Week of 3 Advent A
This is a Three-Year Lectionary based on the Lutheran Book of Worship 3-year
Lectionary (for public worship), "Prayers of the Day..." (Propers),
p. 13-41, Augsburg Publishing House, Minneapolis, 1978. It is
based, with only minor variations, on the Revised Common Lectionary, used by
many denominations, including the Episcopal, Lutheran, Presbyterian, and
Methodist churches:
http://www.commontexts.org/
and:
http://www.commontexts.org/rcl/usage.html
The daily readings are the Propers (Lections) for
the following Sunday, so that the daily devotions can prepare us for worship.
Additional Lections are from Common Service Book of the Lutheran Church,
"Scripture lessons for Matins and Vespers," United Lutheran Church of
America, General Rubrics VIII. Scripture lessons for Matins and Vespers, p. 299
- 304, Philadelphia,
1918.
The previous 2-
year Bible Study based on the Lutheran Book of Worship, Daily Lectionary for
personal devotions p.179-192, Augsburg Publishing House, Minneapolis, 1978, is
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Podcast Download: Week of 3 Advent A
Sunday 3 Advent A
First Posted December 16, 2007;
Podcast: Sunday 3 Advent A
Isaiah 35:1-10 -- Zion Restored;
Psalm 146 -- The Lord’s Eternal Reign;
James 5:7-10 -- Christ’s Imminent Return;
Matthew 11:2-11 -- Ministry of John the Baptizer;
Isaiah Paraphrase:
Isaiah,
the prophet, declared God’s promise of a Savior who would restore Zion
(Jerusalem; God’s people; the Church; the heavenly city). The
“wilderness” of this world will be transformed into lush paradise. God’s
people will rejoice with joy and singing. Barren wasteland will be
transformed and become like Lebanon, Carmel, and Sharon: places of great
beauty and fertility in Israel. God’s glory will be manifested by this
transformation.
God’s people are to be encouraged and
strengthened, and not to fear God’s coming. He is coming with vengeance
and retribution, but will save his people. In that day the blind and
deaf will be healed, the lame will become agile, and the mute will sing
for joy.
Springs of water will arise and streams of water will
flow in the desert, where jackals were once the only inhabitants, and
will transform it into marshland. There will be a highway in the
transformed wilderness, called the Holy Way. No unrepentant sinners, or
ravenous beasts will be allowed, but the redeemed of the Lord shall
return, and come to Zion with singing. They will have everlasting joy
and gladness, and there will be no more sorrow or suffering.
Psalm Paraphrase:
Let us praise the Lord! I will praise the Lord with my soul as long as I exist!
We
are warned not to put our trust in any human, even those who are great
and powerful according to this world’s values. Their authority and plans
are brief and die with them.
True happiness is experienced only
by those whose trust and hope are in God, the creator of heaven, earth,
seas, and everything in them. He is eternally faithful, and he alone
gives justice for the oppressed and food for the hungry.
The Lord
frees the spiritual prisoners from sin and death, opens the eyes of the
spiritually blind, lifts up the oppressed, and loves those who do what
is right according to God’s Word. The Lord protects the aliens, upholds
widows and the fatherless; but God will destroy the wicked.
The Lord will reign as Lord, for all eternity, over his people, who have accepted him. Praise the Lord!
James Paraphrase:
Christians
are urged to wait patiently for the coming of the Lord (Christ’s
return, on the Day of Judgment). The spiritual harvest is compared to an
agricultural harvest. As the farmer must have patience while the seed
sprouts and grows to maturity and produces fruit, so we must be patient
for the fruit of the spiritual harvest. So we should set our minds and
focus on the coming of the Lord, and not grumble and complain, because
the righteous judge (Jesus) is at the very threshold. Let us recall and
follow the example of the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord
with steadfastness and faithfulness. The Bible record testifies to the
steadfast faithfulness of Job, and the compassion and mercy of the Lord.
Matthew Paraphrase:
John
had been imprisoned by Herod (Antipas) because John preached against
Herod for marrying Herodias, the wife of Herod’s brother, Philip.
Languishing in prison, John heard rumors of Jesus’ teaching and
miracles, and sent John’s disciples to Jesus seeking confirmation that
Jesus was the Messiah.
Jesus told John’s disciples to go back to
John and tell him what they had seen and heard Jesus doing: the blind
and lame are healed, lepers are cured, the hearing of the deaf is
restored, the dead are raised to life again, and the poor receive “good
news” (“gospel” means “good news). Jesus declared that those who are not
offended by Jesus will be blessed.
As John’s disciples left,
Jesus asked the crowd what they expected to find when they had gone out
to John in the wilderness. Surly, they hadn’t gone out merely to hear
the sound of a reed shaken by the wind, and they certainly wouldn’t
expect to find someone in fine clothes, because such people live in
luxury in fine houses. So why had they gone; to see a prophet? Of
course, but John was more than a prophet.
John was the
fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy of a messenger sent by God to prepare
the way for the coming Messiah. John was the greatest of the Old
Testament prophets because he proclaimed and witnessed the coming of the
long-awaited Messiah, but Jesus said that the least member of the
kingdom of heaven would be greater than John.
Commentary:
God
has always intended to establish an eternal kingdom of his people who
willingly choose to trust and obey him. God has designed Creation with
the possibility of sin (disobedience of God’s Word), so that we would be
free to choose whether or not to trust and obey God’s Word, and the
opportunity to learn by trial and error that God’s Word is faithful and
true; that it is good, acceptable (possible and agreeable to do), and
perfect (our very best interest; compare Romans 12:2).
Jesus has
been designed into Creation from the very beginning (John 1:1-5, 14). He
was not an afterthought by God to save his Creation after it had gone
wrong. God knew from the beginning that giving his people free choice
would lead to sin (disobedience of God’s Word).
The meaning and
purpose for life in this Creation is to provide us an opportunity to
seek, find, and come to personal fellowship with our Creator (Acts
17:26-27), and this is only possible through Jesus Christ. Jesus is
God’s only provision for the forgiveness of our sin, and salvation from
our eternal condemnation and destruction by God’s judgment in accordance
with God’s Word (Acts 4:12; John 14:6).
The prophecy of Isaiah
promised that the God of Israel would come to them to save them and give
them vindication and justice over the enemies of God’s people. The
miracles of healing for the blind, deaf, mute, and lame would accompany
the coming of the Messiah and reveal the glory of God.
The coming
of the Messiah will restore the “wilderness,” of this world, and within
our hearts, to the fertile garden this Creation was intended to be, and
the life-giving and transforming water is the Holy Spirit, which only
Jesus gives (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey
Jesus (John 14:15-17). Jesus' Second Coming is both public, on the Day
of Judgment, and also personal and individual, in the gift of the
indwelling Holy Spirit.
Jesus is the highway (John 14:4-6), the
Holy Way, by which the Lord’s redeemed (ransomed from sin and death by
Jesus’ sacrificial death on the Cross) come through the wilderness of
this world and into eternal life in the “Zion” of God’s heavenly
kingdom.
We are warned not to place our trust in any thing or
person in this world, except God. Everything else will pass away; only
God is eternal and those to whom he chooses to give eternal life.
We
have been given the opportunity to choose whether to trust and obey
God’s Word or not, and we are free to make that choice, but it will bear
personal, eternal consequences. The Lord is able and willing to free
spiritual prisoners of sin and death; only he can heal the spiritually
blind and deaf. The Lord lifts up the oppressed. Those who choose to do
what is right according to God’s Word will be rewarded with eternal
life, but those who do what is wicked according to God’s Word will be
eternally destroyed. The Lord reigns eternally over those who choose to
allow him to reign over them now.
Christians are disciples of
Jesus Christ who have been “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) by the gift of
the indwelling Holy Spirit. The indwelling Holy Spirit is the spring of
water welling up to eternal life (John 7:37-39) which the disciples who
trust and obey Jesus have been promised (John 14:15-17). That spring of
eternally life-giving water within us is to flow outward into the world
and become a river which transforms the wilderness of this world into
eternal paradise. We cannot be part of that life-giving river without
having first received the promise of the "wellspring."
Saving
faith is obedient trust in Jesus. Discipleship is a spiritual growth
process to Christian maturity. We must be patient and cooperate with the
Lord so that we can grow to Christian maturity, and then we must be
patient and cooperate with the Lord to sow the seed of the Gospel in
others and irrigate and care for them until they also produce spiritual fruit.
The
Biblical record of God’s dealing with Israel, the Bible, has been
written for our instruction (1 Corinthians 10:6-12). We must know the
Bible in order to claim and receive the promises it contains. One such
promise is the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit to those who trust and
obey Jesus. Another is the encouragement of our steadfastness and
faithfulness when we consider the example of the prophets. Another is
the ability of discernment, for those who know the “signs” God has given
us in scripture to tell truth from deception.
John the Baptizer
was the greatest of the Old Testament prophets because he announced and
experienced the fulfillment of God’s promised Messiah. Until the coming
of Jesus, only a few individuals had personal knowledge of and
fellowship with God. John is an example. But the least “born-again”
disciple of Jesus is greater than John because he has personal knowledge
of and fellowship with God the Father and Jesus Christ, through the
indwelling Holy Spirit, which only Jesus’ coming made possible.
God
gave the signs that would attend the coming of the Messiah through
Isaiah and other prophets which are recorded in the Bible. People who
believed God’s Word and saw the fulfillment of the signs of the Messiah
were prepared to receive him and eternal salvation. Those who didn’t
know, or didn’t believe, were unprepared and lost eternal salvation.
The
Bible gives the “signs” which allow the believer to tell the difference
between the Holy Spirit and evil spirits, false “christs” and false
prophets (for example 1 John 4:1-3; Matthew 24:24). The Holy Spirit is
the “sign,” the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal
life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).
Now is the time to learn God’s Word so that we will not be caught
unprepared in the day of the Lord’s Second Coming.
Is
Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple
(John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you
received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts
19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to
obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with
certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians
1:13-14)?
Monday 3 Advent A
First Posted December 17, 2007;
Podcast: Monday 3 Advent A
Psalm 24 -- The King of Glory;
Psalm Paraphrase:
This
world and everything and everyone in it belongs to the Lord. He has
parted the waters and established solid ground (Genesis 1:9-10).
“Who
shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy
place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his
soul to what is false, and does not swear deceitfully” (Psalm 24:3-4).
Those who seek God and the face of God (a personal relationship) will
receive blessing and vindication from God his Savior.
“Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in!
Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle!
Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory” (Psalm 24:7-10 KJV)!
Commentary:
This
psalm is attributed to David, the great shepherd-king of Israel. It was
probably used for a processional up to the gates of the temple in
Jerusalem, which was built on a hill (Zion) surrounded on three sides by
valleys. Zion can be used to refer to the hill, to the city of
Jerusalem, to the people of Israel, to the Church, and to the heavenly
city.
The image of the procession to the earthly temple is a
metaphor for the spiritual pilgrimage we are making to the heavenly
temple.
God is the creator of the world and everything in it. Who
can ascend to the holy place on the hill of the Lord; to the eternal
kingdom in heaven? Only those who have clean hands and a pure heart, who
do not indulge in what is false, or practice deception, judged
according to God’s Word, fulfilled, embodied and exemplified in Jesus
Christ (John 1:1-5, 14). Those who are judged righteous will be blessed
and vindicated by the God of their salvation.
Those who seek God
and a personal relationship with him will trust and obey his Word, and
will come to personal knowledge of and fellowship with God, through
Jesus Christ who is God’s one and only provision for our salvation (Acts
4:12; John 14:6; see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right).
God’s
people are intended to be his temple, in whom he wants his Holy Spirit,
the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9) to dwell, by spiritual “rebirth”
(John 3:3, 5-8) through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ. We must
lift up the doors and gates of our hearts to allow him to come in
(Revelations 3:20), and we will experience his glory and his great power
working in and through us.
God has intended from the very
beginning of Creation to establish an eternal kingdom of his people who
willingly trust and obey God. He has created this temporal world to
allow us to choose whether to trust and obey him, and to learn by
trial-and-error. This world was created perfect, but has been corrupted
by sin (disobedience of God’s Word). That’s why there’s a time-limit on
this creation and our own lifetimes. God is not going to tolerate evil
forever, and he won’t allow evil in heaven.
God designed this
world so that no one is good enough to deserve salvation on his own
merit. We have all sinned and fall short of God’s righteousness (Romans
3:23) so that God can give salvation as a free gift (grace; unmerited
favor) to all who are willing to receive it by faith (obedient trust) in
Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9). Clean hands and a pure heart are
unattainable, except by the power of the Holy Spirit within us through
obedient trust in Jesus Christ. Jesus is the only way to forgiveness,
salvation, and eternal life in God’s kingdom in heaven (John 14:6).
Is
Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple
(John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you
received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts
19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to
obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with
certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians
1:13-14)?
Tuesday 3 Advent A
First Posted Dec. 18, 2009;
Podcast: Tuesday 3 Advent A
Isaiah 7:10-14 (15-17) -- The Sign of Immanuel;
Isaiah Paraphrase:
Isaiah
was the prophet to the Southern Kingdom of Judah during the conquest
and fall of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. During the reign of Ahaz in
Judah, the Northern Kingdom in alliance with Syria attacked Judah, and
the people of Judah were afraid. The Lord sent Isaiah to Ahaz, king of
Judah, telling Ahaz not to fear but to trust in the Lord. The Lord told
Ahaz to ask for a sign, no matter how difficult, but Ahaz refused to put
the Lord to the test.
Then the Lord declared, through Isaiah,
“Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men,
that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a
sign. Behold, a young woman (a virgin) shall conceive and bear a son,
and shall call his name Immanuel (meaning ‘God with us’ (Isaiah
7:13-14).”
God also declared that Immanuel would know right from
wrong at a young age (while still eating “baby food”), and that before
that, the lands of the two kings who were threatening Judah would be
deserted (Samaria; the Northern Kingdom). The Lord also declared that he
would bring upon Judah tribulation worse than any “since the day that
Ephraim departed from Judah” (1 Kings 12:1-20; the sixty years of
constant war between the two kingdoms after the ten northern tribes
separated from Judah).
Commentary:
Isaiah’s prophecy of
God’s Word was fulfilled. Samaria, the capital of the Northern Kingdom
fell to the Assyrians in 721 B.C.;* the people of the ten tribes were
deported and dispersed throughout the Assyrian empire, effectively
ceasing to exist. Samaria was repopulated from other nations conquered
by the Assyrians. The aliens intermingled with the remnant of the ten
tribes who had avoided deportation and became the Samaritans, which at
the time of Jesus, were regarded as racially and religiously impure.
Judah
didn’t learn the lesson of the destruction of the Northern Kingdom, and
did not heed the warning of the prophets including Isaiah to return to
trust and obedience of the Lord, and they were conquered by
Nebuchadrezzar (Nebuchadnezzar), King of the Babylonian empire which had
arisen from the Assyrian empire after the fall of Nineveh in B.C.
606.** The people of Judah, the remnant of Israel, were carried off to
exile in Babylon for seventy years from 587-517 B.C.* in fulfillment of
prophecy of Jeremiah 25:11-12; 29:10).
Seventy years was a
virtual life sentence for those who were adults at the time of the
Exile. The Lord brought the remnant of Israel back to the Promised Land
after the seventy years, as promised but they were not the same people;
they were a renewed people.
God was able to fulfill his promise
of a Savior and eternal king from the descendants of David (the House of
Judah), while punishing the disobedient. Jesus is the fulfillment of
God’s Word, the promised eternal Savior and King, Immanuel (Mathew
1:22-23).
The people who returned from Babylon had learned to
trust and obey God’s Word, but over time they forgot (and failed to
transmit to their children) the lesson. At the time of Jesus’ coming,
many had fallen away from obedient trust in God’s Word and were
unprepared to accept Jesus as the Messiah.
God’s Word is
eternally true, and is fulfilled over and over as the conditions for its
fulfillment are met. Fulfillment is the definitive characteristic of
God’s Word (Deuteronomy 18:21-22).
The history of God’s dealings
with Israel should be a warning to us; these things have been written
for our instruction, so that we can avoid their mistakes (1 Corinthians
10:11-12). Ahaz seemed “pious” by declining to put God to the test, but
Ahaz didn’t heed the warning of God’s Word through Isaiah. He made an
alliance with the king of Assyria instead of trusting and obeying God’s
Word, which ultimately led to the conquest of Judah by Babylon.
Is
Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple
(John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you
received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts
19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to
obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with
certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians
1:13-14)?
*The Oxford Annotated Bible, Revised Standard Version, Ed. by Herbert G. May and Bruce M. Metzger, Chronological Tables, p. 1532-1533), New York, Oxford University Press, 1962.
** “Babylon,” Easton’s Bible Dictionary, digital module, BibleDatabase freeware, see Free Digital Bible Study Tools, sidebar top right.
Wednesday 3 Advent A
First Posted December 19, 2007;
Podcast: Wednesday 3 Advent A
Romans 1:1-7 -- Disciple-making;
Romans Paraphrase:
Paul was writing to the Church at Rome, which had already been established by others, in order to introduce himself, to announce his intention of visiting, and to set forth his teaching of the Gospel.
Paul was a servant of Jesus Christ, who had been called to be an apostle ("messenger"), to proclaim the Gospel ("good news") of God (God’s plan of forgiveness and salvation; see sidebar, top right), proclaimed beforehand by the prophets and by Holy Scripture (the Bible). That Gospel is about God’s Son, who was a descendant of David, inherited from his human family, and revealed as Son of God by the power of the Holy Spirit through his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord. Through him, Paul and all apostles have received grace (unmerited favor; a free gift) and apostleship (the call to be a messenger; of the Gospel), “to bring about the obedience of faith (faith is obedient trust) for the sake of his name” (Romans 1:5b) among all nations, including the Romans who had received the call to belong to Jesus Christ.
“To all God’s beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 1:7).
Commentary:
Paul (Saul of Tarsus) is the prototype and example of a “modern,” “post-resurrection,” “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) disciple and apostle of Jesus Christ, as all Christians are called to be. Paul had a personal encounter with the risen and ascended Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-9), was “discipled” by a “born-again” disciple (Ananias; Acts 9:10-19) until he had received the Holy Spirit, and then he immediately began proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ by the guidance and empowerment of the Holy Spirit.
Paul’s conversion is exceptional in that it happened almost instantly. The rest of the Twelve original disciples, had been with Jesus night and day for about three years, and still weren’t ready to carry on Jesus’ ministry until they had received the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-13). Paul was already formally well-educated, in the Bible and Judaism, and he already loved God, so in his case, once he knew about and accepted Jesus and was “born-again” he was immediately ready for ministry.
God has always intended from the very beginning of Creation to establish an eternal kingdom of his people who willingly trust and obey him. God designed creation to allow us the freedom to choose whether or not to obey God’s Word. This lifetime is our opportunity to seek and come to know and have fellowship with God (Acts 17:26-27), and this is only possible through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus, through the Holy Spirit which only Jesus gives (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).
God designed Creation so that everyone needs, and no one deserves, forgiveness (of “sin;” disobedience of God’s Word; Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8-10) and salvation (from eternal condemnation and destruction; Romans 6:23), so that he could give forgiveness and salvation as a gift (Romans 5:8; Ephesians 2:8-9), to be received by all who trust and obey Jesus (John 1:12; Revelation 3:20). Jesus is God’s one and only plan for our forgiveness and salvation (Acts 4:12; John 14:6), and he has been designed into the structure of Creation (John 1:1-5, 14).
Paul is the illustration (“blueprint”) of the mission of the Church. Paul was convicted by the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9b), on the road to Damascus, which made him receptive to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Ananias was a “born-again” disciple (he had a personal relationship with the Lord through the indwelling Holy Spirit) who trusted and obeyed the Holy Spirit. Ananias went to Paul and “discipled” him until Paul had received the indwelling Holy Spirit. Only then did Paul go into the world to proclaim the Gospel, guided and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Paul began his ministry in fulfillment of the Great Commission which Jesus gave to his disciples to make “disciples,” to be carried out after they had been “born-again” (Matthew 28:19-20; Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5, 8). Paul’s relationship with Timothy demonstrates his mission of disciple-making (2 Timothy 2:2). We are all called to be disciples of Jesus Christ, to be “born-again,” and then to make “born-again” disciples of Jesus Christ.
True grace, and peace with God and our fellow humans, is only possible through Jesus Christ as our personal Lord.
Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
Thursday 3 Advent A
First Posted December 20, 2007;
Podcast: Thursday 3 Advent A
Matthew 1:18-25 Announcement
Matthew Paraphrase:
Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, a descendant of David, but while she was still a virgin she became pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Joseph knew that the child wasn’t his, but didn’t want to cause Mary shame, so he decided to divorce her quietly.
As he was considering this, Joseph had a dream in which an angel of the Lord appeared to him and told him not to refrain from taking Mary as his wife, because the child she was carrying was conceived by the Holy Spirit. The child was a boy, and they were to name him Jesus (Greek form of “Jeshua,” or “Joshua;” meaning Jehovah the Savior), because Jesus will save his people from sin (disobedience of God’s Word). This was the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy of a virgin who would conceive and bear a son called Emmanuel (or Immanuel), meaning “God with us.”
Joseph awoke from the dream and did as the angel had told him. He took Mary as his wife, but did not have marital relations with her until after she had delivered the baby; and he named him Jesus.
Commentary:
Creation has been designed from the beginning around Jesus (John 1:1-5, 14). God has always intended to establish an eternal kingdom of his people who willingly trust and obey God. This lifetime is our opportunity to seek and come to knowledge of and fellowship with God (Acts 17:26-27), and our opportunity to learn to trust and obey God. It is our opportunity to be spiritually “re-born” to eternal life.
God has been progressively revealing himself to us, first in Creation, then in his Word, the Bible, then in Jesus Christ, the “living Word,” the fulfillment, embodiment, and example of God’s Word in human flesh. The ultimate revelation of God to us personally and individually is by the gift of his Holy Spirit, which only Jesus gives (John 1:31-35), only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17).
Jesus came in God’s perfect timing, as the central act in history. It separates the previous age (B.C., i.e. “Before Christ, from the messianic age; A.D.; the “Year of the Lord”). The crucifixion of Christ marks the end of the Old Covenant of Law, of Judaism, and of Israel as God’s chosen people, and the beginning of the New Covenant of Grace through Faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ. The Church of Christian disciples is the “New Israel.”
Jesus is “God with us” in human form (Colossians 2:8-9, John 20:28). The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9), “God with us” personally and individually, through faith in Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16).
God’s Word declares that Jesus will return on the Day of Judgment, the end of the messianic age and of history. Everyone who has ever lived will be accountable to the Lord for what they have done in this lifetime (John 5:28-29). Those who have trusted and obeyed Jesus will receive eternal life in God’s heavenly kingdom, but those who have rejected Jesus and have refused to trust and obey Jesus will receive eternal condemnation and destruction in Hell with all evil (Matthew 25:31-46; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10). Every one of us will face God’s judgment within our lifetime, and no one can be certain how soon that will be.
Jesus Christ is God’s “anointed” Savior of the world (Christ and Messiah each mean “anointed”). Jesus is God’s one and only plan for the forgiveness of our sin (disobedience of God’s Word) salvation (from eternal condemnation and destruction) and eternal life, through spiritual “re-birth” (John 3:3, 5-8) by the indwelling Holy Spirit (Acts 4:12; John 14:6; see God’s Plan of Salvation, sidebar, top right.
Mary and Joseph each received God’s Word and chose to trust and obey (Matthew 1:24; Luke 1:38); to cooperate with God’s plan. God’s Word is fulfilled whether we trust and obey or not, and he gives each of us a choice. Only by cooperating with God’s plan can we receive the blessings he promises and wants to give us.
Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
Friday 3 Advent A
First Posted December 21, 2007;
Podcast: Friday 3 Advent A
Isaiah 40:1-8 -- Consolation;
Luke 1:67-80 -- Zechariah Restored;
Isaiah Paraphrase:
Judah’s seventy year exile in Babylon was nearly over and the prophet was called upon to announce God’s visitation. God speaks tenderly to comfort his people, telling her that her exile is complete, and her iniquity is pardoned; she has received twice the penalty for her sin.
The herald cries out, telling God’s people to prepare for the coming of the Lord in the wilderness; to make a straight highway in the desert. Valleys will be raised up, mountains and hills will be lowered, uneven and rough ground will be made smooth. “The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken” (Isaiah 40:5).
“A voice says, ‘Cry!’ And I said, ‘What shall I cry?’ All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. The Grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the Lord blows upon it; surely the people is grass. The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand for ever” (Isaiah 40:6-8).
Luke Paraphrase:
Zechariah had been struck mute by an angel for doubting the angel’s message that Zechariah’s wife, Elizabeth, would bear a son. When she delivered the boy, Zechariah named him John, as the angel had instructed, and immediately Zechariah’s voice was restored and he spoke, blessing God.
Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and began to prophesy, blessing God for visiting and redeeming his people, raising “a horn of salvation” in the house of David (the great shepherd-king), as God had promised through his prophets long ago, to show mercy to God’s people as he had promised their forefathers, that they should be saved from the power of their enemies. God remembered the holy covenant which he had sworn to Abraham, that God’s people would be free from the threat of their enemies, so that they could serve the Lord without fear, in holiness (set apart for God’s service) and righteousness (doing what is right according to God’s Word) all their lives.
Zechariah prophesied that his son, John, would be a prophet of God and precede the Messiah, to prepare his way, to announce salvation to God’s people by the forgiveness of their sin by the tender mercy of God. Then it will be like day dawning from heaven upon God’s people, giving light to those who are in darkness and the shadow of death, and light “to guide our feet in the way of peace” (Isaiah 1:79b).
John grew up in spiritual strength, and was in the wilderness until the day he was revealed to Israel.
Commentary:
Judah, the remnant of Israel, had refused to heed the many warnings of the prophets to repent and return to obedient trust in God, and had not learned from the example of the destruction of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. God punished Judah as a good parent would punish a willful, disobedient child, by exile in Babylon for seventy years, so that Israel would learn to repent and trust and obey God.
God promised beforehand that the exile would end after seventy years, and he promised to restore them to the Promised Land, and the Lord’s promises were fulfilled. God disciplines for our good, but he also comforts and is merciful.
God’s Word is eternal (Isaiah 40:8), and is fulfilled over and over, as the conditions for its fulfillment are met. God’s Word through Isaiah was intended to prepare Judah in exile in Babylon for their release and restoration to the Promised Land. That Word also applied and was fulfilled in the first advent (coming) of Jesus, announced by John the Baptizer. Now the Church is the prophet and herald of the coming of the Lord, personally as we accept Jesus and receive his indwelling Holy Spirit, and at his Second Coming on the Day of Judgment.
This world is a spiritual wilderness. God’s people are in spiritual exile in “Babylon,” awaiting the fulfillment of God’s promise to save us and restore us to his eternal Promised Land in Heaven. In the Day of Judgment, at Christ’s return, the glory of the Lord will be revealed and everyone who has ever lived will see it; Isaiah 40:5 will be fulfilled.
In another sense, we are individually in spiritual exile in wilderness, and we can individually prepare for and receive Christ’s coming, personally, through the gift of his indwelling Holy Spirit, which only Jesus gives (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). We will personally experience the glory of the Lord, by his indwelling Holy Spirit.
Zechariah doubted God’s Word delivered through the angel, and was rendered mute. When Zechariah returned to obedient trust by naming the boy John, Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit, was able to glorify the Lord, and was given prophetic utterance.
God wants us to learn to trust and obey him. Learning is a matter of trial and error. God gives us free choice, and allows us to experience the consequences of that choice. His discipline is designed to bring us to repentance so that he can show us his faithfulness and reward our obedient trust. In that way he can lead us to grow in faith to spiritual maturity.
Jesus is the “horn of salvation” which God has raised up. Hebrew altars had raised corners resembling and called “horns,” and were places of sanctuary where those who were falsely accused or threatened could take refuge. By faith (obedient trust) in Jesus we are forgiven our sins and find refuge from our spiritual enemies, Satan and death (Hebrews 2:14-15).
In Jesus we are cleansed from sin so that we are fit to serve God, and freed from slavery to sin and death so that we can do what is right according to God’s Word and serve him without fear.
Jesus is the “light of the world” (John 8:12) which dispels the darkness of spiritual ignorance (of lack of knowledge of God’s will; lack of divine wisdom), sin (disobedience of God’s Word), and the shadow of death. Jesus’ “light” guides our lives in the way of peace with God and with other people.
God had a plan for John the Baptizer from his conception, to be a herald of the Messiah, proclaiming God’s Word. He grew up in spiritual strength to spiritual maturity so that he was ready to serve the Lord when the Lord gave John his Word. That is what we are all called to do. God has plans for each of us (Ephesians 2:10). We are to learn to trust and obey God’s Word, to grow in spiritual strength to spiritual maturity so that we are fit and able to serve God when he calls on us. We are also to provide the spiritual nurture and guidance to enable our children to do the same.
Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
Saturday 3 Advent A
First Posted December 22, 2007;
Podcast: Saturday 3 Advent A
Hebrews 12:15-29 -- Mt Sinai or Mt Zion?
The author was writing to Jewish Christians and the main theme is the superiority of Christianity over Judaism. In this text Mount Sinai and Mount Zion are contrasted.
The author exhorts the congregation to ensure “that no one fail to obtain the grace (unmerited favor; i.e. forgiveness and salvation) of God; that no ‘root of bitterness’ spring up and cause trouble, and by it many become defiled; that no one be immoral or irreligious like Esau who sold his birthright for a single meal” (Hebrews 12:15-16). Remember that later, when Esau desired the inheritance of the blessing, he was rejected and had no opportunity to reverse his previous decision, although he was sincerely sorry (“repentant”).
Christians’ experience of relationship with God is not like the experience of the Jews; Mount Sinai is of this physical world, where it could be defiled by touch. The Jews were unable to draw close to God. They were separated from him at Mount Sinai by gloom, fire, tempest, the sound of loud trumpet, and a voice which made them ask not to hear any further messages; they could not endure the command that not even livestock could touch the mountain, at the penalty of being stoned to death (Exodus 19:12-22; 20:18-21). The experience of God’s manifestation of himself was so terrible that even Moses was afraid (Deuteronomy 9:19).
In contrast, Christians have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God, and to a festal gathering of angels and the assembly (Church; the Saints) of the first-born (Jesus) who are enrolled in heaven; to God who is judge of all, and to the spirits of people found just and made perfect (through Jesus, by his Holy Spirit), “and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant (of grace through faith; Ephesians 2:8-9), and to the sprinkled blood (of Jesus, for the cleansing of our sin). Jesus’ blood speaks forgiveness by grace through faith; but Abel’s blood cried out for vengeance and the penalty of law (Genesis 4:8-12).
Be careful not to refuse the Lord who is calling. At Mt Sinai if anyone had refused the command not to touch the mountain they would not have escaped punishment, and we should take God’s warning from Mt Zion just as seriously. Then, God’s voice shook the earth, but God has promised not only to shake the earth again, but also the heavens, so that only what cannot be shaken will remain. “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:28-29 RSV).
Commentary:
These exhortations are just as important to the Church now as they were in the first century. The Church should be diligent to ensure that none of its members fails to obtain the grace (forgiveness and salvation) of God which is only through faith (obedient trust) in Jesus Christ, by the indwelling Holy Spirit, which only Jesus gives (John 1:31-34), only to his disciples who trust and obey Jesus (John 14:15-17). The Church can only accomplish this by being “born-again” (John 3:3, 5-8) disciples and then making “born-again” disciples. The Holy Spirit is the seal and guarantee that one is in Christ and has eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9b, 11, 15-16). The Holy Spirit is the gift and mark of grace we are promised through faith in Jesus Christ.
The Church is warned not to allow any “root of bitterness” to spring up and defile the members. The “root of bitterness” (see Deuteronomy 29:18) is idolatry (love of any thing or person equal to or greater than God); a lack of obedient trust in God. Examples of modern idols are wealth, power, success, pleasure, career, family, or home. Another “root of bitterness” is false teaching contrary to the Bible. Two examples of false teaching in the Church today, which were present and refuted in the New Testament Church** are “Cheap Grace”* (teaching the gift of salvation without the requirement of obedience and discipleship; ) and the contrasting false teaching of “works-righteousness” (salvation earned by doing “good deeds”).
Let us be careful not to trade our spiritual inheritance for the fleeting pleasures of this world, as Esau did for a single meal when he was hungry (Genesis 25:29-34). Those who put off seeking the Lord and learning his ways now will likewise come to a point where it will be too late to change their decision.
The Old Covenant of Law was the basis of Judaism. Under that covenant only the high priest could come into God’s presence only once a year and only with a sacrificial offering for the sins of himself and the people. Under the Old Covenant we are convicted by the blood of Abel because we all share the sin-nature of Cain. Under the Old Covenant, people are constantly under condemnation and the wrath of God because it is humanly impossible to satisfy the requirements of the Law (Galatians 2:16).
Jesus Christ is the mediator of a New Covenant of Grace which is received by faith (obedient trust) in Jesus. Through the New Covenant the blood of Jesus pleads for our forgiveness. Through obedient trust in Jesus we receive the indwelling Holy Spirit.
If we are guided by the Holy Spirit we are no longer under condemnation under the Law (Romans 8:1-9). Instead, we have personal fellowship with Jesus and God the Father, and experience God’s love and salvation. Instead of the terrifying experience of God’s presence at Mt Sinai, we have the wonderful foretaste, now, of the festival we will have in Mount Zion, God’s eternal kingdom in heaven.
Now is the Day of Salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2). Now the Lord is calling us to be reconciled through obedient trust in Jesus Christ. God’s Word warns us of the eternal consequences of disobeying his Word.
There is a Day of Judgment coming when God will shake heaven and earth. The Coming of the Lord will be much more terrifying to the people on earth who have rejected Jesus than it was in the day of God’s presence on Mt. Sinai. In that Day it will be too late to avoid the wrath of God and eternal destruction. But for those who have trusted and obeyed Jesus, it will be the beginning of a great festival like a marriage feast or like the greatest worship experience in the presence of the Lord.
If we are grateful for an eternal inheritance that is unshakable and imperishable, let us be careful to offer acceptable worship to God, with reverence and awe, and obedient trust!
Is Jesus your Lord (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)? Are you Jesus' disciple (John 8:31)? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus (John 14:21)? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?
*See: The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Collier Books, Macmillan Publishing Co., NY 1963 ISBN 0-02-083850-6
**There are many examples of these two contrasting false teachings and their rebuke in the New Testament. Here are a few:
“Works-Righteousness:” “Legalism” the “Circumcision Party;” the “Judaizers;” “earning” salvation by doing good deeds; see Galatians 2:12, 16, 21-3:14; 5:1-5, Ephesians 2:8-10
“Cheap Grace:” “Libertinism;” “Nicolaitanism;” false freedom from self-discipline; i.e., licentiousness; see Ephesians 4:17-24; 1 Corinthians 5:1-13; 6:9-20
