Tulip - Part 4
Psalm 46:10a (NIV)
10a Be still, and know that I am God;
Silencio! Si, that is Spanish for silence. When both of my kids were about 2 years old, they each had the talent for manipulating the remote control in just the perfect way to mute the TV and change the display text to Spanish. I can’t remember how many times I would turn on the TV to see Silencio.
The writer of the Psalm above tells us to be still, to be silent, and to know God. Today I would like to ask that you try the same for a few minutes. Undoubtedly, if you are like most in today’s world, you have a hectic schedule and are inundated with fears and news of the economy, the election, your future, and on and on. I don’t have a remote control to mute all of that for you, but maybe today’s lesson will help you be still. Silencio!
This is the fourth part of a five-week series titled “TULIP”. Each lesson can probably stand on its own but reading them in order, i.e. Part 1, Part 2 & Part 3, is advised before reading today’s lesson. I want to thank you for taking the time to find this site and to read these lessons. I pray that these will bring you closer to God’s Word and draw you nearer to Him.
If you recall from the first three lessons, you should know that the topics for this series are based on replacing John Calvin’s TULIP acronym with my own “TULIP” which is acting as my outline and a way of tying together five core principles that I think each of us should understand as modern day Christians. My choice to use TULIP has no direct connection to Calvinism other than I chose to use a familiar acronym in the broader theological circles and replace it with five principles that I think are clearly taught in the Bible.
So far we have completed “T”, “U” and “L”, and, if you recall, “T” stands for Truth, “U” stands for Unity and “L” stands for Love. Today’s letter is “I”.
If you are familiar with the churches of Christ or have read the first paragraph of the About LCOC link on this site, then you know that a foundational principle we hold is “let us speak where the Bible speaks, and be silent where the Bible is silent”. I have no intention of breaking that principle in this lesson, but one thing I do intend to illustrate is how God sometimes uses silence to speak volumes. So let’s get started with “I”.
Silence is often used in the Bible before or after big events. After the Transfiguration in Mark 9:9, Jesus tells Peter, James and John to keep silent and not to tell anyone of the event until they had seen the Son of Man had risen from the dead. Before the 7th seal is opened in Revelation 8:1, there is silence in heaven for about half an hour. In Joshua 6, you may recall the use of silence that Joshua commanded in the fall of Jericho until he gave the order to shout. Another example is the approximate 400-year period between the Old and New Testaments, which is often referred to as the Silent Years. This 400-year silence precedes another big event. I’m not merely talking about the birth of Jesus Christ, but His condescension as a man - a human being just like you and me. Today’s lesson for “I” is on His Incarnation.
Philippians 2:6-8 (NIV)
6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross!
First, I have a quick confession to make. Last week, I had the introduction mostly done and had a pretty good start on what I thought I wanted to write about for the remainder of this lesson, but the magnitude of this topic caused me to pause. I fell into the depth and width of this topic and had to take the advice given above to be still. So, I apologize for the delay in getting this lesson posted if any of you have been waiting patiently for it. I’ve tried my best to put together the Words of God to tell this story. I’m sure I will have left things out, either intentionally for time’s sake or unintentionally since I am imperfect. Suffice it to say, I doubt that any of us fully understand all of the ramifications of His Incarnation, but I humbly pray that this will give you additional insight to draw you nearer to Him and His Truth.
In the Old Testament book of Daniel, you may recall the dream that the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar had of the statue with the gold head, silver chest and arms, bronze belly and thighs, iron legs, and feet of iron and clay (Daniel 2). Daniel, through God’s power, was able to describe the dream to the king and to tell him what the dream meant. Each metal represented a different kingdom. The gold head was the Babylonian kingdom in which they lived. Today, with 20/20 hindsight, we may not realize the significance of this revelation of the other kingdoms. If you know your history, then it is obvious that what Daniel told the king did in fact take place. The Medes and Persians defeated the Babylonians, the Greeks defeated the Persians, and the Romans defeated the Greeks.
So what? Well, guess what happened in the 400 so-called “Silent Years”? The Greek kingdom split into four just as the angel Gabriel described to Daniel in Daniel chapter 8. One of those four kingdoms, the Ptolemy’s, ruled in the area including Egypt. Because of the Greek influence for learning, they built a great library at Alexandria for housing the vast number of scrolls that they would amass. Around 270 B.C., they had a large group of Jews, traditionally 72 in number, come and translate the Jewish writings into Greek to house there in Alexandria. This translation became known as the Septuagint - Greek for 70, presumably after the rounded down number of 72 translators. So, again, what’s the big deal? By taking the Jewish writings, including Daniel and other prophets, God’s providence preserves the Hebrew text at a time almost three centuries before the birth of Jesus. And, almost three centuries before the Romans will conquer the last of the four Greek kingdoms. Cleopatra VII, the last of the Ptolemaic rulers, committed suicide as the Romans conquered Egypt around 30 B.C. It is often speculated that God waited until this time to send His Son because the Greek and Roman influence had provided a common language for the masses, well built roads for travel and commerce and the Pax Romana (”Roman peace”) that gave a relative peace during the first two centuries so that Christianity could be more easily spread. I suggest another reason He waited and why we have the 400 or so silent years is that it allowed the prophets to be quiet and the Hebrew text to be translated for more people to read and, more importantly, it gave those writings and prophecies an air of authenticity that would not have existed if the text had solely remained in Hebrew. Sure, there is neither just one copy of the Hebrew text nor just one copy of the Greek Septuagint. Many claim that this is a reason for skepticism. I would suggest just the opposite. Once the original has been split, in this case the Hebrew from the Greek, it becomes almost impossible to make any alterations to both sets and especially if there are multiple copies of each. So, even if there are minor differences between copies, the amazing fact remains that this prophecy is fulfilled just as it was recorded more than two centuries before it happened. If you know your Old Testament, there are many other prophecies that fall into the same boat. We don’t have time to delve into each of them, but it should give you confidence that what you read in the Old Testament is inspired from God or how else could you explain the fulfillment of the prophecy in Daniel? Pure luck or some kind of highly coordinated hoax? Many choose to be skeptical and doubt that any of these prophecies are genuine despite what was just presented.
One such doubter was King Ahaz. We read about him in 2 Chronicles 28 and Isaiah 7. He was King of Judah and God sent His prophet Isaiah to tell him that if the king did not stand firm in his faith to God, then he will not stand at all (Isaiah 7:9). Then the following verses read:
Isaiah 7:10-14 (NIV)
10 Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz,
11 “Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.”
12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the test.”
13 Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God also?
14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
It might sound noble that Ahaz didn’t want to test the Lord and ask for a sign. However, it’s clear from his behavior and from Isaiah’s response that Ahaz didn’t want to ask God because he didn’t have faith in God. You can read in 2 Chronicles 28 that he did everything from sacrificing his sons in the fire to offering sacrifices to the gods of other countries. So the sign that we are so familiar with came about because of the lack of faith of this wicked king. Again, many today may choose to be skeptical and doubt, claiming that the word for virgin could simply be translated young maiden from the Hebrew. That’s true, but what kind of sign would that be? Wouldn’t that be the most common occurrence for a child to be born? Just like King Ahaz, today’s skeptics will not put the Lord to the test and believe the signs He has given because they simply do not want to believe.
Galations 4:4-5 (KJV)
4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
“But when the fulness of the time was come”, why the wait one might ask? If you’re like me, then you’re probably thinking, “Who are we to question God?” As we read in Galations above, God has His own timetable. Indeed, God had a plan of salvation from the very beginning.
Genesis 3:14-15 (KJV)
14 And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou [art] cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
The words in verse 15 spoken by God in the Garden of Eden to the serpent are sometimes referred to as the Protoevangelion, which is the Greek word that translates to “first gospel”. Here, after Adam and Eve have disobeyed God, we hear what God has planned for mankind and the serpent - i.e. the devil (Revelation 20:2). It is a curse of enmity between the two and it may not sound like “good news” at all. However, the woman’s seed mentioned here is the first allusion to the birth of Christ and that is the basis for the good news - the gospel.
1 Timothy 3:16 (NIV)
16 Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.
John 1:14 (NIV)
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
These are just a couple of verses that tell us that Jesus came to this earth in the flesh, i.e. in a physical body. Why is that so important?
1 John 4:2-3 (NIV)
2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,
3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
2 John 1:7 (NIV)
7 Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.
No, the antichrist isn’t mentioned in the book of Revelation as so many might think. John tells us in these verses that the antichrist is anyone who doesn’t believe that Jesus came in the flesh. So it’s a big deal to John, but again, why is that so important to us? Let’s look at Hebrews chapter 2 - feel free to read chapter 1 first on your own if you can. I can’t help but list all of chapter 2 since I cannot decide which verses to leave out. Please bare with me and read the following from the writer of Hebrews, presumably Paul.
Hebrews 2:1-18 (NIV)
1 We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.
2 For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment,
3 how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him.
4 God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
5 It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking.
6 But there is a place where someone has testified: “What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?
7 You made him a little lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor
8 and put everything under his feet.” In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him.
9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
10 In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering.
11 Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers.
12 He says, “I will declare your name to my brothers; in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises.”
13 And again, “I will put my trust in him.” And again he says, “Here am I, and the children God has given me.”
14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death-that is, the devil-
15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.
16 For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants.
17 For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.
18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
In verse 14, you can read that Jesus had to come in the flesh because we are flesh and blood. He had to be like us in order to be able to make the atonement for our sins. By living a sin free life, a life of perfect obedience to God His Father, Jesus is able to assume our guilt of sin and suffer the penalty of death for us in our place. Therefore, through our faith in Him, we are justified in God’s sight by the blood of Jesus Christ.
Colossians 1:22-23 (NIV)
22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation-
23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
Additionally, in the last two verses of Hebrews 2, we are told that because he suffered and was tempted, he is able to help us in our times of trial as well. He is a merciful and faithful high priest.
Hebrews 4:15-16 (NIV)
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-yet was without sin.
16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
1 Timothy 2:5 (NIV)
5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
In Exodus 20:8-11, God gave the Israelites the fourth commandment. It’s the only one of the ten that starts out with “Remember”. The commandment is to remember the Sabbath and to rest. It was God’s way of giving man a reminder that He had created the cosmos in six days and the seventh day was a day of rest. In Matthew 26, Mark 14 and Luke 22, Jesus instructs his disciples to eat of the bread and drink of the cup to remember his body and his blood. We also do this weekly as a reminder that Jesus did come to this earth in the flesh and gave himself for us so that we could be reconciled to God. He too will give us rest.
Matthew 11:28 (NIV)
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
In John Calvin’s TULIP, I stands for Irresistible Grace. I’m no expert on Calvinism, but my understanding is that Calvinists believe when God calls his elect to salvation, that they cannot resist and therefore, it is irresistible. Today’s lesson has already gone longer than I would prefer, so I’ll just quickly say that just like King Ahaz and other skeptics and unbelievers, it comes down to a choice. You can resist God’s call if you so choose. Based on what you’ve read today and what you already know, I hope you can fully trust and have total confidence in all of God’s prophecies and promises and choose faith in Jesus Christ.
Song #726 - “We Saw Thee Not”
We saw Thee not when Thou didst come To this poor world of sin and death;
Nor yet be-held Thy cot-tage home, In that de-spis-ed Naz-a-reth;
But we be-lieve Thy foot-steps trod Its streets and plains, Thou Son of God:
But we be-lieve Thy foot-steps trod Its streets and plains, Thou Son of God.
We saw Thee not when lift-ed high, A-mid that wild and sav-age crew;
Nor heard we that im-plor-ing cry, “For-give, they know what they do!”
But we be-lieve the deed was done, That shook the earth and veiled the sun;
But we be-lieve the deed was done, That shook the earth and veiled the sun.
We gazed not in the o-pen tomb, Where once Thy mang-led bod-y lay;
Nor saw Thee in that “up-per room,” Nor met Thee on the o-pen way;
But we be-lieve that an-gels said, “Why seek the liv-ing with the dead?”
But we be-lieve that an-gels said, “Why seek the liv-ing with the dead?”
We walked not with the cho-sen few, Who saw Thee from the earth as-cend;
Who raised to heav’n their wond’ring view, Then low to earth all pros-trate bend;
But we be-lieve that hu-man eyes Be-held that jour-ney to the skies;
But we be-lieve that hu-man eyes Be-held that jour-ney to the skies.
I hope you’ll come back next week for our final lesson in this series. And I’ll end today’s lesson with this verse from Romans.
Romans 16:20 (KJV)
20 And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ [be] with you. Amen.
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