To: Hebraic-Foundations@yahoogroups.com
From: "Pastor Buddy Martin" <Bro.Buddy@ChristianChallenge.org>
Subject: Bible Study HF022 - The Problem With Religion
Date sent: Mon, 18 Sep 2000 17:14:11 -0500
Hebraics,
Looks like things have slowed down a bit. Let's share in a study.
Please feel free to make your own observations at the conclusion
of this study.
This is Bible Study HF022 - The Problem With Religion.
The object of the study is to give a window of reference in how that
Jesus disannulled a need for religious systems perse, by making it
possible for each person in His kingdom to have a personal
relationship with Him. And yet in all this, He still flocks His people.
I take you to a conversation between Jesus and the lady of
Samaria. She says to Jesus, "Sir, I perceive that You are a
prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain, and you people
say that in Jerusalem is where men ought to worship." The
response the Lord made gives us a true picture of worship in the
new covenant.
Jesus said, "Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither
in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You
worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for
salvation is from the Jews. But an hour is coming, and now is,
when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and
truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshippers. God
is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and
truth." (John 4:19-24)
The issue of "neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem" may have
been a prophetic take on the temple destruction of 70 a.d., but it is just
as likely that the Lord was speaking to the heart of the new covenant. In
the new covenant the temple worship with all its regalia would no longer
serve a purpose. God would see to the dismantling Himself. (70 A.D.)
This brings us back to the purpose of temple Judaism of the Old
Testament. Old Testament Israel had been given the perfect
religion for her time. It was the best. It was from God. It contained all
the necessary divine mandates. Its only flaw was that it could not produce
life in the peoples themselves. Its not as though the Law was imperfect.
The flaw was actually in the people.
Moses said it well enough; "They are not His children, because of
their defect; but are a perverse and crooked generation." (Deu32:5)
It seems Peter quotes from this on the day of Pentecost.
Then we have this; "For the Law made nothing perfect, and on the
other hand there is a bringing in of a new hope, through which we
draw near to God." (Heb7:19)
And again, "For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good
things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the
same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make
perfect those who draw near.." The writer goes on to say that the
consciousness of sins was always present.
But in spite of all this, Old Testament temple Judaism was perfect
for its time. What then would cause it to become imperfect? It
would complete its course with the coming of Messiah. When
Jesus made His appearance at the Jordan, the kingdom of God
began to respond. There is no question that the authorities that be
became nervous.
And when He went to the cross, darkness once again covered the
deep. (Mark 15:33) It was time for a new creation. In this sense the
seventh day was over. (The number seven means 'completion' or
'fulfillment.' Better still we can understand it as, "It is finished!"
Jesus arose on the first day. New creation.)
Isn't it interesting how that during the time of Christ the temple in
Jerusalem with its holy of holies, was empty of the divine presence. Yet
worship continued there on a daily basis. Blood sacrifices were offered
continually. Why was the holy of holies empty? According to the prophet
Ezekiel, it became empty during the Babylonian captivity.
Ezekiel saw in a vision God's glory leave Jerusalem. It says, "Then
the glory of the Lord departed from the threshold of the temple and
stood over the cherubim." Then it again says, "The glory of the Lord went
up from the midst of the city and stood over the mountain that is east of
the city." (Ezek10:4 & 11:23 respectively.)
Does this scene seem familiar. The mountain to the east of the city
is the Mount of Olives. When Jesus left the temple area He went to
the Mount of Olives and there he wept over Jerusalem. The
ancients had a legend which says that when the glory rested on
the Mount of Olives, as it is set forth in Ezekiel, you could hear
weeping.
But back to the glory - There is no record of the glory of God ever
returning in the second temple period. So Herod's temple was
empty. Where was the glory? It was walking the streets of the city,
the byways of Judea, and the hill country of Galilee. The glory was
the person of Jesus Christ.
Well, you know the story from here. John said, "And the Word
became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we say His glory, glory as
of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth."
(Jn1:14)
From the dusty trails of Israel, Jesus finds His way to the cross.
The apostle tells us plainly, "None of the rulers of this age has
understood; for if they had understood it they would not have
crucified the Lord of glory." (1Co2:8)
Which brings us back to God dismantling the best religion in the
world. Even though the glory of God was not in their temple, God
still tore the curtain in two. Why was this so important? It was
because in the new covenant, every person born from above would
carry the glory in their hearts? Every symbol of separation must be
torn in two. (Don't you like that?)
Did the Lord not say, "Heaven is my throne and the earth is My
footstool. Where then is a house you could build for Me?" (Isa66:1)
Well, God did build a house to contain His glory. He built it out of
fallen humanity. The apostle said it well enough; "For God, who said,
'Light shall shine out of darkness,' is the One who has shone in our
hearts (this is the glory shining) to give the Light of the knowledge of
the glory of God in the face [exact presence] of Christ. But we have this
treasure in earthen vessels..." (2Co4:6,7)
So, whence went religion? If the glory is shining in our hearts, why would
we need an outward system of symbols and rituals, with vestments and
forms, to tell us what God is like? The Messiah of God said, "My sheep
hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal
life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out
of My hand." (Jn10:27,28)
Now another question - Since the best religious system ever
created was dismantled by Jesus, what need do we have for
flocking together as a Church? The need is great. God has
ordained it that each of His people be assigned to a particular flock for
their care and safety.
It should go without saying that we aren't in heaven yet. Nor are we
secured from the presence of evil. And so God has decreed that He will
meet with every flock, regardless of how tiny it may be, and in these
flockings, He will make Himself known in special ways. (This does not
preclude the fact that we have the glory in our hearts.)
The ancients had a saying that spoke of when five or more gather
to study Torah, the Shekinah passes between them. The point was
that they believed this moment of gathering for the study of God's
Word was the most sacred of all sacred moments. And never are
these gatherings to be disturbed.
How does this transcribe over into the new covenant? You would be
surprised at how much the ancients believed that would become a
very real part of the new covenant. Jesus Himself said, "For where
two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their
midst." (Matt18:20)
There is another reason for God flocking His people. The young
lambs need a place of security so they can grow properly, and be
taught the ways of the Lord, and not have to worry about
harassment by wolves. Oh, them wolves can be such a problem.
Paul warned us about them. Wolves are sly. They often try to enter
the flocks disguised as sheep. But you can recognize them after a
bit. They emit an order that is unpleasant to the sheep. Besides
that, wolves are really stuck on themselves. They can't hide it. On
the other hand, sheep are humble creatures and non-threatening.
Here we need to be cautious. Systems of worship are not
necesssarily wrong. But they aren't necessarily right either. The
problem is that God does not deal with us according to our
systems of worship. He deals with us one on one on one. He deals
with us family by family. He deals with us flock by flock.
Isn't it wonderful to know that you don't have to worry about which
system is right. None of them are right. The question is whether we
are right with the Lord.
Think about it. I've said my piece for now.
The study is open for discussion.
Shalom in Christ,
Buddy
Lawrence E. (Buddy) Martin, HF Host
email: Bro.Buddy@ChristianChallenge.org
Web: http://www.ChristianChallenge.org