Catastrophe

Genesis 9:11

The Bible paints a realistic view of life. The stories it tells are true. Therefore, it reflects the realities of life. Both the failures and victories of the characters we meet in its pages are honestly reflected.

The victories and disasters of life are also reflected. We see the victories and defeats of individuals, but we also see the story of humanity as a whole. The Bible tells the story from the beginning and also tells us what the end will be.

The story of humanity starts with God who created man and woman in His own image. He placed them in a perfect garden and placed the world under their care. Through their own choice, the man and the woman introduced death and suffering to this world that was under their care.

The Bible records a number of different disasters and catastrophes, but none is so painful or disastrous as the man and the woman’s choice to eat of the fruit that God had forbidden.  Because of that choice, we now live in a world where disasters, emergencies and catastrophes are the things of which the world is made. Emergencies are commonplace, and each emergency is a potential catastrophe in the making.

How are we to understand the place of these catastrophes in our world? The word catastrophe is from the Greek words Kata meaning down and Strophe meaning turning. At its basic level a catastrophe is a sudden and unexpected down turning.

We are going to begin our study of the 9-1-1s of the Bible with a look at the flood.

The flood was the biggest single catastrophic event in world history. This one event wiped out virtually all life on the planet. If it had not been for the preservation of life in the ark, the flood would have resulted in the extinction of all but the most rudimentary forms of life on earth. Let’s read what the Bible says about the flood.

The flood continued forty days on the earth. The waters increased and bore up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. The waters prevailed and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the face of the waters. And the waters prevailed so mightily on the earth that all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered. The waters prevailed above the mountains, covering them fifteen cubits deep. And all flesh died that moved on the earth, birds, livestock, beasts, all swarming creatures that swarm on the earth, and all mankind. Everything on the dry land in whose nostrils was the breath of life died. He blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens. They were blotted out from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ark. And the waters prevailed on the earth 150 days. (Genesis 7:17-24 ESV)

The Hebrew word translated prevail in these verses means to be strong or mighty. Water became the primary thing on earth. The earth was entirely covered with water. It was an ocean planet for 150 days.

Today, people fear this kind of extinction event will happen again. They may not believe the Bible or its account of the flood, but climate change, asteroids, wars and floods are sources of fear. Articles such as one titled, “Climate Change Is the Greatest Threat To Human Health In History,”^[1] are easy to find as we try to deal with our fear.

As we look at what we just read from Genesis, we notice that it says, “He blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens.” The “He” in this passage assumes a personality behind the catastrophe. The flood was an intentional act.

Many question the existence of God based on the evil and suffering in our world. This passage seems to add to this problem by making God, Himself, responsible for the destruction. Many of us have trouble trusting God, because we know that He will not necessarily prevent catastrophe from striking in our lives.

As a matter of fact, catastrophe is going to strike in all of our lives. For example, until Jesus returns, we are all destined to die. This also means that we all must go through the very painful reality of the deaths of beloved family members. Each death is a catastrophic event for us.

Today, we are going to ask the question, “Is there a plan?”

Is the world and everything in it following some sort of a plan, and more importantly, is my life following some sort of a plan?

In a recent movie I watched, a young man who was pursuing a life in science repeated several times, “Perhaps I can bring order out of the chaos.” I was fascinated by this, because with our world’s Darwinian view of existence, chaos is all we should expect. Science has its roots in the conviction that our world is capable of being understood. The conviction that an intelligent Creator made an intelligible world started the early scientists on the road of discovery. Modern science has at its roots the Christian convictions of those who fought to bring us out of the dark ages.

If we accept the Darwinian view of the universe, then the answer to our question would be, “There is no plan. The fittest survive and that is all there is.”

I have managed to raise up several very large questions, and yet I do not intend to try and answer all these questions today. But I want us to grasp how large and all-encompassing these questions are.  The emergencies, unexpected downturns and disasters of our lives bring up questions like “Where is God?” and “Why did this happen?” In large scale disasters that we observe as third parties, we might ask these questions as philosophical queries. But, when my life or my family is falling apart, the questions become much more personal and painful.

We must be aware that we will face doubts, and these doubts are made worse because there are scoffers. By scoffers, I am speaking of those in our world who find our reference to the Bible as the word of God laughable. The Bible warns us that there are scoffers. In speaking about scoffers, 2 Peter 3 also addresses the account of the flood. It says:

…knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, "Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation." For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. (2 Peter 3:3-7 ESV)

This passage says a lot, but let’s focus on and notice first of all that it says, “Scoffers will come.” And, I want us also to notice that their scoffing assumes that everything has always continued without changing since the beginning of creation. This is exactly the assumption that is behind the Darwinian philosophy that dominates our culture, education and thinking in the modern age.

When you are faced with a tragedy, you will have doubts and questions. The world does not have the answers to the doubts and questions; rather the world compounds the problem by offering the wrong solutions.

When Noah and his family stepped off the Ark, God said to him:

"Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.” (Genesis 9:1 ESV)

God blessed Noah and encouraged his family to multiply. They have just survived the greatest catastrophe the world has ever seen, and God is telling them to go and live with confidence. He then says:

I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth. (Genesis 9:11 ESV)

In verses 9 and 11 of Genesis 9, God says, “I establish my covenant with you.”

We see in this statement two important truths. First, God establishes His covenant. And second, God is a covenant God.

The truth that God establishes His covenant is important on several levels. The idea behind establishing something means causing it to stand. According to Google, the English word “establish” means to set something up on a firm or permanent basis. The word used in the Hebrew that the Old Testament was written in means to arise, stand or establish. God’s covenant is established. It is both firm and permanent.  This is the first important truth we can turn to when catastrophe comes. The assumption that all things have always continued without change is wrong. But the truth is that the unchanging thing is God and we exist because He has set up or caused His covenant to stand.

The second truth is that God is a covenant God. By “covenant God,” I mean that God makes promises and He keeps His promises. God has made many promises to His people and not one of His promises has failed.

We can count on these two truths when catastrophe comes.

However, let’s now return to the issue of trusting God. We know that many doubt God’s goodness because of evil and bad things that happen, and even as Christians, many of us live in fear of the day of disaster.

Consider the flood with me.

The flood was necessary, and God gave 100 years of warnings while Noah built the ark. The flood was not a random act of a capricious God.

We do not know everything, but we are given hints that let us know that God knew what was necessary. 2 Peter 3 talks about the destruction of the ungodly that is still to come. And, God is still giving warnings.  According to Genesis 6, in the flood, God was dealing with ungodliness. God is more aware than we are of evil and bad things happening on the earth and He is dealing with it. When He deals with it, like by sending a flood, we complain about His use of drastic measures.

My point is not to answer all the questions about good and evil, but rather to bring us to focus on the truth that God knows what He is doing, He has a plan and He is working according to His plan. We do not know how it works or why it works, but the Bible tells us:

In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, (Ephesians 1:11 ESV)

How He works all things according to the counsel of His will is beyond my ability to understand. But God has given me many examples in His word. Joseph’s brothers meant evil when they sold him as a slave, but God used it to work a great deliverance. The world and the devil had nothing but evil at heart when they crucified the Son of God, but God used it to accomplish the defeat of death, provide new life, work the resurrection, and purchase our salvation.

At the conclusion of the greatest single catastrophe to ever visit our planet, God tells us that He establishes His covenant. He gives us His promise.

There is one more thing implied in God’s covenant. God’s presence. In establishing His covenant and causing it to stand, God implies His presence and work in our world.

One of the most significant answers the Bible has to the accusation that God must not care about evil is the fact that He took on all our suffering and sorrows when Jesus became flesh and dwelt among us. He not only knows but He understands, because He has suffered. In light of this, His promise to be with us takes on deep meaning.

I want to close with God’s promise to us, His people, from Isaiah 54.

"This is like the days of Noah to me: as I swore that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you, and will not rebuke you. For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed," says the Lord, who has compassion on you. (Isaiah 54:9-10 ESV)

In the realities and the 9-1-1 days of our lives, we can rest in the knowledge that the Lord has compassion on us.

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^[1] https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/hblog20181218.278288/full (Accessed January 9, 2020).

New Things

Isaiah 43:18-19

Isaiah lived most of his life in Jerusalem. During his days, Judah was still a fairly strong nation. Isaiah ministered many years after the glory days of David and Solomon when Israel was at its greatest. During Isaiah’s lifetime, he saw the decline of Judah and the rise of Assyria as the dominant power in that part of the world.

This historical context is important to Isaiah’s message. He speaks of the judgment of Israel as a certainty when it has not yet happened. For example, Isaiah speaks of both the Babylonian captivity and Israel's dispersion among the nations before either of these things happened. Isaiah’s name means “The Lord Says,” and his voice is one of the earliest to clearly spell out the coming judgments on Israel and Judah. He warns of the consequences of their apostasy and tells of the glories of the coming millennial kingdom.

During Isaiah’s times, the nation of Judah looked back on the glory days of King David and King Solomon and recalled the strength and prosperity of those days. For this reason, the politics of the nation were shaped by a desire to regain what they had lost and were continuing to lose. They were trying to recapture the past.

Many of us have experiences that we would like to relive and many of us try to recapture the past. Bruce Springsteen wrote a song about this tendency titled “Glory Days.”

C. S. Lewis wrote about this tendency in his “Letters to Malcolm” saying”

I am beginning to feel that we need a preliminary act of submission not only towards possible future afflictions but also towards possible future blessings. I know it sounds fantastic; but think it over. It seems to me that we often, almost sulkily, reject the good that God offers us because, at that moment, we expected some other good. Do you know what I mean? On every level of our life—in our religious experience, in our gastronomic, erotic, aesthetic, and social experience—we are always harking back to some occasion which seemed to us to reach perfection, setting that up as a norm, and depreciating all other occasions by comparison. But these other occasions, I now suspect, are often full of their own new blessing, if only we would lay ourselves open to it. God shows us a new facet of the glory, and we refuse to look at it because we’re still looking for the old one. And of course we don’t get that. You can’t, at the twentieth reading, get again the experience of reading Lycidas for the first time. But what you do get can be in its own way as good.^[1]

God addressed Israel’s looking back with longing on days gone by. He  says:

Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. (Isaiah 43:18-19 ESV)

Out of context, the command not to remember the former things seems strange.

God established days of remembrance. The celebration of the Passover is designed for remembrance. There are some things that we should never forget. We celebrate communion regularly because Jesus told us to remember Him.

We must remember God’s faithfulness, but we must realize that His next work will be new. God never changes. He says He never changes. Hebrews 13:8 tells us:

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8 ESV)

However, although God never changes, He is always doing something new. Every day is a new day. Each sunrise brings a new day. No two snowflakes are ever the same. Even identical twins differ from each other. God could part the Red Sea every day if He wanted, but He already did that and it is not necessary or needed anymore. However, He will do yet greater things, but the delivery of Israel from Egypt by parting the Red Sea was a unique historical event that will not be repeated.

In Isaiah, God is telling Israel not to hold on to the past. He is also saying that the glory to come will be greater than the glory of the past.

As we look forward to the future, whether it’s at the beginning of each new day or whether it’s at the beginning of a new year, we must remember this about God. He is doing something new.

We must be like Paul who says:

Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13-14 ESV)

Paul describes himself as forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead.

When God says, “Remember not the former things,” He means we have to leave the past behind and look forward to what lies ahead. We are never going back there (wherever “there” might be). In addition, God has great plans for the future.

Individually, we can have confidence as we look forward to the future because of what God has done in the past. We know He is faithful. We know He is with us. We know He sustains us. Therefore, we know He will continue. But, we cannot focus on getting back what we feel we have lost or recovering what is past. We must focus on the goal of the upward call of God.

As a church, we must do the same thing. We can be confident that God is doing great things, because of the past. But, we cannot expect the things He will do will be like those of the past.

For each believer in Jesus Christ, there is a moment of rebirth. We were born again. As a result of this rebirth, we are new creatures. 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV)

Rebirth is a new beginning. And, as I often repeat, we are confident that what God has started He will continue until it is completed. He is working to form Christ in us and He will be successful.

A problem enters in when we do not get the future that we want. We learn quickly in life that we do not know what the future holds, and, even though we know we cannot control the future, we try to control it. We try to impose our will on the future. Jesus knew this tendency and tried to address our worry and fear saying:

Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (Matthew 6:34 ESV)

Jesus said this in the context of teaching that we are to seek first God’s kingdom and trust God for what the future holds.

This is not to say that we are not to plan and prepare for the future. That would be foolish; but we are not to worry or be anxious because the future is in God’s hands.

In Isaiah, as God speaks of not looking back He says:

Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. (Isaiah 43:19 ESV)

I want us to see both the words “Behold” and “now it springs forth.” He questions them and us. “Do you not perceive it?” He expects that we should be able to perceive what He is doing.

This makes me think of Jesus speaking to the woman at the well in John 4. In that account, Jesus was weary from the journey through Samaria so He and His disciples stopped to rest by the well of a Samaritan town. He then sent His disciples into town to get food. The Jews avoided the Samaritans at all costs so it was unusual for them to even be traveling through Samaria, but while the disciples were gone, a woman of the town came out to the well to get water. So, Jesus spoke with her.

When His disciples came back they were wondering what on earth He was doing speaking to a person who was both a Samaritan and a woman, but they did not ask. However, when the woman left and Jesus did not want food, He explained to them that His food was to do the will of the Father. Then He says:

Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, then comes the harvest'? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. (John 4:35-36 ESV)

I share this story because the disciples could not perceive or understand what Jesus was doing. But it was so simple. He was doing the work of the Father. He was harvesting souls for the kingdom of God.

In your life and in mine, God has told us what He is doing. Romans 8:29 puts it succinctly.

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. (Romans 8:29 ESV)

According to this, He is conforming us to the image of His Son.

In addition, Jesus set an example of what He wanted us to be doing when He sat and visited with the Samaritan woman. He made it clear what we are to be doing when He told us to go and make disciples.

He wants us to be part of the harvest. He wants us to press on toward the goal of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

This year God will be doing new things. Some of the changes will be difficult. Some of the changes will be really exciting. But, everything will be new. By the Fall, our youth group will be new as some will graduate and others join in. By the Fall, our children’s ministry will be new as each child will move ahead a year in school. Each Sunday our worship experience will be new as different songs, singers, musicians and messages are presented.

In our personal lives and in our church, we can live with the anticipation that God is doing a new thing and it will be even better than the past.

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^[1] http://www.cslewisinstitute.org/Enjoying_Good_Memories (Accessed January 4, 2020).

Great Things in Review

Luke 2:8-20

The angels appeared to the shepherds to announce the birth of the Messiah. This was big news. The Jewish people, the children of Israel, had been waiting for centuries for the Savior’s birth. Many had given up hope and were saying that things had continued without change for centuries and would continue without change. They had ceased looking for the Messiah and they had ceased hoping in the promises of God.

In our day and age, it is much the same. Many have ceased looking for Jesus to return. They say that everything has continued without change since the beginning of time and will continue without end.

We are closing out 2019. This means that 2019 years ago (give or take 5 years) Jesus was born.

When I was in retail, closing out a year meant taking inventory. For many of us, the end of the year is a time for reviewing the year, taking inventory if you please. A lot has happened over the course of the year. Babies have been born, friends and family members have passed away, couples have gotten engaged, goals have been reached and all of us have gotten a year older. For some, it may have been just another year among many. Any one of us can develop the attitude that says, “everything has continued without change since the beginning of time.”

As I was considering the shepherds, it struck me that we can learn a lesson from them. They were eyewitnesses to one of the greatest events in history. Word of this event was announced to them by angels.

As they were watching their sheep, suddenly the angel of the Lord appeared to them. They were terrified! The glory of the Lord shone about them, and the angel said:

Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. (Luke 2:10-12 ESV)

The big event of Christmas came with life-changing force into the lives of the shepherds, and the big events of 2019 have come with life-changing force into our lives.

The biggest event in all of our lives is when we meet the Savior. It may not come with angels singing or with an announcement like the shepherds heard, but it changes us forever.

The shepherds’ reaction to the events and what they did following provide us with an outline of what we must do with the big events of our lives, of Christmas and of 2019.

Immediately after the angels left, the shepherds went to see what the angels had announced to them. They went and confirmed the news they had been told.

This is the first thing we must do. We must confirm the things we have seen and heard. Experience is not enough to lead us and to teach us. We must review and confirm the meaning of the things we experience.

For example, we have been told that the Savior was born in Bethlehem 2019 years ago. Have you confirmed this for yourself? Have you read the historical record provided by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John? Have you read the prophecies and promises of His coming from the Old Testament? Or, have you, like so many, been satisfied with the cultural picture of a manger scene?

Too many of us are satisfied with a cultural Christianity, and we have a form of godliness but lack any power or spiritual life. We have our experience and we have what we hear in church, in school and through the media we listen to whether that be music, news, radio or television. However, not many of us are like the Bereans of whom it is said:

Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. (Acts 17:11 ESV)

We need to change our focus. If one is always looking down, he will not notice the sky or the clouds, and will develop a downward perspective. This is what happens when we start thinking things will always continue as they have. But God calls us to have a higher perspective. Colossians 3:1-2 says:

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. (Colossians 3:1-2 ESV)

“Raised with Christ” in this passage is speaking of what happens when we meet the Messiah. If you have accepted Jesus as your Savior, then you have been raised with Christ. This is not talking about the resurrection of our bodies from the dead, but of our being born again when we meet Jesus.

Being born again is the biggest event of any person’s life. Ephesians 2:1-9 tells us that we were dead in our trespasses and sins, but God made us alive together with Christ. This is what Jesus was talking about when He said, “You must be born again.” There are two points at which we receive life from completely outside of ourselves. One is when we are born physically. This gives life to our mortal bodies. The second is when we are born spiritually. This gives us spiritual life. From our physical birth, we gain a physical perspective. We gain physical senses by which we experience the world. From our spiritual birth,  we gain a spiritual perspective. We gain the life of the Spirit by which we comprehend the spiritual world.

This spiritual perspective, given by God, must refocus our lives. Here in Colossians 3, the Scriptures say we should start looking up. Stop looking down. Our focus should be on things above.

Therefore, when we encounter big events down here, we should view these events with an eternal or heavenly perspective. We should confirm what God has told us in His word and prayerfully consider what He is doing. Instead of accepting what the media, our education and culture tell us about what these events mean, we should confirm what the word of God teaches us.

If we consider what the Scriptures teach and what the shepherds did, confirming is just the first step. We must also confess.

First, let’s consider how we see this in the shepherds.

Luke 2:17-19 tells us:

And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. (Luke 2:17-19 ESV)

The shepherds “made known the saying that that had been told them.” There are times when it is appropriate to remain silent, and there are also times when we must speak.

For example, if one knows of a threat to someone’s life, then that person is obligated to speak. There is no excuse for not telling the person whose life is in danger. One must be careful how one does this. An example would be the cliché of yelling fire in a crowded theater. When we speak of what we have seen and heard, we must do it in such a way that we do not lose our credibility. At the same time, if we say that the person who does not believe in Jesus will not stand in the final judgment, which is what the Bible says, then we lose our credibility if we do not warn the unbeliever.

This idea of confession is so essential to our faith that the Bible says:

...if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. (Romans 10:9-10 ESV)

If you don’t confess it, you don’t believe it. With the exception, it is possible that you have not confirmed it sufficiently, and therefore, do not yet understand it.

Confession is an essential part of our salvation, and it is also an essential part of our spiritual growth, our discipleship. God teaches us some things He does not intend for us to share, like Paul speaking of revelations that man is not permitted to speak. However, God teaches us other things that He intends for us to pass on to others. The shepherds were told of the Savior’s birth so that they would tell others. Your trials, your blessings and the events of this past year have taught you things that the rest of us need to know. This is what it means to be a body or a family.

How are we to fulfill Galatians 6:1, if not by sharing what we have learned? Galatians 6:1 says:

Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. (Galatians 6:1 ESV)

In confessing or speaking what we have seen and heard, we share encouragement, lessons learned and build each other up. Such confessing keeps us from losing hope, and losing hope is at the heart of a downward perspective and thinking that everything will continue as it always has.

This leads us to the third thing the shepherds did. They confirmed. They confessed. And, they continued.

In this case, I am not talking about continuing as we always have. I am speaking of living in the hope and life that the great things God has shown us have brought.

Let’s review something. God is doing great things. The great things God is doing did not end with the birth of the Savior. God is doing great things in your life and in mine. I can guarantee it. I know it. This is not just my opinion. This is the promise of God. Look at what Philippians 1:6 says:

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6 ESV)

Let’s just translate the “good work” God has begun as “great things,” because God does “great things!”

Let me speak to those who have experienced painful things in 2019. First, God knows your pain. He truly does. This is part of the reason for Jesus’ death on the cross, so that He can identify with us in our sorrows. Death is a horrible thing. It is in our world because of sin, and this is why sin is so bad. We all sin. I am not saying you are worthless or hopeless because you sin. If you are human, you sin. However, God understands the pain and sorrow this brings into our lives, and He uses death to bring life and salvation. He takes away the sting of death and gives victory. He is with us and comforts us in our sorrow, and our loved ones are in His hands, which is better by far.

This is why I say we must continue. Another way of saying this would be to say, “We must persevere.”

We find the shepherds continuing when Luke 2 says:

And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. (Luke 2:20 ESV)

They returned to their sheep. They returned to their families. And, they returned as changed men. They glorified and praised God for all they had heard and seen.

I am now going to give you perhaps the strongest warning that I have ever given.

As believers, it is essential that we “continue.” We must never give up our hope. Jesus is coming back, and it is apostasy of the worst kind to say He is not. If you want to consider an example, consider Judas. He gave up hope that Jesus was the Messiah and became the traitor that sold the Savior for 30 pieces of silver, not even gold, silver. He traded eternal life for a little bit of nothing.

If we do not continue in the hope of the great things God is doing, we too will trade eternal life and the riches of heaven for a little bit of nothing.

As we review the great things of 2019, let’s remember to:

1.      Confirm

2.      Confess

3.      Continue

Immanuel

Isaiah 7:14

Ahaz was in trouble.

Two larger kingdoms joined together and chose a man to put on Ahaz’s throne.

Ahaz was king of Judah, and the two kingdoms were Syria and Israel. Isaiah 7 gives the name of the king of Syria as Rezin and the name of the king of Israel as Pekah.

Let’s learn a little of who Ahaz was. 2 Kings 16 tells us this about Ahaz:

In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, Ahaz the son of Jotham, king of Judah, began to reign. Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. And he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord his God, as his father David had done, but he walked in the way of the kings of Israel. He even burned his son as an offering, according to the despicable practices of the nations whom the Lord drove out before the people of Israel. And he sacrificed and made offerings on the high places and on the hills and under every green tree. (2 Kings 16:1-4 ESV)

Ahaz was not a good king. He did not follow the Lord, and he did not keep the first of the Ten Commandments.

Therefore, the Lord allowed his enemies to triumph over him. 2 Chronicles 28 tells us about this.

Therefore the Lord his God gave him into the hand of the king of Syria, who defeated him and took captive a great number of his people and brought them to Damascus. He was also given into the hand of the king of Israel, who struck him with great force. For Pekah the son of Remaliah killed 120,000 from Judah in one day, all of them men of valor, because they had forsaken the Lord, the God of their fathers. And Zichri, a mighty man of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the king's son and Azrikam the commander of the palace and Elkanah the next in authority to the king. (2 Chronicles 28:5-7 ESV)

The king’s son, the commander of the palace and the person second to the king had been killed by Pekah. The king of Syria had taken a great number of the people of the nation captive to Damascus. The two kings who had inflicted such damage on Judah were now planning to conquer the nation and put their own vassal in charge. Isaiah 7:6 tells us their plan.

Let us go up against Judah and terrify it, and let us conquer it for ourselves, and set up the son of Tabeel as king in the midst of it. (Isaiah 7:6 ESV)

These were dark days for Ahaz. He was desperate. As we have seen from his history, he did not deserve God’s help. He did not serve God, fear God or honor God. However, God, in His grace and for the sake of His servant David, sent Ahaz a message through Isaiah the prophet. The message started with:

Be careful, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint because of these two smoldering stumps of firebrands, at the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria and the son of Remaliah. (Isaiah 7:4 ESV)

God’s promise, according to Isaiah 7:7 was that this plan would not come to pass. He was not going to let it happen. To make His point God said to Ahaz:

Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven. (Isaiah 7:11 ESV)

Ahaz apparently thought he would play politics with God and acting very self-righteously said:

I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test. (Isaiah 7:12 ESV)

This man who did not fear God nor serve God at least knew enough Scripture to know that God had said one should not test Him. However, God knew Ahaz and so God was not taken in by Ahaz’s play-acting. God responded:

Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? (Isaiah 7:13 ESV)

Ahaz’s situation makes me think of the politics and relations between nations of our day. The intrigue between nations is just as bad today as it was in Ahaz’s day. And, leaders like Ahaz are still to be found.

It was into a very dark situation that God spoke and said:

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14 ESV)

It was no accident that Jesus was born at night. The night is a picture of the world that He was born into. Isaiah 9:2 says:

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. (Isaiah 9:2 ESV)

As you can see, Isaiah 9:2 is speaking of people walking in darkness. Isaiah was not speaking of physical darkness. He was describing the condition of our world. Isaiah was not satisfied with his description of walking in darkness. Something more was needed. So, he described the condition again, saying, “those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness.”

When we think of deep darkness, we tend to think of economic hardship. But, economic hardship is not darkness.

We watch the news and are disgusted with our politicians.

When God responded to Ahaz, He said, “the Lord himself will give you a sign.” The sign comes from God.

Our hope is not in man. Ultimately, Ahaz died and was buried without the honor normally given to kings. 2 Chronicles 28:27 tells us they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings. This came about because Ahaz did not believe the prophet, the sign and the word of God. God had warned Ahaz. Isaiah 7:9 says:

If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all. (Isaiah 7:9 ESV)

The NIV captures the meaning of this sentence when it translates it:

If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.

Ahaz did not take God’s warning to heart and he did not believe. Therefore, he sent to the king of Assyria for help and paid for the king of Assyria to save him from his enemies. When the king of Assyria killed Ahaz’s enemies, Ahaz went to him to become his vassal and to pay his respects. While he was in Damascus doing this, he was impressed with the altar and worship of the king of Assyria’s god. So, he had a copy of the altar made in Jerusalem and devoted himself to Assyria’s god.

Out of this true story, comes a prophecy that is at the center of our celebration of Christmas. This story illustrates why God made Christmas.

First, the world is in darkness.

John 1:5 tells us:

And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. (John 1:5 NKJV)

Second, the Lord Himself needed to provide the sign.

We cannot save ourselves and instead of humbling ourselves before the Lord, we try to be clever with Him.

Our inability to save ourselves seems to be a hard truth for us to accept.

God told Ahaz to “Be careful, be quiet, do not fear and do not let your heart be faint.” (Isaiah 7:4, ESV)

We live in a world run by fear. Most of our lives are run by fear.

What is your greatest fear?

Are you fearless?

It is hard for us to admit that our lives have become unmanageable and we need the help of God to save us.

But, here is the truth of Christmas. There is no other way for us to be saved. There is no other Savior.

Many, even in churches this Christmas, will not stand in the judgment because they will not believe. They view Jesus as a helper and a friend, but not as the only way of Salvation, the Son of the living God.

The Bible says:

And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. (Hebrews 9:27-28 ESV)

This passage deals with the hard truth of the darkness, every person will die, and then face judgment. However, this passage tells us what Jesus did when He came to earth as a baby. He died for our sins. He was offered for our sins.

This truth is followed by the promise He will come again and look at what it says. “...not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.”

When Jesus came the first time, very few people noticed. The King of Kings, Immanuel was born, and the world was going about its business as usual.

Here we are on Immanuel’s 2019th birthday, and much of the world is carrying on just as Ahaz did. Very few people recognize the signs of the times and that Jesus is coming again. He is coming to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him. No one knows the day or the hour, but if we look at the signs, we know that the season is here.

We Americans are so fixated on Washington and all the shenanigans going on there that we miss the fact that God has decreed things for the land and people of Israel that are taking place now.

All this to say, Jesus is coming again. Immanuel, God with us. He came the first time to give light in the darkness, to pay for our sins and to give us hope. Christmas is a sign to us that He is coming again.

What are you hoping in? Where are you looking for help in this dark world? God made Christmas to dispel the darkness and give us hope.

The Provision

"When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men."

Ephesians 4:8 ESV

So far in our series on “The Church,” we have covered:

1. The Architect - Jesus is the architect and builder of the Church
2. The Mission - Making disciples is the mission of the Church
3. The Temple - We are living stones being built into the Temple of the Lord

Each one of these concepts causes me great excitement! We have been invited to participate in all aspects of the building and mission of the Church! You have been invited to participate in all aspects of the building and mission of the Church! We are a part of what Almighty God, the Creator of the universe is doing.

Today, I want to complete this series on the Church by looking at “The Provision.” This is possibly the most exciting part of what we are considering. We are talking about the riches of heaven poured out on us. We are rich, rich, rich!

If you feel like a pauper, perhaps you have not understood your position in Christ. Admittedly, I am not speaking of riches in terms that the world considers riches. Some of us are paupers in worldly terms. I am encouraged by the way the Apostle Paul spoke about how the servants of Christ are treated in this world. Listen to what he says:

We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything. (2 Corinthians 6:8-10 ESV)

Consider Jesus who owned only His clothing as far as worldly goods were concerned, but He possessed everything. We, as His disciples, have been given the same kind of riches. According to Ephesians 1:3, God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 1:3 ESV)

In considering God’s provision for us as the Church, we will consider just a few of the tremendous blessings with which He has blessed us.

First, we enjoy the provision of His presence.

In Matthew 28:18-20, when He gave us our mission, Jesus ended with this statement:

And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:20 ESV)

If we take Jesus at His word, (and I think we should) then this would mean that Jesus is with us at all times, on all occasions and in all places.

Do you remember the account in the gospels where Jesus was asleep in the boat and a storm came up? It is found in Mark 4:35-41. 

On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, "Let us go across to the other side." And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, "Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?" And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?" (Mark 4:35-41 ESV)

If Jesus is with us, what do we have to fear?

Three promises of Scripture come with the promise of His presence.

1. He is seated at the right hand of the Father. “So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.” (Mark 16:19 ESV)
2. He makes intercession for us. “Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.” (Hebrews 7:25 ESV)
3. He advocates for us. “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” (1 John 2:1 ESV)

The blessing and promise of Jesus’ presence is a great provision and true riches. And, it gets even better. 

The second blessing with which God has blessed us is the Holy Spirit.

When Jesus worked to prepare His disciples for His departure, He told them it was better for them if He went away. Think about this. What could be better than the physical presence of Jesus Christ? Listen to what Jesus said.

Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. (John 16:7 ESV)

The presence and work of the Holy Spirit in our lives is an amazing provision. Here in this passage, Jesus calls the Holy Spirit “the Helper.” 

In explaining how the Holy Spirit would help us, Jesus said:

I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. (John 16:12 ESV)

This is so important and incredible. The disciples could not bear or handle the things that Jesus wanted to teach them. This issue is explained in 1 Corinthians when it says:

The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:14 ESV)

Without the Holy Spirit, we would not be able to accept the things of God. However, with the Holy Spirit, we have the mind of Christ, which is exactly what 1 Corinthians 2:16 tells us. Jesus says:

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. (John 16:13 ESV)

In addition to providing help, the Holy Spirit is our strength.

In the Old Testament, the Lord said:

Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. (Zechariah 4:6 ESV)

Strength defines life and vitality. If something is strong, it survives. If something is weak, it dies. Our spiritual life begins with the Holy Spirit. When the scholar, Nicodemus, came to Jesus, the first thing Jesus told him was “You must be born again.” (John 3:3) As smart as Nicodemus was, he could not make any sense of this. Then Jesus explained:

That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. (John 3:6 ESV)

Being born again is a work of the Holy Spirit. For every person who asks Jesus to be their Savior, a miracle of being made spiritually alive takes place, and nothing can take this life away. This is the epitome of strength. According to Romans 8:38-39, nothing in heaven above or earth below can ever separate us from this new life we have in Christ Jesus.

Our helper and strength also provides the Church with gifts.

By gifts I mean abilities that are useful for the strengthening and building up of each other. 1 Corinthians 12 explains gifts as follows:

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills. (1 Corinthians 12:4-11 ESV)

With the promise of His presence and the sending of His Spirit, God has provided abundantly for us, His Church. However, He did not stop with these provisions. Consider with me the provision of the Christian's armor.

The third blessing with which God has blessed us is His armor.

This armor is listed for us in Ephesians 6:10-18.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. (Ephesians 6:10-18 ESV)

Armor is both valuable and necessary. Here we have a list of armor that a Christian cannot live without and while we get it for free, it cannot be purchased at any price. 

A brief summary of the armor is as follows:

• the belt of truth. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. By abiding in Him we come to know the truth, and it is the truth that holds all the other armor in place.
• the breastplate of righteousness. Jesus is our righteousness and because we are made right with God, through Him our hearts are protected from the accusations and attacks of the evil one.
• shoes of the gospel of peace. The Gospel is the foundation upon which we stand and provides a solid place to stand for our feet.
• the shield of faith. Our complete trust in God is able to extinguish all doubts and temptations.
• the helmet of salvation. The knowledge of salvation is what protects our minds.
• the sword of the Spirit. The Word of God is our only offensive weapon. It is through God’s provision of His word that we enjoy victory.

This armor is priceless and along with all these tremendous blessings we have been provided with direct access to the Father through prayer. Along with the armor we are commanded to pray. Jesus told us to pray. He told us to ask for anything in His name. 

We are provided for in the richest possible manner.

We have Jesus with us.

We have the Holy Spirit.

We have the Armor of God.

And finally, we have prayer.

We do not lack any good thing. Let us walk with confidence in the provision that God has made for us, His Church.