One of the singularly great things I get to do as an elder in Christ’s church is teach God’s people Scripture. Whether preaching through a book of the Bible or preaching the occasional topical series or answering a person’s emailed question or posting an article on our website, I have the incredible privilege to teach God’s word. There are times, however, that we must remember the warning of James, the Lord’s brother: teachers will be judged more strictly. We—I—must remember the rest of James’ warning, however!

Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body.

James 3:1–2 ESV

Notice the connection with stumbling over words! James doesn’t mean a failure to enunciate. The warning is not about eloquence. One who would teach holy Scripture must be very careful to say what Scripture says and to not say what Scripture does not say. No wonder Paul declared that he determined to preach only Christ and him crucified! It would be much easier to stick to things Scripture directly addresses. The difficulty with this is Scripture does not directly address many things in our lives today, for the most recent portion of Scripture was written over 1,900 years ago. Scripture is silent on vaccines and internet technology and gun control. As the church’s primary preacher and teacher, being set apart by the church vocationally, I must address the issues facing our people.

Recently I was asked about self-defense via the Signal messenger app my City Group uses. This is the specific question: “@J-T If it was kill or be killed in a situation, what would be the right Christian thing to do?” When I first read the question I thought she was asking what to do if J-T were killed! The obvious thing would be to find my life insurance policy. But no. That’s not what she meant. She further explained what she and her co-workers had been discussing. Is it right to defend your own life? What does Scripture say about self defense?

In response many would point to Jesus’ words in Luke 11:21–22. There he uses the illustration of a strong man who, being fully armed, guards his palace and then his goods are safe. This doesn’t quite answer the question, however, because Jesus was observing what happens and not what should happen. His point there was not that each one of us should fully arm ourselves. Even more, the context was Jesus subduing Satan! Satan is the fully armed man who was bound by our Lord. If we use this illustration to justify personal self-defense, we’d be insisting on being like Satan, who was defeated by Jesus. I’m not sure that’s a good argument!

If we look to the law of Moses we see the principle of self defense. In the Ancient Near Eastern mind the concept of “law” was that of royal propaganda. The various commandments were really the revelation of the king and his character. The “law” Moses received at Mount Sinai was God’s self-revelation to his people. We learn what God is like through God’s good and just commandments. Murder is wrong but not because the sixth commandment says so; murder is wrong because God is not the sort to take life unjustly. How do we know? The sixth commandment says so. In other words, it’s less that the command is forbidding murder and more that the command is telling us to be like God, who would never take life unjustly. So what does the Lord reveal through the law of Moses?

If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and kills it or sells it, he shall repay five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep. If a thief is found breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no bloodguilt for him, but if the sun has risen on him, there shall be bloodguilt for him. He shall surely pay. If he has nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft. If the stolen beast is found alive in his possession, whether it is an ox or a donkey or a sheep, he shall pay double.

Exodus 22:1–4 ESV

There are a number of very interesting things to note here. First is the concept of private property. One cannot steal what is not owned by another. I’m not stealing air by breathing because no one owns the air. More accurately, we all own the air and so each one of us has the right to breathe it. If a man steals an ox or a sheep, he is taking what he does not have the right to take. If he kills the animal he must compensate the owner. The ox is more valuable for it was used to produce beyond its own flesh for meat; it was used to plow and haul burdens whereas the sheep was used for its flesh and its wool. Here we see the principle of compensation being directly tied to the relative value of the thing being harmed.

Then God says if a thief breaks into a home and the homeowner strikes him while defending his property, he is not guilty of murder. Keep in mind that murder is not merely killing, but killing a human unjustly. Notice closely that if the thief breaks in during the day and is killed the homeowner would be guilty of murder! The difference is one may not see all that well in the dark and so greater force may be applied. During the day, however, help would be more readily available as one’s neighbors would be around and one could see the intruder.

Again, if the law of Moses is God’s self revelation and the purpose of that law is to show us how to live in accordance with God’s character, rather than a list of rules, what does this teach us about self-defense? First of all, it shows us that self-defense is permissible. Self-defense includes protecting one’s property and goods. Second, it shows us that the use of force may be justified, and the force must be commensurate with the crime. Stealing a sheep does not justify killing the thief. In Exodus 22 the thief is inside where people are sleeping and where the homeowner cannot see if he has a weapon. This indicates a greater risk. If in the struggle the thief is struck so that he dies the owner is justified in protecting his property whereas if it takes place during daylight people are not sleeping and the risk to human life is greatly lessened.

These commandments are about the theft of farm animals, so what do they have to do with people? In the same law of Moses God required that when you put an ox to work treading out the grain, you must not put a muzzle on the ox. The ox had a right to some of the grain! While it was walking in circles over rocky ground, pulling a heavy sledge over the grain so as to break the hard outer shell of the grain, the ox must be allowed to participate in the fruit of its own labor. Again, this isn’t because the commandment said so; God is the sort who justly compensates those who work. As we saw in 1 Timothy, however, the law about oxen treading grain wasn’t really about oxen. Paul told Timothy it was about vocational elders earning a living by the gospel!

If we take his example and apply this principle to the commandments concerning the theft of farm animals, it clearly also applies to protecting human life, for a human is always and ever more valuable than a mere animal. What this means is that we have the right to defend ourselves with necessary force. Sometimes this may include deadly force, but merely being attacked is not justification for deadly force. We know this because God reveals his own character through the commands he gives.

What we need to see here is there is another type of defense that God reveals even more.

Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.

Psalm 82:3–4 ESV

Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.

Proverbs 31:8–9 ESV

Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.

Isaiah 1:16–17 ESV

If we would insist on our right to personal defense and use Scripture to do so, we must recognize how much more Scripture has to say about defending the rights of others, and especially those who are powerless! So often those who have the loudest voices pleading for the right to self-defense are silent when speaking of the rights of the poor and needy, of widows and orphans, of immigrants and refugees. Given God’s greater emphasis on defending their rights, we should also place greater emphasis on doing so!

We must follow the example of the apostle Paul. In Acts 22 we read of Paul being arrested by the Romans and dragged into the barracks. They stretched him out in order to flog him. Then we read this:

But when they had stretched him out for the whips, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, “Is it lawful for you to flog a man who is a Roman citizen and uncondemned?”

Acts 22:25 ESV

Paul was a Roman citizen and insisted on his rights as a citizen! It was against Roman law to flog a citizen without a trial. Non-citizens did not have this right. Yet we also read this about Paul:

Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one.

2 Corinthians 11:24 ESV

We read this in the middle of Paul’s recounting of all the ways he had suffered. While Romans could not lawfully whip a man who was a citizen without a trial, the Jews were allowed to discipline members of the synagogue as they saw fit, including whipping them. Paul endured this whipping on the part of the Jews on five separate occasions, yet when the Romans were about to do so he insisted on his rights as a Roman citizen. Why the different response? In the case of the Jews all he had to do was renounce his membership in the synagogue and they would have no legal right to touch him. Why did he refuse to insist on his rights in the synagogue?

It’s quite simple: Paul’s motivation was the gospel of Jesus. If he renounced his membership in the synagogue he would be renouncing his membership in all synagogues, which means he would not be allowed to enter them and preach the gospel of Jesus! With the Romans, by insisting on his rights as a citizen he would be given a public trial and we read in Acts that he used this public trial to preach the gospel of Jesus!

Here’s what this means: we must seek opportunities to proclaim the good news of Jesus. We have the right to defend ourselves and we should make use of this right, especially if it protects others who are vulnerable. We should also consider whether self-defense would serve to further the gospel of Jesus. If you’re killed, you can no longer preach the gospel, yet if you are being killed precisely because you preach the gospel your martyrdom will preach that same gospel loudly! The witness of martyrs—the word “martyr” means witness!—throughout history has been used powerfully by God to build his church.

Martyrs are those who are killed for proclaiming Jesus, not for their stuff. Like Paul, we should insist on our rights when it furthers the gospel and we should deny our rights when it furthers the gospel. If I were to try to boil it down to a single principle it would be this: love your neighbor as yourself. If loving your neighbor requires self-defense, then love your neighbor, but if loving your neighbor requires laying down your life, then love your neighbor. It is what Jesus would do.

Last Sunday we looked at Paul’s instructions to Timothy regarding godliness—the right disposition toward God. In that sermon we saw true godliness requires both believing the right things and living the right way. Without either one of these, one cannot be godly. That is, if one does not believe the right things or if one does not live the right way, one cannot have the right disposition toward God.

Godliness necessarily affects the decisions we make, for it must be pursued. No one is accidentally godly. No one inadvertently follows the Lord. I promise you there is never a time when you’re home alone for an hour or two and without realizing it you engaged in godly behavior. I promise you no one has ever been asked what he or she did for the hour when home alone and answered, “Well, I opened up my laptop to check my email and then I opened a web page and an ad popped up and then I clicked on it and then I clicked a few more links and the next thing I knew I had spent 40 minutes praying for my friends and family and church.”

This is where spiritual disciplines are vital for the pursuit of godliness in our lives. Professor Don Whitney writes a lot about spiritual disciplines. He defines them as practices found in Scripture that promote spiritual growth in a believer by pointing him or her to Jesus and his gospel. Things like fasting and prayer and giving and serving and even weekly worship on Sunday mornings are all spiritual disciplines. They are disciplines because we have to choose to do them. Again, no one ever on a Sunday afternoon says, “Wow. I don’t know what happened. I woke up fully intending to just lounge around all day and do nothing but somehow I just stumbled into worshiping with my church, fully engaged with them in singing and praying and praising the Lord. Not sure how it happened!”

Over the years I’ve shared a number of times that Jesus expected his followers to engage in spiritual disciplines. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus gave instructions for when you pray, not if you pray. He gave instructions for when you fast, not if you fast. It is clear that he expected his followers to engage in various spiritual disciplines.

This is usually when someone will point out that Jesus said to pray and fast in secret. He did say this. His point was not that we should never let others know we’re praying and fasting, otherwise we’d never be able to pray together! He said to not pray or fast or give to those in need in a way that draws attention to one’s self. This is what the hypocrites did. They prayed in such a way that they were honored rather than the one they claimed to be praying to receiving the honor. Don’t engage in spiritual disciplines to show how great you are!

It should come as no surprise that the earliest Christians were much more organized when it came to spiritual disciplines. They were also more dedicated than many are today. The Didache—written as early as the year AD 50!—gave instructions for fasting:

But do not let your fasts coincide with those of the hypocrites. They fast on Monday and Thursday, so you must fast on Wednesday and Friday.

Didache 8:1

The Pharisees practiced fasting twice a week. It was they whom Jesus criticized in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6:16–18. They loved to be noticed for their “piety” so they made a big show of fasting. Out of concern for not being associated with them and their particular form of fasting, the writers of the Didache—again, likely written during the time of the apostles—urged Christians to fast on different days for they were fasting regularly for entirely different reasons.

One thing that is evident from early church history is they truly expected the Lord to return at any moment. For the first century or two after the apostles the church organized itself on a weekly schedule. This is why we see such an emphasis on fasting twice a week. On Sundays the whole church would assemble in the name of Jesus to worship him and to be encouraged and built up in the faith. The focus was a weekly focus.

Over time, however, this focus began to shift. As the church realized it may be here for a while longer, the focus on spiritual disciplines began to extend. Rather than a focus on weekly schedules of worship and discipline, the church began to develop the church calendar. The weekly focus became an annual focus. Regular participation in spiritual disciplines still occurred weekly, but annual observances began to develop. By the time the Council of Nicea was convened the organizers could refer to “the spring fast” and expect everyone to understand what this meant. Whereas from the beginning Sundays were celebrated as mini-Easters, for the Lord rose from the dead on a Sunday, the church had begun an annual celebration of Easter as well. Christians would fast in preparation for this annual celebration of the victory of Jesus over sin and death.

This is the origin of Lent. The word “Lent” is short for “Lenten”, which is the Old English word meaning “spring”—the spring fast, or the Lenten Fast. Fasting together as we look toward Easter is a reminder of the importance of Easter. It is a holy time for us as followers of Jesus for his resurrection is the foundation of our faith. If we lose the resurrection we truly lose everything. As the apostle Paul famously wrote in his letter to the Corinthians, if our hope is only in this life and not in resurrection, “we are of all people most to be pitied” (1 Corinthians 15:19).

Lent eventually became a forty-day fast that takes place over 46 days. In Matthew 9:14–17 Jesus was asked why his disciples do not fast. He said they cannot because he is with them, though when he is taken away from them they will fast. Since the Lord is present in his gathered assembly, we do not fast on Sundays. If you add up the days between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday and take away the six Sundays, you’re left with 40 days. These 40 days are meant to mirror Jesus’ own forty-day fast. The Lord himself engaged in spiritual disciplines!

The point of fasting is it is a self-denial of something good. That night in the garden the Lord practiced self-denial when he prayed, “Not my will but your will be done.” When we fast we deny ourselves something good, whether it is a total fast, consuming only water, or giving up coffee or your favorite mid-day snack or even your nightly television viewing or web-browsing, we are demonstrating that we would rather pursue God’s will in our lives than our own wills. We must be careful to not be like the hypocrites Jesus mentioned in Matthew 6 and think the very act of fasting makes us righteous; it does not. Only faith in Jesus makes us righteous.

Here’s where spiritual disciplines come in to play in our pursuit of godliness. By denying ourselves through fasting or disciplining ourselves to pray and attend worship and read Scripture and serve others, we are reminding ourselves of our need for the Lord. Only he sustains us. Only he can save us. Through the self-denial that is inherent in spiritual disciplines we are relying on the Lord for his righteousness. During the times we would ordinarily enjoy the good thing we give up for Lent we should pray and reflect on who Jesus is and what he has done. This is when we can see the outworking of Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 3: “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.”

I encourage you to consider participating in the spring fast this year. It begins on Wednesday this week. Choose something good that you regularly enjoy and voluntarily give up that thing Monday through Saturday until Easter, for resurrection ends all suffering. Enjoy that good thing on Sundays, again as a reminder that resurrection is coming, and resurrection ends all suffering.

As we do this, let’s pray for God’s direction for our lives and for our church. Pray that we may be more effective in outreach as we desire to see men and women come to faith in Jesus and experience his grace and mercy and begin to enjoy eternal life now through a changed life. Pray that you and I would become more like him as we follow him in the spiritual discipline of fasting. Let us pursue true godliness together.

Over these next six weeks, rather than lament what we give up, we should celebrate all that we gain through spiritual disciplines—especially through fasting. Through fasting God gives us greater insight into our own hearts, for our sins are often revealed when a source of comfort is stripped away. Through fasting God provides us opportunities to pursue godliness. As we saw last Sunday, godliness with contentment is itself great gain (1 Timothy 6:6). By giving up some of our excess and celebrating who we are in Christ, we grow in contentment and so through observing Lent we can grow in godliness. Even more, through fasting we gain more of Jesus. We don’t gain more of him in the sense that we are lacking any part of him. Instead, our awareness of him and what he has done for us grows. Through faith we are drawn closer to him. It is our experience of him that grows and so in this sense fasting gives us more Jesus.

Is it really giving up if we gain far more than we give up? Are we really losing something when we gain more of Jesus? As we contemplate giving up something good, is it really a loss if we gain something superlatively Great?

Paul’s word to the Colossian church is powerful: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Colossians 3:16 ESV). We don’t often make this connection: teach one another by singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. The songs we sing together in corporate worship ought to be a means of teaching. As our collective voices join together in singing, we are proclaiming to one another the content of the songs we sing. This makes our song selection rather important!

This is what drives us in our choices for our Sunday gathered assemblies. We seek songs that teach us about who God is and what he has done. This is one reason there are many wonderful songs that are not appropriate for corporate worship. If a song does not aid us in teaching one another, the song is not appropriate for corporate worship. This doesn’t mean it’s a bad song! It means that while you may enjoy worshiping God by singing it in your car, it may not be the best way for the gathered assembly to worship God.

There are many songs, for example, that stir up our emotions and our affections. These songs often emphasize our response to who God is or what he has done, while not always actually proclaiming who he is or what he has done. As believers we have an understanding of our faith in Christ so when a song is a response to that, we can respond appropriately, yet the command to the church is to teach one another through our worship songs.

Early in our church’s history I recall a conversation with an older lady who remarked how Jesus-centered our music is. At first this struck me as an odd observation: of course it is! She was expressing that in her experience worship music was not always centered on Jesus. That served to really cement in my mind that we must be diligent about teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.

It all comes down to this reality: what a church sings, that church believes. While God certainly uses my teaching and preaching in the lives of his people, when you’re sitting at your desk or on the assembly line and your boss is harping on you or you’re simply feeling the ordinary thorns and thistles that come with work, it is far more likely that song lyrics run through your head than the second point of last Sunday’s sermon. Better for those lyrics to point you to the glory of God in the face of Christ than some happy, feel-good emotional response! Emotions will not get you through a day of drudgery, but the power of God in Christ can.

It’s important, then, for us to sing songs that truly point us to the Lord and teach us about him. These songs must be intelligible, however. I immediately think of the song “How He Loves Us” by David Crowder.

He is jealous for me
Loves like a hurricane
I am a tree bending beneath
The weight of His wind and mercy
When all of a sudden
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory
And I realize just how beautiful You are
And how great Your affections are for me

These are beautiful lyrics. They are heavily metaphorical and can take some thought to comprehend in the moment as you’re singing along with the whole church: “God’s love is like a hurricane? Aren’t hurricanes destructive? Yes, but that’s because they are overwhelmingly powerful. Ah. God’s love is overwhelming powerful. Wow! Oh, wait. We’re already done with the chorus now…” It’s a great song, though it may not be appropriate in a corporate worship setting.

It is vital for our worship songs to be intelligible. For some heavily metaphorical and poetic song lyrics can be difficult. Sometimes, however, the obstacle is biblical knowledge. I was recently asked about the song “Is He Worthy” by Andrew Peterson and Ben Shive. The question centered on the chorus:

Is anyone worthy
Is anyone whole
Is anyone able to break the seal and open the scroll
The Lion of Judah who conquered the grave
He is David's Root
And the Lamb who died to ransom the slave
Is He worthy
Is He worthy
Of all blessing and honor and glory
Is He worthy of this
He is

Break the seal? Open the scroll? One may immediately recognize the reference to Revelation 5. There John sees a vision of God seated on his throne holding a scroll with seven seals. He specifically notes the scroll was covered in writing on both sides of the paper. The question rang out, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” No one was found worthy so John wept. Then one of the elders around God’s throne interrupted him and said this:

And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

Revelation 5:5 ESV

This doesn’t mean much to us, however. What is the meaning of the scroll? What is the meaning of the seals? Why would John weep when seeing a scroll that he could not read? Why is it so important that we would gladly sing a song worshiping the one who is worthy to open the scroll?

Scrolls were often tied with string and melted wax applied to the knot with a seal indicating the person who sealed it. Only the legally authorized recipient could break the seal and open the scroll. Because the scroll comes from God, it is clear that he is the one who sealed it. John rejoices because Jesus is the one who can open it. It’s clear that the scroll is important, but what is written on it? John seems to be alluding to other Scriptures. For example, we read the following in Psalm 139.

Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.

Psalm 139:16 ESV

In God’s “book” every one of the psalmist’s days were recorded. We see something similar in Isaiah.

And the vision of all this has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed. When men give it to one who can read, saying, “Read this,” he says, “I cannot, for it is sealed.”

Isaiah 29:10–11 ESV

It’s interesting that the vision of the future was sealed in a book. The psalmist said every one of his days was written in God’s book. John would have been quite familiar with the book of Enoch, which says something similar.

And he said unto me: “Observe, Enoch, these heavenly tablets, And read what is written thereon, And mark every individual fact. And I observed the heavenly tablets, and read everything which was written (thereon) and understood everything, and read the book of all the deeds of mankind, and of all the children of flesh that shall be upon the earth to the remotest generations.

1 Enoch 81:1

The scroll John sees the Lord holding while seated on his throne is God’s book that contains the history of the world, and not merely a history. It is the record of what God has done, is currently doing, and will do in the future! This is why the scroll is written on both sides. Ordinarily one would write only on the front due to the directions of the papyrus fibers. It would be difficult to write on the back yet because God’s work is so vast, the scroll is written on both sides.

In Revelation John rejoices when he is told the Lamb who was slain is worthy. He joins with “myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands” of angels worshiping the Lamb. The expression “myriads of myriads” would be like saying “a bajillion” today—who can count that high? What are they actually celebrating, though?

The scroll that only the Lord Jesus opens contains God’s plans for the world. These plans are realized fully and completely in Christ. It includes the restoration of all things, the re-creation of the world, the resurrection of our bodies, and eternal life with God on the new earth forever and ever.

The imagery John uses is important to feel the full weight of this vision. Using his common “I heard…then I saw” framework, in which what he sees is far greater in magnitude than what he heard, John hears the Lion of the tribe of Judah has conquered. The King is victorious, and because of his victory he is able to break the seals and open the scroll. However, when John sees the Lion, he sees the Lamb—the slaughtered Lamb. This is because the moment of Christ’s victory was the moment he breathed his last. His resurrection demonstrated the fullness of his victory, for even death itself was defeated.

This means that whatever is written on the scroll for us is ultimately for our good. Whether the scroll—God’s plans for your life—involve pain and sorrow or joy and gladness, though usually a mixture of both, the victorious Lamb can be trusted, for he endured great suffering and in this suffering was his great victory won.

What this really means is when you’re at work and you’re struggling or you’re at home and you’re struggling, you should remember the Lion of Judah has conquered the grave. There is nothing he cannot overcome for he faced the worst this life could do to him and walked victoriously out of the grave. Because of this you can trust him with whatever life brings your way, knowing none of it is a surprise to him and none of it is greater than he is. Your life situation is not greater than Jesus. When you consider your life is truly in the Lord’s hands, you can ask the question: is he worthy? Yes. Yes, he is.

As a white American, I’ve heard it a number of times: “Why do we have a ‘Black History Month’? We don’t have a ‘White History Month’”. Perhaps you’ve heard it, too, or even have said or wondered such a thing. Rather than address the issue from the perspective of American history I want to address it from the perspective of the gospel of Jesus. To do this, I must first address what Black History Month is, and then I can speak to its connection to the gospel.

It began in 1926 as “Negro History Week” by Carter G. Woodson. Its aim was to highlight the significant contributions to our history and culture by black Americans. The need for this was the systemic oppression of black folk in our nation, first beginning with slavery and then continued with Jim Crow policies. Because of these policies the various contributions of black men and women have been overlooked by many. In 1976 President Ford made February the official Black History Month in order to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history”.

To put it simply, Black History Month serves to highlight various black folk who inspire others in general, and other black folk in particular. Whether the courage of Ruby Bridges (the first to desegregate an all-white school in 1960), or the creative genius of Sister Rosetta Tharpe (who is widely recognized as the “godmother” of rock-and-roll music), or the fearless determination of Jesse Owens (who won four Gold Medals in the Olympics in Berlin, Germany in 1936), or the profound giftedness of Richard Allen (who may be America’s greatest church planter), black men and women have contributed greatly to our history and to our culture. Black History Month provides an opportunity for us all to reflect on these contributions, while also recognizing most of the contributions have come despite systemic oppression against black and brown people.

Anyone reading Scripture should come away with the profound sense that God’s love extends to all nations, and has from the beginning. His promises to Abraham in Genesis 12 culminate in this: “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed”. When God began to rescue Israel from Egypt, part of his purpose was to reveal himself to the entire world. He wanted the Egyptians to know who he is. This is why when the people of Israel finally left Egypt, they were joined by a “mixed multitude” who went with them and became part of the people of Israel at Mount Sinai (Exodus 12:38). We see the nations freely joining the people of Israel in the Conquest when Rahab believes in the God of Israel and she, along with her entire family, is spared. She eventually marries the son of the most-prominent man in the most-prominent tribe, Judah, and becomes an ancestor of Jesus himself (Joshua 6:25; cf., Matthew 1:5).

Throughout Israel’s history the nations were welcomed to join Israel as worshipers of the God of Israel. Ruth was a Moabite woman who was not only welcomed into God’s people but married into God’s people. She and Boaz were direct ancestors of the great king David, and was also an ancestor of Jesus. During David’s day, foreigners were a common part of life in Israel. Uriah was one of David’s “mighty men” and was a Hittite who was welcomed in to the people of God. This welcoming of the nations changed during the Exile. When the people of Judah were suddenly thrust into a foreign culture where many gods were worshiped, they began to withdraw socially and sought to isolate themselves, though God’s intentions for them was to invite the nations to worship him.

This changes significantly with Jesus. God’s plan was always for the nations. While the people of Judah had turned away from the nations, Jesus commanded his disciples to make disciples of all nations. Even though God’s plan for salvation would come through one nation, it was always intended to be for all nations.

Throughout the book of Acts we read of the gospel of Jesus being proclaimed among the nations with churches being planted all over the Roman empire. This continues to this day, with followers of Jesus being found in every single country on earth. In the book of Revelation John has a vision in which he sees God’s people in their fullness.

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

Revelation 7:9–10 ESV

Here we see the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham! Every family on earth is represented in this countless multitude. What is quite interesting is this multitude that cannot be numbered is not a homogeneous mixture. They remain people “from very nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages”. God’s people do not become a melting pot where all ethnic and cultural distinctions disappear. For all of eternity they will remain people from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages.

At the end of Revelation John sees a vision of the new city coming down out of heaven—the new Jerusalem. On the newly re-created earth, God will dwell with his people forever (Revelation 21:3). No longer will there be need for a temple to worship God for God will be with them forever. John sees this:

And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Revelation 21:22–27 ESV

John sees the nations bringing their glory and honor into the new Jerusalem. The treasures of the nations are brought into the new city. What are these treasures? One thing is clear: it’s not material wealth. Just a few chapters before this John sees judgment against the nations for piling up material wealth. What, then, do the nations bring into the new city? New Testament scholar Vern Poythress explains.

The nations (Rev. 21:24) represent redeemed humanity in all its cultural divisions. The distinctiveness of different cultures and peoples is not simply wiped out, but redeemed, in harmony with the picture in 1 Corinthians 12 of the unity and diversity in the body of Christ (see Isa. 60:3–12; Rev. 5:9). The nations bring in their splendor, that is, all the diversity of riches, whether material, intellectual, artistic, or spiritual (Isa. 60:3–5; Hag. 2:7–9).

Vern Poythress, “The Returning King”

The glory and honor of the nations are the cultural riches that distinct people groups bring. John is alluding to the prophecies in Isaiah 60 (which Poythress cites). Notice what Isaiah says about the wealth of the nations.

Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and exult, because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall bring good news, the praises of the LORD.

Isaiah 60:5–6 ESV

The real treasure on the new earth, the glory and honor that the nations will bring in, is the worship of our great God and Savior. The real treasure is the proclamation of the gospel of the Lord Jesus, with his praises rising up forever as his people—that countless multitude from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages—sing to him as one choir of worshipers.

The reality of this world is God is too great, too magnificent, too wonderful to be represented by one distinct culture. One day, when we see what John saw, that great multitude worshiping together and when we see the nations bringing their honor and glory into God’s good world, we will recognize the various ways these distinct and separate nations glorify God through their linguistic and artistic and cultural and technological expressions. These nations, tribes, peoples, and languages will all contribute to the worship of the Lord our God in ways that we in our own particular culture may not recognize. Together, we will see and understand the vastness of God through our distinctive cultural contributions.

In a perfect world we would not need Black History Month to recognize the contributions of black folk. In a perfect world we would not need to be reminded of the contributions to the world by Asian folk or Latinos or Native Americans. We do not live in a perfect world, however. We live in this one that is still fallen and sinful, that oppresses and overlooks entire people groups. On the new earth we will not have Black History Month for the glory and honor of black folk who worship the Lord Jesus will be seen by all his people and will be valued and appreciated for what it is. This will be true of the glory and honor of those from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and nations.

Until that day comes, it is good and right to recognize the unique contributions of people groups today, particularly those who contributed in spite of slavery and oppression. The glory of God in the face of Christ cannot be hidden. It must be proclaimed. One day it will be proclaimed without limitation, without efforts to hide it, without dismissal on the part of others. One day God’s people will stand together in awe as the nations bring their treasures in for the glory of God, our great King of kings and we will worship him in the fullness of our unity in the midst of our very real diversity. The gospel of Jesus demands it.

“Christmas is God’s invitation to enter into his peace. We can enter into his peace through the door that is open to each one of us. We can begin to see things from his perspective knowing that even as the waves of this life wash over us, all suffering has an expiration date.” -Jt RichardsNew City

A long-time friend recently shared a question he was asked by one of his friends: why do Christians “go to church”? I’ve written and preached about why we assemble together a number of times. I want to address something more specific: why do we worship together on Sundays?

Christians have worshiped on Sunday mornings from the very beginning of the church; this not really debatable, though some debate the reason. In his first letter to the Corinthians Paul gave them instructions regarding their offerings.

Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do. On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come.

1 Corinthians 16:1–2 ESV

There are a couple things to notice. First, this instruction was given to other churches in other areas. This is important as the first-day-of-the-week collection is not unique to the church in Corinth. Second, Paul didn’t have to explain when and where to take up this collection. They understood why they collected it on the first day of the week: this was the day of their regular assembly as followers of Jesus. Logistically, it made sense to collect the offering when they were gathered together. This does not answer the question why, however.

All four Gospels make a point of emphasis that Jesus rose on the first day of the week. Mark writes that it was very early “on the first day of the week” that Mary and Mary went to the tomb. While there, of course, the ladies discovered Jesus had risen from the dead. Luke says it was “on the first day of the week, at early dawn” when they went to the tomb. Once again, upon arriving at the empty tomb, they discovered there was no use for the embalming spices they took with them. John also writes of this attempt at embalming, saying it was “on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb”.

Matthew adds another detail, one that is implicit in the other three Gospels but which Matthew chose to make explicit: “Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb.” The Sabbath ended at sundown on Saturday evening. After the Sabbath day had ended, and before dawn on Sunday, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to the tomb. The first day of the week began at sundown the night before, but it was toward the dawn when they went to the tomb. Sometime during the night, before the sun had risen, on the first day of the week Jesus Christ rose from the dead.

It was in light of the resurrection of Jesus the church began to assemble together in Jesus’ name to worship him. In Acts 20 Luke writes that the church in Troas was assembled to “break bread” on the first day of the week, yet Luke offers no other explanation. It is clear he expected the reader to fill in the blanks.

This still does not fully answer the question as to why. We see that meeting on the first day of the week is connected to Jesus’ resurrection on the first day, but what is it about the resurrection that led to the earliest Christians gathering weekly to remember it?

A common claim made today is that the weekly Jewish Sabbath was transferred to Sunday. It is quite remarkable, however, that Scripture never makes such a substantial claim! Many say the Sabbath was established as an eternal requirement for all peoples at all times, though Scripture says it was a sign of the Mosaic covenant between God and Israel.

You are to speak to the people of Israel and say, “Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the LORD, sanctify you.”

Exodus 31:13 ESV

If such an important sign between God and Israel were transferred to a completely different day, surely one or more of the apostles would have mentioned it! The Sabbath day was vital to the life of Israel, yet its transfer to Sunday was never mentioned? The truth is this argument only appeared quite some time after the apostles. In the second century Justin Martyr offered a very different reason for Sunday worship, one that is tied to the resurrection of Jesus. In his “First Apology”, he wrote this description of Sunday worship.

And on the day called Sunday all who live in cities or in the country gather together in one place, and the memoirs of the Apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits.

Justin Martyr, “First Apology”, 1.67

After describing the Scripture reading, a sermon, prayers, and communion, Justin adds this:

But we all hold this common gathering on Sunday, since it is the first day, on which God transforming darkness and matter and made the Universe, and Jesus Christ our Savior on the same day rose from the dead. For they crucified him on the day before Saturday, and on the day after Saturday, he appeared to his Apostles and disciples and taught them these things which we have passed on to you also for your consideration.

Justin Martyr, “First Apology”, 1.67

Notice that Justin connects the idea of creation and resurrection, that is, the work of God, with the first day of the week. The justification for the Sabbath being the seventh day of the week is rather different.

For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

Exodus 20:11 ESV

The seventh day was set apart as the Sabbath for on the seventh day God rested. On the first day, however, God did not rest! Quite the opposite! On the first day he created the heavens and the earth. On the first day he raised Jesus from the dead and began his work of new creation. It would be very difficult to reconcile the Sabbath as a day of rest with God’s work of creation and new creation! This means the first believers did not worship on Sundays because it was the Sabbath day of rest. They weren’t resting!

It’s important to note Justin’s Apology was written to the emperor. Should he get any detail wrong, it would be akin to committing perjury, for he’s appealing to the emperor on behalf of Christians everywhere. It would not be difficult for the emperor to discover any errors in this document. I suppose it’s possible he just left out this link, though his reason for doing so would be a mystery. Under Roman law the Jews received special privileges to worship as they saw fit. They were, for example, exempt from offering a pinch of incense to Caesar. Why wouldn’t Justin make this connection to the emperor? “Hey, we’re Jewish, too! We keep the Sabbath—but on Sundays!” It’s quite simple: this was never the reason for Sunday worship and so there was no connection to make.

In the mid-second century Justin had a two-day debate with Trypho the Jew. Trypho expressed great dismay at the practice of Christians, for they did not keep the law of Moses in general, and the Sabbath in particular.

But this is what we are most at a loss about: that you, professing to be pious, and supposing yourselves better than others, are not in any particular separated from them, and do not alter your mode of living from the nations, in that you observe no festivals or sabbaths, and do not have the rite of circumcision; and further, resting your hopes on a man that was crucified, you yet expect to obtain some good thing from God, while you do not obey his commandments.

Justin Martyr, “Dialogue with Trypho the Jew”, Chapter X

Trypho’s accusation against Christians is this: they don’t live according to the law of Moses, which includes not observing the Sabbath. It is very significant that Justin does not respond by something, “Oh, yes we do! But now it’s Sunday!” Instead, he declared that Christ is the true law of God. Justin agrees with Trypho that Christians do not observe Sabbath. Rather than transfer the Sabbath to Sunday, he “transfers” it to holy living. If anything, Justin Martyr was a hyper-sabbatarian, insisting that every day is the Sabbath!

The new law requires you to keep perpetual sabbath, and you, because you are idle for one day, suppose you are pious, not discerning why this has been commanded you: and if you eat unleavened bread, you say the will of God has been fulfilled. The Lord our God does not take pleasure in such observances: if there is any perjured person or a thief among you, let him cease to be so; if any adulterer, let him repent; then he has kept the sweet and true sabbaths of God. If any one has impure hands, let him wash and be pure.

Justin Martyr, “Dialogue with Trypho the Jew”, Chapter XII

Justin’s argument is two-fold. First, Christians worship together on Sundays because it is the day God in Christ began his work of re-creation. He is no longer resting, but is actively bringing about new creation. Second, the law of Moses was fulfilled by Christ. The true Sabbath is a life that ceases not from work, but from sin. These two arguments are directly connected.

When we assemble in the name of Jesus, the Lord himself enters into our presence. (For more info, see here.) It is in God’s presence that we experience his power most fully, and it is his power that transforms us. We assemble together in the name of Jesus on the Lord’s Day—Sunday—to experience the Lord’s presence and to participate in his work of re-creation. By worshiping him together, God enters into our presence, and when God is present in our assembly, he is at work in us—not resting! He is working in us to bring about the very real transformation of our lives.

Why do we worship together on Sundays? We do so because of the promise of resurrection. By raising Jesus from the dead God began his work of re-creating the entire cosmos. Assembling together on the day of his resurrection points us to our future resurrection but also to the daily reality of God actively raising us to new life now. Because he is powerfully present in his gathered assembly, the Lord Jesus works in and through this assembly, and his power then extends out to other areas of our lives as we live in Christian community.

By worshiping together we participate in God’s work of transforming us, for his presence is powerful and active. We gather together to celebrate the Lord and his death and resurrection. We remind one another of the great truth that Christ is our righteousness. We encourage one another and pray for one another. All other times we meet together as believers is “downstream” from the central gathering. The power of God experienced in the assembly spills over into our City Groups, into our living rooms, in our offices and bedrooms and driveways as we shovel snow. While we rest in Christ, we worship in active participation in the work of God in us when we gather together on Sundays.