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JESUS FURNISHED A PATTERN

#1 · May 4, 2005, 11:30 am

Quote from Forum Archives on May 4, 2005, 11:30 am
Posted by: henkf <henkf@...>
JESUS FURNISHED A PATTERN WE NEED TO FOLLOW

INTRODUCTION

God’s people follow Jesus because they know Him and love Him. They are familiar with His voice and follow His lead.John.10:4; Lk.9:23. His is the pattern for our lives. Rom.8:29; 13:14. Paul used Jesus as his pattern to follow. 1 Cor.11:1; 2 Cor.3:18. We learn from Christ in the New Testament, and then we try to “measure” up to Him. Eph.4:13; 1 John.4:17; Rev.14:4; Rom.15:7; 1 Pet.2:21-24; John.15:10; 1 John.2:6; 3:3. Yet, today we are hearing more and more believers criticize the idea of trying to strictly follow “patterns”. Everything should be tolerated except believers who insist on patterns being followed. No one should be criticized except believers who insist that we be particular and careful about what we do in God’s service. Well, Jesus is our pattern and all we can know about that pattern is found in the New Testament. Here are my conclusions:

I.     WE SHOULD STRIVE TO BE AS “LEGALISTIC” AS JESUS. Matt.4:4;   Deut.8:3; Heb.10:7

A. Today, we hear people use the word “legalist” in an uncomplimentary way. They assume a definition and idea of legalism and then apply it to every one who wants to be careful and particular with the Bible. Thus, with prejudice they pressure people not to think of using the Bible to condemn anyone else’s religious abuses or lack of scriptural authority.

1. Three of Jesus’ favorite words were “it is written”. Was He a legalist? Would He be condemned by today’s standards? See Matt.4:1f; 22:29-32; 19:4; 21:16; 21:42

2. He was even particular about a single word in a passage. John.10:33-36. Even the tense of a word was important. Matt.22:29-31

3. If people try to follow Jesus’ way today, they will be shamed with words like “Bible-thumper”, “Pharisee”, “Legalist”, “Cultic”, etc. We must follow Jesus even in accepting unjust criticisms and ridicule if need be.

B. Like Jesus, we should expect people to know the scriptures, their meaning and application.

1. God holds people responsible. Matt.12:7; 9:13; 16:11; John.8:43

2. He rebuked mental laziness and slowness to believe “all” that is written. Mk.8:14-17; Lk.24:25-27

3. God’s will have to be primary even if He had to stand alone and suffer to the death. Matt.26:39. Do we have to stand for anything? If so, what? Is it legalistic to insist that people stand for those things? If not, why not?

4. Was Jesus legalistic in making the statements He made in Matt.7:21-23; 21:23-27? If so, then we must follow His pattern and be called legalistic.

C. Like Jesus, we should insist on strict respect and obedience to God’s word.

1. LK.8:19-21; 11:27-28

2. John.8:31-32; 14:15, 21,24; 15:10

a. To say we “love God” is empty if we do not believe we have to do all He says.

3. Jesus honored and respected God’s word right down to the jot and tittle of it. Matt.5:17-19

II.    OBJECTIONS WE ARE HEARING TODAY.

A. “Just follow Jesus and don’t let anything, including the Bible, take His place”.

1. How does one know Jesus, much less how to follow Him, without the Bible?

2. Have you ever heard someone say, “I follow the Bible, not Jesus”? No! Because the subtle distinction doesn’t work as well in that direction. Without the Bible, the above objection is really saying, “Just follow your “imagination” of Jesus, instead of the Bible”.

3. Further, did Jesus ever rebuke anyone for trying to follow the law of Moses instead of Moses? Can you imagine Jesus saying, “Just follow Moses and don’t let anything, including the law of Moses, take his place”?. Lk.16:29-31 ; Mk.12:26; Lk.20:37; 24:44; John.5:46

B. “Jesus is Lord, not the Bible”.

1. How does one know that Jesus is Lord without the Bible?

2. How can one determine what the Lord Jesus wants without the Bible?

C. “Don’t trust in self, trust in Jesus”.

1. The fact that one would study the scriptures is a confession that he/she does not trust his own wisdom. He is seeking for God’s wisdom. Acts 17:11

2. Are those who say “just trust in Jesus” sure they are not just trusting in their own opinion of Jesus? In essence, they are doing the very thing (in principle) they tell us not to do.

3. If depending on one’s studies of the Bible is “trusting in self”, then what is one doing when he imagines that he is trusting in Jesus? Is he trusting in his imagination instead of the real Jesus?

D. “You are guilty of Bible-olatry that is, making an idol of the Bible”.

1. Did Jesus make an idol out of the Old Testament?

2. How can we do like Jesus and still avoid this opinion of us?

3. Are those who don’t follow the Bible guilty of “personal-imagination-olatry”, i.e., making a god out of their own personal imaginations?

E. “This strictness with the law is just modern Phariseeism”.

1. Actually, the Pharisees were not as strict as Jesus.

a. They were not as concerned about weightier matters of the law. Matt.23:23.Jesus was concerned about it all.

b. They were not concerned about their inward appearance before God, but only their external appearance before men. Matt.23:3, 5; Lk.11:47-48. Jesus was stricter in regard to the heart.

c. They added human traditions to the law and found ways to get around strict obedience. Matt.15:1-9. Jesus rebuked them for that.

d. He expects us to strictly do right. Matt.5:19, 20

F. “We should follow the spirit, not the letter of the law”.

1. This has a deceptive ring of scripture to it. It is a misuse of 2 Cor.3. “The letter” is made to mean the strict wording of scripture, and “the spirit” is made to mean “what you think they really mean”. “The letter”(what the words actually say) versus “the spirit”(how I feel inside). However, 2 Cor.3 is actually contrasting “the letter”(the already written Old Testament) with “the spirit”(the New Testament, being at that time, revealed through the Spirit to His apostles and prophets). Read the context carefully and the spirit of the New Testament will show that this is the case.

2. How does one determine what the spirit of a law is? Doesn’t this reasoning, in essence, wind up telling people to follow their own imaginations and desires above God’s law?

3. Was the question of circumcision settled by an appeal to “the spirit of the law”? Acts 15.

4. Instead of insisting on taking literal unleavened bread (in observing the Lord’s Supper) in harmony with the “letter of the law”, can we just observe “the spirit of what it’s about”? Can we treat everything else in this way? Baptism? Confession? Assembling? Church organization? Who determines what the spirit of the law actually is? How is this determined?

CONCLUSION

In spite of modern theology and prejudice against the very attempt to be careful and strict and respectful toward God’s word, we must follow the pattern set for us by Jesus. Beware of believers who use expressions like the above, or who moan that we need a “new hermeneutic”. You can be sure that they are doing things without authority and they just do not have the conviction to give it up. Jesus is our pattern, and patterns are given to be followed with great care and precision.

SOME QUESTIONS TO PONDER:

1. Do we need to be careful to follow Jesus, or would a knowledge of a few facts about Jesus be sufficient to guide us throughout life?

2. What can we know about Jesus’ life, principles, ideas, manners, plans, commands, or promises apart from the Bible?

3. Was Jesus particular about even specific tenses in words of the law?

4. What is meant by the term “Bible-thumper” today?

5. Do people think they are paying us a compliment when they say we are “legalists”?

6. Does the Bible give us a pattern of sound words?

7. If we follow anything else, aren’t we going outside the pattern?

8. Are sound or unsound words used to criticize those who say we need to stay within the pattern?



http://www3.sympatico.ca/henkf

…..
  ************************************  Weekly messages of hope and comfort for those who want to learn more about Jesus and His glorious plan for our lives.  To find out more about our ministry go to : worldoutreach.ca/sotn.htm  visit our "Cartoon Site"  www.worldoutreach.ca/DearGod/  *************************************                                                                            --  To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: [email protected]  

Posted by: henkf <henkf@...>

JESUS FURNISHED A PATTERN WE NEED TO FOLLOW

INTRODUCTION

God’s people follow Jesus because they know Him and love Him. They are familiar with His voice and follow His lead.John.10:4; Lk.9:23. His is the pattern for our lives. Rom.8:29; 13:14. Paul used Jesus as his pattern to follow. 1 Cor.11:1; 2 Cor.3:18. We learn from Christ in the New Testament, and then we try to “measure” up to Him. Eph.4:13; 1 John.4:17; Rev.14:4; Rom.15:7; 1 Pet.2:21-24; John.15:10; 1 John.2:6; 3:3. Yet, today we are hearing more and more believers criticize the idea of trying to strictly follow “patterns”. Everything should be tolerated except believers who insist on patterns being followed. No one should be criticized except believers who insist that we be particular and careful about what we do in God’s service. Well, Jesus is our pattern and all we can know about that pattern is found in the New Testament. Here are my conclusions:

I. WE SHOULD STRIVE TO BE AS “LEGALISTIC” AS JESUS. Matt.4:4; Deut.8:3; Heb.10:7

A. Today, we hear people use the word “legalist” in an uncomplimentary way. They assume a definition and idea of legalism and then apply it to every one who wants to be careful and particular with the Bible. Thus, with prejudice they pressure people not to think of using the Bible to condemn anyone else’s religious abuses or lack of scriptural authority.

1. Three of Jesus’ favorite words were “it is written”. Was He a legalist? Would He be condemned by today’s standards? See Matt.4:1f; 22:29-32; 19:4; 21:16; 21:42

2. He was even particular about a single word in a passage. John.10:33-36. Even the tense of a word was important. Matt.22:29-31

3. If people try to follow Jesus’ way today, they will be shamed with words like “Bible-thumper”, “Pharisee”, “Legalist”, “Cultic”, etc. We must follow Jesus even in accepting unjust criticisms and ridicule if need be.

B. Like Jesus, we should expect people to know the scriptures, their meaning and application.

1. God holds people responsible. Matt.12:7; 9:13; 16:11; John.8:43

2. He rebuked mental laziness and slowness to believe “all” that is written. Mk.8:14-17; Lk.24:25-27

3. God’s will have to be primary even if He had to stand alone and suffer to the death. Matt.26:39. Do we have to stand for anything? If so, what? Is it legalistic to insist that people stand for those things? If not, why not?

4. Was Jesus legalistic in making the statements He made in Matt.7:21-23; 21:23-27? If so, then we must follow His pattern and be called legalistic.

C. Like Jesus, we should insist on strict respect and obedience to God’s word.

1. LK.8:19-21; 11:27-28

2. John.8:31-32; 14:15, 21,24; 15:10

a. To say we “love God” is empty if we do not believe we have to do all He says.

3. Jesus honored and respected God’s word right down to the jot and tittle of it. Matt.5:17-19

II. OBJECTIONS WE ARE HEARING TODAY.

A. “Just follow Jesus and don’t let anything, including the Bible, take His place”.

1. How does one know Jesus, much less how to follow Him, without the Bible?

2. Have you ever heard someone say, “I follow the Bible, not Jesus”? No! Because the subtle distinction doesn’t work as well in that direction. Without the Bible, the above objection is really saying, “Just follow your “imagination” of Jesus, instead of the Bible”.

3. Further, did Jesus ever rebuke anyone for trying to follow the law of Moses instead of Moses? Can you imagine Jesus saying, “Just follow Moses and don’t let anything, including the law of Moses, take his place”?. Lk.16:29-31 ; Mk.12:26; Lk.20:37; 24:44; John.5:46

B. “Jesus is Lord, not the Bible”.

1. How does one know that Jesus is Lord without the Bible?

2. How can one determine what the Lord Jesus wants without the Bible?

C. “Don’t trust in self, trust in Jesus”.

1. The fact that one would study the scriptures is a confession that he/she does not trust his own wisdom. He is seeking for God’s wisdom. Acts 17:11

2. Are those who say “just trust in Jesus” sure they are not just trusting in their own opinion of Jesus? In essence, they are doing the very thing (in principle) they tell us not to do.

3. If depending on one’s studies of the Bible is “trusting in self”, then what is one doing when he imagines that he is trusting in Jesus? Is he trusting in his imagination instead of the real Jesus?

D. “You are guilty of Bible-olatry that is, making an idol of the Bible”.

1. Did Jesus make an idol out of the Old Testament?

2. How can we do like Jesus and still avoid this opinion of us?

3. Are those who don’t follow the Bible guilty of “personal-imagination-olatry”, i.e., making a god out of their own personal imaginations?

E. “This strictness with the law is just modern Phariseeism”.

1. Actually, the Pharisees were not as strict as Jesus.

a. They were not as concerned about weightier matters of the law. Matt.23:23.Jesus was concerned about it all.

b. They were not concerned about their inward appearance before God, but only their external appearance before men. Matt.23:3, 5; Lk.11:47-48. Jesus was stricter in regard to the heart.

c. They added human traditions to the law and found ways to get around strict obedience. Matt.15:1-9. Jesus rebuked them for that.

d. He expects us to strictly do right. Matt.5:19, 20

F. “We should follow the spirit, not the letter of the law”.

1. This has a deceptive ring of scripture to it. It is a misuse of 2 Cor.3. “The letter” is made to mean the strict wording of scripture, and “the spirit” is made to mean “what you think they really mean”. “The letter”(what the words actually say) versus “the spirit”(how I feel inside). However, 2 Cor.3 is actually contrasting “the letter”(the already written Old Testament) with “the spirit”(the New Testament, being at that time, revealed through the Spirit to His apostles and prophets). Read the context carefully and the spirit of the New Testament will show that this is the case.

2. How does one determine what the spirit of a law is? Doesn’t this reasoning, in essence, wind up telling people to follow their own imaginations and desires above God’s law?

3. Was the question of circumcision settled by an appeal to “the spirit of the law”? Acts 15.

4. Instead of insisting on taking literal unleavened bread (in observing the Lord’s Supper) in harmony with the “letter of the law”, can we just observe “the spirit of what it’s about”? Can we treat everything else in this way? Baptism? Confession? Assembling? Church organization? Who determines what the spirit of the law actually is? How is this determined?

CONCLUSION

In spite of modern theology and prejudice against the very attempt to be careful and strict and respectful toward God’s word, we must follow the pattern set for us by Jesus. Beware of believers who use expressions like the above, or who moan that we need a “new hermeneutic”. You can be sure that they are doing things without authority and they just do not have the conviction to give it up. Jesus is our pattern, and patterns are given to be followed with great care and precision.

SOME QUESTIONS TO PONDER:

1. Do we need to be careful to follow Jesus, or would a knowledge of a few facts about Jesus be sufficient to guide us throughout life?

2. What can we know about Jesus’ life, principles, ideas, manners, plans, commands, or promises apart from the Bible?

3. Was Jesus particular about even specific tenses in words of the law?

4. What is meant by the term “Bible-thumper” today?

5. Do people think they are paying us a compliment when they say we are “legalists”?

6. Does the Bible give us a pattern of sound words?

7. If we follow anything else, aren’t we going outside the pattern?

8. Are sound or unsound words used to criticize those who say we need to stay within the pattern?

http://www3.sympatico.ca/henkf

…..

  ************************************  Weekly messages of hope and comfort for those who want to learn more about Jesus and His glorious plan for our lives.  To find out more about our ministry go to : worldoutreach.ca/sotn.htm  visit our "Cartoon Site"  www.worldoutreach.ca/DearGod/  *************************************                                                                            --  To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: [email protected]