Marriage Notes

The Christian Family

By Larry Christenson

1. Introduction
2. Spiritual Authority

The topic of marriage and family is a natural follow-up to Spiritual Authority:

1. The family is the first church
2. God has given divine order and structure in the home through roles of delegated authority and submission to that authority.

 

1. Difference between Love and Marriage

There is a difference between love and marriage:

 

Love                                                               Marriage

– see only 2 people on the planet                               -link in chain of generations

– seeks only happiness                                     -post of responsibility toward people

– your own private possession                        -an office, a status

 

1. Marriage and the Kingdom

Christian marriage and family is the very image of the future kingdom of God.

This church should exhibit:

1. commands based on wisdom and gentleness
2. willing obedience
3. unity
4. mutual confidence

The Church of Jesus Christ is above the family, but there is no building up of the Church without the building up of the family.

1. Purpose of the Family

-The family is created to bring glory and honor to God.

• 127:1 “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.”
• It is His. He designed the order.  What does this mean, practically?  It determines everything from decorating, to budgeting, to disciplining your kids, to where you go on vacation.

 

1. Definitions:
2. Christian- someone who lives together with Jesus
3. Christian family- family who lives together with Jesus

 

1. God’s Order for the Family

Divine order in the family- I Cor. 11:3, Col. 3:20

 

CHRIST, head of husband,

Lord of Family

I

I

HUSBAND, “head” of the wife, ————————

chief authority over children                                I

I                                                           I

I                                                           I

WIFE, helpmeet to husband (Gen.2:18)              I

Secondary authority over children                     I

\                          I

\                        I

\                    v

——–  Children, obey your parents

 

III. God’s Order for Mates

1. Intro

Gen. 2:24  One flesh- to “cleave” to one another covers every aspect of relationship between husband and wife.

 

The man was not complete in himself, when man and woman came together in marriage, they met God’s ideal of completeness.

 

1. The Role of Sex
2. Sex was not invented by Hollywood, but God.
3. God gave specific boundaries for our benefit.
4. Views of Sex:
5. Greek Dualism- sex is evil, physical, but necessary for procreation.
6. Overspiritualize Sex-
7. Purposes
8. Procreation
9. Physical and emotional pleasure
10. Bonding as a couple
11. Not to solve other problem areas of marriage
12. Fulfillment of obligation I Cor. 7:4  It is ok to do as a duty

 

1. Separation and Divorce
2. Society’s View- marriage is a contract, it can be broken
3. God’s View
4. 19:4-6 What God has joined together…
5. 2 God hates divorce
6. Exceptions
7. 5:32 adultery
8. I Cor. 7:15 abandonment

*Read Bonhoeffer’s book, p. 25, alsoMartin Luther’s quote

3. Divorce

If marriage is forever, then an unhappy marriage is an evil of great magnitude.  What about unhappy marriages?  Divorce can be worse!

Mtt. 19:6 “What God has joined together let no man put asunder.”

Tampering with this instruction brings great peril.

 

Mutual Esteem

Definition: Respect, have high regard for

1. Respect and appreciation of each one’s place in the relationship are the primary conditions of happiness in marriage.
2. Esteem is an essential element of love. Without it, love changes to passion.
3. Without esteem, the husband’s tenderness and concern can be dependent on the way she looks or how he feels that day.
4. Without esteem, the wife’s mood will determine her respect for him, or his meeting her expectations will determine her esteem for him.
5. “As high as God is above man so high is the …promise of marriage above the …promise of love.” ***It is not your love that sustains marriage, but… the marriage sustains your love.

– India still has arranged marriages and a very low divorce rate~5%

– America bases marriage on romance, and has a 50% divorce rate

6. Love is not the basis for marriage, but the outcome of a successful marrige.
7. What is love? I Cor. 13:4-8a
8. The real joy in marriage comes from giving, not getting. Because it is a model of Christ and His Church, both of which give to each other.

 

God’s Order for Husbands

1. Sacrifice yourself for her- agape: love expressed through sacrifice
2. Care for her spiritual welfare-
3. Go the way of the Cross before her- the husband always leads in apologizing
4. Exercise authority in humility- the hardest thing for men is to fulfill their responsibility of running the family; the wife’s hardest thing is to let them, and                                 not usurp that role.

God’s Order for Wives

1. Submission- A Necessity
2. 5:22-24 Wife is addressed first in the instruction.
3. Not inferior, but in submission
4. This brings protection and harmony in the home. (Catherine Marshall quote)
5. Freedom in Submission
6. Prov. 31
7. When the husband fulfills his role (Col. 3:19), she feels freedom in submission.

 

The Antichrist and Other Events from Daniel

Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2017

Dan. 7

The vision of Daniel in this chapter has to do with the successive kingdoms which we saw in ch. 2: Babylonians, Medo-Persian, Greek, and then lastly, Roman. The last kingdom, Rome, will return to power in the last days. This does not have to be the Roman Empire like the Biblical times, but an empire rising within the boundaries of the old Roman domain.

1. We see that this is a confederation of 10 nations. 7:24-25
   1. “time, times, and half a time” is understood as 3 ½ years.
   2. The leader will control three of the nations and persecute the saints (could be either the Jews or Gentile Christians) v. 21,25
   3. Some believe the Antichrist must come from a part of the Greek Empire that overlaps the Roman empire. This would be Greece, Turkey, Syria, or Egypt. 8:8-9 (This is the description of the 4 parts of the Greek Empire that also includes the Roman empire.)
2. Alexander the Great’s empire covered the modern countries of: Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Greece, Jordan, Israel, Egypt. 11:40-12:1
3. Roman Empire included the modern countries of: Turkey, Greece, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Israel, Egypt, and for a brief time, parts of Iran. 7:19-22
4. Antiochus Epiphanes conquered Jerusalem around 170 B.C., and fulfilled most of the parts of this prophecy. Then why do we believe this has a double fulfillment? We will see in ch. 9 of Daniel. For now, let me say that this event occurring long ago does not negate it being an end-times prophecy.
5. The reason we cannot consign all of Daniel’s teaching to Antiochus Epiphanes is Jesus refers to these same signs as being still to come: Matt. 24:15 “Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place, then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains….”
   1. While some believe this refers to A.D. 70, when the temple was destroyed (prophesied by Jesus, that “not one stone would be left on another), some of it would not line up with the prophecy.
   2. Most Protestant Bible teachers believe there is yet another, more complete fulfillment to Dan. 9:27. We see the same time period also in Dan. 7:25, 12:7, Rev. 11:2-3, 12:6-7,14, Rev. 13:5
6. So, what is an Antichrist? He is part of the unholy trinity: the dragon (Satan), the Antichrist, who rules, and the False Prophet, who is the religious aspect of the group, and encourages worship of the Antichrist and his image.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. Similarities between the Islamic Mahdi and the Antichrist:

 

 

 

So, let’s answer some popular questions re: the Antichrist-

1. Is he alive today? We have no way of knowing.
2. Does he know he is the antichrist? He may. If not, he will become aware when he is “mortally wounded,” recovers, and receives authority from the dragon (Satan) in Rev. 13:1-5.
3. Does he rule the whole earth? Most people say, “Yes.” I’m not sure that is correct, though it could be. Dan. 11:41 says these countries will escape him. Also he will rule over a 10 nation empire, not the earth. The most forceful point in arguing his rule over the entire world is

Rev. 13:8-14

All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

⁹ If anyone has an ear, let him hear. ¹⁰ He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

The Beast from the Earth

¹¹ Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. ¹² And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. ¹³ He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. ¹⁴ And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived.

This certainly seems to indicate worldwide domination, and it could certainly be true. But this term, “those who dwell on the earth” is a specific group of people. One translation calls them, “earth dwellers.” Aren’t we all? No, the other group are “those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” (13:8) A census was taken “of the whole earth” when Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem. But it was not the whole earth, it was the whole earth under control of the Roman Empire.

Also, the period after the Great Tribulation is going to see many people still living on earth, farming, having families, etc.. These cannot have the mark of the Beast, for they would have been sent to hell at the Battle of Armageddon, as near as we can tell.

The Mind

Renewing the Mind

Intro:

Our minds are the location of our perception, understanding, feeling, and judgment. It is the seat of our reflective consciousness. Tonight we are going to talk about the mindset and attitude behind our actions.

Eph. 4:17-24 (NKJV) “This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of you mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”

(Eph. 4:17-24 NLT) “With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. 18 Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. 19 They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.

   20 But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. 21 Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, 22 throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. 23 Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.

1. The Christian Mind

We cannot physically see the change in the mind of the believer. Rather, we see the result, the change in the area of attitude, shown by our deeds and feelings.

The Christian is given several admonitions in attitude by Paul:

• 1:6-7 “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Trusting God’s keeping power
• 3:14-15 “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things.” The mind of the overcomer
• 2:2, 4:2 “…make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.” In 4:2, Paul is encouraging two sisters in the church, who have helped him in the past, to get along.
• 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything….” Free from anxiety
• 4:19 “Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” A mindset of thanksgiving
• 2:5-8

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

1. Both Adam and Lucifer wanted to “grasp equality” with God. This happens whenever we put our agenda ahead of the Lord’s.
2. Next we see the attitude or mindset of a servant. This includes servanthood both to the Lord and to our fellow man. If a person is truly God’s servant, they will see they are also a servant of their fellow man.
3. In v. 8, we see in the mind of the believer humility. It does not say the humility came from an outside source, but in self-humility. Since pride is the origin of all sin and an abomination before the Lord, humility willingly entered into must be of great value to God.
4. That Jesus had to be obedient to death, and that he learned this obedience through suffering (Heb. 5), is a message to us that our obedience is of great importance to the Father.

We cleanse our minds by:

Washing of the water of the Word- Eph. 5:26

“Cutting the nerve to our instinctive actions” Rom. 8:13 JBP

1. The mind of the unbeliever

Eph. 4:17-22 NKJV

that you should no longer walk as the rest of^[d] the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind,¹⁸ having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; ¹⁹ who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

²⁰ But you have not so learned Christ,²¹ if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: ²² that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,²³ and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, ²⁴ and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

Eph. 4:17-22 NLT

With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. ¹⁸ Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. ¹⁹ They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.

²⁰ But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. ²¹ Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, ²² throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.

The unbeliever’s mind is deceitful (Col. 2:18), corrupt, and futile, or “useless.” It is devoid of sensitivity, indulging in various forms of impurity, and continually lusting for more.  Rom. 8:7-8 tells us “For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. 8 That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.” (NLT)  This is the cause of many people not understanding why they never have victory, never sense the joy of the Lord in their lives, and wonder why “This doesn’t work for me.” This explains why many in churches are dissatisfied- they have never had their mind renewed. It is important to note, the carnal-minded person is not only headed toward death, but is already carrying the seed of destruction in them.(Phil. 3:19)

Col. 3:8-10 (NIV) ² Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. ³ For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.⁴ When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

⁵ Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.⁶ Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. ⁷ You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.⁸ But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.⁹ Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices ¹⁰ and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

III. Rom. 8:13  The Result of a Carnal Mind

“For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” NLT “13 For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. Rom. 8 tells us that the carnal man is a dead man, dead in soul. Paul leaves us a stark comparison again in Rom. 12:2 “Do not be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewing of you mind…”

The carnal, or unchanged mind, is full of bitterness, rage, and anger (Eph. 4:31). There is an attitude of lust and deceitfulness of desires (Eph. 4:19-22). How does this show itself?

1. The Tree of knowledge of Good and Evil

Gen. 3:6 “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food,(desire of the flesh) was pleasant to the eyes, (the desire of the eye) and a tree desirable to make one wise…” (pride of life) What is wrong with wanting good food, appealing to the eyes makes it more desirable, and wanting to be wise? Nothing. But God had determined how each of these desires was to be met. Eve, then Adam, chose their own path. Each person will say either, “Thy will be done,” or “My will be done.” And that sums up the difference in carnal living vs. spirit-led living.

I Jn. 2:15-16 “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world- the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life- is not of the Father but is of the world.” V. 15 here makes us uncomfortable, but it is God’s word- if we love the things of the world, the love of the Father is not in us. Period. 5:19 states the “whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.”

Ja. 4:1-4 “   1 What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? 2 You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. 3 And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.  4 You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.”

James goes further, telling us the carnal man is not only a dead man, he is a devil of a man, at war with God. Every man is under the influence of one of these dominating spheres- carnality or the Spirit of God.

1. King Saul- A Case Study in Carnal Living

Saul, chosen by God to be the first king of Israel, disobeys the direct order of God through the prophet, Samuel. Why? Because he decided to honor the people ahead of God. It made sense to him. In other words, his idea was better and made more sense than God’s. See his attitude in the midst of this. In  I Sam. 15:12, we discover after disobeying, Saul makes a statue to himself. People now make statues or other forms of self-congratulations and worship- some of the monuments to the popes in the Vatican were ordered built to their glory- so human nature doesn’t change. Saul is clueless as to his standing before God- thus the deceit of sin. While standing in the path of God’s judgment, he sees himself doing well. When confronted, he denies any wrongdoing- he simply doesn’t see how doing things that makes sense to him, though refusing God’s command, is a problem. This brings to mind Matt. 7:21-23, where the people have no idea they stand facing judgment, deceived as to their spiritual condition. Matt. 25 shows the “goats” not aware of their callous treatment of the poor making any difference to the Lord.

What should be the Christian Mindset?

Last week, we looked at the mind of the natural man, also called the “carnal,” or “fleshly,” man. That mindset consisted of:

• Filled with deceit Eph. 4:17-24
• Discontented and full of rage Eph. 4:31
• Hostile to the Laws of God I Jn. 2:15-16, Rom. 8:7-8

What then does the Christian mindset look like?

1. Being like-minded, and willing to cooperate with others in the Body of Christ.

Phil. 2:2 “fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.”  In a specific circumstance involving two women in the church, Paul encourages them to “be of the same mind in the Lord.” Phil. 4:2

1. Putting others first Phil. 2:3

“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit.”

-This takes our agenda out of the way. We saw last week in James 4 where this leads:

“Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? 2 You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. 3 And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.  4 You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.”

“…but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.”

-When I treat others like they are more important than I am, I will have no problem with not having my way. But isn’t there the danger of being “run over” by others? Not if we are led by the Spirit. Sometimes the spiritual answer to being asked to do something is, “I can’t.” I am already too committed, and need to rest.” I find this not to be a problem in the church currently. Most people are so involved in their personal lives there is little time for service to the church.

Let me give you a definition of being “like-minded.” When a decision is made to do something, and it is not how you wanted, you help and contribute as if it was exactly your idea in the first place. That is being like-minded.”

Serving others, that is, “submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.” Eph. 5:21 This makes clear the motive for our service.

III. Pressing on 

Phil. 3:12 “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.” Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

As Christians we never quit. Matt. 7:7 Keep asking, seeking, knocking, and the door will be opened to you!

In Heb. 12:2 we see Jesus endured- He endured the Cross with all its shame, looking to the joy before Him.

1. Summary of the Carnal Mind and the Spiritual Mind

The Carnal Mind  Phil. 3:18-19 “For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame- who set their mind on earthly things.”

The Spiritual Mind 

Col. 3:1-17  “Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand.

2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. 3 For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.

4 And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory. 5 So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.

6 Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming. 7 You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. 8 But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language.

9 Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. 10 Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. 11 In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.

12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.

15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.   16 Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.

17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.”

 

 

 

 

 

Martin Lloyd-Jones on Discerning Causes of Problems

Martin Lloyd-Jones on Dealing with Dysfunctional People

Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones

He uses the order – physical, spiritual, psychological, demonic – intentionally, noting that this is the order that he followed in his attempted diagnoses throughout most of his ministry.

 

1. Physical Problems

1) Diagnosis

• “The first question I always ask myself is, ‘Is it physical?’ I wish to emphasize this, because there are some to whom it never occurs that the whole cause may be physical” (p. 148).

He goes on to cite several examples in which nervous conditions and spiritual crises have been caused by physical ailments.

2) Treatment

His way of dealing with physical issues is to have the ailing person seek good medical treatment (p. 167).

1. Spiritual Problems

1) Diagnosis

• “The second question I ask myself is this: ‘If it is not physical, is it spiritual?’…What do I mean by a spiritual problem? It is one which can be dealt with entirely in spiritual terms. For example, the commonest problem is lack of assurance. Many are troubled about this. Others are concerned about some particular sin and how they can be rid of it. Or it may be the memory of a particular sin, or of an incident of blasphemy, or sin against the Holy Spirit, or some serious lapse in conduct” (p. 151).

• “I have always found that with persons in this spiritual category there is a clear diagnostic point. They always show a readiness to listen and they almost jump at any of the verses quoted which give them relief. They hold on to what will really bring comfort and release. One must not be put off by their appearing at first to demur a little, with a, ‘Yes, but…’ They are really doing this in hope that you can go on to make your case still stronger. They want you to make your case and in my experience it is a diagnostic pointer to those in this group” (pp. 152-153).

2) Treatment

Patient, repetitive Scriptural, pastoral counseling using the Bible and Christian wisdom derived from the Bible:

• “…There is need for detailed proof. What I mean here is, that one must be precise and detailed in bring to bear the scriptural arguments. The impression that one can just pat them on the back and tell them ‘Don’t worry’ is not only wrong, it can be real cruelty. We need to be very patient. We may need to go over the same arguments more than once. There may need to be a number of visits, but you must keep on and on” (p. 168).

1. Psychological Problems

• “The third category…is the psychological. I use that general term, but if you prefer it, it could be ‘mental illness’” (p. 153).

• “It is necessary for us to work with those in this field who have to establish the reality of mental illness, otherwise we are going to be guilty of great cruelty to some of those who come to consult us” (p. 155).

• “Why would I affirm the reality of such illness? I suggest that the familiar (hereditary) element in the case histories alone is sufficient to establish it. Another fact is the periodicity so characteristic of many cases…Not only that, but there are many cases of mental illness which do not respond at all to spiritual, scriptural treatment, and indeed, are even made worse by this” (p. 156).

He cites specific cases for proof, and references Richard Baxter’s book, The Cure of Melancholy and Overmuch Sorrow (click the link for the full text), extensively (you can see my thoughts on that book HERE).

1) Diagnosis

• “I think that you will find almost invariably that those who are mentally ill do not really listen to you. You quote Scripture, they do not listen. They keep repeating the same statements and give the impression that they are waiting for you to finish so that they can say their piece over again. This is almost invariable. You notice the difference as compared with those in spiritual trouble. The latter are anxious to have help. The others are not. I always feel with them that I am a kind of tangent to a circle. One never penetrates, they are almost impatient and go on repeating the same thing” (p 158).

2) Treatment

First, do not try to be a psychologist, especially of the Freudian kind (p. 168). They may need to see a physician/specialist. An appropriate prescription medication may be precisely what they need (but we are not able to decide that). Lloyd-Jones goes on to make a strong case for medical treatment for psychological cases. He relates brain chemistry to other physical ailments:

• “If it is right to use insulin in replacement therapy for the pancreas, why is it wrong to take tablets which influence the good chemistry of the brain? I think we must get hold of the concept that mental illness is really something that has an ‘organic’ basis. It is something that can be explained chemically” (p. 169)

After making his argument, his conclusion is:

• “We can, therefore, reassure those who believe that it is sinful to take drugs which relate to brain function that, where clinical trial and proper use have shown them to be valuable, they should be received with thanksgiving. All things in nature and scientific knowledge are the gifts of God and should be used to his glory” (p. 172).

*Note: Remember that Lloyd-Jones is not calling for the mass medicating of the masses – he is talking specifically about those who are clearly mentally ill according to the diagnostic pattern that he has set forth. ADHD, childhood manic depressive disorder, and the like were not even a blip on his radar screen when he gave this talk in 1974. He is specifically speaking of adults showing clear signs of mania or major depression.

 

1. Demonic Problems

• “This brings us to my last category which is ‘the demonic.’ Am I confronted in this case with the physical or the spiritual or the psychological or the truly ‘demonic’?” (p. 158).

The Doctor goes on to make his case for the present reality of demonic activity in this world. He then distinguishes between ‘demonic oppression’ and ‘demonic possession.’

1) Demonic Oppression

1. a) Diagnosis

He argues that demonic oppression usually consists of attacks on believers, and he gives his diagnostic points:

• “What are they? First, the sudden onset of the condition; second, it was something unexpected in this type of person, and something that they had never had before. Suddenly…excellent people are changed and become more or less useless. There is always a suggestion of an occult opposition to the work of God which they are doing, as if an enemy is out to spoil or stop it (pp. 162-163). Another diagnostic element is extreme weakness…Then the last diagnostic point is that they, of course, make no response to any medical treatment, no matter what it is. They also baffle all those who treat them medically or psychiatrically” (pp. 164-165).

1. b) Treatment

• “…I do not hesitate to say this – you will always be able to deliver them by reasoning with them out of the Scriptures. I do not mean by just quoting Scripture but deploying the whole basic arguments of Scripture concerning salvation, calling and service” (p. 168).

2) Demonic Possession

1. a) Diagnosis

• “Then there are cases which can only be regarded as demon possession…What are the diagnostic points in these cases? You generally find a history of dabbling with spiritualism or the occult in some form. It may have been back in their childhood, or during teenage [years], that they have been introduced to the occult and experimented with occult phenomena. They may also have experimented with drugs” (p. 165).

• “One clear diagnostic point is that one becomes aware of a dual personality” (p. 165).

• “A still more significant pointer is their reaction to the name of our Lord. I always tell ministers who are confronted by the duty of treating such cases to use the phrase – ‘Jesus Christ is come in the flesh’ and to note the reaction. Talk to them of ‘the blood of Christ’ and you will generally find that they will react quite violently to this” (p. 166).

1. b) Treatment

• “If it is demonic the choice of the correct treatment is not difficult. There is nothing that one [can] do but to seek…divine aid for the exorcism of the evil spirit. There is, as you know, a Church of England service of exorcism. The late Bishop of Exeter has produced a booklet which, in my opinion, explains this all very well indeed. It teaches clearly what should be done and not done” (p. 167).

The booklet he references (Exorcism: The Report of a Commission Convened by the Bishop of Exeter (1972)) is available for free online HERE.

____________________________________________________________

The book, Healing and the Scriptures, is available HERE (used copies are cheap at the moment). Plus, the actual talk on which the chapter is based is available (for free) at the MLJ Trust website in two parts: PART 1, Part 2. If this post peaked your interest at all, I encourage you to listen to the talks, and, better yet, get the book.

 

 

“… on the night He was betrayed….”

“…on the Night in Which He was Betrayed….”

Hindu Smart Girl 0:00-2:35

Intro:

Have you ever been betrayed? Betrayal is defined as: to be unfaithful, to violate a confidence. Many of us have felt the sting of betrayal. Betrayal can come from a loved one, a company we’ve worked at for years, or even other believers.

Jesus was not the first person to suffer from betrayal in Scripture. Abel, Joseph, and Moses knew the taste of being betrayed.

David wrote a psalm where his emotions come through clearly on the topic:

“Malicious witnesses testify against me. They accuse me of crimes I know nothing about. They repay me evil for good. I am sick with despair. Yet when they were ill, I grieved for them. I denied myself by fasting for them, but my prayers returned unanswered. I was sad, as though they were my friends or family as if I were grieving for my own mother.” Ps. 35:11-14 (NLT)

Here is David again, in Ps. 55:12-14,

“For it is not an enemy who reproaches me; then I could bear it. Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me. Then I could hide from him. But it was you, a man my equal; my companion and my acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together, and walked to the house of God in the throng….” Put another way, “If a stranger had done this I might have been able to accept it. But I trusted you!”

“This isn’t the neighborhood bully mocking me—I could take that.
This isn’t a foreign devil spitting invective—I could tune that out.
It’s you! We grew up together! You! My best friend!
Those long hours of leisure as we walked arm in arm, God a third party to our conversation.” (Message)

QUESTION:    How do we handle being betrayed?

Do we isolate, strike back, get depressed? Do we put up walls; barriers to make sure no one can ever again hurt us?

 One thing we don’t want to do is lash out at others because we were betrayed. “Hurt people hurt people!”

Another lady who felt the sting of betrayal was Mary, the brother of Lazarus. She felt betrayed by the Lord! Can you hear the pain in her voice: “If you had been here my brother would not have died.”?  Don’t let the betrayal change you! You cannot control being betrayed, but you can control your reaction to it.

HERE IS HOW THE LORD WANTS US TO DEAL WITH BETRAYAL:

1. Kept Being Thankful. (I Cor. 11:24)
   1. Jesus gave thanks and broke the bread, which represented His life. I spoke on this a few months ago during communion. But how special that He is giving thanks “on the night in which He was betrayed….”
   2. Like the 10 lepers, it’s hard to find people who are grateful even when they get good news, like being healed. Imagine how difficult to find those who are thankful even when they are being betrayed! Not thankful for the betrayal, but thankful through the treachery.
2. Kept Being Connected
   1. Jesus ate with His friends. He did not fear further rejection (though it came- all but one abandoned Him at the Cross, and His closest three friends slept while he was in agonizing prayer). He stayed open to them. Not only that, but in Jn. 15:15, He strengthens their relationship from Teacher/ Student to “Friends.”
3. Kept Serving (Jn. 13:1-10)
   1. Jesus stayed “outward looking.” When we are hurt, often we wish to turn inward. That’s understandable, but not healthy.
   2. Jesus did not just serve- He took the most menial duty of a servant. If we are hurt, sometimes we respond by trying to convince everyone of our importance. Jesus didn’t want a title, He wanted a towel.
   3. When we are hurt, one of the best things we can do is find someone we can help. Help in Children’s Church, go with our team to the Nursing Homes, bring food to someone who is sick, or go volunteer where there is a need. It will get our eyes off our problems and hurts, and back on a needy world that the Lord loves.
4. Kept Believing
   1. Jesus knew the Father would be there for Him. He said He could ask and receive a legion of angels to come help Him if He wanted.
   2. That Hindu girl we saw in the video kept believing. And this is what happened: 2:35-5:45
5. Kept Singing (Matt. 26:30)

Can you imagine, in the middle of being deceived, an object of treachery, finding those you trusted to be disloyal, can you imagine singing???

Singing is a powerful thing.

• We can receive direction from the Lord (II Ki. 3:15)
• We put down roots in the Word of God (Col. 3:16)
• We testify to the lost (Ps. 105:1-2)
• We are strengthened for future trials (Ac. 16:25)
• We receive joy (Ps. 5:11)

What did Jesus and the disciples sing?

1. They sang Ps. 118, the last “Passover Song” of the night. Look at some of these verses, that had been sung for Passovers for hundreds of years prior to that nigh
2. In the middle of Jesus’ greatest trial, He sang,
3. (have the congregation stand and recite these verses)
   1. 6 “The Lord is on my side, I will not fear. What can man do to me?
   2. 17 “I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord!”
   3. 24  “This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it!”
   4. 26 “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! We have blessed you from the house of the Lord!”
   5. 28 “You are my God, and I will praise you. You are my God, I will exalt you!”
   6. 29 “Oh, give thanks to the Lord for He is good! For His mercy endures forever!”

    

   Singing songs of victory in the middle of betrayal testifies of God’s faithfulness. Ps. 30:11-12 “you have turned for me my mourning into dancing, you have put off my sackcloth, and clothed me with gladness, to the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever!”

Abbreviated Version of the Assemblies of God Position on Divorce and Remarriage (from ag.org position papers)

The Nature of Divorce

1. God hates divorce. God’s attitude toward divorce is nowhere stated more clearly than in Malachi 2:14-16:

…[T]he Lord is acting as the witness between you and the wife of your youth, because you have broken faith with her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant. Has not the Lord made them one? In flesh and spirit they are his. And why one? Because he was seeking godly offspring. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith with the wife of your youth. ‘I hate divorce,’ says the Lord God of Israel, ‘and I hate a man’s covering himself with violence as well as with his garment,’ says the Lord Almighty. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith.

This passage shows that divorce is treachery (deceitful unfaithfulness) against one’s companion. It is also described as violent, coming from a wrong spirit. Perhaps worst of all, it impairs the nurture of children born to the marriage whom the parents are obligated to rear as believers in a godly home. Broken homes are most often detrimental to children.

As noted above, Jesus made explicit what was previously implicit, “Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate” (Matthew 19:6; cf. v.8). Divorce was not a part of God’s original intention for humanity. His purposes in marriage are hindered when the marital covenant is deliberately broken. The divine purpose can only be realized as the husband and wife subject themselves to Christ and each other, as described in Ephesians 5:21-31.

God’s hatred for divorce, however, is not to be interpreted as condemnation of those who themselves are not at fault, but have been divorced and victimized by the ungodly actions of their spouses. The divorce laws and teachings of the Old Testament were designed to add a measure of protection for the innocent, not to heap guilt upon the victims of circumstances over which they had little or no control.

2. The Law regulated divorce. The Law recognized the fact that divorce was already taking place in Israel, as were many other sinful practices common to the ancient world. In those times, women were under the authority of their husbands and, without legal recourse of their own, might be abandoned to starvation or prostitution on a mere whim. In giving Israel the Law, God met His people where they were in a pagan region, put restrictions on their sinful practices, protected the weak and innocent, and attempted to direct them in ways loving and just. The Old Testament divorce law was thus a necessary hedge against human sinfulness. The Law provided that, while the husband was the only one who could initiate divorce, he could do so only under carefully prescribed circumstances (Deuteronomy 24:1-4; cf. 22:13-19, 28,29; Genesis 21:8-21).

The regulative nature of the Law is seen in the confrontation between Jesus and the Pharisees who erred in saying Moses commanded that a man give a certificate of divorce to his wife, thus freeing him to send her away (Matthew 19:1-9). Jesus pointed out that Moses only permitted (epitrepo) them to divorce their wives—but even then not for “every cause” as was commonly practiced at the time (Matthew 19:3,7,8). Jesus accurately read the divorce provisions of Deuteronomy 24:1-4 where the Hebrew is a simple sequence that does not command divorce, but simply recognizes that it happens under certain circumstances.

3. Jesus forbade divorce as contrary to God’s will and word. He made this clear in Matthew19:5,6 and Mark 10:6-9, “Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.” The partner, or partners, responsible for breaking the marriage covenant is guilty of adultery (see Mark 10:11).
4. Paul forbade Christian couples to divorce. “To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord [Paul had an actual saying of Jesus to back this up]): A wife must not separate from her husband. But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife” (1 Corinthians 7:10,11). Paul recognized that some Christians were getting divorces, but apparently for invalid reasons. Therefore, he commanded, in these cases, that they keep the way open for reconciliation.
5. Paul forbade Christians to take the initiative in divorce simply because their partner was an unbeliever. It appears that some new converts were eager to do exactly that.

To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord) [Paul was indeed speaking under the inspiration of the Spirit; he merely refers to the fact that he has no actual saying ofJesus on this subject]: If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him [as a faithful wife], he must not divorce her. And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. … But if the unbeliever leaves, let him do so. A believing man or woman is not bound [not enslaved] in such circumstances” (1 Corinthians 7:12-15, emphasis added).

While making every effort to preserve the marriage, when the unbelieving spouse was definitely unwilling to continue, the believer should not, at all costs, attempt to restrain him/her. In these cases, abandonment, by implication, may be interpreted as grounds for divorce and remarriage.

6. Jesus permitted a Christian to initiate a divorce when “marital unfaithfulness” was involved.

I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery (Matthew 5:32; see also Matthew 19:9).

The Greek word translated “marital unfaithfulness” in these passages is porneia, which would certainly include adultery in the context of these sayings (a porne was a prostitute). However, porneia is a broad term for sexual immorality of various kinds, often habitual, both before and after marriage (Mark 7:21; Acts 15:20; 1 Corinthians 5:1; 6:18; Galatians 5:19; Ephesians 5:3; 1 Thessalonians 4:3). In stating the exception, Matthew did not use moicheia, the Greek noun for adultery. (Jesus did differentiate between porneia and moicheia elsewhere [Matthew 15:19; Mark 7:21] and the verb moicheuo is used in Matthew 5:32;19:9 to describe the actions of the sinful party who forces the divorce without a valid cause.)

Matthew used porneia in 5:32 and 19:9 to translate the Hebrew ‘erwâ (“something indecent”) found in Deuteronomy 24:1. It was this Old Testament passage that lay behind Jesus’ teaching and his dispute with the Pharisees. The root meaning of ‘erwâ has to do with “uncovering” and “exposure” of, among other things, the genitalia (Genesis 9:22,23). So the “indecency” of Deuteronomy 24:1 appears to have been some kind of sexual immorality, or indecency, short of adultery (for which the adulterer would have been stoned; cf. Deuteronomy 22:22). The broad semantic range of ‘erwâ is also characteristic of porneia; both words are general and appear purposefully to include a variety of immoral practices. For example, the Holiness Codes of Leviticus 18 condemned such sex acts as incest, adultery, homosexuality, and bestiality.

In Matthew 5:31,32 and 19:8,9, Jesus spoke of the man’s initiative in divorcing an immoral partner. In Jewish society, normally, only the man had that legal right—though certain upper-class women, as Herodias, seem to have done so (Matthew 14:3; note that in Mark 10:11,12, Jesus warns both sexes against groundless divorces). Clearly, the spiritual principle applies for either men or women. Moreover, it should be noted that Jesus granted permission to divorce only under specific circumstances where sexual immorality was involved. He did not, however, issue a command to divorce, since such action would rule out any possibility of reconciliation.

To be sure, a few scholars, drawing from ancient church tradition, believe that divorce is always forbidden, even when the spouses of innocent believers are guilty ofrepeated sexual immorality. These scholars narrowly restrict Jesus’ exception as stated in Matthew to rare, unlawful unions. In this view, there are no cases when, after dissolving these unlawful unions, remarriage is permitted. These innocent parties are not free to remarry until and unless the offending former spouse dies.

From another tack, many higher critical scholars insist that Matthew, in this case, put an exception in Jesus’ mouth that He never really spoke. However, the exception clauses in Matthew are well supported in the earliest texts of the Gospel and these two occurrences (Matthew 5:32; 19:9) are to be regarded as dependable words of the Lord.

It is seldom, if ever, that any single passage gives all aspects of truth on any single theme. To come to an understanding of any truth, we must take the whole of what the Bible teaches, and that is the intent of this paper.

 

Remarriage establishes a new marriage covenant. While Scripture makes it clear that errant spouses who sinfully break their marriage covenant do commit adultery, Scripture never places such guilt on the innocent partner. Those who argue that an innocent believer continuously commits sin by living in a new marriage have not a single shred of biblical evidence. Jesus clearly assumed that those who were divorced by sinful spouses, or those who divorced sinful spouses for “marital uncleanness” or abandonment, were free to remarry without any tinge of adultery. However, believers are to remarry one who “belong[s] to the Lord” (1 Corinthians 7:39) and the new marriage covenant is to be permanent.

“The Old Landlord” by Larry Christenson

THE OLD LANDLORD
by Larry Christenson, from “The Renewed Mind”

Think of yourself as living in an apartment house.  You live there under a landlord who has made your life miserable.  He charges you exorbitant rent.  When you can’t pay, he loans you money at a fearful rate of interest, to get you even further into his debt.  He barges into your apartment at all hours of the day and night, wrecks and dirties the place up, then charges you extra for not maintaining the premises.  Your life is miserable.

Then comes Someone who says, “I’ve taken over this apartment house.  I’ve purchased it.  You can live here as long as you like, free.  The rent is paid up.  I am going to be living here with you, in the manager’s apartment.”

What a joy!  You are saved!  You are delivered out of the clutches of the old landlord!

But what happens?  You hardly have time to rejoice in your new-found freedom, when a knock comes at the door.  And there he is – the old landlord!  Mean, glowering, and demanding as ever.  He has come for the rent, he says.

What do you do?  Do you pay him?  Of course you don’t!  Do you go out and pop him on the nose?  No – he’s bigger than you are!

You confidently tell him, “You’ll have to take that up with the new Landlord.”  He may bellow, threaten, wheedle, and cajole.  You just quietly tell him, “Take it up with the new Landlord.”  If he comes back a dozen times, with all sorts of threats and arguments, waving legal-looking documents in your face, you simply tell him yet once again, “Take it up with the new Landlord.”  In the end he has to.  He knows it, too.  He just hopes that he can bluff and threaten and deceive you into doubting that the new Landlord will really take care of things.

Now this is the situation of a Christian.  Once Christ has delivered you from the power of sin and the devil, you can depend on it: that old landlord will soon come back knocking at your door.  And what is your defense?  How do you keep him from getting the whip hand over you again?  You send him to the new Landlord.  You send him to Jesus.

 

A Personal Testimony

When this first broke in upon me, I was out mowing the lawn.  Suddenly I realized the implication of this simple truth:  If Christ has set me free, then I am free indeed!  I don’t have to entertain all the negative impressions that come knocking at the door of my mind.  I don’t have to let that old landlord come barging in, waving all his bills in my face.  So I consciously claimed my deliverance in Christ, and then I waited.

Sure enough, the old landlord was right there, knocking at the door.  The thought came into my mind: “When are you going to find time for any reading and studying when the fall program begins at church?  You are going to be snowed under!”  But now I realized that this wasn’t my thought.  This was a thought which was trying to infiltrate my mind, get me to accept it, so it could hold a club over my head.  This was the old landlord, trying to collect from me a bill marked “Worry.”

“You’ll have to take that up with Jesus,” I told him.

He began to enumerate a few more details, telling me how impossible the fall schedule was going to be.  But I told him again, “That may all be true, but will you take it up with Jesus, please?”  He went reluctantly.  He knew I was right.  “Cast all your anxieties on him, for he cares about you” (1 Peter 5:7)

He didn’t stay away long.  He was back a few moments later.

“Say, I want to come in and talk with you about those people that have been telling lies about you.”  He had a nice friendly smile on his face.  He oozed concern.  But I saw what he had behind his back:  A big fat bill marked “Self-pity.”

“Take it up with Jesus,” I told him.

“They may get you in real trouble!”  His voice took on a little edge, and I saw that he had another bill lurking behind his back marked “Fear.”

The same answer: “Take it up with Jesus.”  That’s the way I handle temptation now.  Not will-power, not strength of character, not making a flock of resolutions.  Just: “Take it to Jesus.”

The old landlord must have come back a couple of hundred times that first hour, while I was out mowing the lawn.  I never realized before what a playground for Satan our minds can become.  But here’s the point, and the power: we don’t have to let him in!  Christ has delivered us, really delivered us.  When these thoughts come knocking at the door of our mind, we can quietly send them on to Jesus.

Don’t argue with them.  That’s letting them get one foot in the door.  (That was Eve’s trouble – she got into a conversation with the Tempter.)  Before the conversation even gets under way, quietly and confidently say, “Take that up with Jesus.”

 

THE OLD LANDLORD  –  Part 2 by Larry Christenson, from “The Renewed Mind” “Four Practical Tips” 1. Don’t let your feelings fool you.  Feelings are one of the old landlord’s strongest weapons.  When he waves these things in your face, it will stir up all the old feelings you had before Christ delivered you – fear, doubt, guilt, lust, anxiety, despair.  The old feelings will be right there, and strong.  Don’t be afraid of them.  Simply do not follow them.  Rather, just quietly tell that thought, “Take the whole matter up with Jesus.”  It may take some persistence on your part, but eventually he will leave.  He has to.  You have the Name of Power. When Christ sets you free, it’s like pulling a big weed out by the roots.  There are little troughs left in the earth, where the roots used to be.  These don’t cover over at once.  So what does the Enemy do?  He beams a thought into your mind.  He lays it right in the trough where the old root used to be – right where the memories are still easily aroused, right where the feelings that used to accompany that thing still lie raw and exposed.  The memories stir up, the feelings are inflamed.  Your faith in Christ faces a practical test.  Are you going to trust the Word and promise of god, even despite your thoughts and feelings? Remember the simple rule: Feelings follow faith.  The old landlord cannot stay around forever.  Then he leaves, your feelings will subside.   2. Do not become discouraged by the frequency or the repetition of the same temptation.  Repetition is another of the old landlord’s favorite weapons.  We might resist him two, three, four times, but then we become weary.  He convinces us that we are, after all, still as undelivered as ever.  So we open the door and let him in. If the same thought comes back a hundred times in the same day, a hundred times quietly and confidently send it on to Jesus.  And rejoice!  Yes, rejoice!  Because the old landlord cannot come knocking one more time than he gets permission from God to do so. Read the book of Job and see: Before Satan ever moved against Job, he had to get permission from God to do so.  God lets the old landlord come knocking.  This is the way in which your faith is built up.  Every time you send the old landlord on to Jesus, your faith in your Deliverer is strengthened.  And if he knocks loud and bellows fiercely, and if he returns a hundred, yes, a thousand times, rejoice!  For with every encounter – with every turning him away to Jesus – you are being knit in trust and faith to your Deliverer.   3. Do not feel that this requires some kind of superhuman willpower.  This whole way of victory in Jesus is not based on willpower at all: It is based on faith – faith in the reality and authority of Jesus. Consider again our illustration:  Suppose the old landlord comes knocking at the door when the father and mother of the family have gone to the store.  The five-year-old daughter is home alone.  He blusters out his usual threats and demands.  In herself the child has no “strength.”  She is just a five-year-old.  But she is prepared.  She knows the way things really stand. By no strength of her own, but purely because of the incontestable authority of the new Landlord, she says calmly and confidently, “You’ll have to take that up with the new Landlord.”  No fear.  No shouting.  No struggle.  No “willpower.”  Just simple trust and confidence (the Bible calls it “faith”) in an incontestable authority.  That is what you have in Jesus: An Incontestable Authority.  “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matthew 28:18).   4. Cut your conversation with the old landlord short.  In effect, give him to understand that you have other important things to do!  For instance, you can turn to Jesus in an act of worship, song, or praise.  This guards against the danger of this whole thing becoming just a “new law” – a routine which you follow, more-or-less successfully, but one which does not really build up your personal relationship to Jesus. Imagine the case of a man who has had a habit of lust.  He cannot sit down at a lunch counter without casting a furtive, lusting glance at the waitress.  He never goes by a newsstand without paging through some lurid book or magazine. Even in his relations with his wife, there is more of lust than real love.   Then he is saved.  He receives the life of Jesus, and he knows that he cannot continue to do this sort of thing.  But he does not understand this life of deliverance-through-Jesus.  So he merely applies the law.  He tries to “contain” this lust of the flesh by resolve and willpower.  He has a measure of success, but also many a failure.  And in none of this is he really bound to Jesus in love.  In fact, he may even begin inwardly to resent the hard life Jesus calls him to, and excuse himself a little lusting.   But now he learns this life of deliverance.  He sees a lewd magazine on a bus station rack.  He does not “fight” against this temptation.  He does not simply grit his teeth and suffer through the duration of this temptation, saying over and over to himself, “I will not lust, I will not lust, I will not lust.”  Evil resisted grows stronger.  “The power of sin is the law” (1 Corinthians 15:56).   The more he invokes the law against his lusting, the more powerful grows the sin within him.  He has tried that method before, and failed.   The way of real deliverance lies in quite another direction.  He sees the lewd magazine.  He quietly recognizes within himself that this is a situation of temptation.  At once he takes up his impregnable position IN CHRIST through an act of conscious worship.  He averts his eyes from the immediate source of temptation and inwardly begins to praise Jesus.  Perhaps he sings a hymn to himself.  He praises his wonderful DELIVERER.  Not in a fearful spirit, as though the lust at any moment might break through the door.  (He has sent it on to Jesus, and it has to leave!)  He praises Jesus in a joyful, confident spirit knowing that He, Jesus, has won the victory over lust.  His authority cannot be challenged.   As he binds himself to Jesus in this conscious act of worship, the temptation will retreat.  It is not the law which has saved him.  He has simply yielded the whole thing to Jesus, through an act of worship.   Another thing you can do is enter into a preconceived plan of intercession.  A man once found himself afflicted by blasphemous thoughts.   He fought against them with all the resources of his conscious will, but to no avail.  Then he struck on a different approach.  He determined that whenever these blasphemous thoughts came knocking at the door of his mind, he would begin praying for his cousin Henry, a missionary in China.  It was not long before the old landlord quit bringing that blasphemy bill around for collection, for he found that all it did was stir up a lot of prayer for China!   Turning to some routine job is another way to excuse yourself from a conversation with the old landlord.  A good stint of garden work, or taking care of some long-needed repairs around the house, has frustrated the old landlord’s plans more than once.   It is important to realize that the old landlord may tell you the “truth.”  Some of those bills are due – worry, hate, lust, laziness, pride.  But that is not the point.  The point is that Jesus is now handling the matter.  The bills must be taken to Him for collection.  He has paid the debt and set you free!     THE OLD LANDLORD  –  Part 3 by Larry Christenson, from “The Renewed Mind” “The Principle Behind It” This encounter with the old landlord is based on sound biblical principles – 1. “Sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace” (Romans 6:14) Does this mean that our spiritual life becomes lawless and disorderly?  “God forbid!” says St. Paul.  To live under grace does not mean to live contrary to law.  It means that you are now operating under a different regime in the battle against sin. One of the prime responsibilities of a government is to protect its citizens from coming under the dominion of any foreign power.  When you live under the regime of the law, and sin mounts a siege of temptation against you, you start a counter-barrage of “Thou shalts” and “Thou shalt nots.”  You hurl them with all your might, but after a time you become weary.  Sin outlasts you and gains dominion over you. When God transfers you to the regime of grace, you no longer depend upon the law to defend you against an onslaught of temptation.  You are under a regime with much more sophisticated weapons.  Not the weapons of law, which you must wield in your own strength and determination, but the weapons of grace, which Christ himself puts into operation.  When you learn to call upon the power of Christ, sin will not gain dominion over you. 2. “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind” (Romans 12:2) The mind that is conformed to this world pays endless tribute to the old landlord.  The renewed mind sets its faith and hope and trust and love upon Jesus.  It “leads every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5).  “Take it to Jesus” and “Praise be to Thee, O Lord” become the obligatory of one’s life.  And in this life of trust, we are transformed into the image of our Deliverer. So if the old landlord comes and calls you a terrible sinner, you simply tell him, “Take it to Jesus.”  If he comes and stirs up feelings of hatred, resentment, or despair within you, you tell him once again, “Take it to Jesus.”  If he whispers in your ear that you did a marvelous job, and begins to inflate your ego, you tell him the same thing, “Take it to Jesus.” If he comes to you with the whip of the law and says, “You have to be more loving! You have to be more patient! You have to be more honest!”  Remember, Christ is the end of the law, also.  You tell him, “Take that to Jesus.  Whatever good is to be worked in me will come through His Spirit, not through the law.”  And, with each encounter, you turn to Jesus in praise and adoration. 3. “As therefore you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so live in him” (Colossians 2:6) The faith that brought Jesus into your life is the faith by which you live.  He is all-sufficient.  He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.  You wake up in the morning.  The cares of the day begin to crowd in upon you.  You send them on to Jesus.  You go through the day facing the temptations and frustrations and problems of everyday life.  One by one you refer them to Jesus.  The life of inner warfare is transformed into a life of restful abiding in Christ.  He is your Deliverer.  He is, moment by moment, your ever sure defense. Do you wonder whether such a life of faith and victory is possible?  Do you find a little corner of doubt in your mind that says, “Perhaps for some this might be true, but surely not for me”?  Send that doubt on to Jesus, and you will see! Christensen, Larry (1974). The Renewed Mind. Minnesota: Bethany House Publisher

 

What it means to be a disciple of Christ

What Does It Mean to be a Disciple of Jesus?

(some of these notes are from Remnant Conference 2009)

Matthew 28:18-20 (NKJV)

“And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Definition of “disciple”

A learner, one who follows another’s teaching. Not only a pupil, but one who adheres to the teaching. Known as imitators of the teacher.

That’s the book definition. Here is another:

• Anyone who determines to pursue the perfect will of God and therefore gladly accepts the discipline to accomplish it. We allow the Holy Spirit to form the nature of Christ in us.

 

No one can be forced to become a disciple. Discipleship begins with deliverance from sin and ends with deliverance from self. People always want to associate deliverance with demons, but true deliverance is usually involving being delivered from self- selfish desires and ambitions.

The Cross is the Key to Discipleship

To be discipled, one must be broken of his or her self-will. To acknowledge, “I need to be taught” requires admitting the need for instruction.

Phil.2:5-8

“… and think the same way that Christ Jesus thought. ⁶ Christ was truly God. But He did not try to remain equal with God. ⁷ Instead He gave up everything and became a slave, when He became like one of us ⁸ Christ was humble. He obeyed God and even died on a cross.

Christ demonstrated how to be a disciple by submitting Himself to the Father. The disciples submitted to Christ in the same manner. Paul calls on Timothy to do the same.

What does it mean to be a disciple?

1. Faithfully follow the teachings of Christ

Jn. 8:31 (NLT) “Jesus said to the people who believed in him, ‘You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings.’”

2. Show love for other Christians

Jn. 13:35 (NLT) “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

3. Produce fruit (of the Spirit)

Jn. 15:8  (NLT) “When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.”

How do Disciples Live?

1. Like their mentor. Look at what Paul said of Titus:

II Cor. 12:18      

I urged Titus, and sent our brother                                                     with him. Did Titus take advantage of you? Did we                              not walk in the same spirit? Did we not walk in                             the same steps?

2. They fear the Lord.

Ps. 34:11-18

• Keep tongue from evil/deceit
• Depart from evil
• Do good
• Seek peace
• Walk in humility

 3. They gladly receive correction.

Ps. 119:67                   “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but not I keep                             Your word.

Ps. 119:71                   “It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn your statutes.”

Prov. 3:12           “For who the Lord loves He corrects, just as a father the son in whom he delights.”

Pr. 15:5b             “… whoever learns from correction is wise.”

Discipling Others is the process of assisting people in the renewing of their mind.

The difference between a believer and a disciple (or spiritual son) is like the difference between a civilian and a soldier:

II Tim. 2:1-4 (CEV) “Timothy, my child, Christ Jesus is kind, and you must let him make you strong. You have often heard me teach. Now I want you to tell these same things to followers who can be trusted to tell others. As a good soldier of Christ Jesus, you must endure your share of suffering. Soldiers (NKJV “don’t get entangled with the affairs of this life). They try only to please their commanding

Boundaries in Dysfunctional Relationships

 

(Some of the points I will be making today are from the series on Boundaries by Dr. Henry Cloud and John Townsend, and from Breaking Intimidation by John Bevere)

One of the areas of life that can bring the most joy and the most pain is relationships with others. In a time when divorce is the norm, parents and children are alienated, and society seems to be coming apart at the seams, being an overcomer in our relationships is increasingly important.

What does it mean to be an overcomer in relationships? Simply, it means we are responding in a biblical manner, as the Scripture instructs us.

 I chewed on this for quite a while, and arrived at this conclusion: there is nothing I get joy and satisfaction from that does not require commitment, time, and effort.

1. What are God’s goals for my relationships?
   1. 5:42-44 Jesus had a lot to say about how we treat others.
      1. Give to whoever asks
      2. Love your enemies
   2. 10:7-8
      1. Heal the sick
      2. Cleanse the lepers

• Cast out demons

(freely you have received, so give freely!)

1. 25:34-40
   1. We add feeding the hungry
   2. Clothing the naked

• Visiting the sick and imprisoned

So this is the mindset of Jesus, and should be our mindset as well.             Phil. 2:5

2. How Does This Look in Practice?

First, we must ask what is our motivation for helping others. If I am not free to tell someone “no,” then I am not choosing to serve, and there is no love involved. If we are doing it out of intimidation, fear, or guilt then we are not serving Christ, but emotional blackmail. The motivation must be love- the love of Christ and the love for the person.

Ac. 5:1-4 v. 4 NLT “… the property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was also yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this?” The giving was to be voluntary- otherwise there was no blessing or freedom, rather there was coercion. The same is true in our relationships.

Boundaries in our relationships allow us the freedom to minister or serve others without getting out of balance. The first example of a relationship boundary in scripture occurs early on: Gen. 2:24 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife….”

But what about Jesus urging selfless service to those around us? This is the goal, but the Scriptures give us checks and balances. Here are a few of Jesus’ teachings and the scriptural boundary:

• “Feed the hungry.” Yes, but “If anyone will not work, neither let him eat.” II Thess. 3:10
• “Love everyone.” “If people are causing divisions among you, give a first and second warning. After that, have nothing more to do with them.” Titus 3:10 Note, we can and should love them and pray for them. But we are not required by God to put up with their strife and turmoil. Indeed, we are commanded not to allow it to bring disunity!
• “Forgive anyone who sins against you.” This one is absolute. We are not to hold any sin against the person who commits it. We are to forgive and pray God’s blessings on their life. But this is not saying we should continue to be placed in circumstances where it will occur repeatedly. Look at Matt. 18:15-17 How are we to treat pagans and tax collectors? Loving and praying for them to be saved. (c.f. II Thess. 3:14-15)

What do we do about dysfunctional people?

• Do we give all they ask for no matter how often and how much?
• Are we called to supply their needs, real or imagined, until our time, money, energy, and other relationships are all gone?
• Is this noble, and Christ-like, or are there boundaries? This will be our focus for the rest of the message.

As I have covered these different examples of dysfunctional people, you may be wondering if you have been helping them or merely enabling their wrong attitudes and behaviors to continue. I will help you answer the question: Are they getting better? If not, you are enabling!”

1. Recognizing Intimidation and its Cause

Now we turn our attention to the second part of “Overcoming in Relationships.” This has to do with recognizing when we are being manipulated, or intimidated, and what to do about it. When our motivation is not love, but rather intimidation, the love of Christ and even our love for the person are not in it.

In II Tim. 1:7 is a familiar portion of Scripture. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear (timidity), but of power, love and of a sound mind.” The NIV says, “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love, and self-discipline.” This is a better translation. The word, “fear’ in the verse is not terror, but timidity because of lack of trust. Its important to note this verse, which we use in our teaching quite often, is not written to the church, but specifically to Paul’s son in the faith, Timothy. Timothy had a problem with timidity, and also with fear in the sense of “terror.” I Cor. 16:10.

What’s Wrong with my relative?

(This is primarily from Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Healing and the Scriptures)

WHAT’S WRONG WITH MY FAMILY MEMBER?

One of the burning questions I had when I went to Bible College was wondering how Jesus always knew if the person’s problem was physical, mental, or demonic. Unfortunately, I did not get the information there. However, I was able to talk to a scholar who pointed out that in one case in scripture Jesus dealt with epilepsy by healing the person, on another occasion He delivered the person from demonic attack.

I still do not consider myself to be an authority on this subject. I pray, and at times feel the Lord shows me what I am dealing with, but I am going to yield to an incredible man of God, who is also a medical doctor, the late Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones on the topic. This is what he said in lecture:

He uses the order – physical, spiritual, psychological, demonic – intentionally, noting that this is the order that he followed in his attempted diagnoses throughout most of his ministry.

1. Physical Problems

1) Diagnosis

• “The first question I always ask myself is, ‘Is it physical?’ I wish to emphasize this, because there are some to whom it never occurs that the whole cause may be physical” (p. 148).

He goes on to cite several examples in which nervous conditions and spiritual crises have been caused by physical ailments.

2) Treatment

His way of dealing with physical issues is to have the ailing person seek good medical treatment (p. 167).

1. Spiritual Problems

1) Diagnosis

• “The second question I ask myself is this: ‘If it is not physical, is it spiritual?’…What do I mean by a spiritual problem? It is one which can be dealt with entirely in spiritual terms. For example, the commonest problem is lack of assurance. Many are troubled about this. Others are concerned about some particular sin and how they can be rid of it. Or it may be the memory of a particular sin, or of an incident of blasphemy, or sin against the Holy Spirit, or some serious lapse in conduct” (p. 151).

• “I have always found that with persons in this spiritual category there is a clear diagnostic point. They always show a readiness to listen and they almost jump at any of the verses quoted which give them relief. They hold on to what will really bring comfort and release. One must not be put off by their appearing at first to demur a little, with a, ‘Yes, but…’ They are really doing this in hope that you can go on to make your case still stronger. They want you to make your case and in my experience it is a diagnostic pointer to those in this group” (pp. 152-153).

2) Treatment

Patient, repetitive Scriptural, pastoral counseling using the Bible and Christian wisdom derived from the Bible:

• “…There is need for detailed proof. What I mean here is, that one must be precise and detailed in bringing to bear the scriptural arguments. The impression that one can just pat them on the back and tell them ‘Don’t worry’ is not only wrong, it can be real cruelty. We need to be very patient. We may need to go over the same arguments more than once. There may need to be a number of visits, but you must keep on and on” (p. 168).

1. Psychological Problems (Mental Illness)

• “The third category…is the psychological. I use that general term, but if you prefer it, it could be ‘mental illness’” (p. 153).

• “It is necessary for us to work with those in this field who have to establish the reality of mental illness, otherwise we are going to be guilty of great cruelty to some of those who come to consult us” (p. 155).

• “Why would I affirm the reality of such illness? I suggest that the familiar (hereditary) element in the case histories alone is sufficient to establish it. Another fact is the periodicity so characteristic of many cases…Not only that, but there are many cases of mental illness which do not respond at all to spiritual, scriptural treatment, and indeed, are even made worse by this” (p. 156).

He cites specific cases for proof, and references Richard Baxter’s book, The Cure of Melancholy and Overmuch Sorrow (click the link for the full text), extensively (you can see my thoughts on that book HERE).

1) Diagnosis

• “I think that you will find almost invariably that those who are mentally ill do not really listen to you. You quote Scripture, they do not listen. They keep repeating the same statements and give the impression that they are waiting for you to finish so that they can say their piece over again. This is almost invariable. You notice the difference as compared with those in spiritual trouble. The latter are anxious to have help. The others are not. I always feel with them that I am a kind of tangent to a circle. One never penetrates, they are almost always impatient and go on repeating the same thing” (p 158).

2) Treatment

First, do not try to be a psychologist, especially of the Freudian kind (p. 168). They may need to see a physician/specialist. An appropriate prescription medication may be precisely what they need (but we are not able to decide that). Lloyd-Jones goes on to make a strong case for medical treatment for psychological cases. He relates brain chemistry to other physical ailments:

• “If it is right to use insulin in replacement therapy for the pancreas, why is it wrong to take tablets which influence the good chemistry of the brain? I think we must get hold of the concept that mental illness is really something that has an ‘organic’ basis. It is something that can be explained chemically” (p. 169)

After making his argument, his conclusion is:

• “We can, therefore, reassure those who believe that it is sinful to take drugs which relate to brain function that, where clinical trial and proper use have shown them to be valuable, they should be received with thanksgiving. All things in nature and scientific knowledge are the gifts of God and should be used to his glory” (p. 172).

*Note: Remember that Lloyd-Jones is not calling for the mass medicating of the masses – he is talking specifically about those who are clearly mentally ill according to the diagnostic pattern that he has set forth. ADHD, childhood manic depressive disorder, and the like were not even a blip on his radar screen when he gave this talk in 1974. He is specifically speaking of adults showing clear signs of mania or major depression.

1. Demonic Problems

• “This brings us to my last category which is ‘the demonic.’ Am I confronted in this case with the physical or the spiritual or the psychological or the truly ‘demonic’?” (p. 158).

The Doctor goes on to make his case for the present reality of demonic activity in this world. He then distinguishes between ‘demonic oppression’ and ‘demonic possession.’

1) Demonic Oppression

1. a) Diagnosis

He argues that demonic oppression usually consists of attacks on believers, and he gives his diagnostic points:

• “What are they? First, the sudden onset of the condition; second, it was something unexpected in this type of person, and something that they had never had before. Suddenly…excellent people are changed and become more or less useless. There is always a suggestion of an occult opposition to the work of God which they are doing, as if an enemy is out to spoil or stop it (pp. 162-163). Another diagnostic element is extreme weakness…Then the last diagnostic point is that they, of course, make no response to any medical treatment, no matter what it is. They also baffle all those who treat them medically or psychiatrically” (pp. 164-165).

1. b) Treatment

• “…I do not hesitate to say this – you will always be able to deliver them by reasoning with them out of the Scriptures. I do not mean by just quoting Scripture but deploying the whole basic arguments of Scripture concerning salvation, calling and service” (p. 168).

2) Demonic Possession

1. a) Diagnosis

• “Then there are cases which can only be regarded as demon possession…What are the diagnostic points in these cases? You generally find a history of dabbling with spiritualism or the occult in some form. It may have been back in their childhood, or during teenage [years], that they have been introduced to the occult and experimented with occult phenomena. They may also have experimented with drugs” (p. 165).

• “One clear diagnostic point is that one becomes aware of a dual personality” (p. 165).

• “A still more significant pointer is their reaction to the name of our Lord. I always tell ministers who are confronted by the duty of treating such cases to use the phrase – ‘Jesus Christ is come in the flesh’ and to note the reaction. Talk to them of ‘the blood of Christ’ and you will generally find that they will react quite violently to this” (p. 166).

1. b) Treatment

• “If it is demonic the choice of the correct treatment is not difficult. There is nothing that one [can] do but to seek…divine aid for the exorcism of the evil spirit. There is, as you know, a Church of England service of exorcism. The late Bishop of Exeter has produced a booklet which, in my opinion, explains this all very well indeed. It teaches clearly what should be done and not done” (p. 167).