"The Promise of Suffering" - Henry Knapp

Sometimes you just gotta laugh. When I look back at so many “important” moments in my life, I just laugh at my own foolishness. I remember the first time I was dumped by a girl—you would have thought the world was ending! I DID think the world was ending. But, perspective does change things; perhaps what I stressed about back then really wasn’t that big of a deal.

Perspective helps when it comes to suffering as well. It is easy to recognize that we all suffer. Given the rampant devastation of sin in this world—the perversion of humanity and the brokenness of nature—it should come as no surprise that no one, ever, is immune to difficulty, to struggle and to suffering. It is a common affliction of life; not the way God intended or designed the world, but universal anyways. But, perspective helps us realize that the suffering we experience may not be all that great when compared with others. My bad day at the office hardly compares with the daily anguish of those in war-torn areas, or those struggling for enough food to eat.

Having acknowledged that, it nevertheless is true that suffering is an inescapable component of life—all humans suffer from the consequences of sin. We acknowledge that and live with it. But, the Christian life is different yet. For the Christian, suffering is not simply a natural outcome of living in a sinful world; for the Christian, suffering is built into our faith.

Consider just a few texts:

• Matthew 5:11-12.  Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
• Luke 6:26.  Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how the false prophets were treated.
• John 15:18.  If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.
• John 15:20. A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.
• John 16:33.  In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.
• 2 Tim 3:12.  Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
• 1 Pet 4:1.  Since Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking.

The point here is not that suffering might happen for the believer, but that suffering will certainly happen for the believer, and suffering because of our faith in Christ. That’s a hard pill to swallow. Suffering, then, is not just a natural part of this world, but, for the Christian, there is additional suffering ahead. And, notice again the certainty of this claim—to be a Christian is not to run the risk of persecution, it is to guarantee persecution.

Suffering is an indispensable mark of every true Christian and church. What that suffering looks like, how the persecution will come, I cannot say. I just know that that is part of the promise of following Jesus—to suffer with Him.

Join us in worship this week as we look at Jesus letter to the church in Smyrna and to see the promise of suffering for the Christian.

Read Revelation 2:8-11.

1. “Angel” can mean “guardian angel,” “human messenger/leader,” or “spirit of the church.” How does the meaning of the letter shift with each one?

2. How does the phrase “first and the last” shape our understanding of who Jesus is? Why is this description particularly apt for this letter?

3. What does the word, “tribulation,” mean? What ideas might it bring to mind for the believer?

4. In verse 9, “slander” is one of the sufferings the church experiences. How might the church today be “slandered”? Where might we see that on an institutional level?

5. “Do not fear” is a frequent command and comfort in the Scripture—I believe it also captures the essence of faith. How so?

6. What might the “crown of life” be (vs. 10)? What would it mean to receive this crown?

7. What is the second death? Why is freedom from the second death so crucial in Christian teaching?

 

 

 

 

"Your First Love" - Henry Knapp

People say you never forget your first love…and since Kelly is the only woman I have ever loved, I guess for me that’s true (bonus husband points!!).

The Bible, however, warns us otherwise—“you have abandoned the love you had at first” (Rev 2:4). Speaking to the church in Ephesus, Jesus Christ reveals this criticism of the church: They have forgotten their “first love.” And, this warning is not just for them, but for all of us.

“First love” can, of course, mean different things, and if we are to take the warning to heart, we should make sure we understand what Jesus is concerned about. “First” quickly evokes the idea of “earliest-in-time.” Our “first love” is the original or initial love we ever had; the love that came first in time. Here, Jesus would be criticizing the church for drifting from their earlier expression or experience of love. Given our own fickle embrace of love in this world, one can easily appreciate what Jesus has in mind here. Early in your faith walk, there might have been times where you felt passionately about Christ, eager and dedicated to Him in every way. And then, life happens, and that passion cools, and suddenly, Jesus’s criticism is totally appropriate. We so often “abandon the love we had at first.”

However, “first” can also mean “priority.” Our “first love,” then, is the love we hold above all else, the most important, central thing we love. When challenged by the Pharisees to state the greatest commandment in God’s Law, Jesus replied, “Love the Lord your God… this is the first and greatest commandment.” (Matt 22:37-38). The first commandment is to love God, not first-in-time, but first-in-priority, in importance. Anything that takes God’s place as first importance, is an abandonment of our “first love.”

When Jesus offers this critique to the Church, that it has abandoned its first love, His concern could either be that over time the Church’s dedication and passion has diminished, or that the Church has misdirected its passion and dedication. Either is possible, and, frankly, both seem to afflict God’s people. Frequently, the passage of time can dull the ardor of our passion for the Lord; when we fail to dwell upon His mercies, it is easy to take them for granted, and eventually, for them to lose their impact upon our lives. Over time, our love of the Lord diminishes. On the other hand, idolatry is a constant terror for God’s people; it is easy for our religious fervor to become misplaced. Things of lesser importance become dominant in our thinking and our focus. In no time, our priority functionally changes from God to something else, anything else.

I suspect either way you take Christ’s warning to the Church—either a diminished passion or a misplaced ardor—the challenge comes home: Have we abandoned our first love? What evidence do we have that this has (or has not) happened here at Hebron, in our own lives? And, how do we reclaim that first love?

Come join us in worship on Sunday as we explore this text and these questions!

Read Revelation 2:1-7.

1. “Angel” in verse 1, can mean “messenger” or “spirit.” How might the term be used in this context?

2. How is Jesus described in verse 1? Remember that this description is taken from chapter 1. What all is implied by this visual image?

3. Jesus initially commends the church in Ephesus. He identifies certain things in verses 2-3 that He applauds. What are they, and how might they look for our church?

4. Given the two different ways “first love” can be understood as described above, which is the most natural reading in verse 4?

5. Verse 5 prescribes the antidote to the disease of “abandoning our first love.” What does Jesus prescribe? What steps are we to take to reclaim our first love?

6. Jesus issues a warning (vs. 5) with His criticism (vs. 4). What would it look like to have the lampstand removed? What might Jesus be warning His people about?

7. What is the essence of the promise for faithfulness that Jesus describes in verse 7? Why is this imagery used here? And, how does that connect to the initial description of Jesus in verse 1?

"Describing the Indescribable" - Henry Knapp

On our vacation in August (thank you, by the way), Kelly and I spent time in the Appalachian Mountains of New England, specifically, the White Mountain area of New Hampshire. We have talked with a number of you over the weeks, so you might have heard us speaking rather incoherently about our experience. After you’ve said, “wow!” “outstanding!” and “amazing!” over and over again, it gets kind of frustrating not to be able to express in words the beauty of what we experienced and witnessed.

I am positive everyone can identify with this kind of trouble: you want to tell someone about this great experience you’ve had or a marvelous film you saw or a powerful emotion you felt and in the end, we are left babbling, realizing we don’t have the words to express the wonder and awe. Think, for instance, of the inability of new parents to describe the feelings aroused by the birth of their child—any attempt falls so far short, it sounds silly. Or, the inexpressible excitement of being in the home stands when your team emerges with an improbable win…it’s, well, inexpressible!

So, imagine coming face-to-face with the reigning, sovereign, awe-inspiring Lord of the universe. What do you see? What captures your attention? How can you express this to your family and friends? What words, what description does justice to the essence of looking upon the Presence of your Creator, Redeemer, and Friend?

Such a mental exercise (imagining meeting the Lord) might help explain the first chapter of the Book of Revelation. The Apostle John comes face-to-face with Jesus, and all we get is a garbled description! Now, remember, John had been a close friend of Jesus for years while Jesus was on earth; indeed, John is described as “the beloved disciple,” the one who could ask Jesus anything. And, yet, when we read of their reunion after years of being apart—some five decades separate the Ascension of Jesus from His appearance to John in Revelation—after years of not seeing Jesus, John’s description is hard to follow:

• Ø  “One like the son of man”
• Ø  “Clothed with a long robe”
• Ø  “With a golden sash around his chest”
• Ø  “The hairs of His head were white, like white wool, like snow”
• Ø  “His eyes were like a flame of fire”
• Ø  “His feet were like burnished bronze”
• Ø  “His voice like the roar of many waters”
• Ø  “In his right hand he held seven stars”
• Ø  “From his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword”
• Ø  “His face was like the sun shining in full strength”

Now, it is possible to understand each of these phrases separately, individually, but thinking of them as a whole is simply…indescribable.

This is Who we meet, each and every Sunday. When we come to worship, it is not primarily for our friends, or for our own state-of-mind. When we gather, we are coming “face-to-face” with Jesus Himself. And, He is as John has described Him— the reigning, sovereign, awe-inspiring Lord of the universe! And, our Creator, Redeemer and Friend.

Come! Let us worship our Lord together!

In preparation for worship this week, read Revelation 1:9-20.

1. What does it mean that John is a “partner in the tribulation” (vs. 9)? How does this give insight into who Jesus intends will read this book?

2. John was “in the Spirit on the Lord’s day” (vs. 10). What do you think that means? Can we “capture” this same experience?

3. Notice the irony in verse 12: John turns to see the voice that is speaking. What does it mean to try to see “a voice”? What did John expect to see?

4. Make a list like the one above about the descriptors of Jesus employed by John. John is using imagery to capture here something about Jesus that stands out—how does each descriptor relate to Jesus?

5. Why does John react to seeing Jesus the way he does? What does this imply about what John thinks of Jesus when he sees Him?

6. Jesus’s words, “fear not,” are frequently used in Scripture; can you think of others in the Bible who have heard this assurance from God?

7. What does a “lampstand” do (vs. 20)? Why is this a good description of the church? How does Hebron measure up?

"Tackling Revelation" - Henry Knapp

 

There are few parts of Scripture that inspire both intense interest and baffling confusion like the last book of the Bible, the Book of Revelation. Like being drawn to a car wreck, we have a natural fascination with this book, yet at the same time readers quickly realize that this is one perplexing story! Reading about angels and beasts and martyrs and the clash of spiritual armies might in theory seem riveting at first, but if you are asking spiritual questions, it can quickly become frustrating.

A lot of our fascination stems from an innate sense that this book is more than passingly significant; it likely contains incredible insights. Something important is going on, and we just know it. If our world means anything, Revelation is quite likely to provide a clue. Here we see in stark terms the battle between good and evil; the powerful enemies of the Gospel; the suffering of God’s people; the vindication of those who stand firm in faith. The power, majesty, sovereignty, and splendor of the throne room of Heaven, and the joy of participating in the splendor are all on display. There is so, so much to amaze!

But, it is equally easy to see why the Book of Revelation is a source of perpetual frustration for the reader. How are we to understand all this weird imagery? Who exactly are all these people? These beasts, dragons, and living creatures? Why does the book paint a picture of the world that seems at such odds with reality? There is a lot of destruction and death—is this what God wants? And, of course, the big question—when? When is all this happening? How can we gain any insight from this book unless we at least can know what is happening, and when?

And, yet… and, yet, this book opens with an amazing promise, a promise we will lean into over the next couple of months together. Revelation 1:3. “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.” And so, we will be reading together the Book of Revelation, and together we will be blessed!

Over the next two months, the sermon series will focus on the letters to the churches recorded in the opening chapters of Revelation. Each week we will explore what the Spirit says to these congregations, and to us today. I encourage you to read carefully the first three chapters. But, we will also be listening to other parts of the book. In worship together each week, in addition to the sermon text, we will be reading aloud one chapter of Revelation, with the strong encouragement that you read out loud another chapter during the week. In this way, we will hear together the entire Book of Revelation over the next two months.

For this week, we will be working through the opening verses of Revelation 1. Read verses 1-8.

1. What does “revelation” mean? Think of the word in non-religious terms, how do we use it in common speech?

2. In verse 1, we read, “the revelation of Jesus Christ.” How do you understand, “of” in the phrase? Two possible options: (a) “the revelation which belongs to Jesus,” or “the revelation about Jesus”?

3. To whom did God give the revelation? For what purpose?

4. What kind of blessing do you think is part of verse 3? How can we be blessed through the reading/hearing of the book?

5. How is God described in verse 4? Why is this important? How does each phrase capture something essential about our God?

6. There is a great benediction in verses 5 and 6. What key aspect jumps out at you? Why is it important?

7. When God defines Himself as Alpha and Omega (vs. 8) what is He saying?

 

"A Growing Body" - Henry Knapp

Recently, I found out (NOT, mind you, through personal experience) that eating too much spinach can cause kidney stones. That’s an episode of Popeye the Sailor you won’t ever see! Oh, how I wish I would have known that when my mother kept saying, “Eat your spinach, so you will grow up strong, handsome and wise!” Well, I ate my spinach, and frankly, I’m 0 for 3. Of course, my mother’s interest was in seeing me grow healthy as a child, learning to eat vegetables and other things that don’t taste good is part of growing.

While the details of a good diet have shifted some over the years, the idea that we need to be attentive to how our bodies grow has long been recognized. In the US, there are over 100 universities and colleges that offer a degree in nutritional science or related fields. There are numerous academic journals, various educational courses and a vast array of popular programs which promote the idea that we should care deeply about how the body grows in a healthy, mature way.

As we discussed last Sunday, the metaphor of the church as the Body of Christ is a popular one in the Scriptures. Indeed, it is the most prominent one used by the Apostle Paul in his letters to describe the people of God. Paul will at times refer to the church as a building, temple, priesthood, family, and other analogies, but his primary illustration is to link the gathering of Christians with the living body. And, for Paul, the connection between the human body and the church is not about one or two similarities—he envisions a lot of parallels: how the body/church acts and functions

* how the body/church is connected

* how the body/church cares for itself

* how the body/church is held together

* what the body/church has in common

So, it shouldn’t surprise us that Paul also speaks significantly of how the church matures by leaning into the metaphor: the Body of Christ grows. Growth is something that every human body does—it is a natural part of the human process, but, as we all know, that growth can be healthy or unhealthy. A body can grow in ways that strengthen, protect and invigorate it; or a body can grow in ways that distort, pervert or hinder proper function. No parent wants to see an unhealthy development of their loved ones, and God is no different. We are His children, His people, His body, and He desires for us to grow in ways that will lead to a healthy maturity.

How does the Body of Christ grow? Our human bodies grow through nutrition, exercise, and natural development. How does this parallel our maturity in Christ?

This week in worship, we will look at Paul’s thoughts on this, how the Church, the Body of Christ, is to mature and grow. The Bible’s teaching on this is both commonplace and profound: commonplace, in that working the metaphor, we can largely anticipate the Bible’s answer, yet profound, in that the answer can make all the difference.

Come join us in worship this week as we explore what Paul says about how our church can grow more and more in healthy maturity.

 In preparation for worship this week, read Ephesians 4:1-16.

1. Review verses 1-3. Last week we mentioned that Paul here is urging a natural response to all that has come before—we are made Christians by Christ’s work on the Cross, so we are to live accordingly. What might a “manner worthy” of Christ look like?

2. Review verses 4-6. The “ones” here are all connected. Can you see how you can’t have “one” without the other “ones”?

3. The “one body” referred to in verse 4 is the people of God, the church. What does being “one” mean?

4. In verse 15, how is it possible to “speak the truth in love”? How might that phrase be distorted?

5. What is the goal of our “growth”? What does it mean to grow as Christ’s body?

6. In verse 15, what is the source of growth in the body? Don’t assume something here, actually work through the grammar of the sentence Paul uses. What does he think is the source of growth?

7. Notice how “love” bookends these verse. What evidence of love can you find in the church today?

"What We Have In Common" - Henry Knapp

 I’m not much of a “car guy.” I don’t know a lot about cars, not that interested in cars. So, I was a bit surprised with myself the other day when I saw a car and thought, “Hey, that’s a nice car.” Then, I looked again, and… it was my car! same color, make and model. I drove up next to it, waved at the driver, gave a thumbs up, smiled. He thought I was a weirdo.

I often wear a Pittsburgh Pirates hat. Around here, that doesn’t spark much interest; but when I’m out of the state, I frequently get into discussions about the Pirates, and a natural affinity forms. When I was last at a Penguins game and our team scored in overtime to win at the last minute, I found myself eagerly hugging the man next to me, high-fiving the guys in the row behind who had earlier spilt beer down my back, smiling and cheering all the while. On a long drive across country, when I see a PA license plate, there’s an immediate sense of comradery.

I suspect you too have experienced those fleeting moments of connection. We quickly sense a common affinity, and that evokes a sense of linkage, a familiarity on a very brief, surface level. Of course, what stands out about these moments is how very ephemeral and inconsequential they are—let’s face it, rooting for the same sports team does not make an intimate relationship! The “fun” of these kinds of connections, in part, is that they tap into a deeper awareness of what could be, what should be; a unity that transcends our individual uniqueness.

This transcendental unity is central to the Apostle Paul, not because he is some mystic humanist yearning for the oneness of mankind. But, because what bonds Christians together is a true, real linkage that actually does mean something in the long run. Paul views the individual Christian as part of a larger whole, the Church. Yes, of course, the individual is essential—we individually and singularly relate with our Lord and Savior. But, having done so, we become part of a larger entity. Indeed, Paul’s primary image of the Church is not a collection of individuals, like a herd or school of fish, but as a unified existence, the Body. The Christian Church is metaphorically described in the Scripture as a human body: not a collection of bodies but as a single body. Individuals are “members” or parts of the body, but those whose existence is imagined as intimately linked to the whole. The idea of a stand-alone Christian makes as much sense as a self-existent finger or appendix.

What is it, then, that evokes such a connection? Living in the same geographical location prompts a simplistic and momentary association. What brings about the kind of intimate, existential connection that lies behind the body-imagery? The Apostle does a fabulous job of describing it in Ephesians 4: “One Spirit, one calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God!” What joins us together is not what we do, not how we feel, not what we believe. What joins us together is not “us” at all—it is Him. Our “oneness” is a product of our connection with the “oneness” of our Lord and His salvation.

This week in worship, we will be exploring that oneness and our connection to one another through Christ. Join us!

1. Read Ephesians 4:1-6. How does this section connect to the verses that precede it (note the “therefore” in verse 1)?

2. What is “a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called”?

3. How does each description in verses 2 and 3 describe the walk of a Christian?

4. What do you think prompted Paul to move from verse 3 to verse 4? What is the link that ties them together?

5. List out all the “ones” here in verse 4-6. Why is “unity” such an important concept in Paul’s thinking?

6. There are many different ways in which baptism is practiced in the Church. What does it mean that there is “one baptism” (vs. 5)?

7. God is described in verse 6 as “who is over all and through all and in all.” Why would this be a good description of God following all the “one-ness” mentioned above?

“A Gospel Foreshadowing” - Rev. Tim Dubeau

It is indeed providential that in preparation for Communion last Sunday Henry wrote on the topic of bread. In a very informative article he surveyed the history of bread in both Old and New Testament times. Inevitably, he landed on the most significant interpretive motif for bread, that which Jesus himself expounded by saying "I am the bread of life.” Taken further, at Matthew's account of the last supper Jesus said "Take, eat; this is my body" (Matthew 26:26 ESV). Clearly then, Jesus wanted His followers to see that just as bread served as a basic, everyday life life-sustaining for our temporal, physical bodies, those who banked their faith completely in Him as the source of true life would be sustained spiritually with life everlasting. The administration of the sacrament continued with Jesus offering the cup and saying "Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" (Matthew 26:27b-28 ESV). These words of Jesus leave no doubt that the cup represented Christ’s own blood that was to be shed for the remission of sin.

I do not pretend to have completed an exhaustive search of how blood is viewed throughout Old and New Testament times, but I would like to share a bit about how blood relates to the covenant that Jesus mentions. While we could easily go back to a number of Old Testament texts citing covenants (Covenant of Works, Abrahamic Covenant, Davidic Covenant), a great example of a blood covenant is found in Exodus 24. Here Moses affirms the covenant God established on Mt. Sinai by sacrificing bulls and throwing half the blood on the base of the altar and the other half on the people. There is life (or a life force) in all the blood that God has created (both human and animal). Since all blood is under God's sovereign dominion, that which is shed for sacrificial purposes is given back to Him by pouring/sprinkling upon the base of the altar, upon the high priest, upon the veil of the tabernacle and even upon the people of Israel. Such sacrificial blood had the power to temporarily atone (Leviticus 16:6,15-19; 17:11), purify (Leviticus 14) and sanctify (Exodus 29:30-31) and was that which sealed God's covenant with Israel.

Such concepts are carried into the New Testament but are given additional importance in relation to the blood of Christ. The book of Hebrews contains several references back to Exodus 24, all of which testify to the power of sacrificial blood to remove sin. Throughout the New Testament, Jesus is seen as the ultimate sacrifice since His blood, unlike that of animals whose blood brought temporary relief from sin, was so superior that it brought about everlasting forgiveness and sanctification. Through His perfect obedience in shedding His precious blood, Jesus brought peace and reconciliation between ourselves and God. We are freed from the power of sin and Satan, having our guilt blotted out completely. We have been pardoned by God based on the active obedience of Christ, and we are being transformed into new creations. Indeed, all we who had gone astray were by God's grace and mercy "sprinkled" with the blood of Jesus. Thus, the cup representing His shed blood is the guarantee of our salvation. His blood sealed the New Covenant, the Covenant of Grace. We drink the cup in remembrance of Him.

In light of this, think upon the following ...

1. How is blood described in John 1:13?

2. In what ways is the phrase "the shedding of blood" used in the Bible?

3. What are the evidences that the atoning power of Jesus' blood have been gifted to a person? See 1 Peter 1:13-23

4. The inspired author of Hebrews uses the phrase "once for all" in 7:27, 9:12, 9:26 and 10:10. What are the contexts in which these words are spoken?

5. In 1 Peter 1:18-19 to what things are the "blood of Christ" compared and what makes it different?

6. In modern day language we speak of "cutting" a deal or a contract. In the Old Testament a covenant is cut. See Genesis 15 to gain further understanding how a covenant was ratified.

7. In John 6:53-54, what must a believer do to experience eternal life?