This man. This God. This seamless thread that runs throughout the entirety of Scripture...it is Jesus Christ, our Savior.
In our study of the four gospels this week, we got to witness all the pieces come together. Every Old Testament story, every character, every prophecy, every detail, all of it points toward the coming of Jesus Christ, the Messiah.
Matthew's book starts off with a bang - a long list of "was the son of" names. It's tempting to skim over those names, but if you read them carefully, you'll find yourself surrounded by a beautiful cloud of witnesses. Luke records a similar genealogy in his gospel. Look at Luke 3:23-38. Recognize anyone?
Joseph, the stepfather of Jesus
Boaz, Ruth's kinsman redeemer
Jacob, who stole Esau's birthright, wrestled with God and was renamed Israel
Isaac, the promised son who went up the mountain with his father as a sacrifice
Abraham, the father of nations
Noah, who was the only one found faithful and built the ark
Enoch, the man who walked with God
Adam, the first of all humankind, the first sinner
We also find Ruth and Rahab and Mary in the lineage of Jesus. I'm so thankful God included these women of the faith in his story. All these stories we've been reading over the past six weeks have led us to this climax. It all points to this! Jesus, the Son of God. (Luke 3:38)
So much Old Testament prophecy pointed people toward the coming Messiah. Prophets such as Isaiah and Hosea foretold the coming of Jesus as Messiah hundreds of years before he came (Isaiah 7:14, 9:2-7 and Hosea 11:1). Without their prophetic words, we might be tempted to think that Jesus was just a good man, and wonder if his claims to be the Son of God were actually true. But when Old Testament prophecy brings up details that are perfectly fulfilled centuries later, we can see that it's no coincidence. Jesus really is the Son of God!
The four gospels give us different perspectives on the story of the life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. They're told by four completely different men with four varying messages. (If you're following along in your book, there's a chart on p 136 that helps us see how the gospels are aligned.) Matthew was a Jew (Remember the Jews? They wandered in the desert for 40 years! They are God's chosen people!). Scripture explains that the gospel message is first for the Jews. Matthew's main message was to convince these Jews that Jesus is truly the Messiah. Some of God's chosen people (the Jews) are still waiting today for the promised Messiah! Their eyes are closed to the idea that his name is Jesus and he has already come. Mark's gospel was written to the Romans. As a citizen of Rome himself, Mark wanted to tell his fellow Romans about the good news of Jesus. Dr. Luke was a Gentile (remember, a Gentile is anyone who is not a Jew) and his letter was written to show Jesus's connection to the Gentiles. Not only did he come to reign as King of the Jews, but he came to save Gentiles like me and you! Those three books are the synoptic gospels. The gospel of John is a bit different. John wrote his gospel for everyone to read! His main goal was to convince us all to BELIEVE that Jesus is who he says he is! The beauty of the Gospel is that it really is good news for us all.
One of the most amazing pictures along this thread of seamless beauty is the temple curtain, otherwise known as the veil. Picture the temple, a big building with separate courts for the women and men. There were walls around it with several different gates. There were places for different people to bring sacrifices and altars on which to sacrifice them. The Gospel Coalition has a great illustration for you visual learners. Picture the innermost room of the temple, almost like an inside closet. This was the Holy of Holies. The high priest entered the Holy of Holies once a year on the Day of Atonement. It's said that the priests would tie a rope to the High Priest's leg so that in case he died in there, they could pull him out! The Holy of Holies was separated from the rest of the temple by an enormous, thick curtain. Don't picture your living room curtains. This thing was a monstrosity. The curtain was the only thing that separated the place where God dwelt from the rest of the temple.
And when Jesus had taken his last breath, the earth shook, many bodies of the saints who had died were raised and the curtain TORE from top to bottom. Just check out Matthew 27:51-53.
This tearing of the temple veil is a perfect earthly illustration of what had just happened in the spiritual realm. When the curtain tore from top to bottom, it signified that this was an act of God. If it had torn from bottom to top, it might be said that a man had done it. The fact that it was torn from top to bottom shows that God himself destroyed the barrier between men and himself. There was no longer a need for a priest to intercede on behalf of the people. Jesus had just made the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of humanity. The tearing of the temple veil indicates that no more atoning sacrifices are needed! What a beautiful picture of God's chasing after his people. He didn't want a barrier between us and Him, so he sent Jesus to earth to erase that barrier. What beautiful love.
Jeremy Camp sings a song about the beauty of what Christ did for us on the cross, called This Man. I encourage you to watch it here to remind yourself of what Jesus has done for you. All of these stories, all of Scripture, tell the bigger story of Jesus's love for YOU. He wants you to admit that you're a sinner in need of the salvation he provided on the cross. He wants you to turn away from that sin and follow Him. He wants you to do all of that because he wants to bring you home to him in heaven when your life on earth is over. Without choosing Him, your eternal destiny will be separation from Him in hell. Please choose Jesus! If you have any questions about what it means to be saved, please ask me any time!
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
A Shift - Seamless Session Five
Remember when Hannah prayed for a baby and promised the Lord that she would give Him her son if only He would bless her with a child? Well that child was Samuel. And now Samuel has grown into an old man and is a leader of all of Israel (1 Samuel 8:4). The problem is his sons don't follow God. So the leaders of Israel come to Samuel and declare that they would like to have a king so that they can be like all the other nations.
Keep in mind these are the same people that have seen God at work in their lives and have been told of God's power as seen in the lives of their parents and grandparents. They know that they are God's chosen people. They've heard of the parting of the sea, the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire, the manna and the quail. They have the Ark of the Covenant, with the stone tablets etched with the handwriting of God himself. They know that God has given them this Promised Land. You'd think that it would seem crazy not to trust God and follow him whole-heartedly! But they're looking for a different kind of king - one they can see and hear and one who can rule with civil authority. They want an earthly government to control them; after all, all the other nations have kings. The big problem here is that God wants Israel to be a nation set apart from the rest. HE wants to be their King!
Several weeks ago we studied the Exodus and the wandering in the desert. We saw God's chosen people enter the promised land and march around the walls of Jericho. We understand the twelve tribes and the united kingdom. The children of Israel were far from perfect. They messed up more times than I can count. But they were God's chosen people and he never gave up on them, even when they were unfaithful to Him. But now we witness a huge shift in history. The Israelites decide that God on the throne is not enough for them. They want a new king.
So God gave them what they wanted.
At our discussion table today we answered the question, "What or whom have you elevated to the position of King in your life?" We can all think of different things that we idolize. But that's not what this question was asking. We aren't talking about idols we worship, we are talking about the KING position. This isn't some silly statue like in days of old and it's not a modern day idol like money or prosperity or fame or family or careers or possessions. This question is asking, "Who is your King?" One of our ladies said that she was tempted to answer that her king is her husband - she felt like she puts him on the throne of her heart quite often. But God quickly showed her that the one she puts on the throne more often than anyone else is herself. I completely get it. I push God off the throne of my heart all the time because I want to be King. I want to make the rules. I want to look like everyone else. I want to make sure my plans are fulfilled. I want to be in charge. I'd fit right in with those Israelites who so badly wanted a king.
Back to the Israelites...
In a nutshell, it wasn't good. Saul was their new king. While he was tall and ruggedly handsome, his heart was not faithful to God. And so the Israelites paid the price for placing someone else on the throne that was rightfully God's. David would enter the picture after Saul. David was a different story - he had a heart for God. He wasn't perfect at all. In fact, some of the things he did were downright dirty (Bathsheba and Uriah come to mind!). But God doesn't look at all of our outward appearances; he looks at our hearts! After David comes Solomon, David's son. Solomon is known for his wisdom. God told him to ask for anything he wanted and he chose to ask God for an understanding mind. God was impressed with that request! He built a beautiful temple for the Lord during his reign. Unfortunately, Solomon really loved the ladies and that became his undoing.
It wasn't long before outside nations began to come in and defeat the Israelites, dividing the kingdom and eventually sending them into exile for 70 years. They were a complete mess. They had put someone else on the throne and it didn't work for them at all (just like God had said!). God sent prophets to His children to warn them and to speak prophecies to them. The end of the Old Testament is filled with prophets who wrote long books (the major prophets) and some who wrote shorter books (the minor prophets). They all gave words from the Lord that went unheeded. The Israelites refused to follow God. Even though their earthly government had fallen apart, they refused to acknowledge God on the throne of their hearts. They continued to demand earthly kings, even though there was no fulfillment in that plan of action. It was a dark, dark time for God's chosen people.
And then for 400 years, it is SILENT. There is a gap between the Old Testament and the New Testament and it seems that God may've given up. But we know better! I can't wait for next week. The Messiah is coming!
Keep in mind these are the same people that have seen God at work in their lives and have been told of God's power as seen in the lives of their parents and grandparents. They know that they are God's chosen people. They've heard of the parting of the sea, the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire, the manna and the quail. They have the Ark of the Covenant, with the stone tablets etched with the handwriting of God himself. They know that God has given them this Promised Land. You'd think that it would seem crazy not to trust God and follow him whole-heartedly! But they're looking for a different kind of king - one they can see and hear and one who can rule with civil authority. They want an earthly government to control them; after all, all the other nations have kings. The big problem here is that God wants Israel to be a nation set apart from the rest. HE wants to be their King!
Several weeks ago we studied the Exodus and the wandering in the desert. We saw God's chosen people enter the promised land and march around the walls of Jericho. We understand the twelve tribes and the united kingdom. The children of Israel were far from perfect. They messed up more times than I can count. But they were God's chosen people and he never gave up on them, even when they were unfaithful to Him. But now we witness a huge shift in history. The Israelites decide that God on the throne is not enough for them. They want a new king.
So God gave them what they wanted.
At our discussion table today we answered the question, "What or whom have you elevated to the position of King in your life?" We can all think of different things that we idolize. But that's not what this question was asking. We aren't talking about idols we worship, we are talking about the KING position. This isn't some silly statue like in days of old and it's not a modern day idol like money or prosperity or fame or family or careers or possessions. This question is asking, "Who is your King?" One of our ladies said that she was tempted to answer that her king is her husband - she felt like she puts him on the throne of her heart quite often. But God quickly showed her that the one she puts on the throne more often than anyone else is herself. I completely get it. I push God off the throne of my heart all the time because I want to be King. I want to make the rules. I want to look like everyone else. I want to make sure my plans are fulfilled. I want to be in charge. I'd fit right in with those Israelites who so badly wanted a king.
Back to the Israelites...
In a nutshell, it wasn't good. Saul was their new king. While he was tall and ruggedly handsome, his heart was not faithful to God. And so the Israelites paid the price for placing someone else on the throne that was rightfully God's. David would enter the picture after Saul. David was a different story - he had a heart for God. He wasn't perfect at all. In fact, some of the things he did were downright dirty (Bathsheba and Uriah come to mind!). But God doesn't look at all of our outward appearances; he looks at our hearts! After David comes Solomon, David's son. Solomon is known for his wisdom. God told him to ask for anything he wanted and he chose to ask God for an understanding mind. God was impressed with that request! He built a beautiful temple for the Lord during his reign. Unfortunately, Solomon really loved the ladies and that became his undoing.
It wasn't long before outside nations began to come in and defeat the Israelites, dividing the kingdom and eventually sending them into exile for 70 years. They were a complete mess. They had put someone else on the throne and it didn't work for them at all (just like God had said!). God sent prophets to His children to warn them and to speak prophecies to them. The end of the Old Testament is filled with prophets who wrote long books (the major prophets) and some who wrote shorter books (the minor prophets). They all gave words from the Lord that went unheeded. The Israelites refused to follow God. Even though their earthly government had fallen apart, they refused to acknowledge God on the throne of their hearts. They continued to demand earthly kings, even though there was no fulfillment in that plan of action. It was a dark, dark time for God's chosen people.
And then for 400 years, it is SILENT. There is a gap between the Old Testament and the New Testament and it seems that God may've given up. But we know better! I can't wait for next week. The Messiah is coming!
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
The Blessing in the Wrestling
My heart hurts. My mind is tired. My spirit is crushed. My soul longs for relief. I have been wrestling with God.
These are just a few of the questions I have wrestled with God over this week. Sometimes we begin to wrestle with God, but in exhaustion or frustration, we give up. We don't prevail. We are defeated. But sometimes, when we stick with it, when we beg for his blessing, when we allow him to wreck who we used to be and create a new person in us, then he blesses us just like he did Jacob.
I still have lots of questions. I think that pleases Him. He could've spelled everything out for us in black and white. He could've told us all exactly what to do in this specific situation. Instead, he gave us some general guidelines in His Word and then He told us to Seek HIM. Not to seek answers to all of our questions or solutions to all of our problems. He told us in Matthew 6:33 to seek first His kingdom and then all of these things will be added to you.
He wrestles with us because He wants to give us His blessing in the wrestling.
Keep wrestling, my friend.
This week our nation was rocked when the Supreme Court of the United States of America handed down a hugely controversial decision in support of gay marriage. I'm embarrassed at the way many Christians have handled themselves. Christians on both sides of the debate have said and done things that dishonor the name of Christ, fueling the fire of hatred and giving unbelievers even more reason to suspect that we are indeed hypocrites. And we are. I've come to the conclusion that it's not that we don't want to love our neighbors; it's that we genuinely don't know how. Practically speaking, we don't know what that kind of love looks like. It's time we find out before more damage is done.
The only way to find out how to truly love God with all of our hearts and to truly love our neighbors - yes, all of our sinful, homosexual, heterosexual, adulterous, lying, cheating, stealing, envious, slanderous, gossiping neighbors- is to wrestle with God. I've been studying Genesis 32:22-32, the story of Jacob wrestling with God through the night. Jacob had stolen Esau's birthright. Remember that story? When his mom, Rebekah, attached animal skins to Jacob's arms and Jacob posed as Esau and stole the blessing from his father, Isaac? Jacob was one messed up dude. He ran away, fearing for his life and along the way picked up not one, but two wives for himself. He worked seven years to marry his beloved Rachel, but then Laban gave him his daughter Leah instead. So he worked seven more years for Laban so that he could marry Rachel too. Jacob had a big fight with Laban and took off with all his wives and servants and children and animals. Then he heard Esau was around looking for him. Jacob had royally messed up, burned bridges and made a general mess of his life. And then one night out in the wilderness, in the middle of his mess, Jacob went off to be alone. And then Genesis 32:24 comes out of nowhere and says, "...and a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day." This man was God himself.
We don't get to know many more details. What we do know is that "the man", who was not just any old man, but God, saw that Jacob was not to be defeated in this ultimate wrestling match. He touched his hip socket and from that point on, Jacob walked with a limp. Because when you wrestle with God, you don't walk away unscathed. God asked Jacob to stop wrestling with him and let him go, but Jacob said, "Not until you bless me" and in that moment, God changed Jacob's name to Israel because he said "you have striven with God and prevailed".
I don't know about you, but I've never physically wrestled with God. But boy, I sure can relate on a spiritual level. This week, I have been wrestling with God and I am begging him for his blessing. I have so many questions-
How can some people interpret the Bible to say that homosexuality is not a sin?
Can you really be a Christ-follower if sin doesn't grieve you?
Is homosexuality a worse sin than other sins?
What does it look like to stand firm in the truth of God's Word while loving my neighbor?
How can some Christians spew such hateful venom about this topic?
What does it look like to love my homosexual friends like Jesus does?
I don't know about you, but I've never physically wrestled with God. But boy, I sure can relate on a spiritual level. This week, I have been wrestling with God and I am begging him for his blessing. I have so many questions-
How can some people interpret the Bible to say that homosexuality is not a sin?
Can you really be a Christ-follower if sin doesn't grieve you?
Is homosexuality a worse sin than other sins?
What does it look like to stand firm in the truth of God's Word while loving my neighbor?
How can some Christians spew such hateful venom about this topic?
What does it look like to love my homosexual friends like Jesus does?
These are just a few of the questions I have wrestled with God over this week. Sometimes we begin to wrestle with God, but in exhaustion or frustration, we give up. We don't prevail. We are defeated. But sometimes, when we stick with it, when we beg for his blessing, when we allow him to wreck who we used to be and create a new person in us, then he blesses us just like he did Jacob.
I still have lots of questions. I think that pleases Him. He could've spelled everything out for us in black and white. He could've told us all exactly what to do in this specific situation. Instead, he gave us some general guidelines in His Word and then He told us to Seek HIM. Not to seek answers to all of our questions or solutions to all of our problems. He told us in Matthew 6:33 to seek first His kingdom and then all of these things will be added to you.
He wrestles with us because He wants to give us His blessing in the wrestling.
Keep wrestling, my friend.
Five Important Things About Bible Reading
1. Just do it.
We want to make this more complicated than it is. Every day you wake up and you have a choice. Read the Bible. Don't read the Bible. There will always be a reason not to do it. ALWAYS. If you want God's Word to nourish your soul, make the choice to read the Bible. Remember in Matthew 4:4, Jesus quotes Deuteronomy when he says, "For it is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God." God's Word is where the Christ-follower finds daily nourishment. It is not enough to read the Bible in church on Sunday and expect it to sustain you until the next week. God's word is meant to be consumed daily! So just do it!
2. Don't approach it the wrong way.
Far too often we approach God's Word with a "what's in it for me?" mentality. We approach Scripture with our burdens and our baggage and hope to find answers to the big questions in our minds. We ask ourselves, "What does this passage say to me?" because we don't remember that the Bible is God's Word to all mankind for all of eternity. We are only interested in ourselves. While it is important to apply God's Word to our own lives, we should first approach it with a lens that is focused on Him and not ourselves because when we grow to know him more, everything else becomes clearer.
3. Approach it the right way.
When we take the focus off of ourselves, we begin to see that God's Word is about so much more than ourselves. I can take a passage like John 3:16 and instead of thinking about how much God loves ME, I can focus on the attributes of HIM that are found in this verse. HE is full of love. HE gave his Son. HIS only son! Whoever believs in HIM will have eternal life. Do you see that it's absolutely, positively not about me? One of the reasons He gave us His Word is because He wants us to know Him more!
4. Use the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Bible is unlike any other book ever written because as a believer, when you open the Bible, you are aided by the Holy Spirit. No other book has that kind of power source. If there is a passage you don't understand, just ask Him to give you wisdom to understand it and He will do it! The Holy Spirit enlightens us to the truth of God's Word. The Word of God is living and active! Read it!
5. Don't build a relationship by proxy. I didn't fall in love with Chris through someone else. I fell in love with him when he pursued me and I responded. We spent time together, talked, prayed, laughed, cried, shared, and waited together. Our relationship would not be strong today if one of us had been mostly absent from our marriage. Unfortunately, many "Christians" seem to think that going to church is good enough. Listening to podcasts, completing Bible study books, attending church, listening to sermons, reading Christian books- all of these are good things, but none will develop a relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ. When you read God's Word, do it with every intention of growing to know Him more. He wants to be known by you!
We want to make this more complicated than it is. Every day you wake up and you have a choice. Read the Bible. Don't read the Bible. There will always be a reason not to do it. ALWAYS. If you want God's Word to nourish your soul, make the choice to read the Bible. Remember in Matthew 4:4, Jesus quotes Deuteronomy when he says, "For it is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God." God's Word is where the Christ-follower finds daily nourishment. It is not enough to read the Bible in church on Sunday and expect it to sustain you until the next week. God's word is meant to be consumed daily! So just do it!
2. Don't approach it the wrong way.
Far too often we approach God's Word with a "what's in it for me?" mentality. We approach Scripture with our burdens and our baggage and hope to find answers to the big questions in our minds. We ask ourselves, "What does this passage say to me?" because we don't remember that the Bible is God's Word to all mankind for all of eternity. We are only interested in ourselves. While it is important to apply God's Word to our own lives, we should first approach it with a lens that is focused on Him and not ourselves because when we grow to know him more, everything else becomes clearer.
3. Approach it the right way.
When we take the focus off of ourselves, we begin to see that God's Word is about so much more than ourselves. I can take a passage like John 3:16 and instead of thinking about how much God loves ME, I can focus on the attributes of HIM that are found in this verse. HE is full of love. HE gave his Son. HIS only son! Whoever believs in HIM will have eternal life. Do you see that it's absolutely, positively not about me? One of the reasons He gave us His Word is because He wants us to know Him more!
4. Use the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Bible is unlike any other book ever written because as a believer, when you open the Bible, you are aided by the Holy Spirit. No other book has that kind of power source. If there is a passage you don't understand, just ask Him to give you wisdom to understand it and He will do it! The Holy Spirit enlightens us to the truth of God's Word. The Word of God is living and active! Read it!
5. Don't build a relationship by proxy. I didn't fall in love with Chris through someone else. I fell in love with him when he pursued me and I responded. We spent time together, talked, prayed, laughed, cried, shared, and waited together. Our relationship would not be strong today if one of us had been mostly absent from our marriage. Unfortunately, many "Christians" seem to think that going to church is good enough. Listening to podcasts, completing Bible study books, attending church, listening to sermons, reading Christian books- all of these are good things, but none will develop a relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ. When you read God's Word, do it with every intention of growing to know Him more. He wants to be known by you!
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