HeartQuest 101

This is the fifth chapter of Paul Little’s classic book, “Know Why You Believe” for my Sunday Bible study class.

This is not the question that gets non-Christians to come to faith. Your view of the Bible is not as critical a question as where you stand with Jesus. Salvation is the issue. The Bible is God’s word whether we believe it or not. Our task is to present the claims of Christ and that the Bible is a historically reliable document. After one believes, the next question is “How did Jesus view the Bible?” Statements and claims of Scripture are not enough, but there is other information that cannot be ignored.

Beethoven was not God-breathed:

The Bible claims that it is God inspired, God breathed if you will (2 Timothy 3:15-16). This type of inspired is not the same as a musician is inspire to write his music. Biblical inspiration is unique, in that it is God-breathed. It is also not open to random interpretations (2 Peter 1:20-21), because its origin is from God. It’s not a bunch of human ideas.

The writers were also not mere writing utensils, like machines with no personality. God worked through their human personality to write just what God wanted them to write.

The prophets were constantly speaking for God (like in 2 Samuel 23:2 or Jeremiah 1:9). The words written were as if God spoke them, not the prophet (Galatians 3:8, Acts 4:24-25, Psalm 2:1). It was natural to use the phrases, “Scripture said…” and “God said…” just alike.

The New Testament writers claimed the same prophetic authority as the Old Testament writers (Matthew 11:9-15) like John was superior to the OT prophets. Paul speaks of his authority (1 Corinthians 14:37). Peter speaks of Paul’s letter on the same level as the OT Scriptures (2 Peter 3:16).

Jesus’ view of Scripture:

What did He think of it? How did He use it? That it is infallible (Matthew 5:18) meaning it will accomplish what it says it will accomplish. He quoted Scripture as the final authority, using statements like “it is written…” during the temptation story in Matthew 4:4, 10. It’s like the Scripture cannot be broken (John 10:35).

So,. If we have accepted Christ it would be inconsistent to not accept the Scripture’s authority. The heart of His teaching and work are based in the OT. He would be guilty of deception if He did not believe in the authority of the OT.

Helpful definitions:

Does accepting the Word of God mean we take it literally? A definition is required. We do not take figures of speech literally (Isaiah 55:12, Psalm 114:4, 6). Those who do not take it literally mean they frequently seek to evade some of its clear intent in the words.

What does inerrancy mean? First we must not impose 21st century standard of science and history to the biblical writers. The Bible describes thing phenomenally, as they appear to be, like in sunrise and sunset. Sometimes it uses round numbers instead of precise numbers, like there were 5000 people. Some apparent errors may be errors in translation (discussed in reliable documents chapter). Sometimes problems were resolves as more information became known.

What about fulfilled prophecies? It is not like vague generalities of fortune tellers “A handsome man will enter your life.” Fulfilled prophecy with specific details is evidence that God’s word came through the prophets (Jeremiah 28:9, Deuteronomy 18:21-22). Isaiah unmasks false prophets as they predict falsely (Isaiah 41:22-23).  Prophecies of the Messiah and prophecies of historical events and prophecies of the Jews are different. The suffering Servant (Isaiah 52:13-53:12 and Micah 5:2), see more details on p. 69-70.

The Holy Spirit’s role:

The work of the Spirit is always toward some purpose. The Emmaus disciples had an aha moment (Luke 24:32). This same experience comes to us with the Spirit’s help.

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Today I will begin a series about men who are in a wrestling match with God. Wrestling is a popular spectator sport for many men and young people. I’ve seen the commercials and the crowds; there are a lot of pro wrestling fanatics out there! Men today are in a wrestling match for their lives and many don’t even know it.

In any group of men there is every sort of need, weakness and struggle. Rather than waiting for a more opportune moment, today is the day we need to get our act together! We must confront ourselves with the enemy within each one of us. What is the enemy within me? Take a look at Romans 1:28-29, 30-32.

There are other lists that deal with sorcery, witchcraft, demonology, astrology but that is not where I find many men today. Crime affects us, and I’m concerned about crime, but I’m not as concerned about the mugger, the rapist and the conman on the street. I’m concerned with the enemy within me; it is the same enemy that is within each of us. We must each intentionally and willfully confront this enemy before we are ruined by it.

When a man ignores the commandments of God and refuses to acknowledge Him or His call to godly living, the worst punishment God can do on earth is to give that man over to himself (Romans 1:28). Men can become slaves to their own reprobate mind. Burger King used to have an ad campaign with the slogan, “Have it your way,” but the problem with men is that when we have it our own way, we self-destruct!

I am amazed that one man can look at another man and arrogantly say that “I’m better than that other guy.” The fact is that we are all just one step away from self-destruction; you can fill in the blank and name your weakness or your enemy. We then try to justify that our sin is not as bad as that other guy’s sin… but we miss the fact that we have all sinned (Romans 3:23).

We have the capacity to commit every kind of sin. We may not have done it, but odds are that we have thought about it. Even if we have not done it yet, given the right situation and the right circumstance, we will think about it and possibly even do it.

In my library I have a book called Situation Ethics. The premise is that a person will sacrifice a certain value to uphold what we believe to be a higher value. A gunman comes in to your office seeking to kill Joe Blow, and you lie to the gunman telling him Joe Blow is out sick today (knowing that he is really down in the break room). You value life higher than truthfulness in this situation. Knowing suicide is wrong, a 13 year old Amish girl named Marian Fisher told the gunman to shoot her first, hoping to save the lives of the younger children in that Lancaster County schoolhouse. Would not a passivist do whatever he could to stop an intruder from going after his wife or teenaged daughter? Would not a starving man who came across a cart filled with food turn into a thief to feed his family?

Human nature is depraved. We all have a terrible capacity toward sin. Each of us must face the enemy within us is order to become victorious over it. The Bible says we are not to be slaves of sin, and if we commit sin, we are slaves to it (Romans 7:14, 7:25, 2 Peter 2:19, 1 John 1:8).

That is why Men of Steel is so important. There is strength in numbers, there is safety in numbers, and there is victory in accountability to one another. It’s not bearing your soul before a group, that’s not what we do on Saturday, but it is finding another man who’s got your back. We just spent a few weeks looking at the Lame Man at the Gate; to know your weakness (that which makes you lame), to know why you come to church (not just hanging out at a “beautiful gate”), to not be distracted (but focusing on Christ and His Word).

Who do you know who might benefit from joining us on Saturdays?

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This is the fourth chapter of Paul Little’s classic book, “Know Why You Believe” for my Sunday Bible study class.

The resurrection is the foundation of the Christian faith – 1 Corinthians 15:14. Since we have already looked into the big questions of life (Where did we come from? Why are we here? Where are we going?), so if Christ rose from the dead, we know for certain that God exists, what He is like and that He has a great plan for humankind!

Not wishful thinking:

If the resurrection had never happened, Christianity is nothing more than a museum piece, and devotees whom many have given their lives were only poor deluded fools. Skeptics attack the resurrection because Christianity stands or falls on this fact.

One skeptic promotes that it is all a fable or fantasy, attempting to expose the faith as a fraud and superstition. While Frank Morison was doing his research, he could not get past the question, “Who moved the stone?” Lee Strobel has a similar testimony, while trying to expose Christianity as a lie, he examined the evidence and came to faith in Christ.

Data to be considered:

The fact of the Christian church: It can be traced back to the first century Palestine, around AD 32. Did it just happen or was there a cause for it? They were first called Christians in Antioch, and they turned the world up-side down – Acts 11:26, 17:6. They constantly referred to the resurrection as the basis for their teaching and living.

Then there is the fact of the Christian day: Sunday is the day of worship, and can be traced back to around AD 32. Something significant must have happened to change the day from the Jewish Sabbath to the first day of the week. Even more remarkable is the fact that many of the first Christians were Jewish!

There is the Christian book, the New Testament: There are six independent testimonies to the fact of the resurrection; three of them by eyewitnesses (peter, John and Matthew). These who helped transform the moral fabric of society could not have been skilled liars or deluded madmen.

Accounting for the empty tomb:

The earliest explanation was the disciples stole the body (Matthew 28:11-12, 13-15) – Religious leaders gave money to guards to say the disciples came and stole the body while they were asleep. It was so false that Matthew did not even bother to refute it. If they were asleep, how would they know the disciples did this? It would be laughed out of court. This was also totally out of character of the disciples; they would be thieves and liars. But each of these disciples faced torture and martyrdom. People will die for what they believe to be true, though it may actually be false. They do not however die for what the know to be a lie.

The Jewish or Roman authorities stole the body: But why? Evidence they did not comes out of their silence in the face of the bold preaching of the resurrection by the apostles. They were in rage and did all they could to squash this new faith. The truth is that if they had taken the body, they would have paraded the bloody corpse through the streets of Jerusalem!

The women, distraught with grief in the pre-dawn light, went to the wrong tomb: They imagined Christ was alive because they found a tomb empty. If this happened, the authorities would have just gone to the right tomb and produced the body. It is also inconceivable that all the disciples would have made such a mistake, and Joseph of Arimathea would not have gone to the wrong tomb (it belonged to him – Matthew 27:57-59, 60-61).

The swoon theory: Jesus did not actually die, but was weak, exhausted and passed out, but in the cool of the tomb was revived and got out. First off, these Roman guards were good at their trade; they knew dead when they saw it! If Jesus revived, how did he regain strength without food or water for three days? What about the blood loss? How did He remove the grave clothes? How did He roll away the stone, overcome the guards, and walked miles on spike pierced feet? How do you explain the appearances of Christ with only the nail wounds? He would have looked like a resuscitated corpse not a glorified Savior.

The appearances of Christ:

This happened from the morning of the resurrection to 40 days later. He appeared to Peter and John, the disciples, over 500 people, in different places (the tomb, the upper room, to the Emmaus Road). These eyewitnesses testify that this actually happened.

Was it a hallucination? These people were a diverse group and dispositions, not said to be imaginative of nervous minded.  Hallucinations are subjective and individual; no two people have the same experience. When He appeared to the 500, over have of them were alive by the time Paul wrote about it in First Corinthians 15. Hallucinations usually take place at certain times and places. These appearances happened indoors, outdoors, and at all times during the day. Some of these experiences took place over a long period of time, abruptly ending after the ascension.  

A hallucination is generally comes from an intense desire to believe something that is not there, so he attached reality to the imagination. But these disciples were persuaded against their wills to believe He was raised from the dead. They came to the tomb with spices in hand. Mary did not expect to see Jesus alive, and even mistook Him for the gardener. The disciples believed he story to be an idle tale. When they thought they had seen a ghost, He calms then by inviting them to touch Him and even eating with them, something a hallucination would not have done.

Then there’s Thomas. He wasn’t about to believe in this hallucination! When Jesus shows up, he exclaims “My Lord and my God.” To hold to the hallucination theory is to ignore the evidence. What changed these cowardly disciples into men of courage and conviction? How do we explain Peter’s denial before the crucifixion to Peter’s sermon at Pentecost, later risking harm and jail time?

Contemporary proof:

If Jesus is alive, He is ready to invade your existence. Thousands of people across the globe have trusted Him with their salvation, and testify how He changed their lives.

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This is the third chapter of Paul Little’s classic book, “Know Why You Believe” for my Sunday Bible study class.

It is impossible to know for certain that God exists and what He is like unless He takes the initiative and reveals Himself to us. A clear clue is found in the stable in Bethlehem. The paranoid Herod had all male children age two and younger murdered; the slaughter of the innocents (Matthew 2:1-18). We see Jesus at age twelve in the temple, “My Father’s house” (Luke 2:49). He lived in obscurity for about thirty years until He started His public ministry. Common people heard Him and they marveled at His words spoken with authority (Matthew 7:29).

Jesus said He was the Son of God:

He had many shocking statements that began to identity Him more than just a remarkable teacher or prophet; He clearly claimed deity. The question for Peter and all of us, “Who do you say that I am? (Matthew 16:16-17). What was the impact of His words? The Jews sought to kill Him, no mistake of what Jesus was claiming (John 5:18, 10:33). Not only did He claim deity in His words, but also in His actions. He healed and forgave the paralytic’s sins (Mark 2:5-7).

The title of Son of Man asserted His deity. The High Priest asked Him if He was the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One, and Jesus answer, “I am.” (Mark 14:61-64). John Stott puts it this way,

·          to know Him was to know God (John 8:19, 14:7);

·          to see Him was to see God (John 12:45, 14:9);

·          to believe in Him was to believe in God (John 12:44, 14:1);

·          to receive Him was to receive God (Mark 9:37);

·          to hate Him was to hate God (John 15:23);

·          to honor Him was to honor God (John 5:23).

Only four possibilities:

Liar – He claimed to be God and He knew that it was false. If this is the case, there is no way that He could be revered as a good moral teacher.

Lunatic – He claimed to be God and He did not know that it was false. If He is deceived in the area of His identity, He cannot be trusted with much else. But there is no evidence of an emotional imbalance we find in a deranged person.

Legend – He was a man who had enthusiastic followers who centuries later put words into the mouth of Jesus. Evidence shows that four individual biographies were written within the lifetime of the contemporaries of Jesus; no later than AD 70. If the claims of deity were not true, people in the day would have repudiated the claim. The story would never have gotten off the ground. Besides, there are simply not enough generations to elevate these claims to the status of legend. The documents have an early dating.

Lord – Claims don’t mean much, talk is cheap. What credentials do we bring to substantiate the claim? Miraculous signs backed up what He claimed (John 10:38).

What were Jesus’ credentials?

His character – He was unique in that He was sinless (John 8:46). We read of His temptation but no prayers of forgiveness (what He told His followers to do). This lack of moral failure is in contrast to the history of those called saints. As people are drawn to God, they are overwhelmed by their sinfulness. John, Peter and Paul mentions the sinlessness of Jesus (1 Peter 2:22, 1 John 3:5 and 2 Corinthians 5:21). Pilate found no fault in Him (John 18:38), and the Roman centurion recognized the uniqueness of Jesus (Matthew 27:54).

His power – He could calm a raging storm and the question arises, “Who is this?” (Mark 4:41).

·          He turned water into wine (John 2:9-11)

·          He fed 5000 men with five loaves and two fish (John 6:10-13)

·          He raised people from the dead (Matthew 11:4-6, Mark 5:40-42, John 12:1)

·          He healed people of disabilities and diseases (John 9:25, 32) – lame walk, blind see, mute speak.

·          His resurrection from the dead – He predicted that He would rise from the dead, and did it to prove He was right (Matthew 12:40, 26:61, Mark 8:31, 9:31, John 2:19).

(Check out the Schaff quote at the end of the chapter – about how Christ moved history as only God could).

Our own Christian experience combined with historical evidence give us a solid conviction that Jesus is exactly who He said He was. He changed the world, the calendar and the lives of people for centuries.

Study questions:

1.   In what ways did Jesus claim to be the Son of God?

2.   What are the four possibilities in evaluating these claims?

3.   What is the evidence for and against the theory that Jesus was a lunatic?

4.   What evidence do you remember that the gospels account for an actual person rather than a legend?

5.   How do you answer a person that says Jesus was just a good moral teacher and not God?

6.   How did Jesus prove His claim to be God?

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Well, I have another thought about our Lame Man at the Gate! The Bible says that when Peter and John came to the temple at the hour of prayer, they fixed their eyes on the lame man (Acts 3:4). Peter said to him, “Look on us.” I believe that Peter didn’t want this man to be distracted. If a man gets distracted, he can miss what God has for him.

Peter wanted this man to pay close attention to what he was about to do. He wanted him to intently hear him. Maybe he got right down in his face, locking eyes so that everything else in that lame man’s world just faded away. That’s the way we need to deal with men who are in pain. When we’re the ones suffering, that’s the way we need to look at Jesus. We need to get so close to Him that we don’t see anybody else.

Then Peter spoke to him using a name (Acts 3:6). Every one of us needs a name that is stronger than ourselves, our problems; a name that is greater than our need, a name that is more powerful than our pain. He spoke the name of Jesus. Paul would later write, “At the name of Jesus every knee should bow … and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord” (Philippians 2:10-11).

It is the name of Jesus that is higher than any other name. The writer of Hebrews says, He is “holy, harmless, undefiled … and made higher than the heavens” (Hebrews 7:26). There is no other name that can heal men of their lameness. Then Peter went beyond words. Notice the words of Peter had no visible effect on this man’s life. Men may hear sermons each week and find that nothing changes in their lives. Men all around us in need of hearing about the love and forgiveness of God, yet have not experience any of it for themselves.

Peter put the name of Jesus into action by reaching down and taking this lame man by the right hand and lifting him up. This lame man’s feet and ankle bones were healed as Peter lifted him up (Acts 3:7). Notice that this guy who had never walked, didn’t need any help walking (Acts 3:8). He only needed help getting up on his feet. Now he was standing, walking, and leaping as he praised God.

There are men all around us today who need for us to speak the right name to them—and they need for us to help them get to their feet spiritually and emotionally. We don’t need to be their crutch, but we do need to pull them to their feet so that God can heal and strengthen the lameness in their lives.

How can we as Men of Steel speak Christ to other men, and put into action words that can bring more men into the group? How can we make other men thirsty for healing and fulfillment? What are some practical things that we can do to minister to men in our church, community and workplace? What sort of things do you personally need from the Men of Steel? How can the group help you to become all that God wants you to be? What are the distractions that are keeping you from being totally sold out to Jesus? What are a few steps of faith that you believe God is calling you to take?

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I thought I was finished with the Lame Man at the Gate, but not so fast, here’s part four… I find his story very appropriate for men today, and I have another observation to bring up. (Acts 3:2)

Remember that friends carried this lame guy to the gate, and at the end of the day they took him back to his home. Take a look at just where they left him; at a gate of the temple that was so beautiful that they called it the “Beautiful Gate.” See the irony? This man had an ugly problem and it matters little that he was at the Beautiful Gate! Any man with an ugly problem (visible or secret) cannot enjoy or appreciate the beauty around him.

Don’t forget, all this is taking place in the Promised Land, the “land flowing with milk and honey.” This was a descriptive for God’s care, provision and blessing; providing His people with the land that He promised Abraham generations ago. As a lame man, he was not able to enter the temple (2 Samuel 5:8), which was reserved for able-bodied men. Even though he was in the right place, he’s not really a part of the religious community.

Today, so many men are close to being in the right place, they are not fully there. They’re close enough to the church to know what’s going on, to know who’s who and what is being preached, but they are not all the way into the body of Christ. These guys are trapped at the gate.

The contemporary Christian music group, Building 429, has a song out called, “You Carried Me” (fits the lame theme, right?). Here are a few lines from the song…

I’ve been so busy. I missed the reasons.

I missed Your love and I nearly missed it all.

Still You’ve held me and You’ve healed me.

You’ve given all and it brought me to Your cross.

And I stand only because You’ve given me grace to walk, only because…

You carried me. You carried me. You carried me through it all.

And I believe. Yes I believe.

You’ll carry me all the way home, ‘cause mercy covers all.

I know the Scripture. I’ve known the songs.

I sang the words from my hollowed heart.

But You’ve spoken softly through the storm.

I’ve heard Your voice and I’ve felt the calm.

We can be so familiar with the church and the ritual that we fail to encounter the God whom the church worships and serves. He is the only reason we gather in the first place. Men can sit at a distance, at a beautiful gate, and then feel as if they are exactly where they need to be. But they are still trapped by their ugly problem, this whole life-affecting problem. They don’t get it; that God can heal their heart, their marriage, their family, their relationships, and touch their soul and bring peace, purpose and potential.

All this to say that men today can be so close to the church yet still embrace the problem that causes their lameness. Rather than going through the motions, we need to get connected to the source of life, meaning and our only real help. God can carry us through our brokenness, and when that happens, the essence of the beautiful gate will rub off on us and we can live up to it’s name.

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I was reading the Lifeway magazine “Living with Teenagers” (Feb 2009) and it’s full of great information this month. One article on finding friends I find exceptionally noteworthy today:

Your teenager may have a couple hundred friends on his Facebook page, but how does s/he find real friends? How can parents help?

• Reflect on your own friends when you were a teen.
• Understand it takes some time.
• Get to know your teenager’s friends and pray for them.
• Help them to see that God is relational and created us to connect with others (Matthew 22:37-39).
• Help them think through the qualities of a good friend; perhaps define the word “friend.”
• Share examples of poor friends:
  • Shallow friends (Proverbs 18:24),
  • Foolish friends (Proverbs 13:20, Proverbs 14:17),
  • Mean girls – and boys (Proverbs 12:26),
  • Gossiping friends (Proverbs 16:28, Proverbs 20:19),
  • Volatile friends (Proverbs 22:24-25),
  • Fair weather friends (Proverbs 17:17).

Measure how good a friend you are (each question is worth 10 points):

1. ____ I haven’t passed on any gossip this week; I keep things to myself.
2. ____ I am a good listener; I make eye contact and ask follow-up questions.
3. ____ I am even-tempered; I don’t explode or withdraw when upset.
4. ____ I am happy for people, not threatened, when they succeed.
5. ____ I feel sad when others (including those I don’t like) fail.
6. ____ I have the skills to be honest about things that bother me in a relationship; when I’m honest the problem is usually resolved.
7. ____ I appreciate someone who is honest with me; I receive it gracefully.
8. ____ I take appropriate responsibility for my behavior.
9. ____ One of my strengths is picking the right kind of friends.
10. ____ I can avoid foolish and wicked people without creating a scene.

How’d you do? The closer to 100 you are, the better friend you are! Ask your friends to take the test with you in mind and see how the two compare.

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This is part three from the Men of Steel topic on the Lame Man at the Gate and What Are You Expecting? (From Acts 3:1-5).

Ever think about that question? Sometimes we ask this question when we get deep into trouble, but not so much when things go well. Do well, and it’s internal… it’s my giftedness, ability or determination, but if we’re in trouble it goes to something more external like dumb luck, circumstances, “the devil made me do it” or life is just out of control. As the Nationwide commercial goes, life comes at your fast.

A friend told me about a story about a turtle on the top of a fence post. If you find someone at the top of his game like that, you have to assume that someone else put him there. No one gets to the top alone. Another positive illustration of community.

Just how do we get through the rough things of life? We often look at our lame legs and fail to see the bigger picture. Remember that our lameness is anything that is considered to be a problem, a personal need or an area of weakness in our lives. Sometimes we don’t consider where we are because we don’t have a clear picture of where we’ve been or how we got there.

The lame man did not get that way due to an injury because he was born a cripple. This is all he had ever known. His lameness was not a disease or an injury, but a weakness. But think about it, this guy had two advantages that men today do not have:

• He knew he had a problem: It was obvious to him and to those around him. He was forced to face his problem, and faced it daily. Men today do not see any major flaws in their lives. Perhaps making it through the day, not getting fired, not messing up in a social situation is a sign that they are doing life just fine. Each of us has our kryptonite and we must face it even if it is not obvious to others.
• This guy also knew there was a reason for his lameness: He knew the cause of his problem; he was lame from birth. He knew the answer to the question, “Why am I like this?” If we want to get our lives back on track, we have to ask the same question, “Why am I like this?” or “Why do I do what I do?” Until we know why we are filled with hate, envy, foul language, lust, anger, bitterness… we can’t fully understand how to get beyond our lameness.

Have you ever asked yourself questions like these?

• Why do I come home from church (where I’ve acted like a saint) and act like a monster with my wife and children?
• Why don’t I know how to communicate?
• Why am I unwilling to communicate better?
• Why do I feel inner rage all the time?
• Why is my life out of control?
• Why don’t I succeed at work?
• Why do I feel depressed?
• Why am I not further along in my walk with God?

I recently read about a challenge to look over my resume, to look back over my life, and try to discover why I’ve camped out with my lameness for so long. When we look closely, we discover that we need a Savior, a Lord, and relationships with other believing men who will teach us the Bible, model a godly lifestyle, and help us to become more like Jesus Christ. It’s a great journey of discovery, and I’m glad that the Men of Steel group is a part of that healing process.

There is a reason that we are like we are, and there’s a greater reason or purpose for our lives. You are who you are, but you are not yet who you will become. Pastor Jerry reminded us that “the best is yet to be.” God has bigger and better things for you, for your marriage and for your family. So consider your problem of lameness, but also consider the cause, not forgetting the result that we find by being in Christ.

Like the turtle on top of the fence post, how can we help each other to make it to the top of our potential? How can we help you be all you can be for Christ? 

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