Grow Strong in God’s Grace – Wk 29

Learning How to be a Faithful Farmer for God’s Harvest!

Reap a Harvest of Praise!

(Part 2 of 2 of Series Conclusion)

Hebrews 12:1-3 (NASB)

 

The full title of today’s sermon is, “Reap a harvest through the faithful strategy of a hardworking farmer.” Today, I am finishing our 2023 sermon series called, “Grow Strong in God’s Grace: Learning How to be a Faithful Famer for God’s Harvest!” Allow me to continue the conclusion of this sermon series, which I began on October 22. Listen to the poem, “How Great the Yield from a Fertile Field”:[1]

 

The farmer ploughs through the fields of green

And the blade of the plough is sharp and keen,

But the seed must be sown to bring forth grain.

For nothing is born without suffering and pain.

And God never ploughs in the soul of man

Without intention and purpose and plan,

So whenever you feel the plough’s sharp blade

Let not your heart be sorely afraid.

For, like the farmer, God chooses a field

From which He expects an excellent yield –

So rejoice though your heart is broken in two.

God seeks to bring forth a rich harvest in you.

 

How true this poem is, in each of our lives – “God never ploughs in the soul of man without intention and purpose and plan, so whenever you feel the plough’s sharp blade let not your heart be sorely afraid.” God’s intent for your life is that you would reap a harvest of praise to His glory. To participate with God’s work in us, we must follow the faithful strategy of the hardworking farmer. Paul taught in Philippians 2:12-13, “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” God is at work in us through His Holy Spirit’s indwelling presence. Hope in God’s work for us, and in us, is the key ingredient when following the four steps that every hard-working farmer must follow to experience a large crop yield:

 

  1. Cultivate the soil.
  2. Sow the good seed.
  3. Care for the maturing plant.
  4. Reap a harvest.

 

To be a fruit-bearing branch, we must maintain our focus on Jesus Christ, the vine through which all the life-giving nourishment of the Holy Spirit flows, as Jesus testified in John 15:1-5:

 

I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

 

As hardworking farmers, abide in Jesus and He will bear much fruit upon your branch! As C. H. Spurgeon preached in 1871, “Preaching is sowing, prayer is watering, but praise is the harvest.”[2] It is my desire to see First Baptist Church of New Castle, Indiana witness a large crop yield of praise to the glory of God. That we will be an epicenter of revival. Until all worship, let us continue to be faithful to the Lord of the Harvest and respond to His call upon our lives to be hard-working farmers!

 

As we learned in part 1 of the conclusion, the faith stories of God’s people summarized in Hebrews 11 inform our lives and our lifestyles by calling us to live according to Hebrews 12:1-3:

 

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

 

Let’s take a couple of minutes to review Hebrew 11, and the lessons from the transforming stories of faith we have learned this year. Learn from these men and women of faith how you can be a witness to the transforming power of faith in your life. This is the faith we get to live when we are set free from sin to live with our eyes on Jesus:

 

  • a faith, which pleases God.
  • a faith, which gives substance to your life.
  • a faith, which trusts God’s promises.
  • a faith, which bears fruit.
  • a faith, which passes the test.
  • a faith, which blesses the next generation.
  • a faith, which gives us a limp.
  • a faith, which lifts us out of the pits.
  • a faith, which makes us humble.
  • a faith, which toots God’s horn.
  • a faith, which saves the day.
  • a faith, which takes God at His Word.
  • a faith, which invites partnership.
  • a faith, which invites us to be weak.
  • a faith, which overcomes obstacles.
  • a faith, which demonstrates God’s own heart.
  • a faith, which listens and obeys.
  • a faith, which calls people home.

 

If you minimize the Bible to a moralistic rule book filled with one-dimensional people, then you miss God’s extravagant love and scandalous grace. If you miss love and grace, then you miss Jesus, who is the only way to know the Father (John 14:6). Jesus didn’t die on the cross so that you can make a good human effort at living according to the Ten Commandments, doing and saying all the right things by your own strength. Jesus did not die on the cross so that you can go around living a good moralistic life and be filled with pride and self-righteousness. Jesus died on the cross so that you could be free from sin to love others as God first loved you; not to earn anything, but from the fertile field of a transformed heart.

 

Working hard, like a faithful farmer, we are to strive to be like Him and like those who have come before us to show us the way of faith – the great cloud of witnesses. Jesus gives us our right standing by grace – a relationship with God that comes with the responsibilities of righteousness. As Paul taught in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” This is our calling; we have been made new by His love to join with Jesus in His ministry of love to reconcile all people to Him. Listen to Paul explain this in 2 Corinthians 5:17-20:

 

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

 

Does your life tell the story of Jesus Christ and how He is seeking to transform stories through His gospel of love and grace? You are being invited into the next class of the great cloud of witnesses. Until the Day you are inducted into the great cloud of witnesses and join with the saints that we have learned about in this sermon series, you are called to “not grow weary and lose heart” (Hebrews 12:3). No matter the struggle, and the fight is real, we are to keep our eyes on Jesus, just as He told a better story with His life and death – “who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).

 

When all our stories point to Jesus Christ as the main character of each of our stories, then we will find unity in the body of Christ, and each of us will mature so that the entire body will be built up on love (Ephesians 4:11-16). Jesus is the only Hero of this story! Paul testified to this in 1 Corinthians 3:5-9, and I conclude with this appeal:

 

What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field….

 

Today, God is calling to you, choosing you, extending His love to you. Trust Him today and experience the joy of why Christ endured the cross and despised the shame. For the joy set before you, live strong in God’s grace and reap a harvest of praise to the glory of God. Never forget, that what we do in this life is a witness to what Christ did to give us the life we live, once for all.

 

What does your transforming story of faith look like? Jesus is interceding for you at the right hand of the Father, so do not grow weary and do not lose heart. Go from this place telling a better story, His Story, the transforming story of God’s grace, and together we will see our communities thriving to the glory of God!

 

 
 

If you would like to watch Pastor Jerry present this message, Click HERE.

 

If you would like to watch the entire service including music, click HERE.

 
 
 
 

FOOTNOTES:

 

[1] Written by Helen Stiner Rice. This poem was reproduced from the memorial folder for Avon Dwight “Scotty” Scott, an Indiana dairy farmer (February 5, 1929 – October 28, 2023). His daughter, Delora Hartsock, found this poem in his hymnal along with instructions for his funeral. I had the honor of doing his services on Saturday, November 4; he was a faithful follower of Jesus and a Korean War veteran.

 

[2] C. H. Spurgeon, “The Joy of the Lord, the Strength of His People,” in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, vol. 17 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1871), 717.
 
 
 

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Grow Strong in God’s Grace – Wk 28

Learning How to be a Faithful Farmer for God’s Harvest!

A Life that Witnesses to the Transformative Power of Faith!

(Part 1 of 2 of Series Conclusion)

Hebrews 12:1-3 (NASB)

 

Today, I am going to begin the conclusion of our sermon series. This will be a 2-part conclusion, based on Hebrews 12:1-3, which provides a fitting conclusion to the stories of triumphant faith found in Hebrews 11. Never forget that these men and women found approval from God through their faith. They were not perfect people, and I don’t think that they would want us to consider them “heroes of the faith,” because they were real people with real faith in real history. They would all make one thing very clear: God is the only hero! Our lives have the power to point to His story when we live by faith, trusting God to be the author and finisher of all stories. Hebrews 12:1-3 is the rightful conclusion to Hebrews 11 [the chapter break is an unfortunate interruption] by teaching us to look to the One who did live a perfect life, showing us the way to live a life that witnesses to the transformative power of faith. Jesus is the only One worthy to be consider a Hero of the Story. I invite you to open your pew Bible to page 1088, or your own Bible to Hebrews 12:1-3; listen now to the Word of God:

 

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

 

If you started reading your Bible in Hebrews 12, you would automatically ask yourself, “Who are the people in this ‘so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us’?” The answer to this question is found in Hebrews 11, so let’s review the inaugural class of the great cloud of witnesses, and see what we have learned from each of them over the last 6 months of sermons:

 

  • Abel and Enoch taught us how faith pleases God (4-6).
  • Noah taught us how faith gives substance to your life (7).
  • Abraham taught us how faith trusts God’s promises (8-10).
  • Sarah taught us how faith bears fruit (11-12).
  • Abraham taught us how can pass the test of faith (17-19).
  • Isaac taught us how faith blesses the next generation (20).
  • Jacob taught us how faith gives us a limp (21).
  • Joseph taught us how faith lifts us out of the pits (22).
  • Moses taught us how faith makes us humble (23-29).
  • Joshua taught us how faith toots God’s horn (30).
  • Rahab taught us how faith saves the day (31).
  • Gideon taught us how faith takes God at His Word (32-40).
  • Barak taught us how faith invites partnership (32-40).
  • Samson taught us how faith invites us to be weak (32-40).
  • Jephthah taught us how faith overcomes obstacles (32-40).
  • David taught us the faith of a person after God’s own heart (32-40).
  • Samuel taught us how faith listens and obeys (32-40).
  • The prophets taught us how faith calls people home (32-40).
  • In verses 33-40, other members of the inaugural class of the great cloud of witnesses are alluded to, various judges, kings, and prophets of Israel’s history, but specifically Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, Abed-nego, Hezekiah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Elijah, Elisha, Uriah, Zechariah, and possibly even foreshadows of John the Baptist and others found in the New Testament.

 

The emphasis of Hebrew 11 is faith. Each of these people had a relationship with God. How they believed not only affected their own lives, but each of their stories sent a ripple effect through history. That’s the power of faith! There is an important pattern found between the transforming stories of faith, found in Hebrews 11, and the exhortation of Hebrews 12:1-3. It is the biblical rhythm of “indicative-imperative,” simply meaning, “IF you believe this about God (the indicative about faith), THEN live this way (the imperative of faith).” This is what it means to believe; there is no false dichotomy between the indicative and the imperative.

 

Hebrews 12 starts with a “therefore” and the common thing you do when you see a “therefore” in Scripture is to ask yourself, “What is it there for?” Don’t devoid God’s commands of their meaning, nor reject the grace being extended to you, by just reading what comes next. Instead, go back and see what the Bible teaches you (the indicative of the imperative). In the Bible, God’s grace (His choosing) always precedes the call of obedience (God’s divine demands upon His children); in other words, “Relationship comes before responsibilities!” If you don’t get this, you can easily become a legalistic Christian (works-based religion), insecure and unstable because your focus is on your own ability to obey the commands of God. If you give yourself to this misapplication of Scripture (imperatives devoid of indicatives, or responsibilities without relationship), then all your effort will miss the mark and you will not know the heart of God. How can any righteous act please God if it is lacking love? Hebrews 11:6 teaches this clearly, “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (cf. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3).

 

God does not call you to strive for acceptance through your own efforts; rather, He invites you to rest in His relationship with you. It is only by grace that you are even in a relationship with Him, nevertheless, able to live according to His divine responsibilities as a member of His family. Allow me to be clear, grace is not opposed to the effort you put into your relationship, but grace is opposed to merit – you think you can earn anything by your efforts. Hebrews 12:1-3 transitions from the previous chapter’s descriptions of faith to the responsibilities of faith. Hebrews 12 leans heavily on the faith relationship between God and His children. We have been investing these last six months to truly know the heart of God; to know He is good and that we can trust Him in all our circumstances. Who was the God of these people? What does it look like to live by faith; to believe? How does God transform stories through a faith relationship with Him? Can I grow strong in God’s grace and reap a harvest of praise to the glory of God?

 

God calls by grace – you are His by His loving choice! Relationship precedes but does not preclude responsibilities. We see this best illustrated for us in the most ancient of places: the Ten Commandments (the Decalogue). For many, it is whitewashed as moral decrees to be obeyed to be found acceptable in God’s eyes. But I want to illuminate the most important part of the Ten Commandments; it is the word of grace that comes before the responsibilities of relationship. What is the first thing God declares in Exodus 20 before launching into His covenantal expectations? In Exodus 20:2, God says, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” This is a word of grace where God is saying, “I chose you! I rescued you from slavery and death, not because you deserved it, but because I love you! Therefore, as my dearly beloved children, follow these 10 commandments and you will grow strong in grace (our relationship), bearing the good fruit of my grace, living in such a way that proves to the world that you belong to me!” Do you see the indicative-imperative pattern? Never forget that every promise of God comes with a praxis to live.

 

God has established your identity in Him, now live like it! This is the teaching of the fruit-bearing branch abiding in the vine of Jesus Christ, found in John 15:7-11, and 16:

 

If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. … You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.

 

This is who you are, as the beloved of Jesus taught in 1 John 3:1-3:

 

See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

 

Do you remember the first time you were chosen for something? Maybe it was a glance across the classroom, the request for a dance, the acceptance to a college, the selection for promotion at work, or the diamond engagement ring. How did that make you feel?

 

Being chosen changes everything! Grace changes everything! Let us grow strong in God’s grace today so that we may witness to the world the transformative power of faith! How? By extending the same grace to others, just as Jesus commanded a new command in John 13:34-35, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

 

How do you witness to the transformative power of faith in your everyday life?

 

  • When you give generously without thought of getting anything in return.
  • When you love for the benefit of the other and not for yourself.
  • When you forgive a debt.
  • When you invite someone to go for a walk or to sit around the fire together.
  • Whenever you break bread with some around table fellowship.
  • When you send a card, make a phone call, send a text of encouragement.
  • When you make a visit or deliver a meal.

 

I try to teach my children to give good gifts; not to give away something they don’t need or want, but to give their very best. Love doesn’t give spare change; it gives the best of the first fruits. This is the principle behind how we give back to God. All things come from Him and all that we have is His; we are not giving anything to Him, we are returning it to Him because He is the source of abundance! Love doesn’t keep its commitment just when it feels good, because it’s easy, or because it’s reciprocated; love “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13:7).

 

The faith stories of God’s people summarized in Hebrews 11 inform our lives and our lifestyles by calling us to live according to Hebrews 12:1-3:

 

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

 

Paul echoed this in Philippians 2:1-4:

 

Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. [5-11 then give the example of Jesus in the Christ Hymn]

 

Take the next month and review Hebrew 11, and the lessons from the transforming stories of faith we have learned this last six months. Learn from these men and women of faith how you can be a witness to the transformative power of faith in your life. This is the faith we get to live when we are set free from sin to live with our eyes on Jesus:

 

  • a faith, which pleases God.
  • a faith, which gives substance to your life.
  • a faith, which trusts God’s promises.
  • a faith, which bears fruit.
  • a faith, which passes the test.
  • a faith, which blesses the next generation.
  • a faith, which gives us a limp.
  • a faith, which lifts us out of the pits.
  • a faith, which makes us humble.
  • a faith, which toots God’s horn.
  • a faith, which saves the day.
  • a faith, which takes God at His Word.
  • a faith, which invites partnership.
  • a faith, which invites us to be weak.
  • a faith, which overcomes obstacles.
  • a faith, which demonstrates God’s own heart.
  • a faith, which listens and obeys.
  • a faith, which calls people home.

 

If you minimize the Bible to a moralistic rule book filled with one-dimensional people, then you miss God’s extravagant love and scandalous grace. If you miss love and grace, then you miss Jesus, who is the only way to know the Father (John 14:6). Jesus didn’t die on the cross so that you can make a good human effort at living according to the Ten Commandments, doing and saying all the right things by your own strength. Jesus did not die on the Cross so that you can go around living a good moralistic life and be filled with pride and self-righteousness. Jesus died on the Cross so that you could be free from sin to love others as God first loved you; not to earn anything, but from of a transformed heart, striving to be like Him and like those who have come before us to show us the way of faith – the great cloud of witnesses. Jesus gives us our right standing by grace – a relationship with God that comes with the responsibilities of righteousness! As Paul taught in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” This is our calling; we have been made new by His love to join with Jesus in His ministry of love to reconcile all people to Him (2 Corinthians 5:17-20).

 

In your story, as in every story, grace matters! Do you remember when God chose you?

 

Today, God is calling to you, choosing you, extending His love to you. Trust Him today and experience the joy of why Christ endured the cross and despised the shame. For the joy set before you, live strong in God’s grace and reap a harvest of praise to the glory of God. Never forget, that what we do in this life is a witness to what Christ did to give us the life we live, once for all!

 

What does your transforming story of faith look like? Jesus is interceding for you at the right hand of the Father, so do not grow weary and do not lose heart!

 

YOU CAN LISTEN TO THIS MESSAGE BY CLICKING HERE.

 
 

In part 2 of the conclusion, schedule for November 19, we will learn how we can be inducted into the next class of the great cloud of witnesses. Live strong in God’s grace today by applying the faithful strategy of the hardworking farmer!

 
 
 
 
 

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Grow Strong in God’s Grace – Wk 27

Learning How to be a Faithful Farmer for God’s Harvest!

A Faith that Calls People Home!

Hebrews 11:32-40 (NASB)

 

 

God is in the business of transforming stories through the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are to grow strong in God’s grace as active participants in the world He created. God has entrusted His creation to His people to work as His Harvest workers – “All the world’s a field, and all the disciples of Jesus Christ merely farmers!” Therefore, let’s be faithful farmers by following the four-step strategy of a hard-working farmer: 1) cultivate people with faith; 2) sow the good seed of God’s grace (the gospel) into their hearts and minds; 3) care for them as their stories are transformed into fruit-bearing plants; and 4) reap a harvest of praise as the church of Jesus Christ. This strategy must be empowered by the Holy Spirit because apart from God we cannot bear any good fruit (John 15:5). Therefore, harvest workers of God’s kingdom are called to grow strong in God’s grace. Let’s take the first step by learning from the transforming stories of the Hall of Faith, found in Hebrews 11.

 

STEP #1 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CULTIVATE THE SOIL WITH FAITH

 

Today’s story is about the prophets of God, who are named explicitly as an office, and then many of their number are alluded to in Hebrews 11:32-40:

 

And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions [the prophet Daniel in Daniel 6], quenched the power of fire [the prophet Daniel’s entourage of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego in Daniel 3], escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong [Hezekiah recovered from sickness by the Word of the Lord through the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 38], became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection [the prophet Elijah with the widow of Zarephath in 1 Kings 17 and the prophet Elisha with the Shunammite woman in 2 Kings 4]; and others were tortured [the prophet Jeremiah in Jeremiah 20], not accepting their release [the prophet Jeremiah in Jeremiah 40], so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned [Stephen in Acts 7], they were sawn in two [the tradition of the prophet Isaiah’s death by King Manasseh], they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword [the prophet Uriah in Jeremiah 26]; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins [Elijah, Zechariah, and John the Baptist], being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect. [emphasis added]

 

The prophets are found throughout the Bible, as I briefly illustrated in the above passage. An excellent definition of a prophet is “a person inspired to proclaim or reveal divine will or purpose.”[1] I prefer this definition because it is inclusive to both forthtelling and foretelling. Today, a prophet is often, and wrongly, limited to the activity of divinely forecasting the future (foretelling), but there is so much more to it – prophecy is a calling forth of God’s will in a specific time and place, with a divine purpose in mind. When done properly, preaching is a prophetic work of the Spirit, in the forthtelling way, regardless of whether there is foretelling. That is important to realize as we learn from the prophets a faith that calls people home. We cannot foretell who God has chosen, and who will be saved, but we are called to forthtell to all, for Jesus died “once for all,” as Hebrews 7:25-27 proclaims:

 

Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.

 

It is our calling to make known the great love of God, made accessible through Jesus Christ (John 3:16). Let’s take the next action step so that we may learn how to have a faith that calls people to faith in Jesus Christ, calling them home to a right relationship with God through the forgiveness of their sins.

 

STEP #2 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: SOW THE GOOD SEED OF GOD’S GRACE

 

The prophetic ministry is important to the church of Jesus Christ today, as Ephesians 4:11 includes them in the list of gifts to the church that Jesus gave as He ascended to the right hand of the Father, “He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ.” All five spiritually-gifted persons has the same purpose – to build the body of Christ in love through the equipping of the saints. Therefore, we cannot see “prophets” as a ministry of the past; they are a current reality, a function of the eldership of the church today – we must hear the message of the prophets, which has been unchanging through the millennia: “Come Home – Return to Me!” A powerful example of this is from Joel 2:12-13:

 

“Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “Return to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, weeping and mourning; and rend your heart and not your garments.” Now return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness and relenting of evil.

 

Other examples of the prophets declaring this message are the following:

 

  • Jeremiah 4:1-2: “‘If you will return, O Israel,’ declares the Lord, ‘Then you should return to Me. And if you will put away your detested things from My presence, and will not waver, and you will swear, ‘As the Lord lives,’ In truth, in justice and in righteousness; then the nations will bless themselves in Him, and in Him they will glory.’”
  • Ezekiel 33:11: “Say to them, ‘As I live!’ declares the Lord God, ‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel?’”
  • Hosea 12:6: “Therefore, return to your God, observe kindness and justice, and wait for your God continually.”

 

This is the same message of the last prophet of the Old Covenant, John the Baptist, who forthtold in Matthew 3:1-3:

 

Now in those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” For this is the one referred to by Isaiah the prophet when he said, “The voice of the one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord, make His paths straight!’”

 

As we transition to the next action step, be clear that John the Baptist and Jesus the Christ fulfilled the message of the prophets, as foretold by Malachi in Malachi 3:1-7:

 

“Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the Lord of hosts. “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the Lord offerings in righteousness. … For I, the Lord, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed. From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from My statutes and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord of hosts. “But you say, ‘How shall we return?’

 

STEP #3 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CARE FOR THE MATURING PLANT

 

Did you hear the God’s emphasis in Malachi 3? From the days of their forefathers, from the beginning of their rebellion, God has been calling His people to return to Him – to come Home! We hear this longing in Jesus’ words in Luke 13:34, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not have it!” Therefore, Jesus intentionally added His voice to the tradition of the prophets, in Matthew 4:12-17:

 

Now when Jesus heard that John had been taken into custody, He withdrew into Galilee; and leaving Nazareth, He came and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles – the people who were sitting in darkness saw a great light, and those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death, upon them a light dawned.” From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

 

This is the gospel message by which we are saved, as we see clearly portrayed in Jesus’ prophetic ministry to the rebellious and far away, in Matthew 11:20-30:

 

Then He began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. Nevertheless I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day. Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you.” At that time Jesus said, … Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

 

The message is to come Home to a right relationship with God through Jesus. Home is a place of rest, safety, peace, joy, and comfort – all the promises of God are ours in Christ! Without the call of the prophet, there could be no way for the wayward to return home, which means there would be no way for any of us to have salvation in the first place; nevertheless, mature into fruit-bearing trees who reap a harvest of praise. Let’s turn to the last action step.

 

STEP #4 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: REAP A HARVEST OF PRAISE

 

In the parable of the lost son in Luke 15:11-32, Jesus emphasized the heart of God through the prophetic message – Come Home! Through it, He called all prodigals (wayward children of Israel and gentiles) to return to a right relationship with the Father, and He reminded the church that this is our prophetic task to call the nations home. Siblings, brethren, we cannot allow ourselves to become older sibling – the religious elite, and self-righteous saints, who become an obstacle to the throne of grace through tradition and regulation. We are called to be like Jesus, who came “to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). We are called to be “ambassadors of Christ,” entrusted with the “ministry of reconciliation,” as Paul prophesied in 2 Corinthians 5:18-20:

 

Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

 

Let us learn to walk in a faith that welcomes people home, as Peter did on Pentecost, in Acts 2:38-39, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” In doing so, we will see God bring many sons and daughters into His household, and our lives will reap a harvest of praise to the glory of God. The church will be built as His kingdom comes and His will is being done – to call His children back to their eternal Home, which is in Christ!
 
 

You can watch the message by clicking HERE.

 
 

FOOTNOTE:

 
[1] William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 890.
 
 

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Grow Strong in God’s Grace – Wk 26

Learning How to be a Faithful Farmer for God’s Harvest!

A Faith that Listens and Obeys!

Hebrews 11:32-40 (NASB)

 

God is in the business of transforming stories through the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are to grow strong in God’s grace as active participants in the world He created. God has entrusted His creation to His people to work as His Harvest workers – “All the world’s a field, and all the disciples of Jesus Christ merely farmers!” Therefore, let’s be faithful farmers by following the four-step strategy of a hard-working farmer: 1) cultivate people with faith; 2) sow the good seed of God’s grace (the gospel) into their hearts and minds; 3) care for them as their stories are transformed into fruit-bearing plants; and 4) reap a harvest of praise as the church of Jesus Christ. This strategy must be empowered by the Holy Spirit because apart from God we cannot bear any good fruit (John 15:5). Therefore, harvest workers of God’s kingdom are called to grow strong in God’s grace. Let’s take the first step by learning from the transforming stories of the Hall of Faith, found in Hebrews 11.

 

STEP #1 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CULTIVATE THE SOIL WITH FAITH

 

Today’s story is about Samuel, found in Hebrews 11:32-40:

 

And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.

 

Samuel’s story is found throughout the Old Testament. He is remembered as both a prophet and judge (1 Samuel 3:20; Acts 3:24; 13:20; Hebrews 11:32), and he was associated with Moses (Psalm 99:6; Jeremiah 15:1). He’s a powerful figure in the Bible,and we will learn how to have a faith that listens and obeys by examining the scope of his life, starting with his first direct experience with God. Let’s take the next action step and watch God’s grace at work.

 

STEP #2 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: SOW THE GOOD SEED OF GOD’S GRACE

 

Samuel’s name means, “heard by God,” and from his name alone we derive the power of His story – the importance of listening to God. His name comes from 1 Samuel 1:20, “It came about in due time, after Hannah had conceived, that she gave birth to a son; and she named him Samuel, saying, ‘Because I have asked him of the Lord.’” You see, Samuel was a miracle baby, an answer to prayer after years of infertility (1 Samuel 1:1-19). The apex of his birth narrative was Hannah’s vow in verse 11, “O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and a razor shall never come on his head.” Eli, the high priest, witnessed both thismoment in prayer, and the fulfillment of her vow, when she brought Samuel to the temple, saying to Eli, in 1 Samuel 1:26-28, “Oh, my lord! As your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you, praying to the Lord. For this boy I prayed, and the Lord has given me my petition which I asked of Him. So I have also dedicated him to the Lord; as long as he lives he is dedicated to the Lord.” Samuel’s name means “heard by God” because God heard Hannah’s prayer for a baby.

 

Samuel’s birth narrative aligns him with some of the greatest stories of the Bible, and it’s just the beginning. Samuel’s first direct encounter with God demonstrates another way we can view his name, as one who hears from God. Once again, Eli, the priest, and the man who raised him, plays an important part in Samuel’s story, as we read in 1 Samuel 3:1-4:

 

Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord before Eli. And word from the Lord was rare in those days, visions were infrequent. It happened at that time as Eli was lying down in his place (now his eyesight had begun to grow dim and he could not see well), and the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord where the ark of God was, that the Lord called Samuel; and he said, “Here I am.”

 

What a beautiful response – “Here I am.” It reminds me of Isaiah’s response to God in Isaiah 6:8, Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us? Then I said, Here am I. Send me! What is your response when God calls you? We must have ears to hear. This is the first critical lesson we learn from Samuel – listen for God’s voice!

 

Now, for those of you who know the story well, I can’t just move to the next point. I must honestly tell you the rest of the story because Samuel, at this point in his life, couldn’t tell the difference between God’s voice and the voice of his father figure. That is not an uncommon developmental reality for any of us, but Samuel kept going to Eli when he would hear from God, then, in 1 Samuel 3:9, Eli gave these wise words of instruction to young Samuel, words he lived by the rest of his life, “And Eli said to Samuel, ‘Go lie down, and it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say, “Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.” ’ ” Furthermore, in 1 Samuel 3:16-20, Eli taught Samuel to not only listen for the Lord, but to be honest about what God says:

 

Then Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “What is the word that He spoke to you? Please do not hide it from me. May God do so to you, and more also, if you hide anything from me of all the words that He spoke to you.” So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, “It is the Lord; let Him do what seems good to Him.” Thus Samuel grew and the Lordwas with him and let none of his words fail. All Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the Lord.

 

Samuel learned to listen to God and to be honest about the message from God, no matter how hard the message. Eli instilled this into Samuel, even when Samuel had to tell Eli that he and his sons would come under God’s judgment. Samuel told his father figure that God’s wrath would fall upon him. Samuel’s developmental years uniquely prepared Samuel to be a faithful judge and prophet to Israel. Between Hannah’s obedience to dedicate him, and Eli’s instruction in the Lord, Samuel was prepared to God’s will. Let’s take the next step to learn how to do thisourselves because many of us, including me, were not blessed with such a faithful upbringing.

 

STEP #3 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CARE FOR THE MATURING PLANT

 

I think many of us want to be like Samuel, a good listener who honestly follows the Word of the Lord, in word and deed, but we struggle with the following two things: 1) the ways of the world distorting our perceptions, and 2) people pleasing tendenciesdirecting our actions. We will now learn how to listen to God, honestly hear what He said, and obey His Word, from the story of Samuel’s anointing of David as the next king of Israel, found in 1 Samuel 16:5-13:

 

[Samuel] said, “In peace; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” He also consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. When they entered, he looked at Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him.” But the Lordsaid to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.” Next Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.” Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Are these all the children?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, and behold, he is tending the sheep.” Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here.” So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is he.” Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. And Samuel arose and went to Ramah.

 

Samuel was sent on a mission from God, and to accomplish his purpose he had to listen to God and obey His will, not doingwhat was acceptable or understandable in his own eyes, or desirable by culture or family. Paul taught in Romans 12:1-3that to discern God’s will, we must follow in Samuel’s footstepsof faith:

 

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.

 

It is a matter of maturing in the faith to not just give people your knee jerk “common sense” response to their situation or give them what they want to hear. There is still one last challenge we must learn from Samuel if we are to be the kind of people of faith who listen and obey. Let’s turn to the last action step because God desires for you to reap a harvest of praise to His glory, and you can’t do this if you are seeking the approval of man.

 

STEP #4 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: REAP A HARVEST OF PRAISE

 

Samuel died in 1 Samuel 25:1, but, oddly, his story doesn’t end there. In one of the most unique, and controversial, stories in the Old Testament, Saul visited the witch of Endor, a medium, and commissioned her to summon Samuel from the dead. Samuel’s response to Saul’s summons is epic, as recorded in 1 Samuel 28:15-20:

 

Then Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” And Saul answered, “I am greatly distressed; for the Philistines are waging war against me, and God has departed from me and no longer answers me, either through prophets or by dreams; therefore I have called you, that you may make known to me what I should do.” Samuel said, “Why then do you ask me, since the Lord has departed from you and has become your adversary? “The Lord has done accordingly as He spoke through me; for the Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, to David. “As you did not obey the Lord and did not execute His fierce wrath on Amalek, so the Lord has done this thing to you this day. Moreover the Lord will also give over Israel along with you into the hands of the Philistines, therefore tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. Indeed the Lord will give over the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines!” Then Saul immediately fell full length upon the ground and was very afraid because of the words of Samuel; also there was no strength in him, for he had eaten no food all day and all night.

 

Samuel listened to God’s voice and obeyed Him! His position,as either judge of Israel or prophet of God, was based on how accurately he communicated God’s Word to the people, not on how he made those people feel. You can’t serve God if you are too busy serving man. In Galatians 1:6-10, Paul made it clear that you cannot be distracted by negative doomsdaying, orpositive soothsaying, but you must remain focused on proclaiming the hope of Jesus Christ:

 

I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed! For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.

 

You will do the most good, for the most people, when you remain focused on being a hope-bearer and not a doomsdayer! We have only one hope – Jesus Christ, crucified, risen, and coming again. Our calling as His church is to point to Him, in word and deed. We are to point to no other hope, so let’s focus on the mission of God, in and through the gospel of Jesus Christ!
 
 
 

You can watch the message by clicking HERE.

 

 


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Grow Strong in God’s Grace – Wk 25

Learning How to be a Faithful Farmer for God’s Harvest!

The Faith of a Person After God’s Own Heart!

Hebrews 11:32-40 (NASB)

 

God is in the business of transforming stories through the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are to grow strong in God’s grace as active participants in the world He ‘ created. God has entrusted His creation to His people to work as His Harvest workers – “All the world’s a field, and all the disciples of Jesus Christ merely farmers!” Therefore, let’s be faithful farmers by following the four-step strategy of a hard-working farmer: 1) cultivate people with faith; 2) sow the good seed of God’s grace (the gospel) into their hearts and minds; 3) care for them as their stories are transformed into fruit-bearing plants; and 4) reap a harvest of praise as the church of Jesus Christ. This strategy must be empowered by the Holy Spirit because apart from God we cannot bear any good fruit (John 15:5). Therefore, harvest workers of God’s kingdom are called to grow strong in God’s grace. Let’s take the first step by learning from the transforming stories of the Hall of Faith, found in Hebrews 11.

 

STEP #1 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CULTIVATE THE SOIL WITH FAITH

 

Today’s story is about David, found in Hebrews 11:32-40:

 

And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.

 

David’s story is found throughout the Old Testament, and it would take the rest of the year to cover it, and even then, we would only be covering the highlights. David’s life of faith, and his transforming story, are essential to learn from. What is it about this story that put David in the hall of faith? Let us pray and then we will look at the next action step to answer that question.

 

STEP #2 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: SOW THE GOOD SEED OF GOD’S GRACE

 

David was not a perfect man, but, in Acts 13:22, Paul called him“a man after God’s own heart. He did so as part of a short history lesson of Israel, during one of his sermons from his first missionary journey, as recorded in Acts 13:21-23:

 

Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. After He had removed him, He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after my heart, who will do all My will.’ From the descendants of this man, according to promise, God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus. [emphasis added]

 

Paul attributes the key phrase here to God, that according to God, David was “a man after my heart, who will do all My will.” Paul mentioned his name’s sake, Saul the son of Kish, who was the first king of Israel. Interestingly, Saul is not listed in Hebrews 11, even though he was the chosen of God to be the first king. Even though the author of Hebrews listed multiple judges of Israel, David was the only king of Israel listed. That’s kind of scandalous if you think about it, especially when you consider the number of Judges who are listed. Hebrews 11 even goes on to say, “Samuel and the prophets,” which we will look at over the next two Sundays, but of all the kings of Israel, only David was named. Furthermore, there is a significant contrast between Saul and David, which emphasizes why David was a man after God’s own heart David was obedient to do all God’s will. In direct contrast with Saul, who was removed from office for disobeying God, as Samuel, the last judge of Israel and prophet of God, rebuked Saul in 1 Samuel 15:22-23, and verse 28:

 

Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has also rejected you from being king.The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to your neighbor, who is better than you.

 

David was chosen to replace Saul, and while he, too, didn’t do it perfectly, he obeyed the Lord’s will. It is evident from the Bible that David loved God with all his heart, mind, body, and soul. This is the Greatest Command of Jesus Christ, who taught us in Matthew 22:37-40:

 

And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”

 

More than anyone else in the Bible, David expresses his love for God and His Word. Just read the Psalms. David loved God and that manifested in his obedience to do God’s will, as Jesus explained would happen to His followers in John 14:15, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” John built upon Jesus’ words in 1 John 5:1-3:

 

Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.

 

Let’s take the next step to learn how to mature into such loving obedience to God.

 

STEP #3 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CARE FOR THE MATURING PLANT

 

How do we continue to live with the faith of a person after God’s own heart when we sin? When we royally mess things up and must face serious consequences? We learn from David that this requires of us to learn how to walk in a rhythm of confession and repentance. Learning obedience to God’s will is not a linear path, a once and done experience. As we learn from the Old Testament (think about the 40 years of wandering in the desert), observe every person mentioned in Hebrews 11, and confess from our own lives, the pathway of obedience is a meandering journey of learning to trust God, and that He will keep His promises. On paper, this should be a quick and easylesson to learn, but it’s not; it’s a long slow obedience in the same direction of maturing into a person after God’s own heart, who will do all God’s will.

 

David learned this in the infamous moment of his life: his affair with Bathsheba, and the murder of her husband, Uriah. This story is found in 2 Samuel 11, and David’s life is forever marked by his treachery, as we see it referenced in Jesus’ genealogy in Matthew 1:6, Jesse was the father of David the king. David was the father of Solomon by Bathsheba who had been the wife of Uriah.” Yet, it was not for this massive abuse of power, and sin against God, that he is remembered and celebrated – David is forgiven and called, “a man after God’s own heart.” To understand this, we need to read what happens when Nathan the prophet confronted David for his sin in 2 Samuel 12:7-13 (This response is set in the context of an allegorical story Nathan told David to arouse his anger, and sense of justice, in verses 1-6.):

 

Nathan then said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘It is I who anointed you king over Israel and it is I who delivered you from the hand of Saul. ‘I also gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your care, and I gave you the house of Israel and Judah; and if that had been too little, I would have added to you many more things like these! ‘Why have you despised the word of the Lord by doing evil in His sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the sons of Ammon. ‘Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ “Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you from your own household; I will even take your wives before your eyes and give them to your companion, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight. ‘Indeed you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, and under the sun.’ ” Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has taken away your sin; you shall not die.

 

If you keep reading this historical account in 2 Samuel 12, you see that David was a broken man over his sin against God, and because of the consequences of his sin against his family and nation. We see his confession and repentance most clearly in Psalm 51. To learn from David how we are to walk in a rhythm of confession and repentance, so that, we too, can become people after God’s own heart, let us know read Psalm 51 out loud, together. To do this, I am going to read from one our new pew Bibles, which are the NASB95 edition, donated to us through the estate of Jane Reese. (We will have a dedication ceremony of these new pew Bibles next week.)

 

Maturing into a person who has a heart after God’s own heart is cooperating with the work of the Holy Spirit to conform us into the image of Jesus Christ, as Paul taught in Romans 8:29a, “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son.” This is a life-long process of maturation, and it is through this process that our lives will reap a harvest of praise to the glory of God, so let’s turn to the last action step.

 

STEP #4 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: REAP A HARVEST OF PRAISE

 

Paul taught us about his ministry in 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, “For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. [emphasis added] The Greek word for “controls us,” is also translated “compels us” and has the connotation of being seized by the love of God. You can only seize the moment for God, after you have been seized by the love of Jesus Christ! (The order matters!)

 

Compelled by the love God, the work of the Holy Spirit in us, we can live a life of obedience, like Jesus, and become people after God’s own heart, which includes living in the rhythm of confession and repentance when we mess it up. The life of love will not be a perfect life, as we saw from David, and every other person listed in Hebrews 11, but it will be life that is responsive to the conviction of the Holy Spirit through God’s Word and God’s people. This is how we are transformed, from the inside out, so that we become like Jesus, “gentle and humble in heart,” which Jesus graciously invited you to learn from Him and find rest for your soul in His easy yoke.

 

I conclude with Jesus’ gracious invitation from Matthew11:28-30,

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

In the yoke, we walk in obedience to the will of God, which is you being conformed into the image of God’s Son, the Son of David, Jesus Christ. This is the only way to have a heart after God’s own heart, like David. This only happens when you are compelled by God’s love. This is a word from the Lord to His church (Proverbs 29:18). May we be unified in this one purpose as the body of Christ (Ephesians 4), trusting that all the good fruit that will come from our branches is because we abide in the vine of Jesus Christ (John 15).  
 
 
 

You can watch the message by clicking HERE.

 


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Grow Strong in God’s Grace – Wk 24

Learning How to be a Faithful Farmer for God’s Harvest!

The Faith of an Overcomer!

Hebrews 11:32-40 (NASB)

 

God is in the business of transforming stories through the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are to grow strong in God’s grace as active participants in the world He created. God has entrusted His creation to His people to work as His Harvest workers – “All the world’s a field, and all the disciples of Jesus Christ merely farmers!” Therefore, let’s be faithful farmers by following the four-step strategy of a hard-working farmer: 1) cultivate people with faith; 2) sow the good seed of God’s grace (the gospel) into their hearts and minds; 3) care for them as their stories are transformed into fruit-bearing plants; and 4) reap a harvest of praise as the church of Jesus Christ. This strategy must be empowered by the Holy Spirit because apart from God we cannot bear any good fruit (John 15:5). Therefore, harvest workers of God’s kingdom are called to grow strong in God’s grace. Let’s take the first step by learning from the transforming stories of the Hall of Faith, found in Hebrews 11.

 

STEP #1 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CULTIVATE THE SOIL WITH FAITH

 

Today’s story is about Jephthah, found in Hebrews 11:32-40:

 

And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.

 

Jephthah’s story is found in Judges 11-12. What is it about this story that put Jephthah in the hall of faith? Let us pray and then we will look at the next action step to answer that question.

 

STEP #2 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: SOW THE GOOD SEED OF GOD’S GRACE

 

The first thing we learn about Jephthah is that he was a valiant warrior, but also that he was the son of his father Gilead’s visit with a prostitute (Judges 11:1). In fact, when I put into my internet search engine “son of harlot,” the first thing that comes up is “Jephthah the Gileadite.” People pay lots of money to be the top result in an internet search. Not Jephthah! He gets that honor free of charge. Jephthah’s name is synonymous with being the son of a prostitute.

 

How did Gilead’s wife and his legitimate children treat his illegitimate son? Hebrews 11:37-38 gives us the answer in its description of those people who experienced the triumph of faith, “ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy).” Judges 11:2-3 explains “ill-treated”:

 

Gilead’s wife bore him sons; and when his wife’s sons grew up, they drove Jephthah out and said to him, “You shall not have an inheritance in our father’s house, for you are the son of another woman.” So Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob; and worthless fellows gathered themselves about Jephthah, and they went out with him.

 

He was ostracized; treated like an outcast! How did Jephthah overcome such prejudice and stereotyping to become a judge of Israel? The answer to this question is part of the reason Jephthah is listed in Hebrews 11; his story is a triumph of faith, teaching us the faith of an overcomer. Circumstances beyond his control forced Jephthah to live the life of an outcast.

 

Have you seen people like outcasts? Have you ever been ostracized by a group? Have we as a church done this? Are we doing it currently? How much damage has our prejudice and stereotyping done to the witness of the church? How much potential has not been developed by congregations because of who someone’s parents were, or the challenges of a person’s childhood that caused them to walk a road that shaped them, inside and out? I invite you to look around you right now and see if there are potential Jephthahs being limited (or worse, being kept out) due to factors beyond their control?

 

I want to introduce you to my friend, Joshua. He was a member of my Thursday morning discipleship group at the New Castle Correctional Facility, where I took fifteen men through my first discipleship book, Live Like a Champion Today. Joshua was released last month, but he continues to in his discipleship with me, being a part of over forty men who have accepted the New Testament Reading Challenge, reading the New Testament in 90 days. This man is my brother in Christ, a fellow member of the Body of Christ, and God has a plan for life. I am excited that he is here today to share his transforming story of faith.

 

[Joshua to share testimony and special song.]

 

Neither Joshua, Jephthah, nor Jerry are the heroes of our own stories! There is only one hero of the faith, and His name is Jesus! If you want to have a story that demonstrates the triumph of faith, you must keep your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, learning how to walk with Him each day, in His easy yoke, not making promises for the future after your own victory has been won, but obeying Him today, trusting His victory for your situation! You can live with the faith of an overcomer by obeying today. Let’s take the next step to learn how to do this.

 

STEP #3 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CARE FOR THE MATURING PLANT

 

Jephthah had the reputation as a “valiant warrior,” and when the Ammonites oppressed the Israelites, the people needed a military leader, and none could be found, so the elders of Gilead asked Jephthah to come back home and lead them to victory. Judges 11:7-11 captures his response and what happens next:

 

Then Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “Did you not hate me and drive me from my father’s house? So why have you come to me now when you are in trouble?” The elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “For this reason we have now returned to you, that you may go with us and fight with the sons of Ammon and become head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.” So Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, “If you take me back to fight against the sons of Ammon and the Lord gives them up to me, will I become your head?” The elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, “The Lord is witness between us; surely we will do as you have said.” Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and chief over them; and Jephthah spoke all his words before the Lord at Mizpah.

 

Interestingly, in verse 11, we see that Jephthah sealed this with a covenant by bringing all his words before the Lord as Mizpah. This was no longer a contract between men, this was a covenant with God as a witness. Jephthah was all in, and in doing so, he led Israel to victory. We must remember though, it wasn’t Jephthah alone, it was God with him, as verse 29 emphasizes, just like we saw in the Samson story, “Now the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, so that he passed through Gilead and Manasseh; then he passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he went on to the sons of Ammon.” [Emphasis added]

 

Jephthah stepped into the opportunity that was presented to him. Despite his ostracism, living in Tob, an Aramean city, he responded to the invitation of God to use what he had been given by God for the good of God’s people. Unfortunately, as we learn from the rest of his story, he was not a good father (Judges 11:30-40[1]), nor a skillful diplomat (Judges 12:1-6). The one thing he could righteously offer to God, he used for His glory – he was a break-glass-only-in-the-event-of-war kind of guy. As I wrote in my Seize the Moment devotion on Judges 11:

 

Jephthah reminds me of Gunnery Sergeant Thomas Highway, Clint Eastwood’s character from Heartbreak Ridge, a grizzled old medal of honor recipient who, when finishing his last years in the Marine Corps, had to go to war one last time. His commander critiqued that people like him should be behind glass displays that say, “Break glass only in the event of war!”[2]

 

You may not understand why God made you the way you are, or why certain events have happened in your life, but you can bet that God has good works for you to do with your life (Ephesians 2:10). God is not interested in your promises for one day in the future; He desires obedience today! Are you willing to respond to the invitation of God, even if you have been misjudged previously, or treated unfairly because of people’s prejudices? Are you allowing your past to hold you back from being obedient to God today?

 

You are being invited today to trust God with every part of your story. Let’s turn to the last action step – God desires for you to reap a harvest of praise to His glory.

 

STEP #4 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: REAP A HARVEST OF PRAISE

 

Jephthah led Israel to victory – He was an overcomer! We learn at the end of his story, recorded in Judges 12:7a, “Jephthah judged Israel six years.” He fulfilled the purpose for which God created him and called him. He had the faith of an overcomer!

 

Are you an overcomer? Are you walking in the victory of Jesus Christ? Paul taught in Romans 8:37-39:

 

But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

The life of an overcomer is a life that reaps a harvest of praise to the glory of God. It’s not a perfect life though; it’s a life filled with grace. The grace of God, which empowers us to keep going and not bail before the blessing. Jephthah did not do it perfectly, nor will I, or you, or Joshua, or any of us. We will make mistakes and those mistakes will have real consequences, but we should not allow those to stop us from reaping a harvest of praise in our lives, and through the lives of others. Jephthah went from outcast to overcomer, and from his story we have learned how to walk in the faith of an overcomer.

 

Do you really think you are going to get back at the world for being unfair, or get satisfaction out of a life filled with the pursuit of vengeance. Both are waste of your energy and will not lead to a life that reaps a harvest of praise to God’s glory! Jephthah did not seek vengeance against his people; rather, he obeyed God and was filled with the Spirit to answer God’s call through them. That’s the faith of an overcomer! In Romans 12:17-21, Paul commands us to do the same:

 

Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. “But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

 

Again, we are commanded in 1 Peter 3:9, “not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.” Are you missing a blessing because you are holding against people things from the past? Is the church missing some of its membership, hindering our missional effectiveness, and limiting our evangelistic fruitfulness, because we are not obeying God’s Word to forgive sins and restore sinners? Do you believe in the power of resurrection in a person’s life to transform them from what they once were into who God intends them to be? Do you believe this for yourself? For Joshua? For others…? The faith of an overcomer is a faith that believes in the resurrection power of God to bring beauty from ashes! This is our victory (1 John 5:1-5)!
 
 
 
 
 
 

FOOTNOTES:

 

[1] I’m not going to go into in this manuscript, but Jephthah’s rash vow, described in Judges 11:30-40, is NOT why he was listed in Hebrews 11. It breaks my heart to think that has been and continues to be taught by teachers. Men like Gideon, Samson, and Jephthah, each of which are found in Hebrews 11, offer students a challenge. We must discern what it is we are to emulate as a triumph of faith, and what is just of man, excess not to be emulated.

[2] Ingalls, Dr. Jerry D., Seize the Moment II: Old Testament Devotions for Today (Genesis – 1 Kings) (p. 459). AGF Publishing LLC. Kindle Edition.
 
 

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Grow Strong in God’s Grace – Wk23

Learning How to be a Faithful Farmer for God’s Harvest!

A Faith That Calls You to Be Weak!

 

Hebrews 11:32-40 (NASB)

 

God is in the business of transforming stories through the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are to grow strong in God’s grace as active participants in the world He created. God has entrusted His creation to His people to work as His Harvest workers – “All the world’s a field, and all the disciples of Jesus Christ merely farmers!” Therefore, let’s be faithful farmers by following the four-step strategy of a hard-working farmer: 1) cultivate people with faith; 2) sow the good seed of God’s grace (the gospel) into their hearts and minds; 3) care for them as their stories are transformed into fruit-bearing plants; and 4) reap a harvest of praise as the church of Jesus Christ. This strategy must be empowered by the Holy Spirit because apart from God we cannot bear any good fruit (John 15:5). Therefore, harvest workers of God’s kingdom are called to grow strong in God’s grace. Let’s take the first step by learning from the transforming stories of the Hall of Faith, found in Hebrews 11.

 

STEP #1 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CULTIVATE THE SOIL WITH FAITH

 

Today’s story is about Samson, found in Hebrews 11:32-40:

 

And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.

 

Samson’s story is found in Judges 13-16. What is it about this story that put Samson in the hall of faith? Let us pray and then we will look at the next action step to answer that question.

 

STEP #2 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: SOW THE GOOD SEED OF GOD’S GRACE

 

God providentially works in and through our lives for His purposes. The first thing we learn from Samson’s life is that he was chosen by God from before he was born. In fact, according to Judges 13:3-5, Samson was chosen with a purpose in mind:

 

Then the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, “Behold now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and give birth to a son. “Now therefore, be careful not to drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing. “For behold, you shall conceive and give birth to a son, and no razor shall come upon his head, for the boy shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines.” [emphasis added]

 

This is a profound truth of God’s Word, as reinforced in Jeremiah 1:5, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations” (cf. Psalm 139:13-17). Samson was not the only one who was listed in Hebrews 11 who had supernatural intervention in their birth narrative, so did Isaac, Moses, and Samuel. The reality is that God has a plan, and He chooses people who He will bring about His purposes for His glory! Don’t be deceived, faith is not a way to get God to make your life work for you; faith is about God choosing you to bring about His plans for His glory! In Ephesians 2:8-10, Paul reminds us, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” You were chosen and redeemed for a purpose – this is why God gives you His Spirit – to empower you to walk in what God has given you to do.

 

Samson’s purpose was to begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines, so God stirred up Samson, directed him into the way of the Philistines, and then empowered him with His Spirit to accomplish what God chose him to do. Watch God at work in and through Samson’s life:

 

  1. Judges 13:25 transitions from Samson’s birth narrative to his adult years, “And the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him in Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.”
  2. Judges 14:4 when Samson chose a Philistine wife, “However, his father and mother did not know that it was of the Lord, for He was seeking an occasion against the Philistines. Now at that time the Philistines were ruling over Israel.”
  3. Judges 14:6 when Samson protects his parents from a lion, “The Spirit of the Lord came upon him mightily, so that he tore him as one tears a young goat though he had nothing in his hand; but he did not tell his father or mother what he had done.”
  4. Judges 14:19 when he was dealing with the Philistine men at the wedding, “Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon him mightily, and he went down to Ashkelon and killed thirty of them and took their spoil and gave the changes of clothes to those who told the riddle. And his anger burned, and he went up to his father’s house.”
  5. Judges 15:14-15 when he had a great victory over the Philistines after being captured, “When he came to Lehi, the Philistines shouted as they met him. And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him mightily so that the ropes that were on his arms were as flax that is burned with fire, and his bonds dropped from his hands. He found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, so he reached out and took it and killed a thousand men with it.”
  6. Judges 15:19 when he needed water and cried out to the Lord for help, “But God split the hollow place that is in Lehi so that water came out of it. When he drank, his strength returned and he revived. Therefore he named it En-hakkore, which is in Lehi to this day.”

 

Let’s take the next step to learn how this seed of faith, which can be planted into others through our faithfulness to act according to our own faith and convictions, growing into a faith that takes God at His Word.

 

STEP #3 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CARE FOR THE MATURING PLANT

 

We must persevere in our calling, realizing that God has chosen us for a purpose. Our tenacity of purpose, our focus on the mission of God, will form us into what God intended us to be, even if we don’t see it or understand it. The Lexham Bible Dictionary makes a very interesting parallel that draws us the heart of Samson’s story, and why I believe he made it into Hebrews 11:32:

 

Samson’s actions parallel the actions of Israel in the book of Judges. Samson’s primary weakness was his proclivity to pursue Philistine women; one of Israel’s major faults was their inclination to worship foreign gods. Smith argues that “Samson is an example of Israel’s ‘playing the harlot after other gods’ (Judg 2:17; 8:27, 32)” (Smith, “The Failure of the Family in Judges, Part 2: Samson,” 431).[1]

 

To further emphasize this point, I am going to highlight two sections of Romans 11, emphasizing to you this biblical principle found in verse 29, “for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” This is a truth that I hold near and dear to my heart because there is redemption available through the power of the Spirit – this is the miracle of resurrection! Can God use a divorced person in the church of Jesus Christ or are they forever stigmatized by the most painful experience of his or her life? Can God use a person who served time in prison to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ in the church of Jesus Christ or are they forever marginalized by the most painful experiences of his or her life? The examples can be as mundane or as heartbreaking as needed to make the point, but the heart of the issue remains: in the New Covenant, does God remove His gifts and callings from a person? Does God remove His Spirit from those He has chosen? I stand before you today and say, No! Absolutely not! Listen now to Paul’s argument about how the church is grafted into Israel, not a replacement of, in Romans 11:1-6, 25-35:

 

I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? “Lord, they have killed Your prophets, they have torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they are seeking my life.” But what is the divine response to him? “I have kept for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God’s gracious choice. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace. … For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation – that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.” “This is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins.” From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience, so these also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy. For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all. Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! [emphasis added]

 

Samson’s transforming story of faith foreshadows the irrevocable grace of God upon a person’s life. As we have already learned, Samson was chosen, stirred, directed, and empowered by God to fulfill the very purpose for which God chose him – “he shall begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines.” Here’s the man point of this entire sermon: Samson is not an example of how to act but an example of God’s scandalous grace! He is not a hero to emulate, but a real person in real history with real faith that God used to bring about His plans. His life is in the hall of faith because Samson shows us the power of God’s faith, bestowed on His children so that we would walk in His ways, bringing about His purposes for His glory. Therefore, let’s now turn to the last action step so that our lives will reap a harvest of praise to the glory of God.

 

STEP #4 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: REAP A HARVEST OF PRAISE

 

There is an interesting literary difference in Samson’s story as compared to other stories in the book of Judges. In Judges 15:20, we read what is usually the concluding statement of one of the judge’s lives, “So he judged Israel twenty years in the days of the Philistines.” What you would expect to be the end of Samson’s story is not; in fact, what comes next is another chapter with big finish of Samson’s story in which we see Samson at his downright worst behavior – an absolute scoundrel, but also, by God’s grace alone, the greatest victory of Samson’s life. Judges 16:28-31 narrates the captivating conclusion of Samson’s life:

 

Then Samson called to the Lord and said, “O Lord God, please remember me and please strengthen me just this time, O God, that I may at once be avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.” Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and braced himself against them, the one with his right hand and the other with his left. And Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” And he bent with all his might so that the house fell on the lords and all the people who were in it. So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he killed in his life. Then his brothers and all his father’s household came down, took him, brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. Thus he had judged Israel twenty years.

 

Interestingly, it was God’s providence that placed Samson in a position to have such a great victory while in such a weakened state. Pointedly, for a man committed to be a Nazarite, this is only the second time we see Samson praying to God; the first was when he was about to die from thirst and the second is when his eyes were gouged out, head shaved with a little peach fuzz growing back, in captivity to the Philistines. Yet, in the most desperate moment of Samson’s life, he pulls of an amazing display of strength and courage. Yet in doing so, the normal equation of Samson’s feats of strength is blatantly missing from this pericope: “The Spirit of the Lord came upon him mightily.” It’s so obviously omitted that there must be a reason!

 

In Hebrew 11:34, there are some descriptive statements made that can be applied to Samson’s transforming story of faith: “escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.” There is one that I want to highlight to you today – “from weakness were made strong.” I believe this captures the heart of why Samson is listed in Hebrews 11, a chapter that should never again be called the heroes of the faith, but rather the triumphs of faith in God’s people, just like the book of Acts should not be called the Acts of the Apostles, but rather the Acts of the Holy Spirit. The emphasis should never be on a person, but on God! It’s God’s power; He is the operative agent of our faith – it’s all grace, the gift of God! And, as we’ve learned, God doesn’t revoke His gifts or callings. God’s grace perseveres in a person, transforming them into the very person God chose them to be, just as Jesus promised His disciples in Mark 1:17, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” Paul, believing this, prayed from a place of weakness in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10:

 

Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me – to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

 

As described of Samson in Hebrews 11, Paul described of himself when struggling with the realities of living in his flesh while answering God’s call of faith – “for when I am weak, then I am strong.” One of the greatest threats to the gospel of Jesus Christ is when people strive to be strong in their own flesh, based on their own merits, convinced of their own righteousness. This only leads to legalism and moralism, distortions of the gospel. There is only one kind of life that will bring down the house for the glory of God, producing a harvest of praise; that is the life of faith that calls you to be weak. I join you to embrace the example of Jesus Christ, by joining with Paul in saying Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” This is the way of the cross!

 

“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

~ Jesus of Nazareth, Matthew 20:25-28

 

“Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

~ Paul of Tarsus, Philippians 2:5-11
 
 

You can watch the message by clicking HERE.

 
 

FOOTNOTE:

 
[1] Jay Todd, “Samson the Judge,” ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).
 
 

Read more...

Grow Strong in God’s Grace (Wk 22)

Learning How to be a Faithful Farmer for God’s Harvest!

A Faith that Invites Partnership!

 

Hebrews 11:32-40 (NASB)

 

 

God is in the business of transforming stories through the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are to grow strong in God’s grace as active participants in the world He created. God has entrusted His creation to His people to work as His Harvest workers – “All the world’s a field, and all the disciples of Jesus Christ merely farmers!” Therefore, let’s be faithful farmers by following the four-step strategy of a hard-working farmer: 1) cultivate people with faith; 2) sow the good seed of God’s grace (the gospel) into their hearts and minds; 3) care for them as their stories are transformed into fruit-bearing plants; and 4) reap a harvest of praise as the church of Jesus Christ. This strategy must be empowered by the Holy Spirit because apart from God we cannot bear any good fruit (John 15:5). Therefore, harvest workers of God’s kingdom are called to grow strong in God’s grace. Let’s take the first step by learning from the transforming stories of the Hall of Faith, found in Hebrews 11.

 

STEP #1 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CULTIVATE THE SOIL WITH FAITH

 

Today’s story is about Barak, found in Hebrews 11:32-40:

 

And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.

 

Barak’s story is found in Judges 4-5. What is it about this story that put Barak in the hall of faith? Let us pray and then we will look at the next action step to answer that question.

 

STEP #2 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: SOW THE GOOD SEED OF GOD’S GRACE

 

Barak was a general and not the judge of Israel; Deborah was the judge, and she summoned Barak to the place she ruled over Israel. Listen to how Barak is introduced and his first recorded exchange with Deborah in Judges 4:6-10:

 

Now she sent and summoned Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh-naphtali, and said to him, “Behold, the Lord, the God of Israel, has commanded, ‘Go and march to Mount Tabor, and take with you ten thousand men from the sons of Naphtali and from the sons of Zebulun. I will draw out to you Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his many troops to the river Kishon, and I will give him into your hand.’ ” Then Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go.” She said, “I will surely go with you; nevertheless, the honor shall not be yours on the journey that you are about to take, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hands of a woman.” Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh. Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali together to Kedesh, and ten thousand men went up with him; Deborah also went up with him.

 

This story has been used in many controversial ways over the years, but the emphasis of the story is simple – the Judge of Israel, Deborah a prophetess, commanded her general to go into battle based on the word of the Lord given to her. Barak wanted the prophetess of God to be with him as he led the army. This possibly could have been to ensure that the one receiving the word of the Lord was there to give timely words (as she does!), and maybe even to ensure that she was not giving a false prophecy. Because while you may or may not remember that the penalty for giving a false word was death, according to Deuteronomy 18:20, the reality of leading a military operation with bad intel is also death. In this case, if she was giving a false word, it would mean the death of Barak and his army. I don’t see any evidence that Barak was abdicating his responsibilities to Deborah. The text makes it clear that he still did everything that was expected of him as the general, Deborah just traveled with them. Her going showed her confidence in God and that she had received a word from Him. In my book, gold stars to both of them!

 

The fact that Deborah was a woman leading Israel has caused some stir in how this story has been used, but let’s not use this story for our own agendas, let’s just tell it as it is – Barak wanted his leader to go with him, especially since she was a prophetess. Interestingly, for people who have not yet read the rest of this story, it is commonly misunderstood that Deborah was saying that she would get the honor instead of Barak, but that is not what she was saying at all. Since she has been shown by God what would happen, she let Barak know that he would not get the honor. I don’t think this was a struggle between a man and a woman for power or authority. This was a general pulling together all his resources to ensure the victory, and what I find most appealing about Barak was that he cared more about the well-being of his army and its victory in battle, than about who got the honor.

 

Barak was a man of God who submitted to the authority over him, cared about the people entrusted to him, and didn’t care who receive the credit for accomplishing the mission. Imagine what God would do through His people if none of us cared about who got the credit, as long as God received all the glory! Let’s take the next step to learn how we can become this type of people!

 

STEP #3 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CARE FOR THE MATURING PLANT

 

Through Barak’s partnership with Deborah, God won the victory, and Israel experienced forty years of rest. But, as the continuation of the story teaches us, it was neither Barak, nor Deborah, who received the honor for this great victory, but, rather, the woman Jael. They each had a part to play, and we see this clearly in Judges 4:

 

  • Deborah the prophetess gave them God’s timing in verse 14a, “Deborah said to Barak, ‘Arise! For this is the day in which the Lord has given Sisera into your hands; behold, the Lord has gone out before you.’”
  • Barak faithfully and courageously, like Joshua before him, led his army to victory against the Canaanite army in Judges 4:14b-16, “So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him. The Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots and all his army with the edge of the sword before Barak; and Sisera alighted from his chariot and fled away on foot. But Barak pursued the chariots and the army as far as Harosheth-hagoyim, and all the army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword; not even one was left.”
  • Jael’s killed Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with her brutal victory recorded in Judges 4:17-22. I’m not going to read it because it’s horrific, but if you want to read how she does it, open your Bible. Nevertheless, this is a woman you don’t want to mess with!

 

I’m not sure if you caught some of the nuances of this story, but the summary statement says it all, from Judges 4:23-24, “So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the sons of Israel. The hand of the sons of Israel pressed heavier and heavier upon Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin the king of Canaan.” To mature into a fruit-bearing plant that reaps a harvest of praise to the glory of God, you must learn that it is God who gives the victory and it is God who brings together His people to do what must be done – whether we see this through the lens of military language, athletic imagery, farming, or family, God has established us as one body for His glory! Let’s now turn to the last action step so that our lives will reap a harvest of praise to the glory of God.

 

STEP #4 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: REAP A HARVEST OF PRAISE

 

God intends for us to work together as many members of one body. This is emphasized by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 12-14, Ephesians 4:11-16; and in Roman 12:4-8. The latter passage captures some of the heart of Barak and Deborah’s partnership:

 

For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

 

I read Judges 4-5 as a faith story, describing a man and woman of God learning how to work together within God’s call to serve Israel with their gifts and talents. As they grew in the faith that invites partnership, they sang a beautiful duet together. Do you have a favorite duet? Maybe when Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond came together to sing, “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers,” or Faith Hill and Tony Bennett when they sang, “The Way You Look Tonight.” There is something magical about a beautiful duet – when it is done properly the gifts of both complement one another and they are better together.[1]

 

The story of Deborah and Barak is told twice – Judges 4 tells the story in prose and Judges 5 shares it as poetry, in the form of a duet. Judges 5:1-3 introduces, then begins, their beautiful song, “Then Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam sang on that day, saying, ‘That the leaders led in Israel, that the people volunteered, bless the LORD! Hear, O kings; give ear, O rulers! I – to the LORD, I will sing, I will sing praise to the LORD, the God of Israel.’” [emphasis added] This is a rare discovery, because the next closest thing to a duet in the Bible was the Song of Miriam (Exodus 15:20-21), which immediately followed the Song of Moses (Exodus 15:1-19). Even more than Moses and Miriam, who songs are recorded separately, Deborah and Barak sang, as one, of their victory, and they gave God all the glory! Just as foretold, the song gave honor to a woman for the victory, as Judges 5:24 declared of the heroine, “Most blessed of women is Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite; most blessed is she of women in the tent.” Not Deborah or Barak! But, as you listen to their song, they are giving honor to many; they not only honor the champion, but the many from the tribes who fought, whether volunteer or commander.

 

That leads us to the closing point of today’s teaching on the transforming story of Barak’s faith. When we live by faith, realizing that we are in this together, then it doesn’t matter who gets the credit or is honored, but that God gets all the glory! As the church of Jesus Christ, we are the body of Christ, and we must bring all that we have together to fulfill the mission and bring glory to God. Paul taught this in 1 Corinthians 12:12-27:

 

For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. If they were all one member, where would the body be? But now there are many members, but one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; or again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary; and those members of the body which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable members become much more presentable, whereas our more presentable members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked, so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it.

 

We are better together in Christ because each of us is called to use what God has given us, to work closely together with one another, and to not care about who gets the credit or is honored up front, as long as God gets all the glory!
 
 

You can watch the message by clicking HERE.

 
 

FOOTNOTE:

 
[1] In this last point, I am expanding my Judges 5 devotion from Seize the Moment II: Old Testament Devotions for Today (Genesis – 1 Kings) (New Castle, IN: AGF Publishing, 2022), 232.
 
 

Read more...

Grow Strong in God’s Grace (Wk 21)

Learning How to be a Faithful Farmer for God’s Harvest!

A Faith that Takes God at His Word!

Hebrews 11:32-40 (NASB)

 

 
 

God is in the business of transforming stories through the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are to grow strong in God’s grace as active participants in the world He created. God has entrusted His creation to His people to work as His Harvest workers – “All the world’s a field, and all the disciples of Jesus Christ merely farmers!” Therefore, let’s be faithful farmers by following the four-step strategy of a hard-working farmer: 1) cultivate people with faith; 2) sow the good seed of God’s grace (the gospel) into their hearts and minds; 3) care for them as their stories are transformed into fruit-bearing plants; and 4) reap a harvest of praise as the church of Jesus Christ. This strategy must be empowered by the Holy Spirit because apart from God we cannot bear any good fruit (John 15:5). Therefore, harvest workers of God’s kingdom are called to grow strong in God’s grace. Let’s take the first step by learning from the transforming stories of the Hall of Faith, found in Hebrews 11.

 

STEP #1 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CULTIVATE THE SOIL WITH FAITH

 

Today’s story is about Gideon, found in Hebrews 11:32-40:

 

And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.

 

Gideon’s story is found in Judges 6-8. What is it about this story that put Gideon in the hall of faith? In my Seize the Moment devotional on Judges 8, I posed this question, “Gideon will always be remembered as one of the heroes of faith for his military victories, as seen in Hebrews 11:32, but what should we emulate from his life?”[1] Let us pray for God to cultivate the soil of our hearts and minds, and then we will look at the next action step to answer that question.

 

STEP #2 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: SOW THE GOOD SEED OF GOD’S GRACE

 

Gideon’s story proclaims the gospel of grace in a beautiful way, and pointedly not because of Gideon himself – his is a God-story, and maybe that’s the point! It is almost as if Paul was thinking of the book of Judges when he explained how God called people according to the power of the gospel in 1 Corinthians 1:21-31:

 

For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God. But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

 

Today’s story of Gideon’s transforming faith builds off what we learned from Rahab last week: God chooses people on purpose! It doesn’t matter your past or present, or what other people think about you, or even what you think about yourself; when God calls, He has plans to do good works through you, just as Ephesians 2:8-10 makes clear, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” Let’s look at the story of Gideon’s call to illustrate this and then we’ll move on to see how God used Him for His glory. Gideon is introduced to us and called by God in Judges 6:11-16:

 

Then the angel of the Lord came and sat under the oak that was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite as his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press in order to save it from the Midianites. The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O valiant warrior.” Then Gideon said to him, “O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.” The Lord looked at him and said, “Go in this your strength and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?” He said to Him, “O Lord, how shall I deliver Israel? Behold, my family is the least in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house.” But the Lord said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat Midian as one man.”

 

Obviously, God had more faith in Gideon than Gideon had in either God or himself! Today’s lesson is about learning to trust God’s Word. Let’s take the next step to learn how this seed can grow into a faith that takes God at His Word. With Gideon, as we will see, it’s a process!

 

STEP #3 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CARE FOR THE MATURING PLANT

 

Gideon in not my hero even though he was included in the Hebrews 11 hall of faith. There are a couple men listed that I will be teaching you about who I consider counterexamples, rather than models of the faith. But I would not be considered a very good example either if all my personal times with God were recorded on paper and my doubts, fears, and bad decisions were highlighted for all to see. So, like we just learned, I choose to take God at His Word, submitting to Him and His choosing of us – aren’t we a happy family of ragamuffins… God is far more gracious and forgiving than I am, as I wouldn’t choose me, just like Gideon tried to opt out of God’s calling. I can tell you many ways that I consider myself disqualified, and that led to me delaying in answering God’s call on my life to be a pastor for five years.  

 

But God! Watch Gideon continue to carry on with God in Judges 6:17, “So Gideon said to Him, ‘If now I have found favor in Your sight, then show me a sign that it is You who speak with me.’” God responded to his request, Gideon worshipped Him, and then obeyed the Word of the Lord and faithfully accomplished God’s will (18-25). Gideon was faithful, and you think he would have learned his lesson to take God at His Word with this amazing victory. Unfortunately, he had more to learn, as we all do; it’s a process! Gideon carried on with God again, in what has probably become one of the most misapplied stories in the Bible, from Judges 6:36-40:

 

Then Gideon said to God, “If You will deliver Israel through me, as You have spoken, behold, I will put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I will know that You will deliver Israel through me, as You have spoken.” And it was so. When he arose early the next morning and squeezed the fleece, he drained the dew from the fleece, a bowl full of water. Then Gideon said to God, “Do not let Your anger burn against me that I may speak once more; please let me make a test once more with the fleece, let it now be dry only on the fleece, and let there be dew on all the ground.” God did so that night; for it was dry only on the fleece, and dew was on all the ground.

 

First off, can I just say thank you God for persevering with us in our moments of unbelief! How many times does God have to demonstrate His faithfulness to us until we get it and just trust Him enough to take Him at His Word? Secondly, can I ask that we stop normalizing Gideon’s testing of God by joining him in our metaphorical putting out of fleeces. Just because Gideon did it doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do. I don’t see us casting lots to choose our next pastor (ref. Acts 1:26). There are some things we find in the Bible that are descriptive of what happened, not prescriptive for what should happen. We need to learn the difference.

 

We are to grow in the kind of faith that takes God at His Word, which obeys Him so that we can say with Jesus, who testified of His own life in John 17:4, “I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do.” Let’s now turn to the last action step so that our lives will reap a harvest of praise to the glory of God.

 

STEP #4 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: REAP A HARVEST OF PRAISE

 

Ultimately, because God is faithful, Gideon’s life reaped a harvest of praise to the glory of God for two primary reasons, and this is what I want us to learn from him and emulate:

 

  1. The battle belongs to the Lord. To participate in God’s victory and experience the spoils of it we must trust God and take Him at His Word. This is beautifully illustrated in Gideon’s story from Judges 7-8. Taking God at His Word, Gideon took his army of 22,000 fighting men down to 300 and they defeated overwhelming odds, ushering in a 40-year period of peace. It is a radical story of faith that demonstrates how much Gideon had learned to trust God and believe His Word as the way of victory.
  2. God is the only king. Following Gideon’s many military victories, including his political leadership to unite Israel, the people tried to make him king, even offering to make his son kings after him, but Gideon showed integrity by refusing. He declared in Judges 8:23, “I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; the Lord shall rule over you.”

 

The peace that Gideon won both militarily and politically, as God’s chosen judge, lasted until his death, but then the people turned back to idol worship, as Judges 8:33-35 describes:

 

Then it came about, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the sons of Israel again played the harlot with the Baals, and made Baal-berith their god. Thus the sons of Israel did not remember the Lord their God, who had delivered them from the hands of all their enemies on every side; nor did they show kindness to the household of Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) in accord with all the good that he had done to Israel.

 

The cycle of the period of Judges continued, as the people of God entered a period of disobedience, rebellion, and oppression. It doesn’t need to be this way for the church of Jesus Christ. Every judge of Israel followed God in imperfect ways, but how is that different from us? Gideon was slow to trust God, but ultimately, every victory that He had was because He took God at His Word. Every pastor, just like every leader you look to, or try to be yourself, will be imperfect. We must learn from Gideon’s story and realize he is not in the hall of faith because he was perfect, but for his faith that led him to act upon the Word of the Lord.

 

We have a king, the rightful King of kings, who has established us as rightful citizens of His Kingdom. He has won us the victory over sin and death, giving us everything we need to experience His victory if only we have a faith that takes Him at His Word; we, too, must act upon the Word of the Lord. Jesus Christ speaks to you today from John 14:11-15, 21, and 23:

 

Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. … He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him. … If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.

 

This is the promise of God, believe by walking with Jesus in His easy yoke, learning to become like Him – gentle and humble in heart, which means submissive to the Father, saying what He says and doing what He does, and you will reap a harvest of praise by taking God at His Word.
 

You can watch the message by clicking HERE.

 
 

FOOTNOTE:

 
[1] Jerry D. Ingalls, Seize the Moment II: Old Testament Devotions for Today (Genesis – 1 Kings) (New Castle, IN: AGF Publishing, 2022), 235.
 
 

Read more...

Grow Strong in God’s Grace (Wk 20)

Learning How to be a Faithful Farmer for God’s Harvest!

A Faith that Saves the Day!

Hebrews 11:31 (NASB)

 

God is in the business of transforming stories through the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are to grow strong in God’s grace as active participants in the world He created. God has entrusted His creation to His people to work as His Harvest workers – “All the world’s a field, and all the disciples of Jesus Christ merely farmers!” Therefore, let’s be faithful farmers by following the four-step strategy of a hard-working farmer: 1) cultivate people with faith; 2) sow the good seed of God’s grace (the gospel) into their hearts and minds; 3) care for them as their stories are transformed into fruit-bearing plants; and 4) reap a harvest of praise as the church of Jesus Christ. This strategy must be empowered by the Holy Spirit because apart from God we cannot bear any good fruit (John 15:5). Therefore, harvest workers of God’s kingdom are called to grow strong in God’s grace. Let’s take the first step by learning from the transforming stories of the Hall of Faith, found in Hebrews 11.

 

STEP #1 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CULTIVATE THE SOIL WITH FAITH

 

Today’s story is about Rahab, found in Hebrews 11:31, “By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace.” This ancient story of Jericho is found in Joshua 2-6. Rahab’s specific part to play, when “she had welcomed the spies in peace” is found in Joshua 2, and when she “did not perish along with those who were disobedient” is found in Joshua 6. While we will walk through her faithfulness, as described in Joshua 2 later, allow me to read to you the reward of her faithfulness from Joshua 6:22-25:

 

Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the harlot’s house and bring the woman and all she has out of there, as you have sworn to her.” So the young men who were spies went in and brought out Rahab and her father and her mother and her brothers and all she had; they also brought out all her relatives and placed them outside the camp of Israel. They burned the city with fire, and all that was in it. Only the silver and gold, and articles of bronze and iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord. However, Rahab the harlot and her father’s household and all she had, Joshua spared; and she has lived in the midst of Israel to this day, for she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

 

What is it about this story that put “Rahab the harlot” in the hall of faith? Let us pray and then we will look at the next action step to answer that question.

 

STEP #2 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: SOW THE GOOD SEED OF GOD’S GRACE

 

Joshua 2 explains the answer to that big question. Joshua sent two men to spy on Jericho in preparation for the military conquest of the Promised Land. They ended up in Rahab’s house, verse 1 explicitly states, “So they went and came into the house of a harlot whose name was Rahab, and lodged there.” [emphasis added] There is a lot of discussion around this point, whether it was a brothel or a hostel.[1] Regardless, the king of Jericho, having found out where they were and why they were in Jericho, sent men to capture the spies of Israel (2-3). Rahab deceived to the king’s servants, protecting the spies from capture and certain death (4-7), giving the spies her reasoning in verses 9-13:

 

I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. When we heard it, our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. Now therefore, please swear to me by the Lord, since I have dealt kindly with you, that you also will deal kindly with my father’s household, and give me a pledge of truth, and spare my father and my mother and my brothers and my sisters, with all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.

 

The spies promised to do as she said in return for her help, escaping safely back to Joshua (14-22). The rest is history as we already read in Joshua 6:22-25, and as proclaimed in today’s story from Hebrews 11:31. I want to emphasize how Rahab’s proclamation of faith and actions brought faith and hope to the people of God, from Joshua 2:23-24:

 

Then the two men returned and came down from the hill country and crossed over and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and they related to him all that had happened to them. They said to Joshua, “Surely the Lord has given all the land into our hands; moreover, all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before us.”

 

Rahab took a great personal risk to protect the spies because she feared the Lord. As we see repeatedly in the wisdom literature of the Bible, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10). God prolonged the days of Rahab’s life, and that of her family and friends, because of her confession of faith. Her actions were motivated by faith, justifying her inclusion into the people of God. Rahab is in the hall of faith because she was the first gentile convert – a type (or foreshadowing) of that which was to come, which is us – the church of Jesus Christ from all nations! Rahab’s family was the first to experience the promise of God to Abraham in Genesis 12:3, “I will bless those who bless you … and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

 

Let’s take the next step to learn how this seed of faith, which can be planted into others through our faithfulness to act according to our own faith and convictions, growing into a faith that saves the day.

 

STEP #3 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: CARE FOR THE MATURING PLANT

 

Rahab’s salvation from the destruction of Jericho caused by the wrath of God illuminates for us today the gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul taught us in the Romans Road to Salvation, four key passages that teach us the simple gospel message:

 

  1. Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
  2. Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
  3. Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
  4. Romans 10:9, “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

 

Just like with Rahab, we must come to a place of faith in God that causes us to make a public confession of our faith. The next step is to show our salvation by taking steps of obedience that prove to the world we belong to God. For most of us that is our baptism, as commanded by Jesus Christ in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). I often say to people, while baptism is not a requirement of your salvation, it is a necessary step of your discipleship. You don’t need to obey to be saved, but if you are saved you will w obey. This is Jesus’ classic invitation from Mark 1:15, “repent and believe in the gospel” and again in Mark 1:17, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” This is not an intellectual debate for Jesus; it is a simple reality of love, as He said in John 14:15, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” For this reason, the Bible puts Rahab right next to Father Abraham in its dialogue about the interplay between faith and works, as written by the half-brother of Jesus, in James 2:20-26, “In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead” (25-26).

 

While all this talk of faith and works can be misunderstood, I want to remind us of what our young seminarian taught us last week in his sermon from Ephesians 2:8-10, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” It is God who saves by grace through faith – it is faith alone so that all who are members of the household of God will never boast in their good works, but only boast in the Lord’s goodness and grace. Just like Joshua who had a faith that tooted God’s horn, Rahab had a faith that saved the day! Let’s now turn to the last action step so that our lives will reap a harvest of praise to the glory of God.

 

STEP #4 OF THE FARMER’S STRATEGY: REAP A HARVEST OF PRAISE

 

Bible scholar Richard Hess stated, “Rahab corresponds to Joshua as the faithful one of her people who is chosen to lead them to salvation, or at least to offer it to those who are interested.”[2] When God chooses you for salvation, regardless of how scandalous or broken or misunderstood your past was, or current occupation is, God has chosen you on purpose! In Rahab’s case, it was to be in the lineage of Jesus as recorded in Matthew 1:5-6, “Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz was the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse. Jesse was the father of David the king. David was the father of Solomon by Bathsheba who had been the wife of Uriah.” [emphasis added] I love how scandalous these two verses are intentionally written! Rahab and Ruth were two non-Jewish women, two Gentile converts grafted into the covenant blood line of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and both were chosen by God to be in the lineage of Jesus Christ. [Interesting note: Have you ever noticed that Boaz, the man who would marry Ruth the Moabite, was raised by Rahab the Harlot? He grew up in a house of redemption! No wonder he had a heart open to be the kinsmen redeemer of Ruth – Praise the Lord! This is a sermon that must be preached another day.] Additionally, Jesus’ lineage includes an overt reminder that the child of Solomon was from Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, whom he had murdered after committing adultery with his wife. In two verses of Jesus’ lineage, we find three scandals filled with God’s redemption! Richard Hess concluded his thoughts about Rahab:

 

For the Christian, the story of Rahab is the story of the shepherd’s search for the one lost sheep (Matt. 18:12–14; Luke 15:4–7). It is the concern of Jesus for the despised of the world (Matt. 15:21–28; John 8:1–11). It is the transformation of values to which Christianity calls disciples. Those rejected by the world are precious to God (1 Cor. 1:18–31; Jas 2:5).[3]

 

God loves a good scandal – it’s where His redemption shines brightest! That’s why God sent His Son Jesus Christ, and that is why the gospel of Jesus Christ is a stumbling block, or scandal, to so many people. God came to rescue people, not preserve a pristine blood line, or establish a moral religion where you get to heaven by your own merits! It’s all God’s grace! God sent His one and only son to seek and to save that which was lost because He loves the nations and wants to redeem them back to His sovereign rule (Matthew 28:18-20; John 3:16; Luke 19:10). This includes all peoples and desires to see none perish (2 Peter 3:9)! This is a scandalous message! Listen to Paul’s words from 1 Corinthians 1:21-31, written to encourage the early church in the city of Corinth, which oh by the way, was a hot mess much like America is today: 

 

For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God. But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

 

God rescued you, just like God rescued Rahab, by grace through faith! There are three applications that I would like to draw out of this story and give you as we head to our response:

 

  1. Rahab’s declaration of faith in God encouraged the people of God! Your application: Be a hope-bearer and not a doomsdayer! Share your testimony in why you are a shining light in a crooked and perverse generation. You never know how it will affect other people.
  2. Rahab’s activity of faith demonstrated to the world the saving power of God! She made her faith visible through her good works and that brought glory to God. Your application: seize the moment by doing good works and you will give glory to God every day!
  3. Rahab’s life of faith gave birth to the next generation in the lineage of faith – Boaz! And what did Boaz do but take in the outcast Ruth the Moabite, making her a part of the family of God. Your application: pass on your faith to others so that they too will invite others to be a part of the church, the household of God!

 

You, too, can have a faith that saves the day by seizing the moment and living out the redemption story of faith passed to you. I conclude with this invitation from Richard Hess, “The story of Rahab confirms God’s welcome to all people, whatever their condition. Christ died for all the world and the opportunity is available for all to come to him through faith, even the chief of sinners (1 Tim. 1:15).”[4] What is in your past that you feel disqualifies you from being a member of the body of Christ, the household of God? What is in your present that you feel disqualifies you from coming forward today to receive mercy and grace? Today is the day of salvation! Respond to the words of Paul from 1 Timothy 1:15-17:

 

It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

 

It brings God glory and honor for you to respond to the gospel message. I invite you to respond by coming forward to the altar and doing work with God today. Let us pray.
 
 

You can watch the message by clicking HERE.

 
 
 
 

FOOTNOTES:

 

[1] “In his retelling of the biblical story, Josephus portrays Rahab as an innkeeper. He might have chosen an alternate interpretation of the Hebrew term זנה (znh), which is most frequently translated as “prostitute” or “harlot.” On the other hand, he may have deliberately glossed over the issue of her profession (Antiquities 5.6–30). In either case, her “house” may indeed have functioned as an inn (Hess, Joshua, [92]). In comparison, the Septuagint and the authors of Hebrews and James all use the Greek word πόρνη (pornē, “prostitute”)” (Scott R. Moore, “Rahab the Prostitute,” ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary [Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016]).

[2] Richard S. Hess, Joshua: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 6, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996), 88.

[3] Hess, Joshua: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 6, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, 148.

[4] Hess, Joshua: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 6, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, 89.
 
 

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