Matthew C. Mitchell's Blog, page 104

Merry Christmas from the Mitchells!

"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him 'Immanuel' which means, 'God with us.'" - Matthew 1:23
From our family to yours, Merry Christmas!
#Blessed
"A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies."
The Fab Four!
My Joys. Heather Joy and Robin Joy.
Me and My Boys!
I was probably telling a corny joke.
My sweet daughter and me. Merry Christmas!

More Good Books from 2014

Yesterday, I named my top 5 books read in 2014.

Today, I list some "honorable mentions" that I also appreciated a good bit and recommend to others. I'm a happy bibliophile.


Did The Devil Make Me Do It? by Michael McKinley

My GoodReads review:

Really good. McKinley judiciously answers the main questions we all have about who is Satan and what is he up to in our cursed world. Balanced, biblical, and concise. Highly recommended, not as the final word on all questions, but as a great first, short, and fairly comprehensive word. I'm loving this series from the Good Book company!

Good: The Joy of Christian Manhood and Womanhood edited by David Mathis

My GoodReads Review:

Refreshing positive statement of Christian manhood and womanhood. Crisp and clear writing. Winsome, strong, and compelling to me. Great reminders for this husband, father, and pastor.

Love Into Light by Peter Hubbard

I haven't written an online review of this one yet. It's specifically designed to speak to those in the church who don't know what to think about homosexuality. Hubbard was a classmate of mine at for counseling classes with the CCEF professors at Westminster. He's a careful student of the Bible, a clear teacher, and has a lot of wisdom to share with the church. Check out his book website.

Listen to an hour long interview with Peter at Confessing Our Hope.

The Pastor’s Family by Brian & Cara Croft

My GoodReads review:

Excellent primer on shepherding the family while shepherding the church. It can and should be done. I especially appreciated Cara's perspectives sprinkled throughout the book. Recommended, especially for new pastors with young families.

I also coordinated the reviews for this book at EFCA Now.


The Poverty of Nations by Wayne Grudem and Barry Asmus
My GoodReads review:

I thought this book was great, but I really don't understand economics so I don't really know how to evaluate it critically. I'd like to now read a book-length response from another side and then the interaction of the two sides (or more).

This book is very well researched and a model of clarity. I appreciated how the authors didn't try to prove their case from the Bible (if it can't be done directly) and yet showed how biblical concepts were supportive of their case. Normally, I wouldn't like that because of a fear of proof-texting, but I sensed that it was actually a fear of proof-texting that led to this approach. I sense that they are making a case based upon history and economic theory, not saying that it is directly taught by the Bible.

The strangest thing about the book is that it's aimed at leaders of poor nations, people of influence in impoverished nations. So it doesn't present a to-do-list for readers like me who are living in a wealthy nation to do much about world poverty even after I've read the book. In fact, while the sub-title calls it "a sustainable solution," it does not present a plan at all, just a clear picture of the factors towards which leaders should work. At least it presented a way of thinking about the solution to poverty that should inform those things that a ordinary reader like myself should and shouldn't do to be helpful. 

Glad I read it, but not sure what to do next. 

Washed and Waiting by Wesley Hill

What I said on GoodReads:

Aching but hopeful meditations on living for Christ despite persistent same sex attractions. It presents a longing for holiness and a deep knowledge of Jesus's love that is a beautiful alternative to the world's confusion about homosexuality and its rejection of Him. Though I'd say some things differently than the author, I'm very thankful this book exists.

Gray Matters by Brett McCracken

What I said at GoodReads:

I’m glad that someone is thinking and talking about these issues (food, music, movies, alcohol). McCracken doesn’t always come down in the same places I do and doesn’t talk enough about how Scripture informs his choices. But "Gray Matters" is a great conversation starter and forces us to think about how we consume culture. I enjoyed reading it.

I also got to coordinate this set of reviews for Gray Matters at EFCA Now.

My Top Books of 2014

I didn’t get to read very many new books this year, especially good non-fiction books for Christians. I was too wrapped up in writing Resisting Gossip Together and creating the corresponding teaching films.

Catch as catch can, I still got to read about 100 books, mostly escapist fiction, especially detective mysteries and some oldies but goodies like Robinson Crusoe and our personal favorite: Peace Like a River  by Leif Enger.

The Best Reads of 2014

But of the newer books I did get to read, some were really good. Following a tradition I began last year, I have picked out my top books read (not necessarily published) this year. Like last year's list, these were the ones, besides my Bible:

- That had the most personal impact on me, my thinking, my heart.
- That I was the most consistently enthusiastic about.
- That I kept coming back to again and again.
- That I couldn't help recommending to others (and recommend without reservations and significant caveats).

Last year, I picked out 5, and I did the same this year (if you count the two commentaries as one set):


5. Despite Doubt by Michael Wittmer

This is what I said on Goodreads about Despite Doubt:

"A unique book on the subject of doubt and Christianity. Wittmer encourages us to "Doubt Away" in the first chapter by which he means (1) allow yourself to ask the questions of doubt (and struggle toward good answers) and yet (2) don't make doubt a virtue, instead send unbelieving doubt packing. I've heard the first message from others before but not as much about the second. Interestingly, Wittmer argues that biblical faith is trusting in what we KNOW and teases out some of the implications of that, blowing away the typical fog about faith being a leap into the void.

Wittmer's style is popular, hilarious, quotable, and fairly easy to read (though he references erudite sources from far and wide). He sprinkles in stories that underscore his point and inspire at the same time. I admit that I didn't understand every twist and turn in his argument, but that's probably just my need to read it again, not his writing. I know that what I understood was very good. Recommended for those who want bolstered in their faith, for those who want to understand what faith is and isn't, and for those who struggle with doubt."


4. Crazy Busy by Kevin DeYoung

This one won the Christian book of the year award, and I liked it, too.

I ended my review of Crazy Busy at the NextStep Resources Blog this way:

"You don’t need me to tell you this is a good book. Anyone who has read a book by Kevin DeYoung knows that he can wordsmith with the best of them and always offers meaningful biblical and theological reflection. In Crazy Busy, DeYoung is up to his usual humorous, poignant, and pointed best. I’m glad that I took time out of my busyness to read it. I’ll be going back through it again soon. Recommended."

3. 1-2 Samuel Focus on the Bible Commentaries  by Dale Ralph Davis

I've quoted Dale Ralph Davis more than any other author this year on social media, especially while doing Saturday sermon prep.

1 Samuel: Looking on the Heart  by Dale Ralph Davis

My conclusion on Goodreads:

"Simply excellent. Never have I read commentaries so FUN yet carefully researched as this series. The author is quotable, humorous, scholarly, and insightful at every turn. If I could only have 1 commentary on 1 Samuel, this is the one I'd pick, hands down. Highly recommended."  [Read DRD inspired sermons manuscripts in my series on 1 Samuel.]

2 Samuel: Out of Every Adversity by Dale Ralph Davis

My Goodreads review:

"Superb. Davis understands all of the issues but doesn't let himself get distracted by them. Pity, quotable, funny, insightful, and even practical. Highly recommended."

[Read more DRD inspired sermons manuscripts in my series on 2 Samuel.]




2. Preparing Your Teens for College by Alex Chediak
This five star book came at just the right time for me. My Amazon review says it this way:

"I thoroughly enjoyed reading Preparing Your Teens for College. My oldest child is 13 years old, and she's got brothers that are 12, 10, and 9. So we're just on the cusp of this teenage adventure, and I believe that reading this book has just oriented my next 8 years!

Preparing Your Teens for College is a discipleship manual for young people in our current cultural situation. It's not a book about college so much as about following Christ into young adulthood. Simply excellent."

Read my interview with the author here.

Westminster Bookstore has it for sale right now for only $2.00 (87% off)! 



1. Is God Anti-Gay? by Sam Allberry
This Summer at the EFCA Challenge Coference, I had the amazing privilege and heavy responsibility of talking to two big roomfuls of teens about homosexuality. In preparation, I read everything good I could get my hands on. 
The Biblical Counseling Coalition has posted my list of the 17 best resources I ran across, and at the tip-top of my list is Sam Allberry's little gem:
"Is God Anti-Gay? was the all-around best resource I found. It is my new “go-to book” on this important topic as a succinct introduction and guide. It’s winsomely written while being biblically firm and authored by a pastor who experiences same-sex attraction himself. There are many books available on this issue right now that explore the topic from many other important angles, but Sam Allberry’s book is concise, clear, and helpful. This is one book that I will recommend to anyone as a place to start. Allberry is a frequent contributor to the helpful website livingout.org.

A Functional Definition of Sinful Gossip

This is the conclusion of a series of blog posts where I've been "showing my work" of biblical and theological research into how I arrived at my definition of sinful gossip.

A Functional Definition of Sinful Gossip

After studying gossip throughout Old and New Testament contexts and considering both the power of words and story and the overflowing heart as the source of our words, we are now in a position to offer a functional definition of gossip. This proposed definition is synthetic, drawing together all of the insights we’ve gathered so far. It is also practical, meant to help Christians to properly identify gossip in everyday life. Sinful gossip is bearing bad news behind someone’s back out of a bad heart.

This functional definition has four key elements: the action, content, situation, and motivation of gossip.

1. The Action of Gossip – “Bearing (Bad News).”

Gossip involves talking. It is about sharing information. Gossip is a kind of communication. As we have noted, a gossip betrays, chatters, reveals, talks, spreads, whispers, meddles, speaks, repeats, “tongues,” reports, recounts, defames, slanders, moans, complains, and says “things they ought not to” (1 Tim 5:13). Gossip is a communicative act. It involves words (in the form of a story) being shared by one person to at least one other. Of course, the actual physical tongue is not necessary for gossip to occur. People can communicate through printing, electronic information sharing, and other technological means. But gossip is always a powerful communicative act.

I’ve chosen the word “bearing” to define this action for several reasons. One is to make an historic connection with the older language of “tale-bearing.” A second is that it conveys the idea of carrying something from one place to another. This reflects what we learned about the sneaky actions of the rakil in the Old Testament and the idle house-hopping behavior of the gossiping young widows in the New Testament. A third is that when we share information with someone else, the recipient now “bears” that information, as well. So, it also reminds us that receiving this kind of negative information through evil listening is also sinful gossip, as the listener is now burdened with the information, too.

2. The Content of Gossip – “Bad News.” 
The content of sinful gossip is never neutral information. It is always “bad news.” The rakil reveals secrets. Those secrets might be someone else’s plans, but more than likely, they are the “skeletons” in someone’s closet. The rakil is an informer or spy. Spies reveal the weaknesses of their enemies. A nirgan separates close friends by repeating a matter instead of covering over an offense (Prov 16:27-28, 17:9). The content of gossip is often shameful information about the subject of the communication. The reason why the words of the nirgan are attractive is that they appeal to something wrong within the listener (Prov 18:8, 26:22).

The content of gossip is dibbah, an evil report. More often than not, there is a falsehood in that information. In that case, the “bad news” is “bad” information, bearing false witness or devilish slander. At other times, the information is true, but its nature is potentially shameful information about the subject of the gossip and is, therefore, “bad news” about them.

Some gossip is bad news for the subject. In Psalm 41, the content of the gossip was the rumor that King David was about to die (Ps 41:7-8). It was not something that David had done wrong and was trying to keep secret; it was a conjured story imagining bad things to come upon David.

The phrase “bad news” also communicates the opposite of the gospel. The gospel may start as bad news because of our sin but always moves to the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ. “Gossip” is antithetical to “gospel.”

3. The Situation of Gossip – “Behind Someone’s Back.”
We have consistently noted the furtive and clandestine nature of gossip. The rakil slinks. The nirgan whispers. The lashon seter is a sly or hidden tongue. Psithurismos  even sounds a bit like what it describes, starting with an attention-arresting hissing sibilant. John was far away when Diotrephes maligned him. David’s miserable comforters said one thing to his face and another behind his back (41:9, cf Ps 28:3). Gossip happens when the victim of the gossip is not present. This is intentional. When the subject is away, it is much easier and interesting to talk about them whether the gossip is malicious or merely careless.

4. The Motivation of Gossip – “Out of a Bad Heart.”
Sinful words come from the “overflow” of a sinful heart. Gossip comes from many evil motivations. A rakil hopes to gain something from his tale-bearing. A nirgan has a heart filled with complaint.103 There is a reason why King David’s foes spread their bad news–they wanted it to be true, and they gloried in David’s downfall. We’ve noted that gossip comes from treachery in the heart, from anger, judgmentalism, self-exaltation, and hate.104

We’ve seen that not all gossip is malicious. Some gossip is merely idle or careless. But idleness, carelessness, and aimlessness are not neutral motivations either. We will be judged for every idle word. The only good motivations for opening our mouths are those that are in harmony with love.

Summary

In this blog series, we have studied the Bible’s teaching on the subject of sinful gossip and assembled a functional synthetic definition from all of the relevant biblical data. We’ve learned that sinful gossip is bearing (either speaking or listening to) bad news (which can be false information, true but needlessly shameful information, or bad news projected for the subject) behind someone’s back (when the subject is not present) out of a bad heart (from an evil, unloving motivation and false worship). When a follower of Jesus Christ encounters such a temptation to bear bad news behind someone’s back out of a bad heart, it is time to resist!

Notes

[103] For more on the “little” sin of grumbling, see Paul David Tripp, “Grumbling – A Look at a ‘Little’ Sin,” The Journal of Biblical Counseling 18, no. 2 (Winter 2000): 47-52.

[104] Another reason why the Bible emphasizes gossip as a person and not just as an action is that all of our actions come out of our personhood. We act because of what we are. See Edward T. Welch, Motives: Why Do I Do the Things I Do? (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2003).

Previous Posts in "Toward a Definition of Gossip"

New Blog Series: Toward a Definition of Gossip
Gossip in the Old Testament
Hebrew Words for Gossip: "Rakil"
Hebrew Words for Gossip: "Nirgan"
Hebrew Words for Gossip: "Lashon Seter"
Hebrew Words for Gossip: "Libo Yiqebbats Aven Lo Yetse Lahuts Yedabber"
Evil Listening
Evil Reports
Meddling
Bearing False Witness
Gossip in the New Testament
Greek Words for Gossip: "Psithurismos" and "Katalalia" (Part One)
Greek Words for Gossip: "Psithurismos" and "Katalalia" (Part Two)
Greek Words for Gossip: "Phluareo" and "Phluaros" (Part One)
Greek Words for Gossip: "Phluareo" and "Phluaros" (Part Two)
Greek Words for Gossip: "Phluareo" and "Phluaros" (Part Three)
Greek Words for Gossip: "Dilogos" and "Diabolos"
The Power of Words
The Power of Story
The Principle of Overflow

[Matt's Messages] "They Will Call Him Immanuel"

“They Will Call Him Immanuel”
December 21, 2014
Matthew 1:18-25

Put yourself in Joseph's shoes.

Matthew tells us the story of Jesus’ birth from the manly perspective of a perplexed guy named Joseph.

Joseph thought that he and his folks had found the perfect girl to be his wife.  And he had all but married her.  In their culture, the betrothal was as binding as marriage, it just wasn’t yet publically celebrated or privately consummated.

And then this happened!

V.18 “She was found to be with child...” Mary was showing.  And he knew it wasn’t his little bump.  It couldn’t be!  How embarrassing.  How shameful.

Righteous Joseph had a difficult choice to make.  Should he raise a stink and have her disgraced and destroyed?

Or should he divorce her quietly and show compassion?

Of course, it would be unthinkable to marry her! That would send the message that he had not waited either and that the child was his after all.  He would be admitting and taking responsibility wrongfully.

But good old Joseph was both righteous and compassionate. He decided to do a private divorce and then try to pick up the pieces of his ruined reputation.

But that night, after he had made his decision and put his head on the pillow–Joseph had a visitor!

An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream.

And what that angel said made all of the difference in the world to Joseph.

The angel announced the coming of Christmas.

In fact, the angel told Joseph the essential meaning of Christmas in just two key words.

If someone was to ask you what Christmas is all about, what would you say?

What if you only had time to give them 2 words? Not 140 characters like a Tweet on Twitter, but just 2 words. What 2 would you pick?

Presents and Family?
Trees and Cookies?
Santa and Snow?
Tinsel and Eggnog?

This angel told Joseph the essential meaning of Christmas in two key words, really two names of Christ: Jesus and Immanuel.

We’re going look at both this morning, but I want to especially focus on Immanuel.

Our sermon title for today is from verse 23, “They Will Call Him Immanuel.”

Let’s look at the name “Jesus” first.

Look at verse 20.

“[A]n angel of the Lord appeared to [Joseph] in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife [there is no disgrace here], because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. [God is doing something special, something miraculous, something holy!]  She will give birth to a son [an angelic ultrasound!], and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.’”

Christmas is coming, and it’s coming in the form of a little baby, a son.

And this son is to have the name Jesus.

Now if you have the New International Version, it has a footnote for the name “Jesus” in verse 21.  We are used to the name “Jesus,” but we don’t always recognize what it meant in the original language.

The NIV footnote says, “Jesus is the Greek form of Joshua, which means the LORD saves.”  That’s why the angel says, “give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

“Jesus” Means God Saves His People.

This little boy who is going to be born will be a savior.  He will be a deliverer.

He will be a rescuer.

“Jesus” Means God Saves His People.

That’s what Christmas is all about–a Savior has come.

A savior from what?

From the oppression of the Romans?

What does it say (v.21)?

“He will save His people from their sins.”

Did your know that your greatest enemy is not your problems?
Your greatest enemy is not your fears.
Our greatest enemy is not your earthly enemies like Korean dictators or ISIS terrorists.
Did you know that your greatest enemy is not even Satan, the enemy of God?

No.  Your and my greatest threat to our eternal joy is our sins.

As we’ve been learning in Romans, our sin separates us from God and makes us His enemies. It earns us His righteous wrath.

And there is nothing you and I can do about it on our own.

We are, by nature, dead in our transgressions and sins.

And dead people can’t earn their way back.

We can’t rescue ourselves.  We can’t bring ourselves back to life.

But God in His mercy has sent a Savior for us!

And His name is “Jesus.”  “God saves His people.”

Here’s how He did it.  Jesus lived a perfect life.  He never sinned.  He lived in perfect obedient communion with His heavenly Father.

And then one day, He took on our sin for us.  And He died in our place on the Cross.

The Bible says, “Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God” (1 Peter 3:18).

And then three days later, He came back from the dead to give us forgiveness of sins and new life!

That’s why the ahe angels said to the shepherds, “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord.”

“Jesus” Means God Saves His People.

Application?

#1.  Trust Jesus to Save You From Your Sins.

Jesus came to save, and He invites you to trust Him today.

The Bible says that to those who receive Him, to those who believe in His name, He gives the right to become children of God.

It is not automatic.  It requires repentance and faith on our part.

You cannot earn this salvation, but you must receive it by faith.

Have you come to trust in Jesus as your Savior?

If you haven’t already, trust Jesus to Save You From Your Sins.

Right where you are.  Tell Him right now that you need Him and that you want Him to be your Savior and your Lord.

You will be eternally grateful.

And that’s a second application.

#2. Thank Jesus For Saving You From Your Sins!

Many many of us here today are Christians already. And we need to remember that the greatest gift ever given at Christmas was the gift of our salvation.

Let’s not forget that the baby in the manger didn’t come to be ooh and ahhed over.

He came to die for us.

“Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God” (1 Peter 3:18).

“Jesus” Means God Saves His People from Their Sins.

Have you thanked God for this gift today?  We should be the most thankful people at Christmastime!

The angel told Joseph that Mary was going to have a son and they were to give Him the name, “Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

But that’s not all!

This was also an astonishing fulfillment of an ancient prophecy.  V.22

“All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’–which means, ‘God with us.’”

Matthew does the translating for us here.  He says Immanuel means “God with us.”

“Immanuel” Means God Is With His People.

This was the passage we studied last week in Isaiah 7 and 8. Specifically, it’s Isaiah 7:14.

And I know that last week I surprised a number of you with what I said was going on in Isaiah 7:14.

My interpretation of that passage led me to believe that the first fulfillment of Immanuel was probably Isaiah’s son Maher-Shallel-Hash-Baz – “Quick to the plunder and swift to the spoil.”

He was born of a young prophetess and before he could said, “Mama and Dada,” the threat that King Ahaz was worried about would have been neutralized. A sign that the LORD was with His people Israel.

But that’s not all that that prophecy pointed to!

Remember last week how God offered for Ahaz to ask Him for a BIG sign?

And how God told Ahaz that there were no limits on that sign?  “Whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights” (Isa 7:11).

And Ahaz foolishly refused to test the Lord.

Well, the first fulfillment of that sign was probably not a big deal. Pretty ordinary for a young maiden to get married and have a baby, even with a name like Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz.

But what if there was more to it?

What if when the LORD said that a “virgin will be with child,” he actually meant that eventually a VIRGIN will be with child?!

The Hebrew word in Isaiah 7:14 could be just a young maiden of marriageable age, but it could also mean someone who has never ever had sexual relations.

And the Greek word used in both the Septuagint (the Greek translation of Isaiah 7:14) and in Matthew’s Gospel right here in verse 23 is almost always used to mean a young woman who has never ever had sexual relations.

You see Matthew sees that there is something bigger going on.

The angel said that in verse 20 that there is a miracle here.

Mary has never been with a man, but she is pregnant.

“What is conceived in here is from the Holy Spirit.”

And Matthew sees clearly that this took place to fully fulfill Isaiah 7:14.

“The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel.”

The Greater Immanuel, the Greatest Immanuel is coming!

You see Immanuel was a pattern. The first Immanuel was a sign that God was with His people, Israel.

But the Greater Immanuel, the Greatest Immanuel has come not only to be a sign but to be the literal fulfillment of His name.

Because in Jesus, God is TRULY WITH US.

Jesus Christ was not just an earthly savior who came to deliver people from their sins.

Jesus Christ was (and is!) God Himself come to Earth an entering into humanity!

We sang about it this morning:

Veiled in Flesh, the Godhead See
Hail, the Incarnate Deity (The “in flesh” Deity!)
Pleased as Man With Men to Dwell
Jesus, Our Immanuel

You see, Immanuel wasn’t his name like “Jesus” was.

Immanuel is a title, to describe the essence of Who Jesus was and is.

He is God With His People.

This whole Christmas Season we’ve been thinking together about what that means.  Advent Readings, Last week’s sermon, this week’s sermon, and again on Christmas Eve.

Think about what Immanuel means:

It means that God has walked on Earth as a man.

It means that God understands everything that we humans go through–experientially!

It means that because He was God He could infinitely pay for our sin debt against an infinite holy God.  In other words, because He was Immanuel He could be Jesus–our Savior.

It means that God could reveal Himself fully in language we understand–the language of humanity, of personal experience, of human love and sacrifice.

It means that ours is a “visited planet.”  We are not alone.  There is a Creator who made us and cares about us.  Life is not meaningless.

It means that humanity is not just a insignificant class of primates wandering around aimlessly on this planet. Instead we are a significant class of beings, created in the image of God, and blessed by our Creator's humility to take our form.  We among the creatures of the universe have a dignity that is unheard of, because God became one of us.  Because God was with us!

Do you feel alone this Christmas Season?

As we said last week, Christmas is often a hard time for people.  Winter has come.  It gets darker earlier.  Financial burdens pile up.  People get lonely.  We miss loved-ones who have died.

Do you feel alone this Christmas Season?

You are not alone if you know Immanuel.

The most important person in the universe is with you.  And for you.

You are not alone.

God is with you.

Immanuel.

Application?

#3.  Live Like God Is Truly With You!

Because He is.

I know many Christians who live no differently than the other people around them.

They live in fear.
They live in anxiety.
They live in anger.
They live in attack mode.
They live in lying mode.
They live in revenge mode.
They live in impurity.
They live in foolishness.

I know, because I have lived there many times myself.

We often live as if God was not with us.

We live in defeat and discouragement and denial.

But we don’t have to.

Immanuel!

God is with us!

God is here.

God has saved us through His Son.

We can live differently!

We can live as though God were with us because Immanuel has come.

We don’t have to live in anger or fear.
We don’t have to live in impurity or anxiety.
We don’t have to live in bitterness.
We don’t have to live in foolishness.

We can live differently!

We can live as though God were with us because Immanuel has come.

We can live in joy.
We can live in peace.
We can live in increasing harmony with others.
We can live in hope.
We can live in edifying speech.
We can live in wise choices.

Because God is with us.

And if God is with us, who can be against us?

Matthew makes one small change from the original when he quotes Isaiah 7:14. The rest of the verse is exactly the same as the original, but instead of saying that the virgin will name her son Immanuel, it says, “They” will call Him Immanuel.

And I think the “they” there is US. It’s God’s people.

Now that God has come to us in the person of Jesus, we can confidently say, “Immanuel.”

Immanuel!

God is with us.

Let’s live like it.

One more application of both of these names together.

#4.  This Christmas, Tell Others about Jesus, Our Immanuel.

Joseph woke up from his dream. He obeyed God and did what the angel said to do.  He took Mary home as his wife, absorbing the shame that would naturally come from that.

And he abstained until she gave birth to the son–which we celebrate this week. And he adopted the boy and gave him the name “Jesus.”

What the angel said made all the difference in the world to Joseph.

The angel said two words: Jesus and Immanuel.

And that made all the difference in the world to Joseph.

And it makes all the difference in the world to you and me.

And it will make all the difference in the world to those you tell!

Tell Others About Jesus, Our Immanuel.

Friends, Neighbors, Co-Workers, Family, and Strangers.

Everyone needs to hear this message.

Everyone needs to hear the essential meaning of Christmas: Jesus, Our Immanuel.

Jesus: God Saves His People.
Immanuel: God Is With His People.

This Christmas, Tell Others About Jesus, Our Immanuel.

Water Lily in Antique Glass

The Principle of Overflow

One last section on the theological building blocks before we put them together to articulate a biblical definition of gossip.

Overflow: The Source of Good and Bad Words

The second aspect of the broader theological framework for us to consider is the source of words. From where do words come? We have already seen the Bible’s answer to this in several places, but it will be helpful to consider the Bible’s explicit teaching about the source of good and bad words.

In Matthew 12, the Lord Jesus excoriates the Pharisees for assigning a satanic origin to his exorcizing power. He indicates that their accusatory words come from their evil hearts.

Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned (Matt 12:33-37, cf. Luke 6:45).

D.A. Carson explains, “That Jesus describes the evil of the ‘brood of vipers’ in terms of their hearts or natures does not thereby excuse them. Far from it! . . . Jesus is saying that every spoken word reflects the heart’s overflow and is known to God. Therefore words are of critical importance.”98

Words come from hearts. Leon Morris says, “The heart is used here as an inclusive term to denote ‘the seat of the physical, spiritual and mental life . . . as center and source of the whole inner life, w. its thinking, feeling, and volition’ (BAGD, 1 and 1b). It is what the heart is full of (abundance) that determines what anyone says. People do not speak out of character.”99

Matthew records Jesus teaching something very similar in chapter 15. “But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean.’ For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immortality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what make a man ‘unclean’; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him unclean” (Matt 15:18-20, see the parallel in Mark 7:20-23).

Words Come From Hearts

This heart-word connection was also taught in the Old Testament. “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” (Prov 4:23). Life overflows from the heart. “The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is of little value. The lips of the righteous nourish many, but fools die for lack of judgment” (Prov 10:20-21). The Hebrew parallelisms equate the tongue and the heart and closely connect the lips of the righteous with the lack of judgment in the heart of the fool.100

James is certainly building upon this teaching when he asks, “Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water” (Jas 3:11-12). The only way to truly clean up our speech is to change something at the headwaters, the spring, the root, the source of our words.101

This principle of overflow is very important to grasp for recognizing and resisting gossip. Sinful gossip comes from a sinful heart. The intent of the speaker is crucial. We have seen in both testaments the careless (at best) and malicious (at worst) intentions of those who gossip. What is motivating someone to spread bad news about someone else? As we have noted, motivation is also important for listening. Why are we so attracted to gossip (Prov 18:8, 26:22)? What in our souls is magnetically drawn towards bad news?

Often, to recognize sinful gossip as sinful, Christ-followers will need to be somewhat aware of their motives in either talking about or listening to bad news about someone else.102 Our hearts are active, and what overflows from them will have to be accounted for on the day of judgment (Matt 12:36-37).

Notes

[98] D.A. Carson, Matthew, EBC 8 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1984), 293.

[99] Leon Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew, PNTC (Grand Rapids: Wm B. Eerdmans, 1992), 321.

[100] Examples abound. See, for example, Prov 10:8-10, 14, 31-32, Prov 15:1-4, 28.

[101] For more on the centrality of the heart, see the many works of CCEF especially Timothy S. Lane and Paul David Tripp, How People Change (Greensboro: New Growth Press, 2006), Paul David Tripp, Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands: People in Need of Change Helping People in Need of Change (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2002), Edward T. Welch, When People Are Big and God Is Small: Overcoming Peer Pressure, Codependency, and the Fear of Man (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 1997), Edward T. Welch, Running Scared: Fear, Worry, and the God of Rest (Greensboro: New Growth Press, 2007), Winston T. Smith, Marriage Matters: Extraordinary Change Through Ordinary Moments (Greensboro: New Growth Press, 2010), Michael R. Emlet, CrossTalk: Where Life & Scripture Meet (Greensboro: New Growth Press, 2009), and David Powlison, Seeing with New Eyes: Counseling and the Human Condition Through the Lens of Scripture (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2003).

[102] They will also, while guarding against judgmentalism, have to be aware of possible motives of those with whom they are communicating.

Previous Posts in "Toward a Definition of Gossip"

New Blog Series: Toward a Definition of Gossip
Gossip in the Old Testament
Hebrew Words for Gossip: "Rakil"
Hebrew Words for Gossip: "Nirgan"
Hebrew Words for Gossip: "Lashon Seter"
Hebrew Words for Gossip: "Libo Yiqebbats Aven Lo Yetse Lahuts Yedabber"
Evil Listening
Evil Reports
Meddling
Bearing False Witness
Gossip in the New Testament
Greek Words for Gossip: "Psithurismos" and "Katalalia" (Part One)
Greek Words for Gossip: "Psithurismos" and "Katalalia" (Part Two)
Greek Words for Gossip: "Phluareo" and "Phluaros" (Part One)
Greek Words for Gossip: "Phluareo" and "Phluaros" (Part Two)
Greek Words for Gossip: "Phluareo" and "Phluaros" (Part Three)
Greek Words for Gossip: "Dilogos" and "Diabolos"
The Power of Words
The Power of Story

The Power of Story

Yesterday, we considered the power of words. Today, we are reminded of the potency of story.

Words Working Together

The Power of Story. Words add together to form sentences. Sentences join together into stanzas or paragraphs, then chapters of letters and books. And often, those sentences tell stories. The Bible teaches not just the power of words on their own but words working together to tell powerful stories.

For example, the book of Deuteronomy mainly consists of retelling the story of Israel up to the present day. Moses recounts, at great length, Israel’s origin, rescue from Egypt, adoption by the Lord, reception of the Law, and failures in the wilderness. There is a grand purpose to Moses’ storytelling. It helps the present generation to understand who they are, who God is, and what is before them. Israel is shaped by story.

Bible Stories

The vast bulk of the Bible is full of stories95 and is carried along by a grand story of redemption. It is a story that is both negative and positive. One summary of the story says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Eternal life and eternal death are bound up in believing or not believing in the story of Jesus.

The shorthand phrase for this story in the New Testament is “the gospel.” The gospel is news, good news, and it is powerful. “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile” (Rom 1:16). The gospel is good news that is powerful for those who believe it.96

Gossip Tells a Bad Story

The power of story, then, adds to our biblical understanding of the problem of sinful gossip. Gossip tells a bad story. Gossip is about something bad that has happened to someone or something bad that someone has done. Gossip is the spreading of bad news. And while there are times that this is necessary (especially leading up to the good news), bearing bad news can be antithetical to the gospel itself.

Telling bad stories can have a powerful effect, especially upon reputations. The serpent in the garden told the woman a bad story about God (Gen 3:1-6). He slandered God’s reputation, and the effect, when his bad story was believed, was devastating on all of human history. Every small moment of sinful gossip in daily life is an evil echo of what went wrong at the very beginning.97

Notes

[95] And even those genres which are not narrative history, such as law codes, psalms, proverbs, and prophetic oracles, are replete with storytelling features. We read even the New Testament epistles with a keen interest in the “backstory” of the occasions of their writing.

[96] For more on the power of the gospel story, considered broadly throughout the Bible’s grand storyline, see the very accessible works of D.A. Carson, especially The God Who Is There: Finding Your Place in God’s Story (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2010).

[97] The power of story to shape our lives is the theme of Grapevine: The spirituality of gossip by Jerry A. Camery-Hoggatt (Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 2002). Camery-Hoggatt uses “gossip” to mean something like “small talk, both positive and negative.” While I would hesitate to use the English word “gossip” so positively without many qualifications, his main point is very strong. Our lives are made up of and shaped by stories, both small and great.

Previous Posts in "Toward a Definition of Gossip"

New Blog Series: Toward a Definition of Gossip
Gossip in the Old Testament
Hebrew Words for Gossip: "Rakil"
Hebrew Words for Gossip: "Nirgan"
Hebrew Words for Gossip: "Lashon Seter"
Hebrew Words for Gossip: "Libo Yiqebbats Aven Lo Yetse Lahuts Yedabber"
Evil Listening
Evil Reports
Meddling
Bearing False Witness
Gossip in the New Testament
Greek Words for Gossip: "Psithurismos" and "Katalalia" (Part One)
Greek Words for Gossip: "Psithurismos" and "Katalalia" (Part Two)
Greek Words for Gossip: "Phluareo" and "Phluaros" (Part One)
Greek Words for Gossip: "Phluareo" and "Phluaros" (Part Two)
Greek Words for Gossip: "Phluareo" and "Phluaros" (Part Three)
Greek Words for Gossip: "Dilogos" and "Diabolos"
The Power of Words

"Sirens" by The Gray Havens

Our favorite band is giving away yet another song!

This time, it's "Sirens" from their soon to be released album Fire and Stone . The free download is over at Justin Taylor's "Between Two Worlds" Blog. Go get it now.

They've also released their first animated video for "Sirens." I love how it tells the story of the song about how temptation works and how to defeat it.

The Power of Words

Gossip Within a Biblical Theology of Words and Story

Our understanding of the problem of gossip can be significantly increased by placing what we’ve learned so far (in our study toward a biblical definition of gossip) within a broader theological framework of words and story. The Bible has much to say about words. It is not only a book of words, but also, a book of words about words.94 The Bible is also a story made up of many stories. In today's and tomorrow's posts, we consider two important aspects of this framework.

Life and Death

The Power of Words. The Bible teaches that words are not only meaningful but powerful. Both testaments testify to the power of words. “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit” (Prov 18:21). “Life and death” is a merism to indicate both extremes and everything in between. This power extends in both positive (life) and negative (death) directions. The apostle James expands on this concept. He begins by vividly expounding on the wild power of (even very small) words:

We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check. When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison (Jas 3:2-8).

Then, James concentrates on the power of the tongue being both life-giving and positive, as well as, death-dealing and negative.

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water (Jas 3:9-12).

Playing with Fire

This explains why sinful gossip merits such strong warnings in both testaments. The malicious (or simply careless) words spoken about people behind their backs are not just evil in meaning, they are powerful and can have a potent evil effect on the listeners, the speakers, and, eventually, the subjects of the sinful speech. Those who gossip are playing with fire.

Notes

[94] For a broader practical theology of words see Paul David Tripp, War of Words: Getting to the Heart of Your Communication Struggles (Phillipsburg, NJ: P & R Publishing, 200) and John Piper and Justin Taylor, eds., The Power of Words and the Wonder of God (Wheaton: Crossway, 2009).

Previous Posts in "Toward a Definition of Gossip"

New Blog Series: Toward a Definition of Gossip
Gossip in the Old Testament
Hebrew Words for Gossip: "Rakil"
Hebrew Words for Gossip: "Nirgan"
Hebrew Words for Gossip: "Lashon Seter"
Hebrew Words for Gossip: "Libo Yiqebbats Aven Lo Yetse Lahuts Yedabber"
Evil Listening
Evil Reports
Meddling
Bearing False Witness
Gossip in the New Testament
Greek Words for Gossip: "Psithurismos" and "Katalalia" (Part One)
Greek Words for Gossip: "Psithurismos" and "Katalalia" (Part Two)
Greek Words for Gossip: "Phluareo" and "Phluaros" (Part One)
Greek Words for Gossip: "Phluareo" and "Phluaros" (Part Two)
Greek Words for Gossip: "Phluareo" and "Phluaros" (Part Three)
Greek Words for Gossip: "Dilogos" and "Diabolos"