SEPTEMBER 25
We have a
special day today. We will meet some passages regarding our Lord and His
working to reach the world. In Ephesians we are entering the practical half of
the letter, and again, some famous verses. You may not feel it, but the Lord is
using all of this to strengthen and renew your heart as you follow Christ in
the harvest.
Isaiah
45:11-48:11
By now you are noticing again and again how
often God repeats that He is the Creator, and the One who declares things from
long ago. This is set in contrast to idols and those who make them and depend
on them. Over and over again God declares Himself to be the only Savior for
mankind and the gracious forgiving God of Israel.
Vs. 11-13 This seems to be talking about
Cyrus as a representative of the Persian Empire. As a result of Daniel, God
moved Cyrus to send the people back to rebuild the temple; but the city wasn't
rebuilt until Artaxerxes sent Nehemiah years later. The focus here isn't Cyrus
or Persia; it is the Holy One of Israel who stretched out the heavens and moved
nations. It mentions that God stirred him up in righteousness. If you look at
how God worked with Pharaoh and with Nebuchadnezzar, you see that the only
difference was how the two men responded to God. Everything that God did to
Nebuchadnezzar became a lesson to the young Persian prince, Cyrus.
V. 14 What a long verse. The blessing here
seems to be people coming to Israel to seek God.
Vs. 15-19 It is interesting that it says God
hides Himself, yet He is a savior. In v. 19 He says that He didn't speak in
secret. The point is that God needs to be sought in a spirit of truth and
sincerity. God remains dark to those who really don't want Him. There is so
much in these verses.
Vs. 20-25 This looks like a call to the
entire earth to come to God for salvation. These are incredible verses. Notice
how God mentions again that He has been saying all of this from the beginning.
Since the earliest parts of the Bible were written down by Moses, it is safe to
say that mankind has had a written record of God's words for most of recorded
history. That would mean we are without excuse. The words are there to be read
and believed.
V. 23 This is a rather famous verse in the
NT. Every knee shall bow and every tongue
shall confess, regardless of race, language or religion. Because there is only
one God, there is no religion other than knowing God through Jesus Christ.
These verses in Isaiah are good evidence, if anyone should need it, that there
is one God and there is only one way to come to Him.
Isaiah 46
Vs. 1-2 This is judgment on Babylon for their
idolatry. Notice the irony of having to have their livestock haul their idols.
Their idolatry made Israel sick of its own. Just for trivia, these two names of
their gods will come up again. Bel
we'll see in the renaming of Daniel to Belteshazzar. Nebo
we have already seen in Nebuchadnezzar.
Vs. 3-7 God calls Israel to listen to Him
regarding the madness of making idols. Notice how tender vs. 3-4 are. God has
borne them and promises to keep bearing them.
Vs. 8-11 God tells them to remember the words
of prophecy He spoke and how He determined events. Ironically, the people who
went into exile would have been reading these very words, over a hundred years
later, as the events were happening to them; and they still didn't believe.
Vs. 12-13 God tells them to listen, for as surely as all this other
stuff has happened, God will put salvation in Zion. This blessing is for the
Millennium.
Isaiah 47
Vs. 1-7 Now God pronounces judgment on
Babylon for its pride and comfort. Nebuchadnezzar was humbled by God, but the
other Babylonian kings had no regard for God.
V. 4 Even though the people were in exile,
they still had a strong Redeemer who was working for them.
V. 7 You could make a case that
Nebuchadnezzar "laid to heart" the position he was in as God's sword
to punish Judah and Jerusalem. The kings who followed Nebuchadnezzar did not
have this respect for God or Israel. In fact, look at what happens in Daniel 5.
The entire judgment on Belshazzar was that he should have known better and
should have "laid to heart" what God had done to Nebuchadnezzar.
Vs. 8-11 Notice the alternating between vs. 8
and 10, and 9 and 11. Verses 8 and 10 talk about how indestructible the people
felt. Verses 9 and 11 talk about their dependence on sorcery and enchantment.
V. 9 It happened to the city on one day, in a
few hours one night. This is Daniel 5.
Vs. 12-15 Being seated in the city of Nimrod,
the Babylonians thought they were strong because of spiritual power. In Daniel
2 when Nebuchadnezzar couldn't get the wise men, magicians and enchanters to
figure out his dream, he was shaken. He depended on their power. The same would
be true of Belshazzar on the night the Babylonian Empire fell. The wise men
couldn't help so he had to call Daniel.
Isaiah 48:1-11
Vs. 1-2 God is rebuking Israel for calling
themselves by God's name, but not being faithful to follow Him and live for His
glory.
Vs. 3-8 Again, God uses prophecy to defeat
their idols and their pride.
Vs. 9-11 Yet for His glory and for His name's
sake, God will save Israel and obtain glory through them.
It is interesting that in Daniel's prayer in
Daniel 9, he pleads with God at the end to answer the prayer for His own name's
sake; because the people are called by His name. I wonder if Daniel read this
portion of Isaiah.
This morning I read where Jesus said in John
7:18, The one who speaks on his own
authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent
him is true, and in him there is no falsehood. Jesus was speaking about
Himself, living to give glory to His Father. Jesus said that He has given His
glory to His followers so that we may be one with our Lord and the Father.
Clearly, we are to walk and work in the harvest, reflecting His glory as we
reach out and make disciples, who make disciples.
Ephesians
4:1-16
This chapter has the blueprint of church
ministry in the harvest.
Vs. 1-3 This is what Paul wanted to say at
the beginning of chapter 3. The church can't bring the message of redemption if
they can't work together. Living worthy of our calling is the same as living to
bring glory to Christ for what He has done for us.
Vs. 4-6 The unity of the church is found in
all of these factors.
Vs. 7-10 Once again, the issue of gifts
rises. God gives the gifts. We don't choose them. Paul seems to be mentioning
gifts, because they caused some disunity here as they did in Corinth. Notice
how Paul ties the giving of the gifts to the victory of Christ and our
redemption. My observation is that if each person isn't deeply in love with
Christ for their salvation, and if the church is not primarily focused on being
in their local harvest, either the gifts become irrelevant in that church, or
they become a point of fighting and envy. The church unites in the love of
Christ to work in the harvest, and then the tools make sense.
V. 8 Look at Psalm 68:18 from yesterday's
reading. Pretty cool, huh?
Vs. 11-16 The gifts of these leaders are to
be used to equip the church, making it ready for use, like mending a fishing
net, so it can catch stuff.
Mentioned is the equipping for the work of ministry, for building up
the body of Christ. In a couple of verses this building will be described
as makes the body grow so that it builds
itself up in love. This is both bringing in from the harvest and making disciples,
who make disciples. In this entire process the leaders are bringing the group
to maturity in Christ. This also has a protective function in the church and in
preserving the truth for the next generation. In this maturity and unity in
Christ, the church works as a team, each part doing its job without rivalry or
envy, working toward the harvest. This is taking the love of Christ to their
area, bearing fruit that brings bodily growth and strengthening themselves in
the love of Christ.
Notice too that bringing the church to
maturity is unity in the faith and knowledge of Jesus. Unified in Jesus we
imitate Jesus and follow Him in the harvest. The winds of doctrine and lies
keep us from growing in Him, keep us from unity, and make us unable to bear
fruit in the harvest. Churches that do not bear fruit, regardless of their
reasons, have usually gotten off on some point of doctrine or practice that has
neutralized them.
Psalm
68:19-35
I know it says that this was written by
David, but it sure has a "post exile" ring to it. During the time of
the Judges to David, Israel fell prey to its enemies. It was not a respected
nation and people were captured and taken as slaves. That might be a possible
explanation for v. 22.
Vs. 19-23 As David was beginning to rescue
the nation as their new king, he could assure them of God's help and salvation,
because he, himself, had been experiencing that salvation and help every day
for the past 10 years.
Vs. 24-27 In David leading the people, he led
them to the Lord and led them in worship. Significant here is the mention of
Benjamin. This was important because Saul had been from the tribe of Benjamin.
When the nation split, Judah and Benjamin remained together as one nation.
Also, Zebulun and Naphtali would have been the northernmost tribes. For me it
is interesting because this area is where the "Son of David," Jesus,
was raised. When he began His ministry, these tribes saw a great light.
Vs. 28-31 It seems that David was looking
forward to the day when there would be a temple
at Jerusalem, where all the nations would come to honor God. In Psalm 27,
David refers to the tabernacle as the pavilion, sanctuary and temple.
Vs. 32-35 David, as usual, is giving
testimony to the nations and praising God. During David's years people came to
Jerusalem to seek God because of the grace poured on David and the people. In
the future there will be another call to the nations of the earth to sing praises
to God. That will happen someday, and in the meantime, we're working in the
harvest until we hear the dinner bell.
Proverbs
24:3-4
It is amazing how many people begin marriage
and a life together without having a goal or a plan. God is better than a plan.
He is someone who guides us daily in His Word and gives our lives a goal and a
purpose bigger than marriage that draws two people together.
If you’re reading along
and don’t have a One Year Bible, click on this link http://www.esvbible.org/devotions/every-day-in-the-word/. If that doesn't work, go to http://www.esvbible.org/devotions/ and click on “Every Day in the Word.”
I'm writing these
comments to and for those who are following a One Year Bible and interested in
growing deeper as a disciple, following Jesus in the harvest. My hope is to see
the growth of a discipleship culture in the church. Groups of 3-4 disciples, meeting
weekly, encouraging each other to follow Christ and work to reach out and make
disciples who make disciples. The Bible itself is the most universal manual we
have and key to our growth and service in Christ. Nothing keeps us more focused
on why we are here or what we are to be doing. My comments are only meant to
provide some explanation of the events or to show the flow of God's plan of
redemption. My comments are in no way exhaustive, but are designed to keep us
focused on Christ and our role in His harvest. My hope is that the people in
these groups will grow in Christ and be willing, after a year, to find 3 others
to meet with and encourage in their growth as disciples, disciples making
disciples in the harvest.
If you would like a
complete description of this model of being and making disciples you can find
it in my book: Simply Disciples*Making Disciples.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011WJIDQA?*Version*=1&*entries*=0
If you would like a more
descriptive commentary that is still readable and concise, I'd recommend the
Bible Knowledge Commentary. It's keyed to the NIV, so the result is the
commentators are constantly telling you what the Greek or Hebrew is. That never
hurts.
I am not endorsing any
particular One Year Bible; in fact, I read something you don't, die revidierte
Lutherbibel 1984.
Anyone reading along with
us is welcome to do so and is encouraged to take their own notes and make their
own observations. If the comments made do not agree with your particular
tradition or understanding, that's OK. Nothing I've written is meant to
criticize any point of view, but only to express the truth of what God has
written to us, as I understand it. Send comments or feedback to dgkachikis@gmail.com.
If you would like
documents containing an entire month of the Reading Notes, go to https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes. You can download these to use on your computer or to
print.
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