2nd Evangelical Free Church

Blogging Through Isaiah: The only true God is Yahweh.

Isaiah 41

Isaiah continues to encourage the future exiles of Judah so that they will hold fast to their faith in the Lord even in the midst of dire circumstances. Then the Lord presents His case for His greatness as if He were in court in order to build up that faith. The first testimony is provided by a future deliverer. He will send some 150 years later. He will testify to the Lord’s greatness as well as His omniscience. The second witness is that of the gods of the pagans themselves. These are the works of human minds and hands. The gods of all religions are fabrications. They are imaginary, fake, fraudulent and so utterly useless.

For these reasons, we who worship the one true God, Yahweh, have nothing to fear from other religions or nations. We have nothing to fear from pagan gods or even Satan and his demonic hordes and the billions of humans he holds enslaved. The Lord God is Almighty. We who worship Him worship the only God who exists, and thus is the only God who can bring real peace and comfort.

In our world there are billions of people who seek this same comfort in other religions, in material goods, in relationships and in the pleasures of the flesh. How any one can maintain that all religions are equal is ridiculous since God Himself tells us that it is He who lives and it is He we should worship and adore. Though it may seem for a time that those who oppose Yahweh have the upper hand, this does not reflect reality. He will surely vindicate His loved ones and enforce true justice on all the earth. 

 

The Kingdom Values.

Ezra 2

Here we find a record of all the people who responded to Cyrus' decree and returned to Israel. The list is of families and the towns in Babylon they came from. Almost all of these people could demonstrate their Jewish ancestry. As such, this list records those who belonged to the faith community divided into several subgroups: lay people, the regular citizens; priests; Levites who assisted in the Temple function rites; singers; gatekeepers; the Nethinim, which literally means those given, those dedicated to God, servants who assisted the Levites; and finally those who could not demonstrate their ancestry. This last group had to wait until the priests could later identify them properly.

Although the listing may seem dull and pointless because it is just a list of names, there seems to be a very good reason for its inclusion in the scripture. It reminds us of the importance of the purity of the community of faith. Those who say they belong to Jesus become members of His royal household. They must be able, however, to verify that relationship with evidence. What is required is not a genealogy of course, but the evidence of a changed life, one that has renounced the world completely and is marked by tangible acts of love and self-sacrifice.  

We Christians are often called on to provide the required proof, usually in the form of a testimony that gives evidence of a changed life. Once we were sinners. Now we are not. Once we valued all the world deems important. Now everything in the world, no matter how grand or glorious, no matter how heroic or noble, lofty or exalted, popular and fashionable, beautiful and talented, pales into insignificance before the love, mercy and righteousness of the Kingdom of God.

 

 

The Chronicles of the Kings of Judah: Failure to trust God.

2 Chronicles 32

Because Hezekiah had been so zealous in his religious reforms, the Lord was faithful to him. When the formidable army of the Assyrians invaded, the odds were stacked against Judah, at least in the worldly sense. In the spiritual world, however, almighty Yahweh stood against them and for His people. Under His guidance, Hezekiah undertook many defensive measures but the final battle was the Lord’s for the Assyrians had insulted Him. They grossly underestimated His power for they compared Him to the gods of the other nations they had conquered. God would not be mocked.

The Lord promises to be with those who honor Him with obedience and devoted worship. We must recall this when we see the forces arrayed against us that threaten to overwhelm. Of course many will lose heart and falter at the onslaught of those in our world who do not believe in Almighty God but place their faith in science, medicine, philosophy, or government. This is because such people belittle and criticize those who place their faith in an unseen, untouchable God. They have, like the Assyrians, committed the grievous error of insulting God. To them in the face of crushing pain and devastating trials belief in God can seem utterly foolish or insane. The fact is, in such situations, praying to the Lord our God is the only rational and wise thing to do for He will be with us and carry us through. Those who don’t know Him will not seek His aid and so will be crushed by their troubles.

 

The Chronicles of the Kings: First: Pray.

2 Chronicles 16

The Chronicler now shows Asa as an example of unfaithfulness and backsliding. Although the Lord had demonstrated His power before, towards the end of his reign Asa chose to ignore the Lord’s counsel. He did not consult the Lord about dealing with Israel or about allying Judah with Aram. Though Asa achieved his goals, the Lord was angry with him. He was rebuked by the Lord’s prophet. He refused to repent and compounded his disobedience by abusing the prophet as well as those people who were under his rule. The Lord sent war and sickness upon him but these too did not turn him back to God. 

The Chronicler desires to teach his audience of the importance of always relying on God for help, no matter what the situation. Asa’s sin was using human means and wisdom in dealing with Israel and later on in his illness. While human means can be helpful, those who do not rely on the Lord will find no relief.

In America today most people no longer seek help from God in prayer. When people become sick they expect the medical profession to provide them with sure cures and therapies. When they fall into financial need they expect the government to bail them out and provide them with all they need and want. People today rarely see the need for confession of sin or repentance. Instead, prompted by the media and the government, most seek help from psychologists, sociologists and educators in dealing with problems such as mass murders, drug addiction, suicide, drunk driving and illegitimacy. The example of Asa teaches us that as long as these sources deny the existence of sin and of a righteous God, their efforts will be in vain. 

 

Blogging by Numbers: The destruction of sin in our lives.

Numbers  31

The Lord ordered a Holy War against Midian. This was to be led by Phineas, the son of the High Priest for he had already demonstrated great zeal for the Lord against Midian. That nation was responsible for the apostasy we saw in chapter 25. The women of Midian were singled out for Balaam had convinced them to seduce the men of Israel. All the women involved were to be put to death. The unmarried virgins were given as booty to the men of Israel to be taken as wives.

Such wholesale slaughter even though sanctioned by the Lord may offend many of us. Yet we must realize that such actions demonstrate God’s concern for holiness. The Midianites had corrupted God’s people and unless they were eliminated, they would continue to do so. That is why He ordered their destruction, and why He will order further warfare in the future. He knew that the pagans would not change, but would seduce His people to worship other gods. The Lord wants is to put to death all those things and ideas that lead us into temptation. This would even include relationships with people who lead us into sin, though of course that does not mean we kill the person.

Yet God considers war to be evil, albeit a necessary one, for war and bloodshed defile those who take part in it, even a just war. Death by any means violent or otherwise was never part of God’s original plan for mankind. Thus when death occurs it defiles those who do the killing even in a Holy War.

Reading Exodus: When things don't go right, go to the Lord!

 

Exodus 6

The stubbornness of Pharaoh should have come as no surprise to Moses. The Lord had already told him that this would happen but also promised He would fight for His firstborn (3:19-22; 4:21-23). But Moses lacked faith in himself and in the Lord and was easily discouraged. The Lord again told him Who He is and what He has done. Then, with great force, certainty and assurance He declared what He will do. He did not make mere threats but state exactly what He was about to do to Pharaoh and Egypt for defying Him and oppressing His children. These things will certainly happen.

 

Moses must have told the Israelites exactly what the Lord said, word for word, but they would not listen or heed him. They were too distressed and in despair. In fact they blamed him for their troubles. Their despair affected Moses as well and he was afraid to approach Pharaoh again. He knew he lacked the boldness and strength that was needed to obey the Lord’s command. Perhaps he was even in a state of depression and would not act or do what the Lord wanted. When circumstances do not go the way we wanted them to, we often get depressed and angry at God. At such times we must bring our feelings to the Lord. They might not lift immediately, we might not get what we wanted, we might not even learn why God has allowed such a thing to happen, but the important thing is we know that we have a God who loves us and will listen.

Reading Genesis: God’s nature revelaed in the flood.

GENESIS 7 & 8

What do these chapters passage reveal to us about God’s nature?

We first see that God was very grieved and angered by the sin and wickedness of mankind. He decided to destroy what He had created. But we see not only His anger and hatred of sin, we also see His mercy and grace. He would not destroy everything or everyone. He would spare animals. He would spare one family, Noah, his wife and sons and their wives. He would then start afresh. And God showed His mercy by telling Noah long in advance so he could make things ready for this terrible event. And in fact, God kept the Ark open right up until the time the rains came down and the floods came up giving an opportunity for the unrighteous to enter in if they so chose. They did not and all perished by their own choice.

 

The Ark is a type of Christ. As the 8 people and countless animals were saved from drowning because they were in the Ark, all who are in Jesus will be saved from destruction. And all who are in Jesus will be saved during the storms and trials of life. That does not mean we won’t be affected by them, but by the grace of God we will come through them in glory. After all, those on the ark must have been buffeted about by the waves during the 40 days it rained, and suffered also from being in an enclosed space. My wife once told her nephew when he was 3 about the story of Noah and the flood. “Think of it, Joseph. All those animals together. Think of the noise.” Joseph replied, “Aunt, think of the smell!” Yet I am sure those 8 souls were happy to be in that place. Think of the alternative.

Meditate & Apply: Scientists claim that a worldwide flood could never have happened. It was merely a local flood confined to the Middle East. What do you think? As you consider remember that Jesus believed the story as written (Matt. 24:36-39; Luke 17:26-27). Did Jesus lie?

 

Know the truth so you can reject the lies.

1 Timothy 4

Paul emphasizes the importance of sound teachers and sound doctrine for these will counteract the lies and speculations of the false teachers who will arise in the church, indeed had already arisen in the church of Ephesus. Paul refers to them as hypocrites, an indication that such people had arisen and will arise from within the fellowship of believers. These were people who had joined the church, made an outward profession of faith but who had no desire to exalt the name of Christ. Rather they wanted to exalt themselves by proclaiming esoteric doctrines and building up a following of believers under their authority. They then could look spiritual by telling others how to live while neglecting their own need for righteousness.

At Ephesus, these false teachers were legalists who attacked the good things God had given as evil, specifically sex and diet. They felt that the body was evil so that it must not be indulged or appeased in any. They forbade some to enter into marriages and forbade sex within marriage. They asserted the holiness of keeping the Jewish dietary laws and of exercising the physical body. While it is true that abuse in the areas of sex and diet can lead to sin, Paul rebukes such teaching by pointing out that all that the Lord God Almighty has created is good and should be taken with thankfulness and gratitude and used in the way He intended for it. Thus sex is good and holy only within the covenant of marriage. All food is good if used to feed and nourish the body. This same principle can apply to physical activity or almost anything in life. We should not become so focused on anything so that it becomes an idol. All our passion and energy should be devoted to the Lord and doing the work of His kingdom.

Meditate & Apply: What consumes your passion and energy most?

Life is all centered on Jesus.

   

Colossians 1

Paul writes to the church in Colossi, one he has not personally visited and had no hand in founding. He praises the believers for their faith and zeal in Christ, words that form the prelude to an issue that is troubling the church and Paul as well: syncretism, the watering down of the Christian message through the adoption of human philosophic and or scientific principles to explain reality. And so in language that is stirring and emotionally charged, he describes for them the fullness of Christ, that is, He is God, eternally existent. This great God is unique and dwells apart from mankind and yet He lives with His people in the church by His Holy Spirit.  And He is truly man as well. He God incarnate who gave His life as an atonement for the sins of man.

 

This assertion of the divinity of Christ and his reality as a human being are meant to counteract false teachings that take Jesus away from the central part of the faith and put the individual human being there. The Colossians needed to be reminded of the truth because some one was telling them that Jesus was not sovereign God but a lesser deity. Someone is telling them that Jesus did not really come in the flesh, that he only appeared to. Denial of either or both of these principles destroys the whole faith for as Paul points out, they contradict the truth of the atonement. For the death of Christ to be efficacious He had to be both fully God and man. In addition this work of atonement is all of Christ. We add nothing to it by following the Law or by good works.

Meditate & Apply: What trends and popular teachings have the tendency to put humans at the center of the Faith rather than Christ?  

The gospel: the power of the cross and the impotence of all human ability.

 

1 Corinthians 2

Paul reminds the Corinthians that when he first arrived at Corinth, his presentation was not with mighty rhetoric and words of power but with fear and trembling. He had just come from an exhausting tour of several Grecian cities where he had undergone severe trials. Yet he proclaimed the gospel in spite of his weakness. He came preaching without persuasive or enticing methods that would manipulate people to respond to his message. The preaching of God's word is foolishness to those who value worldly wisdom. At that time human wisdom would have consisted of philosophical arguments, linking proof with proof to persuade listeners to accept the validity of the speaker's message. This type of rhetoric was held in high esteem by the Greeks, much as it is today, but those who place their trust in human rhetoric find themselves on shaky ground. Such wisdom can never attain the greatness of God's wisdom. Man's works fall far short of God's in every respect.

 

The content of the gospel that Paul preached was not human rhetoric or ideas. The cross was the central focus of what he preached for it is the essence of the gospel. The cross emphasizes human weakness, because it shows man that he is a sinner who is unable to save himself. The cross shows man that he cannot possibly rely on his own abilities, words or ideas to make himself right with God. He needs a Savior. He needs Christ. This message appears to be foolish nonsense to those who boast in their own worldly wisdom. Human reason and logic cannot understand this testimony of the cross. Human weakness not human strength is the medium through which divine power operates and the domain in which it is displayed.

Meditate & Apply: What about the gospel attracted you to Christ? What do you speak of when you witness to others?