Transcript My Rock and My Fortress

The Time Had Fully Come
“Life & Ministry of the Messiah, Part 1”
from
“That the World May Know” series
The Time Fully Come
• Galatians 4 “4 But when the appropriate
time had come, God sent out his Son, born of
a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem
those who were under the law, so that we
may be adopted as sons with full rights.”
The Time Fully Come
• Galatians 4 “4 But when the appropriate
time had come, God sent out his Son, born of
a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem
those who were under the law, so that we
may be adopted as sons with full rights.”
• When the time was right!
• God had a plan
Dead Sea Scrolls
• Discovered in 1947
• Over 900 scrolls found in 11 caves from ‘47 to
’56
– 225 of the scrolls are OT books
– 1,000 years older than any previous OT MSS
• Confirmed the accurate preservation of the OT
Essenes
• Date back to 167 BC
– The Hasmonaeans (Maccabees) threw off their
Greek rulers and Israel was independent for the
first time in 500 years
– Soon the Maccabees began adopting Greek
culture
– The Pharisees and Essenes formed in opposition
to the Hellenisation of their Jewish leaders
Essenes
• Essene communities were in Galilee, Judea
and Jerusalem
– Their HQ was set up in Qumran by the Dead Sea
• Their goal was to set up a pure community of
believers in preparation for the expected
imminent arrival of the Messiah
Qumran
• Most Essenes studied in Qumran
• The Essenes believed they were called to
isolates themselves
– Fleeing the corruption of their Hellenized society
– Keeping themselves pure
Qumran
Essenes
• Even tho generally isolated from others their
ideas influenced the general Jewish
population
• They wrote extensively about
– Their beliefs
– The coming Messiah
– Copies of the OT
• Their influence continued for about 200 yrs
Essenes Ideas/Practices
• Emphasis on ritual cleansing with water
• Words and phrases in their writings appear in
the NT
• Their method of interpreting scripture is
similar to that used by early Christians
• Believed in justification by faith
• Called themselves the “New Israel”
Essenes Ideas/Practices
• Thought of themselves as sons of spiritual
light
• Believed they were preparing the way of the
Lord
– By obeying His commands
– By not compromising with the world
• Believed they were living at the end of the
age
Essenes Ideas/Practices
• Believed there would be 2 Messiahs
– A priest
– A king
Qumran
• An earthquake would destroy the complex in
32 BC
• They would rebuild in 4 BC after the death of
Herod the Great
• Rome would finally completely destroy the
site in 68 AD
Essene Influence
• They did help prepare the way
• They shaped theological concepts among the
Jews so that the concepts Jesus taught could
be readily understood
• God had a plan and the Essenes and their
beliefs and influence fit right in
Ephesians 5:8-11
• “…8 for you were at one time darkness, but
now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children
of the light – 9 for the fruit of the light consists
in all goodness, righteousness, and truth – 10
trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. 11
Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of
darkness, but rather expose them.”
Watch the Movie
Christians Like Essenes?
• Do we think that by isolating ourselves we can
remain pure?
– Escape the distractions?
– Escape the temptations?
– Easily live a holy life?
Essene Discussion
• Did their devotion to God impress you?
• How were their beliefs and concepts
important?
• Did you notice similarities between their
beliefs and our beliefs?
• Do those similarities bother you?
The Dead Sea Scrolls
• Their discovery was an accident!
– 1947
– Shepherd looking for stray goats
– Heard pottery break after throwing a rock
– Checked it out
– 10 urns/jugs, many broken ones, 2 had scrolls
– Isaiah, Habakkuk and the Qumran “Manual of
Discipline”
The Dead Sea Scrolls
• Those first 3 scrolls were sold for less than
$100
– In 1954 they were bought for $250,000 and given
to the state of Israel
– Today they are almost priceless
• In time 11 caves were found containing at
least 900 scrolls (most were fragments)
The Dead Sea Scrolls
• To date copies of every OT book except Esther
have been found
– Plus commentaries on OT books
– Qumran/Essene documents, manuals, rules
– Apocryphal books
– Hymns
Importance of the Dead Sea Scrolls
• Improved our understanding of the
theological and cultural perspectives of Jesus’
day
• Affirmed the accuracy of the OT as we had it
– The DSS were 1,000 years older than any of our
previous copies of the OT
– The text of the OT in the DSS is the same as those
later OT MSS we had
DSS/Essenes/Qumran
• There is still a lot of scholarly debate about
whether all 3 of these are related, i.e.
– Was it the Essenes who lived in Qumran?
– Did the Qumran residents write the DSS?
– Did the Essenes write the DSS?
• Currently it is generally accepted that is was
the Essenes who lived at Qumran and wrote
the DSS
Essenes & Christians
• Essenes were acutely aware of the struggle
between light and dark
• The NT also talks of light and darkness
Essenes & Christians
• John 3 “16 For this is the way God loved the world: He
gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who
believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17
For God did not send his Son into the world to
condemn the world, but that the world should be
saved through him. 18 The one who believes in him is
not condemned. The one who does not believe has
been condemned already, because he has not
believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.
Essenes & Christians
• John 3 “19 Now this is the basis for judging: that the
light has come into the world and people loved the
darkness rather than the light, because their deeds
were evil. 20 For everyone who does evil deeds hates
the light and does not come to the light, so that
their deeds will not be exposed. 21 But the one who
practices the truth comes to the light, so that it may
be plainly evident that his deeds have been done in
God.”
Essenes & Christians
• John 12 “35 Jesus replied, “The light is with you for a
little while longer. Walk while you have the light, so
that the darkness may not overtake you. The one
who walks in the darkness does not know where he
is going. 36 While you have the light, believe in the
light, so that you may become sons of light.” When
Jesus had said these things, he went away and hid
himself from them.”
Essenes & Christians
• Matthew 5 “14 You are the light of the world. A city
located on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 People do not
light a lamp and put it under a basket but on a
lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In
the same way, let your light shine before people, so
that they can see your good deeds and give honor to
your Father in heaven.”
Walking in the Light
• Why is it important to walk in the light?
Walking in the Light
• Ephesians 5 “8 for you were at one time
darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.
Walk as children of the light – 9 for the fruit of
the light consists in all goodness,
righteousness, and truth – 10 trying to learn
what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Do not
participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness,
but rather expose them. 12 For the things they
do in secret are shameful even to mention”
Walking in the Light
• Ephesians 5 “13 But all things being exposed by the
light are made evident. 14 For everything made
evident is light, and for this reason it says: “Awake, O
sleeper! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on
you!” 15 Therefore be very careful how you live – not
as unwise but as wise, 16 taking advantage of every
opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 For this
reason do not be foolish, but be wise by
understanding what the Lord’s will is.”
Walking in the Light
• Romans 13 “12 The night has advanced toward dawn;
the day is near. So then we must lay aside the works
of darkness, and put on the weapons of light. 13 Let
us live decently as in the daytime, not in carousing
and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and
sensuality, not in discord and jealousy. 14 Instead,
put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision
for the flesh to arouse its desires.”
Walking in the Light
• I John 1 “5 Now this is the gospel message we
have heard from him and announce to you:
God is light, and in him there is no darkness at
all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him and
yet keep on walking in the darkness, we are
lying and not practicing the truth. 7 But if we
walk in the light as he himself is in the light,
we have fellowship with one another and the
blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”
Walking in the Light
• What does “walking in the light” mean?
• How do you walk in the light?
Walking in the Light
• Light and darkness cannot coexist
• Why?
Walking in the Light
• I Corinthians 6 “14 Now God indeed raised the Lord
and he will raise us by his power. 15 Do you not know
that your bodies are members of Christ? Should I
take the members of Christ and make them members
of a prostitute? Never! 16 Or do you not know that
anyone who is united with a prostitute is one body
with her? For it is said, “The two will become one
flesh.” 17 But the one united with the Lord is one
spirit with him.
Walking in the Light
• I Corinthians 6 “18 Flee sexual immorality! “Every sin a
person commits is outside of the body” – but the
immoral person sins against his own body. 19 Or do
you not know that your body is the temple of the
Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God,
and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at
a price. Therefore glorify God with your body.7:1 Now
with regard to the issues you wrote about: “It is good
for a man not to have sexual relations with a
woman.”
Walking in the Light
• We are to be holy
• I Peter 2 “9 But you are a chosen race, a royal
priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so
that you may proclaim the virtues of the one who
called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”
Compromises?
• The Essenes isolated themselves to avoid the
temptation to compromise
• How might we compromise with the world today?