Biblical Appeals

In Ecclesiastes 3:11, the author observes that God makes everything beautiful in its time, setting eternity in the heart of man. The latter part of the verse explains that God has given us a sense of something greater in our hearts, some recognition that we owe our existence to One greater than us. Our compulsive drive to understand the forces behind the world around us results from our creation after the image of He who set these forces in motion. We come to a better understanding of God and ourselves when we study from God’s word.

Wanting God in our lives without having his word in our lives is like being a lawyer that does not study law, like an engineer that knows nothing of physics. To know Him requires interaction with His word. Too often, our Bibles collect dust on days between worship services, and we are inundated with the concept that God’s word is out of date. We believe it no longer applies to us. How could something written two thousand years ago still appeal to mankind? The Bible does, and it appeals to man on an intellectual basis, on a philosophical basis, and a spiritual basis.

Rational Appeal

• The Bible teaches us to learn from the actions of others. I Corinthians 10:1 begins a passage that opens with a reminder of things happening to those in the Old Testament, and Paul states those events happened so we may have an example. We learn from those who have come before us. Israel’s interactions with God teaches about the nature of God, His justice, His mercy, and His expectations.
• The Bible teaches what we want is not what we need. In I Samuel 8, the people call for a king, and God gives them a king impressive to the people. The second king, a boy called David, defies expectations, but God, in I Samuel 16:7, tells Samuel to look beyond David’s appearance. God see the heart. The king the people expect and want is not the king they need.
• The Bible teaches that nothing escapes God’s notice. In Genesis 47, Jacob looks back on the deceptions filling his life, and he recognizes that he has received as he had given. Back in Genesis 42, Joseph’s brothers recognize their guilt over their brother’s disappearance – years after the event. They see they are reaping the consequences of their actions.

Philosophical Appeal

• The Bible appeals to the pursuit of logic and wisdom. It is full of practical wisdom that can guide our lives. Proverbs 15:1, for example, encourages us to answer anger with softness. Proverbs 14:29 esteems one slow to anger. Proverbs 27:15 tells of the dangers of nagging. Proverbs 2:1 talks about seeking after wisdom and the importance of one generation passing wisdom on to the next. The Proverb writer is saying that listening to our elders and seeking wisdom leads to a better life.
• The Bible speaks to counsels relationships. Many wonder why the Song of Solomon is included in the Bible, but in chapter 2:7, the beloved advises her friends to be careful about rushing into relationships. This is repeated in chapter 3:5. Even after she is married to Solomon, she again entreats her friends to seek love only when the person and the time is right. It is a message we would do well to apply in our own relationships
• The Bible addresses pain. On the nature of pain and suffering, we have the book of Job. One frustrating aspect, though, is that Job never receives and answer. What he does learn is that we are not defined by what we have. Luke 12:15 records Jesus saying that life does not consist of things. Instead, Jesus teaches, and Job learns, that sustenance is found in God.

Spiritual Appeal

• Sin separates. Genesis 3 demonstrates the separation between man and God resulting from sin. We see the promises later made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Old Testament tells a story of the fulfillment of God’s promises, leading to a Messiah brought to this world. John 1 describes this Messiah as God in flesh. Without studying His word, we remain unaware of God’s unending nature. The problem of sin remains the same, as Isaiah describes in Isaiah 59:2 and Paul describes in Romans 3:23.
• God’s love remains the same. Isaiah 55:6 calls on God’s people to repent of their sins and return to God. The prophet reassures them He will forgive. We would have a hard time forgiving someone who has wronged us as much as His people wronged Him, but verses 8-9 explain that God’s nature and His love make such forgiveness possible. No matter how many times we let God down, if we turn away and repent, God is willing to forgive. His love has not wavered.
• God’s word is urgent. It can be tempting to be like Agrippa and procrastinate God until another time. However, In Psalm 95:6-9, David appeals to God’s people to respond to Him today. In Hebrews 3:7, 3:15, and 4:7, this same plea is repeated. We never know what the next moment will bring, so the time to respond to His word is always the same: now.

Conclusion

II Peter 1:2-3 speaks of God’s divine power to give us all things pertaining to life and godliness. To fully appreciate the wisdom contained in God’s word, we have to study. For the Bible to be applicable to our lives, we must apply it. We may have eternity in our hearts, but, to spend eternity with God, we must know His word, His plan, and His expectations.

lesson by Tim Smelser

The Christian Journey

We sing a song about a shepherd who goes through pain and agony to find his lost sheep. Every one of us are sheep that have lost our way, and our good Shepherd suffered and died to redeem us. The Christian life after redemption is sometimes called a walk our a path, and Psalm 119 describes God’s word as a light for our feet. We have to consider where we have been and where we are going. We will not reach our destination on accident.

A Walk, A Race, A Journey

Ephesians 4:1 calls on us to walk according to our calling, and chapter 5:1-2 continues by asking us to walk in love. Verse 8 encourages to walk as if in the light, and verse 15 calls upon us to take care in our walk. We are to be circumspect or wise. Paul tells Christians to be careful in how they make the journey set before them.

Hebrews 12:1 speaks of a cloud of witnesses who have gone before us, and these should give us strength to lay aside the weights that hinder the race we run. We push forward with endurance, always looking toward Jesus. In I Corinthians 9:24, Paul calls on Christians to run with our incorruptible crown in sight. He encourages Christians to run confidently, knowing the goal toward which we press.

In Hebrews 11:13, the author speaks of those who died in faith, knowing they were strangers and pilgrims while on this world. They seek after an eternal country to call their own, prepared in heaven to be their resting place. God’s children recognize themselves as transient residents wherever they are, always journeying toward another land. In I Peter 1:15, Peter quotes from Leviticus, calling on us to be holy, as God is holy, and he tells us to pass the time of our sojourn in awe and reverence.

Conclusion

Paul says we can run with certainty. Peter expresses confidence in Christ’s redemption. I Peter 1:24, quoting from Isaiah, reminds us that our race is finite. It will come to an end, but God’s word will endure. As we press toward our goal, we should be preparing for the destination. Our Shepherd has died as a Lamb so we can complete our journeys. We should run our race all the harder with that sacrifice in mind.

lesson by Tim Smelser

Seeing Ourselves in Job's Friends

In the book of Job, three friends approach him in whom we might find ourselves. It is a book about an individual who is referenced by God, along with Noah and Daniel, in Ezekiel 14:13-14 as righteous. James 5:10-11 refers to the patience of Job alongside that of God’s prophets. We know him to be an exemplary individual who undergoes tremendous trials, never once defiling God with his lips. His friends, though, do not see him as such. When they come to him, he has lost everything – his children, his possessions, even his health.

In Job 2:11, his friends come – Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They come to comfort him, but they do not even recognize him when they arrive. They mourn him as if dead, and words fail them. They sit with Job for seven days without speaking. They see his grief and comfort him with no more than their presence. Unfortunately, their predispositions eventually lead them into error.

Seeking Truth Versus Proving Assumptions

Can we see ourselves in these individuals? These friends are believers in God. They know God’s attitude toward and judgement of sin. We would call them religious, and, when they speak, they touch on some truths. Zophar, in Job 11:7-9, demonstrates a good perception of God. However, he and his friends ultimately draw the wrong conclusions regarding Job. In contrast, Job’s attitude and perception changes as the book progresses. He seeks truth where his friends seek to prove their theological positions, unchanging to a fault.

These friends believe that faithfulness results in wealth. They are preaching an ancient gospel of prosperity, and they are unwilling to challenge their own assumptions in the face of the evidence before them. They also believe that illness results from sin. In Luke 13 and John 9, Jesus rebukes those who believe tragedy necessitates sin. In Job 42:7-9, God rebukes the friends for their steadfast misconceptions and tells them to ask His servant Job to sacrifice on behalf of their sins. Again, the distinction is that Job has been seeking truth where Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar have been trying to prove a point.

In Job 4:7, Eliphaz is basically saying Job is getting what he deserves, and Job 5:8 records this friend saying Job needs to seek God and accept His chastening. In verses 17-19, he calls on Job to repent, assuming sin in Job’s life, defending his position based on a dream. Bildad, in Job 8:1, offers the same theory: Job must repent and be pure to remove his troubles, appealing to their forefathers for justification. Zophar, in Job 11:1-6, goes as far as saying that God hasn’t made Job suffer enough. Again, these comforters have begun heatedly attacking Job. Because they feel the need to prove their points, they attack the one they came to comfort.

Miserable Comforters

In Job 6:14 records Job saying one that withholds kindness forsakes the Almighty, and, in Job 12:4-5, he expresses how easy it is to look down on those less fortunate. We fail to appreciate the difficulties of others. In Job 16:1-6, Job calls his friends miserable comforters, and he draws a contrast between them and himself. When we see others suffering, do we catch ourselves saying things like, “It’s their own fault?” “They got what they deserved?” “They have no one to blame but themselves?”

In Matthew 9:36, Jesus is moved with compassion when he is faces with the multitudes. Matthew 20:24 sees sickness and disease, healing those who come to Him. We should be more like Jesus’ and less like Job’s friends. We should be sympathetic to those around us. We should look on misfortune in kindness as Job encourages in chapter 6:14 of his book. Like Job’s friends, we can get the facts right while failing to bring others closer to God. We can be better friends, better comforters, and better representatives of God if we can remember to show kindness to those around us.

lesson by Jim Smelser

John's Picture of the Messiah

The Sabbath system is the most messianic of the ten commandments in its representation of rest and deliverance. Ultimately, Jesus’ ministry points to an eternal and spiritual rest and redemption. This is one picture of Jesus, and each of the gospel writers have a slightly different representation of the Messiah. John records only seven miracles in his gospel, and five of those are unique to John. He portrays Jesus in a very specific way, but, unlike Matthew, he does not continually refer to Levitical scripture to reinforce his points. Rather, he focuses on Jesus’ words describing Himself.

Imagery from John

• In John 2, we see Jesus driving the merchants and money changers from the temple, condemning them for corrupting His father’s house. When asked for a sigh, He said He would rebuild this temple in three days once destroyed, but He has changed subjects. He is not speaking of the physical temple so much as His own body. Jesus here is pictured as God’s true temple.
• John 3 records Nicodemus and Jesus conversing about the meaning of being born again. In verses 14-15, Jesus draws a parallel between Himself and the serpent in the wilderness, lifted up to save people. Where the serpent’s salvation would be physical and temporary, Jesus’ would be spiritual and eternal.
• In John 6:29, after Jesus has fed several thousand from meager portions, the people ask Jesus for another sign once He retreats from them. He speaks to them of a bread from Heaven – to them, a reference to manna. Jesus, however, applies this personally and calls Himself the Bread of Life. He is the true manna.

John 7:37 has Jesus calling those who thirst for life-giving water to come to Him as Moses brought water from a rock in the wilderness. John 8:12 records Jesus calling Himself the light of the world, possibly referring to the pillar of fire the children of Israel followed through the wilderness. In John 15:1, Jesus calls Himself the true vine that bears fruit, and this compares to the vineyard song of Isaiah 5. Finally, John 19 records the events surrounding Jesus’ crucifixion, and, starting in verse 31, John describes how Jesus’ bones would remain unbroken as a Passover lamb was to remain unbroken.

Conclusion

John paints a picture of Jesus as a fulfillment of many Old Testament objects and events. He sends a message that there is more to Jesus than what they thought they saw, and He could be more to us if we open our eyes and hearts. When we begin to comprehend the extent of Jesus’ ministry and sacrifice, how can we not love Him and obey Him?

lesson by Tim Smelser