Sheol--NASB Verses where The Hebrew Term Sheol is Used--66 times in BHS

^NAU Genesis 37:35 Then all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. And he said, "Surely I will go down to Sheol in mourning for my son." So his father wept for him.

^NAU Genesis 42:38 But Jacob said, "My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he alone is left. If harm should befall him on the journey you are taking, then you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow."

^NAU Genesis 44:29 'If you take this one also from me, and harm befalls him, you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.' 

 ³¹ when he sees that the lad is not with us, he will die. Thus your servants will bring the gray hair of your servant our father down to Sheol in sorrow.

^NAU Numbers 16:30 "But if the LORD brings about an entirely new thing and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that is theirs, and they descend alive into Sheol, then you will understand that these men have spurned the LORD."

 ³³ So they and all that belonged to them went down alive to Sheol; and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly.

^NAU Deuteronomy 32:22 For a fire is kindled in My anger, And burns to the lowest part of Sheol, And consumes the earth with its yield, And sets on fire the foundations of the mountains.

^NAU 1 Samuel 2:6 "The LORD kills and makes alive; He brings down to Sheol and raises up.

^NAU 2 Samuel 22:6 The cords of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me. 

^NAU 1 Kings 2:6 "So act according to your wisdom, and do not let his gray hair go down to Sheol in peace. 

 ⁹ "Now therefore, do not let him go unpunished, for you are a wise man; and you will know what you ought to do to him, and you will bring his gray hair down to Sheol with blood."

^NAU Job 7:9 "When a cloud vanishes, it is gone, So he who goes down to Sheol does not come up.

^NAU Job 11:8 "They are high as the heavens, what can you do? Deeper than Sheol, what can you know?

^NAU Job 14:13 "Oh that You would hide me in Sheol, That You would conceal me until Your wrath returns to You, That You would set a limit for me and remember me!

^NAU Job 17:13 "If I look for Sheol as my home, I make my bed in the darkness;

 ¹⁶ "Will it go down with me to Sheol? Shall we together go down into the dust?"

^NAU Job 21:13 "They spend their days in prosperity, And suddenly they go down to Sheol.

^NAU Job 24:19 "Drought and heat consume the snow waters, So does Sheol those who have sinned.

^NAU Job 26:6 "Naked is Sheol before Him, And Abaddon has no covering.

^NAU Psalm 6:5 For there is no mention of You in death; In Sheol who will give You thanks?

^NAU Psalm 9:17 The wicked will return to Sheol, Even all the nations who forget God.

^NAU Psalm 16:10 For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.

^NAU Psalm 18:5 The cords of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me.

^NAU Psalm 30:3 O LORD, You have brought up my soul from Sheol; You have kept me alive, that I would not go down to the pit.

^NAU Psalm 31:17 Let me not be put to shame, O LORD, for I call upon You; Let the wicked be put to shame, let them be silent in Sheol.

^NAU Psalm 49:14 As sheep they are appointed for Sheol; Death shall be their shepherd; And the upright shall rule over them in the morning, And their form shall be for Sheol to consume So that they have no habitation.

 ¹⁵ But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol, For He will receive me. Selah.

^NAU Psalm 55:15 Let death come deceitfully upon them; Let them go down alive to Sheol, For evil is in their dwelling, in their midst.

^NAU Psalm 86:13 For Your lovingkindness toward me is great, And You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.

^NAU Psalm 88:3 For my soul has had enough troubles, And my life has drawn near to Sheol.

^NAU Psalm 89:48 What man can live and not see death? Can he deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah.

^NAU Psalm 116:3 The cords of death encompassed me And the terrors of Sheol came upon me; I found distress and sorrow.

^NAU Psalm 139:8 If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there.

^NAU Psalm 141:7 As when one plows and breaks open the earth, Our bones have been scattered at the mouth of Sheol.

^NAU Proverbs 1:12 Let us swallow them alive like Sheol, Even whole, as those who go down to the pit;

^NAU Proverbs 5:5 Her feet go down to death, Her steps take hold of Sheol.

^NAU Proverbs 7:27 Her house is the way to Sheol, Descending to the chambers of death.

^NAU Proverbs 9:18 But he does not know that the dead are there, That her guests are in the depths of Sheol.

^NAU Proverbs 15:11 Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the LORD, How much more the hearts of men!

 ²⁴ The path of life leads upward for the wise That he may keep away from Sheol below.

^NAU Proverbs 23:14 You shall strike him with the rod And rescue his soul from Sheol. 

^NAU Proverbs 27:20 Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied, Nor are the eyes of man ever satisfied.

^NAU Proverbs 30:16 Sheol, and the barren womb, Earth that is never satisfied with water, And fire that never says, "Enough."

^NAU Ecclesiastes 9:10 Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might; for there is no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol where you are going.

^NAU Song of Solomon 8:6 "Put me like a seal over your heart, Like a seal on your arm. For love is as strong as death, Jealousy is as severe as Sheol; Its flashes are flashes of fire, The very flame of the LORD.

^NAU Isaiah 5:14 Therefore Sheol has enlarged its throat and opened its mouth without measure; And Jerusalem's splendor, her multitude, her din of revelry and the jubilant within her, descend into it.

^NAU Isaiah 7:11 "Ask a sign for yourself from the LORD your God; make it deep as Sheol or high as heaven."

^NAU Isaiah 14:9 "Sheol from beneath is excited over you to meet you when you come; It arouses for you the spirits of the dead, all the leaders of the earth; It raises all the kings of the nations from their thrones.

 ¹¹ 'Your pomp and the music of your harps Have been brought down to Sheol; Maggots are spread out as your bed beneath you And worms are your covering.'

 ¹⁵ "Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, To the recesses of the pit.

^NAU Isaiah 28:15 Because you have said, "We have made a covenant with death, And with Sheol we have made a pact. The overwhelming scourge will not reach us when it passes by, For we have made falsehood our refuge and we have concealed ourselves with deception."

 ¹⁸ "Your covenant with death will be canceled, And your pact with Sheol will not stand; When the overwhelming scourge passes through, Then you become its trampling place.

^NAU Isaiah 38:10 I said, "In the middle of my life I am to enter the gates of Sheol; I am to be deprived of the rest of my years."

 ¹⁸ "For Sheol cannot thank You, Death cannot praise You; Those who go down to the pit cannot hope for Your faithfulness.

^NAU Isaiah 57:9 "You have journeyed to the king with oil And increased your perfumes; You have sent your envoys a great distance And made them go down to Sheol.

^NAU Ezekiel 31:15 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "On the day when it went down to Sheol I caused lamentations; I closed the deep over it and held back its rivers. And its many waters were stopped up, and I made Lebanon mourn for it, and all the trees of the field wilted away on account of it.

 ¹⁶ "I made the nations quake at the sound of its fall when I made it go down to Sheol with those who go down to the pit; and all the well-watered trees of Eden, the choicest and best of Lebanon, were comforted in the earth beneath.

 ¹⁷ "They also went down with it to Sheol to those who were slain by the sword; and those who were its strength lived under its shade among the nations.

^NAU Ezekiel 32:21 "The strong among the mighty ones shall speak of him and his helpers from the midst of Sheol, 'They have gone down, they lie still, the uncircumcised, slain by the sword.'

 ²⁷ "Nor do they lie beside the fallen heroes of the uncircumcised, who went down to Sheol with their weapons of war and whose swords were laid under their heads; but the punishment for their iniquity rested on their bones, though the terror of these heroes was once in the land of the living.

^NAU Hosea 13:14 Shall I ransom them from the power of Sheol? Shall I redeem them from death? O Death, where are your thorns? O Sheol, where is your sting? Compassion will be hidden from My sight.

^NAU Amos 9:2 "Though they dig into Sheol, From there will My hand take them; And though they ascend to heaven, From there will I bring them down.

^NAU Jonah 2:2 and he said, "I called out of my distress to the LORD, And He answered me. I cried for help from the depth of Sheol; You heard my voice.

^NAU Habakkuk 2:5 "Furthermore, wine betrays the haughty man, So that he does not stay at home. He enlarges his appetite like Sheol, And he is like death, never satisfied. He also gathers to himself all nations And collects to himself all peoples.

 

Gen. 37:35; 42:38; 44:29, 31; Num. 16:30, 33; Deut. 32:22; 1 Sam. 2:6; 2 Sam. 22:6; 1 Kgs 2:6, 9; Job 7:9; 11:8; 14:13; 17:13, 16; 21:13; 24:19; 26:6; Psa. 6:5; 9:17; 16:10; 18:5; 30:3; 31:17; 49:14f; 55:15; 86:13; 88:3; 89:48; 116:3; 139:8; 141:7; Prov. 1:12; 5:5; 7:27; 9:18; 15:11, 24; 23:14; 27:20; 30:16; Eccl. 9:10; Song 8:6; Isa. 5:14; 7:11; 14:9, 11, 15; 28:15, 18; 38:10, 18; 57:9; Ezek. 31:15ff; 32:21, 27; Hos. 13:14; Amos 9:2; Jonah 2:2; Hab. 2:5

 

Two verse have the term used twice (Psa 49:14, Hosea 13:14)

One verse, in the NASB has Sheol when the Hebrew is a different term in the BHS, yet it has the same consonants so it is a possible variant. Job 33:18

Reigning Sin Romans 6:5-23

Introduction

1. (Ill.) Lets picture this scene, our President sends the Military - Cuba, Castro and some trusted men escape to the jungle. The U.S. Army assumes control over the entire Island of Cuba. -set up new judges, new money, its a brand new administration. The good news Castro's tyranny, rule, and authority has been destroyed. The bad news is Castro is still alive in the jungle, and his friends keep playing his tapes over radio. His authority is gone, but he still commands the Cuban citizens to obey him. Each one must chose to either obey the new Govt. or obey Castro. The new govt. is better, is in charge, has -authority, but we have served Castro for so long,we are accustomed to obeying his orders. The new govt. makes it illegal to obey Castro. We must now become a traitor if we go into - jungle to serve Castro or obey his orders. It will take our whole lifetime for Castro to be silenced. His control & authority is gone. Before we had to obey, now we can only obey him if we chose too. Rom. 6 = good news Sin's authority has been destroyed over every elect child of God. Castro has been dethroned. Reigning sin is over. Rom. 7 = bad news, Castro is still alive, powerful, waging war, deceptive and dangerous. Remaining sin, indwelling sin is in us until we die. It no longer reigns, no - is boss. It is no match for our New Commander-in-chief. But we in our own strength cannot out do indwelling sin. If we stop warring against it by God's method of mortification, killing sin, it will beat us all over the place. Castro is out of office, but he is not gone. His authority is gone. That's the good news we will focus on today. Sin's, dominion, rule, and authority has been destroyed in - life of every real Christian. If sin is still your master, you do not belong to Jesus yet, and if you will not forsake sin, divorce it & marry Christ, you will die in your sins. Paying for them forever & ever, separated from God's love, kindness & special presence. What your current relationship to Sin's mastery is, will tell you your destiny.

2. (Direction) Today we will study Rom. 6: 5-23 under these 3 headings:

a. The kingdoms have been changed for every genuine Christian. vs 5-11

b. Every genuine Christian is responsible to live like a regenerate person. vs 12-14 c.

Every human being serves either king Sin or king Christ. Vs 15 -23

I. THE KINGDOMS HAVE BEEN CHANGED FOR EVERY GENUINE CHRISTIAN. vs 5-11

A. The country of death has been replaced by the country of life. (5)

1. We are joined with Christ in His death.

2. We are united with Christ in His resurrection.

B. Sin's dominion has been broken. (6) (Rom 6:6 NIV) For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin--

1. Sin's authority ended when we were crucified with Christ.

2. Sin's rule was rendered inoperative by the cross.

3. The destruction of our sin nature(old self) is the guarantee of the future removal of indwelling sin (body of sin)at our death.

4. We are no longer Sin's slaves.

C. Christ died once and removed Sin's dominion over His elect. (7-8)

1. Death breaks all ties & cancels all obligations. (ie)

2. Our union w/ Christ's death makes us separated & free from the old pagan nature & - person we were.

3. The only authority that can make a real Christian sin is his own will. (Ill) Geraldine - devil made me do it! (James 1:14-15 NIV) but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

D. Death's lordship was crushed by Christ (9) (Rom 6:9 NIV) For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery (dominion) over Him.

E. Christ victoriously & historically died for sin. (10)

F. Christ lives and glorifies the Father forever in His office as Lord. (10)

G. Everyone who is joined to Christ is free from Sin's dominion and rule. (11) (Rom 6:11 NIV) In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

H. (Ill.) One phone numbers we had -SC belonged to another family first - but they left that # and got a new number. We received calls from relatives & even patients, but they had left that #, to talk to them you needed - new one. Every born again Christian has left - old behind (Col 1:13) For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness & brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves,

I. Castro is no longer in authority, no longer our master, boss, sovereign. Sin's dominion was broken on the cross for every true child of God. Reigning sin is gone, remaining sin has no authority to control unless we surrender to it. It asks for surrender, but we give in to it.

II. EVERY GENUINE CHRISTIAN IS RESPONSIBLE TO LIVE LIKE A REGENERATE PERSON. vs 12-14

(Rom 6:12 NIV) Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.

A. Sin must not be allowed to reign or be obeyed in our lives. (12)

1. Continue to reject Sin's authority.

2. Continue to refuse to obey Sin. (Heb 3:12-14) See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.

B. Stop surrendering your body parts as weapons for Sin's army. (13)

C. Start surrendering your body parts as weapons for Christ's army. (13) (Rom 6:13 NIV) Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness.

D. Sin's authority & dominion has ended. It is over! (14) (Rom 6:14 NIV) For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.

1. The law can no longer condemn us.

2. Grace is to rule and empower us. (Col 3:2-7) Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Put to death, therefore, your members which are on the earth: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must put off all of these.

E. (Ill.) If someone receives a heart transplant, how pleased would the medical team be if the new heart had all the problems of the old? Unthinkable. The new heart is to be different. It is not acceptable for a Christian to surrender to their indwelling sin. It used to be their love & boss, now it is there enemy. Kill it, don't serve it. You are responsible to war w/ your remaining sin, keep it on the run. Don't let it reign. It has been put out of office. You are surrendering to the guerrilla forces of a defeated enemy. You have - tools to win. Fight, kill, war.

III. EVERY HUMAN BEING SERVES EITHER KING SIN OR KING CHRIST. VS 15 -23

A. Every person has a master. (15-16) (Mat 6:24 NIV) "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

B. The one we obey is our real master. (16) (John 8:34 NIV) Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. (Luke 6:46 NIV) "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?

C. Every genuine Christian was formerly a continual slave of Sin. (17)

D. Every genuine Christian surrendered to a new Master at conversion. (17)

1. We must obey to be saved.

2. We must obey a specific narrow doctrine (the gospel). (Heb 5:9) Jesus became the source of everlasting salvation for all who obey Him.

3. Our obedience is from the inner man, not merely outward performance.

4. We are to thank God for enabling us to obey by His sovereign power.

E. Every genuine Christian has been set free from Sin's mastery. (18)

F. Every genuine Christian has become a slave of Christ & righteousness. (18)

G. Christians are to serve Christ with the same dedication they formerly used to serve Sin. (19)

1. Why are people who were so committed to sin, so uncommitted to Christ & His church?

2. Use the same dedication & commitment now for obedience & service.

3. It's time for the complacency & fence sitting to go. We need some team players.

H. Remember your past dedication to Sin and your inability to do right. (20-21) (Rom 6:20-1 NIV)

When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! I. Realize your present commitment to Christ and His kingdom of righteousness. (22) (Rom 6:22 NIV) But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is everlasting life. J. Realize that the fruits of your life display to all your master & destiny. (20-23)

1. If you serve Christ, you will live like Him more and more.

2. If Christ is your Master, you will have good fruits, works, service for His kingdom of righteousness. 3. If you serve Christ, you have everlasting life and will go to heaven.

4. If you serve sin, you will still be practicing things for which you should be ashamed.

5. If Sin is your master, you will produce bad fruits, works, and service for - kingdom of darkness.

6. If you serve Sin, your reward will be everlasting death in the lake of fire.

7. Your Master and your destiny is displayed by whom you serve w/ your life.

(Mat 7:15-20) "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from briar bushes? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

I. (Ill.) Race car drivers are dedicated. They are committed. After accident, hospital stay, rehab. what do say interview? I want to get back in the car. Got to race. Commitment. Examine yourself - see in - faith. Make your election & calling sure, be sure. Examine - fruits of others Are they wolves or sheep? Do they have good fruit or bad fruit? You are commanded - be And to test yourself. Just making a profession w/ - lips is not enough. Do you possess salvation? Are you even committed enough to faithfully attend & follow an expository series, or is feeding your soul a small thing in your eyes? If you don't follow it verse by verse it is confusing, & we are growing apart rather than together. No commitment, maybe no conversion. Is reigning sin dethroned or ruling in - ? Is Christ your Lord, or is comfort & ease? Do you love Him? Are you serving Him? Who is your king? We all know. Do you? You should. Righteous fruits follow a real conversion.

Conclusion

a. The kingdoms have been changed for every genuine Christian. vs 5-11 Darkness - Light, Sin - Christ b. Every genuine Christian is responsible to live like a regenerate person. vs 12-14

c. Every human being serves either king Sin or king Christ. Vs 15 -23 If you still have a sin nature, you still have reigning sin, the old self, & you are not converted. Some Bible foot notes and some Bible translations are confusing, NIV- sarx "Flesh" - mistranslated many times, its an interpretation, not translation. - giving you faulty two nature view J.N Darby, C.I.Scofield, C. Ryrie. Buy a New Geneva Study Bible. It will fix your problem. The error may still be in your head, just not in the footnotes or the text. Castro is in the jungle w/ a few supplies & a few men. His authority is gone. But he is still around. Reigning Sin's authority is gone. Remaining sin, indwelling sin is still present in the believer, both body & soul. You must learn how it works, & how to kill it. - Rom. 7 & 8 are about. Today, rejoice in good news. Sin's control, dominion, rule, & authority are all over!

REDEEMING THE BAD MEMORIES OF YOUR PAST SINS

A REACTION PAPER SUBMITTED TO:

Dr. Frank J. Catanzaro, III

in partial fulfillment of the requirements

for M 4346 Counseling and the Church

BY Ted D. Manby

SEBTS Box # 14043

Wake Forest, North Carolina

Introduction

Robert D. Jones, "Redeeming the Bad Memories of Your Past Sins, "The Journal of Biblical Counseling 22:1 (2003): 40-47. This article by Robert Jones addresses the debated issue of what to do with those bad things that occurred in our past from a biblical exegetical and theological basis. Pastor Jones courageously challenges pastors and counselors to forsake the unbiblical methods of teaching other to deny the past or to attempt to erase it. Then he sets the stage from the Scriptures to show a believer in Christ how to redeem those ugly memories into tools to be used to glorify God. Pastor Jones shows that the believer’s goal in dealing with memories is not to attempt to erase them or deny them. It is to transform them into tools for Christian growth, worship, and ministry. A biblical perspective that transforms and redeems our sinful past memories includes at least three realizations: 1) God was “in” my past. 2) My past might influence my present beliefs or conduct, but it does not determine them. 3) My memories are my interpretations of past events that can be reinterpreted in light of biblical truth.

Weaknesses

The author of this article has a wonderful grasp of Scripture and masterfully exegeted and clearly explained the meaning of all the texts in this article. However, on page 42 he writes: “Paul recalls his own call to ministry,” using terminology that is also used for the call of a pastor into the ministry in modern literature. I would suggest the adding of the word "as an apostle of Christ" after the word ‘ministry’ quoted above based on 2 Cor. 1:1; Eph. 1:1; 1 Tim. 1:1; Acts 26:9-23, 22:6-21, 9:1-22; 2 Cor. 11:5, 12:11-12; 1 Cor. 15:7-10. In this heatedly debated topic of “the call to the ministry” one will need to demonstrate from Scripture that a pastor’s call is the same as an O.T. prophet and an Apostle of Christ to use Paul’s experience as a pattern. Even more problematic is that Jesus visibly showed up at Paul’s call and audibly spoke from the bright light, issuing a call to salvation and ministry simultaneously. The only pastors I know who have made such claims to having a similar experience to that of Paul have also embraced unbiblical teachings and heresies, so I simply do not believe them. In this article on past sins, the addition of the above words would keep the author from being on one side or the other on this debate when his writing purpose is in a totally different area.

Strengths

"Redeeming the Bad Memories of Your Past Sins” removes one of the false stereotypes leveled at Nouthetic counselors. Biblical advice is not to live in denial, as suppressing the truth in the Bible is always sin (Rom. 1:18), but in reinterpreting events in light of biblical truth and using these redeemed memories to glorify God. Furthermore, Robert Jones wisely reminds us that our recollections of the past are actually our own interpretations of past events. Our minds do not contain video tapes that recorded the events from every possible angle. Our memories do not give us “bare facts, but interpreted facts.” Therefore, these memories can be reinterpreted through the lens of the Bible. This brings great hope and a proper reinterpretation using God’s true truth can often uncover the “good” God has brought out of even dark and painful events. Joseph’s words make this clear when he stated that what man had meant for evil, God had meant for good (Gen. 50:20). Also see Rom. 8:28-29; Num. 11; Psa. 78:11, 106:13; and Ezek. 16. Surprises I was surprised and thrilled to finally read someone who exegetes Phil. 3:13 correctly and to admit that a just-forget-the-past agenda is both misleading and insensitive to people who are suffering. The past Paul is referring to in this text does not include past sins or dark providences. “He recalls his past ways of trying to get right with God based not on Jesus, but on religious achievement.” Paul not only shows his instant recall and biblical use of his past sins in other texts (i.e. 1 Tim. 1:12-17), but also recalls traumatic and difficult events at a moments notice (2 Cor. 1:8-11, 7:5-7, 11:23-33). Evaluation The heart of the article is the author’s exegesis of 1 Tim. 1:12-17. This text shows us how to interpret our past sins in such a way that they can be redeemed by a biblical reinterpretation of them. A gospel-centered remembrance or our sins can have three benefits according to the above text.

First, redeeming our past will deepen our repentance with God and with man. This deep repentance will aid us in being more humble and will fortify our fight of temptation in areas of which we are now ashamed. Aware of our past sin and weakness, we can refuse to take even the first step again on that destructive path.

Second, a biblical interpretation of our past increases our gratitude to God for His amazing saving grace. The greater our awareness of our past depravity and rebellion against God; the greater our love for the One who saved us from the broad road that leads to death. To live in denial of our past causes us to loose this means for proper thankfulness and humility. Third, reinterpreting our past with the lens of the Bible expands our effectiveness in helping others with wisdom and compassion. We can comfort others with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. Likewise, we can testify of God’s power to deliver from sins that the world calls permanent illnesses, because God in His powerful grace has delivered us from these sinful choices and lifestyles. We can say like Paul said of the Corinthians, “Such were some of you.”

Conclusion

This article was a wonderful reminder and challenge to think biblically about my past. Especially helpful was his section on the biblical use of shame. Instead of taking the world’s methods of fighting shame, I can redeem it and use it to glorify God and to fight sin in my life. This is a very refreshing biblical truth along with the many other reminders of the benefits of redeeming our pasts as tools to bring glory to God.

DEPENDECE IN THE WILDERNESS: LIVING OUT OF PSALM 63

A REACTION PAPER SUBMITTED TO:

Dr. Frank Catanzaro

in partial fulfillment of the requirements

for M 4332A Crisis Intervention

BY Ted D. Manby

SEBTS Box # 14043 Wake Forest, North Carolina

SOUTHEASTERN BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

FEBRUARY 4, 2004

Introduction

Jeff Newman, "Dependence in the Wilderness: Living out of Psalm 63, "The Journal of Biblical Counseling 22:1 (2003): 11-19. This article by Jeff Newman addresses difficult crisis experiences such as: financial ruin, betrayal, desertion by a spouse, the sorrow of seeing an adult child turn his or her back on God, chronic pain, the sudden death of a family member, and the terminal illness of a parent. Each of these crisis situations are listed as possible "wilderness" experiences that David and the Holy Spirit address in Psalm 63, and which the Son of David, Jesus Christ, fleshes out in His wilderness experiences in the four Gospels. Professor Newman gives a very helpful three step outline of what to do when the crisis hit which he takes straight from his exegesis of Psalm 63. It is: 1) Seek God Earnestly. 2) Reflect on God Continually. 3) Praise God Submissively.

Weaknesses

The author of this article did an excellent job with his flow, style, and transition in his introduction and conclusion. However, in the body of this work, when he is working through his exegesis of the text, his writing gets very choppy.I was forced to read and re-read out loud several paragraphs to grasp his meaning. This was due to the fact that a number of paragraphs lacked adequate transition. That being said, I could not find any other weaknesses in this article.

Strengths

 "Dependence in the Wilderness" is based on a single biblical text that is exegeted accurately and applied correctly. It is a very helpful reminder of how to respond biblically in the "wildernesses" of life. Professor Newman's outline and conclusions can be clearly seen in the text and he correctly carries each theme to the New Testament before applying it to his readers. Surprises Because I am also reading Ed Bulkley's book, Only God Can Heal a Wounded Heart, I was surprised that Newman would use wording almost identical to that found in Dan Allender's book, The Cry of the Soul: How our Emotions Reveal Our Deepest Questions about God (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress), 1999, in his teaching on thirst and hunger for God and our need for dependence on God. Both Allender and Newman attended the same seminary, Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, so that may explain some of the similar conclusions on the Psalms as well as the influence of Tremper Longman III on both men. But I can't help but wonder if Bulkley were reading this article, if he would not accuse Jeff Newman of selling out because he was using terminology first put in print by Bulkley's self-chosen enemy, Dan Allender. Evaluation Newman makes clear that "on every wilderness road, God wants us to grow in dependence on Him." For us to seek God earnestly, we must repent of our independence. We need to ask for God's forgiveness as we confess and forsake this sin. Furthermore, we should ask ourselves some key questions to determine our spiritual temperatures in the wilderness. We should ask: "Are the objects of my desires sinful?" And, "Do the non-sinful objects I crave diminish or replace my hunger for God Himself?" These questions reveal both sins to repent of and idols to destroy. He further teaches that our sinful responses during a crisis reveal that we are seeking after our own self interests more than we are seeking after the God revealed in Scripture. "Our anxiety, fear, anger, and bitterness in the wilderness reveal that hungers of our hearts that compete against our desire for God alone." Newman further explains that David provides a good example for us today in this text by fixing his thoughts on God's character and works continually during his wilderness experience. David belonged to God, and the creator God was his personal God. This focus lead David to worship God according to Who He is during this difficult time in his life. David learned and declared that God was his all in all, his everything, the only One who could satisfy David's soul. God is just, sovereign, and He loves David, so that he can be sure that God will one day make right every wrong. David could entrust his future to God. Likewise, David praised God submissively during the days of dark providences. He praised God in his thoughts, by his words, and through his acts of obedience. "Because David sought his God earnestly, reflected on Him continually, and praised Him submissively, God used the wilderness to continue His work of transformation in David's heart." In application of this text, the author shows us our need to evaluate our thoughts and conversations during the crisis times. We need to consider what we are focusing on -- the problem or the beauties of our God. Are we praising God during the dark days or are we worrying and complaining? We need to choose to repent for our part in making the wilderness appear in our lives when it is a result of our own sinful acts. When we ask God for forgiveness, this puts us in a posture to begin to gratefully focus and to praise Yahveh, our covenant God. We must then place our trust in God and His word for both our eternal destiny and for the difficult journey His hand has mapped out for us to reach that destiny.

Conclusion

This article was not so much new information as it was a very helpful and timely reminder of where I and other believers need to place our focus during crisis times. The natural response is to focus on the problem and then respond sinfully. The biblical response is the focus on God, to praise Him, to repent, and to trust Him during the wilderness times. Focusing on the problem only makes the problem worse. However, focusing and praising God reveals the need for repentance and deepens trust -- the very things necessary to respond Christ-like during the wilderness times in our lives. We display faith in God when we hunger and thirst for Him above all else. We display our indwelling sin when we seek our comfort and our way above all others. It was very refreshing to read this article that opens up and applies God eternal truth rather than putting forth the best guesses of man.

Other Resources

Over 25 papers including my TH.M. Thesis and my TH.D. prospectus is available at the following website at Academia.edu

https://sebts.academia.edu/TedManby

Reformation Day, October 31st

 

Why would a Baptist Church participate in an event that is replacement for Halloween – a day with many unbiblical themes?  Well, first, October 31^st is Reformation Day, a very important day to the modern believer in Christ.  Can you imagine if you came to worship God at the closest house of worship and found an iron fence between you and the front of the building?  What if you were not allowed to sing or speak, the service was conducted in a foreign language, and your only role was that of a spectator?  What if it was against the law to have an English Bible in your house and the only person who could take the Lord’s Supper was the preacher?  What if some of your relatives were put to death because they were caught with a Bible in their everyday language in their possession?  Would you consider it a problem if the only Bible in town was chained to a pulpit behind the iron fence?  How would you like it if street preachers sold little paper tickets to heaven for money so that one could buy salvation for himself or herself or someone else?  Such was the case in Europe when God saved a monk named Martin Luther from sin and hell. 

On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his 95 questions for the Roman Catholic Church on the door of the church’s building in Wittenberg, Germany.  The door served as the public bulletin board.  Even though there were many little ones prior to it, this one event sparked the reformation fire that swept across Europe and later to America.  We owe a tremendous amount of gratitude to that courageous monk and his pen, hammer, and nail.  To not celebrate Reformation Day is to forget our past, our heritage, and our roots.  Martin Luther was the first one that we know of in 2000 years of church history to write about the priesthood of believers.  He would not submit to outside ecclesiastical authority when they contradicted the Bible and was very unflattering to the one-man ruler of the church of his day. 

Besides clear teaching on the priesthood of believers, the other war cries of the Reformation were:

Faith Alone: Works cannot save, add to salvation, or maintain salvation.  Justification is by faith alone, not faith plus works.  Yet, saving faith will never be alone.

Christ Alone: Jesus is the only Mediator between God and men; no one else will do.

Glory Alone: The glory for all things must go to God alone, not man.  The highest goal of a person’s life should be to glorify God in everything.

Scripture Alone: The Bible is the chief authority for the believer, not a pope, council, or a document from a council, especially one’s that contradict the Bible.

Grace Alone: Man is sinful, radically depraved and spiritually dead. But God gives believers an undeserved gift of love, not based on any human merit, not by human works, but by a free and loving gift from God Himself to those who deserve His wrath.

So while some Christians surrender this day to the enemy and his forces, I am encouraging you to take time each year to celebrate Reformation Day.  Yes, it is true, some families sit in the dark in the back of their houses on this night, muting their TV each time there is a knock on their door.  Others are more pro-active and limit their children’s costumes to themes that are associated with good things, while a parent drops a tract and candy bar in each bag of the children that come to the house.  However, there is another option.  Many churches do just like we do.  They celebrate Reformation Day, under many different names with a time of fun and offering safe candy to the children, while seizing the day to spread the gospel.  A Reformation day celebration is just for that purpose. 

Yes, it is wrong for Christians to take part in occult activities and it may not be wise to make a joke out of serious and dangerous things.  But remember, God’s “don’t” always has a “do.”  When God says, “Do not commit murder,” He wants us to understand the positive command, “You shall preserve life.”  In Colossians 3:5-17, Paul gives a list of things we are to stop doing.  In each case he gives us a replacement.  This principal is so important that he also includes a put-off list and then a put-on-in-its-place list in the book of Ephesians.  Paul writes, “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; {23} to be made new in the attitude of your minds; {24} and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. {25} Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. {26} "In your anger do not sin" : Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, {27} and do not give the devil a foothold. {28} He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. {29} Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. {30} And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. {31} Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. {32} Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you (Eph 4:22-32 NIV).

If we take our Bible’s seriously, then it is always a mistake to give a list of restrictions and “do not’s” without replacing them with something that is godly and far better in every respect.  Thus, should it not be our goal on the next school day after October 31^st for the conversations between the children of Christian families and the unchurched children to reveal that our children had more fun and received more and totally safe treats?  Likewise, should we not desire for the seeds planted by the gospel to produce fruit in all who attend? We should also encourage our people to use this time to impact their neighborhood for Christ by staying home and giving tracts along with the candy to the many lost folks that come to their doors. Church care groups can help by offering warm drinks, Bibles, and gospel conversations to the adults accompanying the children by placing a table and chairs by the road manned with loving witnesses for Christ. Don't hide from this day and let the darkness cover it. Stand up and shine the light bright on this night.

 

Preserve Your Church Phil 2:12-16

Therefore, my beloved church, just as you all (ye pl.) always have obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence;  with fear  and trembling; be working out the preservation of yourselves, {13} for it is God who is continually working in (ye) you all, both to be willing and to be doing  according to His good pleasure.{14} All things be ye doing without complaining and arguing,  {15} so that you all (ye pl.) may become  blameless and harmless, children of God without fault  in the midst of a generation:  crooked and having perverted themselves; among whom you all are shining as lights in the world, {16} continually holding forth the Word of Life, so that I may rejoice in the day  of Christ’s;  so that I have not run in vain nor in vain labored.

Introduction

1.  (ILL.) A man decided to join a monastery and one of the rules of the group was that you were only allowed to speak two words every ten years. At the end of ten years he said, "Bad food!"  Ten more years went by and he said, "Hard bed!"  Finally, on his 30th anniversary with the brothers, he thundered, "I quit!" And the priest in charge responded, "You might as well. All you do is complain anyway."  Well, that was pretty good for 30 years, but today  we are going to talk about murmuring, and that doesn’t take but 3 seconds.

We will also deal with two other relevant issues. Some have been following the papers debate over the Pelagian controversy raised by Judgement House III.  One of the problems of the letters to the Editor is that they show the people writing them do not know how to study the Bible.

Work out your own salvation is one of the verse they use to teach you cannot have everlasting salvation.
I want to invite you into my study this morning, and as your Teaching Shepherd, show you how to study the Bible so that the Pelagian’s wont eat your lunch, and when they twist the Scriptures, you can call them on it, rather than sitting there dumbfounded. So come on into my study.

2.  Background is vital to understand a book and its verses.  Philippi was a town in Macedonia founded by Philip II in 358 B.C. The city at this time had a large gold supply; but this was depleted before it came under the rule of Rome. Philippi was influential in the Greeks' day, and later was a Roman colony under Rome. Roman colonies were outposts or reproductions of the imperial city. Hence, Philippi's citizen enjoyed full privileges of Roman citizenship which included freedom and rights as well as exemption from taxes and land ownership. The city*s location dominated the road systems, especially the Roman road via Egnatia.

Philippi's location on the great Roman Road was very advantageous. It had been a wealthy city for years, and at the time of Paul's writing, it was well located for trade. The city had schools, craftsmen, merchants, and many Roman-styled public buildings. Purple dye was one of the products that was sold. However, it was not chiefly a commercial city; rather, it was a military and agricultural one.
Paul was in prison in Rome when he wrote this letter. He had just been visited by Epaphroditus, an elder from Philippi sent to be a constant minister to Paul. Thus, the providential occasion for Paul to write at this time was the return of Epaphriditus, who would deliver the letter.

Paul used this opportunity to send a personal note of appreciation for the Philippians' gift. But most important,  Paul had just learned the needs of the church. This was a key church for Paul’s plan to reach the nations.  An now there was a fight between two ladies going on.  Rodney Baker preached on this and Jeff and Delores did a skit on it during the revival. Uodia and Syntcye, You-owe-me and So-Touchy. These females, if ignored, would split this key church to pieces So, Paul used this occasion to give spiritual guidance. He points out the division among them, exhorts them to unity and humility, and likewise, warns them against the Judaizers. In addition, Paul wanted to give them information that they had requested about himself, to dispel their fears for Epaphroditus, and to encourage them to be content with their lot. If you forget the fight in chapter 4, you will misinterpret every verse in this book.

The Philippian church was founded by Paul on his second missionary journey. The first converts were women who were proselytes to Judaism. God brought whole families into the Church such as Lydia's family and the family of the Roman jailer. The church, however, had a Gentile flavor with few, if any, authentic Jews. At this time, the Philippian church already had leaders, both overseers and deacons.

  Direction

1.  Every Church must obey the Apostles teaching, the N.T.
2.  Every Church must learn how God is working in them.
3.  Every Church must be doing the ministry without murmuring.

4.  Every Church must be holding forth the whole Word of God.

  I.  EVERY CHURCH MUST OBEY THE APOSTLES TEACHING, THE NEW TESTAMENT. vs 12

Therefore, my beloved church, (adj., plural)  just as you all (ye pl.) always have obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence;  with fear  and trembling; be working out the preservation of yourselves,

A.  Look at your handout. This is a mechanical layout of the passage. 95% of you are capable of doing  one of these. If you don’t study, those who hold to error will silence you   
 The fight has started back. I saw you-owe-me and so-touchy in town.

B.  Notice the you’s, they should all be “y’all’s. They are all plural.
  Not a word in here is for an individual Christian. It is for a whole church together.

C.  The Pelegian’s will tell you, this verse is clear, you have to keep working for your salvation or work your salvation out, if  you stop you loose it.

D.  Paul is addressing the whole group.

 He has just taught on the Humility and example of Jesus as a servant. This Humility brings unity.
Why was Paul teaching on Humility and servant-hood and unity?
Because he is dealing with 2 fighting women in the church.  If they will adopt Jesus attitude,
of putting others in front of Himself, the problem can be resolved.
Pride, Power and Control are behind most church fights and upset members.

E.  How did the church obey when Paul was there?

 They dealt with the fighting ladies. Now he is away.
  Epaproditus comes to help, and shares a serious prayer request.

F.  Why should there be fear and trembling?

  Because if you ever backslide, you are going To hell. So keep yourself saved. Wrong.
  Because churches are not given eternal  security.
Nations and churches are judged on the earth, often in about 2 generations.

G.  Work out your own salvation.  Be working to  

  completion the preservation of your church by dealing with these fighting ladies and with     encroaching legalism.

H.  That’s not what I heard preached.

 Read the book 5 times through. Do some mechanical layouts.
Then use some tools to find out what the words can mean, look at the tenses of the verbs, singulars and plurals. Look at the “If”s and get some help on the historical setting.

 

I.  This is what is wrong with preacher’s not studying the text themselves first, instead of stealing what someone else preached, who borrowed it from somewhere else. The same mistakes get repeated over and over this way,with nobody being a Berian, studying the Bible to see if what is taught is correct.

J.  Obey the Apostles, obey the N.T. This is what is required.

 Do your part to bring about the preservation, survival of your church.

K.  If the floor starts to sag on an old church building, Will it help to ignore the problem?

 

L.  Pour some concrete, put in a support beam. Deal with the problem and salvage the floor.

M.  Deal with Spiritual pride, selfishness, & lack of humility, desires for power and control, or your church will split all apart. 

 II.  EVERY CHURCH MUST LEARN HOW GOD IS WORKING IN THEM.  vs 13

{13} for it is God who is continually working in you all, both to be willing and to be doing  according to His good pleasure.

  A.  God does not want your church to fail.

  B.  He is continually at work in the whole group.

 1.  He helps us with our wills,
to accept change, new leaders, new ways, to chose to be Biblical.
To chose to humble ourselves, and not
Have everything go our way.
Rodney shared with us about forgiveness and priorities. The church can’t stand  together if everyone forsakes the assembling together, and disobeys Heb. 10:24.
 Rodney shared how his heart was broken as a pastor, to question one of his families, We Just can’t find time to go to church anymore. Our kids are playing basketball and piano   lessons, and we just can’t find the time    to come anymore.

Jesus, we will half-hardheartedly serve you, if it is convenient, but if there is a schedule conflict, Jesus you automatically loose.

 Everything is more important than worship. 

2.  God will help us with doing things

We choose to make Him a priority Then we do it.  He helps us. If it is according to His will, He helps us to choose it, He helps us to do it.
 Not what we want, is what He wants.
“I can do whatever I want, but my want to  Has changed.”
 God has a will.
 Much of it is revealed in the Bible.

 

C.  God does everything according to His sovereign  will.  He is the king of kings, not us.

D.  Here is where human responsibility and Divine sovereignty come together. We have to work to keep the church unified because God is working on it too. He does His part, when we do ours. If we won’t obey, He will blow our candle out.

III.  EVERY CHURCH MUST BE DOING THE MINISTRY WITHOUT MURMURING. vs 14-15

{14} All things be ye doing without complaining and arguing,  {15}  so that you all (ye pl.) may become  blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a generation: crooked and having perverted themselves; among whom you all are shining as lights in the world,

A.  Murmuring and complaining is not God’s will  

The deacon’s are to deal with complainers.

Have you ever known anyone who had a heart murmur? Jacob was born with one. The children of Israel had an even deadlier kind of  heart murmur. Read Exodus chapters 15, 16, and 17 and Numbers chapters 14 and 16. The New Testament holds up these chronic complainers as   become a people that are not blameworthy. 

B.  The unsaved are crooked, twisted, morally warped, cannot be trusted.

They have twisted themselves away from  the straight path of the law.

C.  They have perverted themselves.

D.  Isolate yourselves from big sinners, right? Wrong.

 

E.  You are to let your light shine to them and for them. People matter to God.

F.  There are four ways in which substances react to light. Some are transparent. The light passes through them. Some are translucent.  They scatter the light. Some are opaque.

They bar the light. Some are like mirrors. 
  They reflect the light. We want to be mirrors, reflecting the light.

Jesus is the light of the world. You are the light of the world.  Shine as stars in the sky. examples to be avoided.     

G.  Two men on are dark path.  One shines the light so they both can see. That is the role of a  

H.  By not arguing and complaining, we can true believer in Christ. We are like the beggars in NY city, when the bread truck turns over, we go back to the alley and yell, free bread, come take as much as you like. Eat, and be hungry no more. Jesus is the bread of life. He can meet your deepest needs.

 IV.  EVERY CHURCH MUST BE HOLDING FORTH THE WHOLE WORD OF GOD. vs 16

{16} continually holding forth the Word of Life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ’s; so that I have not run in vain nor in vain labored.

 A.  The Word here, is the logos the logic, the written word, the whole truth of God.

The whole council of God. Whole Bible.

 B.  It is also, the gospel of Christ.

     The words that bring you from death to life.
     Do you want to live forever?
 1)  Are you a sinner?
 2)  Do you want forgiveness for your sins?
 3)  Do you believe that Jesus died on the cross for sinners and rose again?
 4)  Do you believe that Jesus is God and

  became Man as well on the first Christmas? 

 5)  Are you ready to invite Jesus into your life  

  as your Rescuer and Boss by surrendering to Him?
 6)  Are you willing to repent of your sins and 
  claim Jesus’ blood for your forgiveness?
 7) Will you pray right now and ask Jesus to forgive you and save you?

 C.  White knuckled, we hold forth the gospel, the Bible to people who are not-yet-Christians.

 The powerful word can save from the uppermost to the gutter-most.

  D.  If the Church sticks with sharing the Bible with the not-yet-believer, and will deal with division.  On judgement day they will have a lot to show.

E.  There is coming a day when all will stand before Christ and give an account.

For some it will be for division.
  For other’s failure to obey the great commission.
Others have refused to surrender to the Lord   Christ and repent of their sins
and obey the gospel.
If the church fails by ignoring division, Paul’s church planting work will have been   in vain.  He would have failed to establish a church to plant other churches.

 F.  The firemen hold forth a special blanket.

 The lady jumps from the burning building into the safety of the trampoline material. They held it out, and she was delivered.
 We must hold out the Word, so that the gospel can be heard and believed.
Will you embrace Christ? 
 Will you preserve your church?

Are you complaining or blessing? Are you working or murmuring?

Conclusion

1.  Every Church must obey the Apostles teaching, the N.T.

2.  Every Church must learn how God is working in them.
3.  Every Church must be doing the ministry without murmuring.
4.  Every Church must be holding forth the whole Word of God.

(ILL.) The wife of a hard-to-please husband was determined to try her best to satisfy him for just one day. 'Darling,' she asked, 'what would you like for breakfast this morning?' He growled, 'Coffee and toast, grits and sausage, and two eggs -- one scramble and one fried.' She soon had the food on the table and waited for a word of praise. After a quick glance, he exclaimed, 'Well, if you didn't scramble the wrong egg!" Some people are impossible to please, so please King Jesus instead. Will you respond to the word.