What is a Healthy Local Church? (part 1)

Our consumer driven culture never ceases to amaze (and confuse) me.  Newer is always better, unless it becomes an "antique" or "aged," in which case older is always sometimes preferred.  Bigger is always best, except when you're talking about the new old electronic gadget in your pocket or on your wrist.  Companies spend billions of dollars each year trying to convince us why we need their product to improve our lives or satisfy our deepest desires.  There are even companies that evaluate products for us and tell us what we "can't live without" - for a small fee of course.

Sadly, this consumerism mentality has bled over into the local church.  Many people today decide to attend a local church because it's the biggest, shiniest, newest thing in town.  In an effort to attract as many people as possible – many churches, even with the best motives, use similar consumeristic techniques to create ministry paradigms that cater to the desires of the people.  Then, when the people come - because they are attracted to all the things the church offers them - the church automatically assumes they're a healthy church.  The problem is, once people get bored or allured by a newer, shinier model they jump to the next church that is riding the big new wave in innovative church growth.

Unfortunately, the questions most people are asking and, thus, the questions most churches are seeking to answer - are NOT a biblical measure for church health.

So, what makes a healthy, biblical church?  

The answer isn’t some quick fix, new building, flashy sign, or new program. Simply put, it’s the Word of God building the church.  Jesus, as the incarnate Word of God, said in Matthew 16:18 “I will build my church.”  Paul instructed Timothy to devote himself to the preaching of the Word (2 Tim. 4:2) because the Word makes the man of God “complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:17).

Unfortunately, many churches have chosen to diminish the Word in favor of engaging, motivational speeches and high-energy entertainment that attract crowds of people, just as Paul warned Timothy against in (2 Tim. 4:3-4).

A few months ago I saw something online from another church in our community.  They had posted "10 things kids need to know from their parents" as part of a parenting sermon series.  Number one on the list was: “A strong belief in yourself as a parent.”  It sounds OK – certainly motivational for some – but NOT biblical.  Nowhere on the list of 10 things was anything about Jesus or the Bible!  Yet, that particular church was one of the top 10 fastest growing churches in our entire country a couple years ago.

American Theologian, Carl Braaten said this in one of his many writings:

“If the aim of the church is to grow, the way to do it is to make people feel good.  And when people discover that there are other ways to feel good, they leave the church they no longer need.  The relevant church is sowing the seeds of its own irrelevance, and losing its identity to boot.  The big question today has become how to get the baby boomers back, what techniques and methods will do the trick.  Polls are taken on what baby boomers want and churches are competing to make sure they get it.” (Carl E. Brazen, "The Gospel for a Neopagan Culture," 19.)

The sad truth today is that most churches now reflect the world more than they do the Word.  

Jesus challenged his followers in the Sermon on the Mount to live distinctively different lives (Matthew 5:13-16).   Thus, the gathering of the saints (the church) ought to look distinctively different from the world.

God designed the church to be His embassy in a foreign land.  When you step into an embassy it should look different from its surroundings.  It will have certain characteristics of the country it is representing that will distinguish it from the country in which it sits.

When I was in Uganda a couple years ago I visited the American Embassy.  When I finally got through the security checkpoints it was literally like stepping across the ocean and instantly being back in the US.  The building construction and architecture reminded me of America.  The bushes and shrubs were landscaped like you'd see in America.  The waiting room was clean of red African dirt that seemed to permeate everything outside the embassy walls.  There were televisions on the wall playing the cable network news.  I even saw an desk clerk hard at work scrolling Facebook.  It was just like I was back home!

When people step in God’s embassy here on earth – among His ambassadors in the church - it should be a distinctively different experience from anything else on the planet!  A healthy local church must be sacrificially and wholeheartedly devoted to three biblical commitments:

1. Worship - From it’s inception in Acts 2 the church has been defined by its worship. When the church is gathered at the end of the age, it will again be marked by its worship in Revelation 5.  
2. Community - We are an independent, self-reliant, self-sufficient people.  The idea of interdependence, mutual submission, and accountability seems antiquated, weak and sometimes downright freighting. However, we were created to be in community and the church is to be a model community for the world to behold.  
3. Service - Ephesians 2:10 says it best: "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

Certainly, the forms churches take will look differently.  They may use different terms or phrases to describe their commitments.  But at the core of every healthy, local church stands those three commitments that will, by default, make it distinctively different from the world! To God be the glory!

(part 2 will propose a biblical definition of the church)

The Origin and Role of the Synagogue

When the Jewish temple was destroyed in A.D. 70 the focal point of the Jewish sacrificial system disappeared. Since that time many have wondered how Judaism survived beyond the first century given the destruction of its central fixture. F. F. Bruce rightly observes that “Judaism survived, because the institution on which its survival, and Jewish community life in general, depended was already well established,”[1] in the synagogue. When the temple was destroyed it had, for all practical purposes, outlived its usefulness to the nation of Israel.[2] For generations leading up to the temple destruction the synagogue had supplanted the temple as the heart and soul of Judaism. Instead of the intense sacrificial system that the temple thrived on, the synagogue focused on the reading and exposition of the Law and Prophets. The intense focus upon the Scriptures developed a new way of thinking in many Jews that began to be obsessed with following the Law. It was these popular teachers of the Law, the Pharisees, who became the new voice for the people in the community and who ultimately became Jesus’ staunchest opponents.

Ultimately, it was the development and function of the synagogue that proved to be a vital and effective avenue for the spread of the gospel message throughout the Jewish and Greek communities of the first and second centuries.

The Development and Function of the Synagogue
The rise of the synagogue is very obscure but often linked with the Babylonian captivity of Israel.[3] In response to the loss of the original temple in 586 BC the synagogue may have arisen to fill the void. While many scholars agree with this theory there is no direct evidence pointing the presence of a synagogue prior to 450 BC, nor is a synagogue mentioned by name in the Old Testament other than possibly Psalm 74:8. Regardless, when the Jewish community returned from the Babylonian exile there must have been local places of worship that undoubtedly began to assume the form of the synagogue found in the New Testament.[4] The simple fact that a developed synagogue form existed in the New Testament points to its beginnings throughout the preceding centuries.

Generations before Jesus most Jewish communities had the synagogue as the common center of worship and community life.[5] When Jewish communities began to spread out across the land, particularly throughout the post-exilic centuries, the increased distance from the temple made it nearly impossible for the Jewish religious life to focus solely on the temple. As a result, local religious activities began to take place within individual communities apart from the temple. Groups of Jews would gather together to provide mutual encouragement to each other and worship God. These gatherings are undoubtedly the beginnings of the synagogue but had no intention of displacing the temple.[6] As the post-exilic centuries progressed (450-100 BC) the synagogue developed into a permanent fixture of Jewish life in Palestine and even in Jerusalem itself.[7]

By the time we arrive in the New Testament era the function of the synagogue was firmly established. Any ten Jewish men who came together to worship and share the law in order to learn and fulfill God’s will constituted a synagogue.[8] By the time of Jesus, its main purpose was to supply the community with a local center of worship, teaching, and community ties.

Every service of worship in the synagogue consisted of prayer, the reading of Scripture, including the Law and the Prophets, and often exhortation. Each of these functions was carried on by laymen in the synagogue. There was at least one presiding officer in the synagogue that was simply referred to as the ruler in Luke 13:14.[9] After prayer was offered by one of the laymen present, the reading of the Scripture would take place. The Law was read through consecutively according to a specific cycle. On the Sabbath, the consecutive lesson from the Pentateuch was followed by a corresponding lesson from the Prophets that related to the Pentateuch lesson.[10] Thus, the prophetic lessons were not read in consecutive order, but were chosen to complement the Pentateuch lesson.

Teaching in the synagogue also took on the form of a school for young boys.[11] It became a school where they could learn to read and know the Scriptures at the same time. The influence of the teaching of the Scriptures in the synagogue most likely led the transition from the Jewish focus on sacrifice to a focus on the Law. At the forefront of teaching boys from a young age to know and follow the law were the Pharisees. Thus, the fiercest challenges Jesus faced in the synagogues of Galilee was from the Pharisees and Scribes.

Even before the destruction of the temple, the synagogue had established itself as the premier fixture in the Jewish faith. With Jewish synagogues scattered throughout the land, the Law could be read and taught taking the place of the sacrifice. This new fixture in the Jewish community had a worship service that afforded the opportunity for Jesus and the apostles to propagate the gospel message quickly.

The Involvement of Jesus in the Synagogue
Throughout every major Jewish community in Galilee, Perea, and Judea Jesus found a synagogue.[12] Essentially, he used the synagogues as a springboard to begin his ministry because through them he could quickly reach the people.[13] He often preached in the synagogues because he would be permitted to speak after the reading of the Scripture. After his baptism and temptation in the desert Jesus returned to Galilee where he “taught in their synagogues” (Luke 4:14-15 NIV).

Unfortunately, very little of his synagogue preaching has been preserved.[14] However, one instance that was recorded by Luke provides a significant look into the service of the synagogue. In Luke 4:16-20 Jesus returned to Nazareth and entered the synagogue on the Sabbath day, which “was his custom” (Luke 4:16 NIV). Jesus stood up and read from “the scroll of the prophet Isaiah” (Luke 4:17 NIV). After reading the passage “he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down” (Luke 4:20 NIV). Jesus then began to admonish the people from the Scripture he had just read which follows the typical synagogue pattern of reading and exhorting.

It was in the synagogues that Jesus encountered some of his greatest opposition because he was at the center of Pharisaic influence.[15] Thus, this opposition was not accidental but inevitable because he was in essence preaching out of their headquarters. Nevertheless, the synagogues were an incredible platform for Jesus to present the gospel message to gatherings of people.

The Apostles’ Involvement in the Synagogue
The apostles, even more than Jesus, used the synagogue as a springboard and staging ground for their ministry in each new city they entered. By visiting the synagogues first, the apostles were able to appeal to people who already had at least a partial knowledge of the promised coming Messiah. Luke records that Stephen, who was a member of a Greek-speaking synagogue in Jerusalem, made some of the first gospel presentations to representatives of other Greek-speaking synagogues in Acts 8:8-9. Several of the Jews from these synagogues argued with Stephen but could not stand up against him.

Paul was the only apostle on record to use the synagogues for two distinct purposes. Before his conversion, Paul grew up as a strict follower of the law and was most likely taught much of what he knew about the Law in the synagogue. He was traveling to Damascus because he was going to visit the synagogues and flush out the followers of the Way to take them back as prisoners to Jerusalem. Paul even states later in his life that “many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished” referring to his persecution of believers (Acts 26:11 NIV). Thus, Paul originally used the synagogues as a place to catch and punish early believers. However, it was along that road to Damascus that Jesus appeared to Saul and gave his life a new direction. Paul, continued on to Damascus and still visited the synagogues, but instead of capturing the believers he was preaching “that Jesus is the Son of God” as a believer (Acts 9:20 NIV).

Whenever Paul entered into a new city it was his regular practice to begin preaching in the local synagogue.[16] The synagogue order of service provided him with an opportunity to speak to a crowd of people with the permission or at the invitation of the synagogue officials.[17] Many of the synagogues that Paul visited throughout his missionary journeys were a mixture of Jews and Gentiles. These Gentiles were called God-fearers because they attended the synagogue and somewhat followed the Jewish tradition, but were not fully incorporated into the Jewish community. One such synagogue Paul visited was in Pisidian Antioch. When he stood up to speak he addressed the group as “Men of Israel and you Gentiles who worship God” (Acts 13:16 NIV). It was out of some of these Jew/Gentile synagogues that the sharpest expression of the Christian faith and “its clearest challenge to ancestral Jewish customs” arose.[18] The main cause for the instant explosion of Christianity among Greek-speaking synagogues was the instant appeal the gospel made to the Gentile God-fearers.[19] Suddenly, there was an offer of salvation and acceptance by God without the strict requirements of the Mosaic Law or circumcision. The Gentile God-fearers that were present at Paul’s first synagogue message at Pisidian Antioch quickly spread the message and on the next Sabbath the synagogue was filled with Gentiles from “almost the whole city” (Acts 13:44 NIV). Many of those God-fearing Gentiles believed and “formed into the Christian church of Pisidian Antioch.”[20]

After leaving Pisidian Antioch, Paul and Barnabas visited the synagogue in Iconium and again “a great number of Jews and Gentiles believed” (Acts 14:1 NIV). Paul visited several synagogues throughout his missionary travels. Luke records that he visited the synagogues in Damascus, Salamis, Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, Corinth, and Ephesus. These records show that by the first century A.D. synagogues had already permeated Jewish communities throughout the Greek-speaking world.

As Paul continued to visit these Jew/Gentile synagogues as he traveled, the Gentiles who were considered to be on the fringe of the synagogue now formed “the nucleus of the church.”[21] Paul stayed at several synagogues for extended periods of time preaching the gospel message, sometimes exceeding a year or more at one location.

Conclusion
Even before the destruction of the temple, the synagogue had established itself as the premier fixture in the Jewish faith. The format of the worship service in the synagogue afforded Jesus and the apostles the opportunity to quickly propagate the gospel message. Jesus frequently visited the synagogues, especially in the infant stages of his ministry, and encountered fierce opposition from the teachers of the Law who ruled the synagogue. Likewise, Paul spent as much time as he could speaking in the synagogues and using them as a mouthpiece for the gospel message. Throughout the God-fearing Gentile portion of the Jewish synagogues Paul witnessed explosive growth.

Thus, the synagogue served as one of the major, if not the major, conduit through with the gospel message was preached. This foundation of the Jewish community became an instrument in the hands of the apostles to spread the good news of Jesus Christ. In some cases, the first Christian churches in some cities were formed from large portions of former synagogue congregations.


[1] F. F. Bruce, New Testament History. (Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, 1969), 147.
[2] Ibid.
[3] William G. Blaikie, Bible History. (New York: Thomas Nelson and Sons, 1925), 372-73.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Floyd V. Filson, A New Testament History. (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1964), 44.
[6] Ibid, 44.
[7] Bruce, 143.
[8] Filson, 44-45.
[9] Mark 5:22 and Acts 13:15 may indicate that some synagogues had more than one ruler, “the synagogue rulers.”
[10] Bruce, 144.
[11] Floyd V. Filson, A New Testament History. (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1964), 45.
[12] Ibid, 44.
[13] Ibid, 93.
[14] John Bligh, Historical Information for New Testament Students. (Baltimore: Helicon Press Inc, 1967), 49.
[15] Filson, 116.
[16] Acts 17:1-2 explains that it was Paul’s normal custom to go into the synagogue and preach when he came to a new city.
[17] Filson, 211.
[18] Ibid, 200.
[19] F. F. Bruce, New Testament History. (Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, 1969), 147.
[20] Ibid, 275.
[21] Ibid, 147.

Six Reminders Why We Pray

You would be hard pressed to find a professing Christian who wouldn't say prayer is a "good thing" but is prayer THE thing in your life?  Is prayer your passion?  Does communing with your Creator and Redeemer through prayer consume your thoughts throughout the day?  Is prayer your first response to any situation, good or bad?  Does a fervent, passionate desire to pray flow out of your heart?

IT SHOULD!  Prayer is faithful obedience to God as we trust in Him to do what we cannot do!

Still, we struggle to pray for a myriad of reasons.

Oswald Chambers said it so well, "Remember, no one has time to pray; we have to take time from other things that are valuable in order to understand how necessary prayer is."

Here are six important reminders regarding prayer that should fuel our prayer life:

(1) We are commanded to pray!  1 Thessalonians 5:17 commands us to "pray continually."  If we choose not to pray we are walking in disobedience to the command of God.

(2) Prayer is worship! Jonathan Edwards said prayer is an "acknowledgment of our dependence on him [God] to his glory."  When we express our dependence upon God through prayer it ascribes value to Him and is, therefore, worship!

(3) God's people pray!  Throughout both the Old and New Testaments God's people pray.  Abraham prayed to God in Genesis 20.  Moses prayed before leading the Israelites out of Egypt. Sampson prayed that God would return his strength one last time.  Perhaps one of the most powerful images of prayer is Epaphras struggling on behalf of the Colossians in prayer (Colossians 4:12).

(4) God hears prayer!  Psalm 65:2 boldly proclaims, "O you who hear prayer!"  In 1 Kings 17 Elijah mocked the prophets of Baal as they attempted to pray to their false God.  Again, Jonathan Edwards said it so well, "There is no other of whom it may be said, that he hearth prayer."

(5) Most prayer is done in secret!  I recently did a quick survey of 17 occasions Jesus prayed in the gospels and only once do we see Jesus praying with his disciples.  Every other time the gospel writer specifically tells something about Jesus withdrawing to a quiet place or going off by himself to pray.

(6) Prayer is an expression of faith!  Prayer and faith are inseparable.  You cannot genuinely pray without faith.  Regardless of circumstances or perceived results - we pray by faith!

In the wonderful words of E.M. Bounds:
                         “What the Church needs to-day is not more machinery or better, not new
                          organizations or more and novel methods, but men whom the Holy Ghost
                          can use—men of prayer, men mighty in prayer. The Holy Ghost does not
                          flow through methods, but through men. He does not come on machinery,
                          but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men—men of prayer.”

Distinctively Different

So, it's been awhile (many months) since I've blogged but there's good reason why.  It's been a very long and trying season for our family.  You can read more about it HERE in the much more eloquent and captivating words of my amazing wife.

I thought I'd take my first blogging opportunity in months to provide a sneak peak into the sermon series I'm starting in a couple weeks called Distinctively Different: A study of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.

Change is inevitable in our world. Recent technological advances and instant global communication have accelerated those changes, for better or worse, at an ever-increasing rate. As I recently heard someone say, even nostalgia isn’t want it used to be. The question before us is what do these changes mean for us as followers of Jesus?

We, as Christians in America, are about to experience something that is completely foreign to us. As J. Dwight Pentecost points out:

“Because we live in what has been called a Christian nation, after 2,000 years of preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we have been deceived into thinking the attitude of the world toward a believer has changed. That is a lie of the devil. It has not been changed at all. The world can only hate a believer. We have somehow been duped into believing we can change the attitude of the world toward Christ and toward Christians. We have tried to live before the world so as to change their thinking. We have tried to make ourselves acceptable. We are trying to do the impossible. We might as well try to take off for the moon with only our own two feet to get us there.”1

As biblical truth collides head-on with our pagan world, we will see a clarifying distinction between true followers of Jesus and those who are just hanging around the church because it is the popular or cultural thing to do. While this may be a new experience for us, it is certainly nothing new to Christianity.

Christians have long wrestled with the tension between our involvement with the world and our separation from it. The apostle Paul himself reveals the tension as he said he became “all things to all people” (1 Corinthians 9:22) yet also said not to “conform to the pattern of this world.” (Romans 12:2) Rather than wrestling with the tension or seeking biblical clarification many Christians have simply opted for inaction. C.S. Lewis challenges us against such a move:

“It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad.”2

As we stare in the face of our lost world we cannot stand idly by as ordinary, decent eggs. We must be changed, “hatched” for the glory of God and the proclamation of His Word or we risk going bad. We have been called to represent God and His Kingdom as ambassadors in this world. (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:20) How then shall we live?

Near the beginning of His earthly ministry Jesus gave the greatest sermon ever preached; a sermon we refer to as the Sermon on the Mount. The focus of His message was correcting some misunderstandings of Old Testament teachings and giving clear, practical guidance for how people of the kingdom of God ought to live. As one Bible commentator wrote,

“The sermon showed how a person who is in right relationship with God should conduct his life.“3

About midway through his sermon in Matthew 6:8 Jesus said, “do not be like them;” the “them” was referring to the unbelievers in the world. What we see through the teaching of Jesus is that the life of a Christ follower is to be distinctively different from, not similar to, the world. That’s what being “Christian” is all about: we are distinctively different from the world.

Jesus’ sermon created quite a stir as it confronted some long-standing teachings of the religious leaders. Matthew’s gospel tells us that “when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.” (Matthew 7:28-29) My prayer is that through this series you, too, will be astonished by the life-transforming words of Jesus and challenged to live a distinctively different life – for the glory God.

___________________
1. Pentecost, J. D. (1999). Design for living: lessons in holiness from the Sermon on the mount (p. 75). Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications.

2. Lewis, C.S. (1958). Mere Christianity (New York: The Macmillan Company), (p. 198-199).

3. Barbieri, L. A., Jr. (1985). Matthew. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 28). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

Introducing the King

Everyone has their own view of God.  Some scoff at the idea of God and turn their noses to anyone who dares suggest there is a God.  Others are like the men of Athens in the first century AD who believed in "god(s)" but didn't know about the one true God...at least not until the Apostle Paul told them (Acts 17).  There are others, like myself, who claim belief in the God of the Bible.  Yet, we live our comfortable lives from beginning to end, in our comfortable houses, going to a comfortable church in a comfortable car without ever stopping to think seriously about this God we claim belief in.  We busy ourselves with the things of this world and turn a blind eye to the majesty and splendor of God.  In our own ignorance we fail to know the true God and instead become idolaters, having made a "god" in our own image.  That's my tendency and it's yours.  It's the daily struggle we face as sinful people living in a fallen world.

Thankfully, God knows our natural bent, so He warned us through the prophet Jeremiah and said, "Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth.  For in these things I delight, declares the Lord." (Jeremiah 9:23-24)  May we heed God's call and strive to understand and KNOW Him better...because our eternity hinges on it...

John 17:3 says "And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent."

Whether or not you know the only true God and His Son, Jesus, determines whether or not you have eternal life.  That means, the most important though you will ever think is what you think when you think about God.  In fact, all the problems we face living on this little ball of dirt floating in the universe and the solutions to those problems are theological (relating to the study of God).

In the early days of the Christian church various groups began to develop creedal statements and catechisms.  These short statements were often committed to memory because they clearly and succinctly describe what we believe to be true based on the teaching of the Bible.  One of the more well-known catechisms, the Westminster Shorter Catechism, asks and answers this question: "What is God?" The answer: "God is Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth." That's a great starting point for knowing God better but the people who can recite it from memory today are few and far between.

One of the blessings of living in the age in which we live is that we have almost an endless number of resources at our fingertips.  One of the curses of living in the age in which we live is that we have almost an endless number of resources at our fingertips.  I say that because people rarely stop to internalize or remember some of these vital truths.  YET, we must!

I encourage you to check out our current sermon series at Geist Community Church called Introducing the King.  May we "press on to know the Lord." (Hosea 6:3)

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)