Review - Sunday October 14th 2012

Review of Lord’s Day: October 14th 2012

Pastor Shane Walker & Pastor Neil Jackson

2 Corinthians 4 and Revelation 5

My take on Sunday's Sermons and other thoughts

Dr. John Byl took the Sunday School and dealt with problems which arise from "Old Earth" and theistic evolution.  I was unable to attend but heard it was a very helpful session.  Read some of Byl's excellent points here.

2 Corinthians 4

Imagine being a prisoner in N. Korea.  To be beaten and starved for days and coming before the ruler of N. Korea. He is considered a god in that country - and if you had never known anything but the N. Korean culture and associated propaganda, he would certainly appear to be a god.  Now consider Jesus, the weak and lowly man, dying on a cross.  He certainly would  not appear to be be God at all.  But we cannot simply trust in superficial appearances.

- We are jars of clay (dirt!)
- Turn on the light
- Cling to the eternal

1) We are wretched and sinful and should think of ourselves as dirt.  We are merely clay pots. However, if we are reconciled to God, can be clay pots which hold inside the purest and most precious treasure; Jesus Christ. 

2) The darkness is veiling the light of truth.  Satan loves darkness because he can more easily deceive and trick men when the light is not shining to expose his lies and show truth.  Satan does not care what mode is used to get man to worship themselves instead of God.  The same trick is there just re-packaged.  The idea is that we are tempted to worship ourselves instead of God.  From a secular humanist point of view this works out by saying that the universe is unthinking and random, but we've evolved into intelligent and complex life. Therefore we are greater than the Universe.  The Universe created us and therefore we are greater than our creator.  Therefore, we are really God.  Only when we "turn on the light" or more correctly, when God turns on the light for us, do we see that we are only dirt and that God is worthy of all praise.

3) To only trust our senses and cling to the transient world in which we live is to be like the prisoner in N. Korea.  Yes, things may seem clear and simple.  The fool says in his heart, "there is no God."  And partly, this is due to an unwillingness to think on the eternal and spiritual.  This is a dogged determination to cling to the transient rather than the eternal.  But when we cling to the eternal we have the blinders lifted and realize that we are not gods.  We are just weak and foolish creatures rebelling against a loving and good God and we need a savior.  We become like someone who has defected to the United States from N. Korea and can finally see the ruling family for the disgusting wretches that they are.  When the Holy Spirit reveals truth to us we realize that we ourselves are the disgusting wretches.

Moral symmetry: Adam sinned by rebelling against God and tried to "step up" to the level of God.  To redeem us God humbled Himself and became man and "stepped down" to the level of man.

Revelation 5

This is the first time in John's visions where there seems to be a problem.  The call goes out to find someone to open the book but there is no one who is able to break the seals.  And we see revealed in this chapter two things:

- Jesus is a man
- Jesus conquered completely

Jesus was 100% man in order to save us.  He took on our form so that he could redeem us. We must understand this in order to truly understand the gospel.  The humility and condescension was profound because he was completely human.

Jesus, the Lion of Judah, the seed of David and of Jesse, has conquered all.  All of the elders and creatures in heaven fall down before Him in praise because of His awesome person and works.  It is right and necessary that in light of this view into the throne room that we also do the same!