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The Heart of Nahum (1:1-8)

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Nahum 1:1-8 ESV

An oracle concerning Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum of Elkosh. 2 The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD is avenging and wrathful; the LORD takes vengeance on his adversaries and keeps wrath for his enemies. 3 The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, and the LORD will by no means clear the guilty. His way is in whirlwind and storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. 4 He rebukes the sea and makes it dry; he dries up all the rivers; Bashan and Carmel wither; the bloom of Lebanon withers. 5 The mountains quake before him; the hills melt; the earth heaves before him, the world and all who dwell in it. 6 Who can stand before his indignation? Who can endure the heat of his anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken into pieces by him. 7 The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him. 8 But with an overflowing flood he will make a complete end of the adversaries, and will pursue his enemies into darkness.

We have been spending some time in the Old Testament prophets. I have been making the point that the OT prophets were God’s outlet. If you want to know what God feels – what his reaction is, ask one of his prophets. So throughout the prophets we keep hearing about God’s plans to destroy his enemies. The great nations which conquer and oppress God’s people are often the recipients of these oracles of impending judgment. In Nahum’s case, the oracles predict the destruction of the Assyrian empire.

Nahum’s prophecy was written between 660 and 630 BC. The Assyrian empire was destroyed in 612 BC. That means that this prophecy has long been fulfilled. But it still speaks to us today. Nahum explains in his first few verses why God judges. I want us to get a good grasp on what Nahum taught here, because it will help us understand God’s impending judgment on the world, otherwise known as hell.

Fire is a scary thing, and hell is a scary subject. But it is a reality. We do ourselves no favor ignoring the subject.

Nahum explains that judgment is coming because of the very nature of God himself. The Assyrians had brutalized many nations to obtain their prominence, and all the while God was watching them like a jealous parent. To be jealous is not the same thing as being envious. You are envious of something you do not have. You are jealous of something that you do have. God would not let the Assyrian empire go unpunished because they had attacked and brutalized his own people. For his own honour he would avenge the violence.

Let’s get something straight. Lots of people have done bad things to me, but I have no desire to see them burn up before my eyes. I am not an avenger. But God is an avenger.

Nahum explains that judgment is coming because God had chosen to postpone it. He is a God who keeps wrath for his enemies (2). That means that he does not immediately squish his enemies like a bug whenever they do something wrong. If he did that, there would be no one left to repent and become his people. He gives us time to realize the error of our ways and come to him seeking forgiveness and restoration.

Yet, at the same time, God does not keep his wrath forever. There must be a day of judgment or else God is not just. It is the nature of God that demanded that someday the Assyrians would “pay the piper.”

Nahum explains that the judgment that is coming will appropriately deal with Assyria’s sins because God is great in power (3). He has the ability to make them pay for what they have done. The Assyrians had arrogantly boasted that they would destroy the God of Judah just like they destroyed the gods of all the nations around them. Hezekiah prayed. Isaiah prayed. Then, in demonstration of that great power, God had an angel kill 185,000 Assyrian troops in their sleep. So, for Nahum, complete judgment upon Assyria is only a matter of time.

The only reason Assyria had not been destroyed is that God is slow to anger (3). God feels the anger, but he is in complete self-control, and will only express that anger at the appropriate time.

Nahum explains that the judgment that is coming will not miss anyone. The Assyrians had a philosophy that said might was right. Nahum’s message to them was that God’s judgment would come no matter how much power or land or influence they possessed. They thought that since they were on top that God had no problem with them. They were dead wrong.

Nahum explains that the judgment that is coming will not destroy anyone by mistake. The people of God did right in trusting in him to carry them through the day of trouble (brought on by the Assyrians). He would help them to survive the troubles of the day because he is good. He helps those who cling to him for help.

Nahum explains that the judgment that is coming will destroy all those who do not personally choose to trust in God. The LORD is the refuge. The people of Judah could not trust in their works to save them, nor could they trust in Egypt, or any other power. Only God could keep his people safe from the coming judgment

There is a judgment coming, and it is just as sure as Assyria’s judgment – because it comes from the same God. Hell is an event in the future of humanity. God has decreed it, and it is going to happen even if nobody in the world believes in it.

Jesus said If your right eye or right hand causes you to sin, tear them out and throw them away! It is better to lose them than to have your whole body thrown into hell (Matt. 5:29-30). He said we should fear God, because he is able to destroy both soul and body in hell (Matt. 10:28). Hell is going to be an unquenchable fire – which means it’s going to burn everything up that is thrown into it, and nobody will be able to put is out. The Bible calls it the second death, from which there will be no resurrection. God is going to come “with an overflowing flood he will make a complete end of the adversaries.”

I mentioned that hell is a scary idea, and it is meant to be. God does not want to destroy anyone. But he will. He is a God of justice, and he must punish every evil deed and thought. If you are here today, and you have committed and evil deed or thought – even just one – then hell is for you. But God is pleading with you right now. You see, he has already punished Jesus Christ on the cross. He did that out oif his own grace. All he asks of you and me is that we trust in him. He wants to be our stronghold, our refuge. He rescued his people from the judgment he visited upon the Assyrians. He can rescue us from hell too.

_____________

LORD, we confess that we have sinned against you, and deserve your judgment. We also confess that Christ’s death on the cross is our only refuge from hell.

Should the Advent Christian denomination survive?

The answer to the question “should the Advent Christian denomination survive?” is not obvious. Organizations outlive their usefulness, lose their original objectives, become superfluous or obsolete. This is just as true of Christian denominations as it is of individual churches. Sometimes decisions are made which lead to that fate, although the people making those decisions might have had the best of intentions. Stuff happens.

In New Zealand a few years ago, a denomination much like ACGC evaluated itself, and made the decision to disband. Many of the proponents of the move suggested that members would have more influence among mainline evangelical churches by joining those churches, and that maintaining a separate denomination was not practical. From the advantage of hindsight, the results of that decision appear to be mostly negative. A very few of the churches have decided to start a new Advent Christian conference in New Zealand.

Many Advent Christian churches in the U.S.A. and elsewhere have already surrendered their denominational distinctives, for whatever reason. They preach and teach the second coming of Christ at about the same frequency as other churches. They rarely – if ever – proclaim the message of life only in Christ – that is, conditional immortality. They appear to be going out of their way to be just like the other evangelical churches in their communities. This trend is bound to lead to suggestions among our churches that perhaps it is time for ACGC to give up its lease and go the way of all flesh.

Among these churches, many have named or renamed themselves, with names which are ambiguous. The names either do not reflect the Advent Christian heritage, or they do so in less obvious ways. They strive to be community churches – which is honourable – but they do not appear to want to be recognized as representing any particular denomination. Many within these churches (and within others who have retained the name) have no idea what the Advent Christian churches have historically taught, and some do not even care to know.

Tests of Authenticity

These realities make the question this article asks an important one – one which our churches must go to the scriptures to find an answer for. The Bible provides a number of texts which can serve as tests of authenticity for a denomination, as well as for individual churches. By examining these scriptures, churches can evaluate whether they are doing the works Christ expects of his Church. They can also see if their message fits that which Christ called his Church to proclaim.

The Confession Test

After Peter confessed the Jesus was the Christ, Son of the Living God – Jesus blessed him and said “on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”[1] The word hell that Jesus used here was hades – which signifies not the place of final punishment but the state of death. The gates of hades is another way of saying the grave. Jesus promised that the Church that Peter would have a part in founding would survive; it would not die.

Any church which dares to confess the truth about Christ will be in danger of persecution and trouble from this world which is in opposition to Christ’s kingdom. The Church (notice capitalization), however, will never be totally eradicated because The Church is the means of Christ’s mission. The extent to which the Advent Christian denomination is part of The Church depends upon to what extent it maintains its confession of Christ.

The Discipling Test

Christ called his Church and all the groups within it not only to maintain a confession but also to “make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that (he has) commanded (us)”.[2] This discipling role is also a test to see if a denomination is living up to its calling. We are not called simply to preserve a truth, but to infect the world with it. Churches have to be contagious. If a group starts losing more churches than it plants – something is wrong.

Discipleship involves four commitments:

First, it is a commitment to prioritize Jesus Christ. Compared to your commitment to Jesus, all other commitments and relationships must be regarded as the enemy. Jesus said “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters– yes, even his own life– he cannot be my disciple.” (NIV Luke 14:26).

Secondly, it is a commitment to the work that Christ calls you to do. Jesus said “Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” (NRS Luke 14:27). We don’t all have the same cross to bear, but we all must be committed to doing what we were charged to do. That commitment includes allowing Jesus to turn us into the kind of people who can do what he wants us to do. He said to his disciples “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (NKJ Matthew 4:19).

Thirdly, it is a commitment to sacrifice. Jesus said “any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.” (NIV Luke 14:33). This means investing everything you have in the cause of the Master. That investment may mean giving away things that you possess. It may mean using those things to benefit others in Christ’s kingdom, or to help the needy.

Fourthly, it is a commitment to the truth. Jesus said “You are truly my disciples if you keep obeying my teachings.” (NLT John 8: 31). This commitment starts as a desire to learn the truth, and further manifests itself as a disciplined lifestyle that stays with and lives the truth that is learned.[3]

It is not enough merely to plant things which call themselves churches. Those churches must contain disciples.

The Lamp Tests

In Revelation 2-3, the question was whether the churches in Asia Minor in the first century AD would survive. The churches were pictured in a vision as seven golden lampstands, with Jesus walking among them.[4] Jesus addresses each church with a challenge. If the people in the churches overcame the challenge, their church would survive. Otherwise, Christ would remove their lampstand.

This passage is a reminder that no church or group of churches is guaranteed survival, even if it has had a great past. What matters is how the church faces the challenges of the present. That is the question Advent Christians are facing today. Our future depends on how authentic we are in the present.

The Distinctiveness Test

When the apostle Paul was dealing with the problem of undisciplined tongues-speaking in the churches at Corinth, he said “if the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle?”[5] He argued that just making a lot of noise is not the way to do Christian ministry. Words need to be intentional for them to accomplish what the Holy Spirit wants. The same can be said of churches and denominations. History reveals that when any organization ceases to serve a distinct purpose and carry a distinct message, that organization is doomed to failure.

But what is the distinct message of the Advent Christian denomination? In spite of the fact that we have the word advent in our name, the message of the soon coming of Jesus Christ fails to qualify. It certainly deserves to be an emphasis in our teaching (especially in this age when there is so much excess baggage attached to the teaching). But this is a message which has been faithfully proclaimed and one about which we are in agreement with the vast majority of Christendom.

To nail down what deserves to be our denomination’s distinct message-mix one must combine a doctrinal essential which we share with other evangelicals and a doctrinal distinctive to which we have been attached from the beginning of the Adventist movement. The essential is salvation by grace; the distinctive is conditional immortality.

There is no doubt that there are other evangelical groups and denominations who have been more faithful and successful at planting churches which proclaim the truth of salvation by grace than we. There are also certain groups which have been more successful at teaching their members the conditionalist truth that life is only in Christ than we have been. But our calling is do both and sacrifice neither. Perhaps the following Venn diagram will illustrate:

Advent Christians find our niche and our usefulness to the kingdom of God by celebrating eternal life by God’s grace and by recognizing that eternal life is a gift, not an innate possession. We tell people that God does not owe them eternity, but offers it through Christ – and Christ alone. This message is important, and worth proclaiming. It is not supposed to be a secret that we keep.

The reader will notice that the title of this article begins with the word should and not the word will. There is no means of determining how long the Lord will preserve the denomination. The question that has been put forth for inquiry is “should the denomination survive?” The answer will depend on whether the churches continue to confess Christ, continue to make disciples for him, continue to overcome obstacles to our witness, and continue to proclaim the unique message God gave us to preach.

[1] Matthew 16:18.

[2] Matthew 28:19-20.

[3] Jefferson Vann, The Commands of Christ (http://commandsofchrist.wordpress.com/2009/12/01/chapter-19-determine-to-be-discipled/)

[4] Revelation 1:12-2:1.

[5] 1 Corinthians 14:8.

The Heart of Micah (7:18-20)

Micah 7:18-20 ESV

Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. 19 He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities under foot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. 20 You will show faithfulness to Jacob and steadfast love to Abraham, as you have sworn to our fathers from the days of old.

We have been spending some time among the Old Testament prophets. God gave us the messages of the prophets because their messages were intended to outlast them. The Old Testament poetry expressed the heart of the people of God, but the prophets expressed the heart of God. They showed God’s reaction to the world that he created.

We should expect to get a clear picture of what God is like by reading the prophets. Nowhere is that more obvious than the writings of Micah.

Micah can be dated from “probably before the fall of Samaria in 722/21 B.C. to Sennacherib’s march to Judah in 701 B.C.” The prophet Micah lived during the times of three kings of Judah–Jotham (750-732/35), Ahaz (735-713/16), and Hezekiah (716-687) (David Malick).

That makes Micah a lesser known contemporary of Isaiah. He was probably quoting Isaiah 2 in his mountain prophecy of Micah 4. Both prophets spoke for God during a time when the nations all around Judah were gaining prominence. It seemed like God’s people were in danger of being lost. The mountain prophecies encouraged God’s people to live by the light of his word, because some day all the nations would come to Jerusalem to be taught God’s word. This was also a time of warfare and bloodshed, but both prophets spoke of a time of peace, when the weapons of war would be turned into instruments of agriculture.

Micah concludes his prophecy by highlighting one characteristic of the LORD. It is his steadfast love (18,20). This is that special term chesed that I have mentioned before. It refers to God’s loyalty to his covenant people. I think that God had this word in mind when he instructed his people to make a sign on their doorposts at the Passover. That sign would look like the Hebrew letter Chet, which is the first letter in Chesed.

Micah proclaimed that God’s steadfast live is like the Passover. He forgives our sins by passing over them because of the blood of the Lamb. That Passover lamb represented Jesus, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.

Micah also predicted that God would again have compassion on his people and tread their iniquities under foot. The picture, I believe, is that of the conquest, when God went before Israel and gave them victory over their enemies. But the enemies of which Micah speaks are sins. These are our true enemies. There are three categories of sin: 1) transgressions, 2) sins against conscience, 3) sins of omission. God loves us so much that he does not want to just pass over our sins, he wants to defeat them – to tread them under his feet. This life – this Christian life – is the time in which he wants to do that for us.

Micah proclaims that God’s steadfast love will yet do one more thing to put an end to sin in our lives. He will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. I think Micah is harking back to the time when Israel was leaving Egypt and they were being pursued by Pharaoh’s armies. God drowned the enemy’s troops in the Red Sea, but let his people pass through the Sea. Casting sins into the depths of the sea is a way of getting rid of them forever. They are not on the shore for us to see again every low tide. They are drowned, forgotten, forgiven. This is what God is going to ultimately do for us.

What has God’s steadfast love done for you today? Perhaps you are here today, and you cannot even say that you know that you are forgiven. You can have forgiveness today, and you don’t have to do anything for it. Christ was the Passover lamb. Accept God’s forgiveness today.

Perhaps you are here today, and you have been struggling with some personal sin. God wants to tread your iniquities under his feet. Give him free reign over your life, and let him defeat your real enemies.

Perhaps you have some regrets. You know you are forgiven, and you no longer commit those sins anymore, but you just can’t quite forgive yourself. God wants to take those sins and drown them in the depths of the sea.

LORD, we want to experience the fullness of your grace today.

For those of us who have never come to you before, give forgiveness.

For those of us who are struggling with personal sins, give us victory.

For those of us who are hanging on to past regrets, give us the courage to forget what you promised to forget.

There is no God like you, LORD. Thank you for your steadfast love.

Time Travel

I have always been fascinated by the concept of time travel. Among my favourite movies are those in which the characters travel through time in some way. These include Frequency, Deja Vu, Timeline, and the Back to the Future series. Who among us would not like to go back to our past to correct some oversight, or to let someone know that you care about them who is no longer here to hear it.

Of course, there is usually a twist in the movie plots. Fixing one problem winds up causing several other. In Frequency, the hero saves his father from a fire, and inadvertently causes many others to die. In Back to the Future, Doc Brown regrets that he ever made that infernal time travel machine, and orders Marty to destroy it.

I think my fascination with time travel is actually growing as I get older, even though I am not as much a fan of sci-fi as I have been. I have almost lived five decades and along the way I have made some decisions which have mapped out my life for me. Some of those decisions I cannot undo. Time travel movies let me toy with the idea of “what if I had…”

Movies like this are also a reminder for me to take advantage of the time that I have. It is a precious resource, and must be used wisely. I hate the thought of spending heaps and gobs of time on things that do not really matter – things that are insignificant.

It isn’t that I am afraid of death. I am angry at death. Death is an end. And, even though I am a Christian, and I believe in a resurrection unto eternal life, I resent the fact that I must keep losing friends and relatives along the way – and that someday my friends and relatives are going to lose me. The Bible calls death an enemy. If they read a poem at my funeral, I want it to be “rage against the dying of the light.”

Time travel movies are exciting to me because they represent an attack against the status quo of life – a rebellion against the tyranny of time. I would love to go back to the time of that first kiss, that first paycheck, or that chance that I had and blew it. But I cannot go back. The best that I can do is keep going forward in the right direction.

OK, 2010 is history. I do not like it, but it is there. I begrudgingly take down one calendar and put up another. And while I do that I say a prayer to the LORD that this year I waste less time, and invest my time on more important things.

The Heart of Isaiah (55:1-7)

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Isaiah 55:1-7 ESV

“Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. 3 Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David. 4 Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples. 5 Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know, and a nation that did not know you shall run to you, because of the LORD your God, and of the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you. 6 “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; 7 let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

We have been journeying through the Old Testament prophets for a few months now. We are not reading everything they wrote. We just want to get a glimpse of what drove them – what they were passionate about. That’s why I call this series “The heart of the Prophets.” Another way of saying it is we want to know what made the prophets tick. That expression comes from clockwork – the intricate machinery that is found when you open the back of a clock or watch. It’s the hidden substance that explains the outward style. It’s the reason for the function.

Isaiah’s lifetime overlapped two of our historical periods. He lived to see Israel fall to Assyria, and knew that Judah’s time was coming as well. The period of time that Isaiah saw was even broader than that. He not only predicted the Babylonian captivity of Judah, but he predicted the return from the captivity as well. Lots of people who have studied the book of Isaiah insist that there is no way that one man could have known all that. It has been popular to divide Isaiah into two or three parts, imagining that it really has more than one author. I don’t think that was the case. I think that God – knowing that his people were going to have to wait a long time for relief from their captivity – provided them with glimpses into their future to help them persevere.

Isaiah’s audience was varied as well. He spoke against both the northern and southern kingdoms. After Israel fell, he continued to plead with Judah, but knew that they too would be defeated by Babylon. He also spoke out against the nations in power, because he knew God was only allowing them to conquer as his instruments of punishment. Isaiah’s ultimate audience was the world. His prophecies are the most quoted in the New Testament. What made Isaiah tick was the same thing that makes God tick. He was always warning the disobedient to repent, and encouraging God’s people with messages of comfort about coming blessings in the future.

There is a problem that recurs throughout the prophets and is especially seen here in Isaiah 55. That problem is that God is the answer to all our needs, but we fail to pursue him. Isaiah put it this way: “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near” (Isaiah 55:6). This is the problem of the limited time offer. If we had an eternity to decide whether or not God’s way may be the right way, then we could afford to waste a few decades on our own selfish pursuits. But we do not have an eternity, or a few decades. What makes God tick and what made Isaiah tick is that there is a clock ticking. When that clock reaches midnight, time is up. When time is up, Cinderella, you will not turn into a pumpkin. You will be permanently destroyed!

Isaiah appeals to his people and God appeals to his planet. They are both saying the same thing. You have been doing things your own way and it has left you hungry and thirsty. You have spent all of your money but you have still not found the satisfaction you are longing for. What you need to to is forsake your way, and your thoughts. Come to the LORD and he will forgive. Come to the LORD in repentance and he will provide you with food that satisfies and water that quenches your thirst. Jesus spoke once of the bread of God who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. The people said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” The only way to Christ is on our knees.

Isaiah calls on the people to remember what God did for the Shepherd king: David. God made a covenant with David and turned him into three things:

1)David was a witness. His life was a testimony of what God can do through a man who follows him from the heart.

2)David was a leader. People chose to follow him because they saw God at work in his life.

3)David was a commander. His words were important – so much so that people wrote them down and obeyed them.

Do you know someone like that? God is calling you and me to be like that.

Isaiah calls on the people to imagine themselves as being kings, like David. Notice verse 5 again: “Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know, and a nation that did not know you shall run to you, because of the LORD your God, and of the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you.” Who is the”you” of verse 5? It is the “everyone who thirsts” of verse 1. In other words, each of us has the potential to be a David in God’s kingdom. The only thing God asks of us is that we forsake our own ways and come to him.

I’m sure that in Isaiah’s time the people often said “It sure would be great if we had a king like David again.” Isaiah is telling them that God could do for them what he did for David.

Evangelist D.L. Moody was once speaking with a British evangelist named Henry Varley. Varley said “The world has yet to see what God can do with and for and through and in and by the man who is fully and wholly consecrated to Him.” Those words burned in Moody’s heart. Moody said “I will try my utmost to be that man.” By God’s grace, Moody became such a man. I want to invite you to join me in seeking to be that kind of person as well. You have been hungering and thirsting your entire life. Give your body what it is truly thirsting for.

LORD, I present my life to you today, and so do all those following me in this prayer. We choose to forsake our ways and our thoughts, and follow you. In Jesus name. Amen.