Christ as Servant in the Gospel of Mark

Each of the four New Testament Gospels focuses primarily on one aspect of Christ’s life and ministry. Matthew is well known for presenting Christ as King, while Luke and John seem to emphasize Christ’s humanity and deity as the Son of God respectively. The Gospel of Mark is no exception as it clearly presents Christ as the Servant who redeems in Mark 10:45. Paul vividly describes Mark’s presentation of Christ in Philippians 2:6-7 by saying that Christ is the One “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant.”

The purpose of this study is to develop the concept of God’s Servant as presented in the Old Testament and relate that concept to its fulfillment in Christ. Ultimately, I hope to address the implications of Christ’s presentation as God’s Servant in the Gospel of Mark.

     Old Testament Concept of God’s Servant

The concept of God’s servant is developed throughout much of the Old Testament. Moses and Joshua are both referred to as the servant of the Lord several times in the book of Joshua. Likewise, David is referred to as the Lord’s servant frequently in 2 Samuel. However, for the purpose of this paper the focus will be on the concept of God’s Servant presented in the book of Isaiah and to establish its connection with Isaiah’s messianic roles in 9:7 and 52:13-53:12.

In general, in can be stated that a servant of the Lord in the Old Testament is an individual or group of people that the Lord chooses to do His Will. Those who are referred to as God’s Servants in the Old Testament are typically those people who are in close fellowship with the Lord. Isaiah frequently refers to the nation of Israel as God’s chosen servant. In Isaiah 41:8 God calls Israel “my servant” and refers to the descendants of Abraham as His “friend.” Israel was to be the chosen servant of the Lord that would proclaim His glory among all the nations of the earth. By Israel’s example, all the people of the earth would come to know the Lord God Almighty.

Unfortunately, Israel did not maintain their close fellowship with the Lord by following His commands and the Law of Moses. Instead, Israel turned to worshiping other God’s and fell into immorality and other types of sin. Thus, the Lord removed Israel as the chosen servant of the Lord and punished the nation.

As a result of Israel’s dismissal as God’s chosen servant, the ultimate redemption for Israel and the rest of the world now must come from the “ideal” Servant, “who will accomplish what the servant nation cannot do.”[1] Four specific passages in Isaiah, which are commonly referred to as the “Servant Songs,” speak of the coming Messiah and address His role as God’s ideal Servant.[2] The first passage is Isaiah 42:1-9, which introduces an individual that God calls “my servant” and “my chosen one” who is called “in righteousness” and will be made “a light for the Gentiles.” While some students of the Bible still see this passage as referring to Israel, the detailed description of the Messiah and His work is unmistakable. This profile can only describe the “ideal” Servant of the Lord, which is obviously not Israel since they have been rejected as His servant. The “ideal” Servant “will succeed where the nation had failed.”[3]

The second passage that is commonly referred to as a “Servant Song” is Isaiah 49:1-13.[4] In the first five verses the speaker is actually God’s Servant, who equates himself with Israel to indicate that “He would succeed where the nation had failed.”[5] The tasks of the Servant are again described as being a “light for the Gentiles” and to “gather Israel to himself.” Ultimately, the Servant “would fulfill God’s promised to comfort His people.”[6]

The third “Servant Song” passage is Isaiah 50:4-11. The “ideal” Servant is again contrasted with Israel because unlike Israel, he was not rebellious (50:5). Even in the midst of suffering the Servant proclaims, “I offered my back to those who beat me” (50:6). His resolve did not change as His face stood firm “like flint” as people mocked and spit at Him (50:6-7). The Servant ultimately knew that God’s deliverance from this torment would come and He will have accomplished the Lord’s Will. However, he exhorted those who “fear the Lord” to “trust in the name of the Lord” and rely on Him for salvation from their problems.

The fourth and final “Servant Song” is found in Isaiah 52:13-53:23. This song provides an unlikely ending as the “ideal” obedient Servant is rejected by the people and put to death through a series of five stanzas.[7] The first stanza, 52:13-15, highlights the Servant’s ultimate triumph, which will cause kings to stand in awe of the Servant’s accomplishment. The next stanza, 53:1-3, vividly describes the rejection that the Servant will face at the hands of the people. Stanza number three, 53:4-6, describes the Servant’s suffering on behalf of the peoples’ sins even though they thought he was suffering because of His own sins. The fourth stanza, 53:7-9, likens the Servant to a lamb as He is led to his death, yet He did not even open His month in protest. Finally, the fifth stanza, 53:10-12, highlights the Lord’s sovereignty as He offered His Servant as a “guilt offering” that bore the sin of many people. The reward of the Servant is that His name will be great and He will “divide the spoils.”

Overall, the Old Testament refers to several individuals and Israel as a nation as God’s servant. However, the specific sections of Isaiah referred to as the “Servants Songs” describe the “ideal” Servant of the Lord. This “ideal” Servant has a very specific description of His roles and His life. Not only will He be a “light for the Gentiles” and “gather Israel to himself” but He will be a “guilt offering” that bears the sin of many people.

     Christ’s Fulfillment of the Old Testament Servant

Mark 10:45 says, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” This is the pivotal verse for the book of Mark and is the reason why the Gospel presents Christ as the Servant who redeems.[8] Mark wasn’t simply presenting Jesus as a servant of man; he was presenting Jesus Christ as the Messiah, the “ideal” Servant of the Lord. Jesus Christ is the “ideal” Servant spoken about in Isaiah. The first qualification of the individual Servant is mentioned In Isaiah 9:7, which declares that He must be a descendant of David in order to reign on David’s throne. Obviously, both Matthew and Luke established that Jesus is a descendant of David through either Joseph or Mary.

However, just because Jesus is from the line of David doesn’t mean that he fulfilled the concept of the Servant presented in the latter half of Isaiah. The last “Servant Song” in Isaiah 52:13-53:23 meticulously describe the roles and characteristics of the Servant’s life. Does Jesus truly fulfill the concept of the Lord’s “ideal” Servant presented in that passage? In order to answer this question Christ’s life and ministry needs to be compared with the five stanzas of that passage.

The first stanza, 52:13-15, highlighted the Servant’s ultimate triumph and says that He will be “raised and lifted up and highly exalted.” Not only that, but the passage speaks of His appearance being disfigured and marred beyond human likeness. Paul writes of Christ in Philippians 2:9, “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name.” Christ appearance was obviously very disfigured and marred after bearing all the lashes and the crown of thorns that was thrust upon His head. Christ’s life, death, and resurrection can be easily compared with this verse.

The next stanza, 53:1-3, vividly describes the rejection that the Servant will face at the hands of the people. The passage describes Him as despised and rejected by men. Clearly, Christ was despised and rejected by the men that beat Him and hung Him on the Cross. John 12:38 explains that Jesus was rejected by Israel “to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet.”

Stanza number three, 53:4-6, describes the Servant’s suffering on behalf of the peoples’ sins even though they thought he was suffering because of His own sins. This is the crux of the “ideal” Servant’s role. Isaiah says the Servant “was pierced for our transgressions” and “by his wounds we are healed.” A more perfect picture could not be pained of Christ’s death on the cross for our sins. 1 Peter 2:24 says, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and life for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” The following verse in 1 Peter provides further links Christ to Isaiah 53; “For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.” Matthew 8:17 references this passage of Isaiah and says that Jesus healed all the sick, which “was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah.”

The fourth stanza, 53:7-9, likens the Servant to a lamb as He is led to his death, yet He did not even open His month in protest. John 1:29 reminds us that John the Baptist described Jesus as “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” Matthew 26:63a says that “Jesus remained silent” rather than defend Himself. The fact that Jesus, an innocent man, was able to remain silent during all of the accusations, abuse, and ultimately death shows His incredible focus on fulfilling the Will of His Father as the “ideal” Servant. As Matthew 27:57-60 describes, Jesus was buried with the rich, just as Isaiah 53:9 says of the Servant of the Lord.

Finally, the fifth stanza, 53:10-12, highlights the Lord’s sovereignty as He offered His Servant as a “guilt offering” that bore the sin of many people. The reward of the Servant is that His name will be great and He will “divide the spoils.” What could have brought about the need for the Lord’s Will to include His Servant to suffering such a horrible sacrificial death as described in Isaiah 53:10?[9] The answer is found only a few verses earlier in Isaiah 53:6; “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord had laid on him the iniquity of us all.” The “ideal” Servant, Jesus Christ, paid the price for our sin by dying upon the cross in our place. Paul explained in Romans 3:24 that we “are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ. Mark 15:28 states that Jesus was crucified between two thieves, which is likened to being “numbered with the transgressors” in Isaiah 53:12. Just as the Servant in Isaiah is said to make “intercession for the transgressors,” Romans 8:34 says that Jesus “is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.”

The only possible answer to the question of Christ’s fulfillment as the Lord’s Servant is that He alone is the only individual capable of fulfilling the role and therefore is the “ideal” Servant presented in Isaiah. When Philip encountered the eunuch on the road he was reading the passage from Isaiah 52:13-53:12. The eunuch could not understand what the passage was saying so he asked Philip to explain the message to him. Philip’s response was to tell him about the good news of Jesus Christ, which is contained within the fourth “Servant Song” of Isaiah 52:13-53:12. It was through Christ’s words and deeds that He authenticated Himself as the Messiah, the “ideal” Servant of Isaiah, and consequently brought redemption through His sacrificial death on the cross.

     Implications of Christ’s Fulfillment

The end of Mark 10:45 states that Christ gave His life “as a ransom for many.” The term “ransom” may not mean very much in today’s culture, but it was a common image in Jewish, Roman and Greek cultures.[10] “It was the price paid to liberate a slave, a prisoner of war, or a condemned person.”[11] Once the price was paid that person was considered redeemed and no longer had any mark on their record. Thus, Christ’s act of redeeming us clears our record of any trespass or penalty that we owed because of our sin. Titus 2:14 says Christ “gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.” This is the ultimate sacrifice of the “ideal” Servant described in Isaiah. Christ willingly laid down His life down so that the “sins of many” might be forgiven.

The most important implication of Christ’s fulfillment of the Old Testament concept of the Lord’s Servant is that we can have redemption from sin through Christ’s blood. The fact that Christ willingly laid down His life for us as the “ideal” Servant also serves as an example for us to follow. Once we realize that we are only redeemed because Christ chose to redeem us, we should be compelled to serve “the crucified and risen Lord who died to liberate us into such service.”[12]

------------------end notes-------------------------
[1] John A. Martin, “Isaiah.” The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Theological Seminary Faculty. (Wheaton, Illinois: Victor Books, 1985), 1032.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Charles Dyer and Gene Merrill, Old Testament Explorer. (Nashville: Word Publishing, 2001), 566.
[4] Martin, 1032.
[5] Dyer and Merrill, 571.
[6] Ibid, 571.
[7] Ibid, 574.
[8] E. Schuyler English, Studies In The Gospel According To Mark. (New York: Arno C. Gaebelein, Inc, 1943), 358.
[9] Donald English, The Message of Mark. (Downers Grove: Inter-Varsity Press, 1992), 181.
[10] Ibid, 182.
[11] Ibid.
[12] Ibid.

Navigating Life in a World Gone Mad

"Something's missing and I don't know what it is..." so sings John Mayer and many other popular artists that saturate our world today.  It may surprise you, but they're right.  Something IS missing!

This is certainly not some new revelation of the 21st century.  Almost 200 years ago, in the middle of the 19th century, the secular humanist Henry David Thoreau penned: "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation."  We desperately claw our way through life trying to find what's missing - to fill the void - to find fulfillment in life - to know that our life matters and we are living a life of significance.

Most people choose to follow the path laid before them by their parents and culture.  They are desperate to get the best grades, to go to the right school, to get the best job, to live the "American dream," and hopefully find what's missing in life.

The recent explosive growth of Facebook, Twitter and other social media has revealed just how desperate people have become in a vain attempt to find what's missing from their life.  People now post pictures online of what they eat for breakfast or some other "exciting" event in their life hoping to project a certain image that others might admire.  In reality, such posts often scream: "look at me!  I *think* I've found what's missing in my life and it's right here in this experience that you don't have, but I do!"

Those who continually fail to find fulfillment now have another option: escape!  Myriads of people now turn to fantasy and alternate "realities" in a vain attempt to live vicariously through the lives of others.  Men, with a God-given desire to subdue creation and rule over it (Gen. 1:26), now turn to video games where they can be crowned "king" or "champion" of a fake world that disappears when the screen turns off.  Women, longing for social interaction and love, drown themselves in online relationships and romantic novels.

So called "reality shows" on television feed off this longing to escape our own reality and life the life of another who we THINK has it better than us.  We are conditioned to believe: "If I can't life that type of life, then at least I can experience it through someone else."

From the moment we are born we are fed a bottle of lies to make us think: "If we just had more time, more money, more influence, more friends, more toys...we might finally find what's missing from life and be content!"  The problems is, as Chuck Swindoll puts it: "the itch for things, the lust for more - so brilliantly injected by those who peddle them - is a virus draining our souls of happy contentment." (Living on the Ragged Edge. Waco, Texas: Word Books, 1985.)

In our desperate search for significance and meaning in life we have been led so far down the wrong path that we find ourselves trying to blindly navigate life in a world gone mad.

Most of us have now tried everything that is within our grasp and can now relate to the words of another popular song: "I have run, I have crawled, I have scaled these city walls....But, I still haven't found what I'm looking for."  There's never enough money - vacation is never long enough - the newness always wears off.

But, think with me for a moment.... what might happen to your life if you didn't have limits?  What if there was infinite money, limitless boundaries and huge chunks of time without worry of a job or other commitments?  What if you could do whatever you wanted with no risk of ever being caught?  If all those limits were removed, do you think you finally find what's missing from your life?  Would you be fulfilled?

Well, there once lived a man who had the money, the time, the limitless resources to do whatever his heart desired.  Thankfully, he kept a journal of his journey, which has been kept for us to read today in the book of Ecclesiastes.  The author of the journal was a man named Solomon, the third king of Israel, Son of David.  As King, Solomon could do whatever he wanted and no one could question him, so he DID!  He did it ALL!  He followed every known human path to fulfillment in this world and at the end of his journey he found...NOTHING.  In spite of the extravagant lengths to which he went to find fulfillment, nothing satisfied him!  His conclusion was "everything is empty!"

Don't despair!  There is hope!  I encourage you to join me on a journey through Solomon's journal. You'll be glad you did!

DOWNLOAD the study guide and use it to follow along with the weekly messages HERE.

Anchors are Important

A couple of weeks ago I took our little boat to the lake with my dad and my six year-old son on his first fishing trip.  He was so excited he almost couldn't sleep the night before (in case you can't tell from the photo)!  Even though we didn't catch many fish we had a blast out on the water.  As my son told his mom while shrugging his shoulders when we arrived back home, "some days the fish just don't bite."  He was right, but there was one area of the lake where the fish seemed to be biting.  We pulled between some fallen trees and on my first cast I reeled in a fish.  Since it was the only action we had all morning I figured this was a place where we might want to sit for awhile.  I shut off the motor and we soon had multiple lines in the water waiting for the next catch.

Unfortunately, the slight wind that had previously gone unnoticed soon began pushing us across the lake away from the fallen trees where the fish were biting. Within minutes I was starting the motor and taking us back to the fallen trees only to be pushed away, yet again, by the wind the moment the roar of the motor subsided.  One small thing, that we didn't have with us, could have solved the problem: an anchor.

We all need anchors in our lives; something that can hold us firm when we begin to drift away from where we are supposed to be; something that can counter the many forces that seek to detrail our priorities and blur our boundaries.  We need anchors that will stand strong no matter how fierce the winds around us become.

One such anchor comes in the form of a letter written in the middle of the first century A.D. to a group of Christians living in a small city called Colosse.  The Christians in Colosse came to faith in Jesus through the faithful ministry of a man named Epaphras but they soon found themselves being blown off course by the winds of false teaching. Around AD 62 news of their struggle against the false teaching reached one of the pillars of the early church, the apostle Paul.  At the time, Paul was almost 1,000 miles away imprisoned under house arrest for preaching the gospel of Jesus in Rome.  He could not travel but he could write, so he penned the letter that we now call the book of Colossians.

While there are countless vital truths packed into this short letter, one section stands above all others as a solid anchor for our lives.  In Colossians 1:15-20 we find a densely packed description of the person of Jesus that is unparalleled in the rest of the Bible.  With laser-like focus Paul describes seven eternal, life-altering realities that impact everything in creation and every area of our lives.

7 characteristics of Jesus, which fittingly quailfy Him to "be preeminent" (1:18) in everything:

(1) Jesus reveals God - "the image of the invisible God" (Col. 1:15a)

• While God made man in the image of God (Gen. 1:27), Jesus is the image of God (cf. John 1:18; 14:8-9; 2 Cor. 4:4).  Jesus didn't take on flesh to be like us humans.  Rather, humans were created in the likeness of God - Jesus.  
• "To call Christ the image of God is to say that in Him the being and nature of God have been perfectly manifested - that in Him the invisible has become visible." (F. F. Bruce, "Colossian Problems," Bibliotheca Sacra 562:101.)
• As Jesus said, "anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father." - John 14:9

(2) Jesus is the rightful heir of all things - "the firstborn of all creation." (Col. 1:15b)

• "Firstborn" denotes 2 things: (1) He preceded the whole creation; i.e. before the creation came into existence - He was.  Jesus eternally existed with the Father. (2) He is sovereign over all creation in rank.  There is nothing and nobody who ranks higher.
• This echoes the words of Psalm 89:27 where God says of the coming Davidic king, "I will make him firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth."

(3) Jesus is the Creator & Sustainer of all things (Col. 1:16-17)

• Jesus was not the first thing created as some cults teach.  Jesus is the Creator.
• Jesus is the agent of creation and He is the goal of creation (cf. John 1:3; 1 Cor. 15:25; Phil. 2:10-11)
• Without His powerful hand holding all things together we would cease to exist.

(4) Jesus is the head of the Church - "he is the head of the body, the church" - (Col. 1:18a)

• Jesus is the head of this new special body of people, in which there is "neither Jew nor Gentile" but a whole new creation of God.
• This should form your view of the church.  This church is all about and under the authority of Christ.  The church isn't about us.  It isn't about our needs being met or getting our way.  It's all about Jesus!

(5) Jesus is the first to rise to eternal life - "He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead." - (Col. 1:18b)

• Verse 18 may sound a lot like the end of verse 15 but the meaning is different.
• Jesus was the first to rise from the dead to eternal life.  Others had been brought back from the dead only to die again.  Jesus' resurrection was an eternal resurrection.  He continues to live "on the basis of the power of an indestructible life."
• That first Easter morning saw the dawn of a new hope for humanity as Jesus' resurrection marked his triumph over death (1 John 3:8).

(6) Jesus is fully God - "all the fullness of God" - (Col. 1:19)

• Just in case you're tempted to think that Jesus being the "image" of God somehow makes him less God, Paul adds yet another statement clarifying the full deity of Jesus.
• Later in Colossians 2 we read that "in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form."

(7) Jesus alone provides true reconciliation - "through him to reconcile to himself all things" (Col. 1:20)

• Jesus is the only way to God the Father (John 14:6).
• Jesus has gained submission of all things through His sacrifice - either willing or unwilling.  One day, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of the Father. (Romans 14:11; Phil. 2:10)

In a world where the wind of false teaching concerning Jesus blows stronger every day, we need to stand firm on the anchor of Truth perfectly preserved for us in the book of Colossians!

REMEMBER: You can only give up your desire to compete in the world when you accept being complete in Christ.

For more on the book of Colossians visit the Geist Community Church website and search for the Colossians sermon series preached during the summer of 2013.

Person of Interest: Gideon

A little over 60 years ago, in the midst of the Korean War, a small group of American soldiers faced insurmountable odds as they were attempting to hold the line and repel the enemy.

234 men of Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment were tasked with holding, at all costs, a rocky hill overlooking a strategic pass. These 234 men found themselves the target of nearly 10,000 Chinese soldiers who were intent on seizing their position. Despite being outnumbered by a staggering 40 to 1 odds and suffering 75% casualties, Fox Company stood firm and repelled every assault on the hill for four days and five nights.

As Bob Drury and Tom Clavin chronicled in their book: The Last Stand of Fox Company: A True Story of U.S. Marines in Combat, "No Marine unit, or any other unit fighting in Korea in 1950, held a more strategic piece of land against more crushing odds."

As amazing as that victory was it pales in comparison to the victory God provided for the people of Israel in Judges chapter 6.  At the beginning of Judges 6 the nation of Israel was being bullied by the Midianties. At harvest season the Midianites would sweep through the countryside and take all of the crops that the Israelites had painstakingly planted and tended. They would strip the land like a swarm of locusts leaving nothing for the Israelites.

For the fifth time in the first six chapters of Judges, the people of Israel cried out to God.  God heard their cries and raised up a man named Gideon, the fifth Judge over Israel.  Through the life of Gideon we discover seven ways that God ministers to His people.

In Judges 6:11-18, Gideon is going about his work, threshing wheat.  However, he’s not doing it out in open where you would normally thresh wheat so that the wind can blow away the chaff.  Instead, he’s down in a wine press hiding from the Midianites. As he’s working an “angel of the Lord” appeared to him.

The message brought by the angel of Yahweh was, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.”  I kind of imagine Gideon looking around and thinking, “who me? I’m hiding down here! I’m no mighty man of valor.”  Understandably, Gideon questions the stranger's statement by basically saying, “Hey, if God is with us, then why are we in this mess? If God is with us, then why am I hiding down here in a wine press threshing wheat???”

The angel of the Lord responded by basically saying, “that’s why I’m sending you to deliver your people.” Gideon then reveals his feelings of inadequacy and argues that he’s the least in his father’s household that comes from the weakest clan in the tribe of Manasseh. How in the world is little old Gideon supposed to deliver his nation from the oppression of the Midianites???

Like a gold nugget buried in the ground, we unearth the first way God ministers to us here in His response to Gideon. In Judges 6:16 the Lord said to Gideon, “but I will be with you.” The first way God ministers to us:

(1) God confronts our feelings of personal inadequacy.

Gideon was saying, “I’m inadequate" but the Lord said, “I’m adequate!”

God didn’t say, “it’s ok Gideon – you have the strength."  God said, “I AM WITH YOU. Gideon, you are mighty because I MAKE YOU MIGHTY!”

The second way God ministers to us is found in Judges 6:25-27:

(2) God challenges us to fully commit to Him!

Before God will use Gideon He wants Gideon to go ALL IN, so he tells him to tear down the alter that his family and the others in his community use to worship their false god, Baal.

For Gideon to destroy an alter like this and change it into an alter to the LORD – would publicly declare that he is leaving his old way of life behind – there was no going back!

The third way God ministers to us is found in Judges 6:33-34:

(3) God empowers us for service with His Holy Spirit.

The tents of the enemy were pitched on one side of the Valley of Jezreel, but on the other side was a man "clothed" with Spirit of the Lord.

In the Old Testament God provided His Spirit on specific people for a specific period of time. Today every believer is given the Holy Spirit. What a privilege!  May we not squander the power intrusted to us. We must rely on and live by the Spirit each moment of every day!

Still, we will have moments of doubt as Judges 6:36-40 reveals.

God could have said, “Come on Gideon!  Wasn’t the fire coming up from the rock to consume the food enough for you???” But, He didn’t…. God performs these miraculous signs for Gideon and through this gracious interaction we learn the 4th way that God ministers to us:

(4) God exercises incredible patience with us. 

When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden God could have said, “enough” and destroyed everything right there and then. Thankfully, He chose not to.  Instead He chose to redeem us. He chose, before the foundation of the world, to send His Son to die for you and for me that those who believe in Him would not perish but have eternal life!

The apostle Peter would write in the New Testament that God is patient with us, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.  Thank the Lord for His incredible patience with us!

The fifth way God ministers to us is found at the beginning of Judges 7:1-8:

(5) God sometimes removes our human support so we will trust Him fully.

God builds Gideon's faith in chapter 6; first by the fire consuming the food and then the miracles with the dew and the fleece.  In chapter 7 God removes his human “securities” so that Gideon would trust in Him.

The Israelite army was already small – 32,000 soldiers.  It may not sound small but in Judges 8 we learn that the Midianites had 135,000 troops, a 4:1 ratio!

After God whittles them down the 32,000 are now 300 men.  300 men facing 135,000 enemy troops!  The odds have gone from a challenging 4:1 to an impossible 450:1.

The question is not what Gideon will do.  The real question is: What will GOD do now?  God has stripped Gideon of his human resources so that he would rely on Him!

Even when God removes our human support He does something else for us in Judges 7:9-14:

(6) God comforts our fears and strengthens our faith.

Gideon’s life was like a tennis ball being smacked back and forth from one side to the other because he was constantly vacillating between faith and fear. Living the life that God has called us to live means we constantly walk the line between faith and fear.

The last way that God ministers to us is found in Judges 7:15-25:

(7) God makes us victorious!

300 soldiers vs. 135,000 Midianites and the Lord says, attack!

God has given us the ultimate victory over sin and death through the work of Jesus.

Romans 8:35, 37-39 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?...37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The Person of Interest series preached at Geist Community Church is available here.

Person of Interest: Lamech

Throughout history, the world has been filled with people who never make the "headlines."  Many of these people lived their lives in obscurity yet had a profound impact on the world as we know it today. Who taught Martin Luther his theology and inspired his translation of the Bible from Latin to German?  Who spoke to a young Dwight L. Moody in the shoe store that day; a conversation that ultimately led Moody to Christ and eventually countless others through his evangelism?

To bring it a little closer to home: what is the name of the person who changed the brakes on your car that you trust with your life every time you press on that little peddle?  What about the airline mechanic who repairs the plane you're about to fly on?  How about the soldier who stands watch at a base in Afghanistan while you sleep peacefully in your bed at home?  Each of these individuals are what we might refer to as often overlooked lives of significance.

The Bible is filled with stories of people who are often overlooked by hurried readers; men and women who lived their lives in the shadows away from the limelight.  Yet, their lives - for better or for worse - are etched forever in the pages of God's Word.

Although we are separated by thousands of years, the 2,390 people mentioned in the Bible struggled with the same pains and experienced the same joys that you and I face on a daily basis.  We must learn from their mistakes, strive to model their successes and allow ourselves to be challenged to live lives of significance for eternity.

One of the first individuals we are tempted to overlook in the Old Testament is a man named Lamech.  There are actually two Lamechs mentioned in Genesis but the one I'm referring to is found in Genesis 4:17-24. (Listen to my sermon from last Sunday on Lamech here)  Lamech is the 7th generation from Adam through the line of Cain (the guy who killed is brother out of jealously). Lamech is the first of serveral men mentioned in the Bible that took more than one wife.  While it may not seem like a big deal it reveals a major issue in Lamech's life.

God's design for marriage from the very beginning is one man and one woman joined together in an inseparable union (a plan that Jesus affirmed in the New Testament).  Anything other than the one man and one woman relationship is a distortion of God's plan and always involves some sort of sin.  Lamech's sin of taking two wives opened the door for evil to overrun his life.  Like an ingested poison that slowly kills it's unsuspecting victim from the inside-out, Lamech allowed sin to corrupt his thinking.  The next thing we know, Lamech is bragging to his wives about killing a young man (Genesis 4:23-24).

Sin is a slippery slope.  As God told Lamech's great-great-great-grandfather, Cain, "sin is crouching at the door.  Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it." (Genesis 4:7) Sin is like a wild animal crouching in the bushes waiting for the moment to pounce on it's prey and kill it. 

Thanks be to God that he has given us freedom from the bondage of sin and death through Jesus!  Through the work of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit that indwells every believer we have the power to fight off the attacks of sin on our life.  Like the great Puritan John Owen said, "be killing sin or it will be killing you."

Will we ever live perfect sinless lives this side of eternity?  No.  Should we as Christians expect non-Christians to say "no" to sinful desires?  No.  In fact, Romans 8 tells us that the person without the Spirit can't say "no" to sin.  God calls us to extend grace AND truth to those who are far from God and by loving them and gently pointing them to the Truth of God's Word.  Ultimately, we need to realize we must be different than the world around us.  We are to live lives worthy of the One who has saved us. (1 Peter 2:12)

Remember Lamech and don't allow sin to corrupt your thinking.

Next Sunday's "Person of Interest" - Jethro (and not the Beverly Hillbilly)

God's Sovereignty Always Trumps Circumstances

I'm nearing the end of the book of Job as part of a chronological reading plan a group of men in our church began at the start of 2013.  Without "beating around the bush" let's say it as it is.  Job is one of those books where halfway through you are tempted to walk away and shout, "enough already!"  From Job's "friend's" ridiculing comments to the "in your face" reminder of the brevity of life, it's tempting to skip a few paragraphs...or chapters.  Don't!  We need the repetitive reminders, regardless of how painful it is to read.

We need to read about how Job's worst fears became a reality for him (Job 3:25).  We need to acknowledge the reality that life is hard and the routines of life often seem futile (Job 7:1-3).  We need to revel in Job's wonderful sarcasm in Job 12:2 (one of my favorite verses in the whole book) and cheer his outright rebuke of his friends in Job 16:2.  We need to shout "amen" as we read the age-old question asking why the wicked seem to prosper (Job 21:7).  More than anything we need to marvel at the little nuggets of truth sprinkled throughout the book regarding the incredible sovereignty of God. 

Over and over again we read about God's amazing knowledge (21:22), His power (Job 9:8) and His omni-presence (Job 36).  Each of these nuggets of truth are sandwiched between two earth-shattering statements; one in the first chapter and one in the last chapter.

After Job literally lost everything in his life he responded by saying, "The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away. May the name of the Lord be blessed!" (Job 1:21)  All I can say is, "wow!"  The book could have ended right there but it doesn't.  41 chapters later we read Job's pronouncement of God in Job 42:2: "I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted."

What's the lesson of Job's ridiculously harsh suffering?  God's sovereignty always trumps our circumstances.  It doesn't matter if we are "on cloud 9" or in the deepest darkest days of depression.  God still reigns! 

Near the middle of last year I was scheduled to preach on what God's Word says about pain and suffering (listen here).  In God's providence, four days before I was to preach that message I sat in the doctor's office with my wife as she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.  As we stared at each other in disbelief the message of Job was still reverberating in my head: God's sovereignty always trumps our circumstances.  It was true for Job.  It has proved to be true for me and my family.  It is true for you.  No matter how deep the pain, how raw the wound...God is in control.  His purposes cannot and will not be thwarted!

Here's my wife, describing her journey at our 2012 Fall Women's Retreat:

The Big Ten

This past Sunday at Geist Community Church I revisited a sermon series for the second time in under three years.  (The series is available here) Why would I review the same sermon series twice?  It's THAT important!  We live in a world that is attempting to redefine and/or eliminate truth.  Everything from the definition of "marriage" to defining when "life" begins seems to be up for grabs.  Yet, as we again begin a new year it is vital that we be reminded that truth never changes.

The great D. L. Moody once said "the best way to show that a stick is crooked is not to argue about it or spend time denouncing it, but to lay a straight stick alongside it."

The Bible is our "straight stick."  Every decision, every thought, every action, every word must be held alongside the unchangeable, perfect, infallible Word of God.  With that in mind, there are 10 unchangeable truths (the "Big Ten") that you MUST believe if you're going to call yourself a Christian.  These truths are non-negotiable, life-changing truths.  Remember them, uphold them, proclaim them, take a stand for them.

Truth #1: The Bible - is God's Word, inspired by God, without error in the original writings and the final authority for faith and life

Truth #2: The Trinity - There is one true God who eternally exists as three divine persons; Father, Son and Holy Spirit, each of whom is equally and fully true God.

Truth #3: The Nature of God - God alone is Creator, all-knowing, all-powerful, and ever-present.

Truth #4: Humans - uniquely created in the image of God

Truth #5: Sin - because of Adam's sin every person is born spiritually dead

Truth #6: Salvation - is only by grace through faith in Jesus Christ

Truth #7: Jesus - is fully God and fully man

Truth #8: The Holy Spirit - permanently indwells every believer and provides unity, power and gifts to God's people

Truth #9: The Church - is the new covenant community of the Spirit with specific God-given responsibilities

Truth #10: Hope - Jesus will physically return to earth as King

(you can listen to the original Big Ten sermon series by visiting www.geist.org, click on "sermons")