Controlling the Minions by the Tongue through Language

“Remember what James tells us. The tongue is not just powerful in a random, destructive way. It is that, as we see through his metaphor of the spark and the forest fire. But the tongue is also a tiller, a rudder. The tongue is enormously influential in taking us where a select few, who would be the pilots of culture, insist that we go.

‘Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things’ (James 3:4–5a, ESV).

“Why do I use the language I do? Because I have no intention of going where they want me to go. By that I include their intermediate stopping points, like the Cities of the Plain RV Park, or the final destination, which would be Hell. If you don’t want to go where they are going, don’t let them have control of your language. One of the most remarkable things about our current imbroglios is how readily Christians cede control over their language to the adversary. Friends, you are being steered.”

 

(Douglas Wilson, “Doing the Sensitivity Sham,” 13 April, 2015)

The First Beatitude in Revelation

For some, the notion that the book of Revelation has beatitudes, let alone seven of them, might sound a little surprising.  Normally, most readers of the New Testament associate that sort of thing with Jesus’ sermon on the mount as recorded by the apostle Matthew (Matt. 5:1-12, cf Luke 6:20-23, ESV).  Like I mentioned in my introductory post, the beatitudes in Revelation are one of the things that the Holy Spirit showed me and refused to let me forget.  There is so much in the last book of the bible that garners attention.  All the beasts, dragons, demons, and angels take center stage along with the prophetic symbolism regarding the events depicted in this unusual book.  These things distracted my heart and mind from seeing the seven beatitudes.  The fact that there are seven of them in the book of Revelation indicates theological significance.  If seven is symbolic for perfection, then it suggests a perfect offer of blessing from God through the person of Christ as administered by the Holy Spirit.

What do I mean by the phrase, “a perfect offer of blessing from God?”  Before I supply an answer, I do not want to suggest that the spiritual blessings in Christ have a strict expiration date for either this present age or the age to come (Ephesians 1:3-6, 2:4-7, ESV).  It is true that those who remain outside of Christ (or the unjust) will never experience these blessings in this life or in the next.  In fact, God’s offer of Christ terminates for the unjust at either their death or at the close of this age.  The reality for those in Christ is the opposite as the spiritual blessings begin breaking into their lives in this life.  At the dawn of the new day, the spiritual blessings bloom into such fullness that “no eye has seen, no ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9; cf Isaiah 64:4, ESV).

Now, here is my answer to the meaning of the phrase a perfect offer of blessing.  It refers to Jesus, the Son of God.  This is the same reason that the apostle Paul writes to the Corinthian churches in his second letter: “For all the promises of God find their Yes in [Christ].  That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory” (2 Cor. 1:20, ESV).  Every promise of blessing from God the Father finds its ultimate fulfillment in union with Christ.  There is no other way for anyone to enjoy them.  It is essential to keep Jesus at the center for these spiritual blessings.  This helps to maintain balance and perspective over the course of one’s life.  In keeping with this line of thought, here is the first beatitude from Revelation:

“Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near” (Revelation 1:3, ESV).

If I identify with Christ, then this beatitude illustrates how to demonstrate it.  The apostle John records in this passage that reading, hearing, and keeping the words (obeying it) of Revelation bless those who engage in these activities.  Let me take this one step further.  There is a blessing for reading aloud the book of Revelation that is separate from hearing it and from keeping it.  If I sit back and chew on this statement, then it stirs up many questions.  How does reading the last book of the New Testament bless the reader?  How does it bless the hearer or the keeper of it?  What is it about the book of Revelation that causes the Spirit of God to pronounce a blessing through the apostle John to those who read it, hear it, and keep it?  I want to stress this point because this beatitude occurs before any of the exhortations, warnings, visions and prophecies.  It seems to me that this emphasizes something unique or precious about the book of Revelation.

Allow me to venture into some uncharted territory as I offer some answers to the above questions.  At this point, it is essential to introduce the context that precedes the beatitude under consideration.  The first words of the book of Revelation state the following:  “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place…” (Rev. 1:1a, ESV).  This means that the book of Revelation is about Jesus, the Son of God, who received this revelation from God the Father.  It is the second part of that sentence, which blows my mind.  Everything in the book of Revelation flows from the Father heart of God toward the Son, who discloses this revelation to an angel, who makes it known to the apostle John (Rev. 1:1, ESV).  This is the unbroken chain of communication, which starts with the Father.

When the apostle John writes in the third person about how he bears witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, he certifies the trustworthiness of the contents within the book of Revelation (Rev. 1:2, ESV).   John identifies the words that follow as having their origin in God the Father, which testify about Jesus or God the Son.  From this, I glean two key points: first, the Father aims to bear witness about the Son; and second, the content of the Father’s revelation given to the Son has a direct impact upon the lives of their servants and the entire created order (Rev. 1:1b, 7, ESV).  This shows the Father’s love and concern for those proclaiming and serving his Son, Jesus Christ; however, it also reveals the Son’s love and concern for those who become his disciples.  Later on in the book of Revelation, the heavenly host surrounding the throne of God worships the Son for his actions in redeeming a people for God (Rev. 5:9, ESV).

Because the first beatitude in Revelation declares a blessing upon the reader, the hearer, and the keeper, this places God and his word in the preeminent position.  What this demonstrates is an old exhortation to the people of the old covenant that the Spirit of God applies to the new covenant people.  For example, the following words spoken by God through Moses echoes the beatitude in Revelation: “…If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians…” (Exodus 15:26, ESV).  Thousands of years separate Moses from John, and the apostle from God’s people living today; however, the commands to listen to God’s voice, to keep his word, and to obey it transcend all eras while they apply to God’s people from all ages.  I think the important lesson in all of this is that the Father offers blessing and cursing through his word.

Jesus is the Father’s supreme offer of blessing to his people.  It is also the case that rejecting the Son places one under the severest judgment. This notion finds expression in the Penteteuch with respect to the prophecy of a future prophet.  God reveals to Moses that he will raise up a prophet similar to him who will speak God’s words and in his name; consequently, the Lord states without equivocation that the one who refuses to listen to this prophet will be judged personally by him (Deuteronomy 18:18-19, ESV).  Both Peter and Stephen apply this prophecy to the person of Jesus Christ in the book of Acts; although, it is the former who makes mention of the judgment for rejecting the person of Christ (Acts 3:22-23, 7:37, ESV).  It seems to me that the Holy Spirit is quite clear in his exhortation to read, to hear, and to keep the words of the prophecy of the book of Revelation (Rev. 1:3, ESV).  The call is to sit at the feet of Jesus like Mary in order to choose the better part (Luke 10:39 & 42, ESV).

 

New and Old Treasure

Today’s post concludes the series exploring the kingdom parables of Matthew thirteen.  I want to share some final thoughts in relation to the following parable (number eight?) that ends Jesus’ teaching.  Depending upon the translation, this one is either referred to as the householder, the owner of a house or the master of a house.  Normally, this parable rarely finds its way into the overall tally with the others in the thirteenth chapter of Matthew.   I think this brief one bumps the number of parables to eight.  By way of context, this one follows immediately after the Lord finishes the parable of the dragnet:

“Have you understood all these things?” They said to him, “Yes.” And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old” (Matthew 13:51-52, ESV).

My off-the-cuff observation may sound a little snarky, but the disciples’ affirmative response to Jesus’ question surprises me.  These men asked him earlier to explain to them the meaning of the parable of the weeds (Matt. 13:36, ESV).  It seems to be a little bit of a stretch to take the disciples at their word.  Now, I do not want to draw too much from this point.  After all, it probably reveals more about me rather than the disciples.   In no way do I want to read into the text what it does not say.  If I place myself in their shoes, would I behave any differently?  I think no is the honest response.  After all, if Jesus does not question or rebuke them for their answer, then it might behoove me to keep moving forward instead of making a mountain out of a molehill.

Now then, what does Jesus intend to teach his disciples with this parable about a master of a house?  Based on the context, it seems to me that the Lord expresses the view to the twelve that they are possessors of both old and new treasure.  He has entrusted to them the secrets of the kingdom, which they are to steward (Matt. 13:11-12, ESV).  I see this final parable as anticipating the great commission that the Lord commands his disciples before his ascension to the right hand of the Father (Matt. 28:19-20, ESV).  In this parable, he does not instruct them to venture out among the nations.  Instead Jesus lays the foundation for their future missionary efforts. According to his’ own words, he has trained the apostles for the kingdom of heaven in order to share the old and new treasures (Matt. 13:52, ESV).

Did the sharing of the kingdom’s old and new treasures end with the death of the apostles in the 1st century?  The answer is a resounding no.  Every person who came to faith in Christ under the original apostles inherited their same calling to bring out of their storehouse both the new and old treasure.  The Lord inaugurated this pattern during his earthly ministry, and established it with the Great Commission before his ascension.  All those who profess Jesus as Lord and Savior throughout church history had a responsibility to share the new and old treasures of the kingdom of heaven.  They are not to be hoarded nor buried deep within the earth.  The expectation of Jesus was that his followers would come alongside men and women in order to tell them about the good news of the kingdom.  Today, this remains the mission of each believer and the church.

Heralds of the King (aka Forerunner Messengers)

John the Baptist’s birth and life announced the coming of the Messiah. The angel Gabriel told Zechariah that his son would “…go before [the Lord] in the spirit and power of Elijah,” which referenced Old Testament prophecies found in Isaiah 40:3 and Malachi 3:1 and 4:5-6 (Luke 1:17, ESV). In each of those passages, the prophet connected the messenger or John the Baptist with the coming of the Lord. When John began his baptizing ministry in the Jordan River, several religious leaders asked him if he was the Messiah or the Prophet, but he answered a firm no (John 1:19-21, ESV). In fact, John the Baptist refused to receive any veneration or praise or acclaim, he redirected the people and the religious leaders back to the Messiah, who he exclaimed was mightier than him (Matt. 3:16; Mark 1:7; and Luke 3:16).

If John the Baptist went before the Lord to announce his coming, to prepare the way for the Lord, then it stands to reason that he accomplished his mission. The apostle John recorded such an admission by John the Baptist, who said about the Messiah that “he must increase and I must decrease” (John 3:30, ESV). Unfortunately, John’s life ended in a most harsh way as King Herod had him beheaded over a promise made to his daughter (Matt. 14:10, Mark 6:27, & Luke 9:9). King Herod stopped the King’s messenger, but not before he delivered his message. Each of the writers of the synoptic gospels recorded Jesus’s high praise of John the Baptist as being more than a prophet and the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy (Matt. 11:9-11 & Luke 7:26-28). I would love to have such a glowing endorsement from the Lord.

When the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles and the disciples at Pentecost, the church became a herald of the King like John the Baptist. The Bride of Christ became her groom’s forerunner messenger of his second coming. According to Jesus’s words in John’s gospel, he would go ahead of us in order to prepare a place for us; consequently, he later prayed to the Father about not removing the sheep from the world (John 14:3, 17:15). He left us in order to send the Holy Spirit for the capability of preaching the gospel (Acts 1:8, ESV). Peter’s sermon in Acts 2 confirmed the church’s proclamation of the gospel message to the lost. By the time the apostle Paul entered the scene, he described the Corinthian believers and by extension the church universal as ambassadors for Christ (2 Cor. 5:20, ESV).

What is an ambassador? It’s a person who represents a people or nation to others with all of the authority of that nation. The church announces the soon coming king and kingdom. She houses many heralds, many ambassadors, who carry the authority of Christ by the indwelling person and work of the Holy Spirit. Like John the Baptist, we may be lone voices crying in the wilderness. We may deliver a message that offends many. Our appearance may offend many, but that’s not our concern. Our task is to obey the Great Commission. We are to prepare the way for the Lord, and to prepare a people for the Lord. The King is coming, and he’s bringing his recompense with him. Are we ready to give our lives if necessary like John the Baptist? Do we want to hear from our master, “well done good and faithful servant?”