1 Timothy 1:3-11 “Dealing with False Teaching”

After the  short but powerful presentation of his credentials  and his  greeting  to Timothy (1:1-2), Paul   gets straight to the point. There are evidently serious problems  in the church at Ephesus, a church  that  was established  on his second missionary journey  (AD 49-52)[1] by missionary labours  of Apollos in  Acts 18:24-28 and  by Paul  in Acts  19.   It was on this journey, according to Acts 16: 1-5,  that Paul met  Timothy (then probably only a boy)  and his family.  Much water was going to flow under the bridge  until about 10  or more years later  when  he would write his first letter to Timothy, who  at this time had been ordained [2]. At this time  Timothy had been serving the church in Ephesus,  as  we read in v. 3:  “As I urged you when I was going to  Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach  any different doctrine …”.  Paul had  left Timothy  in Ephesus  whilst he travelled  north to Macedonia.  Being a young  and inexperienced pastor  in  a challenging  environment is no easy  task. I have been there myself when I  received the charge from this congregation  in  1990.  So, in this challenging situation  in which the apostolic  teaching  of the gospel  is undermined   in Ephesus, what must  Timothy do,   as he depends upon the grace, mercy and peace from God? 

Here’s what Paul offers by way of counsel :

Charge  certain persons from teaching  any different doctrine! (v.3)  

Different  doctrine! This  implies   that there is  a body of true doctrine which Paul, Timothy and the New Testament church knew to be the orthodox  teaching of Christianity. In  Acts 2:42 it was called  “the apostles’ doctrine” [3]  - a  core of apostolic proclamation and teaching which defined  biblical Christianity.   It was that  teaching which the  Ephesians  first heard and which they responded to  some 10 or more years  earlier,   and which is now being challenged  by  this different doctrine[4].  So now  Timothy  is encouraged by Paul to  firmly take hold of the situation by charging or commanding [5] certain persons  to stop  teaching  doctrine  that was contrary to what they had received.  Throughout this letters to Timothy we  here this charge repeated  e.g.   

• “command and teach these things” (I Tim. 4:11). “ O Timothy, guard  the deposit entrusted to you” (I Tim. 6:20; 2 Tim 1:14). 
• “Follow the  pattern of the  sound  words that you  have heard from me….” (2 Tim.1:13). 
• “What you have heard  from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will be able  to teach others also” (2 Tim.2:2).

The authority of the apostolic Word  of God is not to be trifled with. The Bible and the nature of  Christ  has been challenged  by many unorthodox teachers  in the history of the early church, and this fact gave rise to the wonderful summaries  of the Christian faith in terms of  the  Apostles creed, Nicene creed, Chalcedonian  creeds etc.  So Timothy  (and Titus in  1:10,11)  have  a pastoral duty and authority  from  God to  command and  silence  those  that  mislead  the  church of God  with this different doctrine.  We have the same responsibility today.  We must ensure that  the church is fed  sound   doctrine, that conforms to the apostolic teaching as we find in in the Bible.

Now,   it is amazing  to see how quickly  unorthodox teaching enters  the church. In  Acts 20:29 -31  Paul had previously  warned the Ephesian elders  concerning  the fierce wolves who would not spare the flock, and here we are! It is happening, and now Timothy was confronted with the damage caused by   these  persons teaching false doctrines to the church.

What was the content of their    different doctrine?  In v. 4 he elaborates. They apparently   “devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations …”. 

In  v.6 Paul speaks about  them  having “wandered away into vain discussions”, and in v. 7 he mentions that they  “desire to be teachers of the law, without understanding  either what they are saying or the things about  which they make  confident assertions…”

Oh how many people you find in the name of the Christian faith  indulging in  speculative  doctrines and myths and endless genealogies.  This is  very true  for Mormonism, a fast growing  false religion also  found in Namibia. This cult  originated with  a man called Joseph Smith.  He said  that in  1823  an angel named Moroni had appeared  to him.  The angel claimed to  be  the son of Mormon, the now dead leader of an American race known as Nephites. The story goes that two  groups, the Lamanites and the Nephites   had  migrated from  the  Middle East to the Americas between 600 B.C. and 400 A.D. The  Lamanites eventually  defeated and destroyed the  Nephites in battle. All this claims to have been written down on tablets of gold and Joseph Smith  had discovered them  and copied   them, and  the originals disappeared when he had finished. The detailed account of these myths  is now supposedly contained in the book of  Mormon. It is  interesting  to note that  the Mormons  are obsessed with the genealogies of its members because of their strange doctrine  of  proxy baptisms for their dead relatives. Millions of people believe all this and  this teaching  has spread it all over the world. “Myths and endless genealogies” are still  alive  on planet earth! 

Today we also hear of  stories of people who say that they have gone to heaven and have come back, and  people  are  enamoured  with  their stories, but in reality this is all meaningless talk  because in the end this produces only speculation and not godliness. The best-selling story of a boy's near-death experience in 2015  was a fake. Alex Malarkey has retracted his story about going to heaven and returning.Co-written with his father Kevin Malarkey and published in 2010, the book purported to tell the story of six-year-old Alex's experiences in heaven after a car accident in 2004, which included meeting and talking to Jesus. Now, however Alex – who was left quadraplegic by the accident – has written an open letter to booksellers including the Southern Baptist Convention's Lifeway business recanting his story and taking aim at other accounts of "heaven tourism", a genre that includes Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo and My Journey to Heaven by Marvin Besteman….. Alex confessed : "I did not die. I did not go to Heaven. "I said I went to heaven because I thought it would get me attention. When I made the claims that I did, I had never read the Bible. People have profited from lies, and continue to. They should read the Bible, which is enough. The Bible is the only source of truth. Anything written by man cannot be infallible.[6]

What  are   the consequences  of  false teaching ?

Paul says that they  promoted  speculations  (v.4) and  apostasy since  some in the Ephesian congregation  had  wandered away from  a sincere faith and have  turned to vain discussion (v.7). Such people  who  claim such mystic experiences  and enlightenment, often set themselves up as teachers   and  in the context in Ephesus  some of these have set themselves  as  “teachers of the law” (v.7), but they  were  the literally  the blind leading the blind, as they lead their followers  away from Christ  and into  darkness and confusion.   

It is in this context that Paul  provides us with a helpful understanding of the use of the law in  vv.  8-11. Paul says that the law is good  if one uses it lawfully  i.e. for the  end to which it was intended to be used by God (v.8). But then there is also  the  improper  (heterodox) use of the law.  Any good thing from God has  been and is being abused.  That is the nature of  the ongoing  Satanic subversion of the truth of God in Jesus.  Those false teachers in Ephesus ( the fierce wolves of Acts  20:29,30)  speaking twisted things  appeared to be . “teachers of the law” (v.7).  So these teachers of the law  with their  mystical  and speculative  inclinations kept ignorant people in bondage.  That,  however is not  the proper use of the law and so ,   in vv. 8-  10  Paul helps Timothy  to discern the proper use of the law.

The proper use of the law

The law defines what sin is. Paul gives us examples of what sinners  are like and what they do  in vv.   9 &10.  The list roughly  follows the outline of  the  10 commandments.  Sinners are  lawless and disobedient. They are ungodly and sinful. They are unholy and profane (irreligious/ polluted). Those are the sins against God. The next few  descriptions deal with  sins against  fellow human beings:  disrespect for  parents, murder, and sexual immorality of all kinds (homosexuality being explicitly  mentioned),those who enslave  others, and  who lie  and commit perjury  even under oath and so on!

The law of God is made for such lawbreakers  (v.9).  The law was given  not to condemn those who have been justified by grace through faith in Jesus, but  the law was given  to judge  “the lawless, disobedient, ungodly , sinners, unholy , profane…”. At the end of the ages. When the Lord Jesus Christ shall come to judge the living and the dead,   the law will  accuse  all such people, while  those who have trusted in Christ and  who have lived in dependence on Him for their  righteousness  are  freed from  the accusations of the law.

There is much more that can be said about the function of the law e.g. the fact that the law with its stringent demands  is used by God  to bring conviction of sin and  to drive us to Christ.  But  Paul doesn’t say it all here.    Paul is concerned  to help Timothy  in his work  as a pastor   to people  who were being enslaved by false teachers . False teachers  always lead people away from Christ by  making   secondary matters  (i.e. matters that are in the Bible … there are many mysteries ; there are genealogies , there is the law)  into primary matters, thereby losing Christ  in the process. Losing Jesus  means that  we  will easily  slip back into our pagan lifestyles with  its idolatry  and immorality  - all the things  addressed by the law .

So,  Timothy is to do all he can to put a stop to the spread of this teaching, such as mysticism and worthless speculations  on matters like genealogies. He is  to stop  this tendency by which people become enslaved  by  a legalistic framework. 

But the work of the pastor does not only consist in  dealing with such problems  negatively. Timothy must not only teach the Ephesian church in term of what not to do, but he must also instruct the church in a positive way. We see this in v. 4.  He talks about  that which  promotes God’s work, and he says it is “love (for God and man)  that issues  from a pure heart  and a  good conscience and a  sincere faith “ and in  v. 11 he gives us the object of that faith: “the gospel of the glory of the blessed God”. The gospel is  Jesus Christ, His person and work , and we shall see that  Paul continues    with that theme  in  1:12-17, ending  with that tremendous doxology in v.17

Myths and genealogies and legalism  promote controversies, but God’s work is promoted by “love that issues  from a pure heart  and a  good conscience and a  sincere faith“. Timothy was sent to Ephesus to save the church from being destroyed. His mission was one of love for God and for the church. That was the reason for silencing the mouths of false teachers, and if  Timothy fails  to do this then he will not truly love God or the church. Jesus  greatest outburst of anger  was  when He saw the temple of God  the House of Prayer  abused  by unscrupulous  marketeers. We too show our love  by our zeal for God and for His church. We will never show true love by way of compromising  with false teachers and their false doctrine.  

So many of our failures are failures  to  keep the two great commandments, that is  loving God with all our hearts and loving our neighbours as  we would love ourselves. (Mark 12 :30,31).

Paul's advice to Timothy  is  therefore  : "Timothy,  do your work  at Ephesus  for  God with love  for God and for the church . Do this from a pure heart  and a good conscience  and a sincere faith .  Do this in accordance  with the  gospel of the glory of the blessed God with  which I have been  entrusted." 

Amen !

---

[1]  Second missionary journey : Acts 15:36-18

[2] 1 Tim 4:14

[3] See also   1 Cor 15:1-3 ;  Rom 6:17;  2Tim 1:13

[4] Greek : heterodidaskaleō

[5]  Greek : paranggelō  - para ( besides) & angelō (to announce)  - to pass on an announcement .

[6] http://www.christiantoday.com/article/the.boy.who.came.back.from.heaven.alex.malarkey.says.i.did.not.die.i.did.not.go.to.heaven/46044.htm

1 Timothy 1:1-2 "A Letter from Paul to Timothy for the Church in all the Ages"

It is time  for us to consider the pastoral epistles.  Before I tell  you why we need  to consider them  at this time, I want to   tell you  something about them.  There are  three  letters (or epistles) in the New Testament  that have been sometimes  called  the  ‘pastoral epistles’. The introductions and the greetings  in each of these letters  indicate that they were written by the  apostle  Paul[1].  The first two letters   were directed to Timothy, who at this time was  pastor at Ephesus (1:3), and the  last letter was directed  to Titus  who was  pastor of the church on the island of Crete.   These pastoral  epistles were  written by Paul to these younger colleagues in the ministry in order to provide pastoral  help and counsel for the many and varied situations  which these younger  men and pastors encountered  in their respective  situations.

The pastoral epistles  address a  number  of  timeless issues  that churches  experience, and it is therefore of great  value for  us to  learn  from  the wisdom  of  the  God inspired Scriptures (2 Tim. 3:16,17) and  so to avoid the  common pitfalls and traps  into which so many  churches  throughout the ages  have fallen, having  not only lost their spiritual direction but  more significantly, having lost  their  favour with  God. A study of the letters to the 7 churches in the book of Revelation  confirms  that. The church that habitually  ignores  the counsel of God in His word will find in time that  God will remove His presence  from her.[2] Woe the church  that God hands over to her own wisdom.  Her love for human wisdom  will  eventually kill her.  

With every passing year  I am becoming  more  aware that I  have, humanly speaking,  only  a few  years left in the pastoral ministry. My calling and desire from God has by and large been to see the church  restored and reformed according to the Scriptures, and in a  small way  I have seen   some progress in this  direction.   Sadly, I  have also    witnessed  the destruction  of church and   of society  in my own day  at the hand of unscrupulous  wolves  in sheep’s clothing [3]. Paul calls  these “men speaking twisted things, to draw away  the disciples  after them”  (Acts 20: 30).  Satan thrives  best in  churches  that  have left the safe boundaries of  Scripture,  churches  that are given to experimenting  with  latest fads  and ideas  spun to them  by  worldly  authorities.  By contrast , a church of born again  members,  and  ordered upon the wisdom of God and His Word is a thorn in Satan’s flesh, and such a church  is  a formidable influence  for good in  our broken society.

And so,  as the years are passing for   you and  I,   we want to ensure that  we should  remain faithful to the  whole gospel of God, teaching and training a  host of  Timothy and Titus’s,  encouraging a  generation  of   men and women  to  build their lives and society upon the pure principles of the gospel. This  is   what the pastoral epistles are all about, and so  John Stott reminds us  that ,

“Paul’s  overriding preoccupation  throughout these three letters  is with the truth, that it may be faithfully guarded   and handed on.[4]

With these preliminary thoughts in mind then, we begin  with the  first letter to Timothy. 

Introductory comments to 1 Timothy  :

This letter, although it is addressed to Timothy, pastor   of  the church  in Ephesus,   was   inspired by the Holy Spirit  for  wider  use.  We thus  find that this  letter  speaks to individuals, and to groups within the congregation, and indeed also to the whole church.  The letter  is not as structured  as  some of  Paul’s   other letters tend to be . For  example in his letters   to the Romans and Ephesians we find a  closely  argued  doctrinal section ( e.g. an the exposition of the doctrine of salvation)  which  is followed  by  a closing  section  filled with  practical application  and  implications for r daily living.  In  this letter to  Timothy,  Paul does not use this style , but  in almost a conversational tone  he  deals with many issues that these young pastors are  wrestling with in their  respective contexts, and so you will find yourself challenged to think about many  different areas of life. 

A brief word about  the date  of this letter: It  was written somewhere between 62-66 AD,  roughly 30 years after the death and resurrection of  our  Lord Jesus Christ.  In the book of Acts we read of  Paul’s Roman imprisonment.   During this time Paul wrote  letters to the Colossians and to the Philippians. He told  the  Philippians  that he hoped to be released from prison  (Phil. 1:18-19, 24-26) and it seems that this is  what  actually happened.  Following  his release  he  visited  the island of Crete with Titus and probably also Timothy, leaving Titus on the island to  care for  the new converts and  to constitute a local church. Paul and  Timothy  then make their way to Macedonia via Ephesus and here  they  realize  that false teachers  were  undermining the  church  in Ephesus.  On this occasion Paul  deals firmly  with  two  trouble makers, Hymenaeus and Alexander (I Tim. 1:19-20). Paul, constrained by the Holy Spirit   could however not remain in Ephesus, and so  he leaves Timothy in Ephesus, while he goes on to Macedonia.   It is here that he writes two letters, one to Titus in Crete and  his first letter to Timothy in Ephesus.  When Paul  was  eventually  on his way back to Ephesus,  he is arrested again and  brought back to Rome,  from  where he writes his second letter to Timothy. He wants  to have  Timothy  with him in  Rome  and therefore  he sends Tychicus  to Ephesus to replace Timothy  there as pastor. 

And now  the text :  vv 1-2 :

1.      The  Author and  His  Authority  established : (1:1)

Why should we listen carefully and attentively  to the words  contained in this letter?  Listen to the  formidable credentials  by which Paul presents himself to us:  “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Saviour and of Christ Jesus our hope…”.  He says that he is an apostle. How did he become an apostle?  In Acts 9 we read first of  his conversion  when he was  personally confronted by the Lord Jesus on the Damascus road,   and then  in   9:15 we read of  his commission  from the Lord Jesus: “… he is a chosen instrument of mine  to carry my name before the Gentiles and  kings and  the children of Israel”. In his letter to the Galatians Paul asserted that his apostleship was not from men nor through man[5], but, as he says here in our text “by command of God our Saviour.” Paul was  an apostle  by the command of God. Here we need  to be careful  that we do not get lost  in the title, for in truth, the word ‘apostle’  carries  no  implications  of  a superior  ranking among mortal men, such as we find  the tendency to be  in Namibian churches, where the rankings from bottom to top  are pastor, bishop, apostle! Paul’s favourite title for himself  is actually   “servant” (Gr. doulos) – a slave  of Christ Jesus!  The word  apostle  is derived from the Greek word  apostello  (lit. to be sent from), and hence the best translation we can afford here  is that  an apostle is a messenger boy!   So the  title,  ‘apostle’  in itself cannot impress us.  

What is impressive is  whose messenger boy  he is:  Paul calls himself “an apostle of Christ Jesus”,  and then  to drive this really home, he also adds “by command of God our Saviour and of Christ Jesus  our hope”.  Paul’s  assertion is  that he  carries a message from  no one less than God![6]    That is  a weighty assertion, and  so  we must  decide  as to what we are going to do  with  such a letter.   This  is where the authority of Scripture  has been  questioned by some, and their conclusion has been  that  if this is  not from God, then this is only an opinion from  a man named Paul, and therefore  such a letter can be at best suggestive.  But please note that  Paul’s words do not leave themselves open to  such an interpretation. Paul’s letter claims to have  the authority  of the Lord Jesus  and  of God, and as such it is  therefore  not a suggestion  but an authoritative  word  from God.  

We must be reminded  that it  is this  Word that  has called the church into being.  The church was born through the  preaching of the Word  given by God  to the  apostle Peter   at Pentecost.  On that day  3000  were added to the church.  In Acts 2  we learn that  the is new church  devoted themselves to the apostles teaching etc.  These were God’s chosen men  to  speak the truth  to  the new church .  So why should we be listening  intently to this series of sermons?  Answer:  Because we  believe  this Word to be  a true word  from God to every church in every age.  The authority  of the word is  God Himself. He  made  Paul an apostle of  His Word,  which was  written down  in time  to be read  and  to be followed  by us.    My work as your preacher and pastor is to give  and explain  to you the  accurate sense  of what  is  said here.  No preacher or church  have the right to twist, change   or leave out  what the  Bible so clearly teaches.   In that sense every preacher is only a  messenger boy  and not a re-interpreter  and re-designer of  Scripture.

The Recipient  and his  Relationship to Paul (1:2)

“To Timothy my true child  in the faith”. Timothy was the immediate recipient of the letter. He is first linked to Paul in Acts 16:1-5.   Timothy, the son of a Jewish mother  and a  gentile  father  came  either from Derbe or from the neighbouring town of Lystra. He  was  probably  a young boy  when he was converted  through the preaching  of  apostle Paul.  The seeds of faith  had been  already  planted by  his godly  grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice. (2 Tim. 1:5, 3:15ff), and so  when  Paul  preached the word about Jesus  they became  no longer mere Old Testament believers but now  they were trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ, the true hope of Israel and  the world. So, in this sense Paul had become Timothy’s father in the gospel as he calls him here in our text, “my true child  in the faith.”  This also points to the fact that  Paul may have spent  some time in their home , seeing the boy grow up in  between his apostolic journeys, seeing him  mature  and  the gifts becoming increasingly evident.  At some point  the council of elders  laid  their hands on  Timothy (1 Tim 4:14) and  so Timothy’s labours in the gospel  ministry began.  He became Paul's co-worker in the gospel (1 Thess. 3:2), so that Paul could say that Timothy served with him "as a son with his father" (Phil 2:22).

The Blessing (1:2)

“Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord” (v.2). This  blessing   occurs regularly (minus mercy) in Paul's introductions. At the heart  of  the Christian ministry  lie these graces, under all  circumstances.

A Facebook post from my dear friend and brother  in Christ, Pastor Roland Eskinazi of the  International Baptist Church in Brussels  concerning the testimony of  their members  Fred and Janet Young illustrates   this  well. They write :

Dear family, dear friends, We are not able to respond to you at the moment as we seem to spend most of our time taking care of ourselves and our (minor) wounds – burns, shrapnels, cuts and hearing loss. It feels so good to receive every single text message, voice mail and email though. We welcome them all. They warm our hearts and soothe our soul. We cannot begin to explain how emotionally helpful it is to hear from each one of you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank for your concern. Thank you for your love. Thank you for caring. We are fortunate to know all of you. On Tuesday March 22nd, we were in the check-in line at the Brussels Airport. Fred was getting ready to leave for the USA where he would lead a FormaSport college visitation tour for Belgian basketball players. They were due to join him in Denver on Thursday.  The bomb exploded 10 to 15 feet from us. We were knocked out for maybe 4 or 5 minutes. When we came to our senses we saw others laying dead next to us. We stood up and walked out. Peace and calm came over us, which enabled us to hold, talk, and pray for gravely wounded people laying on the sidewalk. Today our hearts ache for them and the families of those who were so senselessly killed. In the midst of chaos, we feel it was helpful for us to understand the unthinkable. We are familiar with the first pages of the Bible that paint a picture of the predicament our world is in: Humans tend to turn away from God's goodness and sometimes do terrible things. We humans so easily follow the evil one. His ways are evil and he rules in this world. He does it daily in small ways, and at times in horrific ways. Tuesday in Brussels, we were reminded of this truth. Nonetheless, we are convinced that God is Love, Peace, and the Light in this dark world. He invites people to follow His ways. His kingdom is not political, nor religious. It grows in people’s hearts as they turn to him for wisdom, forgiveness and help. More than ever before, we want to keep learning from Jesus Christ how to be peaceful, loving and lights in our marriage, in our family, wherever we are, and whatever we do.  We are ok for the moment, but feel tired. We’ve been told to expect stress and anxiety. So in the coming days, we’ll need to hold on to what Jesus says to anyone who wants to learn from him and receive his help: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John14:27 Warm greetings, Fred & Janet

So, right at the beginning,  Paul  reminds Timothy that God's grace, mercy and peace will overshadow his servant even in the most difficult of circumstances. Today, this is also  our promise,  because  we have it on good authority that the Bible says  that it will be so .

Amen !

---

[1] 1 Tim 1:1 ; 2 Tim 1:1; Tit 1:1

[2] Rev  2:5 ( The church at Ephesus)

[3] Acts 20: 17- 35

[4] John Stott: The Message of Timothy and Titus : BST Series , p.10

[5] Gal 1:1

[6] See also  1Tim. 1:11; 2:7; Rom. 1:1; 1 Cor. 1:1; 2 Cor. 1:1; Gal. 1:1

Isaiah 52: 13-15 GOOD FRIDAY "He was wounded for our transgression"

Today we remember “Good Friday”.  It is a good  day, not  because Jesus died a horrible death  at the hands  of horrible, sinful people. It is a good day because on this day  God, in Christ provided an answer  to a terrible dilemma  which we  could not  fix.  This is the day when  we remember that the perfect, sinless Son of God, the Lamb of God, the Lord   Jesus,  gave His  life in exchange for  all those who trusted in His Name and in His work  for them. This is the day   on which  the Lord Jesus Christ provided an effective cure  for  the  problem of sin. This is the day  when   redemption  became a reality. 

This is the day  when our sin died with Christ on the cross (Col.2:14,15). This is the day when  Christ  paid for the penalty  for  our sins. Oh,  how our God knows how to turn tragedy into triumph!

On Palm Sunday  we worked through   most of the 52nd chapter of Isaiah. The ESV entitles  verses  1- 12,   “The Lord’s coming salvation”,  and I showed you  on that Sunday  how aptly  this text fitted  into the context of Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem.[1]  In the 4 gospels  we see  that Christ came  riding  into Jerusalem  in a most unassuming manner, as a servant [2] on a donkey, and yet the crowd shouted  “Hosanna”  (save  we pray! Cf. Psalm 118:25 ). Now combine that  with the fact  that  Jesus’  name  means,   “Yahweh saves”[3], and  then we understand that Jesus’   journey into Jerusalem was   for the purpose of  saving His people  from their sins.  But  more than that, He  did not just ride  into Jerusalem to preach good news – the gospel.  Jesus Himself was the gospel! He Himself  was the good news in person, riding   into Jerusalem   to do for His people what they  could never  have done for themselves. They were so weighed down by their own  sins and  so weighed down by their  nation’s  sins.   As a result they had  experienced  themselves  forsaken by God (Isa. 49:14).   People were acutely aware of their need for a Saviour. The truth of Isaiah’s prophetic preaching (e.g. Isa.  45:22-24 ; 48:1,2)   was ever before them, even while they were experiencing the physical threats of the  assault of the Assyrians.  It is into this  spiritual  darkness  that the prophet  Isaiah speaks  his twin messages of  doom and  encouragement.  This  is nothing new as you may recall from  passages  such as Deuteronomy  28, in which God spells out  blessings for obedience  and curses for disobedience.

Thus,  Jesus came riding into a city  so burdened with  a sinful history  and  burdened with present idolatry. He came riding into  the city  of David which had  been favoured  with so  many  blessings in the past – the temple, God’s  manifest presence, the priesthood, all which was  designed  to  be  a blessing from  God  to serve  the people, helping them to remain focussed on God in this earthly journey  …  and yet, all that blessing was now terribly abused  and  empty  of  the true presence of God.  So Jesus, the gospel in person,   entered  the city  to save a people  who could not save themselves, and  Isaiah  with  joy  sees the servant of God  by faith and  by the Holy Spirit he declares: “How beautiful upon the mountains  are the feet of  him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness , who publishes  salvation, who says to Zion, your God reigns.” etc. (52:7-10). 

And please note,   He comes not only to Zion, symbolic of  the heart of Israel’s  existence, but Isaiah also   declares, “The LORD has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall  see the salvation of our God.”  Thus Jesus, the Saviour came to die not only for the chosen Jews, but  He came  to die  for all the chosen people among  all the nations. As I said  on Palm Sunday, so I say again : This is BIG!

And so  this  amazing  pre-amble, the  triumphal entry  in the ‘gospel of Isaiah’  (53:1-12)   gives way to   Isaiah  52:13-53:12, that legendary and mind boggling text  which describes  the death  and resurrection of Christ,  more than 700 years before it actually happened.  Just in passing we  also want to remember that it was this text that puzzled the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts  8:26-40, until  God miraculously sent an expositor  called  Philip   to  his side, explaining that this  scripture  containing information concerning the  mysterious suffering servant,  was nothing less  than  the good news about Jesus  (Acts 8:35). When  the eunuch saw that  he  believed in Jesus there and then and   he was  baptised,  and he went  on his way to his country rejoicing!

Our  chosen text begins with these words : Behold, my servant shall act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted. As many were astonished at you— his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind— so shall he sprinkle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths because of him; for that which has not been told them they see, and that which they have not heard they understand. (Isa. 52:13-15)

Let us now consider  the  closing  3 verses of Isaiah 52. Josh Hooker will pick up on  Isaiah  53 tomorrow  morning ,  the silent day of Easter, the day that Jesus  was in the grave .

TAKE  ANOTHER  CAREFUL  LOOK AT THE SERVANT ! (V. 13)

"Behold my Servant.”   Stop, and look at Him! … says Isaiah.  This one who came riding into Jerusalem, unassuming, on a donkey,  this servant  ….look at Him!  Do not be fooled by His unassuming appearance! Do not be fooled by His humility! What He is about to do  is stupendous!  Behold ! (Look!), says John the Baptist , the Lamb of God  who  takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29,36) “Behold, my servant shall act wisely…”. This is the  servant  of God, and as such  He will act wisely. Another way to read this, according to the footnote  is,  “my servant  shall prosper”. Notwithstanding the fact that He looks so very  unpromising, He will succeed in this  divine mission. This text sets the  direction for the rest of the chapter.  Because  the servant  acts with wisdom,  the prosperity  or  the success  of his mission is guaranteed. Now this is very important  to understand, since at face value  you may not see  Christ’s  identity with the poor,  and the powerless  and the sinful  and  weak, and  you may not see His unassuming  entry  into Jerusalem,  and then His cruel trial and death in terms of a success story. And so we ask the question as we contemplate Good Friday: What good can come out of a suffering servant? The prophet, speaking for God maintains:“Behold my Servant  shall act   wisely”. He will prosper…  We are  of course privileged to know the story from the other side of the cross. We  now know  and appreciate the wisdom of Jesus as   He  rode into Jerusalem,  as He was  tortured by cruel men, as He was crucified  and as He rose again. We  now know that this was the wisdom of God.  He did prosper. He did succeed, and we are amazed at the wisdom of God, so contrary to the wisdom and logic of this world.  The apostle Paul comments on this in 1 Corinthians  2:6,7.

But  the  success of His mission is seen in particular in this  phrase:  “He will be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted”.  Isaiah  goes on to describe  Christ’s  exaltation, and once again we are reminded of this  in Philippians 2:  “Being in very nature God … (He) made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant … He humbled Himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow .. every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” The suffering servant  is the exalted Christ , who after His  death and resurrection ascended  to the Father in heaven, from where He shall come again , but this time as  conquering King  of kings and Lord of lords, to judge  the living and the dead and   thus to set up His eternal kingdom, just as He had proclaimed at His first coming.

BEHOLD  THE SUFFERING  SERVANT! (vv. 14, 15a)

Behold  my servant! … But now  from  a completely different angle. “As many were astonished at you— his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind”.  The first  portrait was  of the servant   high and lifted up, and  exalted! But now   we find a  striking contrast  as we are introduced to a very different picture. Isaiah expresses  “astonishment”  that this exalted servant should  be so disfigured … a man whose appearance is marred beyond human semblance.  

We imagine  that we  hear someone asking : “Excuse me, but is this the same  person we are looking at?” He looks  scarcely human. He is entirely disfigured.   Why this disfigurement?  Verse 15a provides us with the profound answer. “… so shall  he  sprinkle  many nations.”

The sprinkling  referred to here  was something  associated  with the work  of the  priests of the OT.   The  sacrificial system which they administered  was  associated with the sprinkling of blood[4], and this act signified  an act  of  cleansing and purifying the sinner who by faith had brought the blood sacrifice to the priests for  the  atonement of His.  Isaiah, with this picture of  the disfigured servant, is saying  here  what  he will  frequently  repeat in this text, namely that  by the suffering of this servant there will be healing and wholeness and cleansing.  The most  famous  text  in this regard is  Isaiah  53:5,6: “With His stripes we are healed … the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” The effect  of  the servants work will  be  BIG…by His blood He will sprinkle the nations, not just those that believed in Him  in Jerusalem, and not just those who believed  in Him in Israel, BUT all who would believe  in Him  among the nations!  He will sprinkle them with His blood of  atonement (Hebr. kippur à covering)

BEHOLD, OUR RESPONSE TO THESE CONTRASTING PICTURES OF JESUS (v. 15b-c)

“…kings shall shut their mouths because of him; for that which has not been told them they see, and that which they have not heard they understand”.The image  of  the Jesus, the suffering servant, whom we are called to look at  is strangely mixed: triumphant, reigning, in control,  and full of authority.Yet  we find Him also disfigured, distorted and  seemingly defeated.  Mankind simply does not know how to deal with such an image. We struggle  to  accept such   redemptive, vicarious suffering. It  is beyond our grasp.How do we reconcile this apparent paradox? Isaiah leads us  to a conclusion.  “Kings shall shut their mouths because of  Him.”  They do not know what to say.  The picture is too powerful – it transcends language. “… for that  which  has not been  told them they see; and that which they have not heard, they  understand.” This unassuming  servant, who is  riding on the  foal of a donkey, who is  recognised by some as the Messiah in His triumphal  entry, but who is then   arrested, beaten and  killed upon a cross is in fact  the King of kings and the Lord of lords. 

And so the thought of the Servant’s supreme exaltation causes the lesser kings of the earth to shut their mouths. The truth about  this servant  has dawned. Sadly  for many people and kings, the truth about this  great Servant King who  has been revealed to the world  has dawned , but  not really sunk in.  But on the day of His appearing , “every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is LORD to the glory of God the Father. “  On that day it will have no saving effect .

The final question is therefore,   do you trust this  exalted , disfigured King now  for  His work on the cross ?

---

[1]  All four gospels record the triumphal entry : Matthew 21: 1- 11 ; Mark 11:1-11 ; Luke 19:28-40; John 12:12-19

[2] Note the four servant   passages  in this regard :  42:1-9; 49:1-7 ; 50:4-11 ; 52:13-53:12

[3] Matthew 1:21

[4] Ex 29:16,20 ; Lev. 1:5,11  etc. 

Isaiah 52:1-12 - "The Lord’s Coming Salvation" (PALM SUNDAY)

As we begin to focus on the  last week of Jesus’ earthly ministry, we begin with His significant  triumphal entry into Jerusalem. This  event is described in all four gospels [1] and is  specifically prophesied   by the prophet Zechariah (Zech. 9:9)  and in so many other indirect ways  in the  Old Testament, such as this passage which we have just read in  Isaiah, which precedes  the  famous Isaiah 53 passage  which we shall  consider   on  Easter  Friday  and also on a special occasion  on   Saturday.

Today we remember the occasion   when Jesus, as  the  chosen  servant   of God[2] came, riding on a humble donkey   to fulfil  the work that the Father  had given  Him to do in laying down His life for His people[3]. As He entered  the city,  He was most   surprisingly  received  in the manner of  a conquering King, although “he had no  form or majesty  that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him…”  (53:2), and yet the crowd  received Him  with  these words, "Hosanna[4] to the Son of David”. This   was tantamount to saying (and so  it was understood  by the Pharisees e.g. in Lk 19:39) that He was the long expected Messiah of Israel.    

In Luke’s account of the triumphal entry, Jesus  following His entrance  is deeply disturbed at what He sees. In fact He weeps over Jerusalem  (see Lk  19:41- 44 ; and see  also  Lk  13:34 – 35).  This act is followed  by the famous  temple cleansing (Lk. 19:45-48; Matt 21:12-17)

It is particularly   Lk  13:34 – 35 that gives us an insight  into  the spiritual state of Jerusalem. It was  this city  that  had killed the prophets. It was this city that would kill the Son of God, and amazingly, Jesus  knew that  this was going to happen! What was the purpose for which Jesus rode into Jerusalem to lay down His life?   It was  to hand Himself over to wicked men  to do what they had wanted to do all along, BUT  in this  atrocious act  He  would make atonement for  sin! By His  death He would  secure  eternal life for  all his own people,  for all those “who did receive Him, who believed  in His Name” (John 1:12). It was  ultimately  to secure for them a  future, not in this earthly Jerusalem, but  in the new, the heavenly Jerusalem, the home of every true believer  which Jesus went to prepare in John 14:1-4  and of which  we read in   Revelation 21.

Now we know from the history of Jerusalem  that she had been  besieged and captured many times. In the days of  Israel’s  occupation of Jerusalem[5], this city was  sacked  eventually by the Babylonians in around  586 BC. She  was  burned and destroyed and her  people taken into exile in  Babylon, just as  Isaiah and Jeremiah and others had said. But before that, approximately 135  years  earlier,  in the days of Isaiah,  this city  was also threatened by the Assyrians  who did in fact capture the northern territory of Israel and with it 10 tribes, who were sent into  exile in 722 BC (2 Kings 17:5ff).   All prophets, particularly the  major  prophets such as Isaiah and Jeremiah, and later the Lord Jesus, God’s final Revelation (Hebr. 1:1-3) saw  that the continued rebellion  of this city  that had experienced  so much  of God’s favour, in terms of hosting  the temple of God, and therefore  the visible presence of God in Israel, that this city  would  face the wrath of God.  This leading  city  of the Jews   had lost the vision   of God in her midst.

Now Isaiah’s  prophecy  can be divided into two parts. The first part,  Chapters  1-35  focus on God’s judgement on Israel, the northern kingdom,   by  Assyria; then there is a ‘bridge’  in Chapters 36-39 before the prophecy closes with the second major part  in chapters 40 – 66,  where we find  a vision of the  return of the remnant from Babylon.

The point is this. Isaiah’s vision is big!  Not only does he  include future events from his own perspective in about 722 BC;  Isaiah sees  the restoration of Israel  after the Babylonian captivity, much later in 520 BC, when he was long dead. But more  than that, Isaiah’s  prophecy anticipates  the  ministry and mission of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ (whom we shall meet as the suffering servant in  Isaiah 53) more than 700 years later! And from our perspective Isaiah  foresees  even more than that. He foresees  the rule  and restoration  of all things under Christ  in  days to come, which, from our perspective,  is STILL  in the future!

Now from the present perspective  of Isaiah, and  from Christ’s  perspective, when He rode into Jerusalem, and also  from our own perspective, this earthly Jerusalem  was and is  anything but a holy city.   But  Isaiah  sees  beyond that  and he  like His Messiah, the Lord Jesus look  to the far future  when things will look very different. And it all began  on that day when Jesus rode into Jerusalem. On this day  He came to  Jerusalem  to  secure the future  of  the inhabitants  of a far greater Jerusalem. He came to  do this   in His death  and resurrection  which is described  in Isaiah 53. In preparation for that I want you then to take a look with me at this text[6] which precedes the phenomenal  events of Isaiah 53, just as the triumphal entry     preceded the phenomenal events of the week that lay ahead:

1.Awake, awake, put on your strength, O Zion; put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city; for there shall no more come into you the uncircumcised and the unclean.

Obviously,  the prophet is not speaking here of  a political  entity  called  Jerusalem. He is speaking  of  that future city where  there  shall be no sin – the heavenly Jerusalem of  Revelation 21. That  is the city that Jesus ultimately  came to establish when He came riding into  this sinful Jerusalem, that killed the prophets, and therefore the prophet continues …

2. Shake yourself from the dust and arise; be seated, O Jerusalem; loose the bonds from your neck, O captive daughter of Zion. What did the Lord Jesus  achieve  in his death and resurrection?  He  purchased  freedom  for a people in the dust, a people enslaved by sin. He freed them  for citizenship in the new Jerusalem,  by the shedding of His blood.

3.  For thus says the Lord: “You were sold for nothing, and you shall be redeemed without money.” What does this   mean?  In context  this  would refer to the Babylonian captivity. Babylon acquired   Judah and paid nothing for  her when they took her captive in 586 BC. However,  roughly 70 years later under Cyrus  the Persian and then Artaxerxes [7]  she was freed  without the payment of money,  when men like Ezra and Nehemiah led the people back to Jerusalem  from captivity, being in fact supported by the Babylonians to rebuild Jerusalem[8]. But in a greater sense it would mean  that the sin which our  first father Adam committed, and of which we had borne the fruit, would now  be borne  by Christ in His death, BUT no  one has  to pay for their redemption. It was free for those who would take it.    This  was the purpose for which  Jesus  came to ride into the city! 

4 For thus says the Lord God: “My people went down at the first into Egypt to sojourn there, and the Assyrian oppressed them for nothing. Israel’s first stint away from their   earthly Jerusalem in Canaan  was  experienced when they had lived  for 430 years in  Egypt, after which they returned under Moses and Joshua  to Canaan, their promised land.  Then  David  established the   physical Jerusalem  for Israel, but under  the often foolish rule of his  grandsons, substantial chunks of the kingdom were gradually lost – first under the  Assyrians, who   claimed the northern kingdom of Israel.  

In Christ’s day the  Jews were oppressed  by the  Romans, and the Jews hoped for  their Messiah  to return to  deliver them from the  Roman yoke. But was this ultimately the yoke  that  they needed to be  delivered from? Was not the yoke of sin their ultimate problem?  And who alone could effectively deal  with sin, if not the Son of God? And so Jesus rode into Jerusalem …

  

5 Now therefore what have I here,” declares the Lord, “seeing that my people are taken away for nothing? Their rulers wail,” declares the Lord, “and continually all the day my name is despised. Many a time when Israel was  attacked by her enemies (no doubt, due to their own foolishness, which resulted in the hand of God being lifted from them),  their enemies  were  blaspheming the  name of God  when they  taunted  Israel: “Where now is your God?”  (e.g. Ps 42:10;  115:2; Joel 2:17). In truth, this was also  the  general attitude of the Jews   to Jesus. When he hung on the cross they mocked Him, saying: “He saved others, let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One.”(Lk. 23:35). The truth was that in continually  mocking Christ they were continually mocking the work of God. And so Christ rode into Jerusalem on  this day  to make a distinction between the righteous and the unrighteous!  

6 Therefore my people shall know my name. Therefore in that day they shall know that it is I who speak; here I am.” In the  historical context  the  release from Babylonian captivity and the rebuilding of Jerusalem would be  a true testimony  to the power of God.  Nehemiah confirms this in Neh.6:15,16  when he says, “… all the nations around us …perceived that this work  had been  accomplished with the help of our God !” But in a greater sense  the greatest work  would be the   establishment  of the  eternal city of God, the heavenly Jerusalem, which would be populated by  those who had been redeemed by the blood of Jesus.  Jesus came riding  into  Jerusalem  to  declare that He would do this ON THE CROSS!   This  is  therefore what gives rise to the next verse!  Here is the gospel  of the good news   for all the people… for all the nations !

7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.” Paul quotes this passage in Rom 10:15.  The point is that whatever historical situation brought  the good news  in Isaiah’s day, he was looking much further, when our  Messiah  made the gospel  terms  effective  by His death and resurrection .For this reason Jesus came riding into Jerusalem.

8 The voice of your watchmen—they lift up their voice; together they sing for joy;  for eye to eye they see the return of the Lord to Zion.  In the  historical setting this  was accomplished  when God restore the Jews to liberty under the leadership of men  like  Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah. Yet again,  and in a greater sense, these things were fulfilled in Christ’s coming into Jerusalem  for this purpose – that He might lay down His life for a great number of people  and to establish  for them a city whose foundations cannot be shaken.

9 Break forth together into singing, you waste places of Jerusalem, for the Lord has comforted his people; he has redeemed Jerusalem. 10 The Lord has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.  Historical deliverance happened  under Cyrus, (2 Chron. 36:22,23). The  Lord  displayed his power among the Medes and Persians, but afterwards he made it visible to all the nations. But again, see the ultimate fulfilment  in this  text. The Abrahamic covenant  is being fulfilled, as not only Jews but  gentiles  were participating in the salvation of God in Christ. All this began  to be fulfilled  in Christ riding into Jerusalem  to lay down His life for  Jews and gentiles. 

11 Depart, depart, go out from there; touch no unclean thing; go out from the midst of her; purify yourselves, you who bear the vessels of the Lord. 12 For you shall not go out in haste, and you shall not go in flight, for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard. In context  this was a call to  all  the Jews to leave Babylon, and to leave the things of Babylon behind. Those  that were  carrying the vessels of the Lord ( i.e. the vessels  for the temple), the priests, these were to be  especially consecrated. 

The redeemed would not need to  leave in haste as they had done when they left Egypt in the Exodus. They were completely free. God would go before to lead them and behind to protect them as they journeyed to their Promised Land (cf. Exodus 13:21-22; Exodus 14:19-20). In our context, it is important that we need to leave the city of destruction and make sure that we are on the  road to the heavenly  Jerusalem. (Pilgrims Progress)  

Here then,  in this  part of  Isaiah’s prophecy  the dual implications of the prophet's promises are very clear.  The Babylonian captivity  formed the background  to what  Isaiah  said, but  Isaiah  had the larger issue of slavery to sin in mind.  Return to the land was in view, but even more so, the opportunity to return to the Lord through spiritual redemption was his greater focus. God would deal with the result in Israel's case, captivity, but He would also and more importantly deal with the great cause of  every man's   problem, namely sin !

All this Jesus  came to do when he rode on that donkey  into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.  

Hallelujah, what a Word! 

Hallelujah, what a Saviour! 

AMEN .

---

[1] Matthew 21: 1- 11 ; Mark 11:1-11 ; Luke 19:28-40; John 12:12-19

[2] Note the four servant   passages  in this regard :  42:1-9; 49:1-7 ; 50:4-11 ; 52:13-53:12

[3] i.e. as the Lamb of God for His sheep

[4]  Lit. “save now”

[5] This city was captured by David from the Jebusites  in  2 Samuel 5:6-10 , after which it was called “the city of David”

[6] The proper  parameters for this text is  Isaiah 51:1-52:12. The chapter division at 52:1 is unfortunate . Similarly  the chapter division should not begin with 53:1, as it does, but should start at 52:13.

Outline of Ch.  51:1- 52:12 : 1. A threefold  call  to listen :  i.e.  51 : 1; 4; 7   2. A threefold  exhortation to awake  : 51:9;17 & 52:1  

[7] Ezra 1:1; 4:7

[8]  Ezra 1:2ff ;Neh. 2:8