SERMON NOTES: Those Whom He Glorified (Romans 8:29-30)

Those Whom He Glorified from Romans 8:29-30.

SERMON NOTES: Those Whom He Justified (Romans 8:29-30)

Those Whom He Justified from Romans 8:29-30.

SERMON NOTES: Those Whom He Called (Romans 8:29-30)

Those Whom He Called from Romans 8:29-30.

Sermon Notes: Those Whom He Predestined (Romans 8:29-30)

Below are the sermon notes from Sunday, September 28, 2014:

Those Whom He Predestined from Romans 8:29-30.

Sermon Notes: Those Whom He Foreknew, Pt. 2 (Romans 8:29-30)

Those Whom He Foreknew, Pt. 2 from Romans 8:29-30.

Sermon Notes (September 14, 2014): "Those Whom He Foreknew"

Sermon notes from September 14, 2014:

Those Whom He Foreknew (Pt. 1) Romans 8:29-30

Sermon Notes: September 7, 2014

Sermon notes from Sunday, September 7, 2014:

The Greatest Promise In The Bible (Romans 8:28)

Sermon Notes: August 31, 2014

Starting today, I will be sharing the sermon notes I take into the pulpit with me.  I do this for a couple of reasons.  First, I hope members from the church I pastor (Lakeville) will use the notes to review the sermon they've just heard.  I hope it will help remind them of something from the sermon they may have forgotten or forgot to write down.  Secondly, I hope this will be a source of encouragement to those who do not attend Lakeville.  I know that I've been blessed by listening to, watching and reading sermons from other men of God. Now, I hope my notes will be a blessing to others.

Sermon notes from August 31, 2014:

Groaning For Glory, Pt 3 (Romans 8:26-27)

“Whose Slave Are You?”
Roman s 6:15-19

Introduction: 1) Romans 5:1 marked the 3^rd section of this letter.  In this section, Paul demonstrates how righteousness by faith alone in Christ along is the foundation of our hope.  Our only hope of eternal life is by trusting in what Christ did on our behalf, not in our deeds, not in our obedience to the Law, not in our feeble efforts to approach God. 

2)     Paul new his audience would have major objections to this teaching; he knew they would misconstrue what he was saying.  So, beginning in 6:1, Paul addresses the first objection that would be raised: By promoting God’s grace (that abounds over sin), the gospel encourages people to continue in sin.  The false syllogism went like this: God is glorified when His grace abounds over sin; therefore, we should continue in sin so we can experience more grace and so God can be more glorified.  Paul responds in 6:2-14 by showing how our union with Christ – we become ONE with Christ at our conversion – makes continuation in sin an impossibility.  He concluded his argument in v. 14: “For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.”  This statement would give rise to the second objection: By freeing us from the Law and placing us under grace, the gospel encourages people to continue in sin.  Paul combats this false understanding of the gospel beginning in verse 15.

[READ Romans 6:15-19]

1)      Every preacher I’ve ever spoken with about preaching and every book I’ve ever read about preaching agree about one thing: Illustrations in a sermon are very important to explaining the text in a way that connects with people.  A good illustration has a way to make a hard truth easier to understand.  Jesus used illustration in his teaching in order to connect with his listener.  When he gave the parable of the seed and soils, He knew the listeners understood the types of soils in the land and how each would respond to a seed being planted in it. 

2)     While every preacher and books on preaching I’ve read agree that illustrations are very important to explaining the text, they also agree on something else: Finding a good illustration that properly applies to the text is a difficult task.  Paul, being a good communicator, realized that he needed a way to illustrate the point he has been making (and would make), namely, that, when the gospel frees a person from the Law, it doesn’t give them a license to sin.  So, beginning in verse 15, he uses an illustration from a well-known institution in Rome: SLAVERY.  He refers to people as slaves in vv. 16 (2x), 17, 18, and 19 (2x).

3)     Paul had a PERSONAL reason for using the metaphor of slavery.  Even though Paul knew it  fell very short of the actual truth he was trying to explain (v. 17 – “I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations”), he used it because the Romans could easily connect with what he was saying (nearly 20% of the Roman Empire’s population were slaves).

4)     Paul also had a THEOLOGICAL reason for using the metaphor of slavery.  He is showing the Romans that, the reason a person (who has been set free from the Law) doesn’t continue in sin is because when a person is saved (set free from the Law) they become a slave of righteousness.  You see, Paul says that everyone – saved and unsaved alike – are slaves of sin or righteousness.  And the way you can determine your master is by asking the question, “Which one do I obey?”  The same is true for us.

Proposition: Having been set free from the power of sin and the Law, believers overcome sin in their daily lives by presenting their bodies to righteousness as obedient slaves.

Transition: In the text, there are three (3) steps you need to take to determine whether or not you are truly free from sin and a slave of righteousness.

I.      INSPECTION: Identify Your Current Status.         (16)

           A.    You are enslaved to one of two MASTERS.

1.       There is no middle-ground; neutrality is not an option!

2.      Who are the two masters?

a.     Master 1: SIN

(1)   To be a slave of sin means to be under the power, influence, control and dominion of sin

(2)  We are like the Jews of John 8:33, who refused to believe that they were enslaved (or had ever been enslaved)!  One of Satan’s great tools of deception is convincing enslaved people that they are freed.

b.     Master 2: OBEDIENCE

(1)   Odd that he doesn’t say Jesus, God (he says it later), or Gospel, but Obedience

(2)  Paul is emphasizing that the life under grace is characterized by obedience; therefore he calls obedience a master

            B.    You are headed for one of two ENDS.

1.       Each master leads their slaves to an expected end.

2.      What are the ends?

a.     End 1: DEATH

(1)   If you are enslaved to sin, DEATH is your ultimate destination

(2)  Sin leads to death (cf. Rom. 6:23 – wages of sin is death!)

(3)  Sin will kill…

(a)  Your marriage

(b)  Your friendships

(c)   Your Fellowship

(d)  A church body

(e)  Your Soul!

(4)  The pattern of sin is always easy to mark:

(a)  Sin will Bribe you

i.                    It is Deceptive

ii.                 promises you something great

(b)  Sin will Burn you

i.                    It is Disappointing

ii.                 when you get what sin promises, you won’t want what you get

(c)   Sin will Bury you

i.                    It is Deadly

ii.                 It destroys everything in its path!

b.     End 2: RIGHTEOUSNESS

(1)   A right standing before God

(2)  Disclaimer: Paul is not teaching a works-based salvation; He is speaking of the obedience he will unpack in 6:17, an obedience to the Gospel

      C.     Conclude: How do you determine which masters is yours?  Ask yourself this question, “Which of   these do I obey?”  If you obey sin, then you’re a slave of sin.  If you obey the obedience (to the gospel), then you’re a slave of righteousness and obedience.

Transition: After describing how a person can know who their master is, Paul has a word for those who were once slaves of sin but have been delivered by God’s power and have become slaves of righteousness.

II.   CELEBRATION: Glorify God For Your Past Salvation.                       (17-18)

           A.    Thank God that you were Delivered by Him.                        (17)

1.       What God delivered us from: Sin

2.      How God delivered us: “have become obedient”

a.      What does “obedient” imply, if it’s not talking about a works-based salvation?

(1)   Romans 1:5 – through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations.

(2)  Romans 15:18 – For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience – by word and deed

b.      Paul uses the term “obedience of faith”  in 1:5 to describe his purpose in bring about the conversion of people in all nations; and he uses the phrase “to bring the Gentiles to obedience” in 15:18 to describe the conversion of Gentiles who had already been saved

c.       Conclusion: The use of “obedience” is speaking of obeying the gospel; i.e., repenting of your sins and trusting Christ alone for salvation.

3.      What God Delivered Us To: “the standard of teaching” – the Gospel

4.      The fact that we are commanded to thank God for this tells us that this was an act that God performed, not us!

            B.    Thank God that you are Enslaved to Him.

1.       When we were “set free” from sin we became “slaves of righteousness” (18)

2.      There was a transfer of slavery

a.      The word “committed” in 6:17 means to deliver over to.  Consider the places in the New Testament where it is used…

(1)   Matthew 5:25 – “your accuser hand you over to the judge”

(2)  Luke 12:58 – “the judge hand you over to the officer”

(3)  1 Timothy 1:20 – “Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.”

b.      It pictures the transfer of a person from one care to another, an exchange

3.      We were enslaved to sin, but Christ broke the chains of our slavery and enslaved us to Himself!

4.      Colossians 1:13 – He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son

Transition: Having been set free from Sin’s imprisonment and made slaves of Christ and righteousness, we now conquer sin on a daily basis by…

III.           SUBMISSION: Yield To God For Your Ongoing Sanctification.         

            A.    Remember How You Once Serve SIN.        (19)

1.       Who likes to remember their former life?  What was it like?

a.      Romans 3:13-18 – ¹³ “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” ¹⁴ “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” ¹⁵ “Their feet are swift to shed blood; ¹⁶ in their paths are ruin and misery, ¹⁷ and the way of peace they have not known.” ¹⁸ “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

b.      We offered our MOUTH

c.       We offered our TONGUES

d.      We offered our FEET

e.      We offered our WAY OF LIFE

f.        We offered our AFFECTIONS

2.      We did all this naturally.  We obeyed sin because our greatest joy was in sin.  We resisted the gospel because our greatest joy was in something other than the gospel.  In other words, we obeyed our master well!

3.      We simply followed our joy!

4.      While we don’t like to think about our past, Paul says it is actually the key to overcoming sin in our life.  He says to “Remember How You Once Served Sin” and…

            B.    Serve Righteousness The Same Way! (19)

1.       ODD: The key to holy living, the key to overcoming sin on a daily basis is by remembering how you used to serve sin!

2.      Now, I overcome sin by following my true joy – JESUS!

3.      Now, true joy comes when I offer my body – all of me – to Christ in obedience to Him!

Conclusion: 1) In a sermon entitle “The Doctrines of Grace Do Not Lead To Sin”, Charles Spurgeon summarizes this text well, especially the objection that others might have when it comes to Sola Gratia, salvation by grace alone.  He said:

“Now if the doctrine of grace in the hands of an ordinary man might be dangerous, yet it would cease to be so in the hands of one who is quickened by the Spirit, and created anew in the image of God. The Holy Spirit comes upon the chosen one, and transforms him: his ignorance is removed, his affections are changed, his understanding is enlightened, his will is subdued, his desires are refined, his life is changed—in fact, he is as one new-born, to whom all things have become new. This change is compared in Scripture to the resurrection from the dead, to a creation, and to a new birth. This takes place in every man who becomes a partaker of the free grace of God. "Ye must be born again," said Christ to Nicodemus; and gracious men are born again. One said the other day, "If I believed that I was eternally saved, I should live in sin." Perhaps you would; but if you were renewed in heart you would not. "But," says one, "if I believed God loved me from before the foundation of the world, and that therefore I should be saved, I would take a full swing of sin." Perhaps you and the devil would; but God's regenerate children are not of so base a nature. To them the abounding grace of the Father is a bond to righteousness which they never think of breaking: they feel the sweet constraints of sacred gratitude, and desire to perfect holiness in the fear of the Lord. All beings live according to their nature, and the regenerated man works out the holy instincts of his renewed mind: crying after holiness, warring against sin, labouring to be pure in all things, the regenerate man puts forth all his strength towards that which is pure and perfect. A new heart makes all the difference. Given a new nature, and then all the propensities run in a different way, and the blessings of almighty love no longer involve peril, but suggest the loftiest aspirations.”

2)     Whose slave are you?  Have you been changed and delivered from sin’s bondage?  Are you a slave of Christ and righteousness?  Eternity depends on whose slave you really are.

Did Jesus Purchase Physical Healing On The Cross?

We’ve heard it time and time again: “with his stripes we are healed”.  This phrase comes from Isaiah 53:5.  This verse is used by many Health-and-Wealth, Name-it-and-Claim-it, “prosperity” preachers.  They teach that our physical healing was purchased through the atonement of Christ; therefore, if you have cancer, the flu, a common cold, Alzheimer’s or Lou Gehrig’s disease, your healing was purchased by the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross.  All you need to do to receive your healing is have enough faith and you are GUARANTEED healing because it was purchased by the atonement. 

Is this true?  I know it’s popular, but is it Scriptural? 

On one level, it is true: Our healing was, indeed, purchased at the cross.  When Jesus died on the cross, He purchased a complete, full salvation for His people.  He guaranteed that His people would one day be saved from the penalty of sin; this happens when we are justified.  Justification is that moment when God – based on the atoning work of Christ on the cross – forgives our sins, removes His wrath from us, and places Christ’s righteousness on our account.  He guaranteed that His people would be continually saved from the power of sin; this happens as we are sanctified.  While I have been saved eternally saved from sin’s penalty, I am being continually saved from sin’s power in my daily life.  He also guaranteed that His people will one day be saved from the presence of sin; this will happened when we are glorified.  What will happen to us when we are glorified?  We will receive a new body, just like Christ’s.  Romans 8 calls this the “redemption of our body”.  So, in one sense, YES, Jesus did purchase our healing on the cross.  But He purchased our healing by purchasing a new, perfect, glorified body.

But, when I hear or read preachers teach that Christ purchased our healing on the cross, I don’t think they have our glorification in mind; they are speaking of a physical healing to our natural, physical body.  So, in responding to how they use Isaiah 53:5 to justify their false doctrine that all physical healing is purchased through the atonement of Christ and all one must do to receive it is exercise enough faith to receive it, I offer the following objections:

1.      Semantic Domain. 

This is a phrase that means context.  It states that context determines the meaning of certain words.  Let me illustrate.  If I use the word “net”, you don’t know what I mean unless you understand the context.  If I associate the word “net” with a basketball game, I mean the net that hangs from the rim.  If I associate “net” with a cook in a kitchen, I mean the thing covering their head that keeps their hair from falling in the food.  If I associate “net” with fishing, I mean the device you use to scoop the fish out of the water.  You see, the context determines the meaning of the word. 

This means that the word “healing” in Isaiah 53:5 must be seen in the overall context of Isaiah 53.  Let me ask you: Where in Isaiah 53 does the prophet speak of physical healing?  Kenneth Hagin argued that the word “grief” in Isaiah 53:5 also means “sickness”, but the Hebrew word can also mean affliction, trouble, grief or injury.  So how do we determine the correct meaning?  The context.  In the context of Isaiah 53, the prophet is focused on sin and how the Servant will bear the iniquities of His people (vv. 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12).  Based on the context, using the word “grief” in v. 4 is a metaphor that shows the spiritual condition of the Servant’s people: they are spiritually sick because of sin, destined to be afflicted by Jehovah.  What is the ultimate result of the Servant’s bearing our sins and transgressions?  He will “make many be counted righteous” – that’s the gift of justification.  How will he accomplish this?  He “shall bear their iniquities” (v. 11). 

So, when you look at the overall context, it is clear that the prophet has in mind our spiritual status before God, not our physical status on earth. 

2.     This View Makes Satan The Ultimate Victor In Our Earthly Pilgrimage

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.” (John 10:10)  This is another passage that people who claim physical healing as a divine right of the redeemed and a product of the atonement love to quote.  They create the following syllogism: Satan comes to kill; death kills; therefore, death is always a work of Satan.  They argue that death is never the will of God; it is always the work of Satan.  That may sound well and good, but when you follow this logic to its ultimate conclusion, it is one that they will not accept: Satan ultimately wins the battle with every person on the earth.  Last time I checked, everyone dies.  Death runs in my family.  If they are correct, who stands over each dead body with victory?  Satan.  How can he do this?  Because he has victoriously killed another person.  Either God wasn’t powerful enough to heal them or they didn’t possess the faith they needed to be healed.  Either way, Satan has the last laugh with each earthly life.  This doctrine gives Satan too much power, glory, and victory.

3.     The Lack of 300 Year Old Believers

If all sickness is the work of Satan and if all death is the work of Satan, I would expect there to be some believers on the earth who are 300 years old.  After all, if they had the faith, wouldn’t God heal them?  If God can heal a person of at the age of 21, can’t He heal someone at the age 95, 100, or 150?  To attach physical healing to the atonement and then agree that people still get sick and die is to make the atonement of Christ ineffective.

4.     It Overlooks the Fact that Jesus DIDN’T HEAL EVERYONE

In Luke 5:12-16, Jesus cleansed a leper.  News of this healing spread throughout the region.  Immediately crowds began to flock to Jesus for healing.  What would you expect Jesus do to; after all, in other places, He healed everyone who came to Him.  But how does Jesus respond?  He withdrew from the people to a desolate place and prayed.  The people obviously had faith because they were coming to Him for healing.  Yet, Jesus withdraws from them, goes to a desolate place by Himself and prays.  That seems somewhat offensive. 

Another example is John 5.  The Bible says that there were “a multitude of invalids – blind, lame and paralyzed” (John 5:3) at a pool called Bethesda.  They are there for healing.  They are hoping to be healed.  So when Jesus passes by that pool, what do you expect Him to do?  You would expect Him to heal everyone at the pool.  But He doesn’t; he only heals ONE man. 

Jesus proves over and over again in Scripture that He is sovereign over all things, including healing.  He does what He wants, when He wants, and in the manner He wants.  That’s what it means to be sovereign.

5.     It Overlooks the Fact that the Apostles Didn’t Heal Everyone

A quick survey through several New Testament passages reveals that Paul didn’t heal everyone either; he couldn’t even secure a healing for himself!  Consider: 

• In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul had a thorn in the flesh that he, on three separate occasions, asked God to remove from him.  God refused to remove that thorn.
• In 1 Timothy 5:23, Paul told Timothy to drink a little wine for his stomach problems.  He didn’t say – as I’ve often heard is said by those who believe divine healing is a right of the redeemed – to lay hands on himself and be healed or to just claim a healing for his stomach or to believe “by his stripes you were healed”.  No, he instructed him to take medicine.
• In 2 Timothy 4:20, Paul admits to leaving a fellow-Christian, a devout laborer of Christ named Trophimus in Miletus.  How as Trophimus when Paul left him?  He was “ill”.  Why didn’t Paul just lay hands on him?  Why didn’t Paul tell him to believe and receive his healing?  Why did he leave him at Miletus…sick?

6.     It Produces An Overreached Eschatology

Eschatology is the study of the end.  Those who teach that Jesus must heal every sickness and disease are overreaching in that they are trying to bring blessings that are reserved for the Age to Come into this present age.  When Jesus was upon the earth, the miracles He performed were evidence that the Kingdom of God had broken into this present evil age: “But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you” (cf. Luke 11:20).  In Christ, the powers of the age to come were visible.  His ministry was a foretaste of what life in the consummated kingdom would be like.  When He raised the dead, He was showing that death had no place in His kingdom.  When He healed the sick, He was showing that sickness and disease had no place in His kingdom.  When He cleansed the leper, He was showing that uncleanness had no place in His kingdom.  What the people experienced in part during Christ’s ministry will be experienced completely when the Kingdom is consummated at the return of Christ.  To demand these blessings in their fullness now is the have the “not yet” mixed up with the “already”. 

7.     It Makes Faith the Object of their Faith, Not Jesus

They teach that the key to healing is the individual’s faith.  “If you have enough faith,” they say, “your cancer will be healed, your runny nose will stop up, your arteries will unclog, and your brain tumor will disappear.”  They have turned faith into the object of their faith, which is nothing more than positive thinking.  We are never told to have faith in faith; we are told to have faith in God.  When you study the miracles in the New Testament, you will soon learn that many of the people who were healed had NO FAITH whatsoever.  The following is an excerpt from John MacArthur’s book, “Strange Fire: The Danger of Offending The Holy Spirit with Counterfeit Worship”:

“In Luke 17:11-19, only one of the ten lepers expressed faith, yet all were made clean.  The demoniacs of Matthew 8:28-29 and Mark 1:23-26 did not express faith before being set free, the crippled man beside the pool of Bethesda did not eve know who Jesus was until after he had been healed (John 5:13), and the blind man in John 9 was similarly healed without knowing Jesus’ identity (John 9:36).  On several occasions, Jesus raised people from the dead, such as Jairus’s daughter and Lazarus; obviously, dead people are not able to make any kind of ‘positive confession,’ much less respond with any show of faith.  Our Lord also healed multitudes of people in spite of the fact that not all of them believed (cf. Matt. 9:35; 11:2-5; 12:15-21; 14:13-14, 34-36; 15:29-31; 19:2).

The healing ministries of the apostles, likewise, did not require belief from the sick in order to be effective.  Peter healed a lame man without requiring faith from him (Acts 3:6-8).  Later, he revived a woman named Tabitha after she had died (Acts 9:36-43).  Paul likewise delivered an unbelieving slave girl from demon possession (Acts 16:18) and later raised Eutychus after he fell to his death (Acts 20:7-12).  A profession of faith was not a prerequisite for any of those healing miracles.” (pg. 163)

8.    It Is Spiritual Cruelty

I was once rebuked at a hospital by a preacher who claimed to have the gift of healing when I asked him to go into the room and heal a person who was dying (a person both of us were there to visit).  He told me that I didn’t believe God healed.  I assured him that I did.  He told me that he had the gift of healing.  I asked him to heal the man in the hospital bed.  He explained that it “didn’t work that way”.  So, according to him, a family lost a loved one that night because either they or the man who died didn’t have enough faith.  According to him, if they could have exercised enough faith, then the man in the hospital room wouldn’t have died.  Do parents who lose children to cancer really want to pack that burden with them – that their child’s death was because their faith was so weak?  Do children who watch parents struggle with Alzheimer’s really want someone telling them that if they had enough faith their parents would receive their right mind?  This teaching is abusive because when you follow it to its logical conclusion, you’re left with this: Every bad thing that happens in your life is the result of your weak faith, including the sickness and death of loved ones.

Before anyone accuses me of not believing in healing, rest assured that I do.  God is sovereign: He can heal whomever He chooses to heal whenever He chooses to heal them.  I do believe God heals.  I do believe that Jesus purchased my healing on the cross.  I just believe that Scripture teaches my healing will be experienced completely in the Age to Come when I receive a new, glorified body.  Oh, make not mistake: I believe in healing.  I’m just not buying the snake oil many “preachers” are selling.

Judah, Jesus and Me (and You)

Have you ever looked at that horrible sin of Judah in Genesis 38?  You know the one I’m talking about.  It's the one that can make you blush while you read it in a room BY YOURSELF!  It’s the one where he refuses to give his youngest son Shelah to Tamar because she was previously married to his other sons (Er and Onan) and they both died.   It’s the one where Judah, after his wife dies, goes to Timnath to his sheepshearers, and there he spends a night with a prostitute (or at least he thinks she’s a prostitute), paying for the services with his signet ring, his cord and his staff.  It’s the one where the prostitute wasn’t really a prostitute, but his daughter-in-law, Tamar, disguised as a prostitute.  It’s the one where she ends up pregnant and Judah, riding on his high horse of self-righteousness – and hopes of getting rid of this black widow before he has to give his youngest son to her in order to continue the line of his dead son – seeks to put Tamar to death for getting pregnant by “immorality”.  It’s the one with a jaw-dropping climax: Judah calls for Tamar to come before the congregation to receive her punishment for her sin (burning).  She refuses to come out of tent and sends someone with a message and some interesting objects.  The objects the person was carrying was Judah’s signet, his cord, and his staff.  The message was this; “By the man to whom these belong, I am pregnant.” (Genesis 38:25) 

What a story!!

But like the list of Esau’s descendants in Genesis 36, the story of Judah’s sin doesn’t seem to fit the narrative of Genesis at that point.  Let me explain.  Genesis 37 begins with the story of Joseph – Jacob’s favoring him above is brothers, his brothers’ envy and hatred of him, and his brothers selling him as a slave.  I expect Genesis 38 to continue that storyline, but it doesn’t.  The storyline is interrupted with the tawdry tale of Judah’s embarrassing sin.  Then, without a hiccup, Genesis 39 picks back up the story of Joseph.  I mean, if you remove Genesis 38 from the storyline of Genesis, you wouldn’t even notice it.

Again, we are left asking ourselves this question: Why is this here?  What does it mean?  How does this apply to me?

A CONTRAST

There is an enormous contrast that is being made in this event.  Judah is being set compared to Joseph, and the comparison isn’t a good one for Judah.  Joseph is the perfect son.  He is beloved by his father.  Joseph is honest, even with it causes trouble.  Joseph is faithful to the task he’s been assigned.  Joseph is the role model for the others to follow, even if they are older than him.  Other than Jesus, Joseph is the only person  in the Bible (that I can find) who has such a large portion of scripture devoted to their life (13 chapters) without having ONE NEGATIVE thing to say about him.  Joseph was faithful in difficult circumstances, he was strong in the hour of temptation, he forgave his brothers who sold him into slavery, and the story goes on and on and on.  Judah, on the other hand, is the complete opposite.  Judah is deceitful and unfaithful; he refuses to give his youngest son Shelah to Tamar so she could have a child in honor of her dead husband, Er (this act was a custom of their time that secured the continuance of the dead person’s name).  Judah seeks to satisfy his flesh by purchasing a night with a prostitute.  Judah seeks to kill his daughter-in-law because she was guilty of “immorality” (you want to say, “Hey, Judah, did you forget about that woman in Timnath?”).  He is filled with self-righteousness, deceitful, wicked lusts, and selfish desires.  He’s the complete opposite of Joseph!

Who Am I More Like

This raises the important question: Am I like Joseph or am I like Judah?  While I would LOVE to be like Joseph (after all, who doesn’t want to be like Joseph), I must be honest and say that I am much more like Judah.  My heart is wicked.  I battle selfish desires.  I’ve mounted the high-horse of self-righteousness and quickly judged others for sins I’ve also committed.  I look in my heart and I am so thankful that my most notorious sin isn’t recorded in the Bible for all to see!  Make no mistake: I am much more like Judah than I am Joseph.

The Glory Of The Gospel In Judah’s Sin!

It is the horrible sin of Judah that makes the storyline of Genesis – and the entire Word of God – intriguing.  In Genesis 49, Jacob, before his death, blesses his sons.  Joseph is blessed by Jacob.  We know it will be a good one!  He says to Joseph:

“Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a spring; his branches run over the wall. The archers bitterly attacked him, shot at him, and harassed him severely, yet his bow remained unmoved; his arms were made agile by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob (from there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel), by the God of your father who will help you, by the Almighty who will bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that crouches beneath, blessings of the breasts and of the womb. The blessings of your father are mighty beyond the blessings of my parents, up to the bounties of the everlasting hills. May they be on the head of Joseph, and on the brow of him who was set apart from his brothers.” (Genesis 49:22-26)

Let’s be honest: We’re not surprised.  We know Joseph is going to receive a great blessing from Jacob.  After all, he IS the perfect child, brother, Prime Minister, father, etc. 

But what does shock us is the blessing Jacob gives to Judah.  Sure, we know he will bless him, but we don’t expect Judah’s blessing to be the greatest of all.  Yet, Scripture records the blessing:

“Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down before you. Judah is a lion’s cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. Binding his foal to the vine and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine, he has washed his garments in wine and his vesture in the blood of grapes. His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk.” (Genesis 49:8-12)

Wait a minute!  Judah’s brothers will praise him (not Joseph)?  His brothers will bow down before him (not Joseph)?  A scepter (instrument of royalty and rule) will not depart from Judah (not Joseph)?  A ruler will come from Judah (not Joseph)?  Tribute will be offered to Judah (not Joseph)?  The obedience of all people will be to Judah (not Joseph)? 

As confusing as this is, it makes perfect sense in light of the New Testament.  Genesis 49:8-12 is a great Messianic passage, a foretelling of the coming Messiah.  Jacob promised Judah that the Messiah would come from Judah’s line.  And we see this fulfilled in the New Testament.  In fact, in Matthew 1, we see that Genesis 38 figures prominently in the human lineage of Jesus.  One of the sons Judah fathered with Tamar (they had twins) is mentioned as an ancestor of Jesus!  And, Matthew even mentions Tamar BY NAME in Jesus’ genealogy!   The writer of Hebrews tells us that Jesus came from the tribe of Judah (Hebrews 7:14).  And in Revelation 5, John is told to stop weeping when no one in heaven, on earth or under the earth could open the scroll that was sealed with seven seals.  The reason he was told to stop weeping was because “the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and his seven seals.”  Who was this Lion of Judah?  The lion was none other than the Lord Jesus Christ!  Jacob said that Judah would be a “lions cub”, and from Judah sprang THE Lion (this should make you want to read Narnia)!

What, then, does this mean to me?  What does it mean to you?  What’s so great about all of this?

I am so glad that Jesus didn’t come from the line of Joseph!  If he did, I would think the Savior only identifies with perfect people!  If he did, I would think the Savior only associates with perfect people!  Sadly, if He came from Joseph, I would think I’d have to be perfect like Joseph in order for Him to associate with me.

But when I look at Jesus coming from Judah, when I look at Jesus descending from the relationship that’s recorded in Genesis 38, when I think that Judah’s name will forever be attached to Jesus, then I am greatly encouraged because I’m reminded that OUR SAVIOR IDENTIFIES WITH SINFUL PEOPLE!  I’m reminded that our Savior identifies with people whose past is so checkered and stained with sin that they are embarrassed for others to know about it!  I’m reminded that our Savior identifies with people who feel like they’ve been too bad!  I’m reminded that our Savior identifies with people who all have a Timnath in their past!  Yes, I am reminded of the glorious truth that our Savior didn’t come to identify with perfect people; He came to save sinful people!