A Knowing Savior

In each of the seven letters to the congregations in the opening chapters of Revelation, Jesus assures those congregations that He knows them, that He knows their problems, their troubles, and their successes. As we study the life of our Savior, we should be with impressed with the level of knowledge He has about those who come after Him. He wants to be close to us and know us like no other can.

Mark 10:17-22 records a young man of great wealth coming to Jesus, and we see that Jesus has compassion for the man, knowing exactly what the man lacks in his life. Luke 19:1-10 records Jesus calling on Zacchaeus, telling him He is going to Zacchaeus’ own house. Jesus knows the man and knows where he lives. Also, John 4 shows Jesus interacting with a Samaritan woman. Again, He demonstrates deep knowledge of her life and shows great care for her. Then, in John 8:1-11, when people bring an adulteress to Him, Jesus knows her guilt and demonstrates the compassion she needs. In John 9:35, Jesus knows a blind man He had healed had been exiled from his people and seeks him out. Finally, in John 11:35, we see Jesus weeping over the death of a loved one.

Time and again, we see Jesus knowing of history, of loss, of guilt. He knows people by name. He knows their homes, their needs, and their hearts. Whenever we see the Lord interacting with people in the Bible, we should see ourselves in those interactions. He knows us the way He knows these varied individuals, and, like these, Jesus knows our greatest needs.

He calls the rich young man to forsake his possessions to follow Him. In Zacchaeus’s house, Jesus says He came to seek and to save. Jesus tells the woman by the well that He is Messiah. He tells the adulteress to repent of her sins, asks the blind man for faith, and He reveals Himself as the source of eternal life to Mary and Martha when raising Lazarus from death. In each case, He knows their greatest need and reveals that He can fulfill those needs.

Jesus knows us, and He knows we need Him in our lives. He loves us, and He died for us. We can know Him the way He knows of if we only humble ourselves, allow Him to fill our lives, and come to Him in faith.

lesson by Tim Smelser

A Faithful Hope

The Bible is full of individuals who stand up and declare the word of the Lord in the face of public and political opposition. People like Moses, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, and more – these face threats, persecutions, and ridicule for delivering a message that the people do not necessarily wish to hear. Among these great messengers is a man named Jeremiah, commonly known as the weeping prophet for the bitterness of his message to the prophet.

In Lamentation 1, we see Jeremiah writing a song of mourning, told from the perspective of the city as it is being besieged. He calls the city a widow. He writes of Jerusalem’s enemies mocking the city and taking joy in her demise. Jerusalem mourns her lost children. Then, in chapter 3, the prophet begins to insert his own voice, bemoaning the tragedies he is forced to witness. It is a book of sorrow and pain over the destruction of God’s holy city.

A Glimmer of Hope
In the midst of this, in Jeremiah 3:21-25, the prophet remembers hope:

But this I call to mind,and therefore I have hope:
The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
The LORD is my portion, says my soul, therefore I will hope in him.
The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.

In the middle of sorrow and despair, Jeremiah remembers God’s mercy and the renewal available in Him. He remembers hope in God’s faithfulness. All of us face failure in our lives. We face difficulties, sorrow, and ridicule. Like Jeremiah, we can remember the portion we have in Jehovah.

Hope in God’s Faithfulness, Mercy, and Renewal
Jeremiah calls God’s mercies unending. Psalm 136 repeats again and again that God’s steadfast love endures forever. His mercies, His compassion, His love is faithful and enduring. In Luke 1:76-79, Zechariah praises God for the endurance of His tender mercies, and Romans 15:1-9 exults God for His mercy and calls the Lord a God of hope, of endurance, and of comfort. Ephesians 1:1-7 says God makes us alive in Christ because of His mercy and love. We know the God’s mercy does not fail, and we can trust in those mercies to deliver us.

Jeremiah also speaks of having hope in his God. In Psalm 130 calls on God’s people to hope in Him, in His love and His mercies. Psalm 31:24 and Psalm 38:15 both express hope in God’s deliverance and His mercy. I Thessalonians 5, Paul contrasts hope with hopelessness, and he writes that we should wear hope of salvation like a helmet in verse 8. Romans 8:24 simply states that our salvation is based upon hope, and Paul goes on to make the case that hope sustains us in the face of every trial this world can throw at us. Finally, Hebrews 6:17-20 speaks of our hope anchoring our souls. In the middle of this world’s tragedies and difficulties, this is the hope we can have.

We hope for renewal in God, and II Corinthians 5:17 calls those who live in Christ new creatures. Chapter 4:16-18 of the same book tells us we look away from our former physical concerns to spiritual hopes. We are renewed in the image of our Creator and Savior, and Romans 6 tells us we raise to walk in newness of life after our conversion to Christ. Ephesians 4:17-24 calls on us to clothe ourselves in newness and renewal, discarding our former selves and replacing that with a new creation. We all want a fresh start, and God promises we can be renewed in Christ when we sacrifice self and allow Him to transform our lives.

We can hope these things because God is faithful, and, if He is faithful to us, we should be as faithful to Him. I Corinthians 1:9 begins a very difficult letter with the assurance that God is indeed faithful. Hebrews 10:22-23 calls on us to hold onto our hope in a faithful God, and I John 1:9 assures us God’s forgiveness is faithful. If we place our hope in Him, if we trust His mercy, if we are faithful – then we can trust His faithfulness to us.

Conclusion
Jeremiah 3:21-25 stands as a testament of faith in a faithful God. God is good to the soul that seeks Him and waits on Him. Our renewal is found in Him alone, and our responsibility then is to seek Him and come to Him on His terms. He is available to us. The Jerusalem of Jeremiah’s time never turns to embrace God’s mercy and deliverance. They fall into captivity because of their slavery to sin. We, however, do not have to share that fate. We can take hold of the hope we have in God. We can trust His mercies and find renewal in Him. He can be our hope if we faithfully trust in Him.

lesson by Tim Smelser

A Christian Nation

After the kingdom of Israel divides in I Kings 12, Jeroboam wishes to restrict travel between the northern kingdom and Judah. He forbids travel to Jerusalem, hoping to create new holy cities in the north. Some forsake the north to worship in Jerusalem during the times of Asa, but the separation of holy cities remains even to the days of Jesus when the woman at the well asks Jesus where God desires worship. She is concerned that she worship from a location approved of by God, but Jesus redirects her attention from the physical to the spiritual.

Augustine’s City of God
About 300 years after the time of Christ, Constantine professed to convert to Christianity. One year later, the Edict of Milan legalized Christianity in Rome. In 380 CE, the Edict of Thessolonica made Christianity the state religion of Rome. In short, it made Rome into a "Christian nation." This was a drastic departure from polytheism. Rome was sacked in 410 CE, causing many to decry the conversion from polytheism to Christianity.

Around this time, St. Augustine wrote, in The City of God, that official state religions mean nothing to the message of the gospel. He discourages Christians becoming entangled in secular politics, for God’s kingdom, New Jerusalem, is a spiritual entity. It is unsurprising that St. Augustine’s message was unpopular then, and it is unpopular now. He is, however, entirely correct.

God’s City of Jerusalem
In Deuteronomy 12:5, Moses tells the people of the importance of God’s physical city that would become the center of Jehovah worship in the ancient kingdom of Israel. In verse 11, Moses goes on to emphasize that sacrifice should only be made in the place God chooses. Moses is telling the people that there will be a city of God, a place significant and special to worshiping Jehovah. We know that Jerusalem becomes that city.

In II Samuel 6, the Ark of the Covenant comes to the city of Jerusalem, and I Kings 9 records Solomon praying to God to hollow the temple at Jerusalem, God promising to consecrate the place forever. The sons of Korah, in Psalm 46, express confidence of God’s divine protection over the land. Psalm 48:1-3 again expresses the majesty and beauty God’s people see in His city, as do Psalms 122, 46, and 132.

Jerusalem represents a place where God’s name and His Ark resides. It is the place of God’s worship. It is where He dwells. It is a city of rest, of refuge, of holiness, and of peace.

Abandoning the Physical
This changes in the days of Jeremiah, when, in chapter 26 of his book, God promises to destroy the city, that He will curse the city for their sins. Political and religious leaders of Jerusalem threaten death to him for his words, but Jeremiah continues to press them for repentance. Jerusalem’s glory would never be restored, and memories of Zion are recoded in Psalm 137, expressing pain and sorrow at the loss of God’s holy city.

No great city or nation can be saved simply by calling themselves a “Christian” city or nation. To do so is to forget the lessons of Jerusalem and to forget that God does not intend to dwell here with us on Earth. Rather, He wants us to dwell with Him in heaven, leaving this physical world behind for a spiritual inheritance.

In Isaiah 65:17, the prophet proclaims a New Jerusalem, new heavens and a new land. Galatians 4:21-31, Hebrews 12:18-24, II Peter 3:8-12 – these point to something beyond this physical world. This is the city of God on which we need to focus. We get caught up looking upon the nations of man. It does not matter if it is Jerusalem, Rome, Paris, Moscow, or Washington D.C. Cities of man will always fall. Our refuge, rest, and peace should be found only in God’s City. Philippians 3 calls on us to place our citizenship in Heaven. We need to look up from the conflicts of this world and look heavenward.

lesson by Tim Smelser

And the Stones Cried

Among the psalms of worship, lament, intercession, history, and others, are a collection of songs that proclaim God’s greatness as seen in nature. Three of these are Psalms 29, 148, and 19. Psalm 29 describes God as a thunderstorm, His voice and nature seen in the thunder, in the waves, in the winds, in the animals taking shelter – all of these proclaim glory to God. Likewise, all nature is called to praise Jehovah in Psalm 148, from creatures of the deep to the stars of the heavens. Finally, the heavens testify God’s name in Psalm 19.

Nature is called upon time and again to give praise to God. Jesus calls on this imagery during the last week of His ministry. As He rides into Jerusalem in Luke 19:36, multitudes welcome Him in praise. They sing from Psalm 118 as Jesus passes by, calling Him their king, bearing testimony of His name. In verse 39, the Pharisees call on Jesus to rebuke His overenthusiastic followers, understanding the undercurrents of their worship. Jesus responds by claiming that, should His followers fall silent, nature itself, even the stones on the ground, would cry out.

When the Stones Cried Out
By the end of this week, Jesus is arrested, tried unfairly, and crucified. Who testifies on Jesus’ behalf now? In Matthew 26:56, the disciples abandon Him. Later in the same chapter, Peter goes so far as to deny association with the Christ. In verses 59-61, no religious leaders testify in Jesus’ name. In fact, they seek false testimony to condemn Him. In John 19, none in the multitudes – many of whom would have been praising Jesus earlier that week – cry out for Jesus’ release. Instead, they call for His death.

Pilate partially tries to speak on Jesus’ behalf. One of the thieves on the cross expresses belief, but who would listen to the testimony of a criminal? Then, in Matthew 27, after Jesus cries, “It is finished,” darkness descends for three hours – in the middle of the day. The veil of the temple tears top to bottom, and the earth shakes, rocks torn and broken. Up to this point, silence has been the only testimony for Jesus. Now, the rocks cry out in testimony of Jesus’ divinity.

The Testimony of Living Stones
In the last supper of John 17, Jesus prays that the Father will glorify Him with His past glory. Hebrews 1:3 calls Jesus the radiance of God’s glory, and John 1 equates Jesus with God. These rocks testify God’s glory among man as in Psalms 29, 148, and 19. They proclaim the culmination of salvation’s wondrous plan. When all others are silent, nature proclaims God’s glory.

Two thousand years later, stones still cry out His glory. In I Peter 2:5, Peter calls those who follow Jesus living stones. Philippians 1:11 calls on us to be filled with righteousness as testimony to God’s glory. Every word and action of our lives should proclaim God’s glory. When all others are silent, we should bear testimony of our God and Savior. As living stones, we proclaim His greatness with one voice, living for Him and because of Him.

lesson by Tim Smelser

Asa's Reforms

In I Kings 15 and II Chronicles 15-16, we learn of a king of Judah named Asa. You might remember that the kingdom of Israel split after Solomon because of his idolatry – ten tribes are given to the servant Jeroboam and two tribes to Solomon’s son Rehoboam. Neither Jeroboam or his son Abijah are considered good rulers in God’s eyes, but Asa stands in contrast to his predecessors. He begins a spiritual revolution among his people – one that even draws some from the northern kingdom to worship Jehovah with him.

In I Kings 15:9 and II Chronicles 15:8, Asa begins to reform Jehovah worship in Judah. He repairs the altar and the temple of Solomon. He tears down many of the idols in and around Jerusalem. He banishes the fertility worship of the pagan religions. He even removes his grandmother from public service due to her sinful influence over the people. These are wicked times, but Asa serves as a point of light despite the environment in which he is raised.

Positive Lessons from Asa’s Reform
Asa stands as testament to the difference one person can make. He enters service to a faithless nation where idolatry and immorality had been propagated by his own family. He sets himself to the task, and sets an example to us. His spiritual revolution

• Reform starts at home. Asa begins by removing the idolatrous influences of his own grandmother. Much like Gideon, his reforms begin at home. He sends a message that he holds himself and his loved ones to the same expectations he would hold the people. In our lives, Jesus has to come first as in Matthew 10:37-39, even if that means correcting our homes first.
• Reform necessitates morality. I cannot give lip-service to holiness. We have to reform our moral influences to truly reform our spiritual lives. In Matthew 12:43, Jesus uses an example of an evil spirit to encourage us to fill ourselves with good influences after the sinful influences have been purged.
• Reform necessitates change and repair. Just as Asa repairs the altar and temple, there are some things in our own lives – attitudes, priorities, commitment – that we will have to restore. Luke 13:3-5 emphasizes the need for repentance in reforming ourselves, and Peter reinforces this need in Acts 2:38. We repair our souls through the change of repentance.

Learning from Asa's Errors
Asa is one of only eight kings described as doing right in Jehovah’s eyes. Unfortunately, we must also learn from the shortcomings of his efforts, so we do not make the same mistakes.

• What is God’s cannot be used for selfish purposes. I Kings 15:16 begins recording Asa stripping silver and gold from the treasures of God’s house to but off a king allied against him. He takes things devoted to God and gives them over to man. I Corinthians 6:19-20 reminds us that we have been purchased, that we now belong to God.
• We should trust in God more than self. II Chronicles 16:7-10 records a prophet warning that Asa’s faithlessness will lead to more wars in his time. He reminds Asa of other times God has helped him, but his actions with Ben-hadad lead to an end of peace during his reign. Our plans cannot supersede God’s plans.
• We need to be able to ask for God’s help. II Chronicles 16:11-12 records Asa being diseased, but he does not call on God for help. He instead relies on the wisdom of man. Peter tells us we can cast all of our care and anxiety on Him in I Peter 5:7, for our God cares about us.

Conclusion
We see the type of effort true spiritual reform takes in the life of Asa – a willingness to start at home, to restore our sense of morality, and to repair the sin in our lives. Reform takes time and effort. Once we reform ourselves, we should be careful to remember that we can always ask for God's help, trust in Him more than ourselves, and keep ourselves dedicated to His service. Doing this, we can ignite a spiritual revolution in our own lives.

lesson by Tim Smelser

A Spiritual Revolution

July 4th is a celebration of the American Revolution. An event that transformed our country, philosophically, and politically. More transformative than that revolution is the spiritual revolution Jesus teaches in his sermon on the mount. During His life, the scribes and Pharisees took the power of God’s salvation and turned it onto a bland set of rules accommodating to their own interests. Jesus sees that stagnation and disrupts their assumptions and beliefs. We need the same today. Now, like then, we need a spiritual revolution.

Matthews 5-7 have a distinct path that separates worldly behavior from spiritual behavior, worldly priorities and spiritual priorities, and Matthew 7:24 sums up this challenging sermon with an illustration of two builders – one building upon rock and the other upon sand. These houses represent the purpose of our lives, either built upon a strong foundation or a shifting one.

Building On the True Foundation
By all appearances, both of these builders initially succeed in Matthew 7:24-27. They both want the same thing. They both accomplish the same thing. Both homes are completed. The focus is not the houses so much as the foundations they are built upon.

In Isaiah 28, as God is warning Judah about their wickedness, He looks forward in verse 16 to a foundation stone set in Zion. When Paul in Romans 9 and Peter in I Peter 2 quote these verses, they conclude that the foundation of Isaiah of Christ Jesus. Whoever believes on Him will not be shaken. Ephesians 2:20 calls Jesus the chief cornerstone of our spiritual foundation. Without a strong foundation, nothing can stand.

In Matthew 7, the word Jesus uses for “rock” is the same “rock” upon which his church will be built in Matthew 16:18. It is not a small rock you might toss around. It is a strong stone, but this foundation is not enough alone. Throughout the sermon on the mount, Jesus challenges his audience to faithfully commit themselves to God’s service. Our faith is what seals us to that foundation upon which we build our lives.

The Spiritual Revolution of the Mount
Jesus’ primary audience in this sermon are people who know the law and the prophets. He is warning these against pretend discipleship among those who believe in God but are religiously shallow. Starting in Matthew 5 and going through chapters 6 and 7, Jesus returns time and again to those professing faith without obedience to the God of that faith.

He presents a choice to those around Him. They and we are continually building the houses of our lives, and He challenges us to choose between a foundation of religious pretense or one of truly faithful obedience. One choice leads to ruin and the other to safety. Going through the motions does not automatically place us on the true foundation. We must serve our Savior in faith, obedience, and humility to seal ourselves to Him.

If we are truly committed to Christ, nothing can shake us from His rock. In John 10:27-29, Jesus says none who follow Him can be snatched from Him. Paul, in Romans 8:28-39, asserts that no power of man or nature can separate those who love God from His love for us. His rock is unshakable. The floods can rise. The rains can beat down. The winds can tear, but nothing can shake a foundation built upon the Lord.

lesson by Tim Smelser

Crossing the Veil

In Genesis, Adam and Eve have a relationship with God we have a hard time relating to. It’s interesting to see their special fellowship with God and the close interaction they share with Him. They forsake that relationship in trying to become as great as Him, and angels are put in guard around the garden, forever cutting that relationship off between God and man.

Fast forward to the establishment of the nation of Israel. In the middle of their tents, as they travel to the Promised Land, is God’s tabernacle. Physically, He is in the center of their community as He is to be in the center of their lives. They would come to that central location for sacrifice and intercession, seeing the horror of sin in the gore of their sacrifices. The priests would intercede between God and the people, and none could come into God’s direct presence except for one sacrifice once a year.

The Curtain of Separation

A curtain was separating the Holy place from the Most Holy Place, embroidered in blue, gold, and scarlet with cherubim woven into the pattern. The same angels that guarded Eden from Adam and Eve emblematically protect God’s most Holy Place in the tabernacle. Later, God’s people have a temple, a solid, impressive structure serving as God’s center among His people. The curtain partitioning the Most Holy Place in the temple of Herod is now sixty feet high and very thick.

In Matthew 27:50-51, that curtain is torn from top to bottom. Imagine tearing a curtain sixty feet high. This is an act of God, and Hebrews 10:19-20 says Jesus wipes out those boundaries between God and Man. In John 14:6, Jesus says access to the Father is through Him.

Previously, access to God was through the curtain guarding the Most Holy Place. The tree of life was guarded by cherubim. Jesus claims to remove those barriers. Now access to life and God are through Him.

We no longer need continual sacrifices atoning for sins as illustrated in Hebrews 9. Instead of entering a physical tabernacle, Jesus enters Heaven. Instead of His blood needing sacrifice time and again, His sacrifice is once and for all. No more is intercession accomplished by one man approaching God once a year. Now we access the Father directly through His Son. He removes that barrier created by sin.

The Barrier Removed

God does not dwell in a structure made by hands, but He now dwells among His creation. Acts 17:24-25 speaks to this exact point. In Acts 7:44-50, Stephen reinforces the concept that God is not contained in a physical structure. Heaven is His home, and Earth is His footstool. Also, I Corinthians 3:16-17 and describe our personal bodies as temples to God. He cannot exist where sin resides, so we must purify ourselves for Him to live in us.

II Corinthians 6:16-17 assures that we can live and walk with God as Adam and Eve did in the garden. Ephesians 2:19-22 calls us God’s temple, His dwelling place, and Hebrews 10:19-22 again calls on us to cleanse ourselves so we may draw near to Him. We have to acknowledge our sins as in Colossians 1:21-22. Then, we have to strengthen our faith in our resurrected Savior. We must accept His forgiveness and have our sins wiped clean as in Acts 2:38.

Romans 8:9-11 reminds us we are not controlled by sin if Christ is in us. Rather, we are controlled by His Spirit. We live directly in His presence. The sacrifices and curtain of the tabernacle and temple served as a reminder of a barrier of sin standing between man and God. Hebrews 4:16 and Romans affirm that Jesus removes those barriers, so we can approach His throne in full knowledge that nothing can come between us and God.

lesson by Ben Lanius

Jesus, the Loving Healer

Mark 5:21-24, Jesus is approached by a man named Jairus whose daughter is fatally ill. While Jesus travels to Jairus’ home, in verses 25-34, a woman, possibly a hemophiliac or suffering from a form of plague, touches Him for healing. For twelve years, nothing had helped her. In fact, physician intervention had only made her condition worse, but she expresses faith that Jesus can heal her. When she admits to touching His garments, Jesus blesses her for her faith. From here, Jesus proceeds to Jairus’ home to raise his daughter from death.

Jesus responds to this one seeking Him out in sincerity and faith. He responds to nothing more than a touch. He seeks her out, not to ridicule her or chastise her, but to commend her and bless her for her faith. He responds in gentleness and love. His identification and affirmation is a result of her sincere search for answers in Him. Out of the thousands who possibly come into contact with Jesus that day, she reaches out with faith and intent, and He takes notice of her.

We experience pain and hopelessness in our lives at times. Like this nameless woman, we should seek Christ out in sincerity of faith when we face pain.

• Are we as touched by His love as He is touched by our plight? Romans 5:6 tells us Jesus died for us when we were weak and struggling in sin.
• Do we respond to Him as He responds to us? Matthew 9:36, Matthew 14:14, and Matthew 20:34 all record Jesus’ compassion for those around Him.

His love and His word reveal us for what we truly are – lost and in desperate need of a Savior. Hebrews 4:12 tells us His word lays our hearts open before Him. We have but to reach out for Him in sincere faith and in obedience. We affirm Him so He may affirm us as in Matthew 10:32 and Matthew 25:34. Jesus knows our pain, our sorrow, and our frustrations. He knows our needs. He is our loving and gentle Healer. Will we be like the woman of Matthew 5 who reaches out for His mercy and favor?

lesson by Tim Smelser