The One Year Bible- October 15th
Today
I want to encourage you to keep up the good work and remember that we are
almost done with the book of Jeremiah.
After this book we have 14 more books to read in the Old Testament and 8
weeks to do it. Needless to say the
books will be coming fast and furious the last few weeks of the year. We are in the home stretch, but stay strong. On to the study…
Seth’s Thoughts
The Old Testament
I
hope you have been enjoying digging through Jeremiah and finding the nuggets of
grace. There were quite a few this week. We continue to see that even with the
oncoming disaster, God has mercy and promises to save the remnant and bring
them back. We also read some prophetic words about the Messiah as well, more on
that later. There were a few other things that hit me this week and I would
like to share. First of all there was mention of the Davidic covenant in a few
places this week. We first met this covenant back in 2 Samuel chapter 7. God
promised to David that, “Your house and
your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established
forever” (2 Samuel 7:16 NIV). Now of course you remember that the earthly
kings of Israel are long since gone. They were in their twilight in the time of
Jeremiah. But this covenant had much more than just earthly meaning. Like many
of God’s plans, they are much deeper and more amazing than we think. The true
line of David would be fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus was the
one who was born of the house and line of David who now sits on the throne of
the universe. This is a big deal! Jesus reigns at the right hand of God today!!
Even when we think God does not fulfill his promises, we find out that not only
is this not true but it is even better than we imagined. Speaking of Jesus, in
my digging for nuggets this week I came across a passage in Jeremiah that
speaks of the coming Messiah. Chapter 23:5-6 again mentions David’s line as
well as a king who will, “reign
wisely and do what is just and right in the land.” (Jeremiah 23:5 NIV). This
person is called, “The LORD is our Righteousness.” This is most definitely a
reference to Jesus as the Messiah.
In
Chapter 30 Jeremiah gives some practical advice to the people. In short, he
says for the people to “Bloom where they are planted”, be that in Israel or in
exile. He tells the people that the exile will last for 70 years so keep doing
what God wants. “Build
houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives
for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have
sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the
peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray
to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper." (Jeremiah 29:5-7 NIV). In this context comes one of the more famous
passages from Jeremiah, “For
I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to
prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV). I hope I am not sacrificing any sacred cows
in your world with my next statements. This passage was not written for us to
use at graduations or for people who are going through hard times. This passage has been pulled out of context
so often many have forgotten what it really means. When we look at this verse
we have to remember the original context in which it was written. This verse
was written to give the people hope in a time of great despair. It was a
message of grace in a time of punishment. We must remember that God was talking
to a stubborn people who had consistently gone against his will. These people
deserved to go into exile. Even in the midst of this, God gives grace and
mercy. Now, that being said, can we apply this verse to our lives today? Sure!
But don’t forget the original context and remember that we are not living in
that same context today. It is a stretch to use only this verse and make major
applications to us today. If you plan on
using this verse make sure you put it in context and then related it to the
current situation.
The
other big thing in our readings this week is the idea in Chapter 33 about the
New Covenant. Remember there was nothing really wrong with the old covenant. It
simple, as Jesus summarizes it when he says, “Be perfect”. That’s all, no big
deal!! (please sense the sarcasm in my tone.) The Old Covenant was not broken
by God, but broken by man and the sinfulness that we bring to the table. We are
incapable of following what God desires. This New Covenant was not to be sealed
in the blood of animals but in the blood of Jesus Christ. This New Covenant
would transcend space and time and even Abraham would live under the New
Covenant (even though he never knew it, see the book of Romans) I would like to spend more time on this but I
fear that if I continue I will either confuse you or bore you with the details.
If you have questions, please let me know.
The New Testament
I
want to take a look at parts of three letters today. There is no way to cover all of the material,
so if you have any specific questions, please feel free to email me or use the
comment section on this blog.
1 Thessalonians
At
the beginning of the book, Paul and his companions try to validate their
ministry. They do so relying on Jesus and their track record of proclaiming the
Good News of Jesus. After getting on some firm ground and giving some positive
encouragement, Paul gets to the point. He tells the Thessalonians what will
happen when Jesus returns. It will not be some secret event. And all those who
have already died in the faith will be raised back to life. It will be a
wonderful time. In the mean time Paul has some advice, “And we urge you, brothers, warn those
who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.
Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to
each other and to everyone else. Be joyful always; pray continually; give
thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Do
not put out the Spirit's fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test
everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.” (1 Thessalonians 5:14-22 NIV)
2 Thessalonians
The
main thing to remember about this book is to not be idle in your journey of
faith. We do not know when Jesus will return so we must keep working so as many
people here the message as possible. Paul tells the people not to think that
Jesus has already come and they somehow missed it. Paul mentions a character
called “the man of lawlessness”. This person is often called the Antichrist. It
is the work of the Devil in the world today. Paul says that he is at work right
now in the world. He will win some battles but he will be destroyed by the power
of Jesus. Paul gives a great word of hope in Chapter 2, “So then, brothers, stand firm and hold
to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by
letter. May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and
by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts
and strengthen you in every good deed and word.” (2 Thessalonians 2:15-17
NIV). Great words to end on for this book.
1 Timothy
This
is Paul’s instruction to young Timothy. There are some great instructions for
all who serve in the church in this letter. Paul states his purpose right at
the beginning, “The
goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good
conscience and a sincere faith.” (1 Timothy 1:5 NIV) There are
many “trustworthy sayings” in this letter that should not be ignored. They all
read like little sermons for Timothy. One thing that has caused much confusion
is the definitions of what an elder is and what a deacon is. They seem to be
quite similar but Paul treats them as two different things. Theologians have
spent countless hours trying to figure this one out and we don’t have time to
get into all the details but in my humble opinion, both sets of requirements
are useful for anyone who does work in the church. They are the standard that
we should strive for, but we must remember that forgiveness must fit into this
somehow, someway. More about this book next week...
Bits and Pieces
The New Testament
We
will finish up 1 Timothy and move on to 2 Timothy this week. Here are the vital
stats on 2 Timothy:
PURPOSE:
To give final instructions and encouragement to Timothy, pastor of the church
at Ephesus
AUTHOR:
Paul
TO
WHOM WRITTEN: Timothy, and all Christians everywhere
DATE
WRITTEN: About A.D. 66 or 67, from prison in Rome. After a year or two of
freedom, Paul was arrested again and executed under Emperor Nero.
SETTING:
Paul was virtually alone in prison; only Luke was with him. Paul wrote this
letter to pass the torch to the new generation of church leaders. He also asked
for visits from his friends and for his scrolls, especially the
parchments—possible parts of the Old Testament or other Biblical manuscripts.
KEY
VERSE: “Do your best to present yourself
to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who
correctly handles the word of truth” (2:15 NIV).
LAW
THEMES: Judgment Day; suffering for the Gospel; charges and commands.
GOSPEL
THEMES: The appearing of our Savior; sound words of the Gospel; the gift of the
Spirit; the good deposit; rescue.
KEY
PEOPLE: Paul, Timothy, Luke, Mark, and others.
KEY
PLACES: Rome, Ephesus
SPECIAL
FEATURES: Because this is Paul’s last letter, it reveals his heart and his
priorities—sound doctrine, steadfast faith, confident endurance, and enduring
love.
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