“TRADITIONAL” vs “CONTEMPORARY”

Have you noticed that churches have been offering different service times for their audiences on Sunday and they list them as "traditional" or "contemporary"?

Some places even advertise "come as you are" and a "casual" environment in which to worship God. You can wear anything from cowboy boots to t-shirts and drink anything from espresso to Red Bull while you watch other people offer a surrogate form of worship to God.

Why do churches feature different styles of worship? One website suggests: "offer worship services of varying styles so that everyone can attend a service that meets their personal preferences."

I've got a simple (and perhaps, a seemingly uneducated) question here - since when do my preferences determine my worship to God?

Churches are scrambling to offer services that "keep up with the times" and make people feel "comfortable" when approaching God in worship - which is actually not even what is being accomplished. How can you even attempt to unify a congregation around a common cause when you are catering to so many different tastes, preferences, and styles?

In Acts 2:42, we read that the disciples from the early church in Jerusalem "continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers." They were unified by a clear purpose, a clear doctrine, and clear practices. This group, though several thousand strong, did not have to be placated with entertainment, food, and their own styles of worship. Their common bond and strength was through Christ!

When I approach God in worship, I have to be humble enough to realize it is not about me! How haughty and proud it must be to God to tell Him that you can't trust in what He has prescribed for worship - that it is "outdated" - and that it needs to be personalized to our desires in order for us to want to be there.

How ridiculous is it for people to think in their minds (and with their actions) that coffee and doughnuts (or food in general) has to be provided in order to get someone to come to worship? Have they considered the way that Jesus said God wants to be worshipped, and who He is? "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." (John 4:24)

While we're catering to different tastes, backgrounds, music styles, fashion preferences, and building designs, we are forgetting that God is Spirit and doesn't care about all of that. He wants our hearts dedicated to Him with our lives and a reflection of that through our worship!

When we worship God, we must come before Him desiring truth and recognizing that He is holy. Let's not worry about "traditional" or "contemporary"...and focus on "TRUE"!

---Author Unknown

Doctrine & Trust

– Psalm 118:8 – 

“It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.”

The passage above is one of many in the scriptures, on the subject of ‘TRUST’.   This verse speaks of the wisdom in placing our trust in the LORD, rather than man.  Two key words in this passage are ‘better’ and ‘than’ as they relate to trust.  The verse does not explain some things about trust, such as HOW or WHY trust should be “in the LORD”, but, as with any subject, they can be determined through a study of both the immediate context, as well as other relevant passages in the Bible.  From the immediate context, we see that this chapter is a psalm about the nature of the steadfast love of the Lord…it endures ‘forever’.  This ‘endurance’ of God’s steadfast love is why it is ‘better’ (i.e. wise) to look to the Lord for deliverance in times of distress.  Let those who “fear the Lord”, trust in Him for reasons consistent with His steadfast love and unique to their relationship with God; namely, for their deliverance from Satan’s efforts to sever that relationship.  From the other relevant passages on this matter of ‘trust’, we learn the ‘constant’ truths set forth about how/why it is wise to “trust in the LORD”.  The admonitions from a negative standpoint are:

- Psalm 40:4 – How blessed is the man who has made the Lord his trust, and has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood.

- Psalm 146:3 - Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.

- Psalms 60:11 and 108:12 - “...vain is the salvation of man.”

- Isaiah 2:22, “Stop regarding man in whose nostrils is breath, for of what account is he?”

- Isaiah 31:1, 3 – Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses, and trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are very strong, but they do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek the Lord…Now the Egyptians are men and not God, and their horses are flesh and not spirit; so the Lord will stretch out His hand, and he who helps will stumble and he who is helped will fall, and all of them will come to an end together.

- Isaiah 57:13 – “When you cry out, let your collection of idols deliver you.  But the wind will carry all of them up, and a breath will take them away.  But he who takes refuge in Me will inherit the land and will possess My holy mountain.”

- Jeremiah 17:5, “Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord.”  

When Hezekiah was attacked by Sennacherib king of Assyria, he spoke to the people of Israel about trust.  He said, “Be strong and courageous, do not fear or be dismayed because of the king of Assyria nor because of all the horde that is with him; for the one with us is greater than the one with him.  With him is only an arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles.  And the people relied on the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.” (2 Chronicles 32:7-8)

ALL of God’s truth is not confined to, or condensed in one passage; nor can truth be ascertained by isolating one passage from other passages without regard to what is taught on the same topic.  This is why we need to consult ALL that is revealed in the scriptures on a given topic rather than draw our conclusions from a single passage.  “Rightly dividing” God’s word requires that we search out ALL of God’s wisdom (2^nd Timothy 2:15; Acts 17:11; Psalm 119:160). As stated elsewhere in the psalms, we will find that God’s words were spoken TO and FOR man, reflecting His steadfast love. (cf. Psalms 40:5; 92:5; 139:17; and 144:3; Hebrews 2:6).

Two other eternal truths, consistently taught in the scriptures on ‘trust’ is that:

1) all must exercise a choice as to whom or what we put our confidence/trust in.   That choice defines whether or not we fear God more than man.  The second is:

2) doctrine directly affects where we place our trust.  Again, Satan’s attack upon the hearer of the message is to pervert the message.  He will therefore employ false messengers.  This is why there is an abundance of warnings in regard to “hearing”; and it is from these passages, we see the correlation between trust and doctrine.  Notice:

- Matthew 6:1 - “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.”

- Matthew 16:6 - “Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

- 1 Corinthians 10:12 – “…let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.”

This is why trust and doctrine are inseparable.  The Bible states that doctrine is to be ‘sound’ (1^st Timothy 1:10; 2^nd Timothy 4:3; Titus 1:9; 2:1).  Sound doctrine is characterized by “uncorruptness”, “gravity”, and “sincerity” (Titus 2:7, “In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity...”).  It is for these reasons that doctrine and trust are inseparable.  Proper trust is dependent upon accuracy of doctrine.  Your trust will be as you were directed in the message (Isa. 24:2; Hosea 4:9). 

Notice the correlation of ‘trust’ and ‘doctrine’ to ‘salvation’ and ‘worship’.  Do you ‘trust’ in the Lord?  Many sermons close with the exhortation to “trust” in the Lord.  What is meant by this exhortation and exactly HOW does man ‘trust’ in the Lord?  The Bible is replete with the phrase “trust in the Lord”.  The life of those “in Christ” is to reflect their continual trust in Him, and the sinner is exhorted to ‘trust in the Lord” upon entering into fellowship with God through Christ.  The manner in which both ‘trust’ is similar and can easily be seen from the passages that mention ‘trusting in the Lord’.  Both are dependent upon doctrine that is ‘sound’.   To those who loved “vain words” and who” sought after lies”, David admonished in Psa. 4:2, 5 to cease and, “Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD.”  We learn from this passage that, when trusting in the Lord, there has to be a “putting off” and a “putting on”.  The same is true of those who have answered the call of the gospel (Col. 3:8-10),

The object of man’s trust is bewrayed through speech and behavior (Matt. 26:73).  Sacrifices ‘of righteousness’ reflect that your trust is in Jehovah, for His righteousness has always been declared thru His words to man (Deut. 6:24-25; Prov. 30:5-6).  Today, His righteousness is declared in the gospel (Romans 1:17).  The object of your ‘trust’ is also reflected thru your worship.  ‘Acceptable’ worship must be “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24) in order for your trust to be ‘in the Lord’.  Any worship that is NOT “in spirit and in truth” reflects that your confidence is in man.  From Joshua’s words to the people of God in his day, we see a two-fold necessity in regard to ‘trusting’ in the LORD”.  He said, “Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.” (Josh 24:14)  Notice that there must not only be “serving”; but also a “putting away”.  This necessitates making a choice (see v. 15, “choose ye this day, whom ye will serve...”).  This accords with Jesus’ words in Matt. 6:24, “no man can serve two...”.  Both are necessary to trusting ‘in the Lord’, or the ‘trusting’ is only lip-service; which is condemned in the Bible (cf. Matt. 15:8-9).

As mentioned above, doctrine directly affects trust.  Doctrine must be uncorrupt, grave, and sincere in order for the trust to be placed “in the Lord”. 

As pointed out earlier, to ‘trust in the LORD’ is set forth from a positive and a negative aspect in the scriptures. 

Our desire to have our worship acceptable to God depends upon our attitude toward ‘true’ worship.  This will reveal the object of our trust.  We see this from what is stated in the psalms.  David said, in Psa. 31:6, “I have hated them that regard lying vanities: but I trust in the LORD.”  How are we to understand this ‘hate’?  The Bible is its own best dictionary.  Elsewhere, we find of ‘hate’ that it means to have no fellowship with those who worship in idolatry. 

Psa. 26:5 – I hate the assembly of evildoers, and I will not sit with the wicked.

They are to be regarded as enemies.

Psa. 139:21-22 – Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord? And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?  I hate them with complete hatred; I count them my enemies.

How are we to understand David’s hatred?  As ill-will and malice; purposing to take vengeance on them?  Again, note from these other passages in the Psalms for clarification:

Psa. 119:158 – I look at the faithless with disgust, because they do not keep your commands.

Psa. 119:136 – My eyes shed streams of tears, because people do not keep your law.

Did not Jesus mention blessings upon those who ‘mourn’ about over the prevalence of sin (Matt. 5:4)?

Those who trust in idols were truly assessed by the prophet Jonah.  He stated in Jonah 2:8, “Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love.”

Psa. 37:3 – Trust in the LORD, and do good; 

[The absence of doing ‘good’, reflects a lack of trust in God; ‘good’ is defined by God for us.  For example, Psa. 37:27 teaches that to ‘do good’ is impossible without departing from evil; departing from evil constitutes doing ‘good’.  Rom. 1 and Matt. 19:16ff teach that doing ‘good’ was always defined as obedience to what God commanded.  Jesus taught that to be ‘perfect’, we must take up our cross; “come and follow” Him.  Accordingly, the N. T. epistles define ‘good’ as being “rich in good works”, “ready to distribute”, and “willing to communicate” (1 Tim. 6:18; Heb. 13:16).  To fail to do this ‘good’, is to sin (James 4:17).

Prov. 3:5 – Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

[to trust in your own wisdom is to fail to ‘trust in the Lord’]  Prov. 28:26 calls such a person a ‘fool’.

Prov. 28:25 – He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife: but he that putteth his trust in the LORD shall be made fat.

[Greediness, a hot-temper, and slothfulness are all behavioral characteristics of a person who does not have his ‘trust’ in the Lord, but in himself] (cf. Prov.15:18; 13:4)

Prov. 29:25 – The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe.

[Fearing man more than the Lord is to fail to ‘trust in the Lord’] (See Matt. 10:28)

Psa. 37:5 – Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring [it] to pass.

[There can be no ‘trust in the Lord’, unless you commit your way unto HIM.  Notice in the next passage how this commitment is thru obedience to God’s word] 

Psa. 18:30 – As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.

[God is synonymous with His word; to trust in God is to trust in His word]

Psa. 20:7 – Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.

[Remembering the name of the Lord is one and the same to ‘trust in His word’.  Notice the next passage...]

Isa. 50:10 – Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh [in] darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God.

[To fear is to trust; to trust is to obey...is teaching/doctrine a factor?]

Jer. 7:4 Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, [are] these.

[Reading the entire chapter of Jeremiah 7, we find that to offer sacrifice, while disobedient in daily living is to only lip-service and condemned]

Jer.28:15 – Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet, Hear now, Hananiah; The LORD hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust in a lie.

[Read the context here to see how/why Hananiah caused the people to trust in a lie; doing the opposite of this will cause people to trust in the Lord; WAS HIS TEACHING (DOCTRINE) A FACTOR?]  

Jer. 29:31 – Send to all them of the captivity, saying, Thus saith the LORD concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite; Because that Shemaiah hath prophesied unto you, and I sent him not, and he caused you to trust in a lie:

[Read the text here to see how/why Shemaiah caused the people to trust in a lie; the opposite of this will cause people to trust in the Lord; was his teaching (doctrine) a factor?]

Jer. 39:18 – For I will surely deliver thee, and thou shalt not fall by the sword, but thy life shall be for a prey unto thee: because thou hast put thy trust in me, saith the LORD.

[Read the context to see what/how ‘trust’ was put in the LORD; was teaching (doctrine) a factor?]

Jer. 46:25 – The LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saith; Behold, I will punish the multitude of No, and Pharaoh, and Egypt, with their gods, and their kings; even Pharaoh, and [all] them that trust in him

[How was ‘trust’ in these false gods put? Was teaching/doctrine a factor?]

Phil. 2:19 – But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I know your state.

[What did Paul ‘trust in the Lord’ for in this passage?  How would this be accomplished?] 

Phil. 2:24 – But I trust in the Lord that I also myself shall come shortly.

[What did Paul ‘trust in the Lord’ for in this passage?  How would this be accomplished?]

2/12/2013

rdb

A huckster or a merchant?

From a word study of "CORRUPT" in 2nd Cor. 2:17 (KJV) here is the definition and some (not meant to be an exhaustive list) passages which should suffice is showing that if the purpose for preaching is for personal gain, you are, by God's definition, a false teacher........a 'peddler' of the gospel, treating it as a mere commodity for self-gain. If however, you are a 'merchant' of the gospel, you value your product, and promote it for the great good/benefit it can do for others. 

‘Corrupt’ - definitions as follows:

"to be a retailer, to peddle"; to make money by selling anything;

 to get sordid gain by dealing in anything, to do a thing for base gain;

to trade in the word of God;

to try to get base gain by teaching divine truth;

to corrupt, to adulterate;

"Peddlers" were in the habit of adulterating their commodities for the sake of gain...

2 Cor. 2:17 – "For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ."

Motivations for preaching CAN be EVIL and cover a wide range as seen from Phil. 1:15-18, "Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice." This is why all of us need to compare the preaching we hear to see if any contexts were perverted, which will result in believing a lie.

Other relevant passages on 'corrupting.......i.e. "peddling" the gospel:

Titus 1:11 – They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach.

Titus 2:7 – In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine [shewing] uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity,

2 Peter 2:3 – And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

2 Peter 2:14-15 – They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children! Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing,

Jude 1:11 - Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam's error and perished in Korah's rebellion. These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires; they are loud-mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage.

Ezek. 13:19 – You have profaned me among my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, putting to death souls who should not die and keeping alive souls who should not live, by your lying to my people, who listen to lies.

rdb 
copyright 2013

De-sensitized to Purity

We become de-sensitized a little bit at a time.  Some years ago, I walked into my office after a Sunday morning service to find a sandwich bag on my desk containing three chocolate brownies.  Some thoughtful and anonymous person who knew my love for chocolate had placed them there, along with a piece of paper that had a short story written on it.  I immediately sat down and began eating the first brownie as I read the following story.

Two teenagers asked their father if they could go to the theater to watch a movie that all their friends had seen.  After reading some reviews about the movie on the Internet, he denied their request.

"Ah Dad, why not?" they complained.  "It's rated PG-13, and we're both older than thirteen!"

Dad replied: "Because that movie contains nudity and portrays immorality as being normal and acceptable behavior." "But dad, those are just very small parts of the movie!  That's what our friends who've seen it have told us.  The movie is two hours long and those scenes are just a few minutes of the total film!  It's based on a true story and good triumphs over evil, and there are other redeeming themes like courage and self-sacrifice.  Even the movie review websites say that!"

"My answer is 'no,' and that is my final answer.  You are welcome to stay home tonight, invite some of your friends over, and  watch one of the good videos we have in our home collection.  But you will not go and watch that film.  End of discussion."

The two teenagers walked dejectedly into the family room and slumped down on the couch.  As they sulked, they were surprised to hear the sounds of their father preparing something in the kitchen.  They soon recognized the wonderful aroma of brownies baking in the oven, and one of the teenagers said to the other, "Dad must be feeling guilty, and now he's going to try to make it up to us with some fresh brownies.  Maybe we can soften him with lots of praise when he brings them out to us and persuade him to let us go to that movie after all."

About that time I began eating the second brownie from the sandwich bag and
wondered if there was some connection to the brownies I was eating and the brownies in the story.  I kept reading.

The teens were not disappointed.  Soon their father appeared with a plate of warm brownies, which he offered to his kids.  They each took one. Then their father said, "Before you eat, I want to tell you something:  "I love you both so much."  The teenagers smiled at each other with knowing glances.  Dad was softening.  "That is why I've made these brownies with the very best ingredients.  I've made them from scratch.  Most of the ingredients are even organic; the best organic flour, the best free-range eggs, the best organic sugar, premium vanilla and chocolate."  

The brownies looked mouth-watering, and the teens began to become a little  impatient with their Dad's long speech.  "But I want to be perfectly honest with you.  There is one ingredient I added that is not usually found in brownies.  I got that ingredient from our own back yard.  But you needn't worry, because I only added the tiniest bit of that ingredient to your brownies.  The amount of the portion is practically insignificant. So go ahead, take a bite and let me know what you think. 

"Dad, would you mind telling us what that mystery ingredient is before we eat?" "Why?  The portion I added was so small.  Just a teaspoonful.  You won't even taste it." "Come on, Dad; just tell us what that ingredient is."  "Don't worry!  It is organic, just like the other ingredients."  "Dad!!!"  "Well, OK, if you insist.  That secret ingredient is carrion.” 

I immediately stopped chewing that second brownie and I spit it out into the waste basket by my desk.  I continued reading, now fearful of the paragraphs that still remained.  Both teens instantly dropped their brownies back on the plate and began inspecting their fingers with horror.

"DAD!  Why did you do that?  You've tortured us by making us smell those brownies cooking for the last half hour, and now you tell us that you added carrion!  We can't eat these brownies!"

"Why not?  The amount of carrion is very small compared to the rest of the ingredients.  It won't hurt you.  It's been cooked right along with the other ingredients.  You  won't even taste it.  It has the same consistency as the brownies.  Go ahead and eat!" "No, Dad...NEVER!"

"And that is the same reason I won't allow you to go watch that movie. You  won't tolerate a little carrion in your brownies, so why should you tolerate a little immorality in your movies?  We pray that God will not lead us unto temptation, so how can we in good conscience entertain ourselves with something that will imprint a sinful image in our minds that will lead us into temptation long after we first see it?"

I discarded what remained of the second brownie, as well as the entire untouched third brownie.  What had been irresistible a minute ago had become detestable.  And only because of the very slim chance that what I was eating was slightly polluted.  (Surely it wasn't... but I couldn't convince myself.)

What a good lesson about purity!  Why do we tolerate any sin?  On the day of the Passover, the Israelites were commanded to remove every bit of leaven from their homes. 

Sin is like leaven - a little bit leavens the whole lump.  (1 Corinthians 5:6)

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copyright 2013

Understanding God’s longsuffering

God’s Eternal Purpose

[Doctrine & Longsuffering]

Understanding God’s longsuffering

 - "Is there a God?" 

 - "Where is God in the midst of all the evil, the pain & suffering?"

 - "Why doesn't He intervene and stop the injustice?"

All these questions reflect a concern over God coming to see to the affairs here on earth.

The Bible declares that there is nothing “new” in our present day & time (Eccl. 1:9).  What issues we face today, were faced by those in the past; we may not be aware of the scriptures that reveal this, but I am yet to find that a present-day problem is one in which we can find no scripture to apply.  It happened in the Bible w/past generations.

Consider this relevant to the questions asked above.  Have you ever heard them, or perhaps even asked them yourself?  

First, consider the question, “Why does God tarry??  This very question existed in the days of the apostles.  There was division among Christians in the first century on this matter, and THERE IS STILL DIVISION TODAY ON THE SAME SUBJECT!  The apostle Peter dealt with this in 2nd Peter 3.

Beginning with verse 15, Peter here explains why God does not ‘intervene’ and attributes the division among Christians about God’s patience with man to ignorance of God’s eternal purpose.

Long ago, king David acknowledged of God in Psalm 74:12 – “My God is of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth.” 

Here in 2nd Peter 3:15-18 we read these words:

“And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters.  There are some things, in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other scriptures. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

God purposed to save man; this was according to a great eternal plan and purpose that began in eternity in God’s mind (cf. Titus 1:2; Eph. 1:3-11).

Still today, confusion and division in the religious realm exist because of ignorance of God’s eternal purpose for man.

The Bible reveals that God had a plan as to how our salvation would be accomplished.  It was purposed to be thru His only begotten Son.

Therefore, one of the most important doctrines in the Bible is HOW we get into Christ; at what point are we forgiven of our sins…i.e., how do we ‘call upon’ the name of the Lord?

Christ’s people, the church are identified by their teaching on this matter. 

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The Divine Promises of God

Psa. 103:6-13  

⁶ The Lord works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. ⁷ He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel. ⁸ The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. ⁹ He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. ¹⁰ He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. ¹¹ For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; ¹² as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. ¹³ As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.

There are two characteristics that stand out about God’s Divine Promises.  First:

 All of God’s Divine Promises are made to man and for man. 

This shows the magnitude of God’s love for us and explains why we were made in God’s image. (as we read in Gen. 1:27, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”)

David acknowledged this in Psa. 8:4-6 when he wrote: “What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet”

We also see the magnitude of God’s love for man from what is stated of the angels.  Although man was made “lower” than angels, we find that angels function in accordance with God’s Divine Promises to/for man; as the Hebrew writer states, they are, “...all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation” – Heb. 1:14

This has been their role throughout man’s existence.  Again, David acknowledged:

Psa. 34:7 - The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.

Psa. 103:20-21 - Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word!  Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his ministers, who do his will!

Angels act toward man and for man, depending upon what is best for man,

but ALWAYS, according to God’s will for man.

We read of the angels’ involvement toward the disobedient nation of Israel:

He fed them: Psalm 78:25 - Man ate of the bread of the angels; he sent them food in abundance.

He punished them: Psalm 78:49 – He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them.

Angels will be involved in the judgment, administering justice:

Matt. 13:41 – The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;

Notice that while Jesus also came to do the will of God for man, the angels ministered in this way for HIM, while HE was in the flesh.  We see this from Psa. 91:9-12 - "Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place— the Most High, who is my refuge—no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.  On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone."

{You remember this was the passage that Satan used out of context in temptation #2}

Accordingly, we read of Christ, that He was “guarded” by the angels (Heb. 10:5-7) "Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, ‘Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure.  Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book’."

This points us to the second characteristic of God’s Eternal Promises:

All the promises from God are in accordance with God’s eternal purpose. 

From this, we see that other specific roles were utilized so that these promises might be enjoyed: these are the apostles and the prophets.

God purposed eternal life for man prior to the creation of the heavens and the earth. We find in

Titus 1:2 – In hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began  and at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior;

The apostles and the prophets specifically labored for others so that these promises could be received by those for whom God purposed them. 

Notice that Paul was called to be an apostle in accordance with these eternal promises of God.  Later, he would write to Timothy in 2 Tim. 2:10 –

“Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory...”

The prophets were used in accordance with this great eternal purpose, so that these eternal promises might be received by those for whom God purposed them.  We read in Amos 3:7 – “…surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.”

We learn that salvation in Christ was their message: 1 Peter 1:10-12 - Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully,  inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories.  It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.

Accordingly we read that these two groups’ message/preaching is significant for those who are to receive these eternal promises.

Eph. 2:20 - And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner [stone];

Eph. 3:5 - Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;

2 Peter 3:2 - That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:

Further, we find of the relationship of God’s eternal promises and of God’s eternal purpose in Matt. 25:34: “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world’.”

This kingdom was not prepared for EVERY man, but for those “blessed by the Father”; for those “on his right”.  It was promised for THESE ONLY.  These unique people were the recipients of God’s eternal promises.

The angels, the prophets, the apostles all were commanded to act on behalf of these “blessed by the Father”.  Who are these unique people?

They are known in the Bible as God’s ELECT.  Notice:

Titus 1:1 – Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness;

Luke 18:7 – And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?

Col. 3:12 – Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;

1 Pet. 1:2 – Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.

It is these that Peter addressed in his epistle with these words:

2 Peter 1:3-11 – ³ “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, ⁴ by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. ⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, ⁶ and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness,⁷ and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. ⁸ For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. ¹⁰ Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. ¹¹ For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

Jesus’ role was first and foremost in providing these great promises to us and for us.  

Do we want them? Our acceptance is dependent upon receiving them ON HIS TERMS! 

These terms were preached by the apostles, and refer to the new birth (John 3:3, 5). 

They are found in the book of Acts.