Willing to Serve

Sometimes people wonder if preachers have any fun! Well, I can say that studying Isaiah 6:1-8 has been a thrill for me. The vision of God and Isaiah's response is truly stirring.

While no one on earth can look God in the face HE has chosen to appear at times as recorded in Scripture giving us limited sightings of His great self. Isaiah sees His throne and robe which fills the temple. Whether Isaiah is viewing the temple in Jerusalem or Heaven is not for certain, but his vision of God certainly impacted him. That's where we will start this Sunday...taking a glimpse of God as Isaiah saw Him. Interestingly, the Apostle John indicates that Isaiah was actually seeing the glory of Jesus! (John 12:41).

We also will meet the Seraphim who with 6 wings surround the throne of God with praise for His holiness. We sing what they sang/cried when we sing the hymn "Holy, Holy, Holy". Uniquely, we meet these celestial creatures only here in the whole of the Bible.

Isaiah's encounter with the Lord brought 3 results. First, he confessed that he was ruined and unclean. Most Bible teachers understand Isaiah to be acknowledging his unworthiness and sinfulness before a Holy God. The attribute of God's holiness brings about a combination of celebration and confession. It is interesting to note the experiences of Abraham, Job, Daniel and John when they see the Lord...each of them are completely humbled before Him. Second, there is cleansing for Isaiah. This is displayed as a live (burning) coal taken off of the altar in the temple and touched to his lips. We know that the altar was for sacrifice and the burning coal speaks of fire which purifies. We can certainly see the symbolism of the cross where the sacrifice of our Saviour provides cleansing and purification for our sins. Finally, God asks who will go to carry His message to the nation of Judah and beyond. Isaiah responds without hesitation "Here am I, send me".

Isaiah's willingness to go and serve is at the heart of this Sunday's sermon. In the coming weeks we at Hebron will be challenged to go BEYOND and serve our Lord and others. It is my hope that as we look at our Lord and realize how worthy He is; how unworthy we are; and yet He loves us, cleanses us and invites us to serve Him so that we will heartily, enthusiastically and unhesitatingly volunteer for His service!

 

1. How do you reconcile that no one can see God with Isaiah seeing Him? 1 Timothy6:15,16; Isaiah 6:1

2. Is God sitting on a throne unusual? Daniel 7:9; Revelation 4:2

3. Compare the heavenly praise of God in the Old Testament with the heavenly praise in the New Testament. Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8

4. What is an interesting difference between the Seraphim and Cherubim? Isaiah 6:2; Ezekiel 10:20:21

5. Why do you think Isaiah describes himself as a man of unclean lips? Matthew 12:34

6. Consider Isaiah's confession (6:5) and cleansing (6:6,7) in light of 1 John 1:9.

7. Does the Seraph's praise of 3 Holies along with God saying "Who will go for us" make you think of a particular Christian doctrine or doxology?

8. When responding to God's question about someone to send does Isaiah offer any excuses or stipulations? Isaiah 6:8.  Is there a lesson for us here?

How Do You Look?

“I know you're walkin' down a lonely street
I know you can't get out of the heat
Baby, it's alright,

Don't have a wasted life

“I know you have to feel a little used up
And no one can give you enough
Baby, hold on tight

“Don't have a wasted life
I love you too much
Don't have a wasted life
I love you too much

“They give it to you from the time you're born
You keep tryin' to make one more score

Baby, it’s alright,
You gotta stand and fight

“So when you're lonely and you feel let down
You can call me, I'll come around
And treat you nice
Don't have a wasted life”

Now I don’t know how much this girl believes her life to be wasted, but I doubt that Tom Petty coming around and treating her nice will help her avoid it.

Last week we were in Jonah 2 talking about Jonah’s gigantic discovery in the belly of the fish.  While the whole prayer is worthy of reading and rereading, it’s verse 8 that’s the most arresting.  “Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the hesed, the loving kindness, the steadfast love of the Lord God Almighty.”  Indeed, that’s exactly what Jonah had done as he ran away from God’s clear direction in his life.

When you come to the New Testament, you find a number of others running from God and forfeiting His hesed.  The Christians at Corinth are a perfect example.  As some of you know, Paul writes them a letter about their indolence and license that has been lost.  We have no copy of this letter, but he refers to it in I Corinthians 5.  It’s a letter that appears to have caused them some pain and guilt.  Indeed, his second letter (I Corinthians) contains a good amount of material that would have the same effect.  But something happens between the receipt of Paul’s second letter and his third letter (II Corinthians).  When news of the condition of the church reaches the ears of Paul, through Titus, Paul is overcome with joy.  He’s thrilled that they’ve had a kind of “belly of the fish” experience.  They’ve let go of their worthless idols and are no longer forsaking God’s steadfast love, but are walking in it.

And Paul writes them another letter.  Now, chapter one of II Corinthians is one of my favorite chapters, but we’re not there this week, instead we’re in Chapters 2,3, & 4.  Here in several brief paragraphs Paul describes what the unwanted life begins to look like.

This week we are going to examine Paul’s description of the hesed-filled Christian life by zeroing in on four of the five similes he uses to convey deep spiritual truth.  Indeed, each simile is an excellent tool to measure how fully you’ve released your idols.

In preparation for Sunday you may wish to consider the following questions:

      1.      What can you discover is behind Paul’s words in II Corinthians 2:1-11?

2.      Can you find the first simile in II Corinthians 2:14,15?

3.      What does he mean in verse 16?

4.      Can you find the second one in II Corinthians 3:2?

5.      In what way does this simile imply a ministry to others?

6.      The third simile is in verse 18 of Chapter 3.  Note the textual variant in this verse where the words “beholding” and “reflecting” are used to describe the unfettered Christian life.

7.      How does Paul’s use of this simile fully describe the purpose of the Christian life?

8.      In II Corinthians 4:7 Paul uses a fourth simile.  How are we to understand this one?

9.      How did Jesus perfectly live out this simile?

10.  How are all these descriptors connected to the cross?

See you at His table this Sunday!

The Prayer of Jonah

Yogi Berra is widely regarded as one of the greatest catchers in baseball history.  But it’s not his catching that most people focus on when they think of Yogi, it’s his clever quips.  “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over” is one.  “I really didn’t say anything I said,” is another.  But perhaps his most timely and most repeated quip was first uttered in the 1960s when he witnessed Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris repeatedly hitting back-to-back home runs for the New York Yankees.  Upon seeing one home run after another, Yogi exclaimed in all seriousness, “It’s déjà vu all over again!”

I have discovered the same is true whenever the Gospel is truly preached and heard.  Martin Luther declared that justification by faith alone is the article upon which the church stands or falls. This cardinal doctrine of the Protestant Reformation was the battleground for nothing less than the Gospel itself.  Simply put, “justification” is the act by which unjust sinners are made right (righteous) in the sight of a just and holy God.  How is this done?  The Gospel states that it is done by God who applies the righteousness of His perfect Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to the sinner’s life.  Paul puts it this way in Romans 3:20, “By the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight.” 

 

It is all God’s doing in two ways:  Christ’s finished work of righteousness and the Father’s declaration that Christ’s righteousness is now credited to our account.  The certainty and finality of this declaration was called a “forensic” act by the Reformers.  That is, we are declared, counted, or reckoned once and forever to be righteous when God imputes the righteousness of Christ to our account.  Indeed it is this forensic act that is the necessary condition for anyone to be saved.  And it is faith in Christ alone, and His work alone, that is the necessary condition for justification.

Now, while all of that may seem rather technical and esoteric to many, it has real world relevance to us here at Hebron today.  As in times past, in the face of the preached Gospel people are asking “How can this be?”  “If God is sovereign and He’s the One who does all the saving, all the keeping, all the insuring of one’s standing before God, what is there for me to do?  Why not just live like hell?  If all threats of eternal judgment are removed, if our new life in Christ can never be lost, then what kind responsibility do I bear?”

These aren’t new questions.  These aren’t new reactions.  Indeed, in his expansive commentary on Romans 6, Dr. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones famously issued a warning to all those who preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  He writes:

 

The preaching of the true gospel of salvation by grace alone always leads to the possibility of the charge of antinomianism (lawlessness).  Indeed, there is no better test as to whether a man is really preaching the New Testament gospel of salvation than this, that some people might misunderstand and misinterpret it to mean that because you are saved by grace alone it doesn’t matter what you do; you can go on sinning as much as you like because it will redound all the more to the glory of grace.  If your preaching and presentation of the Gospel doesn’t expose it to that misunderstanding, then it’s not of the Gospel that you are preaching or presenting.  Let me show you what I mean.

If a man preaches justification by works, no one would ever raise this question.  If a man’s preaching is “If you want to be a Christian, or stay a Christian, and if you want to go to heaven, you must stop committing sins, you must take up good works, and if you do so regularly and constantly, and do not fail to keep on at it, you will make yourself one, no misunderstanding would arise.

Why?  Because that‘s the message the church of Rome proclaimed in Luther’s day.  That’s the same message that is widely proclaimed today – even in the preponderance of Protestant churches today.

But, praise God, it is not so at Hebron.  Today, as in times past, the question has been raised, “If God is sovereign, if justification by faith alone is true, why do I have to do anything?  Why can’t I, then, live like hell?”  There’s a clear answer.  Paul knew it.  Luther knew it.  Calvin knew it.  Whitefield knew it.  Edwards knew it.  Spurgeon knew it.  Every student of Scripture ought to know it.  And this week we’ll give it.  Sunday’s message is intentionally “piggy-backed” on Ken Wagoner’s message from two weeks ago, “The One That Got Away.”  If you haven’t listened to it, you should.  There’s a verse in Jonah 2 that will be the pivot point in this Sunday’s message.  It’s Jonah 2:8, near the end of Jonah’s incredible prayer.  It’s the centerpiece of God’s answer to the question, “If God is sovereign, what does it matter what I do?”

In preparation for Sunday’s message, “The Prayer of Jonah,” from Jonah 2:1-9, you may wish to consider the following questions:

 

1.      What is Paul’s answer to the charge of antinomianism in Romans 6?

2.      How does Jonah’s prayer differ from the prayer of Jabez in I Chronicles 4?

3.      What does Jonah’s father’s name mean?

4.      Who is the one responsible for Jonah being thrown into the sea?  The sailors?  Jonah?  God?

5.      Who does Jonah believe to be the responsible party?

6.      How did God “bring up his life from the pit”?  See verse 6(b).

7.      What does Jonah mean in verse 7?

8.      How do you think verse 8 is best translated?  Check several and then if you are able, examine the Hebrew text.

9.      What idols was Jonah clinging to?

10.  What does it mean to forsake godly mercy by clinging to idols?

See you Sunday as we consider the fruit of justification!

TODAY

"Why do today what you can put off till tomorrow?" someone has jokingly said.  Many of us know the struggle with procrastination.  Some folk are stuck in the past while others always intend to get things done in the future.  We should remember the past, plan for the future but LIVE in the present.  I like the little saying "Today is a gift; that's why they call it the Present."  God's Word has much to say about valuing and taking advantage of TODAY!

Consider with me 3 Bible verses related to our theme.  First, 2 Corinthians 6:2c "now is the day of salvation."  In a greater sense this is referring to the Gospel era since Jesus' death and resurrection but it also is a reminder to turn to the Lord in repentance and faith while the opportunity is available.  The Bible gives no indication of a second chance for salvation after death so today is the day and now is the time to trust Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Second, Matthew 6:11 "Give us today our daily bread".  We should be aware and thankful of God's provision today.  Even if our fridge and cupboards are stocked full we should give thanks for what we have today.  Even the breath we breathe today is due to His will - Job 12:10.

Finally, Psalm 118:24.  "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it".  This verse interestingly refers primarily to God's gift of deliverance to an individual or the whole of ancient Israel.  We also see in the surrounding verses the Father's exaltation of the one men rejected, Jesus Christ.  Some commentators though the years have seen this verse as honoring the Sabbath Day.  In a general sense, every day including today is a gift from God.  While it's true that "Rome wasn't built in a day"  let's be thankful for TODAY and use it in some way  to accomplish something positive and spiritually beneficial!

See you Sunday (Lord willing)!

1.  According to Hebrews 3: 7 when should we respond to the Lord's "voice"?

2.  What is something we should do today and every day?  Psalm 145:2

3.  What does God give fresh and new today and every day?  Lamentations 3:22,23

4  Sometimes, Christians use the phrase "Lord willing" when speaking of future plans.  Consider the basis for this in James 4:13-17.

5. What should be a part of Christian behavior today and every day?  Hebrews 3:13 (sounds like Growing Stronger to me )

6.  Read Ecclesiastes 9:7-10 - practical passage on taking advantage of TODAY.

7.  Is there something God is moving in your heart about today?  Is there something you have been putting off that you could do today?  Is there someone whom you could thank, honor, or encourage today?  Jerry Z shared a great challenge to all of us a while back about taking advantage of today = "Send me flowers now"!

The One That Got Away

When we read about people in the Bible, we are tempted to “put them up on a pedestal,” and think if only we can be like them.  We continue to read about them more closely, and then we are tempted to say “how did they ever get mentioned in the Bible?”  Our expectations and hopes are dashed very quickly, and then we need to look in a mirror and say, “at times my life looks similar” to the one we are reading about.  Jonah is one of these people we look at, and we come away saying there are times he seems to get what God wants him to do, and then there are times he doesn’t seem to have a clue.  The book of Jonah is four chapters, a total of 48 verses, and can be read very easily.  Here is a question we need to ask as we read this book:  “Is this a story about Jonah, or is it a story about God?”  The way we answer this question determines much what we get out of what we read.  The following is what G.A. Smith says about our usual approach to reading Jonah:

“And this is the tragedy of the Book of Jonah, that a Book which is made the means of one of the most sublime revelations of truth in the Old Testament should be known to most only for its connections with a whale.”

I am sure we won’t cover everything in Jonah this Sunday, but hopefully we can begin to see God’s salvation through judgment and mercy, and grow to love our heavenly Father more after we spend some time reading Jonah.

Here are some questions to think about as your read and listen to God’s Word through the book of Jonah.

1.       How do the opening three verses of Jonah serve as an introduction to the whole book?

2.       What might an ancient Israelite have thought when the city of Ninevah was mentioned?  Is there anything in our lives which might be a “Ninevah” to us today?

3.       How would you compare the behavior of Jonah as a prophet with the behavior of Christ the prophet?  How is Jesus like Jonah?  How is he unlike Jonah?

4.       What role does God’s mercy play in Jonah?

5.       If you had to choose one or two verses in Jonah as the key verses, what would be?   And why?

6.       Can you think of any stories in the New Testament which remind you of things you read in Jonah?

 

Jonah is only four chapters, 48 verses --  read it at least once (maybe more) before this Sunday.

Keep on Cryin'

Usually we tell someone, "Please stop crying"; but this week I am going to encourage us to keep crying! Harold Osborne was a member of the church I first pastored. The Lord had wonderfully saved him from a life of alcoholic addiction. Whenever Harold would begin to speak of the Lord's goodness to him he would break into tears. As a young pastor I often prayed that the Lord would keep Harold and his tears in our midst so we would remain soft-hearted.

People sometimes think of tears as a sign of weakness, but some of the most powerful people in the Bible shed lots of tears, starting with our Lord Jesus. David did a lot of crying in the Psalms, Jeremiah was known as the Weeping Prophet, Hannah wept as she prayed, and Paul often ministered with tears.

Tears are often an indication of strong emotion or passion. Sometimes we are so happy, angry, or sad that we cry.  Biblically, we can observe the Apostle Paul in tears for a variety of reasons. He was distressed over those who had abused the Gospel of grace in Phillipi and Corinth. He wept as he shared the Gospel in Ephesus, and he encouraged believers in Rome to show compassion by weeping with those who weep.

We may not all be "criers", but we can all have tender hearts even when standing for truth. We can all be burdened for those who don't know our Lord personally, and we can all display sympathy to those who are hurting.  So let's "keep on cryin'."

See you Sunday.

1. Whose tears are recorded first in Scripture? Genesis 21:14-17

2. Even godly Job knew the tears of suffering. Job 16:16-20

3. What did David want God to do with his tears? Psalm 56:8

4. What spiritual parallel to evangelism do we see in Psalm 126:5,6?

5. Why would Jeremiah be called the Weeping Prophet? Jeremiah 9:1;13:17;14:17

6. When did Jesus cry beyond our text in John 11? Luke 19:41? Hebrews 5:7?

7. What brought Paul to tears in Philippians 3:18?

8. What are some ways we can live out Romans 12:15?

9. What was God's beautiful message to King Hezekiah through the prophet Isaiah? Isaiah 38:5

10. Note the contrast between Heaven and Hell. Revelation 21:4; Matthew 8:10-12

Abiding in Christ

According to the American Film Institute, it’s the 11^th greatest movie line in the history of film- making.  It comes from the 1967 classic starring Paul Newman, “Cool Hand Luke.”

The prison warden (Strother Martin) says to his prisoner Luke (Paul Newman):  “You gonna get used to wearing them chains after awhile, Luke.  Don’t you ever stop listening to them clinking, ‘cause they gonna remind you what I been saying for your own good.”

Luke replies: “I wish you’d stop being so good to me Cap’n.” 

“Captain” says:  “Don’t you ever talk that way to me.  (He pauses then hits Luke.)  Never!  Never!”  (Luke rolls down the hill to where all the other prisoners are standing.)  The captain continues:  “WHAT WE’VE GOT HERE IS FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE. Some men you just can’t reach…”

It’s a great line.  It applies in so many contexts, including the Gospel.  It’s hard to imagine that so many Christians fail to appreciate the lengths to which Jesus goes to explain the nature of spiritual life. 

In the Gospel of John, Jesus uses two primary images to describe new life in Christ.  In John 3 He’s speaking to a teacher of Israel when He says, “Unless one is born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God.”  Twelve chapters later He’s speaking to His disciples and He says, “I am the vine and you are the branches.”  In both images it’s God who does the “birthing”, it’s God who does the “germinating and growing”, not men and women; and yet so many of us wish to make it a cooperative effort.  Indeed, few places in the Scriptures are Jesus’ words more twisted to support this fiction than John 15.  For years the words of John 15:1-11 have been used as a warning rather than a comfort.  Abiding in Christ is seen as a work of human faithfulness and discipline.  This week we are going to take another look at these famous words, lay our prejudices aside, and try to avoid a failure to communicate.  Before giving you some things to contemplate in preparation for Sunday’s message, I find Charles Spurgeon’s remarks on John 15:9 to be particularly instructive in establishing a proper context for our study.

Spurgeon writes:

“The Father loves the Son in the same manner that Jesus loves His people.  What is that divine method?  He loved Him without beginning, and this Jesus loves His members.  “I have loved you with an everlasting love.”  You can trace the beginning of human affection.  You can easily find the beginning of your love to Christ; but His love to us is a stream whose source is hidden in eternity.  God the Father loves Jesus without any change.  Christian, take comfort in this, there is no change in Jesus Christ’s love to those who also rest in Him.  Yesterday you were on the mountaintop and you said, ‘He loves me’; today you are in the valley of humiliation, but He loves you still the same…the Father loves the Son without any end, and in the same way the Son loves His people.  Saint, you need not fear the loosing of the silver cord, for His love for you will never cease.  Rest confident that even down to the grave Christ will go with you, and that up again from it He will be your guide to the celestial hills.  Moreover, the Father loves the Son without any measure, and this is the same immeasurable love the Son bestows upon His chosen ones.  The whole heart of Christ is dedicated to His people.  He ‘loved us and gave Himself for us.’  His is a love which passes knowledge.  Ah, we have indeed an immutable Savior, a precious Savior, one who loves without measure, without change, without beginning, and without end, even as the Father loves Him!”

1.      How do you explain the connection between John13:36-38 and 14:1-7?

2.      How do you explain the connection between John 13, 14, and 15?

3.      How does the comfort of John 14 square with Jesus’ message in today’s text – John 15:1-11?

4.      How does the word “abide” or “remain” express God’s character, rather than our doing?

5.      What does Jesus mean in verse 2?  Is this a comfort or a stressor?

6.      What does the word airo - “cut off” (NIV) or “takes up” (ESV) - really mean?

7.      What does “bearing fruit” mean?

8.      What is the connection between Jesus’ words in verse 5 and Paul’s words in Galatians 5?

9.      What is the “action step” that Jesus offers His disciples in this text?

10.  What connections do you draw between John 3:1-7 and John 15:1-11?

See you Sunday.