2 Timothy 1:1-14 Paul’s Parting Words

What advice would you give to someone if you knew that you were talking to them for the last time?

That question was on the apostle Paul’s mind when he wrote his final letter to Timothy. The passage we heard from 2 Timothy is part of Paul’s last letter, and was written from his prison cell in Rome. He doesn’t focus on his circumstances or his impending death. Instead, he focuses on the promise of life in Christ. Any Christian’s earthly circumstances pale in comparison to the glory of eternity.

Four times in this passage Paul uses a form of the verb, “to remember”-remember, being mindful, remembrance, remind. No Christian is an island. All God’s people stand on the shoulders of those who have preceded them. Paul encourages us to follow his example when it comes to living the Christian life. In particular, he urges us to use the gifts God has given us. These gifts fade in strength when they aren’t used.

For example, the greatest gift parents and grandparents can give their children is the heritage of genuine faith. An important question for any Christian to ask is: If you were standing on the threshold of eternity and looking back over your life, would you be able to see that your faith lives on in others, especially in your family members?

A few years ago someone wrote to Billy Graham. The writer wondered how his grandmother, who had recently died, got a very strong faith. In his reply, Billy Graham said the following words:

“The Bible (which is God’s Word) undoubtedly became important to her, as did prayer, and fellowship with other believers in her church. She also grew stronger spiritually by helping others and witnessing for Christ. The same can be true for us.” 

Fear usually enters our lives when we focus on our situation and abilities instead of God’s sovereignty and attributes. Following fear to its logical conclusion will eliminate all opportunities for service. If we remember our spiritual heritage and friendships, as well as God’s calling on our lives and the spiritual gifts he has given us, we will be encouraged as we move forward in faith. It will ignite a fire within us. If the fire of our faith goes out, it can be rekindled. All we have to do is make some changes and do some rearranging. For example, we can join or start a Bible study.

All open doors offer two choices: to walk by faith or to be controlled by fear. Persecution, infighting, and false teaching all threatened the Ephesian church that Timothy shepherded. They will also threaten Christians in the last days before Christ returns. The fearful will drop out, but those who grab hold of the courage, compassion and self-control that God makes available will be able to stand fast until God completes His work in them.

Christians will suffer for Christ in some way in this life, but it is far better that one’s faith be marked by suffering than by shame at Christ or those who proclaim Him.  Paul did not want Timothy to misunderstand his imprisonment. Paul understood who he served, and he was not ashamed. We can expect to face suffering and persecution just like Christ did. The glorious message of salvation is worthy of our suffering. God’s grace and purpose bring life. Obeying God is the central purpose of Christian lives. That obedience includes love, mercy, justice and caring for the poor. All of these involve giving and sacrifice.

The key to successfully accomplishing these tasks is our intention and not our performance. When our desire to love and serve Christ is strong, our performance will be positively influenced. When our performance does not meet our intentions, we will experience anew God’s grace and mercy.

If we have Christ in our lives, we have nothing to be afraid of when we share the Gospel. We don’t have to be trained speakers, gifted salesmen or educated teachers. All we need is a strong faith in Christ.

God will give us the strength we need to face our fears, sufferings and persecutions. For example, some of you might have heard of the two lightning strikes that occurred in the Liverpool area shortly before Christmas of last year. One of those strikes hit a house just up the street from the house where I live. When I heard the loud bank and saw the flash of light, I was scared to death! I thought a power transformer had blown. Fortunately, my faith in God enabled me to recover quickly from the shock.

God saves us for the purpose of furthering the gospel, and not as a reward for our works. Good works are a response to God’s work in the life of a believer. Paul uses the term “has saved’ to indicate that believers have been saved already, and the results of that salvation continue into the present.

We live in a dark world that gives us a lot to fear. As long as we live, there is always something in our lives that is at risk. We can choose to surrender to that fear and let it rule our lives, or we can surrender all those things we love and fear we will lose to Christ and live a life without fear.

Paul was confident in his mission, and he understood the importance of carrying out that mission. He knew that faith is not a one-time act, but something that includes the past, present and future. Because of his faith, he found strength instead of shame when he faced opposition and persecution.

One thing we don’t have to fear as Christians is death, because Christ abolished that fear on the cross. Christ’s saving work not only relieved believers of the fear of eternal death, or separation of the soul and body from God, but it also removed the fear of physical and spiritual death. Death can’t separate us from God’s love any more. Jesus replaced it with life and immortality.

Even when he faced execution, Paul’s hope and joy never wavered because he knew the power of Christ to faithfully deliver him into eternity. Paul had both a living faith and a faith unto death.

The gospel must be guarded as a treasure. Its words are right, healthy and whole and must not be tampered with. If anyone thinks he or she can adequately watch over this gift, he or she needs to remember Paul’s words to Timothy, especially his instructions to rely on the Holy Spirit’s help.

 Bibliography

1.                  Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013, P. 1717)

2.                  ESV Study Bible. Part of Wordsearch 11 Bible software package.

3.                  Demarest, G. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 32: 1,2 Thessalonians/1,2 Timothy/Titus (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1984; pp. 240-256)

4.                  Macarthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible, New American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)

5.                  Billy Graham, “How Did My Grandmother Get Such Strong Faith?” Retrieved from http://www.arcamax.com/healthandspirit/religion/billygraham

6.                  Charles R. Swindoll, “Sincere Faith at Home.” Retrieved from eministries@insightforliving.ccsend.com

7.                  Christine Caine, “Landing Safely.” Retrieved from Biblegateway@e.biblegateway.com

8.                  “Overcoming the Fear of Sharing the Gospel.” Retrieved from Christianity.com@crosswalkmail.com

9.                  Dr. David Jeremiah, “The Secret to Soul-Winning.” Retrieved from turningpoint@davidjeremiah.org

10.              “Decision Making.” Retrieved from Oneplace@crosswalkmail.com

11.              Michael Youssef, Ph.D., “Standing Up.” Retrieved from www.ltw.org

 

 

 

 

Micah 6:1-8 The Case of the People of Israel vs. God

How many of you have even been in court because of a lawsuit? If so, then the passage from Micah 6:1-8 sounds very familiar. This passage resembles a lawsuit that is being heard in court. Micah calls creation as a witness. The mountains, present throughout all of Israel’s history, are called on as witnesses, because they have “seen” all that the Israelites have done. God’s creation has witnessed the relationship between God and His people, so it was well-suited to reach a just verdict in this case.

God questioned His people and gave them a chance to respond. God told of His faithfulness to his people in the past and demands obedience to the covenant he established with His people. The Israelites believed that God has wronged them. He challenged them to provide evidence to support their claims. He directed the events surrounding their flight from Egypt. When they remembered what He did for them in the past, their faith was strengthened.

God showed in this passage that he was willing to set things right. He was not unjust to the Israelites, nor did He ask too much from them. He addressed them tenderly and compassionately. He kept the promises He made.

On the other hand, the Israelites did not keep their promises. Spiritual blindness led them to offer everything except the one thing that God really wanted-a spiritual commitment from their hearts. Right behaviour would have resulted from this commitment. God isn’t interested in sacrifices. He is more concerned with our attitudes. They come from the deepest part of our lives-our hearts-and show themselves in positive actions toward God and His people.

God displayed considerable emotion in His dispute with Israel. For the Israelites to claim that God wearied them gave the impression that he did something to make them impatient and disobedient. In reality, He had mightily delivered them-from Egypt to Gilgal-in fidelity to His righteous nature and covenant promises.

In verses 6-8, Micah summarizes the laws of Moses into three commands. These few things are what God truly desires of His covenant people, not innumerable sacrifices offered without a commitment to faithful living. The word “mercy” in the Hebrew language includes the idea of loyalty and faithfulness to God’s promises. When we repent and walk with God, He will show us mercy. In fact, He loves to show us mercy.

There is a connection between forgiveness and obedience. Since Israel had experienced a gracious remission of her sin of worshipping the golden calf, what sort of people were they to be now? The logical question for them to ask would have been, “What does God require of us?” The logical answer would have been the same things God provided to the Israelites when they repented: mercy, justice and humility. These things aren’t always easy to do. They are not one-time accomplishments to be completed and checked off a list. They will help us understand God’s heart, and in turn our own hearts will be shaped as we put these things into practice.

Living in humility simply means living by faith. We are not to give in to the evil temptations in this world. We are not to sit around and do nothing. We are to move forward in faith. We are to live aggressively for the truth.

Today, our society is in a situation that is similar to the situation the prophet Micah wrote about. We have lost our ability to function in society the way God wants us to live. He wants us to be a light to our world. People should be able to look at us and see something wonderfully different about us-something different that was created by our faith in Christ.

Some time ago, someone wrote to Billy Graham and ridiculed Christians who talk about things like sin and forgiveness. The writer said, “Why don’t you wake up and realize that we’re free to live any way we want to? We shouldn’t feel guilty when we follow our own desires. There’s no such thing as ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ in my view.”

Here’s part of Billy Graham’s reply:

“Do you honestly believe there is no such thing as right and wrong? Frankly, I seriously doubt it. Child abuse, poisoning the environment, hacking someone’s bank account, cheating a neighbour, lying to your friends, murder…I can think of a whole list of evils that you’d agree are always wrong.”

“But why are they wrong? And why are some things like helping others or taking care of the environment always right? Is it simply because society works better if we act this way? The real answer is deeper than this. The real answer is that God has told us how to live---and the reason is because He loves us, and He knows what is best for us.”

We can’t expect people to embrace a Saviour they know nothing about. We can’t expect them to surrender to God when we as His servants are fighting with each other. We are Christ’s eyes, ears, hands and mouthpiece. We have the responsibility to live in such a way that others can see Christ in us.

We are encouraged to sacrifice our own thoughts, our own conversations with others, and our own business of minds. We need to sacrifice what is going on within us right now to give ourselves in worship to God.

God is the great helper. If we want to be more like Him, we will naturally grow in our love to help people. We must not try to be like someone else. We must be ourselves. We must think about how God has made us and how we can help others with our unique personality and gifts.

Moving forward in faith means spending quality, quiet time with God every day. This involves prayer and reading His Word. Before we do this, we have to quiet ourselves and our surroundings so we can hear what God tells us.

One of the things God will tell us is His plan for our lives. Sometimes the plan won’t make sense to us. Sometimes it will be uncomfortable or painful. If we really walk with God, we will find contentment in spite of the pain His plan gives us.

We have a choice. We can live in the grasp of sin and evil, or we can give our hearts over to Jesus. He gave everything He had, including his life, to rescue us from sin, so it’s only fair that we give Him everything we have, including our lives.

 Bibliography

 

1.                  Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013, p.1212)

2.                  ESV Study Bible. Part of Wordsearch 11 Bible software package.

3.                  Kaiser, W.C. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 23: Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1992, pp. 69-71)

4.                  MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible, New American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)

5.                  Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible, New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles; 2005)

6.                  Dr. Gary Chapman, “A Radical Idea.” Retrieved from Oneplace@crosswalkmail.com

7.                  Stephanie Davis, “A Real Chance at Happily Ever After.” Retrieved from Christainity.com@crosswalkmail.com

8.                  Pastor David McGee, “Daily Quiet Time.” Retrieved from www.crossthebridge.com

9.                  Michael Youssef, Ph.D., “The Will of God.” Retrieved from www.ltw.org

10.              Bayless Conley, “Rejoicing in God’s Mercy.” Retrieved from Christianity.com@crosswalkmail.com

11.              Exegesis for Micah 6:1-8. Retrieved from www.lectionary.org

12.              Billy Graham, “Aren’t We Free to Win Any Way We Want?” Retrieved from http://www.arcamax.com/healthandspirit/religion/billygraham/

 

 

Isaiah 9:1-4 The Light of Christ

Have you ever stumbled around in the dark-either at night or during a power outage? It’s not a very pleasant experience, is it?

Darkness is associated with a number of unpleasant things. When we are in the dark, we tend to move slowly or wander aimlessly. We tend to be scared in the dark, mainly because we can’t see the dangers that would be apparent if it were light. There is something about darkness that makes us scared.

We can also wander around in spiritual darkness. That darkness is caused by our lack of knowledge in or faith in Jesus. When we receive the Light of Christ, we don’t have to be afraid of darkness or evil. Christ will be with us. When we are faithful, we will be rewarded.

The prophet Isaiah wrote the passage we heard earlier in this morning’s service during a time of spiritual darkness. Israel was at war with Assyria and was on the verge of being conquered because of their disobedience to God. Throw in a crop failure, no welfare system, an economy that relied solely on agriculture, no technology to preserve food and no system to distribute the food and the result is a very bleak situation.

For Isaiah, the answer to this crisis was God’s ability to intervene at a moment in history and accomplish his purpose for his people. Isaiah emphasized peace and the end of war-a plan that was appealing to a nation that had been eroded by warfare and strife. Isaiah’s vision for the people was to live in a world where God’s light would penetrate the darkness of sin.

Isaiah’s vision happened because of his faithfulness. God showed him the revelation of the future and the Messiah who was to be born. The Messiah would conquer death and would be the great light of hope that would shine on all of humanity. He will make His people more abundant, increase their joy and break the rods of their oppressors. 

In the Bible, darkness points to both known ignorance and willful blindness. People are either lacking knowledge about God or they reject him or both. The seasons of Christmas and Epiphany point to the glory of God as revealed in Jesus’ birth in that humble Bethlehem manger. His birth was the dividing line between the age of darkness and the age of light.

Our world is full of darkness and sin. Our leaders sometimes make decisions that don’t make sense to us as Christians. They don’t trust God. We must not allow despair to overwhelm us. We are to live in the light of God’s presence. He is the deliverer, the ultimate agent at work in the world.

Isaiah speaks of the area of Galilee in the northern kingdom of Israel experiencing humiliation at the hands of the Assyrians. However, a time would come when a great light of salvation through the messianic King would dispel the dark gloom of judgment. When Jesus began his ministry in Galilee, the fulfillment of this prophecy was set in motion. Isaiah compares this King’s victory over Israel’s enemies to the day of Midian, when Gideon and his outnumbered Israelite army defeated the Midianites through God’s powerful intervention.

God’s light brings life, clarity and safety. It drives away gloom and brings hope. The deeper the darkness, the brighter the light. If you light a match in a deep cave, it is a torch. Those who live in darkness receive the shining light of Christ. When sin closes in on us, God sends His light into the world. Those who prefer flickers to flame won’t see the light. People who live in the dark yearn for bright light, and God will give it to them.

There will be no gloom or sorrow for those who are suffering or in bondage to sin. Those who suffer will be saved from the yoke of their oppression. Not even the darkest gloom of sin and despair can keep the light of God’s presence from shining, even on those who live in the darkness known as the shadow of death. That’s why we have “deathbed conversions.” That’s why the thief who hung on the cross beside Jesus repented. The light of God’s presence spreads to every corner of the earth. That light conquers death and sin. It provides comfort for those who suffer for their faith at the hands of those who prefer to live in the darkness of sin and evil.

Bibliography

1.                  Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013, pp. 890-891)

2.                  McKenna, D.L. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 17: Isaiah 1-39 (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1993; pp. 135-138)

3.                  MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible, New American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)

4.                  Calvin Aardsma, “Light in Our Darkness.” Retrieved from www.thisistoday.net

5.                  Exegesis for Isaiah 9:1-4. Retrieved from www.lectionary.org

6.                  Amy Oder, “Commentary on Isaiah 9:1-4.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org

 

 

 

John 1:29-42 What’s In a Name

You have probably heard the phrase “What’s in a name?” from time to time. Names mean different things to different people. In the reading from John 1:29-42, we read some of the names given to Jesus and given by Jesus.

We heard the name John the Baptist gave to Jesus- “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” Deliverance from sin through the blood of a lamb, which was a picture of Old Testament sacrifices, prefigured the coming of Jesus as the Lamb of God. This lamb achieved the final salvation for God’s people through Jesus’ death and resurrection. His death redeemed us from sin, death and Satan. His death also satisfied God’s wrath by making up for our sins.

John’s Jewish audience understood the title “Lamb of God” because they had sacrificed many lambs. This Lamb would be the final, ultimate sacrifice who would take away the sin of the world. As the Messiah, Jesus gathered up all of the Old Testament expectations about an anointed one who would lead and save His people.

Another name that was given to Jesus is “Messiah.” People had high expectations for a rising leader. John the Baptist thought that Jesus was the One…the Coming One…the Lamb of God…The Son of God…The Messiah. But a year or so later, John the Baptist had doubts when the Messiah didn’t act like John thought Messiahs were supposed to act. From prison, John sent his disciples to Jesus with questions: “Hey, I thought you were the Son of God. Why aren’t you Son-of-Godding? Why aren’t you thumping our enemies? Why am I still in jail?”

Another name we heard was “snakes.” John the Baptist could look into people’s souls and see who they really were. That’s why he called the Pharisees and Sadducees “a brood of vipers.” He knew they didn’t want to repent. He also looked at Jesus and knew that Jesus was the Lamb of God. He knew that Jesus had the power to make things new. He knew that Jesus had power over sin and death.

John used his influence to point others toward Christ, just as believers today are called on to do. John’s message was clear: Behold! John the Baptist was the vessel chosen by God to prepare the people for the coming of the Messiah. God used John to open truths to his people that they can’t understand on their own. Once we have been introduced to these truths, our teachers must hand us over to Jesus so that he can disciple us. 

We also heard the name “teacher.” The role of a teacher of the Bible is to bring people to Christ. That’s what Andrew did when he brought his brother Cephas to Jesus. Andrew is a good example for us to follow. Fellowship with Jesus doesn’t end when worship ends. Fellowship should encourage us to share the joy we have with other people. Jesus called Andrew to catch men instead of fish, and that’s the same call he has for us today.

Sinners who look to Jesus will find a great hope. They will find strength and encouragement. One day our struggles will be over. We will see Him and praise Him as the worth Lamb. Before we can do that, we have to remove everything in our lives that is hurtful and sinful. 

God frequently changed people’s names to indicate their special calling. Jesus knows our hearts thoroughly. He sees into them and changes a person into what He wants him/her to become. For example, he changed Abram’s name to Abraham, and he changed Jacob’s name to Israel. That’s why Jesus changed Cephas’ name to Peter. Cephas is an Aramaic word meaning “rock”. By changing Cephas’ name to Peter, Jesus called on him to be the rock on which the church would be built. (In fact, the Roman Catholic Church believes that Peter was the first Pope.)

When Jesus gave Peter a new name, Peter was not yet a rock or a firm foundation. He would later live up to his new name. Like Peter, we have two names. One is the name we were given by our parents. The other one is one we have made, such as “broken heart,” “running scared,” “loved one,” or “a lonely heart.” This is who we are right now, but we can and will be someone else. Jesus looks into our souls, see who we will be, and renames us. If we are faithful, we will be called, “child of God.” He invites us to belong to him. Will we accept this invitation? Will we be witnesses for Jesus like John the Baptist and Andrew

The name Jesus gives us is “followers.” John the Baptist told even his own disciples to follow Jesus. Jesus’ penetrating question- “What do you seek?” -is for those who truly want to know Him. Genuine followers of Christ are willing to submit themselves to Him. When the disciples answered Jesus’ question with one of their own, they were not asking him where his tent was or the address of the house he was visiting. They wanted to know about the eternal, undying dwelling place of the Lamb of God. They were asking where they could go to be in the very presence of God.

On our faith journey there will be times when we will have questions for Jesus. He loves to hear our questions, but that doesn’t mean that he will always answer them directly. He wants us to follow Him and learn from Him. He invites us into a relationship that will change us forever. As we are changed, we will be encouraged to do Christ’s work in our world. Jesus takes us-ordinary people that we are-and uses us in extraordinary ways. In return, we are to take up our cross, follow him, love him and offer his invitation to others.

In conclusion, names mean different things to different people as I mentioned earlier. The one thing most of the names mentioned in the passage from John have in common is that they describe the different roles Jesus had and the roles we as Christians have to play. Jesus fulfilled all of his roles. Have we fulfilled all of our roles?

Bibliography

1.                  Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013, pp. 1442-1443)

2.                  ESV Study Bible. Part of Wordsearch 11 Bible software package.

3.                  Fredrikson, R.L. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 27: John (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)

4.                  MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible, New American Study Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)

5.                  Dr. Charles Stanley, “Bringing Others to Jesus.” Retrieved from www.intouch.org

6.                  Ed Young, “Still Counting-Subtraction.” Retrieved form www.edyoung.com

7.                  Dr. Ralph Wilson, “John’s Gospel.” Retrieved from www.jesuswalk.org

8.                  Exegesis for John 1:29-42. Retrieved from www.lectionary.org

9.                  Sarah Dylan Breuer, “Second Sunday after the Epiphany, Year A. “ Retrieved from www.sarahlaughed.net

10.              Audrey West, “Commentary on John 1:29-42.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org

11.              Pastor Edward Markquart, “Two Witnesses: John the Baptist and Andrew.” Retrieved from www.sermonsfromseattle.com

Matthew 11:2-11 Expectations

Have you ever been in a situation where people did not live up to the hopes and expectations you had for them? If so, you can probably understand why John the Baptist was confused in the reading we heard from Matthew 11:2-11

 

Why was he confused? There are two possible reasons. One is that his imprisonment could have affected his thinking. Prisons in John’s day were not like they are today. John was locked up in a dungeon in Herod’s palace. The dungeon was like a cave-dark and depressing.

A second, more likely reason is because Jesus was not the type of Messiah John preached about, not was he the type of Messiah the people were looking for. Both John and the people were looking for a military-type of ruler who would drive out the Romans and restore Israel to the glory days of King David.

Uncertain, scary times can shake us up and cause us to have doubts about our faith. John the Baptist is a good example. When we, like John, are moved by the Holy Spirit, we vow to follow God. When we receive blessings, we are sure that Jesus is our Saviour. When we face tragedies and disasters, we question our faith. We question why these things happen. We are wrapped up in our suffering that sometimes we can’t see, hear or feel God’s presence.

John clearly shows us what happens to his and our narrow expectations. Christ came for him but he came in a way that John did not expect. We will find reconciliation and peace if we can see beyond our expectations and look for new places where Jesus is working. Jesus came to reverse things.

Jesus did not live up to the expectations of the people. He blessed the poor in spirit, the meek and peacemakers. He called on his people not to judge others. These teachings were contrary to the actions the people expected because of John’s fire and brimstone preaching. 

Jesus did not answer John’s question directly. At that time, it was shameful and dishonourable to publicly claim for oneself a higher status than one was born with. In the eyes of the people, he was a carpenter’s son and not the Son of God. He did not openly declare that He was the Messiah. Instead, He proclaimed the kingdom of God.

The expectation that was met was the expectation that society would be changed. The prophecies of healing in the last days came true when Jesus came, and they are coming true as the date of His Second Coming approaches. That healing shows its face in Jesus’ compassion-the same compassion we are to show to a hurting world.

Jesus came to help those in need, those who don’t have anyone else to help them. He didn’t come to destroy the wicked. He came to restore them and give them a second change. In other words, he came for us. We are the ones who need help. We are the ones who need someone to help us. We are the wicked who need a second chance.

Jesus did preach repentance, but he offered mercy and healing. Jesus judges us through mercy. Judgment has come, and Jesus the judge has decided that those of us who have accepted him as our Saviour by faith will receive mercy. In return, we are to continue his ministry of healing and teaching.  

Faith requires doubt in order to be faith. All of us have doubts about Jesus and our faith from time to time, especially if we are suffering or praying for something. Sometimes we wonder why God allows suffering or why God doesn’t answer our prayers. At times like these we must be like John. He had doubts, but he was open to hearing Jesus say that He is the Messiah. God doesn’t get mad at us when we have doubts. In fact, he is loving and gracious. He cares about our doubts and problems, but He cares more about us. All of our doubts will be gone and all of our questions will be answered when we get to heaven.

When we have doubts, we can do the following things:

1.      Admit our doubts and ask for help like John did.

2.      Acton our faith and not on our doubts.

3.      Keep going back to what we know to be true.

Sometimes we have blinders on. These blinders hinder our vision of where God is. If we take these blinders off we can see where God is in our lives and trust him.

Jesus answered John’s doubts with a report of His dramatic work. Matthew mentions the giving of sight to the blind first in order to highlight Jesus’ unique ministry. The Old Testament does not record the blind being healed, nor does the New Testament record any of Jesus’ disciples performing such a miracle. It is the most frequent healing miracle that Jesus performed. Jesus also healed the lame, the lepers and the deaf, and he raised the dead. Each of these compassionate acts was proof that Jesus was the Messiah.

Jesus asks us to stretch our understanding of who the Messiah is-a different model than the magical problem-solver and giver of good things that we want to have. When we remain faithful in the face of prayers that are not answered or hopes that go unfulfilled. God does not promise a life without pain, but He does promise that He will walk with us and that we will come out whole in the end.  

Jesus used a series of rhetorical questions to get the crowd to appraise John the Baptist. They were so interested in him because he was a humble prophet who spoke a piercing message. That message landed John the Baptist in jail. King Herod married his brother’s ex-wife, and John told him that was wrong. Herod did not like that message, so he had John the Baptist arrested.

Jesus insisted that John was more than a humble prophet because he served as His forerunner. John the Baptist was therefore greater than Isaiah, Daniel, Elijah or any of the other Old Testament prophets because only John had the privilege of personally introducing the Messiah, Jesus Christ, to the nation of Israel. He was also lesser than the least in the kingdom because he did not see the full work of Christ-his death, resurrection and ascension. We have experienced all of these because of our faith in what Christ did for us on the cross. We have experienced the actual atoning work of Christ. We are also greater than John because the Holy Spirit lives in us.

When Jesus said that the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John the Baptist, he was not belittling John but highlighting the extraordinary privilege of being in the kingdom. John prepared the way for the coming of the Messiah, but those in the kingdom experience its reality.

Advent is a time of expectation, a time of waiting for the coming of our Saviour. He comes among us in His Word and through the Holy Spirit. He stirs us up and gets us involved in His ministry among those who are neglected by our society. That is his expectation for us, and it is also the world’s expectation for us as Christians, so it should be our expectation as well. It is up to us to meet those expectations.

Bibliography

1.      Jeremiah, David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013, pp. 1299-1300)

2.      Exegesis for Matthew 11:2-11. Retrieved from www.sermonwriter.com

3.      ESV Study Bible. Part of Wordsearch 11 Bible software package.

4.      Augsberger, M. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 24: Matthew (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1982, p. 18)

5.      MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible, New American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006)

6.      Stanley, C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible: New King James Version (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles, 2005)

7.      Dr. Ray Pritchard, “If I Believe, why do I Doubt?” retrieved from www.keepbelieving.org

8.      Kelly McFadden, “Tunnel Vision.” Retrieved form www.homeword.com

9.      Jude Siciliano, O.P., “First Impressions, 3^rd Sunday of Advent (A).” Retrieved from www.preacherexchange.org

10.  The Very Rev. Samuel Candler, “Are You the One Who Is to Come?” Retrieved from www.day1.org

11.  David Lose, “Disappointed with God at Christmastime.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org

12.  Arland J. Hultgren, “Commentary on Matthew 11:2-11.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org.

13.  The Rev. Ada Wong Nagata, “Can You See and Hear God’s presence in Your Life?” Retrieved from www.episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/stw

 

 

Isaiah 11:1-10 The Best is Yet to Come

“Ah…. those were the good old days!”

How many of you have ever said or thought something similar to those words?

Thinking about the past always brings up memories, both good and bad. These memories include kids playing street hockey or climbing trees or making forts or walking 40 miles to school-uphill both ways! The problem with remembering the good old days is that sometimes they weren’t as good as we think they were!

The prophet Isaiah reminds us of the good old days when David ruled a united Israel, when life was simple in the Garden of Eden, and when God’s people fled Egypt to find a permanent home. Isaiah tells us that no matter how good the good times were even better times will happen when Christ returns. In this season of Advent, we remember both Christ’s birth in the stable in Bethlehem over 2,000 years ago and his Second Coming. Nothing in the past can be measured against what is yet to come.

Before Christ returns, the world will undergo trouble and strife through the Great Tribulation and the Battle of Armageddon. When Christ returns, not only will he bring with him the saints who are in heaven, but he will also redeem those Christians who are alive here on earth. That is what Isaiah means when he refers to the Messiah as a shoot or twig from Jesse. The Messiah and his earthly kingdom will grow from the remains of God’s judgment of the people on earth.

Before Christ returns, the world will be under judgment. Evil will be weeded out and what is left will be the shoot I just referred to. That shoot will be modest, just like Jesse, the father of King David, was. What Isaiah means is that the Messiah will be of the house and lineage of King David, who was the son of Jesse. The word “stem” refers to a “root-stock” or “stump”. The image of a stump indicates hope, for out of the stump will come a root or branch; namely, the Messiah. Isaiah recalls God’s promise to King David in 2 Samuel 7:16 that his descendant would rule over his kingdom forever.  

David was empowered by the Holy Spirit, but the Messiah will be more richly empowered by the Holy Spirit. He will show ideal faithfulness and find deep joy in living reverently before God. The coming Messiah will be endowed with the Spirit of the Lord, who provides the wisdom, ability, understanding, counsel, power, knowledge, peace and allegiance to God that are necessary to accomplish a challenging task.

That task includes transforming the social order and restoring nature to paradise. He will do what is right in His judgment and what is fair in His decisions. He will bring justice to the poor, the needy and the wicked. The peace Isaiah refers to in the animal kingdom mirrors the relief from oppressive injustice within human society. Isaiah 11:1-10 refers to the 1,000-year rule of Christ on earth after his second coming, which is also referred to in Revelation 20:4-6. It is the final earthly chapter in God’s plan to bring earth and its inhabitants back under his rule. The earth will return to the days of the Garden of Eden before Adam and Eve sinned. 

Paul quotes Isaiah 11:10 in Romans 15:12 to show that salvation is for Gentiles as well as Jews. The Messiah’s rule will be over all nations. Christ will heal the hostility between the nations of the world. As I mentioned earlier, He will allow the remnants of God’s people who are left after the Great Tribulation and the Battle of Armageddon to return to Him.

In the meantime, we must make certain that we are ready for His return, because it could happen at any time. We can do this by making certain that our lives are a reflection of what his kingdom here on earth will be. That includes being fair in our dealings with other people, loving everyone and being honest in everything we do. Jesus will see our true nature, so it doesn’t make any sense for us to pretend that we are doing these things.

It has been said that the main purpose of the Old Testament prophets was to afflict the comforted and comfort the afflicted. The reading from Isaiah 11:1-10 is an example of an Old Testament prophet comforting the afflicted. It gives hope for the future. In this season of Advent, the readings refer to our need to prepare for Christ’s return-a time when there will be the hope and peace referred to by Isaiah and the final judgment proclaimed by the apostle John. In a world full of hurt and pain, Isaiah reminds us that we are children of God. We as Christians have seen the fulfillment of the hope promised by the Second Coming, so we can and should proclaim this passage from Isaiah as our hope for salvation peace to be realized in the future.

 Bibliography

 

1.      Jeremiah, Dr. David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, New King James Version (Brentwood, TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013; pp. 893-894)

2.      Gathering Magazine, Advent/Christmas/Epiphany 2017 (Toronto, ON: The United Church of Canada, p. 8)

3.      ESV Study Bible. Part of Wordsearch 11 Bible software package.

4.      McKenna, D.L. & Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Vol. 17: Isaiah 1-39 (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.; 1993, pp. 153-158)

5.      MacArthur, J.F. Jr.: The MacArthur Study Bible, New American Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers; 2006)

6.      Lucado, M.: The Lucado Life Lessons Study Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2010, pp. 943-944)

7.      Selwyn Hughes, “Don’t Forget the Parentheses.” Retrieved from Crosswalk@crosswalkmail.com

8.      Jennifer Benson Schuldt, “Snake in a Box.” Retrieved from www.rbc.org

9.      Joni Eareckson Tada, “Of Wolves and Lambs.” Retrieved from www.joniandfriends.org

10.  Exegesis for Isaiah 11;1-10. Retrieved from www.lectionary.org

11.  Jeremiah, Dr. David: Agents of the Apocalypse (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2014)

12.  Anathea Porter-Young, “Commentary on Isaiah 11:1-10.” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org

13.  Ron Hansen, “The Peaceable Kingdom.” Retrieved from www.journeywithjesus.org

14.  The Rev. Dr. Stephen Montgomery, “Not Much, But Enough for Me.” Retrieved froom www.day1.org