David Bahn – Reflections

Click here for an audio version of this blog post.

Acts 13:26-41

“Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. ²⁷ For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. ²⁸ And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. ²⁹ And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. ³⁰ But God raised him from the dead, ³¹ and for many days  he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. ³² And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, ³³ this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm,

“‘You are my Son,
    today I have begotten you.’

³⁴ And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way,

“‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’

³⁵ Therefore he says also in another psalm,

“‘You will not let your Holy One see corruption.’

³⁶ For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, ³⁷ but he whom God raised up did not see corruption. ³⁸ Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, ³⁹ and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. ⁴⁰ Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about:

⁴¹ “‘Look, you scoffers,
    be astounded and perish;
for I am doing a work in your days,
    a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.’”

As I drive on the Grand Parkway in north Houston, I am amazed at all the warehouse developments I see. Come to think of it, I see those all around town and in West Houston as well. How many Amazon warehouses are there? And have you seen the new EV delivery trucks? Seems gray and blue has replaced brown colored trucks for the number of delivery trucks I see. And sometimes I don’t think anyone sees them. They have delivered packages to my home between 2 AM and 8 AM on occasion. Amazon is amazing. Their delivery services are remarkable.

God’s delivery service – if you will allow me to compare his service to Amazon’s – is even better. It’s better in every way. I don’t always need Amazon to deliver from 2 AM to 8 AM. That’s good, because they don’t always deliver at those times. And sometimes I could use that crazy-early delivery!

But God is never late. His timing is impeccable. David says,

“I trust in you, O Lord;
    I say, “You are my God.”
¹⁵ My times are in your hand;
    rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors! – Psalm 31:14-15

And Paul says,

Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. ² For he says,

Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. – 2 Corinthians 6:1-2

God had made promises about his redemption and our salvation. It would be delivered first appearing as a newborn baby, delivered in a stable and laid in a manger. It would be further revealed in Jesus’ ministry of teaching and miracles. It would be further seen when Jesus was delivered up to the cross to die. It will be finally shown when we are delivered into the throneroom of God’s eternal, glorious, and gracious reign. We will be delivered as promised from this vale of tears into the blissful and joyful paradise of God.

Yes. Delivered as promised!

Click here for an audio version of this blog post.

Acts 13:26-41

“Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. ²⁷ For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. ²⁸ And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. ²⁹ And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. ³⁰ But God raised him from the dead, ³¹ and for many days  he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. ³² And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, ³³ this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm,

“‘You are my Son,
    today I have begotten you.’

³⁴ And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way,

“‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’

³⁵ Therefore he says also in another psalm,

“‘You will not let your Holy One see corruption.’

³⁶ For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, ³⁷ but he whom God raised up did not see corruption. ³⁸ Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, ³⁹ and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. ⁴⁰ Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about:

⁴¹ “‘Look, you scoffers,
    be astounded and perish;
for I am doing a work in your days,
    a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.’”

How seriously do you take warning signs? Does it depend? WARNING: CHILDREN AT PLAY is one kind. But WARNING: ROUGH ROAD AHEAD? Which do you consider more carefully? WARNING: HIGH VOLTAGE or WARNING: SLIPPERY WHEN WET. What about those Advisory Speed on Exit Ramp signs? I found out the hard (and expensive) way about that one several years ago. A local police officer was stationed at the end of the off-ramp and I had not slowed down. He wasn’t slow either, to turn on his lights and pull me over. I was cited for my failure to observe the exit ramp speed warning (which also happened to be the speed limit on the feeder road).

The closing words of this passage are striking. They are a warning not to be a scoffer. God is up to something more grand and glorious than you could ever imagine. Paul will use the word Υπερεκπερισσοῦ (hyperekperissou) to describe this work of God when he writes to the Ephesian Christians. The word means exceedingly more abundantly. When he writes to the Corinthians he will put it this way (quoting from Isaiah 64), “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). 

We’re warned in Psalm 1 about this in the positive way: “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers” (Psalm 1:1). There is a progression here. Walking, standing, and then sitting is a progression of time spent in the company of such folks. But there is a progression also in terms of being wicked, or a sinner, or worst of all, a scoffer. 

Scoffing cuts us off from God’s truth, so we cannot acknowledge our sin. It belittles God’s word which dishonors him. And it also distances us from God’s grace. A scoffer is someone who displays a contemptuous or mocking attitude towards God, often accompanied by derisive remarks or scornful behavior. Scoffers will belittle or dismiss God’s word and promises – or even disavow his very existence. They remove themselves from God’s redemptive promises.

But God remains faithful through all of this. He never reneges on a promise. He never fails to come through. And as amazing as his promises seem, they are true and trustworthy.

I’m wondering where I might be tempted to scoff at God’s word and promises. Judging from my own personal spiritual inventory it has to do with the grace of God, his promise to hear my prayers, and his unwavering love for me. Sometimes it’s just so hard to believe. That’s why I’m so thankful that God has said, “If we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself” (2 Timothy 2:13). God is no scoffer.

Click here for an audio version of this blog post.

Acts 13:26-41

“Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. ²⁷ For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. ²⁸ And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. ²⁹ And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. ³⁰ But God raised him from the dead, ³¹ and for many days  he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. ³² And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, ³³ this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm,

“‘You are my Son,
    today I have begotten you.’

³⁴ And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way,

“‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’

³⁵ Therefore he says also in another psalm,

“‘You will not let your Holy One see corruption.’

³⁶ For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, ³⁷ but he whom God raised up did not see corruption. ³⁸ Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, ³⁹ and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. ⁴⁰ Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about:

⁴¹ “‘Look, you scoffers,
    be astounded and perish;
for I am doing a work in your days,
    a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.’”

I’m proud to say that I haven’t gotten pulled into the dark hole of Youtube videos for at least a week. I have been known to waste too much time looking at 1 minute short videos. That means I’ve spent more than 1 minute doing that. One minute is wasteful enough! But I do occasionally get pulled in by the “…wait for it…wait for it…wait for it…” near the middle of the video. So I do. And most often I’m disappointed. Not worth the wait.

Worse than that, however, would be to fail to wait for God’s deliverance. Or to miss his answer. Or to ignore his word. That’s exactly what Paul says the religious leaders of his day did. They heard the words of the prophets. They read from God’s word every Sabbath. And “because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets,” they treated Jesus as a threat. And they killed him. 

Talk about getting it wrong! This was God’s plan, but they didn’t have to be on the wrong side of it all working out. Their choice to ignore Jesus, misunderstand his message, and disavow the truth God was revealing through him, led to terrible eternal consequences. They killed the Son of God. There’s no easy way to say it. There’s no euphemism for their act.

And even though all this was prophesied of Jesus, it does not avail as an excuse for their behavior. Paul says that they carried out all that was written of him. This was the plan from the foundations of the world. The Messiah would come at his own great expense. From a mortal wound to his heel (Genesis 3:15) to being “stricken, smitten, and afflicted,” and sacrificing his life “as an offering for sin” (Isaiah 53) the Savior was destined to suffer and to die. It had to be. It’s just that his own people didn’t have to be the agents of this travesty of justice. Sad.

They are without excuse; both those who put Jesus to death and those who know right and wrong and fail to do right or choose to do wrong. In fact, there is never an excuse for sin. We cannot wriggle out of accountability by any means.

Paul tells them and us, “Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.” Peter will write in his letter: “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God.” (1 Peter 3:18)

Jesus’ suffering, death, burial, and resurrection was gonna happen. It was done so we could be saved. And by that God is glorified.

Click here for an audio version of this blog post.

Acts 13:26-41

“Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. ²⁷ For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. ²⁸ And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. ²⁹ And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. ³⁰ But God raised him from the dead, ³¹ and for many days  he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. ³² And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, ³³ this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm,

“‘You are my Son,
    today I have begotten you.’

³⁴ And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way,

“‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’

³⁵ Therefore he says also in another psalm,

“‘You will not let your Holy One see corruption.’

³⁶ For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, ³⁷ but he whom God raised up did not see corruption. ³⁸ Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, ³⁹ and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. ⁴⁰ Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about:

⁴¹ “‘Look, you scoffers,
    be astounded and perish;
for I am doing a work in your days,
    a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.’”

I’m almost at the “As I’ve always said” stage regarding the statement, “Time in erodes awareness of.” It goes like this, “As Martin Luther said, ‘You can’t keep the birds from flying over your head, but you don’t have to let them make a nest in your hair.’” That’s the first time you quote Luther. The second time you say, “As I’ve said before, ‘You can’t keep…’” The third time you use the quote you say, “As I’v always said, “You can’t keep…” And while I’ve used the birds making a nest in your hair many times, I respect Luther enough to give him the credit.

In the case of “Time in erodes awareness of,” I’m ready to make that my own – though I must admit that I borrowed it from someone. The idea is that the longer you are in a particular situation – your home, your church, your car, your job – you grow less and less aware of the peculiarities of that situation. The scratch on the door. The funny noise of the brake pedal. The slightly torn window shade. The peculiar smell of the breakroom at work. You grow used to these things. They go unnoticed.

That’s the danger of being a lifelong Christian. You might overlook something that is really more important than you think because you’ve heard it so often. It’s like saying the Creed or the Lord’s Prayer. It can be pretty easy to slip into autopilot as we speak words of profound spiritual depth and value.

Of course there is also an attendant danger of a once-and-done amazement at these words. The immediate thrill of the discovery – if not grounded by further consideration – can go as quickly as last year’s Super Bowl win. And with far-greater consequences than a forgotten sports championship.

Paul is making an important point on both sides of this coin. He says that “those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers…did not recognize [Jesus] nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath.” They heard the stories, prophecies, truths, promises, and warnings of the Old Testament but never really understood how they were pointing to and fulfilled by Jesus. 

And they made the most grave mistake: they killed the Son of God. There are dire consequences of ignoring the truths of God’s word. When we build a world that relies on our favorite proof texts to sustain it, we are in that same grave danger. We can miss God’s true purposes, designs, and promises and lose the rich treasures of his grace and salvation.

Time in erodes awareness of: true. But time in – if we bolster ourselves against such erosion – can also deepen our faith and enrich our joy. And there is one simple way to bolster ourselves against that erosion: look for Jesus. It is simple but not easy. For we can so easily get distracted by more fanciful spiritual insights and ideas. But it is something we can do.

Look for Jesus in the Gospels

Look for Jesus in the Psalms

Look for Jesus in the Prophets

Look for Jesus in the Epistles

Look for Jesus in the Law of Moses

He truly is all over the place and we must not let our awareness of his essential place in our faith be eroded. So whether this is all new to you, or it’s old hat, finding Jesus and holding to his truth and grace will keep you from becoming jaded to his gifts.

Click here for an audio version of this blog post.

Acts 13:13-25

Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem, ¹⁴ but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. ¹⁵ After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it.” ¹⁶ So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said:

“Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen. ¹⁷ The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it. ¹⁸ And for about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness. ¹⁹ And after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance. ²⁰ All this took about 450 years. And after that he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. ²¹ Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. ²² And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ ²³ Of this man’s offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised. ²⁴ Before his coming, John had proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. ²⁵ And as John was finishing his course, he said, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but behold, after me one is coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’

I”ve always struggled with David being described as a man after God’s heart. On the one hand I get it. David stood up to Goliath, saying, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty” (1 Samuel 17:45). He set an incredible example of generosity when it came time to gather resources to build the temple, giving not only from the Royal Treasury, but from his own personal treasury as well. He united the tribes of Israel into a great kingdom.

He wrote beautiful and deeply personal psalms. These psalms revealed his searching and his believing heart to us. He didn’t pull punches, but expressed his inmost thoughts, fears, joys, anger, faith, and doubt to God – and to us. His psalms often express the hurts and hopes we hold deep inside our souls.

But then there’s the matter of Bathsheba. And Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband. And the census. And the bloodshed. Adultery. Conspiracy to commit murder. Arrogant and prideful trust in his armies. Those are not obviously the actions of one who is after God’s heart. These are much more likely to be the actions of one whose heart is far from God.

One whose heart is truly after God would display marital faithfulness. He would honor his soldiers and not use one of them to cover up his misdeeds. He would rely on God’s protective care rather than his own vast army and human resources.

Yet David is described as a man after God’s heart. That being the case, it must have to do with the manner in which David dealt with his failures and sins. He repented. He confessed. He prayed. He turned back toward God. Take a look at Psalms 32 and 51. They truly are the expressions of a man after God’s heart.

I think that requires we understand what God’s heart is all about. He desires mercy not sacrifice. He wants to be known for his love and grace. He yearns for people to repent. He has said it, “As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?” (Ezekiel 33:11).

We all sin. Sometimes our sins are grave and obvious. Often they are subtle and hidden. Big or little, obvious or hidden, sin always destroys. It kills our souls. It separates us from God. Were it not for God’s grace, mercy, love, and kindness, we would have no hope – none of us. But as Psalm 130 so beautifully puts it:

If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities,
    O LORD, who could stand?
⁴ But with you there is forgiveness,
    that you may be feared. – Psalm 130:3-4

David shows that he is a man after God’s heart because he repents. He will not hide behind an unbelieving heart with outward shows of piety. He won’t harumph himself up before others in self-righteousness. He calls out to God,

O Lord, open my lips,
    and my mouth will declare your praise. – Psalm 51:15

And,

Have mercy on me, O God,
    according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
    blot out my transgressions.
² Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
    and cleanse me from my sin! – Psalm 51:1-2

A man or woman after God’s heart will delight in God’s glorious grace. Reflecting God’s love. Shown in Jesus. Granting us salvation. Capturing our hearts.

Click here for an audio version of this blog post.

Acts 13:13-25

Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem, ¹⁴ but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. ¹⁵ After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it.” ¹⁶ So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said:

“Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen. ¹⁷ The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it. ¹⁸ And for about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness. ¹⁹ And after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance. ²⁰ All this took about 450 years. And after that he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. ²¹ Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. ²² And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ ²³ Of this man’s offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised. ²⁴ Before his coming, John had proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. ²⁵ And as John was finishing his course, he said, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but behold, after me one is coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’

I can’t blame her for my poor performance in school – third grade through 2 years of college. But the comment of my third teacher in particular sticks with me even today. My uncle had given me a book club membership. I would receive books on a regular basis. I wasn’t the greatest reader, and I didn’t think so much of the gift. I would rather have a toy truck or an erector set. But I dutifully read the books as they came in.

At the end of each book there was a check list. I would check off, “I have read this book. I enjoyed the book. I will tell my teacher about this book.” So I did. And when I told my teacher that I had read the book, she said, “What am I supposed to do about it?” I didn’t know what to say. Or if I did, my upbringing about respecting my elders and teachers prevented me from saying, “Well I thought you might encourage me to read more.” Or perhaps she could have said, “Good! Tell me about it. What was your favorite part?” But, no. Her response was not encouraging at all.

The Synagogue leaders asked Paul and his companions if they had any word of encouragement for the people. The word encouragement is a translation of the Greek, “παρακλήσεως” (paraklēseōs). It comes from the same root as Jesus’ promise of “another helper” (paraklēt), the Holy Spirit. It’s the same root as John uses in 1 John 2:1, an “advocate” who intercedes for us before the Father. John 14:26 makes it crystal clear, recording Jesus’ words, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” 

The Synagogue ruler is asking if this group has any Holy Spirit words to share with the people there. And Paul certainly does. Just as the book of Acts is called, The Gospel of the Holy Spirit, so now the Holy Spirit is invited to speak. And he will speak of Jesus. This is Jesus’ promise to his disciples coming to life,  “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.” (John 15:26-27) Jesus had said of the work of the Holy Spirit, “He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.” (John 16:14) Paul will glorify Jesus and the word of the Lord will grow. 

That growth has occurred down through the centuries as people have shared words about Jesus from generation to generation. That is a great encouragement to me. I hope it is to you as well.