Louie Giglio on Pentecost – A Trinitarian revolution of the heart

A Trinitarian revolution of the heart – message from ASPIRE Southern Baptist Conference

Louie Giglio  is Lead Pastor PassionCity Church, Atlanta Georgia and Founder of Passion Conferences.

Jesus is doing, on every continent, what He said, “I will build My church”. He orchestrates history, He is God and there’s no one like Him. If you signed Jesus up to help you build YOUR church, you’re in trouble. But if you are having Jesus order you around to build His church, you are on to something.

We do not have tiny power, we have the same power that God used to raise the crucified Lord from the dead. The kind of power that can change cities and crack history, that is the kind of power we have.

Ephesians 3:20

²⁰ Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,

I’d like to talk about a Trinitarian revolution of the heart. God is always at work and is wanting to do more (not just in the sense of the measurable increments) …but in what we can do. He is always wanting to show up in a way, to move in a way that makes it clear to everyone that these people did not do this on their own and when that happens, glory comes to God. God gets the glory in the church.

Talks about people who are afraid of the third part of the trinity- the Holy Spirit. He makes 2 points – People don’t speak or celebrate Pentecost (even though around the world people count the 50 days from Easter and praise God for the day when the Holy Spirit came and blew the church away. You remember that it is a trinitarian thing that empowers the church’s ministry. The Holy Spirit leads us to truth (John 14) And, He will testify  to Jesus. And, by the way, the Holy Spirit is a Person. He is not an “it”.  When the Holy Spirit comes, he doesn’t make much about the Holy Spirit, he’s gonna make it all about Jesus. The Holy Spirit loves to testify about Jesus. In a Spirit filled church you are talking all about Jesus. And when the city hears Jesus’ name and not your (church) name big things are going to happen.

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• Louie Giglio – The Global God Who Gives the Great Commission Desiring God 2011 National Conference Finish the Mission: For the Joy of All Peoples

E.H. Askwith on the Historical Value of the Fourth Gospel (Public Domain Ebook)

Photo via www.honesttogod.net

Here’s your chance to read a free (online pdf form) commentary book on the historicity of the Johannine Gospel (Gospel of John) and its relation to the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke). This book was written at the turn of the century.

Click here to access book in pdf format - http://www.biblicalstudies.org.uk Go to bottom of page and click on Complete book as one file [5.6MB]  316 pages

London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1910. pp.316.
This book is now in the Public Domain

From the Introduction:

click photo to read book

The writer of these pages sets himself the task of showing on internal grounds that the Fourth Gospel is a historical and not merely, as some present-day critics affirm, a theological document. In speaking, however, of the Gospel as historical we do not mean that the aim of the writer of it was primarily a historical one. His interest may well have been theological, as indeed he expressly states it to have been (xx. 31). But our contention will here be that the writer did not invent his story to teach theological truth. We believe that the things which the Evangelist records as having happened are real events, that they did take place. In saying this we are setting ourselves in opposition to much of the criticism of our day, which denies to this Gospel serious historical value, regarding it as irreconcilable with the Synoptic tradition of the life of Jesus Christ.

For the opposition to the Johannine authorship of the Fourth Gospel is based chiefly on internal grounds. Its external credentials might be accepted by adverse critics were it not for what they consider to be overwhelming objections against its apostolic authorship on the ground of in- ternal evidence. But, as it is, the external evidence is explained away because it is thought that the story of the life of Jesus in this Gospel cannot be brought into agreement with wnat is acknowledged to be the earlier story in point of time, that, namely, which we have in the pages of the Synoptists. Critics opposed to the Johannine authorship of the Gospel contend that having happened are real events, that they did take place. In saying this we are setting ourselves in opposition to much of the criticism of our day, which denies to this Gospel serious historical value, regarding it as irreconcilable with the Synoptic tradition of the life of Jesus Christ.

For the opposition to the Johannine authorship of the Fourth Gospel is based chiefly on internal grounds. Its external credentials might be accepted by adverse critics were it not for what they consider to be overwhelming objections against its apostolic authorship on the ground of internal evidence. But, as it is, the external evidence is explained away because it is thought that the story of the life of Jesus in this Gospel cannot be brought into agreement with what is acknowledged to be the earlier story in point of time, that, namely, which we have in the pages of the Synoptists. Critics opposed to the Johannine authorship of the Gospel contend that both stories of the life of Jesus-that of the Synoptists and that of the Fourth Gospel-cannot be alike historical. A choice, then, has to be made between the two, and preference is shown for the Synoptic story. For it is argued that the Fourth Gospel is obviously a theological document, and its writer’s interests are theologically deter- mined, so that its genesis is explicable on theological grounds. While, then, the Fourth Gospel may be an interesting psychological study its contents are not history and are not to be so interpreted.

It is because the opposition to the historical character of the Fourth Gospel is based principally on its contents, and because the external credentials of the apostolic authorship of the book are explained away, not for the reason that they are trivial, but because they cannot outweigh the internal evidence, that we shall in these pages confine our attention to this internal evidence, and discuss the historical probability of the events which this Gospel records. (Pages 1-6)

1	Introductory
2	The Ministry of the Baptist
3	The Betrayal
4	The Trial of Jesus
5	The Crucifxion
6	The Resurrection (I)
7	The Resurrection (II)
8	The Cleansing of the Temple, The Feeding of the Five T|housand, and the Walking on the Sea
9	The Triumphal Entry, and the Last Supper
10	The Probability of a Ministry in Jerusalem
11	The Ministry of Jesus According to the Fourth Evangelist
12	Objections to the Historicity of the Fourth Gospel Considered

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Here is Barnes & Noble author’s page for E. H. Askwith with several free downloads if you own Barnes & Nobles’ Nook Reader - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/e.-h.-askwith

Also, http://www.biblicalstudies.org.uk is a fantastic website that collects Christian journals and articles from older periodicals and journals on Biblical topics. It’s worth subscribing to their updates, and browsing through their impressive collections.

Click here to read the entire book - The Historical Value of the Fourth Gospel

The Record of the Ascension of Jesus Part 2

A study by  J. Hampton Keathley, III at Bible.org See part 1 here – An introduction to the Ascension of Jesus looking at Isaiah 6

 

The Record of the Ascension:
Its Confirmation and Significance

Prophet – Photo via vk.com

Prophets Anticipated the Ascension

It is important to realize the ascension of Christ has always been a part of the overall plan of God. The idea of the ascension was not some last minute idea thought up by hapless and hopeless disciples.

Isaiah 52:13 Behold, My servant will prosper, He will be high and lifted up, and greatly exalted.

Belief in the ascension and its accomplishments has it source in the expectations and promises of Old Testament prophecy.

Psalm 16:8-11 I have set the LORD continually before me; Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. ⁹ Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will dwell securely. ¹⁰ For Thou wilt not abandon my soul to Sheol; Neither wilt Thou allow Thy Holy One to undergo decay. ¹¹ Thou wilt make known to me the path of life; In Thy presence is fulness of joy; In Thy right hand there are pleasures forever. (emphasis mine)

This prophecy traces Christ from the cross through resurrection back into His glory at God’s right hand through the ascension (cf. Acts 2:24-36).

Psalm 110:1-5 A Psalm of David. The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand, Until I make Thine enemies a footstool for Thy feet.” . . .^. 5 The Lord is at Thy right hand; He will shatter kings in the day of His wrath.

Also compare:

Matthew 22:41-44 Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, ⁴²saying, “What do you think about the Christ, whose son is He?” They said to Him, “The son of David.” ⁴³ He said to them, “Then how does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying, ^{44 ‘}The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Until I put Thine enemies beneath Thy feet”’?

Christ used this Old Testament passage which anticipated the ascension of David’s son to God’s right hand to demonstrate just who Messiah was and what this should mean to mankind. Messiah would be David’s son but also David’s Lord–one who shared God’s throne as God Himself. The ascension is alluded to in the words “at my right hand.” This shows us an understanding of what the ascension means and teaches us about Jesus Christ is vital for right thinking and response to the person of Christ. (Cf. Psalm 68:18; Eph. 4:8ff; Isa 52:13).

The Lord’s ascension was anticipated in the Old Testament and viewed as essential to a proper understanding of just who Messiah is and of His ministry to men. (Photo Jesus ascension.jpg)

Christ Anticipated the Ascension

The ascension was no surprise to the Lord. From the very beginning of His ministry, the Lord was not only aware that He had come to die for our sin, but anticipated both the resurrection and the ascension. Both were foretold in the Old Testament and Christ knew that like His death, the resurrection and ascension were essential for fulfilling God’s purposes and solving man’s dilemma. There must be both the DESCENT from heaven and theASCENT back into heaven.

There are some fifteen or more passages where the Lord speaks of the ascension or alludes to it in one way or another. That is not without significance. In each of the passages the Lord used the ascension much like the fact of the resurrection. He used it to authenticate His person and to give reasons for what He could and would do for man, and why the person and work of Christ demands a verdict–the verdict of faith and commitment.

The ascension is a vital link in the entire chain of events, all of which are essential. It is the link between His past finished work and His present and future work. It demonstrates Jesus Christ to be the final solution for man’s need of prophet, priest, and king (Cf. John 3:13; John 6:62; John 13:1; John 14:1-2; Luke 20:41-44).

New Testament Believers Witnessed the Ascension

The Time of the Ascension

There are some who contend that Christ ascended into heaven prior to the event recorded in Acts 1. A number of expositors teach that Christ ascended to heaven on the day of His resurrection based on the implications of John 20:17 and Hebrews 9:6-20. Let me suggest several reasons why this is unlikely:

(1) In Hebrews 9:11-12 the statement, “through His own blood” (or in the KJV, “with His blood”) has been taken to mean Christ took His actual blood into heaven. They say in John 20:17, Christ was telling Mary not to touch Him because this had not yet been done. But the Greek text here uses a construction which means “through the agency of” or “by means of.” It simply means that Christ was able to enter heaven once and for all by means of (or through) His death on the cross.

(2) The Lord did not actually say in John 20:17 He would ascend immediately, or at a time prior to the record in Luke 24 and Acts 1. “I ascend” is a prediction and illustrates what grammarians call a “futuristic use of the present tense.” This is a well established use in the New Testament (cf. A.T. Robertson, A Grammar Of The Greek New Testament In The Light of Historical Research, Broadman Press, p. 880).

(3) The only biblical record we have of His ascension is the one recorded 40 days after the resurrection (Acts 1:9-11; Luke 24:50-53). Many able scholars have concluded that it is improbable that Christ ascended in a formal way to heaven until the event of Acts 1.

But that He did ascend and that we have the record is enormously instructive.

This record is a confirmation of the fact of the ascension by those who had access to this information and who very carefully examined the facts (Luke 1:3) And the record of the ascension is such that it gives us important information about its nature and meaning.

The Nature of the Ascension

For the purposes of our study, we are going to focus our attention on the account in Acts 1:6-11.

Acts 1:6-11 And so when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” ⁷ He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; ⁸ but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth. “ ⁹ And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. ¹⁰ And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was departing, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them; ¹¹ and they also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”

First, we want to note the context in which the ascension occurs. This passage shows us there was concern and longing for the restoration of the kingdom of Israel, and so there was the question about when. This would mean the reign of righteousness with Jesus Christ on the throne, and an end to the times of the Gentiles and the turmoil we now know in the world.

The Lord tells the disciples this was all in the Father’s sovereign plan and timing (vs. 7). In the meantime, they had the responsibility of representing the Lord to the world, a responsibility for which they would be adequately supplied by the power of the Holy Spirit once He had come to indwell the church, the body of Christ (vs. 8).

Christ’s ascension is immediately followed by the promise of the Holy Spirit and instructions regarding the purpose and mission of the church. The ascension is designed to provide an incentive to faith, courage, and a motivation to ministry.

Immediately after this commission in verse 8, the ascension occurred. The Lord was lifted up by a cloud of glory out of their sight and taken into heaven. He was ascending to the right hand of the Father from whence He would send the Holy Spirit to empower them for ministry. There also He would sit to represent them providing access into God’s presence.

Let’s note the words used for Christ’s departure and what they teach us.

Verse 9a tells us “He was lifted up.” This is the passive form of the Greek epairo and means “to lift up” as in the hoisting of a sail (Acts 27:40). This stresses that the ascension is upward and shows the Father was taking His Son up into heaven. The ascension was an act of exaltation and an affirmation of Christ’s person.

Verse 9b tells us “a cloud received Him out of their sight.” The Greek word “received” is hupolambano, “to take or bear up by supporting from beneath.” Literally the cloud “took under him.” He appeared to be supported by the cloud.

It appears that once Christ was in the atmospheric heaven, He was received by a cloud. Though we are not told so, this may have been like the cloud connected with the transfiguration, and which descended on the tabernacle in the wilderness and filled Solomon’s temple. Many believe it was the shekinah cloud, a symbol of the glory of God. In other words, it was a supernatural cloud, a symbol of the glorification of the Son. He was resuming His preincarnate glory–the glory He had before the incarnation.

Verse 10 describes the ascent by the words, “while He was departing.” “Departing” is the Greek poreuomai. This was a common word that meant to “go on a journey.” This suggests to us the ascension was a journey, not merely a disappearance. The Son of Man who was the Son of God was passing through the heavens into the heaven of heavens, into the very presence of God to appear there for us (cf. Heb. 4:14; 7:20; 9:24).

Verse 11 describes the ascent by the words, “This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven.” “Taken up” is the Greek analambano, “to receive up.” This is probably best understood as culminative or climatic and describes His reception into heaven. It describes the final results of the ascension and declares the fact of Christ’s arrival in heaven. By the testimony of two angels from heaven we are told He had reached His destination.

Everywhere we turn in the New Testament we find the Lord Jesus declared to be in heaven at the right hand of the Father in the PLACE OF GLORY, POWER, AUTHORITY, AND PROVISION FOR US.

The Response of the Disciples

What happened next is also important. We find the disciples almost trance-like and bewildered, staring after the Lord into the sky. The Greek text indicates they continued to stare or gaze up into heaven. Partly, I am sure because they were amazed and perplexed, but partly because they didn’t want to see Him go. Perhaps also they were waiting to see if He would soon return.

Suddenly, two men in white clothing, angels, messengers from God, appear beside them and address the disciples first with a question and then with a statement of promise.

The Question: “Why do you stand looking into the sky?”

I believe this question shows us how the ascension should and should not affect us. It may have been a gentle rebuke, but I think it is clear that the angels were calling the disciples’ attention to several important principles:

• We should not be bewildered by the ascension nor stand transfixed or immobile just looking into the heavens. They (and we) should have expected it based on the Old Testament and Christ’s own predictions.SEEING THE LORD AS ASCENDED SHOULD HAVE A DIFFERENT EFFECT ON US.
• We must know and believe that the ascension and session of the Lord is an important and necessary part in the plan of God for the church and for the world. We must trust in God’s plan. The Lord must be absent from us for a time.
• The Lord’s departure means Christ’s exalted position in heaven and the promise of His return. But it also means that we have important matters to attend to as His people whom He has left here to represent Him.

The question posed by the angels implies “do you not understand what all this means to you?” It means Christ is exalted, but it also means the promise of His abiding presence with each believer in a very new and special way. It also means His sure return as King of Kings. The promise of His return means the establishment of His kingdom and His sure reward for faithful service with all the glories of the future.

The Reasons for Witnessing the Ascension

No one saw the Lord rise from the dead, but He was seen ascending into heaven by the disciples.

Men saw the results of resurrection–the living, glorified and resurrected Christ. But the act was not seen, only the results. To confirm the resurrection it was not necessary that men see him rise out of the grave. Knowing He was surely dead, men only needed to see clear evidences for the resurrection such as the empty tomb, the grave clothes as they were lying in the tomb, and the risen Christ who appeared over and over again.

By contrast, the disciples saw Christ ascend into heaven–they saw the act of ascension, but not the result–Jesus Christ seated at the right hand of God. This they could not see except by prophetic vision (e.g., Stephen in Acts 7:55-56, John in the book of Revelation, or Paul on the Damascus road).

The act of ascension was necessary to confirm the result–Christ seated. One of the great doctrines of the epistles is Christ seated in heaven, exalted at God’s right hand and the historic act confirms that for us.

The Lord Jesus physically disappeared from off the face of the earth. Where did He go? Where was He? The ascension with the eye witness account of the disciples provides us with the answer and verifies this great doctrine of Scripture.

Christ’s ascension (the act seen) is the proof of the result (Christ seated as the victorious and exalted Savior).

What difference does all this make to us, to the church in the world? What are the consequences of the ascension? The consequences are so tremendous that the ascended and seated Lord becomes one of the great themes of the New Testament. Everywhere we turn we find references of the ascended and seated Christ, and this has all kinds of implications on the individual and corporate life of the church of Jesus

The Results of the Ascension:
Its Consequences

Culminations of the Ascension–what it ended

(1) It ended Christ’s humiliation and self-limitation (John 6:62; Phil. 2:5-11).

Even during Christ’s appearances in His post-resurrection ministry, to some extent, He limited the manifestation of His glory. But through the ascension, though still possessing a glorified human body, the Lord assumed all of His former glory and authority.

(2) It ended His public ministry of words and works (John 17:4-11).

The ascension concluded His prophetic ministry and miracles accomplished by His bodily presence on earth (Walvoord, p. 224). His prophetic ministry and miracles would continue for a while, but only through the lives and ministry of the Apostles.

(3) It ended His redemptive work (Heb. 1:3; 10:12).

The ascension declared His work on the cross was finished. It demonstrated that there was nothing more that could be done for our sin and that He and He alone had accomplished our redemption (Note Heb. 9:11-12).

(4) It ended the Old Testament Covenant and declares the New Covenant to be better and in force (Heb. 8:7-13; 9:11-15, 23-10:1).

The ascension declared that the old Mosaic Covenant was no longer valid, that it was only a temporary covenant until Messiah-Savior could come.

Affirmations of the Ascension–what it says and teaches us about the Lord.

It Affirmed Christ’s Identification

It Affirmed Christ as the God-Man (John 6:62). In John 6 we have the great discourse on Christ as the Bread of Life. Because of His unique person, He is able to give eternal life. This is true because He is not mere man, but the God-Man, the one who came down from heaven. This was difficult to grasp and some grumbled over it. So what did the Lord do? He spoke of His ascension as proof of His origin. The ascension, like the resurrection, would prove His divine origin and that He had been sent of God to solve man’s sin problem.

It Affirmed Christ as Prophet, Priest, and King

(1) As Prophet

In John 3:2, the words “a teacher come from God” set the stage for this encounter. First, it shows his inadequate understanding of the person of Jesus. Christ sought to eliminate an incomplete grasp of His person because this is essential to faith and salvation. A teacher is a communicator of truth and Christ will show Nicodemus why He is able, above all teachers, to reveal God’s truth.

In John 3:13 our Lord shows Nicodemus He has the right and ability to explain and reveal heavenly truth because He is the true prophet, the one who came from heaven and who, following His finished work on the cross, would return–the proof that He had truly come from God. Note Peter’s grasp of this in Acts 3:19-26. (Cf. also John 3:13; 16:7, compare with 12f; 6:14)

As the great prophet and revealer of truth, He would continue this ministry through the apostles via the Holy Spirit (John 16:7, 12f).

(2) As Priest

Jesus’ ascension and return to the Father would demonstrate that He had successfully, as our great and righteous High Priest, offered the one sacrifice that effectively deals with man’s sin and provides justification–righteousness with God. (Cf. Heb. 8:1-2; 9:11-12; John 16:10)

In John 13:1-3 the ascension is mentioned twice because it is on the basis of His work as Priest (Christ in the presence of the Father) that He would be able to continue His ministry as our High Priest and provide continual cleansing. On the basis of His confidence in the ascension, He performed an act which symbolized His continuing ministry of cleansing us as our advocate in heaven at God’s right hand (John 13:4f, cf. 1 John 2:1-2).

(3) As King

In answer to who He was, Christ again made reference to His ascended and exalted position at God’s right hand, only now in connection with His second coming from that ascended and exalted position as King of kings. (Cf. Matt. 26:64.)

It Affirmed Christ’s Exaltation

As with the vision of Isaiah, it declared the Lord Jesus, the God-Man Savior, as high and lifted up. This included the following:

• His Glorification (John 17:5; Acts 7:55; Rev. 1:12-16) It meant a return to His pre-incarnate glory, but it also constituted a glorification of His humanity where He is the Forerunner of all believers who will follow.
• His Session (Eph. 1:20-23; Phil. 2:9; Heb. 1:3; 1 Pet. 3:22) It declared that He was in heaven, at God’s right hand, the place of the highest honor and authority. It means the possession of the throne of God without dispossession of the father. It means all glory, authority and power is shared by the father with the Son.
• His Intercession and Protection over His own (John 17:11f; Rom. 8:32f; Heb. 4:14-16) It affirms His continuing ministry for us at God’s right hand: kept by His presence with the Father and His work as High Priest. In this regard, it declares we have an advocate with the Father and a compassionate High Priest, one who cares for us with the greatest compassion and who both intercedes for us when we sin and prays for us in our need.
• His Provision for spiritual power (John 14:25-26; 16:7-10: Luke 24:49f; Acts. 1:8-11) It provided the means of His gift of the Comforter. Without the ascension, there would be none of the ministries of the Holy Spirit as we know it today: no indwelling, no baptism into Christ, and no filling. This would mean the absence of power over sin and power for witnessing. We would be a helpless people.
• His Distribution (Eph. 4:7-11) It affirmed His right to give gifts to His church.
• His Preparation (John 14:3,4) It affirms His promise to prepare a home for His bride. When we lose a loved one who knows the Lord, one of the great comforts is the fact that our loved one has actually gone home and that we will someday be joining them.
• Commission (Matt. 28:19f; Luke 24:44f; John 12:32; 14:12; 17:11-23; Mark 16:19-20). By His commission I am referring to His earthly ministry and that He intends to continue this through the church. Continue it through you and me as we make ourselves available to Him as the risen and ascended Lord through the Holy Spirit His gift for ministry. As with Isaiah, this vision of Christ and its consequences to us, should mean “here am I Lord, send me; do with me according to your purpose.”

It Affirms the Need of Celebration

It affirms our need to celebrate and respond in the worship of the Savior. Remember, worship is not just something we do in some special place. Worship may, as with Israel, be merely external and religious formalism. (Cf. Luke 24:51-53; Col. 3:1)

True worship involves something we are, a people who count on the worth of God for the totality of our lives. Worship includes hearing God’s Word, confessing our sin, prayer, praise, singing and making melody in our hearts, but all of this can be mere religiosity.

What we must see is that true worship means we think, respond and act on the fact of our ascended Lord with obedience, with commitment, and availability to the plan of God for our lives.

It Affords Us With Motivation and Courage

The ascension provides every reason why we should endure and be bold in service for the Lord knowing that our labor is never in vain in the Lord. (Cf. Mat. 28:19; Heb. 12:1,2).

It Affirms His Inauguration as King

The ascension anticipates the establishment of His kingdom and the fact that we will have the privilege of reigning with Him in the millennium and the eternal kingdom of the new heavens and earth. (Cf. John 14:28; 16:16;Acts. 1:11; Ps. 110:1; Heb. 1:13; Rev. 5:1-11.)

It Demands a Response

Because of what the ascension means, it demands a response from us to the person and work of Christ. (John 6:62) Failing to assimilate the truth of Christ as the Bread of Life, as the source of our spiritual nourishment and life through feeding on Him by faith and study, the Lord challenged His audience (and challenges us) with these words: “What then if you should behold the Son of Man ascending where He was before?”

The Record of the Ascension of Jesus Part 1

Photo via hubpages.com

A study by  J. Hampton Keathley, III at Bible.org

Tomorrow in Part 2 – The Record of Jesus’ ascension.

Seeing the Lord High and Exalted
(Isaiah 6)

I would like to introduce this study on the ascension of Christ with a brief look at Isaiah 6. This passage gives us a vision of the incomparable majesty of God, and in the process sets forth a number of contrasts between:

• The human and the divine
• The temporal and the eternal
• The earthly and the heavenly

Isaiah 6:1-13 In the year of King Uzziah’s death, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. ² Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings; with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. ³ And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.” ⁴ And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke. ⁵ Then I said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.”

Then one of the seraphim flew to me, with a burning coal in his hand which he had taken from the altar with tongs. ⁷ And he touched my mouth with it and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away, and your sin is forgiven.” ⁸ Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!” ⁹ And He said, “Go, and tell this people: ‘Keep on listening, but do not perceive; Keep on looking, but do not understand.’ ^{10 “}Render the hearts of this people insensitive, Their ears dull, And their eyes dim, Lest they see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, Understand with their hearts, And return and be healed.” ¹¹ Then I said, “Lord, how long?” And He answered, “Until cities are devastated and without inhabitant, Houses are without people, And the land is utterly desolate, ^{12 “}The LORD has removed men far away, And the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land. ^{13 “}Yet there will be a tenth portion in it, And it will again be subject to burning, Like a terebinth or an oak Whose stump remains when it is felled. The holy seed is its stump.”

Isaiah’s vision, with its contrasts, is both timely and vital for believers of any age and time–but especially in times like these when our nation is literally on the skids spiritually, morally, and politically. The passage consists of REVELATION from God followed by a RESPONSE with specific RESULTS in the life of Isaiah.

God’s revelation always demands a response consistent with His revelation. Isaiah 6 contains a:

• VISION–God’s REVELATION of Himself to Isaiah,
• VERDICT–Isaiah’s RESPONSE by way of a confession of his and his people’s sinfulness, and
• VOCATION–the RESULT, Isaiah’s commissioning and commitment of His life to the purpose of God.

In verse 1 the Hebrew text literally reads, “in the death year of King Uzziah.” This is emphatic and shortened for emphasis and effect. We would normally expect something like, “and it came to pass” as in Isaiah 7:1. The important point is that this vision of the heavenly king, the sovereign of the universe, came in the same year of this earthly king’s death.

This is important to note because it dramatically ties the vision to a critical moment in the spiritual and political history of the nation. Under King Uzziah Judah had experienced prosperous times. This King had extended the country’s boundaries to is ancient limits. Commerce and agriculture flourished, and the two nations, (Judah and Israel) were at peace. But more importantly, King Uzziah had established spiritual renewal. He had removed much of the idolatry and established spiritual reforms. He had sought to bring the people back to the Word of God.

But without King Uzziah’s leadership (which sought to bring the people back to God and His Word) these conditions would fast erode for there were already signs of spiritual lethargy and mere externalism in their religious life. Judah’s prosperity had degenerated into softness, luxurious living, and complacency toward God and their calling as a priesthood nation. Worship had been maintained with external regularity and religious precision–but they were keeping their hearts far from God. So, with King Uzziah’s death, apostasy could very well increase fast . As Isaiah considered the death of Uzziah, he must have thought that things could really go to the dogs.

Moreover, Assyria, a cruel, ruthless, and hungry tyrant, was increasing in power like a huge beast ready to pounce on all the nations of Palestine. So, it was a critical time, a time that not only involved the death of a godly king, but a time that foresaw the death of a nation as it turned not only away from the Lord but to the idolatrous influences from the East.

As we think about our own country today and see what is happening on every front, it is frightening, discouraging, and frustrating. We see the influx of the New Age movement and the tremendous rise of all the cults; the unisex issue; the abortion problem; the drug problem; the gay movement that has become politically powerful; the multi-billion dollar rock music industry with its blatant attacks on Jesus Christ and its emphasis on rebellion, violence, hedonism, and sex. We see the violence in our streets, especially on the rise among our young teens; the corruption in business and politics; an almost complete loss of moral values; the divorce rate and the break up of the home including abuse of women and children; and the failure of the church to make a significant difference.

But in the midst of the problems of Isaiah’s day, he was given a vision, one that we need perhaps more than Isaiah did. So note what we read next.

“I saw the Lord sitting . . .” Literally the text reads, “I saw also . . .” or “and then I saw the Lord.” In other words, against the backdrop of the problems of his day, Isaiah also saw the LORD. He saw the Lord “sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted” or “seated on a throne, high and exalted” (NIV). In other words, regardless of what was happening in the nation and on this earth, God was on the throne carrying out His purposes.

Psalm 103:19 The LORD has established His throne in the heavens; And His sovereignty rules over all. (NASB)

This revelation of the Lord turns our attention from the HUMAN and the EARTHLY to the DIVINE and the HEAVENLY–from the CHAOTIC and DEGENERATE to the PEACEFUL and HOLY. This passage gives us heaven’s perspective and the effect this should have on us as the people of God whom God has left here to represent Him. Let us gaze into heaven through the lens of Scripture to see our ascended and seated Lord, high and lifted up. And also, let us begin to see (1) what this means to us by way of blessings and privileges and (2) what effect this should have on us as the people of God.

In view of the phrase, “lofty and exalted” in Isaiah 6:1, let’s note the same phrase in Isaiah 52:13.

Isaiah 52:13 Behold, My servant will prosper, He will be high and lifted up, and greatly exalted.

Isaiah 52:13-53:12 is a prophecy of the suffering Servant of the Lord who must die for our sin, but at the very beginning of this passage, it anticipates His victory and exaltation or ascension.

The ascension of the Savior is a very important event which accomplished some wonderful and awesome things in the plan of God.

On Easter we commemorate the resurrection of Christ–one of the four greatest events in human history since the creation of man. The others include:

1. The first great event, and one anticipated since the fall of man, is the incarnation–the moment in time when God descended to earth in the person of His Son to become true, yet sinless humanity.

2. The second great event is the cross when the God-Man Savior died for our sins–the innocent bearing the penalty of the guilty.

3. The third great event is the resurrection, when Jesus Christ was raised from death by the glory of the Father.

4. “In our culture, as in most cultures around the world, the ultimate symbol of foreboding and despair is the grave . . . Yet the Bible shows us a grave–and empty grave–which is the picture of ultimate hope” (Donald K. Campbell, Seminary Easter Card, 1988).

But why was Christ raised from the grave? (1) To prove who He was–the eternal Son of God, and (2) to confirm the value of His death. But there is another important reason for the resurrection, (3) that Jesus Christ might, as the glorified and victorious Savior, ascend into the very presence of God, thus, opening the way for others to follow.

Many studies of the life of Christ trace His life and ministry beginning at Bethlehem and ending with the ascension. But Christ’s life existed from all eternity and continues into the eternal future. The ascension is the connecting link, the link between the past ministry of Christ and His future ministry.

“The ascension is not only a great FACT of the New Testament, but a greater FACTOR in the life of Christ and Christians, and no complete view of Jesus Christ is possible unless the ascension and its consequences are included” (ISBE, Griffith Thomas, Vol. 1, p. 263).

When you think of Christ, how do you think of Him? As the babe lying in the manger? Do you think of Him in terms of His ministry on earth and His mighty words and works? Or perhaps you think of Him as the one who died and rose again. There are many ways we may (and should) think about Jesus Christ and that we do so is tremendously important to the issues of life . . . assuming we come up with the right verdict.

In view of the Easter season and in view of the moral decay of our nation, I’d like to invite you to think especially of Jesus Christ as one who ascended into heaven. We want to be able to answer our Lord’s very provocative question, “What then if you should see the Son of Man ascending where He was before?” In other words, what does the ascension mean to us? What differences should it make in our belief and behavior?

We need to answer this question because it is tremendously important (1) to the impact of Christ on our daily lives, (2) to our courage and the enjoyment of our salvation in Christ, and (3) for our effectiveness in the mission of the Great Commission to which Christ has called each of us.

IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT, LIKE ISAIAH, WE SEE JESUS EXALTED OR HIGH AND LIFTED UP REGARDLESS OF WHAT IS HAPPENING ON EARTH.

The ascension, as one of the important truths of the Bible, occupies a large portion in the Word of God. Our study will demonstrate just why this is so, but let’s look at two passages that demonstrate our need to know and personally relate our lives to Jesus Christ–not only as the one who died and rose from the grave, but also as the ascended Lord.

John 20:17 Jesus said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren, and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’”

2 Corinthians 5:16-17 Therefore from now on we recognize no man according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. ¹⁷ Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

Paul is saying that we know him no longer as just a man, indeed He is the God-Man, but he is also saying that we know Him no longer as the one who came to earth in the flesh. We must know Him now as the ascended, exalted, glorified Savior.

By the word “ascension” we mean the removal of Jesus Christ from this earth into a different place and sphere which we call heaven. A place seen by Isaiah as high and exalted, a place of sovereign control and authority. It is a removal, a change of position and locale which is of the utmost importance both to God and to man.

The ascension completes the resurrection. Without the resurrection Christ’s death would be meaningless as far as the great issues of life are concerned. And without the ascension, the resurrection would also be incomplete and meaningless. We would have a resurrected person, but not one who was now at God’s right hand in the place of authority.

Please note the progression:

• First there is Christ’s descent to earth–God becoming man, the incarnation.
• This is followed by Christ’s death and resurrection as the God-Man Savior.
• But for God’s purposes to be fulfilled and our need supplied, there must also be Christ’s ascent into heaven as the God-Man Savior and King of His people.

“The ascension is the important link between His work on earth and His work in heaven which begins with the ascension” (Walvoord, Jesus Christ Our Lord, p. 224).

It is important to remember that the New Testament was written by men who were thoroughly convinced that Jesus was at the right hand of the Father, and that through the ministry of the Holy Spirit they were in union with this ascended Lord and were, by His commission and through His ascended authority and power, left here to continue the work which He began.

In relation to the ascension, the Lord said, “I am with you for only a short time, and then I go to the one who sent me.” The ascension means the Lord’s physical removal from His people on earth and from this present state of affairs, “but the spiritual value of the Ascension lies not in Christ’s physical remoteness, but in His spiritual nearness. He is free from earthly limitations, and His life above is the promise and guarantee” (Thomas, p. 265) not only life and life eternal, but it is also the proof of our purpose and the promise of capacity for ministry as His people.

Jesus said, “Because I live you shall live also.” But in the total context of the New Testament, this refers not only to the resurrection but to His continued life as the ascended and seated Lord of the church and the universe.

The Christ of the Gospels is the Christ of the past, the eternal past and the historic past, “but the full New Testament picture of Christ is that of a living Christ , the Christ of heaven, the Christ of experience, the Christ of the present and the future” (Griffith Thomas, p. 263).

We must not miss the connection between Isaiah’s VISION and his VOCATION. It had the right impact on the prophet’s life. The Gospel ends with the promise of Christ’s authority as the ascended Lord, the gift of the Spirit, and the Great Commission (God’s calling on our lives). It did not end with the promise of peace and prosperity, which is so often the emphasis in our culture. It ended with the fact and picture of an ascended, sovereign LORD who has commissioned us to live for Him.

If we are to endure and carry on in this sin-ridden world, running the race God has laid out before us, we need to see Jesus Christ. We must fix our gaze on Him, but how are we to do that?

Ravi Zacharias – Can Man Live Without God? National University of Singapore

Photo via www.gdtd.vn

Lecture Friday March 26, 2004 (just recently uploaded) In this brilliant and compelling defense of the Christian faith, Ravi Zacharias shows how affirming the reality of God’s existence matters urgently in our everyday lives. According to Zacharias, how you answer the questions of God’s existence will impact your relationship with others, your commitment to integrity, your attitude toward morality, and your perception of truth. (Video via EnimVeritas)

This topic is from Ravi’s book ‘Can Man Live Wihtout God’, a subject he spoke on at Harvard University Law School. The book treats this subject more exhaustively than his lecture here, and at other venues where Zacharias has lectured on this topic.

The book is available here: http://www.amazon.com/Can-Man-Live-Wi…

Related articles

• Ravi Zacharias – The scientific naturalist view does not answer our questions, nor prove God’s in existence
• Ravi Zacharias at Princeton University April 4,2013: Why I am not an atheist + Princeton University Open Forum Q&A
• Ravi Zacharias on suicide

Psalm 19 – The Glory of God and Scripture

photo via sfw.so

THE GLORY OF GOD IN THE SKIES AND SCRIPTURE Psalm 19
Dr. George O. Wood

Psalm 19 is many people’s favorite psalm. ―The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat. The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer‖ (Psalm 19:1-14, NIV).

There’s a tremendous cadence and glory to that psalm. C. S. Lewis said, ―I take this to be the greatest poem in the Psalter and one of the greatest lyrics in the world.‖ The psalm is quoted in the New Testament; it becomes a reference by Paul to show that the Word has gone out to all of Israel so that there is none to say they have an excuse for not knowing God’s Word, and the psalm also serves as an underpinning for Romans 1:18–3:20 where Paul argues than man not knowing anything about God except what is in nature may know sufficiently about God as to be persuaded of His existence. Photo via hiraeth.squarespace.com

The psalm, if you look at it carefully, you realize that the psalm divides into two parts and they’re very discernable. Probably more discernable in an outline than almost any of the other psalms. The first six verses of Psalm 19 specifically relate to the glory of God in nature. The last verses, 7–14, relate to the glory of God in His law. Or in the Torah, the Old Testament word being for the law of God, which we call now the first five books of the Bible. An Israel rabbi would be talking about this psalm as a celebration of the Torah.

I’ve called this psalm ―The Glory of God in the Skies and in the Scriptures.‖ Verses 1–6 speak of the glory of God in the skies. Either at nighttime when seeing the heavens and the stars or in the daytime seeing the sun go forth on its run through the sky in the day until it sets in its tent in the evening. Beautiful lyrical language. The glory of God in the skies and the glory of God in the Scriptures. We, from a new perspective, can look at Psalm 19 and say not only as David but we can say all of God’s written Word—which we have which David did not have—is contained within the descriptions that David is giving in the law of God.

It is David’s conviction that the law of the Lord or the Scripture is no less a marvel of divine creation than the majestic order of the heavenly bodies. If we look at the heavens themselves we stand in amazement at their greatness. We ought also to look at the written Word and have the same amazement toward it as we have toward the skies, the heavens, the sun.

Spurgeon said of this psalm as it divides into two categories, ―He is wisest who reads the world book and the word book as two volumes of the same work and feels concerning them, My Father wrote them.

Let’s break the psalm down in manageable parts verse by verse. (Photo via rainingtruthsmallrain.wordpress.com)

I. First the glory of God in the skies, verses 1–6.

This subdivides into two additional parts. One, the heavens declare God’s handiwork. And that would be verses 1–3 and two-thirds of verse 4. Then the second subdivision would be the witness of the sun to the glory of God, the last phrase in verse 4 and then all of verses 5–6. The heavens are telling the glory of God. That is the heavens proclaiming His handiwork.

The word ―declaring‖ means narrating the glory of God. The heavens are telling a story about God. A master is known by his work. If we would go to the Sistine Chapel in Rome and see the work of Michelangelo we’d stand in awe. An artist is known by his work. And God, the artist of the heavens, the creator of the heavens is known by His work. Therefore they are telling about Him. In fact His handiwork is shouting about Him.

A.As the psalm opens the hymn of God in creation has already begun

eons ago at the time of creation. The first notes of the hymn were sounded as Job puts it in 38:7, ―While the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy.‖ Never since creation has the celestial host ceased from singing of our God’s handiwork.

The preaching of the heavens has three wonderful aspects. It is without intermission. ―Day after day they pour forth speech‖ (Psalm 19:2, NIV). It is in every kind of language. ―There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard‖ (verse 3, NIV). And it is in every part of the world. ―Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world‖ (verse 4, NIV). Therefore an endless witness, a witness in every language and culture, and a witness in every part of the world. Each day this psalm is saying that nature itself cannot wait to tell the next day the story of creation. Photo below from http://douggilmer.wordpress.com via backcountrychaplain.com

Here the poet by divine inspiration is giving a human quality to inanimate things. It’s almost picturing the fact that when the next day is arising it is passing the baton on to the next day, reminding that new day to take up the song that has been sung by the day before you.

One has said, ―Each day has a life of its own…each day is handing a trumpet to its successor to blow the same triumphant note while as evening falls and stars come out each night does likewise.‖

Despite their endless speech, however, both day and night are wrapped in silence. Here is where the unusual things are going on in the poem. The heavens are declaring the glory of the Lord and yet when you listen and try to hear any songs in the heavens, it’s a silent witness they are baring. One has said of this silent witness, if you think of the whole heavens and the earth as a great machine which God has made, you know that a machine isn’t worth much when it begins to make noise. When your car begins to clunk you know things are beginning to go wrong with it. But the good machines are ones that make no sound. No deterioration, no mechanical imperfection. There’s the silent witness that goes on declaring Him. It is the mighty machine. The heavens are telling the glory of the Lord.

B. Moving past the heavens which include all the daytime sky and the nighttime sky—especially in the first 4 verses David is speaking of the nighttime sky—he comes to the part where he sees the sun as that most magnificent creation, for man. This is a God-centered poem but with a man- related orientation.

The most glorious thing for man is the contemplation of the sun. David sees the sun as a special object of God’s creation, which in the heavens God has pitched a tent for that it may have a dwelling place in the evening. His attitude, if you don’t get anything out of Psalm 19 except the personification of the sun’s attitude toward a new day as applied to your own day, take the two metaphors that are used of the sun to describe an attitude for the day. It’s like a marathon runner or champion rejoicing to face his course (verse 5). That is, the well-trained runner is waking up and it is the day of the race. As the sun comes out, not thinking, ―This is the day someone else is going to beat me in the race.‖ But, ―This is the day I’ve trained for. This is the day I’m going to win.‖

If that metaphor isn’t pleasing enough then the sun is compared to that of a bridegroom on his wedding day who comes out of his pavilion and that day is going to bring the opportunity for the marriage (verse 5). I perform a lot of marriages—I can’t think of any reluctant marriages I’ve performed. People are eager.

What a great attitude to awaken every day with. That’s what the psalmist is saying about the sun. The sun is declaring the glory of God and it can’t wait to begin its course across the horizon until it will find its tent pitched by God in the evening. Our scientific world has rendered us unable to appreciate poetry. We know that the sun doesn’t go live in a tent in the evening so we destroy the metaphor for the sake of scientific accuracy. Therefore it destroys some of the tremendous vitality that can be brought to us in life if we think of things in terms of pictures. David is doing that for us.

So get up in the day and go forth as a well-trained athlete to face the challenge of the day or as a bridegroom eager for the marriage. Such is the radiant and festive mood of each day’s journey in life as David sees it.
That’s the first six verses, declaring God’s glory in the heavens. To the glory of God in the skies. II. Then with verse 7 we switch themes to the law of God.

We need to develop a bridge between the two sections of the psalm. In the Hebrew language there are two different names for God that are employed in the psalm. The first part of the psalm the word ―God occurs once in Hebrew, that’s in verse 2. God is referred to by the name El which is the common Hebrew name for God. In verses 7–14 God’s name occurs seven times but this time not as the word El but as the word Yahweh or as we say in the English Jehovah, which is His covenant name which He revealed to Moses when He declared, ―I am who I am.

It’s the special name for God that marks His relationship with the children of Israel—God in covenant, God in redemption, God in personal relationship. Not just the God who created the heavens and the earth but the God who redeems and cares and knows us individually. So the second part of the psalm celebrates a more personal link with God. He’s not only the God of creation but the God of covenant and redemption. The sun’s light may give off heat but the Torah—the law, the Scripture—illumines the eyes.

A. What is the glory of God in the law? In verses 7–10 we see the first subdivision of this part of the glory of God in the law or in the Scriptures. There is a praise given to the law or the Scripture or to the Torah, verses 7–10. Notice different synonyms are given for the law of the Lord. It is called the law of the Lord, the statues of the Lord, the precepts of the Lord, the commands of the Lord, the fear of the Lord, the ordinances of the Lord. Six terms in all. Synonyms. The law in six different ways in the Old Testament. Law of the Lord is the comprehensive term for God’s revealed will. It’s meant to produce in us fear, which is reverence for Him.

photo via bibledude.net

1. This law is ―perfect‖ (Psalm 19:7). The Scriptures are perfect. Meaning they’re without flaw. The Scriptures, God’s written Word, are entirely sufficient. Especially when we understand them as being summed up in Jesus Christ. Entirely sufficient, nothing lacking. They’re perfect in the sense of being many sided. That is, the Scriptures cover completely all the aspects of life that need to be dealt with. Every human problem that we need answers for, every eternal truth that we need to get a hold of, everything that touches salvation and growth, all the critical questions that a mortal faces in life, the law of the Lord is perfect as it addresses. It’s without a flaw.

Because it addresses all of these it revives the soul. Life can make you lose faith. Hardship, persecution, difficulty can knock the stuff out of you in life. But when we get to the Scriptures suddenly we get the energy to go again. I don’t know how anyone can last without the Scripture. I have to have a mega vitamin dose of the Scripture daily. But that’s not nearly as powerful for me as taking it a word, a sentence at a time. So I try to do extensive Scripture and intensive Scripture. I found that the law of the Lord does revive the soul. The Scriptures are full of vigor and vitality and provide us with an enduring food that we need. The law is perfect, reviving the soul.

2. God’s statutes are ―trustworthy‖ (verse 7). That’s the second category. They’re sure. They’re dependable. You can build a foundation on which you can unhesitantly build. The Scriptures are not variable things to be changed according to the circumstances. Therefore because they are dependable and because they lay a great foundation in life they make wise the simple. That is the young and the inexperienced finds wise guidance in life. It is the Scriptures, which provide the reverence for God which is necessary lest we not live life as we ought.

3. The Scriptures are ―right‖ (verse 8). The precepts are right. The Scripture sets down our moral duty. That duty lies straight ahead as a person directing an individual by using a map to guide out a straight course for us to follow. Because the precepts of the Lord are right and they call white, white and black, black and make a delineation between what is wrong and what is righteous, because the precepts are right they produce a joy in our heart. We look at the Scripture and as our life is being conformed to the Scripture we respond and there is an inner release. Psychologically and spiritually this is so sound because when duty lies before us and we do it brings a rejoicing in the heart.

4. The law of the Lord is ―radiant,‖ or shining (verse 8). Pure. The Scripture sheds light on the pathway of life. In its radiant pure quality there is no unwholesome elements in it. It is enlightening to the eyes. It reveals dimensions of truth and reality in our experience.

Some people, every once in a while, you’ll find a pornographer that makes claim that pornography is in the Bible. Stories of incest and rape and murder and mayhem of all kinds. Therefore if you take these books out of the school library you should take the Bible out of the library too because it’s an awful book. If the Scripture gives stories like this, how can it give light to the eyes? A response is, whenever Scripture contains a story that has a profound element to it of sadness and human sin, it never glorifies the sin. It always elevates the truth and the story is there to show us where a person went wrong that we don’t repeat it ourselves. So what David is saying—and he knows this because he gave us some of the terrible stories of Scripture in his own life—the law of the Lord, the Scripture is shining. It sheds light on our path.

5. It is ―pure‖ and clean and therefore it endures forever (verse 9).

6. And it’s true and altogether right. Scripture will never betray those who trust in them. They are entirely ―righteous‖ showing that their origin is in God (verse 9).
So what does the law do for us, what do the Scriptures do for us? They restore our soul. They give us light. They give us joy. They have purifying power and they are enduring and absolutely perfect. David adds to these tremendous descriptions of the law by saying that the law is worth so much, it’s worth more than gold, much pure gold. You have to have a moral appreciation, a spiritual appreciation for who God is to say this. If you ask the average person, ―Do you want a thousand pounds of gold or do you want this book here?

You can have your pick. You can’t have both and you can’t come back later and get the other. It’s one or the other. Which do you want? David says if you put it like that, take the Word any day. It’s more valuable that gold. And it’s like honey. Honey wouldn’t be my favorite metaphor for the Bible because honey is sticky. I like it, but I like it in little bits. So honey from the honeycomb really doesn’t grab. If you talk about a chocolate Hershey bar, a chocolate shake…We can put our own metaphor to that. Whatever we have an appetite for, the Bible, David is saying, the Bible we would want better. I’d use a different metaphor than honey from the honeycomb.

But the law is desirable. These are the things which we are to have an appetite for. God’s Word. So he celebrates the glory of the Torah, verses 7–10.

B. Then in verses 11–14 David prays for a blameless life.

In light of the fact that God has given us this pure, enduring, eternal Word, how are we to live? ―By them is your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward‖ (verse 11, NIV). The law, the Scriptures operate one mind as a warning. They therefore give us at times a green light, a red light, or a yellow light. There are times we play around too many times with the yellow light. Photo below via fishforpeople.tumblr.com

Like a conscience, the Scripture approves, condemns, or counsels watchfulness. David prays that he lets the law be celebrated in his life and it will be so effective it will save him from two kinds of sins, verses 12–13. That it will save him from ―hidden faults. Or secret faults or sins. Then the contrast that the Scripture will keep him from presumptuous sin or ―willful sins. Secret sins. Here are three categories of secret sins.

1. Those who are known to ourselves but are not known to others. Is there anything you know about yourself that nobody else knows? It is a secret fault. Probably most of us could identify in our life something that is between us and God that is a fault, a flaw, in simple disposition or attitude or action. David is crying, ―God save me even from these.‖ Why do we have these secret things? Because there’s a certain privacy left us that God may test us as to how far we are good because the world looks at us and how far we want to be good because He looks at us. When they’re known only to me then I can choose to work on them or not and nobody else is worried about it. It’s just me and God. God is saying to me, ―How serious are you about your relationship with Me that you’re willing to work on your secret faults?‖ There are secret faults that we ourselves alone know. And God knows, of course.

2. Then as a second category of secret faults that we might pray to be delivered from, that is those secret faults about us that are known to others but not to us. Think about that. It’s hardest for me to see myself as I truly am. People who live with me see me better. What is not to me a secret fault is a glaring and obvious failure. Maybe one of the things David is reaching for is ―God not only save me about the things about myself that only I and you know. But help me to be aware of those things in my life that other people know that I am really blind to. Everybody I know closely, I see things that are wrong in them that I wish they could see themselves. I suspect if that’s true of me in regard to other people, then it’s got to be true of other people as they look at me.‖ Save me, O Lord, from secret faults.

3. Then it’s possible there’s a third category of secret faults. Where there are those faults about us that are not known to ourselves and not known to others but God alone knows. Maybe God is concerned about some things in us that we haven’t even yet begun to see. In some areas of our life the grass has not been cut and the weeds have grown. God knows things about us that we do not know nor do others know. Save me, O Lord, from secret faults. David will be content with nothing less than a relationship with God, which presses through to have everything that is unlike Him ultimately rooted out of the personality. That’s a great way of looking at relationship with God. ―Ultimately when You’re done with me, hammer me so well and smelt me in your furnace to so refine that everything unlike You will be melted out or beaten out, whichever way you choose. But bring it out, O Lord.‖ It’s always more pleasant and less hurtful when God vacuum cleans it out of us rather than beating it out of us. We’ll take it anyway He wants to get it out. Save me from secret faults.

Then a wild switch. All the way from secret faults to presumptuous sins. Those are the things we stumble into. We know they’re wrong when we enter them and we go ahead and do it anyway. Keep Your servant also from these sins, O Lord. The psalmist David moves from macrocosm to microcosm. Macro being the universe. Micro being the Bible—we can hold it. Who can hold the universe? From the universe and its glory to the individual and its humility before God. But the climax lies in the microcosm. Not in the heavenly roar of praise. The heavens declare the glory of God but the law declares the will of God for mankind, the creature. Though the vast firmaments so high above us declares God’s praise, it is the Torah, the law of God, the Scriptures alone that reveal to us that we have a place in the universal scheme of things. It is not a place that gives ground for human boasting or declaration of human might over the cosmos.

When the psalmist prays for God’s revelation in the Torah he issues immediately a prayer for forgiveness and acceptance. When he’s done looking at the macrocosm, the skies, he has no idea of God’s will for his life. He has no idea of redemption. He has no idea of his own personal sin. All he knows is here’s something out there that’s put all this in place. But when he’s done looking at the microcosm—the Law—he knows who God is, what God’s will is for his life, how to be joyful and how to bring to God that perplexing matter in our life that has separated us from Him, our sin. He rests in a quiet knowledge and assurance of God, which is what the Scriptures always do. Scriptures bring us in a personal and living relationship with Jesus Christ. God has two witnesses. His witness in the heavens. And His witness in the Bible. Psalm 19 eloquently puts that forth for us.

Lee Strobel – Is it reasonable to believe that Jesus rose from the dead? At THRIVE Apologetics

thrivingchurches

Muslim Europe: Opportunities for Evangelism

photo via Christianity.com

Dr. Darrell Bock at Dallas Theological Seminary

In Part 1 of this series, Dr. Bock and Dr. Ekholm discuss Dr. Ekholm’s work with refugees in Europe and the opportunities for ministering to Muslims in a Western, secular context.

http://www.dts.edu/thetable/play/musl…
00:00 Dr. Ekholm’s Ministry in Greece
9:05 European Concerns Regarding Open Borders, Immigrants and Refugees
13:57 Dr. Ekholm’s Ministry in the Middle East
18:59 What Draws Muslims to the Gospel?
http://www.dts.edu/thetable/play/musl…
22:11 Issues in Ministering to People From Islamic Backgrounds
http://www.dts.edu/thetable/play/musl…
27:09 Teaching New Believers How to Study the Bible
30:13 Is There a Particular Gospel that Draws Muslims the Most?
http://www.dts.edu/thetable/play/musl…

“We are committed to you as a brother in Christ and we’re not just doing this because this is our job.”

Chris Putnam – Defending the Faith Part 1 of 2

Christ Putnam of logosapologia.com uploaded by LogosApologia

Some notes from Chris Putnam, from the video at bottom of post:

• The statistics for young Christians who go to college are not good. In some surveys, up to 70% of the kids that go off to college fall away from the faith while they are in college. In looking at why that occurs, Frank Turek says, “We’ve told them for a long time ‘that is true’, but we didn’t tell them ‘why’ it’s true. And when they go to college and they are confronted by an atheist professor who throws up all kinds of arguments, they don’t have any responses, and that can make it very difficult. So, I have a passion for training people on how to defend their faith, and there’s some really easy things that you can do, you don’t have to have an exhaustive knowledge of theology, or apologetics, or philosophy to be a lot more effective, then you might imagine you can be. That’s what this workshop is for.

Ephesians 6:11-12

Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Ephesians 6:14-17

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

If we look at these things that Paul is talking about, for ex. ‘the shield of faith to block the darts’, we don’t see a lot of special rituals or prayers.. The tools that he talks about, like the helmet of salvation- that’s salvation that you possess. It’s a gift from God, and that’s something that you always have. The sword of the Spirit is the word of God, which is your Bible, that you learn, you study, and memorize. The belt of truth. Truth is something that you learn, that you have in your mind. The idea that I’m getting at is that the more that you are familiar with the truth, the better you know your Bible, the better that you know some theology, and the more impenetrable your spiritual armor is. Spiritual warfare is largely in the realm of the mind, the ideas that we hold and what we believe is true. Remember, how the serpent tempted Eve to sin in Genesis 3. He planted a false idea in her head: “Did God really say that you can’t eat from any tree?” God said you can eat of any tree except one. Notice how he twists the phrase at first, saying ‘any tree’. So it’s a false idea that gets planted in your mind, and for the majority of our lives, that’s how it works.

In the Bible, we see a lot of verses about ‘the world’. We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. That tells us right there that Satan is the god of this world.

• Romans 12:2 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
• 2 Corinthians 10:5 “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

In the Bible, the term ‘the world’ is a Greek word ‘kosmos’, and it’s used not for the planet earth, it’s really about an evil world system that’s opposed to God. It is led by Satan, and we are unwittingly under Satan when we are born into this evil world system. The way you conquer it is through Jesus Christ. So, the primary warfare in this realm is in ideas. “Every thought captive”- that’s really where the battle is taking place.

Colossians 2:8 – “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.” Now, this term here ‘the elemental spirits of the world‘, this is where the philosophies and deceit are coming from, according to human traditions. This is a Greek word ‘stoicheia’ – that word is rendered – elemental spirits. In the ancient world, this term was used for evil spirits in Persian religious texts, magical papyri, astrological documents, and in a lot of jewish writings. It was a common term for evil spirits, for demonic forces, and that’s how Paul’s using it. The Bible’s telling us that these ideas are not just Richard Dawkins and the new atheists, these are demonically ideas opposing God. This is spiritual warfare.

What does the Bible tell us about people in the last days? 2 Timothy 3:1-5:
But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.” 

We are here at this conference to discuss emerging threats and trends, and I don’t think anyone can deny what we seem to see our culture sliding away from Christian values. Europe is pretty much gone. It was founded on Christian values, and had these huge gothic cathedrals in the middle ages, and then the church became politically powerful and it got corrupted. But, I mean, it’s gone now. There are very few Christians there.

The last days, really, technically began at the cross. This has been going on for a long time. But, if you remember in Matthew 24, Jesus is talking about what happens in the end times, He does give us this idea that many will fall away, lawlessness will increase. So, it is valid to extrapolate from that, that we should expect to see these trends increasing. So what  characteristics to we see in that verse?

• narcissism – that’s just people that love themselves, proud, arrogant, swollen with conceit, unappeasable
• materialism – lovers of money, ungrateful
• lawlessness – abusive, disobedient to their parents, unholy, heartless, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless
• hedonism – lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of Godliness, but denying its power

This is permeating the culture in the world system, and it’s even celebrated, and lauded as virtue. But, we shouldn’t be without compassion. We shouldn’t be angry all the time. We have to remember that all of us are free from that, only by the grace of God. 2 Corinthians 4:4 tells us- The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. We should have compassion on lost people. It’s messy to deal with lost people- they are being held captive by false ideas, and it’s gonna cause us to get our hands dirty, to get involved with people. But, that doesn’t mean we don’t do it. I became a Christian, myself, later in life, and I was lost for a long time. I remember what it was like, and that’s why I have a passion for communication why Christianity is true, and why we believe what we believe. I was a skeptic for a long time, and my passion for apologetics grew out of my own search for answers to questions. Jesus said to love your neighbor as yourself, and if your neighbor does not believe, they’re being held captive. 2 Corinthians 5:20- We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. This is our job. When Jesus gave us the great commission, God’s making His appeal to this lost world through us. So we are in this evil world system to communicate the truth of the Gospel and be God’s representatives. It says we’re ministers of reconciliation. When Jesus says He gives us a commission, that’s like a military term- an assignment. (13:40)

Ambassadors have three essential skills:

1. Knowledge- an accurately informed mind
2. Wisdom- a tactical method (we will talk about later)
3. Character

Tactical wisdom

Strategy and Tactics

Matthew 10:16 ““I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.“ Strategy is like the big picture, the large scale part of the operation. When I say strategy, it’s kind of the tremendous resources we have as Christians. We have 2000 years of scholarship and apologetics, and writing to draw from. We’re positioned strategically pretty well in the realm of the culture and ideas. We have a lot do draw from. We have an excellent case- we have the truth on our side.And we have the answers to life’s most important questions. The kind of questions that atheists have no answer for. They might come up with an idea of how we came to be through naturalism, but, they have no idea why. And that’s the kind of question that a child will ask: Why am I here? What is all this for? Why is there something, rather than nothing? They don’t have any answers for that, and we do.

So our strategy includes the content, the information, the reasons why someone would believe Christianity, why it accurately reflects reality. And I think that is the main advantage. When you look at story that the atheistic world will tell, they wanna tell everyone that ‘you’re good people’. And that you just have problems, you’re oppressed, everyone’s basically a good person. But, the Bible has this radically different message: You’re not good people, you’re fallen, and you’re desperately wicked and you need a Savior. But, if you look at what matches reality, what do you see that matches the world? The atheist story doesn’t hold up to scrutiny. We see a lot of wickedness, and we see people in high places doing wicked things, people with every advantage that still have to steal. Their version of reality doesn’t match. So, strategically, we have a very good case. (15:50)

 Defensive and Offensive Apologetics 

Defensive- 1 Peter 3:15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, Defensive apologetics answers direct challenges to Christianity. For ex., it responds to attacks on the Bible’s reliability. It answers the problem of evil (if there’s a good God, then why is there so much evil in the world?) It addresses such things as Darwinian macro evolution, which opposes a Creator and attributes it all to random chance. I try to model Jesus when debating this, but I fail all the time. If you look at the way Jesus was with sinners, like the woman at the well- He was very gentle with people that were hedonists. But, the people He got angry with, and yelled at were the religious leaders. So I try to be gentle with the really lost people.

Offensive- Jude 3 Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people. Offensive apologetics makes a positive case for Christianity, it provides evidence for the existence of God, it supplies evidence for the resurrection of Christ form history, it presents evidence of fulfilled prophecy. And, our strategic concerns center around a number of  areas in the culture right now:

• radical relativism
• postmodernism, which denies the existence of objective truth- you have your truth, and I have my truth. And that is a way to undermine the Gospel completely, because if someone doesn’t believe in the concept of truth, you can’t even get on the page.
• there’s all kinds of challenges to who Jesus was, competing views of Jesus’s identity.
• the problem of evil
• ethical issues concerning abortion, homosexuality, human cloning, trans humanism, doctor assisted suicide. There’s some evangelicals in the Evangelical Lutheran denomination who are endorsing this trans human idea, thinking that it’s God’s mandate for us to evolve further, by strapping computers to our brains.
• the historicity of the Bible, the Gospel (20:00)

This course will teach you:

1. To maneuver in conversations
2. To stay in the driver’s seat

Engage tactically - Consider how the question posed to the skeptic fuel the conversation, but ultimately leave him responsible for the answer. (20:00) photo below via http://www.peterfalk.com

Columbo Tactic- something Greg Koukl came up with. Remember, Columbo? He’s this bumbling detective who disarms his opponent. If you remember his technique, he was always saying, “Maybe you can help me with this, you’re a smart guy…” He was always asking questions and playing dumb. And that’s kind of the idea: saying, “What do you mean by that?” “What led you to that conclusion?” What you do when you’re asking questions is it puts you in charge of the conversation, and it puts the other person on the defensive. So, the key to the Columbo tactic is that you go on an offensive in a disarming way with carefully selected questions, to

• productively advance the conversation. The guideline is simple. If you hit a roadblock, ask a question.
• Never make an assertion when a question will work. This approach offers tremendous advantages. Questions are interactive, it invites others to participate. People like to talk about themselves, and what they believe. It makes headway without requiring you to state your case.
• Questions shift the burden of proof to the other person.
• The Columbo tactic puts you in the driver’s seat
• It allows you to move your case forward without sounding like you’re preaching to people.

There are 3 unique purposes of the Columbo tactic:

1. Gain information
2. Reverse the burden of proof
3. Indirectly exploit  a burden or flaw

Columbo Tactic 1 – What do you mean by that?

Many people object to Christianity over things they have not thought through very much. A lot of people repeat slogans they’ve heard and they have no understanding of why they believe it. When they say:

• there is no God, ask: What do you mean by ‘God’? 
• all religions are basically the same, ask: Really? In what way are they the same?
• you shouldn’t force your views on me, say: How am I forcing my views on you?
• that’s just your interpretation, ask: What do you mean by ‘just’? Although you are giving your interpretation (your understanding of the true meaning of the text), you need to find out if they believe all interpretations are equally valid and yours is “just” one of them.
• the Bible has been changed over the years, ask: How do you think it’s been altered? You need to find out if they are familiar with the process of the written transmission of ancient texts or are just repeating what they’ve heard.
• how can God exist when there is so much evil in the world, ask: What do you mean by evil? and “What, in your mind, is the conflict?” The question of evil doesn’t provide evidence against God but in favor of Him, for God must exist to provide the absolute standard by which evil is measured. A really good book, if you want to pursue this further is ‘Mere Christianity’ by C. S. Lewis. The whole first half of the book is basically the moral argument for the existence of God. And he was an atheist. And J. R. Tolkien, who wrote the Lord of the Rings, actually convinced Lewis to become a Christian. C. S. Lewis describes the process that went through his mind, is that he objected because there was so much injustice in the world, that he just couldn’t believe that there was a God in charge. And then he started to think: Where did this idea of justice come from? Why do I think the world is unjust? If I don’t have some standard of justice in my mind, where does that come from? That led him to believe in God. Because he said, “If there really is evil- you don’t know a line’s crooked, without knowing what a straight line looks like. You have to have a standard to measure it by. So, the problem of evil is a bigger problem for the skeptic than it is for the theists. (36:30)

Columbo Tactic 2 – Reversing the burden of proof

The person who makes the claim bears the burden

They have to give evidence for their claim. The burden of proof always has one cardinal rule: Whoever makes the claim bears the burden, so don’t allow yourself to be thrust in the defensive, when they’re the ones making the claim. A lot of time they try to put the burden on us, “Well, you prove the Bible.” And, I found with the skeptics, they know that we have a heart to evangelize people. They know that we do that, and they try to play it against us. The idea is we’re not just trying to win. We wanna expose what their objections are, in a way that’s loving, yet, corrective. Make them give you their arguments for why they don’t believe. Follow up questions to ask in step #2:

How did you come to that conclusion? 

1. What are the reasons for holding the view that you have?
2. Do you have evidence for that?
3. What led you to that conclusion?

It ultimately shifts the burden of proof to the other person, where it belongs.

• Avoid the professor’s ploy

Don’t allow yourself to get caught in a power play; instead use your tactics. Refuse to shoulder the burden of proof when you have not made the claim.

• Get out of the Hot Seat

You may not have an answer to everything an atheist or an agnostic comes up with, or you may not be prepared to deal with it, or sometime you may get somebody who is aggressive, so if you feel yourself overmatched, you can buy yourself some time.  It’s also a smart thing to do, as far as carrying the message of the Gospel. So, then just ask:

1. Tell me exactly what you believe
2. Give me your reasons for it
3. Let me think it over

Columbo Tactic 3 – Have you ever considered…?

This is where you actually offer some new information. This is where having some knowledge, and having done some studies in some of these issues, you can actually come back with some new information. But, notice, you still phrase it in the form of a question.

1. Listen carefully to the reasons he/she gives to the second Columbo tactic question: How did you come to that conclusion?
2. Ask yourself if the conclusion follows from the evidence
3. Point out errors with questions, rather than statements.

Jesus was a master of skillfully placed questions:

Luke 20:22-26
Mark 12:35-37
Luke 20:2-8
Matthew 21:28-32
John 18:22-23
Luke 7:40-42; 10:25-27; 14:1-6

The Parables of Jesus Christ

Here is a handy list of all the parables that are actually named ‘Parables’ in the New testament by the Gospel writer. photo via http://thechurchsite.net/ For a complete list of Jesus’s 46 parables see list at the bottom of the article.

Mark 4:33-34

With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. ³⁴ He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.

Jesus often taught in parables, an ancient Eastern literary genre. The prophet Ezekiel, for example, wrote in parables, such as the eagles and the vine (17:1-24) and the parable of the pot (24:1-14). The word parable in Hebrew מָשָׁל is present in both vignettes (17:2 and 24:3). A parable is a story that presents comparisons to teach an important moral lesson. The root meaning of the word parable means a placing side by side for the sake of comparison. A parable envisions the whole narrative to generate the spiritual message, whereas a proverb, metaphor, simile, or figure of speech focuses generally on a word, phrase or sentence. The Gospel writer identifies a narrative with a spiritual meaning by specifically calling the lesson a παραβολή (parable). At times the Gospel writer begins the story with the term like, as “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a landowner who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard” (Matthew 20:1).

The Parables are recorded in the Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Some parables are common to all three Synoptic Gospels, such as the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:3-23, Mark 4:2-20, and Luke 8:4-15). Matthew relates ten Parables on the Kingdom of Heaven, seven of which occur in Chapter 13 and are central to his Gospel. Examples of parables unique to each Gospel are the Weeds Among the Wheat (Matthew 13:24-30), the Laborers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16); the Growing Seed (Mark 4:26-29); the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37); the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32); Lazarus and the Rich Man (Luke 16:19-31); and the Pharisee and the Publican (Luke 18:9-14) .

The word parable does not appear in the Gospel of John. The related word παροιμιαν (figure of speech) appears in 10:6 and refers to the Good Shepherd (John 10:1-18). Jesus, by calling himself the Good Shepherd, recalls the imagery of Psalm 23, “The Lord is my Shepherd,” and the Prophets (Isaiah 40:1-11, Jeremiah 23:1-8, Ezekiel 34). By doing so, he fulfills Old Testament prophecy as he identifies himself as the Messiah. The word παροιμίαν also appears in John 16:25 and provides insight into the message of Jesus: “I have spoken to you in figures of speech; the hour is coming when I shall no longer speak to you in figures of speech, but tell you plainly of the Father.”

The following chart lists the important parables of Jesus Christ.
This list primarily includes those parables specifically named as such by a Gospel writer. (Via source JesusChristSavior.net)

THE PARABLES OF JESUS
PARABLE	MATTHEW	MARK	LUKE
The Speck and The Log	7:1-5		6:37-42
New Cloth on Old Garment	9:16-17	2:21-22	5:36-39
The Divided Kingdom	12:24-30	3:23-27	11:14-23
The Sower	13:1-23	4:1-20	8:4-15
The Growing Seed		4:26-29
The Rich Fool			12:16-21
The Barren Fig Tree			13:6-9
The Weeds Among the Wheat	13:24-30
The Mustard Seed	13:31-32	4:30-34	13:18-19
The Leaven	13:33-34		13:20-21
Hidden Treasure	13:44
Pearl of Great Price	13:45-46
The Net	13:47-50
The Good Samaritan			10:29-37
The Invited Guests			14:7-24
The Heart of Man	15:1-20	7:1-23
The Lost Sheep	18:10-14		15:1-7
The Prodigal Son			15:11-32
The Rich Man and Lazarus			16:19-31
The Persistent Widow			18:1-8
The Pharisee and The Publican			18:9-14
Laborers in the Vineyard	20:1-16
The Tenants	21:33-45	12:1-12	20:9-19
The Wedding Feast	22:1-14		14:15-24
The Fig Tree	24:32-44	13:28-37	21:29-33
The Faithful or Wicked Servant	24:45-51		12:35-48
The Ten Virgins	25:1-13
Ten Talents or Gold Coins	25:14-30		19:11-27

source JesusChristSavior.net photo below via parables.png

and here is the complete list

• The Sower and the Seeds (Mark 4:3-9; Matt 13:3-9; Luke 8:5-8)
• The Grain of Wheat (John 12:24)
• The Weeds in the Grain or the Tares (Matt 13:24-30)
• The Net (Matthew 13:47-50)
• The Seed Growing Secretly (Spontaneously) or The Patient Husbandman (Mark 4:26-29)
• The Mustard Seed (Matt13:31f.;Mark 4:30-32; Luke 13:18 f.)
• The Leaven (Matthew 13:33; Luke 13:20 f.)
• The Budding Fig Tree (Matt 24:32 f.; Mark 13:28 f.; Luke 21:19-31)
• The Barren Fig Tree (Luke 13:6-9)
• The Birds of Heaven (Matthew 6:26; Luke 12:24)
• The Flowers of the Field (Matt 6:28-30; Luke 12:27f.)
• The Vultures & the Carcass (Matt 24:28; Luke 17:37)
• The Tree and its Fruits (Matthew 7:16; Luke 6:43-49)
• The Weather Signs (Luke 12:54-56; cf. Matthew 26:2 f.; Mark 8:11-13)
  
• The Closed Door (Luke 13:24-30)
• The Doorkeeper (Mark 13:33-37; cf. Matt 24:42)
• The Thief in the Night and the Faithful Servants (Matthew 24:42-51.; Luke 12:32-48.)
• The Strong Man Bound (Matt.12:29; Mark 3:27; Luke 11:21 f.)
• The Divided Realm (Mark 3:24-26; Luke 11:17-20)
• The Unoccupied House or The Demon’s Invasion (Matthew 12:43-45; Luke 11:24-26)
• The Importunate Neighbor (Luke 11:5-8)
• The Son’s Request (Matthew 7:9-11; Luke 11:11-13)
• The Unjust Judge or The Importunate Widow (Luke 18:1-8)
• Master and Servant (Luke 17:7-10)
• The Servant Entrusted with Authority or The Faithful and Unfaithful Servants (Matt. 24:45-51; Luke 12:42-46)
• The Waiting Servants (Luke 12:35-38; Mark 13:33-37)
• The Laborers in the Vineyard or The Generous Employer (Matt.20:1-16)
• The Money in Trust or The Talents (Matthew 25:14-30; Luke 19:12-27)
• The Lamp (Matt 5:14-16; Mark 4:21; Luke 8:16, 11:31) and The City Set on a Hill (Matt. 5:14b)
• The Body’s Lamp (Matthew 6:22 f.; Luke 11:34-36)
• The Discarded Salt (Matt 5:13; Mark 9:50; Luke 14:34 f.)
• The Patch and the Wineskins (Matt. 9:16 f.; Mark 2:21 f.; Luke 5:36-39)
• The Householder’s Treasure (Matthew 13:52)
• The Dishonest Steward (Luke 16:1-12) Revised!
• The Defendant (Luke 12:58 f.; Matthew 5:25 f.)
• The Unforgiving Official or The Unmerciful Servant (Matthew 18:23-35)
• The Rich Fool (Luke 12:16-21)
• The Wicked Vinedressers (Matthew 21:33-41; Mark 12:1-9; Luke 20:9-16)
• The Two Builders (Matthew 7:24-27; Luke 6:47-49)
• The Two Debtors (Luke 7:41-43)
• The Hidden Treasure (Matthew 13:44)
• The Pearl of Great Price (Matthew 13:45 f.)
• The Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37)
• The Prodigal Son or The Loving Father (Luke 15:11-32)
• The Two Sons, The Apprentice Son, and The Slave and Son (Matthew 21:28-32; John 5:19-20a; John 3:35)
• The Lost Coin (Luke 15:8-10)
• The Lost Sheep (Matthew 28:12-14; Luke 15:4-7)
• The Shepherd, the Thief, and the Doorkeeper (John 10:1-18)
• The Doctor and the Sick (Matthew 9:12; Mark 2:17; Luke 5: 31 f.)
• The Sulking Children or The Children in the Marketplace (Matthew 11:16-19; Luke 7:31-35)
• The Arrogant Guest (Luke 14:7-11)
• The Bridegroom’s Friend (John 3:28)
• The Bridegroom’s Attendants (Matt.9:15a; Mark 2:18 f.; Luke 5:34)
• The Bride’s Girlfriends or Ten Virgins (Matt25:1-13)
• The Tower Builder and The Warring King (Luke 14:28-32)
• The Wedding Feast or The Unwilling Guests (Matt 22:1-10; Luke 14:16-24)
• The Wedding Garment (Matthew 22:11-14)
• The Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31)
• The Sower and the Seeds (Mark 4:3-9; Matt 13:3-9; Luke 8:5-8)
• The Grain of Wheat (John 12:24)
• The Weeds in the Grain or the Tares (Matt 13:24-30)
• The Net (Matthew 13:47-50)
• The Seed Growing Secretly (Spontaneously) or The Patient Husbandman (Mark 4:26-29)
• The Mustard Seed (Matt13:31f.;Mark 4:30-32; Luke 13:18 f.)
• The Leaven (Matthew 13:33; Luke 13:20 f.)
• The Budding Fig Tree (Matt 24:32 f.; Mark 13:28 f.; Luke 21:19-31)
• The Barren Fig Tree (Luke 13:6-9)
• The Birds of Heaven (Matthew 6:26; Luke 12:24)
• The Flowers of the Field (Matt 6:28-30; Luke 12:27f.)
• The Vultures & the Carcass (Matt 24:28; Luke 17:37)
• The Tree and its Fruits (Matthew 7:16; Luke 6:43-49)
• The Weather Signs (Luke 12:54-56; cf. Matthew 26:2 f.; Mark 8:11-13)