall go in after them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and his horsemen. (Remember — God responds to sin in two ways: 1) Justice — which is what the Egyptians are about to experience and 2) Grace — what the Israelites are experiencing as God rescues them.) 18 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.” 19 Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them, 20 coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. And there was the cloud and the darkness. And it lit up the night without one coming near the other all night. 21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. 22 And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 23 The Egyptians pursued and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. 24 And in the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic, 25 clogging their chariot wheels so that they drove heavily. And the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from before Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.” 26 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.” 27 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal course when the morning appeared. And as the Egyptians fled into it, the Lord threw the Egyptians into the midst of the sea. 28 The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not one of them remained. 29 But the people of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 30 Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses.” (Exodus 14:5-31 ESV)

THE GOD WHO RESCUES

We’re surrounded by a culture — a worldview — that tells us the way you get out of a difficult situation is by “pulling yourself up by your bootstraps.” What we’re told — and maybe you’ve never thought of it this way before — but what we’re told is that when you find yourself in a mess — you must save yourself. And if you need help from anyone else — even God — well then — you’re a loser.

Now — to be sure — there are times when “pulling yourself up by your bootstraps” is good advice.

For instance, if you get yourself into financial debt — the right thing to do is to work yourself out of it — find a way to stop spending more than you make.
If you go to the dentist and they tell you to start flossing — or else things are going to go bad for you — well — it’s time to start flossing.
Or take middle school boys as an example. Something happens to the male body in middle school where suddenly deodorant becomes mandatory — and sometimes it doesn’t even help — you know what I’m talking about. And society needs that middle school boy — don’t we — we need him to “pick himself up by his bootstraps” and start regularly — and abundantly — applying deodorant.

But here’s the problem — and I’m not talking about middle school boy B.O. any longer — the problem with our culture’s mentality of “picking yourself up by your bootstraps” is that it’s applied universally. Meaning we’re told that this is the way you get out of any hardship — any bad situation — you must be your own savior — always. And the problem — and you know this — the problem is that there are some situations we can’t save ourselves from. The biggest of which — and this is church so this shouldn’t surprise you — but our biggest problem is sin.

What do I mean by sin? Defining sin is pretty simple. Either you’re living for God — doing things that honor him — and you know they honor him because you’ve studied up on the Bible — and know that anything other than living for God’s glory — is sin — so either you’re living for God or you’re living in sin. And sin is something we can’t save ourselves from.

You see — just like the Israelites in Egypt — we’re slaves — not to a Pharaoh — we’re slaves to sin. And — just like they needed to be rescued from their situation — we need to be rescued from our enslavement to sin. This is how the apostle Paul describes our relationship with sin. He writes, “But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. 19 I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. 20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:17-23 ESV)

So how does this change take place? How did you — if you believe in Jesus — how did you move from being a slave of sin to being set free from sin? The answer: You were rescued by God. And do you want to hear something amazing? The same One who rescues us from our slavery to sin is the One who rescued the Israelites out of their slavery in Egypt.

FINDING JESUS IN EXODUS

Here’s why I say this. “Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.” (Jude 1:5 ESV)

How do we find Jesus in the book of Exodus? Well there are many ways — but one way we find Jesus is by finding the One who rescues — the One who saves.

Jesus rescued the Hebrew slaves out of Egypt — that’s what Jude tells us.
He parted the Red Sea and brought judgment on Pharaoh and his army.
In Exodus, Jesus is the One rescuing God’s people out of their slavery and leads them into the Promised Land.

But the rescue in Exodus is only a foreshadow of the better rescue story to come — Jesus rescuing his people from their slavery to sin.

You see Jesus came to earth to die on a cross — so that — through faith in him — his people would be set free from sin.
Set free for righteousness.
Set free to follow him as he leads us through this wilderness of a world and into the eternal Promised Land.
Jesus is our Rescuer — he’s our Savior. In fact — his name means — God rescues.

And just like the Hebrew slaves — I mean there was nothing they could do to earn their freedom — this was not a “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” kind of situation — so to we — and all people — because everyone is a slave to sin — we cannot save ourselves. We need to be rescued. We need a Savior. We need Jesus to come and set us free.

CONCLUSION

Now I know — for some — this can sound too good to be true — because you’re exhausted by the whole “pulling yourself up by your bootstraps” mentality. Or maybe you’re here and you know that God’s rescued you from your sin — and yet — you struggle because you feel you don’t deserve to be rescued. You know what — you’re right. No one deserves it. God didn’t rescue the Israelites because they deserved it or because they were good people or had some kind of unbelievable — unwavering — faith in him — you heard their story. God doesn’t rescue people who deserve it — he rescues people he loves.

And once rescued, God wants his people to show others what it means to live a rescued life. A life of resting in what Jesus has accomplished for us. God shows us — again and again in the Bible — that as Paul said — we’ve been set free from our slavery to sin to live for God. And that means — we’re to obey our Rescuer — trusting him and his word to us — believing that the way he wants us to live — the way he’s commanded us to live — is best.

So — if you believe in Jesus — are you living like someone who’s been set free from sin? Are you living according to the truth that your chains of bondage have been broken and you’re now on the path — in following Jesus — that leads to your eternal home — the eternal Promised Land? Are you living as someone who’s been rescued? In a moment I’m going to pray that we will live as rescued people.

And if you’re here — and you’re not sure what you believe — but the one thing you do know is that you want to be rescued — here’s good news for you: Jesus is still in the rescuing business. So I’m going to pray for you — that Jesus would rescue you today — not because you deserve it — but because he loves you. Let’s pray.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, thank you for sending Jesus to be our Rescuer. Thank you for how the Exodus story points us to Jesus and to our story. So often we want to be the hero of our story — we don’t want to be the grumblers in the wilderness — the slaves who are under a wicked master — the unfaithful people who fail again and again to trust the One who loves them. But we’re not the hero of our story — Jesus is.

Father — for those of us who’ve been set free from our sin — set free to live for you — I ask you to help us to live a rescued life. Give us a desire to know how to live in a way that brings you glory.

And Jesus — for anyone here desiring to be rescued — I ask that you would rescue them. Save them. Break the chains that bind them down. Set them free to live for you. Give them the gift of faith — and assure them that you love them. We pray all of this in your name. Amen.

BENEDICTION

May you go living the rescued life — knowing that Jesus has set you free. Amen.

God loves you. I love you. You are sent.