Tag: Trinity

Long Roads Together

Genesis 22:1–18, Isaiah 45:11–17, Matthew 4:1–11

Genesis has many passages in it that Christians, Jews, and non-believers stumble over. Often it is our own pride, and sometimes it is us looking back upon those “backward and ignorant” people, with all our knowledge and obviously “better” culture. This passage in Genesis (22:1–18) is often one of the hard ones, as God calls upon Abraham to sacrifice his only son of his wife Sarah. This appears problematic as God later condemns such human sacrifice. It is to result in the death penalty. Yet, God still calls for it. The easy answer is that God was “just” testing Abraham. God already knew that a ram would be provided. If so, to us it is a cruel test. To Abraham and the cultures around him, it was still cruel, but it was part of god worship (note, not God worship). We also have to understand that Isaac was the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham regarding descendants. God requested that Abraham kill the very legacy (so it seemed) that God had promised.

The harder answer, but perhaps more Christian answer is that Abraham was foreshadowing God the Father. God made a request of Abraham, the God the Father would completely fulfill generations later. God would sacrifice the Son for all of humanity. God’s only Son. The Son, part of the Trinity, would be born as man, so that mankind would become the legacy intended if sin had not come. As Isaiah speaks from God, righteousness stirred up. The holy city (a place of relationship with God) rebuilt. The exiles (those separated from God) set free, but not by money or exchange of goods. Then Isaiah says that Israel will be saved by God. The only true savior is God. With God being the savior, salvation is eternal. God becomes incarnate. God is with us (Emmanuel).

Even as God with us, Jesus walks our road. The temptations that Jesus faced in the desert are common to mankind (survival, security, pride/power). Since Jesus walked with us and Jesus is God, humanity and God became united in a way that Abraham could never have imagined, and Isaiah couldn’t fully comprehend. Even we really cannot fully comprehend it, and we (through the church) have had a long time to figure it out.

1) During his temptations, Jesus says, “Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God,” quoted Deuteronomy 8:3. If Jesus is the word (John 1:1–3), and Jesus is the bread, how does that cause you to rethink Jesus’ answer?

2) God called on Abraham to sacrifice his legacy. How can God call on us to sacrifice our legacy for an even greater legacy?

3) How can we discern when God is asking us to sacrifice our legacy, versus calling on us to sacrifice our pride?

2019-04-05
Interceding Love

Genesis 44:18–34, Isaiah 59:15b–20, Hebrews 7:11–28, Romans: 8:26–39

It has been said the person who does not pray for their spouse will have their prayers bounce back. It has been said that a person who is not prayed for by their spouse will experience the same. It does seem to be a catch-22. It isn’t. This is to be a lifestyle of prayer, not once or twice. It is to be regular. One should know best what one’s spouse needs prayer for, maybe even better than their spouse. Prayer shouldn’t end there. People should pray for their parents, grandparents, children, grandchildren, and other family members. People should pray for friends. People should pray for their #Framily. People should be praying…a lot. This sounds like a lot of shoulds, and it is. Intercession is an act of love toward and for others. Do you love people? Pray for them.

Not all intercession is prayer. In Genesis, Judah intercedes for his brother Benjamin on behalf of their father, Israel. Yes, there is a lot more to than just that. Intercession is often putting oneself in the place of another, just like Judah was trying to do with Benjamin. Understanding the “putting oneself” piece is put into a larger context when Jesus says, “No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13) Life has many places where one can and should intercede for others.

While Judah was trying to avoid the breaking of his father’s heart, Isaiah speaks to the people of Israel. The leaders are not interceding on behalf of their people. They are not supporting and living out justice. Therefore God has to exercise salvation. Justice and salvation are part of intercession. Think about that for a moment, and go back to intercessory prayer. Justice and salvation are part of that, too. THANK GOD! That’s where Jesus comes in!

The author of Hebrews notes that Jesus’ intercession on our behalf means that we receive salvation. As Jesus continually (until the end of this world) is before the Father interceding on our behalf. Just as Judah interceded to keep his father’s heart from breaking, Jesus (from the Tribe of Judah) intercedes on our behalf so that God the Father’s heart is not broken by losing us. When Judah died, there could be no more intercession. Jesus is eternal so the intercession never ends.

As if that wasn’t enough, the Holy Spirit intercedes on our behalf in the intent of the first piece, intercessory prayer. 2/3 of the Trinity is interceding on our behalf. Jesus and the Holy Spirit interceded in one heart/mind/spirit with God the Father, on whose behalf Jesus came for us. It is just amazing!

1) If that much of God is about interceding, should our response be any less?
2) God obviously views intercession as important. Do you view intercession as an important part of your walk with Christ as God views it?

3) Why is intercession for others so important? Does intercession change your heart regarding those people for whom your interceding?

FD) Have you ever defended somebody who didn’t “deserve” it? Why or why not?

2019-02-23
For Glory!

Psalm 115, Judges 5:1-11, 1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1

Much of the modern world is obsessed with the self. Individualism (rugged or otherwise) is a key feature of (U.S.) American culture. It then becomes ironic when non-believers question why everything should be for God’s glory. They attribute to God a selfish conceit that has no consideration for others. This is one of the reasons why the doctrine of the Trinity is important to understanding God. God lives in community. There is a perpetual and integral consideration of another. We created beings are blessed because God considers us worthy of being related to. This is not a vain conceit of God. It is a reality of a holy and wholly other being who has created us.

When it comes to God’s glory versus our glory it is important to not just say it’s God’s glory. God’s glory is eternal. Our glory is temporary. It is that perspective of an abiding glory that remains forever. When we are aware and take this into account, it should affect our decisions and responses.

The psalmist compares the eternal living God to man-made idols that are destroyable. The psalmist then compares the makers and worshippers of idols to the very idols they make. They are the same in that trusting in them is trusting in nothing (or possibly alluding to death). In comparison to the living God whose people are living and plentiful. The legacy is of children, grandchildren, and so on. The legacy is of the living and who live in relationship with God. The legacy needs to be remembered.

Deborah and Barak were the leaders of Israel, seeking to restore a lost legacy. Even in the midst of celebrating victory over their oppressors, Deborah and Barak gave God praise for the leaders who lead, and the volunteers who stepped up. While they (leaders and volunteers) did as they were called, it was still to God’s glory that they responded and succeeded. Their actions live on in the story of God that God laid out for us to receive. While in this case, it is something that was done that brought God glory, it can also be things not done that brings God glory.

In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul is confronting the struggles of people trying to conform their lives to a new way of thinking. In their culture, sacrifices to idols are done. It is prevalent. The idols are dead, so why worry about the meat? For the follower of Christ—who knows the freedom in/of Christ—this is just a silly question. However, for those who are not followers of the Way (i.e., Christians) this is an important question, for their perspective is that the believers are worshipping idols when they eat the sacrifices! Thus, not eating it brings glory to God by showing that they do not worship the idols or feel they are worth paying attention to. It may seem silly to us, but to a culture for whom idol worship was cultural and religious, this was a huge thing.

1) What things could the culture view us (i.e., Christians, Christ-Followers) as worshipping, just like the culture?

2) How can you know when you are doing something for God’s glory rather than your own?

3) Why do leaders leading and volunteers stepping up give God glory?

FD) What can you not do and give God glory?

2019-02-11
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