Leading into these verses, Jesus has done many profound and powerful things. He has preached the sermon mount, astonishing many with his unscribelike, authoritative teaching. He has cleansed a leper. He has healed a centurion’s servant by his word alone without even seeing him. He has healed an entire town. Impressive, to say the least. It is safe to say the buzz around Jesus and his ministry abounds at this point. Little wonder, then, when a scribe comes to Jesus in Matthew 8:18 and expresses his desire to “follow [him] wherever [he goes].” Jesus then proceeds to utter some pretty memorable words,

And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head” (Matthew 8:20).

In his sermon, Michael rightly pointed out to us that what Jesus says here isn’t so much meant to impress upon us how hard it is to follow Jesus. Rather what we’re meant to see here is the worth of Jesus. This scene should arouse in us the question of whether or not we see Jesus as worth such a life.

Now, Jesus shines in various arrays of multifaceted beauty, like a diamond. One of the breathtaking arrays of Jesus’ beauty that this passage points us to is the fact that in his gospel ministry, Jesus essentially chose a homeless lifestyle. Not only that but as the Son of God, he also chose to leave the bosom of his Father, his heavenly home, to walk the earth to his death as the incarnate man, Jesus Christ. And he did all this for the purpose of bringing us back home to God,

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God (1 Peter 3:18).

This refracted beam of Jesus’ beauty is worth gazing at a bit longer.

In the Beginning, the Son Was Home with the Father
Before time, Jesus Christ, the living, breathing Word of God on earth was with God the Father in perfect harmonious, joyous relationship.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God (John 1:1).

In fact, John describes the closeness that Jesus enjoyed with the Father in the most affectionate of language,

No one has ever seen God; God the only Son, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known (John 1:18).

The relative clause “who is at the Father’s side” is much more intimate in the original Greek. It reads something like this: “who is in the bosom of the Father.” When John reflects on leaning upon Jesus at the table of the last supper meal in John 13, he uses the same language: “One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table in the bosom of Jesus” (John 13:22, my translation).

Here is a picture of the Son at home with the Father, resting in the loving bosom of his Father’s embrace. And Jesus would leave that for the sake of the gospel.

The Father Sent the Son
The Father sent the Son from his side, from his heavenly home to earth as the man Jesus. And the Son did not disobey the Father.

John tells us, Jesus the Son of God is from the Father,

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14).

Jesus himself says, God the Father gave his only Son,

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

And Jesus says that he came from the Father,

I came from the Father and have come into the world (John 16:28).

Furthermore, Jesus says the Father sent him into the world,

As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world (John 17:18)

And again, John says the Father sent the Son,

And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world (1 John 4:14).

Admittedly, the mystery of the incarnation is thick. Nothing tears the Holy Trinity asunder, not even the incarnation. The persons of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit remain in their subsisting relations. The Son is always with the Father and yet the Father truly sent the Son, and he truly left the Father’s side in the incarnation. And the incarnate Son would again choose to leave home, his earthly home, for the sake of the gospel.

The Incarnate Son Chose Homelessness
Then of course we come to the passage at hand, Matthew 8:20. We see that not only did the Son of God truly leave his heavenly home in the incarnation, but once he began his ministry, Jesus the Son of God chose a lifestyle of homelessness for the sake of the gospel.

And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head” (Matthew 8:20).

Jesus left his house. Jesus left his mom, Mary. Jesus left Nazareth. Jesus left the synagogue he knew. Jesus left his business. Jesus left home. And for three years, Jesus slept not in his own bed but wherever his Father gave him to sleep.

Why?

The Son Left Home and Became Homeless in Order to Bring You Back Home
Jesus the Son of God did all of this home leaving in order to bring you back home. Where is that exactly? His home. The home he left. God the Father.

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God (1 Peter 3:18).

This is Jesus’ hope and prayer at the end of his earthly life, that you and I might see him and be with him where he was before time begin—in glorious bosom of the Father,

Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world (John 17:24).

This is your home. And Jesus left his twice to get you back to it. And in him, you have a taste of home right now.

Home with God Starts Now
Here is one of the marvelous bits of the gospel. In Jesus, being back home with God starts right now.

Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him (John 14:23).

By the Holy Spirit God makes his home, his dwelling place, with you right now (Ephesians 2:22). Spiritually in Christ right now you rest your head in the bosom of the Father. You are home. But there is more to come.

The Fullness of Home with God Is Coming
Though you are home now, the fullness of your home with God still sits on the horizon. Not idly, though. No, your heavenly home charges ever closer, ever nearer to you. Jesus your King eyes the day when he will pierce the sky and bring your heavenly home down to you here on earth. Then you will dwell in the house of God tasting of the full satisfaction of his goodness forever,

Blessed is the one you choose and bring near, to dwell in your courts! We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, the holiness of your temple! (Psalm 65:4)

Enjoy your home with God now as a foretaste of the feast to come, and long for that future home,

How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God. Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God. Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise! Selah (Psalm 84:1–4).

Make that future home your hearts one desire and request,

One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple (Psalm 27:4).

God is your home. And he will bring you home by bring your home to you: God dwelling with you forever.

“Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God (Revelation 21:3).

Jesus the Son of God brought you home and will ultimately bring you home. All this, by leaving his.

Asking such questions can be either positive or negative. Positive, if the unmet desires lead to your working hard to improve yourself, to become a better friend, to grow as a valued worker, to fulfill who God has made you to be.

But often these questions lead us in a negative direction. We develop a sense of entitlement that easily morphs into self-pity: “I should have all these blessings! I’m missing out on so much! Poor me!”

Indeed, our cup can be overflowing with the wine of goodness and mercy, but we are annoyed because it’s not Coca-Cola.

That attitude transforms us into miserable people. For no matter how much good is in our lives, we focus much more on what we lack. And we become adept at coming up with a long list every day.

I’ve often had to fight this tendency in my own life. For example: one day 25 years ago while serving at a seminary in Cameroon, I was scheduled to preach in the morning chapel service. Having finished the manuscript after rising early, I hit “print.” Nothing happened. I fiddled with the printer for a while but couldn’t get it to work. With time to the service rapidly diminishing, I trudged to the office carrying my laptop, hoping the printer there would connect. Along the way I was grumbling, complaining to God: “I’ve worked hard to prepare a good sermon, and now I may not even have a manuscript. How can You expect me to preach well when so much goes wrong right before the service? Why can’t I have a decent and reliable printer?”

Mercifully, God stopped me in my tracks, showing me the foolishness of my attitude. It was as if He said, “Stop and think. In the history of the church, how many preachers have had a printer? How many have had a laptop? And these students to whom you are preaching: How many will ever have a laptop or a printer? I have given you the great privilege of opening up My Word to pastors who are eager to hear. What do you have to grumble about?”

I actually don’t remember whether the office printer worked or not. But by God’s grace I was able to preach to His glory.

Instead of living with that sense of entitlement, Scripture encourages us to consider ourselves as undeserving, and every good we encounter or obtain as a token of grace – from God and from others. With that attitude, we naturally are grateful for each token:

• [Give] thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:20).
• Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you (1 Thessalonians 5:18, emphasis added).
• What do you have that you did not receive? (1 Corinthians 4:7).

Remind yourself of that last question regularly. Where does life and breath and sun and sleep and health and strength and work and love and family and friendship come from? All are among the good and perfect gifts that come down from the Father of lights (James 1:17) – and since He never changes, such goodness and mercy will follow those united to Jesus all the days of our lives, and we will dwell in His house forever (Psalm 23:6).

Rather than being miserable day after day, we then become thankful and joyous. For our eyes are open to see gifts all around us.

Yes, we will continue to have unmet desires. Channel them positively into growing as a person and as a worker. But remind yourself daily: “I deserve nothing but God’s wrath. By God’s good grace, I receive His gifts today and can live to His glory. Thank You, Lord! I praise You!”

Every generation seems to believe it is living through the invention that will permanently reshape humanity. Today, that invention is artificial intelligence and the predictions about how it will impact our world are often very extreme.

On one end are techno-optimists like Elon Musk, who recently predicted that within 10 to 20 years, “work will be optional,” with AI and robotics creating such abundance that working will become more like a hobby than a necessity. Similarly, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, paints a optimistic picture where AI dramatically expands scientific discovery, creativity, and prosperity, making intelligence itself an abundant resource available to everyone. On the other end are voices predicting mass unemployment, economic collapse, and social upheaval. Many fear AI will simply replace people, leaving millions with little purpose or a means to provide for themselves.

More than two centuries ago, the English economist Thomas Robert Malthus looked at the future with equal confidence—but in the opposite direction. In An Essay on the Principle of Population (1798), Malthus argued that population would grow faster than food production. His conclusion was grim: famine, poverty, and misery were inevitable because humanity would eventually outrun its resources. In this case Malthus underestimated human innovation. New farming methods, mechanization, fertilizers, irrigation, and later the Green Revolution increased agricultural productivity far beyond what he could imagine at the time.

The creation mandate is not merely that God gives us work, it is that God accomplishes his work through our work.

At first glance the competing visions seem to stand at opposite ends of optimism and history. They both have underlying assumptions that ignore the Gods role in provision and productivity. The ultimate source of provision has never been the soil, and the ultimate purpose of work has never been merely the grain it produces. God is both the source of provision and the purpose of our labor.

Before sin entered the world, God gave Adam the Creation Mandate.“The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.” (Genesis 2:15). So work is not a consequence of the Fall, instead meaningful labor is part of what it means to bear God’s image. So work is more than earning a paycheck. It is participating in God’s ordering, developing, and stewarding of His world.

Technology has always changed how we fulfill that calling but it does not change the fact that the calling to work comes from God himself. And this is where the optimists get it wrong, changing work is not the same as ending work. Similarly, the pessimistic vision wrongly assumes AI can somehow frustrate God’s purposes for humanity. But if God commissioned mankind to cultivate His creation, no technology can revoke that commission.

Why should we assume God will run out of things for humanity to cultivate? The Creator who designed an entire universe is not going to run out of meaningful work for image bearers to manage for his glory. And because he is an infinite Creator, God is an infinite source of provision and purpose for his creation.

Yet behind every faithful vocation stands the God who gives strength, wisdom, opportunity, rain, sunlight, and increase. The human worker is the visible mask; God is the unseen Provider.

The creation mandate is not merely that God gives us work, it is that God accomplishes his work through our work. The Protestant Reformer Martin Luther often described ordinary vocations as the “masks of God.” He did not mean that He is hidden or absent, but because God ordinarily carries out His work through human beings. When a farmer grows wheat, a truck driver transports it, a baker makes bread, and a cashier receive payment, we naturally thank those people for their work. Yet behind every faithful vocation stands the God who gives strength, wisdom, opportunity, rain, sunlight, and the increase. The human worker is the visible mask; God is the unseen Provider.

This perspective transforms how Christians think about technology. AI is not the provider of our daily bread any more than the plow, the tractor, or the computer was. It is simply another instrument that God may choose to use through human hands. The danger is believing that the tool has become the source or to fear the tool more than trusting the tool’s Creator.

Scripture consistently reminds us that “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17). God remains the One who feeds, sustains, and governs His creation, even though He ordinarily does so through countless ordinary vocations. If God works behind the mask of the teacher, engineer, nurse, preacher, and software developer he will also work through (and at times in spite of) technology. Moreover, His primary work is not to provide bread but to reconcile us to himself through the finished work of Christ. The good news of the Gospel is that Jesus came to destroy the work of the devil (1 John 3:8), paid the penalty for the wages of our sin (Romans 6:23), and through his perfect sacrifice restores us to the God who created all things. Only then can work become what it is meant to be — not simply a means to provision or status or identity — an act of worship to one who first worked for us in Christ.

“You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia…” (Acts 20:18).

The implicit message to the Ephesian elders is, “You know how I lived. How then will you live?” Well how did Paul live? In short, he did not shrink back from testifying to the gospel of the grace of God in Jesus Christ (Acts 20:20–21, 24, 26–27). That’s his implicit call to action here. Don’t shrink back from testifying to the gospel of the grace of God in Jesus Christ. Well, how exactly did Paul not shrink back? What was the manner of this action? If we can identify the manner by which he did not shrink back, then we can identify some helpful applications for ourselves. And yes, you should apply this to yourself even though you are not Paul and even though you may not be an elder. Paul isn’t exhorting the Ephesian elders or us to replicate his apostolic ministry in all its specific, unique, divinely ordained detail. Rather the principle in play here is simply the imitation of Christlike men (1 Corinthians 4:16; 11:1),

“Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1).

So, Paul’s question to the Ephesians is the same question we must ask ourselves: How, then, will we live? Will we shrink back? And if we won’t, what will a life that does not shrink back look like? To answer that, look at Paul.

Paul did not shrink back from testifying to the gospel in two ways: (1) with his voice and (2) with his life. First he points to how he testified to the gospel with his life,

“You yourselves know how I lived (by) serving the Lord…(Acts 20:18–19).

Second, Paul describes how he testified to the gospel by pointing to how he used his voice,

“You yourselves know how I lived…how I did not shrink from declaring…(Acts 20:18, 20).

And Paul goes on to describes both his use of his life, and his use of his voice, which will consider. Let’s consider first Paul’s voice and apply what we discover to ourselves. Then we will do the same with Paul’s life.

Paul’s Voice and Your Voice

1. Declare and teach the gospel (Acts 20:20–21, 26–27). In vv. 20–21 Paul says that he declared, that is, he told, he proclaimed, he announced the gospel, and he taught the gospel. Christians declare the gospel to one another. This is just what we do. The gospel is our native tongue. Christian, disciple out in the world or in the home or in the proper contexts given your role, declare the gospel and teach it. Fathers and mothers, you must declare and teach the gospel to your children (the highest privilege). Christian man or woman, declare the gospel to your unbelieving friends and neighbors or if God calls you to it, out in the mission field. Men, declare and teach the gospel to your brothers in the church and the younger men, or the church body if the church calls you to it. Women in the church, declare and teach the gospel to the younger women (Titus 2). Christians testify to the gospel with their voices by declaring and teaching it.
2. Testify with your voice in public (Acts 20:20). Paul says he testified to the gospel in public (Acts 20:20). Oh boy, now we’re nervous. The fear of man can hit a little different in public than in the context of the church or your church family. But Peter himself addresses this very reality to the saints,”Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:14–15).You must be ready, Christian. You must anticipate and prepare yourself for testifying to the gospel in public with your voice. Such public declaration and defense of the gospel builds up the church (Acts 18:27–28). Christians testify to the gospel with their voices in public.
3. Testify with your voice in private (Acts 20:20). Paul also says in v. 20 that he went house to house testifying of the gospel. You must also testify to the gospel with your voice in your personal and most intimate relationships. Church member to church member. Believer to believer. Friend to friend. Believer to unbeliever. Husband to wife. Wife to husband. Sibling to sibling. We must practice testifying of the gospel to one another to grow in our gospel fluency. That is, you will find the more you talk about it and ponder it together, the more your affections for the gospel and Jesus increase, and, as a result, the more fluent you are in talking about it. Fan the flame of gospel fluency by speaking of Christ to one another. Christians testify to the gospel with their voices in private.
4. Testify with your voice by warning other believers (Acts: 20:28–31). In Acts 20:28–31, Paul warns the Ephesian elders twice! In verse 28 he says “Pay careful attention!” and in verse 31 he says, “Be Alert!” or “Stay Awake!” And, he tells them to recall that he admonished, that is, he warned or instructively rebuked, every one of them. The rest of the address will make clear that Paul is concerned for their life and doctrine—their personal holiness and their accurate knowledge of the faith. Christians, we should do the same. Christians warn one another regarding our personal holiness and orthodox doctrine. We must give one another license to do this! Christians testify to the gospel with their voices by warning other believers.
5. Testify to the gospel by pointing to promises (Acts 20:32). In Acts 20:32 Paul commends the Ephesian elders to God. That is, he commits them to, he sets them before, he entrusts them to God. And then with his voice, he articulates the promise of the gospel that makes this trust possible: “God and…the word of grace…is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified” (Acts 20:32).Christian, you may testify to the gospel with your voice by warning and admonishing but you also must always testify to the gospel by pointing to the promises. God has made you holy—sanctified (Acts 20:32). God and the gospel will build you up into his holy temple, perfectly conformed to the image of the Son (Acts 20:32; Ephesians 2:21; Romans 8:29). And, God by the gospel will give you the inheritance, eternal life and joy with God and your King Jesus together with all the saints (Ephesians 1:18; Hebrews 9:15; 1 Peter 1:4). That promise is what makes the warning mentioned above so potent. Christians testify to the gospel with their voices by pointing to the promises.

Next, consider how Paul testified to the gospel with his life and how it applies to you.

Paul’s Life and Your Life

1. Testify to the gospel with your life by living as a slave of Jesus (Acts 20:19). Paul began by saying “You know how I lived among you…serving the Lord” (Acts 20:18–19). Paul says he lived as a slave to the Lord (Τhe original Greek is stronger than the ESV render “servant” gets at. δουλεύω: be a slave; δουλος: slave). You will always shrink back from testifying to the gospel with your life (and your voice) if you do not see yourself as a slave to Jesus. The image is meant to be striking. Think of the slave. The master says go here, he goes there. The master says do this task, the slave does it. The master says give this message, the slave gives it. The slave does whatever the master says. Now, what you have to do to ensure the you have the correct image in mind is not import the image of an abusive, unjust, evil master into the illustration. What’s the imagery? Paul says, “being a slave to the Lord.” Put Jesus into the picture. We obey because Jesus is our master and we are his slave. Christian, you must add this mentality into all the images Scripture gives us regarding our relationship with God—God is our Father and we are his adopted children. God is our shepherd, we are his sheep. Jesus is our heroic deliverer, savior, and champion, we are his ransomed and rescued people. Jesus is our King and we are the people of his kingdom. Jesus is our brother. Jesus calls us his friends. Jesus is our husband, and we are his bride…Jesus is our master and we are his slave. And our master says cease this sin, so you cease. He says honor, respect, submit to your husband, so you do so. He says love your wife as I, Christ, loved the church, giving myself up for her. So you do. He says speak here, so you speak. He says be silent here, so you hold your tongue. He says lift your hands in praise, so you lift them. He says kneel before me in repentance so you kneel and repent. He says love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you, so you love and pray. Trust and obey him because of who he is, and you heart will follow. Testify to the gospel by living as a slave of Jesus.
2. Testify to the gospel with your life by living a life marked by humility (Acts 20:19). Paul says in Acts 20:19 that he served the Lord with all humility. Christian, you don’t testify to the gospel by seeking to gain glory from men. You testify to the gospel by humbling yourself before the Lord to obey him and by humbling yourself before your fellow man to point them to the truth in love. This is reflective of Jesus. Paul writes to the Ephesians, “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility…” (Ephesians 4:2). God hates pride, but he gives grace to the humble (Proverbs 16:5; Luke 16:15; James 4:6). Testify to the gospel by living a life marked by humility.
3. Testify to the gospel with your life amidst tears and trials (Acts 20:19). Paul says twice, once in Acts 20:19 and again in Acts 20:31, that his ministry among the Ephesians was marked with tears. Living a life that testifies to the gospel will include tears. Christian, you will testify to the gospel to those you love and (1) they may continue to not get it, (2) they may completely reject it, (3) they may walk away from it, or, (4) by God’s grace, they may finally come ’round. Expect to expend many tears no matter what. And know that your tears themselves testify to the gospel. They will be tears that are a sign of judgment on those who reject the gospel and tears that are a sign leading to the salvation of others who accept it. Furthermore, these tears will often be tied to trials. Paul says also in Acts 20:19 that he testified to the gospel with trials. Christian, you testify to the gospel when you walk through trials. The fiery trial is, as Peter says, the crucible that reveals the faith of pure gold that God has placed in you which leads to glory (1 Peter 1:6–7). And, the watching world will see your life in the midst of trials. They will see both your own weakness and yet wonder at the strength the Lord supplies. They will see a life testifying to the worth of the gospel as you cling to Christ and nothing else. And when you suffer through trials for the sake of the gospel itself, you will be a picture of Christ’s suffering for the gospel. Testify to the gospel with your life amidst tears and trials.
4. Testify to the gospel with your life by following the Spirit’s lead (Acts 20:22–23). Paul notes in Acts 20:22–23 that he is constrained by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem, who testifies to him that wherever he goes there are afflictions and imprisonment awaiting him. What is astonishing here is not that the Spirit reveals this inevitable affliction to Paul. What is astonishing is that Paul still goes when the Spirit says go, in spite of it. Paul testifies to the gospel by his obedience to the Spirit. And so you. Christian, you testify to the gospel when you follow the Spirit’s lead. Now we read this and automatically our minds ask: “Where’s the Holy Spirit leading me?” in the most broad sense. Okay, but let’s make it simple. The Holy Spirit, Jesus tells us in John, comes (1) to lead you into all truth and thus sanctify you (John 16:13; 17:19), (2) to bear witness about Jesus (John 15:26), (3) to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8). This is where the Holy Spirit is leading you, into the truth of Jesus unto your personal holiness. Start there. The Holy Spirit is leading you to Jesus and holiness. The rest are the details that he will work out. Testify to the gospel with your life by following the Spirit’s lead.
5. Testify to the gospel with your life by not taking but by giving (Acts 20:33–35). Look at Paul’s words in Acts 20:33–35. How did Paul live among them? Like this—”I coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel. You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’ ” (Acts 20:33–35). Paul did not live among the Ephesians like their hometown silversmiths and priests of Artemus who profited off their worship. Paul lived by Jesus’ economic philosophy in order to testify to the gospel by his hard work and caring for the weak. In so doing, he was a living illustration to the Ephesians of hard gospel work that aims not to take but to give to the weak who cannot provide for themselves. And that’s what the gospel is. Jesus did the hard work of the gospel in order to give to you, the weak, who could do nothing to save yourself. This is the way of the gospel life. Christian, do not live a life of consumption and taking and hoarding. Show Christ by working hard in order to give. Testify to the gospel with your life by not taking but by giving.

Christian, imitate Paul. Do not shrink back from testifying to the gospel with your voice and your life. In doing so, you won’t just imitate Paul, but you will imitate the one who never shrunk from testifying to the gospel with his voice and his life, our King, Jesus. And because he did not shrink back, you live now and will live for eternity. Therefore, in that knowledge, testify to the gospel now with your voice and your life. Imitate Paul as he imitated Christ. Don’t shrink back.

You might recall the answer from Pastor I’John’s sermon in 2 Chronicles a few months ago: Roots. The Chronicler is writing to God’s people recently returned from exile, in the land of promise with no temple and no king. Naturally, they are a people wondering if God’s gracious promises to them are still in effect: “What about the kingdom of God? Are we still God’s people? Is God still going to dwell in our midst? Is God still going to reign over us through his promised son of David king forever?” So the Chronicler aims to remind them of their roots as God’s chosen people who have been given a precious promise—the gracious sure promise of the promised messiah, the offspring of the woman would come through them and reign as their king forever.

There are only a few places in the OT that the phrase “These are the generations” and variations of it occur in Scripture. The clause serves as a formula for introducing genealogies. In the original Hebrew, it is even easier to identify because it is actually a verbless clause. So it would read woodenly as, “These the generations…” The Hebrew word we render generations is toledot. Because of the rarity of these verbless toledot clauses, we do well to take note when they do show up.

The highest concentration of these formulaic verbless toledot clauses occurs in Genesis. For example,

“These are the generations of the heavens and the earth…” (Genesis 2:4).

“This is the book of the generations of Adam…” (Genesis 5:1).

“These are the generations of Noah…” (Genesis 6:9).

And, starting in Genesis 10, the pattern of this formula introducing lengthy genealogies emerges,

“These are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth…” (Genesis 10:1, And it keeps going, son after son, for the whole chapter).

Then in Genesis 11, we see where these genealogies were headed. They were driving toward and culminating in Abraham and God’s call of and covenant with him,

“These are the generations of Shem. When Shem was 100 years old, he fathered Arpachshad…(All the way down to Terah, Abraham’s father)…When Terah had lived 70 years, he fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Now these are the generations of Terah. Terah fathered Abram…The days of Terah were 205 years, and Terah died in Haran. Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you” (Genesis 11:10, 26–27, 32–12:1).

Abraham, the recipient of God’s covenant promises is the focal point of Genesis’ verbless toledot clauses. Now back to Chronicles.

The author of Chronicles begins with an extended genealogy, yes, but it isn’t until he arrives at Abraham’s line that he employs the all powerful verbless toledot clause pattern,

“The sons of Abraham: Isaac and Ishmael. These are their genealogies…” (1 Chronicles 1:28–29).

Why does the Chronicler wait until here to use such a well-known and handy tool for introducing genealogies? Because he wants to remind his wondering, doubting, post-exilic audience of their God-given roots and their God-given promise.

It isn’t until Abraham steps onto the scene that YHWH localizes the promised offspring of the woman (Genesis 3:15; 9:9) in a particular son—Isaac (Genesis 12:7; 13:15–16; 15:3–6, 18; 17:7–14, 15–21). And the last place we see the verbless toledot clause occur in Genesis applying directly to the line of the people of God (which is its very last occurrence in Genesis) is in Genesis 37:9, “These are the generations of Jacob…”. This connects us back to the promised son, Isaac in Genesis 25:19, “These are the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son…”. Isaac prayed for a child from the Lord and was given two of whom the Lord said, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger.” Jacob himself, like Isaac, was a child carrying on the promise of God that he would establish a people through a promised offspring.

So with this little grammatical tool, the Chronicler abruptly, without apology, inserts his post-exilic audience—and us—back into the story of redemption at this particular point as if to say, “Remember, God made a promise to Abraham? Isaac is the child of that promise. And God made a promise to Isaac. And Jacob is the child of that promise. God has promised to make you a people. Look how he faithfully did that. And God has promised to bring through you, the promised offspring of the woman that Isaac prefigured. God will do it.”

And so, it’s no surprise that the Chronicler, after reminding us of the roots and the promise, immediately does some chronological gymnastics and fronts the genealogy of David (1 Chronicles 2:1–15) next before ever introducing the tribes of Israel and their respective genealogies. By doing this, like with Abraham and Isaac, the Chronicler puts the promised offspring into sharp focus again.

If Abraham and Isaac pointed to the promised offspring who was localized in them, then David, in whom the promised offspring is further localized points to the promised offspring even more. Because in David, the promise offspring reemerges with kingly contours. In other words, the promise of a seed in Abraham and Isaac blossoms into the promised messiah in David (1 Chr 17:10–14). Thus, from the very beginning with all his genealogies, the Chronicler casts the eyes of his audience back to the past, to the roots, to remind them that they are God’s people, who have been given a promise. They’ve been given the promise of an offspring, like Abraham, like Isaac. A promised offspring, who was pictured by and would ultimately come through King David. So by having his readers look back at the roots and the promise, the Chronicler ultimately encourages his readers to look forward in hope to the coming of the promised messiah.

Chronicles is actually the very last book in the Hebrew ordering of the OT. It’s no wonder then why Matthew, the first book of the NT, chose to start his book this way,

The book of the genealogy (i.e. generations) of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham (Matthew 1:1).

“Home. The story of the Bible is the story of God getting us back home with him. This is enchanting in its own right. Whether a warm home life has been your experience or the elusive dream you’ve wished for but never had, we have all experienced homesickness.”

For this entry, I want to double-click on one half of the qualifying statement before the premise: “Whether a warm home life has been your experience or the elusive dream you’ve wished for but never had. What if you don’t have a home? Some go through this life without ever really having the experience of home. They may even struggle with the concept of “home” because they have never truly had a home to which they felt they truly belonged due to different life circumstances such as constant moving from place to place, being a foreigner in a foreign land, etc. That one might read “the elusive dream you’ve wished for (a warm home life) but never had” and say, “I don’t even understand that idea. I’ve never had a home; therefore, I don’t actually know what to dream or imagine. I just know I want it, I’ve looked for it, but I have yet to find it.” If you are one whose life story has unfolded in such a way that a perpetual feeling of homelessness pervades, then, in God’s mysterious and gracious providence, you’re actually in prime position to cherish the promise of your future home with God as it should be cherished. You are a sojourner and you know it. And you are in good company with other sojourners in redemption history.

In Psalm 119:54, the psalmist writes, “Your statutes have been my songs in the house of my sojourning.” This is striking. Why? Well, before we answer that, just consider this word sojourning. Who were some sojourners in Scripture?

Abraham was a sojourner. He was a man sojourning in a place that was not yet his home and that would never truly be his home, but it would be the home of his offspring, so the promise goes,

“And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God” (Genesis 17:8)

Therefore, Abraham was a sojourner his whole life with God, though the promise was his, he never really had a permanent home.

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise (Hebrews 11:8–9).

Abraham was not the only sojourner, though. Jacob also saw his life, along with his father Isaac’s life, as lives of sojourning,

And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The days of the years of my sojourning are 130 years. Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their sojourning” (Genesis 47:9).

Just as Abraham sojourned, so too, according to Jacob, did Isaac and Jacob himself. They did not know a permanent homeland.

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were all sojourners. They were literal foreigners in a literal foreign land that they never fully owned except for a family burial site, a prophetic plot of the fulfillment to come (Genesis 23:16; 25:9–11; 50:13).

So back to Psalm 119:54. It is striking when we read Psalm 119:54 and the psalmist describes himself as a sojourner. Why? Well, the author of Psalm 119 is anonymous, but there are candidates. David could be the author around the height of Israel’s kingdom (I’m partial to Davidic authorship). Or, it could have been written pre or post Babylonian exile with Daniel, Jeremiah, or Ezra as possible candidates. Keeping these candidates in mind, let’s consider their circumstances.

If David wrote this psalm, then it staggers us to read David refer to “the house of my sojourning” because David is the king reigning over God’s kingdom in the promise land. The land that God promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—the land they longed for. David is not a sojourner, and yet he describes himself as one. However, he does have experience. Perhaps he wrote this during his time or reflecting on his time on the lam from Saul (ie Psalm 57). David knows what sojourning is all about.

If this was written during or after the exile, then it staggers us to recall the loss of Judah’s kingdom “home” and their “sojourn” in exile. If this was the land that God promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, what does it mean that God’s people are now exiles and sojourners once again after having received it? They had their home. They had their country. But it didn’t last. Even if they have returned, their home bears little resemblance to its former glory. God’s people were once again sojourners. Will God keep his promises?

The takeaway is this: God’s people have always been, in the big scheme, sojourners and have experienced acutely the life of a sojourner. The land of promise itself is simply a picture of the true homeland, the better country that God’s people await. God’s people are sojourners, like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, on the way to and awaiting their promised land-home with God. God’s people are sojourners like David remembering the house of his sojourning even while sitting in the house of his kingdom, longing for a better home with God. God’s people are like those of Judah exiled to a foreign country or even the returned exiles living in their dilapidated homeland, who recognize that no matter where they are, they are still sojourners and exiles on this earth.

What kept these OT sojourners going even when they did not know home here? The promise of the home to come with God. Consider the archetype of such faith, Abraham. What sustained Abraham in such a “homeless” sojourn? Looking to and longing for his future home with God,

For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God (Hebrews 11:10).

What Abraham modeled by his faith, the saints of old replicated,

These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city (Hebrews 11:13–16)

As Christians, we should indeed consider ourselves sojourners on this earth. And if your life story has made that sense of homelessness and sojourning even more pronounced, then consider the blessing in that. Your lack of home here should give you an even stronger desire for your true home. To trust God with making good on that future promise requires great faith and humility. Great faith and humility in order to quash every prideful desire that would tempt you to not endure in your sojourn but to cease your pilgrimage. Throw in the towel. Make home here. But you are an Abraham in an even more particular way than others and God’s promise to you is that there is home awaiting you. Moreover Jesus’ promise to you is that he will actually take this earth you feel so foreign in, and transform it into your inheritance, your heavenly home, where you will reign with him (Matthew 5:5; 2 Timothy 2:12).

So, sojourner who has no home here, count yourself blessed. For you have been providentially given the grace to know with a little more certainty what many of us can so easily forget in our comforts. What you know with rock solid conviction is this,

For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come (Hebrews 13:14).

And Jesus will deliver that city, that better country, your true home, to you. Come, Lord Jesus.

by Coty Pinckney

[A few weeks ago I mentioned Solomon’s son Rehoboam as an example of someone who rightly sought counsel but, receiving both good and bad advice, chose to follow the latter. The following devotion from 2010 examines what was behind his choice: he did not set his heart to seek the Lord – Coty]

2 Chronicles 12:14: And [Rehoboam] did evil, for he did not set his heart to seek the LORD.

Why do we do evil?

Rehoboam should have been a godly king. He was the grandson of King David, a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). He was the son of King Solomon, whose wisdom Scripture extols (1 Kings 4:29). His father and grandfather wrote a significant proportion of the Old Testament Scriptures.

And yet, 2 Chronicles 12:14 tells us Rehoboam did evil.

What evil did he do?

The most obvious evil he did was to split the kingdom. 2 Chronicles 10 tells us of his pride and stubbornness. Representatives from the northern tribes ask him to lighten the burdens his father had put on them. Rehoboam instead tries to act tough – and the northern tribes secede.

But Rehoboam is guilty of a greater evil than splitting the kingdom. Splitting the kingdom is a secondary evil, an evil that results from something more fundamental.  2 Chronicles 12:1 tells us of that more fundamental evil: Rehoboam “abandoned the law of the LORD.” His grandfather had written that “the law of the LORD is perfect” (Psalm 19:7), but he abandoned that law.

Recall that the word “law” in the Old Testament frequently translates the Hebrew word “torah,” which has a broader meaning than our English word. The “torah” includes instruction: teaching about who God is, who we are, and how we can have a relationship with Him. Rehoboam turned his back on the instruction that had been handed down to him. Though God had created him for His glory, though God had exalted him to be king over His own people, though God had given him a father and grandfather who instructed others in God’s “torah”, Rehoboam rejected God’s instruction.

This is his greatest evil.

Why did he do this evil?

Our text tells us why: “He did not set his heart to seek the LORD.”

Jesus tells us to “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). He promises that if we seek we will find (Matthew 7:7).

Yet Paul tells us that “no one seeks for God” (Romans 3:11). That is, in and of ourselves, we are all like Rehoboam. Though many aspects of God’s nature are clear from the world around us (Romans 1:20) – “the heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands” (Psalm 19:1) – and though many of us have access to His Word and have heard His Gospel, we, like Rehoboam, turn our backs on that revelation. We act as if He doesn’t exist, or as if He is irrelevant. We seek our good as we perceive it, and ignore the purpose for which He made us. We may believe we are doing good, but we, like Rehoboam, do evil unless we seek God.

So Rehoboam did not seek God. And he did evil.

Furthermore, our text tells us that Rehoboam did not set his heart to seek God. Truly seeking God is a matter of the heart. We don’t seek God by outward actions alone – doing religious activities, bowing our heads in prayer, attending worship services, reading the Bible. Someone may look externally to be seeking the Lord, and yet not be doing so. Indeed, this probably was the case with Rehoboam. As King of Judah, he most certainly participated in public worship. He undoubtedly gave large gifts to the priests. Like his father, he may well have offered long prayers in front of the people. But Rehoboam “did not set his heart to seek the LORD.” And therefore he did evil.

What about you? Where is your heart?

We must all confess that apart from God’s work we have hard, stony hearts. Apart from God’s transforming power, we will not seek Him. Apart from His grace, we are rightly condemned.

But God sent His Son to die on our behalf, paying the penalty we deserve, so that all who simply trust Him might receive His pardon and become His beloved children.

So we need to pray, “O Lord, take my stony heart and replace it by Your grace with a soft and tender heart (Ezekiel 36:26). Incline my heart to Your Word, so that I might joyfully seek You (Psalm 119:36). Don’t let me be like Rehoboam – outwardly appearing to follow You, but inwardly having a heart that longs for so much else other than You. Enable me to treasure You above all, to delight in You above all; enable me to set my heart to seek You!”

Will you do this?

God’s promises us: If you truly seek Him, you will find Him. If you humble yourself, He will exalt you. If you look to Jesus, He will save you.

So set your heart to seek Him. And then continue to do so, day by day. This is life. This is joy. This is peace.

Only, we quickly found that our initial plan wouldn’t work. The shearers weren’t around the snake. To remove them and get the snake on the ground would only make it go wild and potentially strike or get away. Neither option we liked. So, we decided to hold it’s tail with a trash-grabber tool in order to entice it to unveil its head for us to strike. Sure enough, with Josh grabbing to tail, it did put its head out to strike, and Josh was able to pin its head to the wall and then I gave it a finishing blow. A few minutes later, we buried it in a secluded spot in the backyard and took time to look for more.

So why would I tell this story in a blog post? How does this have anything to do with God’s Word or what it means to live lives treasuring Jesus?

As I reflected a bit, it occurred to me that the story elicits some pretty good parallels with Biblically slaying our sin.

Theologian John Owen famously referenced Romans 8:13 as the backdrop and key text for his book, “On the Mortification of Sin”. This great Roman verse says this, “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” We know death is what we’ve all earned from our sin (Romans 6:23). But as people who have been united by faith to Jesus, we have been brought from death to life (Romans 6:3-4; Ephesians 2:4-6). So as people truly living in Christ, by His Spirit’s power, we’re to, “put to death the deeds of the body,” (Romans 8:13) and all that, “is earthly in you,” (Colossians 3:5).

So what does that snake slaying story remind us biblically about slaying sin?

1. It must be spotted and exposed, by us and others. “11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. 13 But when anything is exposed by the light it becomes visible, 14 for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, ‘Awake O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you,'” (Ephesians 5:11-14). Without Andrew’s sharp eyes looking and Katie’s decisive action to expose the snake and prevent retreat, it never would have been killed. We are to be people willing to kill sin by forsaking it whenever the Lord reveals it. Sometimes this will be revealed by others spotting it in us, then lovingly expressing and exposing it, so we can bring it to the light in confession and turn back to Christ. Other times, God may call us to lovingly spot and expose sin in our dear brother or sisters. This is to be done discreetly and once the log has been taken out of our eye first. But love dictates that darkness be recognized and exposed. Proverbs 27:6 reminds us, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.” Who is your faithful friend-in-Christ with permission to spot and expose your sin, that it may be brought to the light and forsaken? Who is the friend you’ve given permission to expose your pride that you, by the Spirit, might kill it?
2. Slaying our sin requires a premeditated battle plan. Any fight for the Christian must first include prayer. We’re to abide in Christ and then we bear spiritual fruit that lasts and gives God glory, because apart from Jesus, we can do nothing (John 15:4-5). Since the battle is the Lord’s (1 Samuel 17:47), we’d be foolish to not start and end depending on Him and seeking His glory in prayer. Following this, much sin necessitates fleeing (like Joseph with Potiphar’s wife) and subsequently starving it, to replace it with something that the Lord has for us. Ephesians 4:27-28 says, “and give no opportunity to the devil. 28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.” Other premeditated battle plans, like the serpent in my yard, require immediate strikes to eliminate the opportunity of it infecting us further with its deadly venom.
3. A friend for the battle is essential. The snake would have gotten away or bitten me without Josh being there. Many times in our fight against sin, we don’t see what’s lurking in our blind spots ready to strike. We often don’t know what to do when the situation on the ground changes and we need to make adjustments. We need someone else to be praying with and for us and graciously hold us accountable. We need someone to spur us on to not give up and encourage us. This may or may not be the person who first spotted and exposed our sin or the one we opened up to about our own, or lovingly addressed. This is an all-out war, a battle to the death, for the purity of our souls. God calls us to community and especially close friendships. And above all, there is Jesus, The “friend who sticks closer than a brother,” (Proverbs 18:24b) who is victorious in every battle.
4. Victory through the Spirit of Christ brings life. “…if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live,” (Romans 8:13b). When the snake was buried and we knew it could no longer harm anyone, we got a burst of energy and immediately looked for more snakes all over the yard. It spurred us on to more battles. Not only does victory in slaying our sin by the Spirit, keep us from death – it boosts us to move forward in other battles with the unquenchable joy of the Lord’s faithful and kind presence. His presence where there is “fullness of joy” and “pleasures forevermore” (Psalms 16:11) is what our souls ultimately crave and desire most.

So when we fight to kill our sin in humility, in His strength, with a battleplan, and a brother or sister by our side, we can be more than conquerors (Romans 8:37) because of Him who loves us and is with us. And we can not only kill our sin, but live with promised hope that, “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet,” (Romans 16:20).

“People will board the bus and tell you you’re going the wrong way. But you know the route. Just keep driving the bus.

“Some will threaten to leave the bus unless you go the way they’re telling you. Just keep driving the bus.

“Others will tell you to change gears sooner, or to drive faster, or to speed up to get through that yellow light. Just keep driving the bus.

“You’re a bus driver, Coty. Just keep driving the bus.”

A wise pastor gave me that advice decades ago during a time of difficulty in the church. His advice reflects 1 Corinthians 15:58: “Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” I’ve shared that advice with many others.

But when does steadfastness morph into pig-headedness?

If I’m a bus driver who makes a wrong turn, I had better listen to those who correct me. If I don’t, I’m not being virtuously steadfast; I’m being foolishly pig-headed.

Scripture tells us again and again to seek out and listen to wise counsel:

• Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel (Proverbs 27:9).
• Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed (Proverbs 15:22).
• The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice (Proverbs 12:15)
• Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil (Proverbs 3:7).

That last proverb highlights the difficulty, however. There are wise counselors who help us to turn away from evil, who point us to the Lord. And there are other counselors who guide us in the opposite direction.

Consider Solomon’s son Rehoboam. He actively sought counsel. He received both good and bad advice. He then chose to follow the bad advice – to the detriment of the Israelite people for centuries (1 Kings 12:1-20).

Or consider the Apostle Paul in Acts 21:10-14. He is journeying to Jerusalem. A prophet named Agabus says Paul will be bound by the Jews and handed over to the Romans if he continues. The people there – including his traveling companions like Luke – urge him to change plans. But Paul “would not be persuaded” and continues on his way. Agabus’ prophecy comes about.

Is Paul being wrongly pig-headed or rightly steadfast?

Or consider the earlier “sharp disagreement” between Paul and Barnabas in Acts 15:36-41. Barnabas wants to include Mark on the next missionary journey, but Paul does not since Mark had returned home when the first journey became difficult. Presumably they seek the counsel of other leaders in the Antioch church since we read that Paul and his eventual companion Silas are “commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord.” But Paul and Barnabas do not come to an agreement, instead making separate journeys.

Is one of Paul or Barnabas pig-headed here? Are they both?

Scholars and preachers answer those questions differently – but the bottom line is that Scripture doesn’t tell us.

And that lack of clarity is helpful to us. For we all go through similar situations. We don’t want to be stubborn or pig-headed; we know biblically we should seek counsel. And often we are discerning enough to reject evil and foolish counsel. But most often the counsel we receive is mixed.

• A friend relates a personal experience and applies it to our situation. But is it truly comparable?
• Another friend draws on Scripture to address our situation, but the biblical basis for the advice seems weak.
• Yet a different friend confidently and persuasively tells us the best way to deal with the issue, but we’re not sure he fully understands the problem.

In such situations, what do we do?

We pray for ears to hear; we thank our counselors for their advice and assure them we will consider it; we pray for a willingness to change our ways or adapt our plans; we pray for steadfastness in following God and His ways, trusting His sovereign direction as He works all things according to the counsel of His will.

And then we decide. We go forward. We trust God – whether our decision is the best or not. If it turns out to have been the wrong decision, we confess that to God and admit that to the counselors we should have listened to. But we need not live in regret.

You see, always making the right decision is not the key to living the Christian life. The key, rather, is setting your heart to seek the Lord, trusting Him with all your heart. He then builds us up in the most holy faith, conforming us to the likeness of Jesus, and perfects us together with the entire church. Praise Him!

Psalm 78:7-8 helpfully includes both the words “stubborn” and “steadfast.” Older generations are to teach younger generations “that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments; and that they should not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God.”

There we have it: Not stubbornly going our own direction, failing to listen to God or counselors who pass on His wisdom. Rather, setting our hearts to seek Him steadfastly, keeping our spirits faithful to God and His Word.

At age 70, I can look back and see times of pig-headedness, times when I should have sought out additional counsel – and also times when I followed poor advice. Praise be to the God of all grace that my standing before Him does not depend on perfect obedience!

I encourage you to examine yourself also. If you discern errors, confess and seek forgiveness, if appropriate. Then set your heart to seek the Lord. And know this: everyone who seeks finds.

Acts 1:4–5—And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now” (Acts 1:4–5).

The Promise of the Father
This passage is just two verses. But there is a ton of theology packed into these two verses. In fact, there is so much, that we just won’t get to all of it here. But to begin to get a handle on the truths in our passage, we must remember to read in light of the bigger story that Luke continues to tell as a follow up not only to his gospel. Remember the message of Acts…

The risen king Jesus acts through his people of the Word, the church, by the Holy Spirit in order to fulfill God’s kingdom promises through their witness.

And remember the immediate context…

Our two verses point us back to some things we’ve just seen in vv. 1–3, particularly with regard to Jesus’s resurrection and the kingdom of God. That is, if you recall Jesus is the culmination, the climax, and the fulfillment of all the OT (cf. Luke 24:27, 44–47). This is what Jesus told his disciples in the forty days he was with them before his ascension (cf. Acts 1:3). This is what he talked about. Our passage connects with this.

And, our passage also aims at, looks forward to, and anticipates Acts 2, the day of Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit, what our passage also calls, “the promise of the Father” (Acts 1:5). Why is the Holy Spirit coming referred to as, “the promise of the Father?” Where do we see God make this promise? This is our driving question: “What all goes into the promise of the Father, the coming of the Holy Spirit?”

To answer this, we must also remember the wider canonical context…

To fully grasp all that Luke lays out for us, we must read in light of the OT. Luke continues the story that God started writing through the OT authors and prophets. What they foresaw, longed for, and hoped for, is what our passage anticipates in Acts 2. What they foresaw, longed for, and hoped for, is what you friends are living in because he is living in you.

When we consider the full breadth of Scripture, we find that built into the promise of the Holy Spirit are three promises:

1. The Promise of Purity
2. The Promise of Presence
3. The Promise of Power

Purity. Presence. Power. These are some essentials to the promise of the Father, the coming of the Holy Spirit, that our passage anticipates. The promise of the Father, the gift of the Holy Spirit delivers to you unmatched, new covenant: purity (holiness), the very presence of God with and in you (relationship), and power (to overcome sin and be his witness).

For our purposes here, I want to draw your attention the promise of power. Specifically, the promise of power to overcome sin.

The Promise of Power
The third and final aspect to the promise of the Father, the promise of the Holy Spirit is power. God will advance his kingdom through his Holy Spirit empowered people. Now, there is so much we could delve into on this topic, but let’s consider this power specifically with regard to obedience.

The Holy Spirit gives power to increasingly overcome temptation, sin, and the flesh. The Holy Spirit gives power to obey God. Though we have been purified, made holy, and declared justified by Jesus through the Holy Spirit, we are still being sanctified. We still battle sinful flesh. We still must overcome sin and join in the Holy Spirit’s ongoing, purifying and sanctifying work. And the Holy Spirit empowers us to do so.

OT prophets foresaw and longed for a day of such unprecedented power to obey God. Ezekiel foresaw and longed for Holy Spirit empowered obedience in God’s people,

And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules (Ezekiel 36:27).

The reality is, under the curse of Adam we are unable to not sin. Think of that. Every work anyone has ever done no matter how good, apart from the aid and sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit is stained with sin. Fallen man is a slave to sin. So your work is sinful work. But with the coming of the Holy Spirit a new day has dawned. Those in Christ are no longer slaves to sin to do all that sin commands. Those in Christ are able to not sin. And, more than that, those in Christ—those in whom the Holy Spirit resides—are able to work righteousness. How? By faith in the promises of God. The promise that he has perfectly purified, will perfectly purify, and will provide power through the Holy Spirit to turn from sin and do righteousness.

The Holy Spirit gives power to overcome sin and power to obey God. So how do we properly respond to this grand reality? In two ways: repent and run.

First, repent. Are you harboring sin? Let God’s Word examine you. Ask God to search and reveal to you any grievous way within. Where you find unrepentant indwelling sin, repent and begin the process of bearing fruit in keeping with repentance by killing it (Luke 3:8). Don’t harbor sin. To refuse the rebuke and offer of forgiveness in the gospel by continuing in sin is to quench and grieve the Holy Spirit in you (1 Thess 5:19; Eph 4:30). Does the power of the Holy Spirit seem to allude you in your life? He is not dodging or juking you, but you may be delivering blows against and striking him with your unrepentant sin.

Second, run. Run in the Holy Spirit obediently. The psalmist proclaims in Psalm 119:24, I will run in the way of your commandments when you enlarge my heart. With the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost the hearts of God’s people were enlarged. With the coming of the Holy Spirit into your heart at your conversion, your personal Pentecost, your heart was enlarged to obey God, to run in the way of his commandments. So run in obedience to him. And run to the ends of the earth with the gospel. And by the ends of the earth, that could mean the end of your street or the end of the row of cubicles in your office.

Here is what the power of the Holy Spirit in you leads to. Repentance and running in obedience. There is no other plan to make the gospel of Jesus known. This is it. God’s people running in the Holy Spirit with the gospel. So go and do. Make disciples. The Holy Spirit working in and through you is the means by which King Jesus will change lives and the world by spreading his kingdom and glory to the ends of the earth.