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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.

1 Corinthians 10:23-33 ESV   “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. 24 Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. 25 Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. 26 For “the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.” 27 If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. 28 But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience- 29 I do not mean your conscience, but his. For why should my liberty be determined by someone else’s conscience? 30 If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks? 31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 32 Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, 33 just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.”

Some time ago I began a study on the continuous active imperative commands given by the apostle Paul in his epistles. Those are the commands in which Paul encourages the churches to keep on doing something. One such command is found in 1 Cor. 10:31, where Paul tells the Corinthians to “keep on doing everything” that they do for the purpose of glorifying God.

He is encouraging good habits. In Corinth, some of the people in the churches had been developing bad habits. They were making choices that did not bring glory to God. Instead, the bad habits were reflecting poorly on the churches, and bringing shame to God.

The most effective way to get rid of a bad habit is to replace it with a good one. Paul dealt with some of the bad habits that the Corinthians had developed by suggesting some good ones to take their place.

The first good habit he suggests is to focus your free time on helping others (23). Some of the Corinthians were always celebrating the freedom that they have in Christ. They would constantly quote the slogan “all things are lawful” because believers are no longer bound by the Old Testament law.

But Paul pointed out to them that their freedom is given so that they can concentrate on others, not themselves. If I am bound by law, I am always seeking ways to obey the law so I can be saved. If I am free, I have the opportunity to focus that freedom on meeting the needs of others.

The second good habit he suggests is to do things that build others up, or edify them (23). The Corinthians prided themselves on their Spiritual gifts. Paul wanted the Corinthians to use those gifts to build up the church instead of tearing it down. Earlier in his letter, he referred to himself as a skilled master builder who laid the foundation for the churches in Corinth, and that foundation was Christ (3:10-11). He told the Ephesian believers that they “are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit” (Eph. 2:22).

Now he uses the same idea when he tells the Corinthian Christians to keep building each other up. God wants us to be his temple – to be a place where people can go to meet God and reconcile with him. Each of us is a brick in the edifice. We need each other.

The third good habit he suggests is to show love to your neighbour. He says “Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbour” (24 ). The second greatest commandment in the law is to love your neighbour as yourself. This is getting back to the foundations. A few months ago, I shared from the parable of the Good Samaritan. Like the Samaritan did, we need to intentionally plan to show love to those around us – especially those in need.

We usually have no problem finding time to seek our own good, so Paul encourages us here to intentionally find time to seek the good of those around us. This begins in the prayer closet, but must not be allowed to stay there. Otherwise, we are just like the priest and Levite in the parable.

The fourth good habit he suggests is to demonstrate thankfulness. He talks about partaking of food with thankfulness in verse 30. Some of the Corinthians were having problems eating certain foods because they were afraid the foods might have been dedicated to a pagan god. Paul encouraged them to eat whatever is set before them without worrying about it. The only time they should abstain is when someone at the table points out that the food has been dedicated to another god.

Paul’s principle is that we are free to eat anything we want, as long as doing so does not lead someone else to participate in idolatry. So, as long as it does not violate habits 1, 2, and 3, Christians are free to visit any item on the buffet. One of the reasons to be thankful is that God does not hold us to any arbitrary dietary taboos.

The fifth good habit he suggests is to lead people to Christ. Listen to verse 33 in the NLT: “I, too, try to please everyone in everything I do. I don’t just do what is best for me; I do what is best for others so that many may be saved.” Paul had many principles which guided his ministry among the Gentiles. Strategic principles were higher on Paul’s list than personal preferences. One of those strategic principles is that everything should be done with evangelism in mind.

Filipinos love basketball. OBC often used basketball games as a means to win people to Christ. A good question for all of us to ask is “What is it that I love to do, and can I use that to lead people to Christ?

Today’s text encourages us to “keep on doing everything to the glory of God.” I have to admit that before I even begin to obey this command, I am going to need to step back and evaluate what I am doing with my life. Probably lots of the things I do are habitual – and they are more me centered than God centered. I want to invite you to do the same kind of life evaluation. Get somewhere alone today and write a list of the things you do on a regular basis. Be specific. If you watch TV, list each program. If you go to a coffee shop, list it. Then think about how you can use that to help, edify, or love your neighbor, to demonstrate thankfulness to God, or to lead people to Christ. I’m not encouraging you to stop doing anything. I just want you to join me in asking “is what I am doing bringing glory to God?”

LORD, we want to ask you to help us to examine ourselves this week. Help us to take a good look at the things we regularly do. Help us to make sure that we are bringing you glory by loving others, building them up, and helping to meet their needs. Help us to do everything with thankfulness because of the freedom that we have in Christ. Help us to order our lives in such a way that leading people to you is just part of normal living for us.

In Jesus’ name. Amen.

May we all remember Mary’s little Lamb, and follow HIM.

The Vann family in New Zealand wishes you the happiest and healthiest of Christmases. 

Jeff and Penny Vann

 

 

 

I have been reading a very old book, The Star Evangel written by George Aldridge in 1904. Aldridge suggested that the constellations contained a message older than the Bible. His premise was that God revealed the gospel message to the early humans who preserved that message through the constellations. That way, the message could be preserved throughout the generations even without a written alphabet.

I have to admit, the idea is intriguing. Aldridge (and others whose research he drew upon) does a masterful job of seeing gospel truths in those old star connections.  He probably over-stretched his point on some of his conclusions, but the general impression I have is that he’s got something there.

To Aldridge, there is a reason that the star charts begin with a virgin (Virgo) who bears a seed and also a branch. The charts end with a lion (Leo) who rules. Aldridge sees Christ in the stars. He also sees significance in the ancient names of the stars.

And why not? If God has gone to all the trouble to give modern humanity his infallible word in scripture, who’s to say he could not have given a glimpse of this revelation to the ancients?

Here is Aldridge’s book in a nutshell:

Christ, the Redeemer	The Seed of the Woman Redemption Conflict with Satan Victory over Satan	the virgin the scales the scorpion the bowman
Christ, the Life-Giver	Life by Sacrificial Death Water of Life Life and Dominion The Ever-Living Conqueror	the goat the waterman the fishes the ram
Christ, the Rightful King	The Advent in Power Unity in Rule and Redemption Gathering the Ransomed The Enemy’s Overthrow	the bull the twins the crab the lion

I appreciate two things that Aldridge stresses. He sees the message in the stars as emphasizing the hope of the ages as a kingdom that is to come. Amen to that.

Also, he calls on his fellow New Zealanders who have visual access to the Southern Cross to get the message, and trust in the One who died on the cross for them – and for the rest of us.

My only caution is that we are far removed from these ancients, so much of what we might see in the constellations would probably be hopeful eisegesis, rather than careful exegesis.

My … other only caution is that shared by Aldridge. He warns against those who have taken the stars and turned them into means of controlling human destiny: the field of astrology. That is a demonic corruption of what God intended the stars to do for us.

In spite of this, it would do us all no harm to contemplate whether there is a message in the night sky. As long as we keep our hope set on Christ.

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If you are interested in looking further into this idea, these links are a good start. Not all of them support the idea, and please don’t assume I agree with everything the links say:

Is the gospel spelled out in the stars?

The Gospel Message—Written in the Stars?

Summary of the meanings of the Constellations from “Gospel in the Stars” by Joseph Seiss

Review of Gospel in the Stars

The Star Gospel

The Gospel Before The Bible

The Gospel In the Stars

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P.S. Thanks, Ernie

John 17:14-23 ESV

I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth. 20 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.

821393. Do you know what that number is? No, it’s not my cellphone number. It is the patent number for a “flying machine” granted to Orville and Wilbur Wright on May 22nd, 1906. When we see and hear jets flying overhead today it is a monument to the ingenuity of the Wright brothers and aviation pioneers like them. But those jets also remind us that human flight has changed a lot in 104 years. The attitude has always been “how can we make a good thing better?” The Church of Jesus Christ also has that attitude. It is spelled out in the Latin phrase Ecclesia semper reformanda est. It means the church must always be reforming

Jesus prayed a high-priestly prayer for us which is recorded in John 17. In that prayer, he anticipated all the challenges that we would face as a church while he is physically away at the father’s side in heaven. Today’s text is taken from that prayer. It highlights four particular challenges that will always be ours until our Lord comes back. These challenges are also reasons why the church of Jesus Christ must always keep trying to improve ourselves. We cannot afford to believe that we have “finally got it right.”

Jesus prayed that his church would be sanctified in truth. Not just any truth – the truth of God’s word. One of the reasons the church has to be semper reformanda is that the word of God is not simple. It is very complicated. Sometimes in our zeal to proclaim on part of God’s truth we wind up rejecting another part of the same truth. We have a responsibility to compare texts and debate issues until what we are proclaiming is the whole counsel of God.

Jesus prayed that his church would be one. He wanted our unity to be such that it reflected the same kind of unity he has with the Father. Reformation is not complete if all it does is separate us from one another. We need to keep striving to be both doctrinally correct, and united in that correctness. Disunity among ourselves can be just as dangerous as false teaching. The reason for this is that unity is supposed to support our testimony. Disunity is a reason for the world to ignore us.

Jesus prayed that the Father would keep the church from the evil one (15). The evil one is the devil. The devil wants to turn the church into something that does not promote God’s kingdom or preach the Gospel. He has four means by which he attempts this: temptation, deception, accusation, and intimidation. These are all means that Satan uses to distract the church so that we fail to do what we were called to do. We have to take this aspect of God’s truth seriously, because if you do not realize you are at war, you will become a casualty of war.

Jesus prayed for the church so that the world may know the truth of the Gospel (21,23). We are not doing what God has called us to do if the world around us is not hearing the Gospel in words that they can understand. We are not being faithful to God unless our efforts are resulting in a world which understands God’s grace and has an opportunity to accept that grace. Semper Reformanda in terms of evangelism means that we need to keep trying new ways of getting the Gospel out of the four walls of the church and into the lives of the people in our community. It also means missions is a priority because our responsibility goes beyond our community to the world.

The church must always be reforming. We must keep nailing our problems to the door so that people notice. We must have the courage to stand for the truth when the truth is the minority position. We must have the will to change even when it means getting out of our comfort zone. We owe it to ourselves to seek what Jesus wants for us. He wants us to stand for the truth, to be one with one another, to be free from Satan’s control, to reach the world with the Gospel.