Tag: fear

Old With New

Psalm 147:12-20, Proverbs 1:1-7; James 3:13-18

He declares his word to Jacob,
his statutes and judgments to Israel.
He has not done this for every nation;
they do not know his judgments.
Hallelujah!
Psalm 147:19-20

The fear of the LORD
is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and discipline.
Proverbs 1:7

Christianity is rooted in Judaism. That must never be ignored or denied. Judaism provides context for the New Testament. The New Testament loses much of its weight and impact when separated from Judaism. That is not to say that Judaism as practiced today is insightful, just that Jesus, the 12 original Apostles, Matthias (the man who replaced Judas Iscariot), and Paul were all Jews. It would be better to say that Christianity is the fullest expression of what Judaism was intended to be.

The essentiality of this understanding means that we, just as Jews have done, must wrestle with the Old Testament. The Psalmist declares that Israel (the Jews) are blessed as they know (and have experienced) God’s statues and judgments. The Psalmist basically is saying that everyone else has lost out, as they don’t know God. The Christian understanding is that people who don’t know Jesus as the Saving Son of God have lost out. While there is a difference, there is a strong similarity: not being of the family of God is losing out.

In Proverbs, the introduction ends on a powerful and significant note, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and discipline.” In this instance, fear is reverence and respect one feels towards one’s God. In other words, God is God, and I am not. Fools are those who do not have God in the right perspective. This takes the “losing out” aspect and adds on foolish. This is the foolishness of the despairing and dying. This foolishness takes on a number of forms, pride, shame, ignorance, fear and even hatred. The words of James guide us in how to answer this. Wisdom.

In particular, it is God’s wisdom that will guide the willing person away from the foolishness of the world, and toward the wisdom of God. As the bearers of God’s Word, we are to be humble and gentle. It is to come from a heart that knows God is God, and I am not. This same heart seeks to be like God and love those whose hearts are far away and draw them closer.

1) The world often looks at Jesus’ followers and shakes its head. It sees our human weakness, and attacks it. In light of the passages we’ve read, how can we respond?

2) What do you think worldly wisdom is? Can wordly and Godly wisdom ever be aligned?

KD) Why do you think it is important to remember that God is God, and you are not?

2019-01-02
Guilty and Free

Psalm 103, 1 Samuel 4:1-22, Isaiah 43:14-25

Imagine being someplace you’ve never been and driving down the road only looking at the rear-view mirror. Your peripheral vision would catch some of the more dangerous things, but you would miss a lot. All too often we go through life this way. You may not have escaped your past, but you cannot embrace the future without looking forward.

Much of life is common among people. We live and die. We love and hurt. We fail and succeed. We have regrets and we have gratitude.

For many people, this year has been very hard: huge changes; life-changing events; lives lost; lives gained; big mistakes; new jobs; loss of jobs; moving; being forced to move. There are many that are looking to set aside this year, and so very ready to start the new one, yet many will be filled with fear, unsure of what will come.

In 1 Samuel, we read of a very bad time. The Ark of the Covenant, a Godly object—that many staked their identity and security on—was lost to a powerful enemy. Their leader (judge) and his sons have died. All seemed lost. The Israelites were fearfully looking toward the future.

By the time of Isaiah, the people were again looking to the future with fear. There had just been a declaration of guilt (Isaiah 42) and failure. The so-called People of God had been reminded of their failure to fulfill their role. The judge of the universe had declared their guilt. Just as many are fearfully looking to the new year, so, too, were the People of God fearful of what came after their conviction.

“Do not remember the past events, pay no attention to the things of old. Look, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming…” (Isaiah 43:18-19)

1) Be deeply honest with yourself. What do you fear in regards to the coming year?

2) One can fear what is coming and still trust God. It is the type of fear that is the key. How can fear be good or bad?

3/KD) What is the one thing you are most worried will happen next year? What is the one thing you are most looking forward to next year?

2018-12-31
Pieces of Love

Isaiah 52:13-53:12, John 15:7-21, Luke 1:68-79

This passage in Isaiah does not use the word love. In fact, it sounds that God is cruel.

This passage does not use the word love. It preaches and lives it from its very core.

How? Through Jesus. Only through Jesus was such a horrific event transformed from terror-inducing to life-giving. Only God can take something soaked in death and turn it into something that produces life, and only through the very being of God’s self: the second person of the Trinity, Jesus.

Jesus’ words to his disciples were just words. It’s not that they didn’t think Jesus’ words were unimportant, but they were lacking the understanding of how deep their meaning was. As we quickly approach Christmas, we should hold in our hearts and minds, as we celebrate the gentle, warm and easy baby in a manger, that Good Friday and Easter are coming. A simple child will change the world.

Zechariah’s prophecy for his son, John, was both filled with joy of and fear for his son. Such a prophecy means that his son would expect a life of hardship and opposition. Prophets are often unloved by those that God sent them to. A father’s joy of birth, overshadowed by what was to come. God the Father, and all the Heaven’s, filled with joy of the coming birth of the Messiah, yet that simple life-giving act was known to not be the act of salvation, but merely the starting point of salvation fulfilled by the cross.

When we speak of Christian love, it is a hard love. This is not the soft and gentle love that the world wants, but the love the puts other ahead of self, and the lower above the higher. Jesus shows us what godly love is, and we struggle to do it. We often think of it as easy, but it violates the world’s love, and the world will do anything to oppose it.

Christmas is love in action. Christmas is the celebration of a loving act, by a loving God, fulfilled by a loving God, to call back to love a world filled with fear, anxiety, prejudice and hatred.

Most parents have learned a truth of love. Having a child is having part of your heart forever outside of yourself. Imagine how God feels. Billions of pieces of God’s heart are walking on this planet right now.

1) What are your thoughts about being “a piece of God’s heart”?

2) Often when following God, we have to release those we love to Him. If you’ve done that, how does it feel? If you haven’t, can you imagine what it feels like?

2018-12-23
Joy in Redemption

Genesis 25:25-34, Exodus 15:12-18, Psalm 23

The family life of Isaac and Jacob—the patriarchs of the tribes of Israel—is not ideal. Favoritism of love is shown. Despising of family and property is displayed through hunger. This is not a family form to follow. God’s Word often shows that the people that God chose to carry his name and blessing weren’t perfect. In fact, some of them seem to have very few redeeming qualities. In other words, God chose to carry his name and blessing through people just like us.

Moses’ exultation of God in Exodus can seem overbearing toward people who don’t follow God. The entire purpose of that overbearingness is to show God’s power and glory through a people despised and rejected. In fact, this is an echo of the passage in Genesis, for some of the people who are opposing of the Israelites return (coming into their inheritance) are the descendants of Esau who despised his inheritance. God leads and loves those on the outside.

Psalm 23 is probably the best-known Psalm, even outside of Christian and Jewish circles. In it, God’s care of his people is first presented in the role of a shepherd. As the shepherd, God makes the sheep lie down and rest. When the shepherd (God) does lead the sheep, they are so confident and trusting in God, that they followed through darkness and fear.

The Psalm then transforms from sheep to a person for whom the table is set. In other words, the sheep has now become the guest. That is not a small transformation, to go from stubborn (won’t rest), to following (through fear and death), to guest.

1) The family in Genesis is not great. How are the relationships shown between people: Isaac, Rebekah, Esau, Jacob? Think of how scripture shows and doesn’t show those relationships.

2) Redemption is one of the biggest ways God shows his love. How is redemption shown in each of today’s passages?

3) What imagery attracts you most in Psalm 23? What do you think that shows you about a need in your life that should be filled by God, rather than the world?

KD) Why do you think that God uses the image of sheep when he talks about his people?

2018-12-20
Beyond Hope

Luke:1:46b-55, James 5:7-10, Hebrews 12:1-2

Mary’s song/poem of praise is often called the Magnificat in the Protestant/Roman Catholic tradition, or the Ode of the Theotokos (Bearer of God) in the Eastern Orthodox tradition. It is a joy-filled response to God by Mary that appears to be a response to Elizabeth’s joy-filled pronouncement of the Sprit-filled joy of John the Baptist (in utero, of all things) to hearing the voice of the Mother of God (Jesus).

The double-meaning of Mary’s praise of “…my spirit rejoices in God my savior…” is the Jewish understanding of God (the Father) as the savior of their people, along side the coming salvation of Jew and Gentile through the death of Jesus (God the Son). There is the reality of God as past, present and future savior.

The Jews knew many experiences of God as savior. The expectation for the coming Messiah was built upon an understanding of a God that was faithful and would fulfill promises made.

As a Jew, James had the same Jewish understanding as pregnant Mary, and he had seen fulfillment of the Messiah’s coming and salvation. Now James is passing the hope on. It is the expectation based upon God’s faithfulness that the Messiah will come again and the hope that remains strong in the face of adversity.

In Hebrews, the author notes that Jesus went to the cross joyfully, not because Jesus was looking forward to the pain, anguish, betrayal and death. Jesus was looking beyond the cross, beyond the grave, and even beyond the Resurrection. The author notes that Jesus’ prize was the throne of God. Though the author doesn’t say it here, the other prize was you and me before the throne of God, not in fear of judgement, but as Children of the Most High God.

Elsewhere, the author of Hebrews notes that Jesus, our Savior, is continually interceding on our behalf and for all eternity. No matter how you feel about yourself being worthy, it doesn’t matter. As shirts and bumper stickers read, “I may not be perfect, but Jesus thinks I’m to die for.” That is our hope and joy.

1) Are hope and joy the same thing?

2) Why are having hope and joy important for a Christian?

3) Why is it important to look at the Old Testament in regards to salvation?

KD) Why does the author of Hebrews compare faith to running a race?

2018-12-17