Month: March 2021

Isaiah 6:8

The third week of Advent is traditionally associated with John the Baptist as a servant of God’s call and preparation for prophetic ministry

And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.” And he said, “Go, and say to this people:

If asked, who would you say was your favourite biblical prophet? Does that seem a bit odd? It may be and the question does cause one to consider if it is a trick question. I don’t mean it so but I think we can be drawn towards wanting to spend more time reading prophets who say things we like in ways we enjoy. Jeremiah would top a lot of people’s list despite his life of suffering, because it was Jeremiah who said.  ^‘For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.’ ^v29.11 A verse frequently used without reference to the context but one that comforts many and can be used when facing new beginnings. Micah 6.8 is a reference point for me, ‘He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?’  So, I would be tempted to say Micah. However, I believe Isaiah would probably top the polls because from his pen came the most eloquent prophecies concerning Jesus that capture the reader’s heart and inspired Handel’s Messiah. In truth it is a vain and useless exercise because it misses the core issue that they were simply servants, obedient to a master conveying a timely message.

The prophet’s role was to point away from themselves towards God and his message. Their authority was not their own, their message was not their own, the power of the message was entirely dependent upon the Spirit of God. Before they were equipped to speak they first of all had to encounter the Holy God. Some of these encounters are vividly recorded in scripture. Isaiah had a vision of, ‘the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne, and the train filled the temple’ ^{Isaiah 6.1} Ezekiel had a vision of mysterious heavenly creatures. The Lord spoke to Jeremiah with the words, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.’ (Note the plural) ^{Jeremiah 1.5} Paul’s encounter on the Damascus road temporarily blinded him and brought profound repentance. In each case the experience was one that was fearful in the sense of awesome, and caused them to understand the holiness of God as well as his greatness.

A common impact on the prophets is a sense of their own sin but also a knowledge that God and God alone has cleansed them. ^{Isaiah 6.5-7} It is then they are able to be as Isaiah was and say, send me. The role of taking God’s word to the world is not limited to a few chosen ones. In the New Testament it is the church as a whole that bears this responsibility. To do this however the church needs the same things as prophets of old in preparation. A knowledge of the holiness and greatness of God. A repentant but forgiven heart. An understanding of the commission God has granted and to go in the power of the Trinity. The Lord asked Isaiah, ‘who will go for us?’ At Pentecost the church received the fullness of the tri-union God himself to take the gospel to the world. Individuals are still commissioned for specific purposes but the church bears the responsibility to be his witnesses to the end of the earth.

Does the church leave the role of advocating the gospel to a chosen few?

What is our response to the Lord’s question, ‘Who will go for us?’

Here I am Lord with lyrics

Hebrews 4.12-13

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

What the Old Testament describes in physical and material terms is often worked out in spiritual terms in the New Testament. Chapter 4 of Hebrews explains how it is possible to enter God’s rest or Sabbath in our lives. There have always been large numbers of people who struggle to find an inner rest or peace. There are many famous artists in all the forms of the arts who have achieved greatness drawing on their lack of inner rest for inspiration. They may have earned great acclaim in the process but they have literally suffered for their art. We may have a place where we go to find that rest, the place could be an activity e.g. gardening, making music or mountain walking, however when we return to ‘real life’ the lack of peace has a habit of returning.

The New Testament says that lack of lasting peace is a consequence of rebellion towards God. In the Old Testament entering the promised land stood for entering God’s rest. When Israel rebelled after being led to freedom from Egyptian slavery God swore they would not enter his rest (the promised land) and so Israel did not do so until that generation had died out. ‘And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.’ ^{Hebrews 3.18-19} The writer of the Hebrews applies the same division in spiritual terms to those who believe in Jesus and those who do not. When speaking of those who have heard the gospel and rejected it he says they are unable to enter God’s rest. ‘For the good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened.’ ^{Hebrews 4.2} He goes on to warn those Jews that they will not enter God’s rest on the basis of their nationality alone, they have to listen to and obey and believe the gospel. He quotes Psalm 95.7-8, ‘Today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.’

The writer then urges people to do everything they can to enter God’s rest through faith. What the ESV translates as ‘strive’ The Message translates as ‘keep at it’. In other words, be persistent in seeking faith and obedience. Does that seem like a contradiction, how can one strive for faith? Doesn’t one either have faith or not? However, today’s quotation above, explains the reality of how faith is gained. The Spirit of God uses the word of God to penetrate our doubts, questions, struggles and desire to rebel against God to reveal his truth. God is able to discern our thoughts and intentions, nothing is hidden from him. ^{Hebrews 4.12-13} However, his word reveals to ourselves his truth and the truth about ourselves. What we do with that revelation is of course up to us. We will live with the consequences as did those who rebelled in the desert.

Are we ready for the revelation of Christ this Christmas?

Come Lord Jesus – Noel Richards

^{2 Timothy 3:16-17}

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, ¹⁷ that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

As we wait to celebrate the coming of the Messiah at Christmas we need to take the time to be equipped to follow him in our lives. I have many times heard and read verse 16 quoted as defining the value and purpose of the bible in discipleship. However, I cannot remember verse 17 being expanded upon. The reason for reproof, correction and training is to equip his disciples in every way for good work. What might these good works include? Amongst other things it includes the use of our money, (Philippians 4.18) the praise and worship of God, (Hebrews 13.15) charitable works, (Hebrews 13.16) as well as sharing the gospel and spiritual ministry. (Romans 15.16) Whatever the good works are Paul is clear, it is scripture that prepares us for them and is the tool used by the Spirit of Christ to equip us for the life and task.

Paul opens the chapter with a devastating description of the pervading culture of the time that he calls the ‘last days.’ ^{2 Timothy 3.1-5} He means by the last days, the period between Pentecost and Jesus’ second coming. He describes a culture dominated by many people who he compares to Jannes and Jambres. These refer to Egyptian magicians who opposed Moses before Pharaoh, prior to the exodus. He was warning Timothy that this is the world he lives in and this is the level of opposition that exists to godly living and God’s will. Avoid such people, he warns Timothy. He cannot mean by that do not engage in terms of the gospel and ministry as Jesus spent a great deal of time with those who were looked down on in society and people who were not yet believers. He may well have been particularly concerned about avoiding people who were trying to draw believers back into godless practices and away from discipleship. The enemy within. ^{2 Timothy 3.5-7}

Paul offers Timothy two antidotes, firstly the example of his own discipleship through persecution and suffering and secondly the power of the word of God. In describing the bible as God breathed it captures the image, when reading, reflecting, meditating and learning from it, of breathing in God’s Spirit. It has often been said that two miracles need to occur for us to learn from scripture. God needs to inspire it and then he needs to inspire our learning of it. Godly learning is not always easy because it involves both reprimand and correction. We have not learnt well it if it has not included repentance. However, scripture also builds us up through teaching, training us in Christ like living. When the Spirit is using scripture in this way he is making us complete and able to live for him. Oh what joy!

What value do we as individuals and as a church place on learning from the bible?

Are we prepared to accept the discipline of the Spirit through the words of scripture?

Every Promise of Your Word – Keith and Kristyn Getty

Isaiah 55.6, 9-11

call on him while he is near.

“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

Each morning I wake to news, good and bad. This morning an 89 year old woman, one of the first to receive the Pfizer Covid 19 vaccine, was sharing her story of the loss of her husband in a care home in June, having not been able see him from March. It was intended to be a good news story but it carried a cloak of sadness, even tragedy. We welcome the good news of vaccines to protect us from the threat of contagious disease but that alone does not satisfy the ache of the soul. Isaiah 55 draws us into the promises of God at the times when we are aware of our greatest need. Our need is for Him. The chapter opens with, ‘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.’ ^{Isaiah 55.1} This advent, God’s offer is free, unearned by us, not ours by right, but it is in a sense click and collect. We have to know we need it to receive it and we have to collect it. The payment however has already been made by him.

There are choices to be made. ^{Isaiah 55.2} We can choose to go after those things that do not satisfy our long-term needs. We can even rejoice in foolish choices by listening to those who promote things that do not address our essential needs. Our whole lives can go by without listening to God’s loving voice. But God’s appeal is to, ‘Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live.’ ^{Isaiah 55.3} What is so different about what God has to say? It is because his words are eternal and not a temporary fix. He says, ‘I will make with you an everlasting covenant.’ ^{Isaiah 55.} Isaiah goes on to convey God’s message, presence and salvation is not just limited to Judah and Israel but is for all people who turn to him. ^{Isaiah 56.1-8} The preparation time for Christmas then should be a time when we seek him and call upon his name. ^{Isaiah 55.6}

God’s plans and means of carrying them out are different to what we would think and do. Israel was looking for a military salvation and conquest of their neighbours and enemies. Our plans may not include military victories but without responding to the word of God they are unlikely to rely on the death of a man some 2000 years ago. God’s plan was to re-establish a relationship with people through forgiveness and sanctification. His means of doing so was to send his Son in human form to take the consequences of our sin upon himself, to experience God’s wrath on our behalf and to rise from death and so conquer death on our behalf. No wonder Isaiah repeats the phrase, ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts.’ ^{Isaiah 55.8,9} The choice he requires of us is to repent and, ‘turn to the Lord, that he may have compassion on us.’ ^{Isaiah 55.7}

God has promised that his word (message) will go out and it will accomplish his will. The question for us is whether we choose to benefit from it or ignore him.

EL SHADDAI – AMY GRANT

Isaiah 40.6-8

A voice says, “Cry out.”
And I said, “What shall I cry?”

“All people are like grass,
and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field.
The grass withers and the flowers fall,
because the breath of the Lord blows on them.
Surely the people are grass.
The grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of our God endures forever.”

What shall we cry out this Christmas? It has been a long time in the UK since we had a year when the truth of, ‘people are like grass ^v6  … The grass withers and the flowers fall,’ ^v7 has seemed more apt. The frailty and mortality of human life has not only dominated much of individuals’ thoughts, it has dominated global politics. The preservation of human life has become urgent and broadly society has sought to care for and protect others with a generosity of spirit. We may be able to extend life and improve the quality of our life but eventually the shortness of life, even ‘long life’, becomes ever more apparent.

The passage however is not only speaking about mortality, it also addresses faithfulness, in particular faithfulness towards God. ‘ All their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field .. the flowers fall.’ ^vv6,7 What hope is there for us when we cannot control our mortality and find faithfulness towards God, our judge, something that slips between our fingers. Should we cry out a lament? Should we give up hope and wail before God?

No. The chapter is a call by God to comfort his people. ^Isaiah 40.1 The people of God had moved into a time of peace and been forgiven for their iniquity. ^{Isaiah 40.2} Isaiah at the time was addressing the King and the people, bringing the King solace until the end of his days.^{Isaiah 39.8} However, the King also knew that the future would bring judgement and exile for the next generation. ^{Isaiah 39.5-7} Now then is the time to prepare for the coming of the Messiah and it is a cry taken up by John the Baptist to prepare the way for Jesus. ^{Isaiah 40.2-5}

Surely then this is the cry for all believers at advent as the people of God look forward to the coming of Christ. They are to cry out good news. ‘Go on up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news, lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news, lift it up, fear not.’ ^{Isaiah 40.9} Upon what is this good news based and how certain of it should we be? It is based on the certainty that the word of God, unlike our own mortal lives and faithfulness, will stand forever.’ ^{Isaiah 40.8}

Are we prepared to join in the cry of comfort to the world when the world is acutely aware of the brevity of life?

Do we place our confidence in the unchanging word of God?

Faithfull One So Unchanging (with lyrics)