Pursuing Truth (Twin Cities)

Fighter Verses

8 Comments to “Fighter Verses”

1. 
   Dave O Minnesota
   August 25, 2009 at 1:45 pm

   “Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.”

   Pastor John joked about how strange it would be to have a conversation with someone who knew what you were thinking before you said it. Very true. He went on to say that you might as well tell God what you are thinking and what you are feeling. He already knows. No sense in withholding it from Him.

   Dave O

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2. 
   Adam Minneapolis
   September 1, 2009 at 9:12 pm

   Back in February, the Fighter Verse guys posted a commentary on Scripture memorization that I thought was good. It was called, “Why Mess With Memorization?” Here it is:

   Why memorize Scripture? Most of us aren’t getting our Bible’s stolen or confiscated (yet). In fact, this day in age, with the internet and iPhones, Scripture is more accessible than ever!

   Well, I can still think of at least five reasons why it’s best to have the Bible in your head (and not just your pocket):

   1) You can meditate on Scripture at any time, whether you’re behind the steering wheel, waiting on the bus, turning the treadmill, or cooking dinner. You always have something profitable to think over, rather than just leaving your mind open to entertain less worthy thoughts.

   2) You’re always ready to share godly wisdom, whether you’re chatting online, talking on the phone, writing a letter, or conversing over coffee. Sure, you can flip open your Bible and scan for a verse, but how much more would God’s word be on our tongues if it was already on our hearts and minds!

   3) You can pray for yourself and others with the Word of God. You don’t have to fumble around your head trying to think of something to say, but you can recall God’s promises and apply them directly to the situation at hand. In my experience, praying Scripture adds much power, confidence and comfort to prayer.

   4) You are better prepared for evangelism. I think most of us are scared to share our faith because we’re never sure about what to say. We don’t want to misrepresent the gospel, nor do we want to come across as pushers of our own opinions. But if we have Scripture in our mouths we can appeal to its message and its authority, rather than our own. We can let God’s word do the talking and the persuading, while we simply remain His messengers.

   5) Your Bible study is richly enhanced. Scripture has expressions and themes that connect all over the place, and you will notice these better in your reading if you remember what has been said elsewhere. For example: last night in small group we noticed while discussing Proverbs 3:11-12 that the word “despise” occurred just two weeks ago in our 1 Timothy 4:12 fighterverse. Is there a relationship between “do not despise the Lord’s discipline” and “let no one despise you for your youth”? Questions like this, which help us gain a better understanding of Scripture, are the fruit of memorization.

   Can you think of other ways to use a FighterVerse?

   Source: http://fighterverses.com/2009/02/23/why-mess-with-memorization/

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3. 
   Adam Minneapolis
   September 1, 2009 at 9:23 pm

   Here’s another excellent post from one of the Fighter Verse guys, Johnathon, from back in late January of this year:

   Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. [1 Thessalonians 5:16-18]

   There are at least two ways you can give thanks:

   Option 1:
   You can mouth words that you don’t mean, like when your father made you thank your grandma as a kid for that red corduroy Christmas vest she got you. If this is what Paul intends, then it would imply that there may be situations in your life in which nothing truly kind has happened to you, but you should still pretend like it has.

   Option 2:
   You can see God’s mercy to you in Christ in every circumstance — even the most horrific — and be sincerely grateful that God has brought it to pass. The thankfulness may be mingled with tears, but it rests in biblical realities like: “For this slight, momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2 Corinthians 4:17) and, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). If this is what Paul intends, then it would seem that the goal is not to make the best out of a bad situation, but to see God’s blood-bought goodness in the bad situation.

   How do we know which kind of thanksgiving Paul has in mind? Because of his previous command to “rejoice always,” I believe he would affirm option number two. Thanksgiving flows from a joyful heart, and if there is reason to rejoice in every circumstance, then there is also reason to be sincerely grateful.

   1 Thessalonians 5:18 is not after teeth-gritting formality. It is after a heart that has been melted by the gospel promise that “God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him” (1 Thessalonians 5:9-10).

   Source: http://fighterverses.com/2009/01/28/there-are-two-ways-to-give-thanks/

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4. 
   Adam Minneapolis
   October 14, 2009 at 11:46 pm

   Today’s Fighter Verse post I thought was very good and helpful. The Fighter Verse guys titled it “The Logic of Romans 5:10,” and they included a logic chart showing our past status as enemies of God versus our present/ongoing status as ones reconciled to God. It also portrays what has been/is being achieved in our lives, and by what means, according to what is written in this verse:

   For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by His life.”

   Check out the post here:

   http://fighterverses.com/2009/10/14/the-logic-of-romans-510/

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5. 
   Adam Minneapolis
   November 18, 2009 at 10:23 am

   I really appreciated the commentary on November 2 regarding Revelation 21:4. The title of the post was “The New Earth Puts Gas in Our Tank,” and the following quote from Jonathan Edwards was presented:

   “…[B]e content to pass through all difficulties in the way to heaven. Though the path is before you, and you may walk in it if you desire, yet it is a way that is ascending, and filled with many difficulties and obstacles. That glorious city of light and love is, as it were, on the top of a high hill or mountain, and there is no way to it but by upward and arduous steps. But though the ascent be difficult, and the way full of trials, still it is worth your while to meet them all for the sake of coming and dwelling in such a glorious city at last. Be willing, then, to undergo the labour, and meet the toil, and overcome the difficulty. What is it all in comparison with the sweet rest that is at your journey’s end? Be willing to cross the natural inclination of flesh and blood, which is downward, and press onward and upward to the prize. At every step it will be easier and easier to ascend; and the higher your ascent, the more will you be cheered by the glorious prospect before you, and by a nearer view of that heavenly city where in a little while you shall forever be at rest.”

   In one of the comments under this post, someone pointed out another great quote from John Calvin: “If meditation on the heavenly life were the prevailing sentiment in our hearts the world would have no influence in detaining us.”

   Source: http://fighterverses.com/2009/11/02/the-new-earth-puts-gas-in-our-tank/

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6. 
   Adam Minneapolis
   November 29, 2009 at 8:31 pm

   Phil, one of the fighter verse guys, had some interesting commentary to offer on November 25th regarding Proverbs 17:9. This verse reads, “Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends.” Phil lists four criteria to determine when someone’s sin is too serious to overlook. What do you think? Are these the right criteria? Phil’s commentary is quoted almost in its entirety below.

   Source: http://fighterverses.com/2009/11/25/when-not-to-overlook-others-sin/

   —————————————————————–

   Ken Sande’s The Peacemaker is a refreshingly edifying and practical book on resolving conflict biblically. In the chapter on considering another’s offense against you, one section encourages “overlooking minor offenses.” After referencing this week’s fighter verse, he says,

   When we overlook the wrongs of others, we are imitating God’s extraordinary forgiveness toward us … Since God does not deal harshly with us when we sin, we should be willing to treat others in a similar fashion. This does not mean that we must overlook all sins, but it does require that we ask God to help us discern and overlook minor wrongs. (82)

   Later, he discusses “when someone’s sins are too serious to overlook” that they need to be discussed (150-155). He offers four criteria in question-form to determine when that is the case:

   * Is it dishonoring God? “When someone’s sin becomes visible enough to obviously and significantly affect a Christian’s witness, it needs to be addressed” (151).
   * Is it damaging your relationship? If another’s sin causes you to resent them or distance yourself from them, you should consider trying to resolve it with them.
   * Is it hurting others? When other individuals or the whole church are tempted, harmed, or endangered by a believer’s sin, the subject should be broached.
   * Is it hurting the offender? When a person is harming himself by his sin, it is unloving to adopt “the world’s view that everyone should be allowed to ‘do his own thing,’ … This is not the kind of love Jesus demonstrated” (152).

   If you want to find out more about how to lovingly address your brother or sister’s sin, I commend The Peacemaker to you.

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7. 
   Adam Minneapolis
   January 26, 2010 at 11:23 pm

   I would like to highlight two recent posts by the Fighter Verse guys, both regarding the Beatitudes in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.

   The first post, put up on January 19th, is titled “But How Can Our Hearts Become Pure?” The verse of the day is Matthew 5:8, which reads, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Ryan writes,

   These are astounding words. They are devastating. Such a sweet promise, but such a hard condition. Jesus’ listeners would have been familiar with Jeremiah 17:9: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?”

   When I read this beatitude I think of my heart, and it sounds impossible. A number of sins come quickly to mind. There are images in my mind, and affections for doing evil, that don’t seem to die. Could my heart ever be pure, truly pure from all those things? Who can truly be pure of heart?

   Ryan then quotes Martin Lloyd Jones, who stated:

   The way of the Scriptures is rather this. All you and I can do is to realize the blackness of our hearts as they are by nature, and as we do so we shall join David in the prayer, ‘Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me’… You can start trying to clean your heart, but at the end of your life it will be a black as it was at the beginning, perhaps blacker. No! it is God alone who can do it, and, thank God, He has promised to do it.

   I John 3:2-3 has more to say as well on the subject of purity in heart. See more here:

   http://fighterverses.com/2010/01/19/but-how-can-our-hearts-become-pure/

   The second post, dated January 21st, is titled “What Isn’t Blessed in the Beatitudes.” The Scripture text is Matthew 5:3-10, as follows:

   Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
   Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
   Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
   Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
   Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
   Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
   Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
   Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

   Here’s Tyler’s excellent commentary on this passage:

   Notice what kinds of people are not mentioned here. Not those who memorize their Bibles or who pray every day. Not those who give away their money or who keep their chastity. Not those who honor their parents or who help the sick.

   Sure, happy consequences can result from doing the above things—and we should do them—but Jesus isn’t going there, at least not yet.

   Jesus begins his sermon by intentionally distancing himself from any talk about external prerequisites for getting God’s blessing. Instead, he goes straight to the heart. He focuses on the humble characteristics of a heart that is truly blessed by God.

   Why? There were those in Jesus’ day who wore the outer garment of godliness and obedience but who lacked any real humility of heart. They did “holy” things not from a sincere love for God or for others, but from a proud desire to justify themselves, a motive exemplified in the scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 5:20).

   So Jesus spoke the Beatitudes, and Matthew wrote them here, because the same temptation that corrupted the scribes and Pharisees threatens God’s people in every age.

   We must beware of thinking that God’s blessing will come to us because of how well we obey the rest of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus puts the Beatitudes at the beginning of his message to make it clear that the descriptions of righteousness that follow can only be lived out as the natural expressions of a heart that has already been humbled—and, in that sense, already blessed—by God.

   Source: http://fighterverses.com/2010/01/21/what-isnt-blessed-in-the-beatitudes/

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8. 
   Adam Minneapolis
   February 20, 2010 at 2:55 pm

   On January 19th (2010) Tyler posted an excellent commentary on the subject of Christ abolishing the law. I’ll post it in its entirety here without any further commentary on my part:

   Compare these two passages:

   Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. [Matthew 5:17-18]

   For [Christ] himself is our peace, who has made [Jews and Gentiles] both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace. [Ephesians 2:14-15]

   These two passages appear to be saying opposite things about the law. How do we reconcile them?

   Here’s the best answer I’ve found:

   When Jesus says in Matthew that he did not come “to abolish the Law” he includes “or the Prophets” as well, which is his way of referring to the entire Old Testament (see Matthew’s other uses of these terms together in Matthew 7:12; 11:13; and 22:40). “Law” in Ephesians, however, refers to the old covenant law that came down from Mt. Sinai.

   So there is a distinction between the two, that is, between the Old Testament and the old covenant. It is evident that the editors of the ESV see this distinction too, since they capitalize “Law” in Matthew 5:17 but keep it lowercase in Ephesians 2:15.

   When Jesus says that he did not come to abolish “the Law or the Prophets” in Matthew 5, he means that he did not come to abolish the Hebrew Bible. To him, the Hebrew Bible—including the Law of Moses—was primarily a book of prophecy about the coming Messiah (Matthew 11:13), which he came “to fulfill,” rather than a law book that bound all of its readers to obey the old covenant.

   When he died on the cross, Jesus cancelled the old covenant, that is, the law of commandments and ordinances (Ephesians 2:15), so that the rules and regulations that kept Jews “imprisoned” (Galatians 3:23) under a “ministry of death, carved in letters on stone” (2 Corinthians 3:7) and distinct from Gentiles might be totally abolished.

   What does this mean for how we handle all the laws in the Old Testament?

   The extended passages of law that remain in the Law (the Pentateuch) are listed there not as law, but as a part of the story of Israel. They are a part of the narrative of the Pentateuch, which, as a whole, remains a necessary part of God’s inspired word for his multi-national, multi-generational church.

   But the commandments alone, as they existed outside of the Pentateuch, were commandments given at a certain time to a certain people, and they have fulfilled their purpose. Those commandments that remain in the Pentateuch remain as literature by which we can gain wisdom, not laws under which we are either approved or condemned before God.

   Christ has forever approved his people and enabled them, by his Spirit, to live a life of “faith working through love” (Galatians 5:6). They no longer need law over them. It is now in them, on their hearts (Jeremiah 31:33).

   SOURCE: http://fighterverses.com/2010/02/19/jesus-came-to-abolish-the-law/

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