May 15, 2022 – Sunday Service Live Stream

Call to Worship and Praise

Grace and peace to you. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Welcome to the corporate worship of our great God. Please stand. Oh, come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord, our maker.

For he is our God. And we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. Oh, sing to the Lord a new song. Sing to the Lord all the earth. Sing to the Lord. Bless his name. Proclaim the good news of his salvation from day to day.

Declare his glory among the nations, his wonders among all peoples. For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised. He is to be feared above all gods for all the gods of the peoples are idols. But the Lord made the heavens honor and majesty are before him.

Strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. Come now, let us worship him. Please pray with me. Oh, Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth? You made the heavens and earth by your great power and your outstretched arm.

Your invisible attributes, your eternal power and divine nature are clearly seen through that which you have made. The heavens declare your glory. We praise you for your providential care. We recognize that you are the governor and sustainer of all things.

And in you, all things hold together. Above all, Lord, today we praise you for redemption. There is no other God beside you. There is no other savior, no other rock to whom the ends of the earth may turn and be saved.

We rejoice that you so love the world that you gave your only begotten son, the Lord Jesus Christ. To be savior and you gave your spirit to abide with us and in us to teach us all things. Now we ask that you would grant your promise to be realized, that we would have fellowship with you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

And we ask these things in Jesus name. Please kneel if you're able for the corporate confession of sin. Let us join together now with one voice and confess our sins. Almighty and most merciful Father.

We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts.

We have offended against your holy law, undone those things which we ought to have done.

Lord, have mercy upon us, miserable offenders. Spare those, O God, who confess their faults. Restore those who are penitent, according to your promises declared unto mankind in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

Grant that we may hereafter live a godly, righteous and sober life to the glory of his holy name. Amen. Please stand. Seek the Lord while he may be found. Call upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts.

Let him return to the Lord and he will have mercy on him and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. I don't often pause here, but those words are incredibly powerful. A holy God offended, yet willing, ready to show mercy to sinners like us.

Continuing, for my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

The higher ways of God is forgiveness and salvation for sinners. Take heart today, if you be in Christ, in him, your sins are forgiven. Amen. Please take up the hymnal, and we all know this hymn very well.

We feel like Scottish saints of old or some of our spiritual forefathers singing a cappella out in the fields. All hail the power of Jesus' name. Let us begin.

All hail the power of Jesus' name. Let angels prostrate fall.

Please take up the hymnal, I mean, excuse me, the bulletin insert and turn to Psalm 119. Q. The tune of this is Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing. Very memorable. DJ and I are going to try to get us going.

Very good. Let us begin.

I've judged rightly. Leave me not.

I'm going to ask Abraham if you would come and read to us Jeremiah chapter 13.

The reading of the word. Thus the Lord said to me, go and get yourself a linen sash and put it around your waist, but do not put it in water. So I got a sash according to the word of the Lord and put it around my waist.

And the word of the Lord came to me a second time, saying, take the sash that you acquired, which is around your waist and arise. Go to the Euphrates and hide it there in a hole in the rock. So I went and hid it by the Euphrates as the Lord commanded me.

Now it came to pass after many days that the Lord said to me, arise, go to the Euphrates and take from there the sash which I commanded you to hide there. Then I went to the Euphrates and dug and took the sash from the place where I had hidden it.

And there was the sash ruined. It was profitable for nothing. Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, thus says the Lord. In this manner, I will ruin the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem.

This evil people who refuse to hear my words, who follow the dictates of their heart and walk after other gods to serve them and worship them, shall be just like this sash, which is profitable for nothing.

For as the sash clings to the waist of a man, so I have caused the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah to cling to me, says the Lord, that they may become my people for renown, for praise, and for glory that they would not hear.

Therefore, you shall speak to them this word, thus says the Lord God of Israel. Every bottle shall be filled with wine, and they will say to you, do we not certainly know that every bottle will be filled with wine?

Then you shall say to them, thus says the Lord, behold, I will fill all the inhabitants of this land, even the kings who sit on David's throne, and the priests, the prophets, and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with drunkenness, and I will dash them one against another, even the fathers and the sons together, says the Lord.

I will not pity, nor spare, nor have mercy, but will destroy them. Hear and give ear, do not be proud, for the Lord has spoken. Give glory to the Lord, your God, before he causes darkness, and before your feet stumble on the dark mountains.

And while you are looking for light, he turned it into the shadow of death, and makes it dense darkness. But if you will not hear it, my soul will weep in secret for your pride. My eyes will weep bitterly and run down with tears, because the Lord's flock has been taken captive.

Say to the king and the queen mother, humble yourselves, sit down, for the rule shall collapse the crown of your glory. The cities of the south shall be shut up, and no one shall open them. Judah shall be carried away captive, all of it shall be wholly carried away captive.

Lift your eyes and see those who come from the north, where is the flock that was given to you, your beautiful sheep? What will you say then when he punishes you, for you have taught them to be chieftains, to be head over you?

Will not paying seize you like a woman in labor? And if you say in your heart, why have these things come upon me? For the greatness of your iniquity, your skirts have been uncovered, your heels made bare.

Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard its spots? Then may you also do good, who are accustomed to do evil. Therefore, I will scatter them like stubble that passes away by the wind of the wilderness.

This is your lot, the portion of your measures from me, says the Lord. Because you have forgotten me and trusted in falsehood, therefore I will uncover your skirts over your face, that your shame may appear.

I have seen your adulteries and your lustful names, the lewdness of your harlotry, your abominations on the hills and the fields. Woe to you, O Jerusalem, will you still not be made clean? This is the reading of the word.

Thanks be to God.

Let us now confess our faith through the singing of the Apostles' Creed. Let us begin.

I believe in God the Father.

We take up the hymnal again and turn to number 38. Immortal, invisible, God only wise. Let us begin.

Let's prepare now for the prayers of the people.

Let's begin together. O God, from whom come all holy desires, all good counsel, and all just works. Give to us, your servants, that peace which the world cannot give. And also that we, being defended from the fear of our enemies, may live in peace and quietness.

Through the merits of Jesus Christ, our Savior, who lives and reigns with you in the Holy Spirit, God forever. Amen. For the church of Jesus Christ, that it may be filled with truth and love. And be found without fault at the day of your coming, we pray to you, O Lord.

Lord, hear our prayers.

Lord, we know that we may go for your church that grows throughout the whole earth. We know, Lord, that your plan to do this is by first judging us in a way or purifying us. And we pray that you would do that by your Holy Spirit.

We pray for ascension.

Pray for all ministers, missionaries, and the mission of the church. That in faithful witness the gospel may be preached, we pray to you, O Lord.

For those in positions of public trust, that they may serve justice and promote the dignity and freedom of every person, we pray to you, O Lord.

Lord, hear our prayers.

Gracious God and Father, would you lift up the prayers for all in any public office. We pray for the President, the Vice President, Congress, the Judiciary, the Supreme Court, all federal agencies, governors, state legislatures, and all local governments.

That they would have respect for your law. That they would be filled with such a fear and dread of the position that they hold as your stewards. That they would be afraid to take any other action than what you would have them take.

But Lord, we know that we live in a fallen world and that there are many who will devise ways against your laws. We pray, Father, that you would restrain them from doing so. We pray that you would hold back, Lord, and destroy their plans.

We pray especially, God, that you would destroy them by converting them into your friends. That they would be converted and proclaim your gospel from their position, recognizing you, Lord Jesus as King.

We pray this in your name.

For the poor, the persecuted, the sick, and all who suffer. For refugees, prisoners, and all who are in danger. That they may be relieved and protected. We pray to you, O Lord.

Lord, hear our prayers.

That they would find comfort in you. And know that this time that they are going through is to draw them closer to you. Where the true treasure lies. We pray, Father, for the persecuted. We pray, Father, that you would be with them and strengthen them.

And that you would encourage them that your way is right. And that they are on the winning side. We pray, Father, for those who are sick. We pray for those who are suffering whatever illness. We pray that you would heal them.

And especially, Father, we pray for those people who are not able to join us today. Because of the laws, we pray that you would heal them. So they may return to us next Sunday. We pray for all the refugees, prisoners, and various kinds of danger.

We pray that you would protect them. And use the danger to draw them ever closer to you. And convert many to you and to your cause. So be with all. Be with us as we seek to serve these people.

And love them.

For they are our neighbors. And you call them to love them. You call us to love them and ourselves. So give us strength to do that, Father. It's something we pray.

For this congregation, for those who are present, and for those who are absent. That we may be delivered from hardness of heart. And show forth your glory in all that we do. We pray to you, O Lord.

Lord, hear our prayers.

Dear Heavenly Father, we pray for this congregation here at Ascension. We pray for all of us who are present and all of us who are absent. We pray that you would, by your grace, give us the ability to worship purely in Christ's name.

That worship would be glorifying, honoring you. We pray that you would, through this church, God, do a mighty work in our family. In our friend circles. In our workplace. In our society here. We pray that by your grace and through your blessing and your promises to us and to our children.

That Ascension would be here long after most of us are gone. Even after all of us are gone. We pray that this would be a generational thing that we are doing here. That the gospel would slowly tread and plod through the hearts.

Changing the hearts of families that come in and out of Ascension. Lord God, we pray for those who are not here that may be sick. Or whatever their circumstance. We thank you for the media in which they are able to still tune in and worship with this congregation.

We pray that today, Pastor, you give them the strength to preach with fervor and great joy. And to equip us through the preaching of your word this morning. In Jesus name, I pray.

Amen. Wonderful. Please stand and let us take up the Psalm of the month from the insert. I'm not going to step on your toes this time, DJ. You are really going to start this one by yourself. Let us begin.

Psalm 8.

The Reading of 2 Corinthians 11 and Paul’s Apostolic Suffering

Please remain standing for the reading of the word from 2 Corinthians 11.

I want to remind you that this is a sober occasion. A solemn occasion. A consecrated time all around. But now we hear directly from the Lord himself. This is his inspired and infallible word. I'm going to begin reading in 2 Corinthians chapter 11 and verse 12.

Paul writes,. But what I do, I will also continue to do, that I may cut off the opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the things of which they boast. For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ.

And no wonder, for Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore, it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.

I say again, let no one think me a fool. If otherwise, at least receive me as a fool, that I also may boast a little. What I speak, I speak not according to the Lord, but as it were, foolishly in this confidence of boasting.

Seeing that many boast according to the flesh, I also will boast. For you put up with fools gladly, since you yourselves are wise. For you put up with it if one brings you into bondage, if one devours you, if one takes from you, if one exalts himself, if one strikes you on the face.

To our shame, I say that we were too weak for that. But in whatever anyone is bold, I speak foolishly, I am bold also. Now our text for this morning. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I.

Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I. Are they ministers of Christ? I speak as a fool, I am more. In labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I receive forty stripes minus one.

Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. A night and a day I have been in the deep. In journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen.

In perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea. In perils among false brethren. In weariness and toil and sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.

Besides the other things, what comes upon me daily? My deep concern for all the churches. May the Lord be pleased with our reading, hearing, and study of his word. And may the Holy Spirit supply unction, conviction, and comfort.

Please pray with me. O Lord, we humbly submit to the authority of your word. We long to be a people who reflect that glory and grace that you have shown to us in Christ. O Lord, I pray that you would give us a great love for all the churches.

That we would love our brothers and sisters here in a way that's consistent, worthy of the gospel. I ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Please be seated. We have been out of 2 Corinthians for some time now, since right before Advent season, actually.

It's been around, Thanksgiving was the last time we came to 2 Corinthians. And you'll remember that Paul is defending his apostolic authority. And as he does this, we're kind of wondering why he persists in rehashing and restating the case so many times.

And what we've discovered is that the people need to hear from Paul because of his appointment by Christ. And his desire to build up and strengthen the churches. The false teachers have come in and they have different motives.

There are a lot of motives to come and serve in the ministry and receive honor from being a person who is in that capacity. And a lot of it can be self-generated and self-honoring. Paul has two concerns.

He has a concern to glorify Christ, and he has a concern to glorify, build up, strengthen the church. That's wise words for us. What a great way to live life, to give yourself entirely to Christ in service to him and have great love for his people in the church.

Today, the title of the message is Paul's Deep Concern for All the Churches. And I've given a little bit of thought to how to structure this passage. And I'm going to give you three points of outline.

The first is, which has been a couple of times in 2 Corinthians, actually, Paul's pedigree. Number one, Paul's pedigree. And this is in response to his opponents, Paul's pedigree. Number two, that list which we have heard of going back to chapter 7.

We referred to this a couple of different times in our exposition of 2 Corinthians. Paul suffered greatly. So number two is Paul's perilous life. Paul's perilous life. And that's the second half of 23 through 27.

And then we'll close on 28. Number three, Paul's deep concern for all the churches. The title of the message is point three. What evidences would you give for Paul's apostolic authority? Imagine you're in a church plant.

You've never heard of this guy who showed up. You've heard about him by reputation. And he shows up, and he's preaching Christ, and it all sounds good. But three or four other guys come in, and they sound more compelling.

They've got greater oratorical skill. They've got a greater presence in their pulpits. They are stronger in their philosophical articulation. What evidences would you cite in defense of Paul's apostolic authority?

One of the claims made by the so-called super apostles, whom we've just rebuked in our reading there. He says effectively they've transformed themselves into ministers of righteousness. They are playing the part.

They have done it themselves. They're not called of God. And one of the things they're trying to do is tell you to the congregation of Israel, we're the Hebrews. We're the Israelites. We're of the seed of Abraham.

Listen to us. We are the ministers of Christ. And Paul refutes them and says, if they can say this, I can really say it. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham?

So am I. Are they ministers of Christ? Without turning there, make a mental note. Philippians 3. Paul in this section is warning against those Judaizers who are disrupting things there. Beware of dogs.

Beware of evil workers. Beware of the mutilation. Listen to this statement. For we are the circumcision who worship God in the spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh. Though I might have confidence in the flesh.

If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so. So Paul is taking this argument, these fleshly external arguments of his opponents in our text, and he's refuting them. He's he's answering their charges.

They're the real Hebrews. They're the real Israelites. They're the real seed of Abraham. They're the real ministers of Christ. Listen to Paul's resume, his pedigree. I more so circumcised the eighth day.

Of the stock of Israel. Of the tribe of Benjamin. A Hebrew of the Hebrews. Concerning the law, a Pharisee. Concerning zeal, persecuting the church. Concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

That's not how it ends. He says, but what things were gained to me, these I have counted loss. For the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord. For whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish.

That I may gain Christ. And be found in him not having my own righteousness. Which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ. The righteousness which is from God by faith. That I may know him and the power of his resurrection.

And the fellowship of his sufferings. Being conformed to his death if by any means. I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Paul is alone in his qualifications. He's got the perfect educational background.

He knows the Hebrew Bible inside and out. Every jot, every tittle, every breathing mark, every horn. All of it. And yet he says, my reputation, my pedigree. I set aside in favor of knowing Christ. It's very powerful language.

And this should be something true for us. We take a lot of pride in various things. My family has always boasted. I wish Nathaniel was here today. He's home with a broken neck. I wish he were here to say, my family is good stock.

My grandfather used to say. And maybe it's true. But I can think about some health conditions in our family. That maybe there's no stock. Because your family said, we're a good family. We're solid people.

Everybody kind of thinks that they're the ones. They're the people. They have this background. We all are proud of our heritage. The legacy that's gone before us. And to some measure, some of that familial stuff and covenantal faithfulness.

We should celebrate and rejoice in. But some of it is of the flesh and of the world. So how does Paul respond to these opponents? Well, surprisingly, there's some gold here that I'd like to mine. First, I want to ask the question, what is a Hebrew?

Look at verse 22. Are they Hebrews? Now, at first glance, we look at this and we go, okay, Paul, we get your point. You're a Jewish guy. There's a lot more being communicated here in this section. What is a Hebrew?

Well, it seems as though it started off being a name applied to the Israelites in Scripture. Only by those who were foreigners. Back in the interactions with Joseph, Potiphar's wife, for example, his time in prison, they refer to Joseph as that Hebrew.

One of the ways in which they were described. Sometimes, like in Exodus 1, they are Israelites when they speak of themselves to foreigners. When they're talking about themselves to others, they call themselves Hebrews.

You remember that incredible narrative? The midwives responding to Pharaoh's command to kill the sons of the Hebrew women. They said no. They said, in response to him, lying, deceiving him, because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women.

For they are lively and give birth before the midwives come to them. The midwives of the Hebrews are not going to kill the Hebrew baby boys. They're not going to do it. They stand up to Pharaoh. Several places it's contrasted.

This term is used to contrast the Hebrews, the people of God as we knew it then, with other peoples. In the New Testament, there seems to be a same contrast between the Hebrews and foreigners. There arose, you'll remember in Acts 6, a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists.

Because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. They felt like their widows were being cheated. The name is also derived, according to some, from Eber. In Genesis chapter 10, you know who Eber is.

He is the ancestor of Abraham. The Hebrews, therefore, are sons of Eber, Genesis 10. And still others trace this word, this meaning, signifying a root word that means to pass over. And they regard it as meaning the man who passed over the Euphrates.

Which is so interesting that we just read that in Jeremiah. I'm often caught off guard by that sometimes. How the liturgy unintentionally intertwines and weaves into all the elements of the service. The man who passed over the Euphrates, you know who that is.

The Hebrew word meaning the region or country beyond the land of Chaldea refers to Abraham. It's more probable origin, if you're going to pick one, is the designation given to Abraham. Coming among the Canaanites as a man from beyond the Euphrates, Genesis 14.

So these people, by name, are sojourners and pilgrims. They are people who have passed through lands, and it seems to be the case, isn't it? Very interesting. What is a Hebrew? Whatever classification, whatever designation could be given to Hebrews, Paul is one.

The second question then, what is the distinction between the Israelites and the Hebrews? What is an Israelite? Well, an Israelite is a descendant of the Hebrew patriarch Jacob. The twelve tribes of Israel with the advent and establishment of the divided kingdom.

The ten northern tribes constituting the kingdom of Israel were known as Israelites. To distinguish them from the southern kingdom of Judah. The northern kingdom was conquered by the Assyrians and its population was eventually absorbed into and by other peoples.

It's interesting and even more modern usage liturgically in the Jewish tradition. An Israelite is a Jew who is neither a Cohen, a descendant of Aaron, nor a Levite. Descendant of those early religious functionaries.

If a descendant of Aaron is present for synagogue, he must be called up first for the reading of the law. Those Jews are really still tied to these genealogies, aren't they? He would then be followed by a Levite.

Normally, an Israelite is not called upon until the third reading. So it's more of a general term and it maybe becomes a term of disparagement in some sense when you think about northern versus southern kingdom.

I've interjected another definition, which I think will be helpful, is what is a Jew? I think this will all make sense as we go on. A Jew is any person whose religion is Judaism. In ancient times, Jews were originally a member of Judah.

Either the tribe of Judah, of the 12 tribes, or of the subsequent kingdom of Judah. The Jewish people as a whole, initially called Hebrews, were known as Israelites from the time of their entrance into the Holy Land to the end of the Babylonian exile.

The term Jew was to signify all adherence of Judaism because the survivors of the exile, those former inhabitants of the kingdom of Judah, were the only Israelites who had retained their distinctive identity.

The 10 northern tribes had been dispersed after the Assyrian conquest and gradually they assimilated, as we said before, into other peoples. This is where it gets very interesting in relationship to Paul.

In the latter stages of the Hebrew Bible, it adjectively described those descendants of Jacob's fourth son, Judah, whose tribe together with that of his half-brother, Benjamin, do you remember that from the Philippians citation, constituted the kingdom of Judah.

Now, I want to pause here for a moment because Rachel had two sons by Jacob, Joseph and Benjamin. The fourth son, Judah, is from Leah. Judah is the faithful nation of the two, the more faithful, let's say, nation of the divided kingdom.

Paul is from the tribe of Jacob's favorite wife and the remnant that remained faithful throughout the history of Israel. The other people really couldn't say that in the same way. So, if you're going to tout credentials, Paul says, I've got them.

I'm not only part of Judah, I'm the son of my father's love, Benjamin. I'm the one of the one, the wife that Jacob really loved. That's not ultimately going to be where he goes. The opponents of Paul and their followers made much, of course, of their background, their heritage, their genealogy.

Paul here demonstrates that even his eminent qualifications, which are unmatched, he's so qualified to speak on the subject that it has a new flavor and character. In Romans 2, Paul wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, a Jew is one inwardly.

And circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man, but from God. Lest we be confused, this is at the heart of Old Testament teaching as well, Deuteronomy 30.

The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants. And you will love him with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live. So, Jesus, excuse me, Paul, as a servant of Christ, says it's one thing to have this pedigree.

It's another to have a living faith. It's one thing to have some ability to preach or to lead or to get a following. But it's another thing to be a faithful minister of Christ. Let's consider the third designation here, the seed of Abraham.

Of course, this describes the physical descendants of Abraham and their and it should be noted the spiritual descendants of Abraham. Would you consider Ishmael to be the seed of Abraham? In a very technical sense, but not really because of faith, right?

Isaac, yes, that's a seed of Abraham. His line includes the ethnic and religious Hebrews. So, when we think about the patriarchs, we think about Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, those designations, Hebrews, Israelites, seed of Abraham.

We're the people who come from that line in that tradition. It seems to be a problem in the New Testament era, however, because both John the Baptist and Jesus confronted the Jewish leaders who boasted upon their physical descendants from Abraham.

We have to be very careful because we, I think, rightly parse and navigate the blessings of generational faithfulness. We believe in covenantal blessings. We believe in a succession of blessing passing from generations.

But over time, that can be denigrated into because we're part of a certain family. These promises physical are always attached to spiritual truths and realities. Baptism is always attached to faith, never divorced of it, right?

We don't just have the forms. We have the forms which convey the substance in the essence, the reality of those things in Christ. Not so for the Jews of this time. They are always claiming your member in those interactions with Jesus that they are Abraham's children.