road2answers: October 2016

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Three Days in the Deep

Read the book of Jonah first.[i]

“Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai.” (Jonah 1:1, ESV[ii])

God speaks to His people. We can assume this was not the first time the word of the Lord came to Jonah, and Jonah recognized the word of the Lord.

Jonah was a prophet of the Northern Kingdom. He shows up in 2 Kings 14:25 in the account of Jeroboam II. Jeroboam II was king of the northern kingdom of Israel during the ministries of Isaiah and Hosea. 2 Kings 14:25 says:

Jeroboam II recovered the territories of Israel between Lebo-hamath and the Dead Sea, just as the LORD, the God of Israel, had promised through Jonah son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath-hepher.

In this account, we have evidence of some of the ministry of Jonah to the Northern Kingdom of Israel. In the book of Jonah, we have a historical narrative that teaches God’s concern for the nations, God’s concern for His messenger and God’s concern for His people.

Going back to verse 1 and 2 of Jonah 1, it says:

¹The LORD gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai: ²“Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are.”

Jonah is a Hebrew, a Jew, from Gath-hepher, which is in the same general area as Nazareth. As a Jew in that time, the people of Nineveh would have been Jonah’s enemies.

Here is a little of what we know about Nineveh. Nineveh, (abode of Ninus), was the capital of the ancient kingdom and empire of Assyria. The name appears to be compounded from that of an Assyrian deity "Nin," corresponding, it is conjectured, with the Greek Hercules, and occurring in the names of several Assyrian kings. It is first mentioned in the Old Testament in connection with the primitive dispersement and migrations of the human race. Asshur, or according to the marginal reading, which is generally preferred, Nimrod is there described, (Genesis 10:11) as extending his kingdom from the land of Shinar or Babylonia, in the south, to Assyria in the north and founding four cities, of which the most famous was Nineveh. Hence, Assyria was subsequently known to the Jews as "the land of Nimrod."[iii]

The early history of Assyria is involved in obscurity. We know from the sacred narrative that it was a powerful nation. Israel was subjugated by one of its monarchs in the period of the Judges, and during the reign of the kings the Assyrian power was an object of perpetual dread.

Jesus told us to love our enemies. However, Jonah did not reflect that quality. The violence of the Assyrian people is most likely behind Jonah’s reluctance. In fact, when God decides not to destroy Nineveh, Jonah says:

Jonah wanted Nineveh to be destroyed, and feared that God would be merciful and compassionate, relenting on the promised destruction.

God speaks, and we are about to see God dealing with His messenger, Jonah. God is good, and since He allows suffering, it must be necessary. God needs to perform a surgery in Jonah’s life and it is going to take three days in the deep, in the belly of a fish, to perform that surgery. It is painful but necessary.

Jonah had some sort of rebellion in his heart. Jonah 1:3 says:

³But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the LORD. He went down to the port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. He bought a ticket and went on board, hoping to escape from the LORD by sailing to Tarshish.

[iv]

The map shows Tarshish as being 2,500 miles from Joppa, or 3,000 miles from Nineveh. The text tells us that Jonah’s ship met with a violent storm. He was thrown overboard, swallowed by a fish and spit out on land three days later. However, the text does not tell us where the fish spit Jonah out. How far did Jonah have to walk to get to Nineveh?

The first chapter of Jonah says Jonah went to get away from the Lord, and then says he was hoping to escape from the Lord. Both of these phrases interpret for us the same Hebrew phrase that says Jonah was fleeing from the presence of the Lord.

Jonah recognized God is omnipresent. However, this did not stop Him from renouncing His office of prophet, or from leaving his place of duty.

Don’t we all tend to do the same thing when faced with a seriously objectionable assignment? The storm and the fish are not about the punishment of the prophet, but about God’s concern for His messenger and the lengths God will go to accomplish His work in our lives.

After three days and three nights in the belly of the fish, Jonah prayed, and his prayer reveals the work God was doing in Jonah’s heart.

Jonah 2:2 says, “I cried out to the LORD in my great trouble.” Jonah describes his situation as being one of great trouble. He talks about being in the land of the dead, his life slipping away and being imprisoned in the earth. In verse 4 he says, “‘O LORD, you have driven me from your presence.” In chapter 1, he was trying to flee from the presence of the Lord. However, when he got what he wanted, he was not happy. His rebellion and hard heart toward his enemies took him to a place of suffering. However, the suffering brought about repentance, and Jonah says, “I will look once more toward your holy Temple.” (Jonah 2:4)

His statement in Jonah 2:8-9 is revealing. He says:

Those who worship false gods turn their backs on all God’s mercies. But I will offer sacrifices to you with songs of praise, and I will fulfill all my vows. For my salvation comes from the LORD alone.

Jonah refers to those who turn their backs on all God’s mercies. This is what he had done by fleeing from the presence of the Lord. Therefore, because he also mentions worshiping false gods, I assume that he had worshiped false gods, not idols made of stone, but idols of the heart.

What is rebellion in our hearts toward God? 1 Samuel 15:23 tells us, “Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols.”

When Jonah rebelled, God could have sent someone else. He could have fired the rebellious prophet, chosen someone else and moved on. However, He did not. He worked with Jonah. God’s messenger needed to grow, learn and change. God used Nineveh to change His messenger.

God shows the same kind of grace toward all of us. God does not have to work with any of us. He chooses to work with us, to change us, to grow us and to confront the idols in our hearts.

Being convinced and spit out on dry land, Jonah finds himself on the way to Nineveh. He delivers God’s message of coming judgment, and then sits outside the city to watch the judgment happen.

However, Nineveh repents. Therefore, God does not carry out the destruction He had threatened, and Jonah is very angry. He says to God:

“Didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this, LORD? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people. Just kill me now, LORD! I’d rather be dead than alive if what I predicted will not happen.” (Jonah 4:2-3)

The sun is terribly hot. So, God causes a plant to grow and shade Jonah. Jonah is very grateful for the plant. However, God also arranged for a worm. The worm ate through the stem of the plant and the plant died. Jonah got so hot and uncomfortable that he wanted to die. Then God says, “Is it right for you to be angry because the plant died?” (Jonah 4:9)

Jonah replies, “Yes, even angry enough to die!” (Jonah 4:9)

God points out that there are 120,000 people living in Nineveh who do not know their right hand from their left. Jonah had compassion for the plant but not for the people of Nineveh.

This, of course, teaches us of God’s concern for the nations. Israel was concerned with Israel and did not share God’s compassion for the rest of humanity. However, there is a lesson for the prophet and for each individual believer in this account.

What does Jesus mean when He says we are to love our neighbor as ourselves?

Jonah was concerned about how things affected Jonah. He fled from his assignment, because he knew God would forgive Jonah’s enemy if they repented. He wanted to die when this forgiveness became a reality. He wanted to die when his shade plant died. Everything for Jonah was about Jonah.

God did not tell Jonah to sit and watch to see the destruction of Nineveh. Jonah had no business sitting and waiting. If God was giving him a vacation, why did he not take the time to refresh himself and bask in the glory of some magnificent part of God’s creation? Instead, he sat in one place growing angrier and angrier.

Twice God asks the question, “Is it right for you to be angry about this?”

James 1:20 says, “Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.”

What is our anger usually about? Is it not centered on how things, circumstances and such, affect us? This is why James 1:19-21 says:

¹⁹Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. ²⁰Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. ²¹So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.

God speaks. However, we do not always like what He has to say, nor what He wants to do. Sometimes it takes three days in the deep to change our minds, and sometimes it takes the hot sun and considerable discomfort for us to see ourselves.

Rather than fighting God, as Jonah did, let’s resolve to humbly accept the word God has planted on our hearts, like James tells us.

[i] Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation. Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Steam, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

[ii] Scripture quotations marked ESV are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version) copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

[iii] http://biblehub.com/topical/n/nineveh.htm

[iv] http://doctrine.org/jonah-the-angry-prophet/jonahrunswithdistances1/

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

All Nations

We, as a Church, exist to make disciples.

We have a commission from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

After He was raised from the dead, He met with His eleven disciples on a mountain. At that meeting, He said, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.” (Matthew 28:18) Then He said, “Therefore.” “Therefore” based on His authority, based on His position, Jesus gives a command. He assigns His followers a mission. He says, “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations.” (Matthew 28:19)

The command here is to make disciples. This is why we say we exist to make disciples. Jesus commands us to make disciples.

This is not as mysterious as it sounds. Jesus gives us an outline of the process. He says, “. . . baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.” (Matthew 28:19)

Baptizing them assumes conversion. This is the preaching of the good news. In Mark 16:15 Jesus says, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.” This is the first step in the disciple making process.

A disciple now is the same as a disciple was in Jesus’s day. A disciple is a follower of Jesus. A disciple is a learner, a student of a particular teacher. In Luke 6:40 Jesus says, “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.” (ESV) The point of discipleship is to become like the teacher, to receive training from the teacher and to become fully trained.

This is the second part of the outline that Jesus gives when He says, “Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.”

This teaching takes many forms. It takes place in Sunday School, and in Worship. It takes place in books and articles. However, none of this is enough. A disciple must be a follower of the Master. In order to do this, each person must learn to follow the Master for his or her self. Jesus challenged anyone who would follow Him with these words:

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24, ESV)

The Apostle Paul told his young disciple, Timothy:

Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)

Both Jesus and Paul are pointing to the need to follow Jesus daily. This starts with making time to be with Him daily. Make time to read the Bible every day. It does not have to be huge chunks; even a little bit will help. This will lead to correctly explaining the word of truth, and if we are listening to the word of truth, we will know what cross we are to take up.

Being a disciple is not a hobby, a career or an interest. It is a decision and a commitment. It is who we are when we accept Christ. All Christians are disciples. When a person accepts Jesus as Savior, he or she becomes His disciple. Some are poor learners and there are plenty of wayward disciples. No matter where you are on the journey, if you have accepted Jesus as your Savior, you are His disciple.

The command or commission we have from Jesus is to make disciples of all nations.

What does He mean by all nations?

The word translated “nations” here is the Greek word “ethnos.” It is from this word that we get our word, ethnic. It means forming a culture and refers to people joined by practicing similar customs or common culture. The Jews of Jesus’s day used it to refer to unbelieving Gentiles (non-Jews).[i]

In Revelation 5:9, the angels and elders sing a song to Jesus saying, “Your blood has ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.”

This has been God’s plan all along. Even as early as Abraham, God was already saying, “All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” (Genesis 12:3)

The early church immediately set out to obey this mandate from Jesus Christ. Thus, we have in Acts 13:1-3 the beginning of the first missionary endeavor. Jesus had sent His disciples out in pairs to preach, and by this means had taught them how to do missionary outreach. Then in Acts 13 we have this account:

¹Among the prophets and teachers of the church at Antioch of Syria were Barnabas, Simeon (called “the black man”), Lucius (from Cyrene), Manaen (the childhood companion of King Herod Antipas), and Saul. ²One day as these men were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Dedicate Barnabas and Saul for the special work to which I have called them.” ³So after more fasting and prayer, the men laid their hands on them and sent them on their way.

Although the history is long and complicated, our missionary movement started on that day. Jesus told His disciples:

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8, ESV)

It is our privilege to see in our day the gospel reaching to the ends of the earth. However, the task is not finished. Of the 16,300 ethnic groups in the world, 6,550 are considered unreached, and of those, some 3,000 are unengaged. Unreached means less than 2% Christian, and no indigenous community of Christians able to evangelize the rest of their people group. Unengaged means there are definitely no missionaries, in all likelihood no outreach, no church or fellowship of believers, no Christian materials, and few if any Bibles in these people groups.[ii]

Lest we think these are small insignificant people groups, the unreached people groups account for around 40% of the world’s population.

We, as a church, stay connected with missionaries because it is part of who we are. We are concerned that our neighbors hear the gospel whether they are near or far.

[i] http://biblehub.com/greek/1484.htm

[ii] https://joshuaproject.net/resources/articles/has_everyone_heard

Unless otherwise noted Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation. Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Steam, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked ESV are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version) copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Wednesday, October 5, 2016

The Suffering Servant

Isaiah 52:13 – 53:12[i]

When God speaks, we expect deep and powerful thoughts, piercing to even the dividing of joints and marrow or soul and spirit. (Hebrews 4:12)

When God speaks, we expect truth.

We have this with the Bible. It is obvious that it is no ordinary book.

Written by about 40 different authors over a span of 1,600 years, no book is even a close second for unity, depth of content and historical accuracy.

Some things contained in the Bible are so remarkable that those who oppose the Bible invent stories to explain them away. For example, Daniel accurately predicts the history of the Babylonian, Persian, Greek and Roman empires. Daniel was writing history before it happened. This is impossible. No man can foresee or foretell the future. However, Daniel did it accurately. Therefore, some people say that Daniel’s account was written after the events. They do this by rewriting history and contradicting historical evidence. The book of Daniel is not the only book of the Bible that contains such remarkable things. The Bible is full of remarkable things.

Is this not what we should expect when God speaks?

Isaiah 52:13 through Isaiah 53:12 is one of the most remarkable passages in the Bible. It is a portrait of Jesus. It is a brief description of His life, His purpose and His accomplishments. It is the most accurate and concise description of these things that we have, and it was written 700 years before Jesus was born.

In the Gospel Project curriculum, Adam Dooley likens Isaiah 53 to the Mt. Everest of the Bible.[ii] It is a majestic high point, perhaps the highest.

Isaiah reveals much about our Savior. He ministered in Judah during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah. These four kings reigned over the kingdom of Judah. Jewish tradition holds that Hezekiah’s son, Manasseh, executed Isaiah a few years after Manasseh ascended the throne. (Jewish tradition holds that Manasseh had Isaiah sawn in two, which would mean Hebrews 11:37 is referring to Isaiah.) This means Isaiah ministered over a period of approximately 50 years. Isaiah ministered during a time of political turmoil with Assyria becoming an ever-greater threat to his nation. His message was a call to trust in the Holy One of Israel. A large part of this call to trust was the promise of the Messiah. Because of this, some of our clearest and dearest prophesies concerning Jesus are found in Isaiah. For example, Isaiah 7:14 foretells the virgin birth of Jesus when it says: “The Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).” Isaiah 9:1-7 is magnificent prophecy of the coming kingdom and contains the famous verse 6, which says:

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah also contains four “Servant Songs.” These are songs or poems written about the Lord’s Servant. The Lord’s Servant in this case refers to the coming Messiah. These servant songs are found in Isaiah 42:1-4, 49:1-6, 50:4-9 and finally Isaiah 52:13 through 53. These songs describe Jesus and His ministry. They are as follows:

Chosen Servant, Isaiah 42:1-4

Commissioned Servant, Isaiah 49:1-6

Obedient Servant, Isaiah 50:4-9

Suffering Servant, Isaiah 52:13-53:12

These songs rise up to ever-increasing heights as they describe the ministry and life of the Lord Jesus. The song of the Suffering Servant is the pinnacle. It is the “Everest” of the prophesies concerning our Lord Jesus.

The Song of the Suffering Servant is divided into five sections. They are as follows:

1. My Servant shall be high and lifted up, exalted. 52:13-15

This section describes the high, exalted position of Jesus earned by making himself a voluntary sacrifice for sins.

2. He was despised and rejected by men. vs 2-3

This section describes the plain, humble beginning, life and place the Lord of Glory occupied when He lived among us.

3. The Lord laid on Him the iniquities of us all. Isaiah 53:4-6

This section describes how Jesus paid for our sins, and suffered in our place.

4. Like a lamb that is led to the slaughter. Isaiah 53:7-9

This section provides a picture of Jesus as the sacrificial Lamb of God, and shows the horrible injustice He suffered.

5. The will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. Isaiah 53:10-12

This section provides the conclusion. It tells of the success of Jesus’ ministry, His victory and His satisfaction.

He was despised and rejected.

It was our weaknesses he carried.

It was our sorrows that weighed him down.

He was pierced for our rebellion.

He was crushed for our sins.

He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.

He had done no wrong.

He had never deceived anyone.

It was the Lord’s good plan to crush him.

I have friends who minister to Jewish people. God’s plans still include the Jewish people. The Church has not replaced the Jewish nation in God’s plans. The Apostle Paul explains this in Romans 11. As God’s chosen people, the Jewish people have as part of their heritage the Old Testament Scriptures. They were entrusted with the Law and the Prophets. Isaiah wrote and ministered to the Jewish people as a Jewish prophet to a Jewish nation. However, the friends I mentioned tell me of occasions where they read Isaiah 53 with a Jewish person. When asked who this passage is talking about the person will often recognize that it is talking about Jesus. Occasionally, the person does not recognize that the passage is from the Hebrew Scriptures, and is surprised to find that it is. Of course, religious Jews and scholars know this passage and have gone to some lengths to explain how this passage is not about Jesus. The point is the passage plainly talks about Jesus and clearly teaches His substitutionary atonement.

As part of this song, Isaiah 53:1 asks a two-part question. It says, “Who has believed our message? To whom has the LORD revealed his powerful arm?”

Let’s try to answer the first part of the question.

In Isaiah’s day, some believed and some did not. He ministered for over 50 years and yet the nation did not turn, and it was not saved. In fact, Isaiah’s life ended when he was executed for his preaching. Obviously, not everyone believed.

In our day, it is much the same. In over 50 percent of the world, it is not safe or legal to preach Jesus Christ the way Isaiah 53 does. In 2010, 32 percent of the world called themselves Christian. This would mean that two thirds of the world does not accept the Christian worldview, the Bible as the Word of God and the fact that God has spoken. Even among Christians, many do not believe the Bible is the Word of God. It is possible to be Christian in name only. The doctrines that I teach are “evangelical.” This represents the beliefs of 13 percent of the world’s population.[iii] Therefore, let’s draw the line of those who have believed “our message” at somewhere between 10 and 30 percent. I do not believe that everyone who calls himself or herself “evangelical” believes, and I believe that many who do not call themselves “evangelical” are my brothers and sisters in Christ.

The answer to “Who has believed our message?” is, “Not many.”

Next, let’s consider the second part of Isaiah’s question.

“To whom has the LORD revealed his powerful arm?”

This is an interesting question. Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship.” Therefore, since all humanity sees the skies, we can say in answer to this first question, “to everyone.” This is consistent with Romans 1 that tells us:

¹⁸But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. ¹⁹They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. ²⁰For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. (Romans 1:18-20)

The truth about God is obvious. However, there is another point in Isaiah’s question. Let me repeat what he says, “To whom has the LORD revealed his powerful arm?” The arm is a reference to strength. Psalm 19 in referring to the skies, the stars and all of creation says that these things display God’s craftsmanship. The Hebrew language in which David wrote the Psalm says, “the works of His hand.” This is why some translations say, “handiwork.” This is a reference to God’s skill and craftsmanship, not a display of His mighty power. Of course, the mighty expanse of space and the awesome power displayed in nature speak of power beyond our comprehension, but these awesome aspects of nature speak more of God’s skill. It is in relation to Jesus that God says He bares His arm and displays His power. This makes me think of Hebrews 2:3. It asks the question:

So what makes us think we can escape if we ignore this great salvation that was first announced by the Lord Jesus himself and then delivered to us by those who heard him speak?

The God who displayed His handiwork by making Mt. Everest displays His power by telling us about Jesus 700 years before Jesus was even born. What is more, this is just one of many such displays of power. No plan of God’s can be thwarted. No purpose of His can be stopped. We should expect amazing things when God speaks, and this is exactly what we have.

If you and I have even a shadow of unbelief in our hearts, the words of Isaiah 53:1 should haunt us until we get right with God.

Who has believed our message?

To whom has the LORD revealed his powerful arm?

[iii] http://www.pewforum.org/2011/12/19/global-christianity-exec/

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