Josh Benner

Tag: gospel

  • Blessed are the persecuted. Matthew 5:10-12

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    10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
    -Matthew 5:10-12

    Almost 2,000 years ago when Jesus preached these words, they also would have been radical to his audience. Persecution is never looked at as a blessing.

    But in Matthew 5, Jesus says that it is.

    Part of what Jesus is saying in these verses is that there is blessedness for the person who’s life is so clearly devoted to God, who is so clearly living out their Christian faith, that they face opposition because of it.

    If a Christian goes through life and never faces opposition, you might be living too comfortably in the world.

    If you never face any heat because of your faith, you might not be associating with anyone who disagrees with what you believe.

    In 2 Timothy 3, the Apostle Paul talks about persecution.

    “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”

    ALL who live for Christ will be persecuted.

    Persecution is part of the Christian life. The Bible does not shy away from this fact.

    Shortly before the time of his crucifixion, Jesus said to his disciples in John 5:18-19:

     “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

    Something doesn’t have to be a matter of life and death to be persecution. In American society, we don’t generally hear stories of a person being killed just because they are a Christian. It’s not absolutely unheard of, but it’s rare.

    The persecution American Christians face is often times more social or legal. That can still put us in situations where it’s tempting to sin, where it’s tempting to respond a certain way that we shouldn’t. That still puts us in situations where it’s easier to just go along with what the world is doing than taking a stand for what you believe.

    I know a mechanic who’s a Christian. He was committed to being honest in his dealings with customers. He was so honest that his boss didn’t like him and eventually fired him.

    My wife told me a story about how when she was in high school, she was interviewing to be part of a local youth leadership program in her community. While she was at her interview, one of the people making the decision saw that she was a student at a Christian high school. He started berating her with questions about her faith, questioning how she could believe in Jesus. Asking nothing about this youth organization. Essentially just harassing her about her faith.

    Again, the gospel is a message that some find offensive. “To one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life (2 Corinthians 2:16).”

    There have been examples of groups trying to silence coaches of public school teams from praying with players before games, even when it’s voluntary. I read a story today about the Freedom from Religion Foundation suing a public school in Ohio. A local pastor was leading a Bible study with students at lunch. It was optional. But FFRF still needed to swoop in and sue. There have been legal pressures on Christian universities to cover abortions for staff.

    Those are just a few examples.

    But in living for Jesus, in a fallen world, it is inevitable that there will be times when a person’s faith comes under fire.

    Responding 

    When a person is being persecuted and has a choice of if they’re going to respond in a Christlike way or if they’re going to respond in a hostile way. You can be light to a dark world or you can just spread the darkness.

    The Apostle James talked about the various trials that Christians face:

    “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing (James 1:2-4).”

    As evil as the persecution that Christians face can be, it’s an opportunity to respond with love. Jesus told us to pray for our enemies (Matthew 5:44).

    God can use those situations as a way to strengthen us in our own faith. To focus us on what we truly value.

    Another part of the reason why persecution is seen as a blessing is that the harsher the persecution, the more that is taken away from a person, the more someone is able to live in total dependence on God and reliance in his ability to preserve them. That’s not to say that the persecution is good in itself. It’s obviously not. That’s not to say that sin is good. It’s not. But through the evils that people commit, God can still use that for good.

    Again, if you’re not ever facing any pressure because of your faith, you might not be living in a way that is distinct from the world. I’m not saying we should go out of our way to be combative. The verse does not say that all persecution is good. It’s when a person is following Jesus and is persecuted for righteousness’ sake that blessed a person.

    It’s a radical idea. But let us remember that we have a savior who faced the ultimate persecution for righteousness’ sake.

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  • A long-distance healing. Studying John 4:49-54

    A long-distance healing. Studying John 4:49-54

    In John 4, a Roman official – whose son is seriously ill – comes to Jesus to see what the Lord can do. In the passage, we build up to a miraculous healing that Jesus does. In this sign, Jesus will point back to the Prophet Elijah in the Old Testament. 

    A divine intervention 

    John 4:49 

    The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.”

    The man is undeterred by the rebuke that Jesus has given.He’s not arguing with the Lord. He’s simply pleading with Jesus to intervene. 

    Keep in mind, that this man is an official of the Roman government. He’s prestigious. We see the humility that he shows to Christ. 

    “Sir, come down before my child dies.”

    Verse 50:

     Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.”

    That’s a very interesting direction that Jesus has given to the man. He’s not saying “Ok, let’s go.”Instead, he tells the man to go home and that his son will live. 

    And the official listens. 

    Second part of verse 50:

    The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way.

    A picture of faith

    He trusts in the promise of Christ. He has faith in the word that the Lord Jesus has told him. 

    We also don’t always get grand signs of what is to come. It is a matter of trusting the Lord is faithful to all that he has promised. That’s exactly what the Roman official does here. We need to take the Lord at his word. 

    Verse 51:

     As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was recovering.

    John’s recording of the event is not hugely dramatic. What Jesus has said would happen happened. 

    Verse 52 into 53:

     So he asked them the hour when he began to get better, and they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” 53 The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.”

    We see the power in the promise and word of Christ. As he was telling the father this, 20 miles away, his son was being healed. 

    Continuing in verse 53:

    And he himself believed, and all his household. 

    The man believed. 

    Faith cannot be entirely rooted on the miraculous. But that’s not to say that God never uses a monumental moment to bring a person to himself. For this man, trusting in what Jesus had told him and then seeing the fulfillment of that promise led him to believe in Jesus. 

    Not only for the man, but him and his whole household believed. It was a transformative event in all of their lives to see what Jesus had done. 

    This story is reminiscent of another healing which occurred in the Old Testament, during the ministry of Elijah. 

    Elijah in 1 Kings 17  

    In 1 Kings 17, there’s another event when a child is very sick. The prophet Elijah takes the boy and pleads with the Lord to heal him. 

    Beginning in verse 21 into 22:

    O Lord my God, let this child’s life come into him again.” 22 And the Lord listened to the voice of Elijah.

    In verse 23, after the boy had been revived, Elijah says to the mother “your son lives.” 

    A long-distance miracle

    In our passage in John, when the Roman officer comes to Jesus, Jesus says to him “your son will live.” Elijah has to be in physical contact with the child when he is healed. Jesus heals at a distance.

    Elijah asks God to heal the boy, Jesus doesn’t. In this sign, among other things, we see that Jesus is greater than Elijah and we again see that he provides something greater than the Old Testament. 

    We see the perfect knowledge of Jesus. He knew that the son would live. 

    We also see the sovereignty of Jesus. He could speak authoritatively to the man that his son would live. 

    The second sign of Jesus 

    The passage concludes by saying: 54 This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee. 

    Jesus had done other miracles, but this was the second one he had done in Judea. In the first sign, Jesus turned water into wine at a wedding feast. In that event, John said that Jesus had revealed his glory through that sign. 

    In this sign, Jesus had healed a sick child near death many miles away. We see that the signs are very different from each other. The first sign is at a public event, the second sign is within a home. 

    The first sign is at a time of great joy, at a wedding feast. The second is in a very sad time, when someone is ill to the point of death. 

    In that too, his power and glory are revealed. In that event, it was so powerful in the lives of the people who witnessed it that they believed in Jesus. 

    In the second sign, Jesus heals a father’s son. But in that, we should be reminded of the gospel because the ultimate sign that Jesus did which points to his glory and power was when he had the Son was not saved. 

    Jesus was able to save this man’s son because Jesus was the Son who was not saved. 

    Looking for Jesus

    There are lots of reasons why people are drawn to religion, drawn to Christianity, drawn to Jesus. Some people think that it’ll help them through a tough time. 

    Some people are lonely or insecure and need to feel a sense of belonging. That’s not inherently wrong, by the way. But that isn’t faith. Some people are miserable, and they believe that religion might help them become happier. Others are battling an addiction and they think it’ll help them find victory. Some people are unhappy with who they’ve become, and want better examples. 

    Now, certainly any of those areas can be a person’s entry point to Christianity. And God can work through those circumstances to bring a person to himself. 

    But genuine faith needs to move past that. It can’t just be about having a certain feeling or about having a certain area of life now under control. 

    Faith needs to be rooted in the character of the Lord. Sinful people recognizing their need for redemption and trusting in Jesus and the salvation he promises. 

    If faith over the long term does not mature into a love for Christ, a recognition of sin, a love for the things of God, then what is it that you’re believing? 

    Because new problems will arise. New difficulties will arise. You’re still you, which is to say you’re still sinful. Your life will still face difficulties and hardships. We still live in a fallen and sinful world where there is betrayal, and pain, and suffering, and death. 

    “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.”

    If faith is based on what we see, based on circumstances, that is flimsy. Our faith needs to be anchored in the good and sovereign Lord of creation. 

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  • The greatest danger to the Church

    The greatest danger to the Church

    There are 300,000 churches in America.

    There are many wonderful churches that boldly proclaim the gospel and faithfully teach the Bible every week. There is no perfect church in the world, because every church is full of members who are imperfect people.

    I think that the biggest issue the American church faces today is related to truth and love.

    Love that undermines truth and truth that doesn’t practice love. I’ll briefly explain what that means.

    Love that undermines truth 

    Love is important. The greatest command in scripture is to love God and to love people. God is love.

    But some churches can emphasize love to the point where it undermines truth.

    For instance, there is a temptation in some Christian circles to consider the love of God and reason that: “since God is love, his love extends to all people, whether or not they believe in God and whether or not they want or accept his love.”

    God is love. But that is just taking a slice of the character of God and acting as if that’s the whole pie. God is love. But he is also just, and righteous, and holy. He judges, he has wrath towards sin. God has all of those qualities at all times.

    God is love. But the idea of love is not only exclusive to what our culture defines love as.

    We tend to value acceptance and tolerance as what it is to love. And it’s true that God meets us where we are, but Jesus doesn’t save us to keep us the same. God is a perfecting God. We sin. We sin so much that we needed a savior, and the gospel is not a message that teaches us that we’re ok and we should just keep doing what we’re doing. We need to live for God and pursue him.

    Making love purely about acceptance and tolerance is not the full Biblical scope of what love is. And so it undermines the truth of scripture. And it runs the danger of undermining the inerrancy of scripture (taking the Bible as practical wisdom rather than the infallible word of God). And this view runs the risk of undermining the gospel itself.

    Assuming that love and  demand for justice are mutually exclusive.

    I observe this being the great risk in more liberal denominations.

    Truth that doesn’t practice love

    I think this is more of a danger in conservative and evangelical circles. We place a high value on the scripture and theology. And well we should because both of those are hugely important.

    But we can get so preoccupied with having the right answer that we lose sight of actually living out what we know. This is very similar to the failure of the Pharisees in the gospels. They were very well studied and trained in theology, but they missed the heart of the message.

    It can be easy to know the right answer but it’s difficult to live it out in practice.

    Truth and love. It comes down to belief and practice. We need both.

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    Originally published May 9, 2018

  • Sermon: Galatians in Acts – Acts 13

    We see Paul’s first missionary activity in the Galatian province as the apostle begins in a synagogue and explains to a Jewish audience how Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament. He speaks to the audience in terms they’ll understand and that is a lesson that all Christians can learn about evangelism. There is is one gospel but there is more than one way to share it.

    Sermon manuscript

  • Seeing and believing. Studying John 4:43-48

    Seeing and believing. Studying John 4:43-48

    A crisis 

    John 4:43 begins right where the previous section left off where Jesus was among the Samaritan people. 

    Verse 43 begins: After the two days he departed for Galilee. 

    Jesus is making his way north. Galilee is the region where Jesus grew up. Nazareth was the town where he grew up, but Nazareth was in the region. So Jesus is journeying to Galilee and immediately John interrupts the flow of the story with a side note. 

    Verse 44:
    (For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown.

    That’s an interesting comment to note. A prophet has no honor in his hometown, and yet Jesus is traveling to his home. 

    Yet verse 45 tells us: 
     So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast. For they too had gone to the feast. 

    On its face, verses 44 and 45 can appear to be at odds. 

    Verse 44 says a prophet has no honor in his hometown, however verse 45 says that the Galileans welcomed Jesus. 

    How can these two things be? The answer to that question is important to making sense of this whole story. 

    As verse 45 reports, Jesus is indeed welcomed by the people of Galilee. 

    Jesus is welcomed by the people having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast. 

    This is referring to the Passover season in chapter 2 where Jesus is at the temple, turning over tables and calling out the religious elites. They have heard and seen Jesus, and they’re drawn to him. 

    But the issue we see in this passage is that they’re coming to see Jesus, not because of who he is, or because of the kingdom of God that he is bringing into the world. We will learn in this passage that they’re drawn to the spectacle. 

    Verse 46, Jesus comes to Cana in Galilee, the very same town where he had made the water wine.

    John is reminding us that this had been the location of Jesus’ first sign back at the beginning of chapter 2. We talked about this at the time, but John’s gospel uses the word signs over miracles. Signs point us to who Jesus is as the divine son of God in the world. 

    So Jesus is in Galilee. 

    The story shifts us to a town about 20 miles away called Capernaum. 

    4:46-47:

     at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. 47 When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 

    The verse mentions that an official’s son had been ill. When John refers to an official, he’s talking about a man who was an official of the Roman government. It’s likely that this man was therefore not Jewish, although we can’t be absolutely positive. So this Roman official approaches Jesus and his son who is ill. 

    The passage tells us that he’s at the point of death, so it’s very serious. 

    Jesus has become known in the area and this man approaches Jesus to see if anything can be done. 

    Verse 48:

    So Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.”

    The “you” to whom Jesus is referring is plural. He’s not only speaking to the royal official, but also to the crowd. 

    That brings us back a couple of verses where it talked of a prophet having no honor in his hometown and the crowd that had come out to see Jesus. That’s the larger audience to whom Jesus is speaking. 

    Many are drawn to the things Jesus does, but not to Jesus himself. Jesus does not merely want to be followed for what he can do, but of greater significance is who he is. 

    Jesus is the eternal God of creation who is all powerful. He’s the savior of the world. He is the one who forgives sins. And so what he desires are disciples and not spectators. People who are looking for a savior and not a genie. People who follow him because of who he is, not just what he does. 

    Question: why do we worship? 

    The character and glory of Christ is why he is to be worshiped. 

    In sports, there’s a term for someone who’s a fair weather fan. That refers to someone who is only interested in a team when they are winning but when they’re not playing well, they pay less attention. 

    We are not called to be fair weather Christians. It can be tempting to want to turn our backs on the Lord when things aren’t going how we want. 

    But he is just as worthy of our worship and praise in the difficulties as he is in the victories. 

    If things were always easy…

    God does not always do what we want, give us what we want, even for things that are legitimate and good. 

    The Roman official isn’t asking for something frivolous. He has a child who’s near dying and this man has come to advocate for his child. But no matter how worthy the request, it is not always granted. 

    What is our response to Christ when things don’t turn out the way we wanted? No matter how worthy those requests were? That’s where the rubber meets the road. That is where the gospel becomes foolish in the eyes of the world. 

    In the eyes of the world, a good God would always grant the life and death prayer request. To not do that would make the world’s vision of God not good but evil. 

    Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe

    We need to understand the goodness, and glory, and sovereignty of God. God is worthy of worship and praise because of who he is not just because of what he does. Faith needs to be rooted in the character of God. 

    If we make our worship and love for God hinge on getting our own way, then we are not worshiping God as God. We are not here to serve him, we are not subject to him, we make him subject to us and his goodness contingent upon how he satisfies us. 

    People wanted the signs. They want to be dazzled. We want to see the incredible story, we want to hear the unbelievable testimony. 

    Those things do happen. Praise God when they do. 

    And I’m not saying that an incredible work of life can never be used to turn a person to God. It can and does. But our faith cannot exclusively be in the marvelous and incredible events. 

    Because that’s not most days. And much of life and much of our walk with God is very ordinary. How do we respond in those times? 

    Even today, there is a temptation in our world to be drawn to mystics and faith healers. Our world eats it up. People fill arenas. These people travel the globe promising the miraculous and to heal. 

    “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.”

    People who peddle a prosperity gospel revolving around how God wants to bless you and that get away from the gospel of sin and salvation and preach a message that revolves around man’s worthiness of blessing and that puts our focus on material blessings dominate the world of televangelism. 

    In 1 Corinthians 2:1-2, Paul says: 

    when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 

    That must be the basis for our study of the Bible, our preaching and teaching in churches. And it needs to also be the basis for the preaching and teaching to which we expose ourselves.