Exodus: Depart From Your "Egypt" Or Remain In Bondage

Exodus is not just the second book in the Bible. Exodus is the title of the historical event of the Hebrew people leaving Egypt on the strength of God’s coming out party. God was about to add onto His earthly resume with this historical and supernatural event. The exodus from Egypt for the children of Israel is a parallel for everyone God rescues from sin and bondage, or in other words everyone God rescues from “their Egypt”. The reason I entitled this EXODUS: DEPART FROM YOUR "EGYPT" OR REMAIN IN BONDAGE is, as we will see when we go through the Word, that God wanted the Israelite’s obedience to flow from the gratitude and thankfulness of His rescuing them from their place of bondage—–Egypt. Thus, God kept reminding them of their exodus. And the same is true for us. We have to daily remind ourselves that God delivered us from our Egypt and calls us to not be conformed again to the way we lived and thought in our old life, but be transformed and become holy as He is holy; or remain in bondage—–which is the very thing we cried out for Him to rescue us from—–and then die in the wilderness, not the promise land, but die in the wilderness ungrateful and deceived.

Let’s look at some passages that explain this for us:
Ex. 1:13-14—While sin presents itself as fun and something not to be missed, truthfully, sin is just like the Egyptians in this passage. Sin makes us serve its desires with harshness, and makes our emotional, psychological, and physical lives bitter with hard bondage.
Ex. 2:23—We are the same. We cry out to God to rescue, save, and deliver us because of our bondage, whatever that bondage may be.
Ex. 6:5-7—This is our salvation. This is exactly what God does for us through Jesus Christ, He brings us out from under the burden of sin and bondage.
Ex. 19:3-6—As I said, God kept reminding them of their exodus so that their obedience would flow from the gratitude and thankfulness of His rescuing them from their place of bondage. This is also true for us.
Ex. 20:1-2—Again, God kept reminding them of their exodus so that their obedience would flow from the gratitude and thankfulness of His rescuing them from their place of bondage. I keep repeating this because it's the sole purpose for me sharing this.

Remember what your bondage to sin was like. Remember how cruel and deceitful sin is. Remember how you groaned in your private time for someone to save you. Remember that God was the only One who saw and heard your groanings and responded with His Son’s death on a cross to pay for your eternal punishment for your sin and your deliverance from your present Egypt. I cried out to God from a jail cell. He heard my cry and saved me in jail. Remember yours.

Does your life show God how grateful and thankful you are for what He’s done for you? Because if not, you’re telling God, like the children of Israel did, “I rather go back to Egypt and die in the bondage I cried out for You to deliver me from.” And if you continue to live like this, God will do you just like He did the children of Israel: you will die in the wilderness and not enter His promise land.

I’ll close with this passage:
"For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again." (2Cor. 5:14-15, NIV)

Live your life no longer for yourself or sin; but live your life for Him who died for you, delivered you, and conquered the grave for you! Either depart from your Egypt (by following God's way) or remain in bondage (by following your own desires, rules, understanding, etc). Your choice! Choose wisely people.

Choose Wisely (Video)

This is a video of me at a church's "Transformation Youth Explosion" sharing a condensed version of my (before Christ) testimony and a word on reality and making wise choices, April 2, 2010, San Bernadino, CA.


Choose Wisely

The Need for Hermeneutics (Part 1 of 2)

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2Tim. 3:16-17, NKJV)

How do you know what you believe is “the” truth? Is it by faith? Don’t other beliefs say faith is there answer too? How do you know which “Faith” is right? There has to be something that distinguishes one from another, truth from false, right?
     How do you know that what you believe in your belief is true? Is it by faith again? Wouldn’t that mean that anyone can say their opinion of their belief is true? How do you know what is truth in your belief, and can you be sure it is? There has to be something that distinguishes one from another, truth from opinion, right?
     In Christianity everything cannot simply be answered with “faith”. As I just showed, through those series of questions, faith cannot make those distinguishments by itself. There has to be some reasoning, evidence, and methods of distinguishing the “true Faith” from the “false faiths”, and the actual truth within a Faith from the falsehoods, opinions, misinterpretations, or misunderstandings within the same Faith. Christianity is the only belief to have reasoning, evidence, and methods accompanying our faith to show itself as true (i.e. apologetics). However, as for the internal distinguishments (i.e. polemics), it is most divisive. Yet, whatever we do agree on is only because of our understanding of the fundamental who, what, when, where, why, and how’s of our Faith’s origins (i.e. hermeneutics).

“Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you...” (Lk. 1:1-3, NIV)

     So why have I shared all of this? Because as Christians we have been charged by the Word of God to learn apologetics (a reasoned defense of what and why we believe for those outside our Faith- 1Pet. 3:15), polemics (which is apologetics for false and bad teachings within our Faith- 2Tim. 2:24-26, 1Jn. 4:1), and hermeneutics (the method of how we properly interpret the Bible- 2Tim. 2:15). Though I must note, apologetics requires hermeneutics, polemics requires hermeneutics, and proper application of the Word of God also requires hermeneutics. You cannot sincerely read, study, follow, or teach the Bible without hermeneutics. And here’s why:

If you misunderstand verses and passages in the Bible and you seek not the proper method of interpreting it you will most likely misinterpret scripture, thus you will falsely apply the Bible, and possibly lead others astray. If you interpret the Bible based on your opinion in any capacity you will almost certainly misinterpret scripture, thus falsely apply the Bible, and presumably lead others astray.

Anytime we ask a who, what, when, where, why, or how question about something within the Bible we have just crossed over into hermeneutics. Furthermore, in order for us to apply, when we attempt to apply, and when we do apply anything the Bible tells us to do we have just crossed over into hermeneutics. Hermeneutics is a must for every Christian and inseparable for reading, studying, and applying the Bible! You cannot get away from it. Either you will apply biblical hermeneutics (the proper method of interpretation) or you’ll replace it for your opinion and your own interpretation—which will lead you and others in error.

     “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2Tim. 2:15, NKJV). The NASB says, “accurately handling the word of truth.” The NIV says, “a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” The actual interpretation of this single verse is exactly where the biblical concept of the method of proper interpretation (hermeneutics) is born. Paul prescriptively charges Timothy to study (be diligent–labor) to show himself approved by God, and as a master workman (or in our time it would be a skilled professional) would accurately, rightly, and correctly handle his tool or craft (just as Paul did at tent making- Acts 18:1-3; 20:31-35), so is Timothy to do so with the Word of Truth!
     For any Christian to know this and willfully choose not to accurately, rightly, and correctly handle the Word of Truth like Paul charged is disobedience and disrespect to God and the distinctive people of a distinctive time He chose to use to write this divine 66 book love letter we now have! Remember how Luke started his gospel, “they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word,” and “I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning.” If within a couple of decades after Jesus Luke himself “carefully investigated everything from the beginning”, how much more us thousands of years later? For any Christian who now knows this and still believes that they don’t need or have to learn at least basic hermeneutics is in error, selfishness, and pride all to their loss. If this is you, I plead for you to repent from these sinful attitudes or suffer the consequences!

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.” (2Tim. 4:3-4, NKJV)

     My fellow family of God, the only way to keep yourself from falling victim to 2Timothy 4:3-4 (and other scriptures alike) will be to follow the prescription of Paul in 2Timothy 2:15 so to properly follow the rest of Scripture. Just as God has given us the instruments of doctors, medicine, and so on to help us in our infirmities, He has given us hermeneutics (the method of how to properly interpret His Word) as the instrument the Holy Spirit uses to help guide us into all biblical truth (Jn. 16:13). This is to our benefit, and any true child of God is going to want to be led into truth by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:14).

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“The How for Hermeneutics” (Part 2 of 2)
In Part 2 I will cover what exactly is hermeneutics and some “how to’s” for hermeneutics so all can be equipped and edified.

4/2010

How does Philippians 2:1-4 relate to Philippians 2:5-11?

"Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, 2 make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. 3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Phil. 2:1-11, NASB)

How does Philippians 2:1-4 relate to Philippians 2:5-11?
Philippians chapter 2 starts with a conjunction, that is, according to the NASB and NKJV its “therefore” and the ESV says “so”. This conjunction tells us that chapter 2 does not start off with its own thought, but rather a resultant of Paul’s flow of thought from chapter 1. So when Paul runs on with his “if” list (v. 1), and then challenges them to be “like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, or one mind” (v. 2), he’s saying this still with the same flow of thought he was making in chapter 1 (see 1:27-30). In verses 3-4 Paul gets a little more specific in his challenge (or charge) to the church in Philippi (i.e. “Let…”). Thus when Paul starts in on his descent in verses 5-11 he is using Jesus’ example as the perfect model of showing the Philippians (and us) these things firsthand; not to mention an implied insertion of a critical truth within our Faith—the humanity and deity of Jesus (vv. 5-8), and the great submission of everyone (not unto salvation but unto judgment) to Jesus as Lord (vv. 9-11). 

Paul shows how Jesus did nothing through “selfish ambition or conceit but in lowliness of mind” (compare v. 7), nor looked out for “his own interests, but also for the interests of others” (compare v. 8). Hence, we are to follow Jesus’ example. “Let this same mind be in you as was in Christ Jesus” (v. 5).

The Interpretive Journey of Colossians 3:1-4

"Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory." (Col. 3:1-4, NASB)

1. Summarize the original situation and the meaning of the text for the biblical audience.
Paul wrote the letter to the Colosse church during his imprisonment in Rome, somewhere between the late 50’s and early 60’s AD. One of Paul’s converts, Epaphras, requested Paul’s help in dealing with a dangerous threat to this young, but vibrant fellowship. It is said that Paul didn’t establish this church but rather Epaphras (1:7, 2:1). Paul’s relationship with the church at this time would’ve been strictly by way of letter (probably the letters to the Ephesians and Laodiceans) and fellow laborers in the ministry (Epaphras, Archippus, Philemon, and Onesimus). This letter is the response to the problem within this church. The Colosse church of Paul’s day was a mixture of Jewish and Gentile Christians. Jews had ventured to this province of Phrygia two centuries earlier. So Colosse was a melting pot of religion, philosophy, and Gentile practices; this in turn being the problem for the young Colosse church. The dilemma was known as “syncretism”—combining ideas from other philosophies and religions with Christian truth. In light of the mixture of cultures within the church, there were various Jewish teachings and the early hint of what later became known as Gnosticism taking root. Paul calls out the outbreak of the heretical teachings in the Colosse church particularly in chapter 2, but uses both chapter 1 and 2 to target what actually to believe. Thus by the end of chapter 2 those listening had sat through a serious heretical gut-checking. They were then ready to hear how they are to respond to this blessed information (chapters 3 and 4). In verses 1-2 of chapter 3, Paul starts with a conditional charge to the believers in Colosse on what he previously explained in chapters 1 and 2, (“If then you were raised…Seek those…Set your…”). In verses 3-4 Paul sums up the “why” for the influence behind what is to be their new way of living and thinking—which is to follow in the remaining verses and subsequent chapter.

2. What are the differences between the biblical audience/situation and us today/our situation?
There are three noticeable differences between us today and the church of Colosse in the first century. One, we are in America not first century Asia Minor. Two, we are not made up of first century Jew and Gentile believers, nor are we struggling with legalistic Judaism and early Gnosticism. And three, we are not all young Christians or members of new-found churches. Despite these three, the river separating them from us is not that wide. We today continue to struggle with heretical teachings, some lingering from Judaism (Sabbath and dietary observances) and Gnosticism (mysticism, new-age spirituality, etc.). Greek philosophical thinking and teaching is still prevalent. The denial of the humanity and deity of Jesus (Modalism) and the worship of other beings as mediators between us and God (Catholicism) carry on today as back then. This letter from Paul is just as much for us now as it was for the Colosse church.

3. What are the timeless theological principle(s) communicated in this passage?
The theological principles in this text are “seek those things which are above where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God”, and “set your minds on things above, not on things on the earth” like traditions and deceptive philosophy (knowledge for knowledge sake).

4. How should Christians today apply the theological principle(s) in their lives?
The theological principles found in this text are for every Christian facing teachings (e.g. rejection of the humanity and/or divinity of Jesus, knowledge is enough for salvation, etc) and traditions in opposition to Christ (e.g. the worship of angels, circumcision, etc). Since our day in age is similar to the time when Paul wrote this letter to Timothy, as far as the heavy presence of religious traditions and philosophy, we can take hold of these principles immediately in just about any situation where tradition or philosophy opposing the truth in Christ is present. Some of our workplaces function in ways contrary to Christ, we then can set our minds on things above and not be persuaded to conform to those things on our job. Or for students who are facing secular philosophies in high-school and college, praising knowledge and science and belittling faith in Christ, we can seek those things which are above where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God and not be deceived with persuasive words or empty philosophy. Some may be caught up in traditionalism at their place of worship or in their family, but these traditions are not in accordance with the truth we have and know in Christ. In this we can seek and set our mind on things above where Christ is and not be cheated through the traditions of men, which have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion. These principles can be applied to any area that is attempting to get us to view or accept Christ less than what He truly is.