How Should We Grow? (Part I)

Transcription

1 Our Mission: A disciple-making church that transforms lives with the gospel and love of Jesus Christ. DISCIPLESHIP SEMINARS PRESENTS How Should We Grow? (Part I) MODULE: AFTER YOU BELIEVE

2 Revision

3 The Gospel (1/3) The Problem The world, including man, has been separated from God by sin This alienation results in: - broken relationships between people - creation being cursed - most of all, death Revision 3 Graphics from

4 The Gospel (2/3) The Solution The kingdom of God ( heaven ) is coming to reclaim the world ( earth ) Jesus death/resurrection: - Secures salvation for those who trust in Him - Prove Him to be worthy of being king of the new creation Revision 4 Graphics from

5 The Gospel (3/3) The Response In faith and repentance - Faith: trusting that Jesus is the coming King - Repentance: turning away from the kingdom of sin and turning towards the kingdom of God Revision 5 Graphics from

6 Why Grow as Christians? Summary Answer: We grow as Christians to live out the gospel, i.e. that, in Jesus, the good kingdom of God is coming to overturn the bad kingdom of this world Growing as Christians is fulfilling the plan of God to renew this fallen world Revision 6

7 The Lord s Prayer

8 Literal Translation Our Father in heaven, Be hallowed the name of yours! Come the kingdom of yours! Be done the will of yours! On earth as it is in heaven 8

9 Literal Translation Our daily bread give to us this day And forgive us the debts of ours As we forgive the debtors of ours And lead us not into temptation But deliver us from the evil one. 9

10 Revision How Should We Grow?

11 Start with the End in Mind Colossians 1:3-14 Their increasing faith and love are motivated by their hope laid up for them in heaven (1:4-5) Their Christian growth (1:9-12) is in response to God who has delivered [them] from the domain of darkness and transferred [them] to the kingdom of his beloved Son (1:13) 11

12 Start with the End in Mind Colossians 1:3-14 One things that this text teaches us is that growth is empowered by aiming at the right goal for our growth 12

13 Aim at the Right Goal If Our Christian growth is our act of embodying God s kingdom in us Then we should ask What did God intend for us to do in God s kingdom? (i.e. our role) - Again, we need to return to the Bible s big storyline 13

14 Our First Role

15 Big Story: In the Beginning We already saw in last week s video that God created Eden to be a temple But if Eden is a temple, then what is Man s role? 15 Graphics from

16 Big Story: In the Beginning Genesis 2:15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work (avad, (עבד it and keep (shamar, (שמר it. These two words, when occurring together, usually are used of activities related to the tabernacle/temple. * * T.D. Alexander, From Paradise to Promised Land, 2012:

17 Example Numbers 3:7 ESV. They shall keep guard (shamar) over him and over the whole congregation before the tent of meeting, as they minister (avad) at the tabernacle. Literal translation. They shall guard a-guardover-him and a-guard-over-her, the whole community, before the tent of meeting, byworking the work of the tabernacle. 17

18 Priesthood in the Bible 5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; 6 and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel. (Exodus 19:5-6, ESV) 18

19 Priesthood in the Bible 4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. (1 Pet. 2:4-9, ESV) 19

20 Priesthood in the Bible To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood 6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. (Rev 1:5-6 ESV) 6 Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years. (Rev 20:6 ESV) 20

21 Reading the OT When we understand that priesthood is our destiny, we start to read the OT differently: Priestly law abolished with Christ s coming ( I did not come to abolish the law ) Priestly law points us forwards towards our eternal destiny as God s priests Thus, books of the Bible like Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy that concern themselves with strange priestly functions become texts that we can study to understand our own priestly functions 21

22 Leviticus 21:1-6 Restrictions on priestly uncleanness Goal: They shall be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God. ( worship) 22

23 Leviticus 21:1-9 In Mark 7:1-23, Jesus highlights the true nature of OT cleanness Pharisaic understanding Ritual condition True OT/NT Cleanness Condition of heart 1 Peter 2:9-10 Goal: 1 Peter 2:11-12, see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation 23

24 Interim Summary: Our Role as Priests So we see that in both Creation and New Creation, God intended all of his people to be his priests. Priests perform two key functions: Worship Mediation of blessing But this is not the only role God intended for Man 24

25 Our Second Role

26 Big Story: In the Beginning 26 Then God said, Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground. 27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground." (Genesis 1:26-28 NIV) 26

27 Image Kingship In the Ancient Near East world of the Bible, being the image of God meant being king* Ramses II ( BC) describes himself to his god: I am thy son whom thou hast placed upon thy throne. Thou hast assigned to me thy kingdom, thou has fashioned me in thy likeness and thy form, which thou hast assigned to me and hast created. * T.D. Alexander, From Paradise to Promised Land, 2012:

28 Kingship in the Bible 5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; 6 and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel. (Exodus 19:5-6, ESV) the whole people of Israel in God s intention [are to be] an entire nation entrust with the dual role of royalty and priesthood. * * N.T. Wright, After You Believe, 2010:80. 28

29 Kingship in the Bible 4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. (1 Pet. 2:4-9, ESV) 29

30 Kingship in the Bible The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. (Rev 3:21 ESV) 6 Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years. (Rev 20:6 ESV) 30

31 Reading the OT Likewise, when we understand that kingship is our destiny, we start to read the OT differently: Narratives about kingship point us forwards towards our eternal destiny as God s kings Thus, books of the Bible like Deuteronomy, 1/2 Samuel, 1/2 Kings, 1/2 Chronicles (and even the Prophets) that concern themselves with rise and fall of Israel s kings become texts that we can study to understand our own kingly functions 31

32 Example 1: Deut. 17:14-20 Written as a pattern for Israel s kings Two key applications for Christians today 1. Understanding who Jesus is 2. Understanding who we should be 32

33 Example 2: 2 Samuel 9: Samuel 5:4-9 Matthew 21:1-14 What does this imply for the way that we should care for the literal lame and blind today? 33

34 Interim Summary: Our Role as Kings So we see that in both Creation and New Creation, God intended all of his people to be his kings. In the OT, God calls out for His king to be just, merciful & compassionate (Is. 11:1-16) Jesus subverts earthly conceptions of kingship and shows that true kingship is embodied in love, service and sacrifice, and not in power or tyranny (Mk. 10:42-45) 34

35 Our Dual Vocation in the New Creation / God s Kingdom God s King Just, merciful, compassionate Love, service, sacrifice God s Priests Worship Mediating blessing to others 35

36 Following Jesus If our dual vocation is to be Kings and Priests, then the way we grow is by imitating Christ. For Jesus is the Kings of Kings and the Great High Priest. Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. (Mark 8:34 NIV) 36

37 Application

38 We started today s session with this question in mind: How should I grow? 38

39 Answer We should grow with this question in mind: How can I become the priest and king that God desires me to be? 39

40 Response 1. Thankfulness Be thankful for our eternal destiny as kings and priests: Allow it to motivate your Christian growth (Col. 1:4-5) Allow it to direct your Christian growth (Col. 1:9-10) Allow it to encourage you to persevere in your growth (Col. 1:11-12) 40

41 Response 2. Your Job Starts Now 2a. Your job as king starts now Love, service and sacrifice Just, merciful and compassionate 41

42 Response 2. Your Job Starts Now 2b. Your job as priest starts now Worship Mediate blessings to others Workplace Missions & Evangelism Cross-Cultural Missions Vocation as Missions Social Action 42

43 Response 3. Be honoured to be disciplemakers Be honoured that God has given you the role of being a disciplemaker You are raising up priests and kings for His name This is a privilege and an honour: mothers teaching children, retirees teaching Sunday School, young adults guiding younger adults 43

44 Response 4. Read Your OT We have already mentioned this a number of times 44

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46 Supported by an App Reading is broken up into chapters (themes) Each chapter starts with a video 46

47 Q&A Q&A

48 References After You Believe, N.T. Wright (2010) From Paradise to Promised Land, T.D. Alexander (2012) The Mission of God s People, C.J.H. Wright (2010) Heaven and Earth (video), The Bible Project (2014) (used with permission) 48