Living by Faith
Habakkuk
Living by Faith
Habakkuk
Main Idea: As we experience the burdens of life, we are to wait on the Lord with a patient faith.
I. The Language of Lament (1:1-17)
The ‘oracle’ (lit. ‘burden’) felt and seen by Habakkuk drives him to ‘complain’ to God in a prayer of lament. As he cries out to the Lord “how long” and “why” he feels that God is silent (1:2a), distant (1:2b), and indifferent (1:3) while “justice is perverted” in Judah (1:4). The prophet is wrestling with why the wicked are going unpunished in his midst.
God answers Habakkuk (1:5-11) in an unexpected way that will cause “wonder” and “astonishment.” The Lord will raise up the Chaldeans (Babylonians) to bring his righteous judgements to bear on Judah (cf. Jer. 5:14-17; 25:9). He emphasizes the pride, viciousness, violence, and quickness in which Babylon will bring this about.
This raises a second complaint & lament from Habakkuk (1:12-17), as the prophet wrestles with what he knows to be theologically true about God (1:12-13a) while expressing the disorientation he experiences with this response. He affirms God’s character, while questioning his actions. How could the Lord use such a wicked nation like Babylon to punish a less wicked nation like Judah?
To cry is human, but to lament is Christian… Belief in God’s mercy, redemption, and sovereignty create lament. Without hope in God’s deliverance and the conviction that he is all-powerful, there would be no reason to lament when pain invaded our lives… Lament is rooted in what we believe. It is a prayer loaded with theology. Christians affirm that the world is broken, God is powerful, and he will be faithful. Lament stands in the gap between pain and promise... To learn how to lament, we must resolve to talk to God and to keep praying.
~ Mark Vroegop, Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy: Discovering the Grace of Lament
II. The Life of Faith (2:1-20)
Chapter 2 reveals that the life of faith is marked by two realities:
1. Patience (2:1-3)
After his complaint has been lodged to the Lord, Habakkuk takes up his ‘stand’ at the “watchtower,” waiting for a response from God. The Lord instructs him to “write down” this vision, which will come in its “appointed time.” “If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay” (2:3b; cf 2 Pet. 3:8-9).
You cannot judge God by your calendar. God may appear to be slow, but he never forgets his promises. He may seem to be working slowly or even to be forgetting his promises, but when his promises come true (and they will come true), they always burst the banks of what you imagined… God’s grace virtually never operates on our time frame, on a schedule we consider reasonable. He does not follow our agendas or schedules. God seems to forget his promises, but he comes through in ways we can’t imagine before it happens.
~ Tim Keller, Hidden Christmas
2. Humility (2:4-5)
The pride of Babylon (2:4a, 5) is set against the humility of the righteous who live by faith (2:4b; cf. Rom. 1:17, Gal. 3:11, Heb. 10:27-28). The Lord here is inviting Habakkuk to “lay down the melancholy burden of assumed omniscience” (Tim Keller), and instead embrace the mystery of dependent faith.
Habakkuk does not know why God is doing what he is doing with the Babylonians. He only knows that God is doing it… The mystery of faith is borne in prayer and suffering. It is embraced in both, because God may take his follower to extraordinary depths of pain and confusion. The whys and hows of human experience in God's world are often never answered. And sometimes, Habakkuk teaches, when God does answer, it raises even more questions. But this little poem teaches how humans are deeply formed, from the inside out, in the mystery of faith. Our questions call out for response. But finally, the word that God offers is extraordinarily a word of rest and peace, even if it means our suffering and a "day of distress." Habakkuk calls its readers to abandon themselves to divine providence. God is not safe, but he is good. He is the King.
~ Heath Thomas & Craig Bartholomew, The Minor Prophets
III. Longing for the Day (3:1-19)
After the Lord’s response to the prophet’s lament, Habakkuk responds with a prayer-psalm (cf. Ps. 7). Throughout this prayer, the prophet is recalling the mighty visitations of the Lord to his people in dire circumstances, where “in wrath he remembered mercy” (3:2). His remembrance of past grace gives birth to future hope.
The Temptation
Matthew 4:1-11
The Temptation
matthew 4:1-11
I. The Challenge of Identity: Provide For Yourself (4:1-4)
II. The Craving of Validation: Prove Yourself (4:5-7)
III. The Contest of Futures: Promote Yourself (4:8-11)
The Good News of Judgment
Nahum
The Good News of Judgment
Nahum
Main Idea: God's judgment is Good News for those in Jesus Christ
I. God's Judgment Provides our Refuge (1:2-8)
In order to know how we can find refuge in God's judgment, we must know God's character.
Psalm 9:9-10: The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
And those who know your name put their trust in you,
for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.
The justice of God must be satisfied; and this will be either in the sinner's person or in the person of Christ, the surety.
~ Jonathan Edwards
II. God's Judgment Plows our Enemies (1:9-14)
God's judgment puts to death external forces that oppress us and the sin that oppresses us from within.
Romans 5:10: For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.
Much like Nahum exposed the self-serving and self-destructive nature of Nineveh’s idolatrous imperialism, Christians should critique the many forms in which individuals, groups, and whole cultures usurp God’s prerogative in defining the human being as self-governing, without an innate knowledge of God, and fully capable of achieving perfect happiness by oneself.
~ Daniel Timmer
III. God's Judgment Paves the Way for our Pilgrimage Home (1:15)
God's judgment in Christ gives us certainty that we will make it through the perils of this life to our heavenly home.
Revelation 19:6-9: Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”
This hill, though high, I covet to ascend;
The difficulty will not me offend.
For I perceive the way to life lies here.
Come, pluck up, heart; let’s neither faint nor fear.~ John Bunyan. Pilgrim's Progress
Who is Like the Lord?
Micah
Who is like the lord?
Micah
Main Idea: We are to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly because of the Lord’s gracious redemption.
I. The Lord’s Rebuttal (6:1-5)
Micah 6 describes a courtroom setting with the Lord as the plaintiff, Micah serving as the prosecuting attorney, Israel as the defendant, and the “mountains” called as witnesses (cf. Dt. 4:26, 30:19, 31:28).
The specific indictments against Israel have already been given in Micah:
Idolatry (1:7)
Oppressing the vulnerable (2:1-2)
Robbing refugees and taking advantage of widows (2:8-9)
Unjust & violent civil leaders who take bribes (3:1-3, 9-11)
False prophets driven by greed (3:5-7)
The rich dealing in deceit and violence (6:9-12)
Israel has accused the Lord of ‘wearying’ them (6:3). The Lord’s rebuts that rather than wearying them, he has provided:
Redemption in the Exodus (6:4a)
Leadership through Moses, Aaron, & Miriam (6:4b)
Blessing through Balak & Balaam (6:5a; cf. Num. 22-24)
Safe entry into the Promised Land (6:5b; cf. Josh. 2-4)
God had always found it easier to get his people out of Egypt than to get Egypt out of his people. The words I … ‘redeemed you’ (6:4) were wonderful, but it now looked as though they had become a memory, not a motivation… Remembering in the Bible is not merely a matter of calling to mind, but of actualizing the past into the present. That kind of remembering brings events so vividly into people’s experience that they take part in them afresh for themselves. Remembrance equals participation.
~ David Prior, The Message of Joel, Micah and Habakkuk: Listening to the Voice of God
II. The Lord’s Requirement (6:6-8)
Micah’s rhetorical question (“With what shall I come before the Lord”) reveals the concerning spiritual state of God’s people; they were willfully ignorant of what God had clearly communicated.
Micah presents an elaborate list of increasingly extravagant sacrifices. The people wrongly assumed that God’s presence among them assured his blessing and protection (3:11), and that they could “appease” God with their offerings for the “sin of their soul” (cf. Hos. 6:6; Amos 5:21-24, Mt. 23:23-24).
The Lord reminds his people what is “good” and what he has already told them:
1. Do justice (mishpat) (cf. Isa. 1:17). Justice has a number of categories and associations in the OT related to “neighbor love:”
Punitive / Retributive Justice (Lev. 24:19-20)
Structural / Commutative Justice (Lev. 19:15-18, 24:22)
Restorative Justice (Prov. 31:8-9; Deut. 10:18-19)
Generous Justice (Lev. 19:9-10; 25:8-17)
The righteous (just) are willing to disadvantage themselves to advantage the community; the wicked are willing to disadvantage the community to advantage themselves.
~ Bruce Waltke
2. Love kindness (hesed). This speaks not to the actions of justice, but a heart and an attitude that loves to treat others with mercy, kindness, and grace.
3. Walk humbly with your God. Humility (attentive, careful living) is necessary in order to “do justice” and “love mercy.” Humility is a life of remembering how God has generously acted toward us, the undeserving, as we walk with Christ.
In the mind of the OT prophets as well as the teaching of Jesus, an encounter with grace inevitably leads to a life of justice. [The prophets] all leveled the charge that, while the people attended worship, observed all religious regulations, and took pride in their biblical knowledge, nevertheless they took advantage of the weak and vulnerable. The prophets concluded, therefore, that their religious activity was not just insufficient: it was deeply offensive to God. The implications of this accusation are clear. Justice is not just one more thing that needs to be added to the people’s portfolio of religious behavior. A lack of justice is a sign that the worshippers’ hearts are not right with God at all, that their prayers and all their religious observance are just filled with self and pride… In Jesus’ view, this revealed that they did not know God or his grace at all.
~ Tim Keller, Generous Justice
III. The Lord’s Remnant (7:18-20)
As we humbly walk with God, we become more like him who has “righteousness and justice as the foundation of his throne” (Ps. 89:14) and who “delights in steadfast love (hesed)” (7:18). Rather than abusing or exploiting his power and authority, Jesus Christ comes in the incarnation to show us what the Lord “requires” and what is “good.”
Philippians 2:3–5: Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus…
These wonderful promises of redemption are all given before the coming of Christ. These truths find their ultimate fulfillment in his finished work, as the “yes and amen” (2 Cor. 1:20) of all the promises of God sworn to Abraham and the fathers from the “days of old,” now given to the “remnant of his inheritance” (cf. 2:12, 4:7, 5:7-8).
The Boat, The Fish, The Cow, and The Worm
Jonah
The Boat, The Fish, The Cow, and The Worm
Jonah
Main Idea: Although we run, Jesus rescues and recommissions us to be ambassadors of reconciliation.
I. Jonah Runs from God (Jonah 1)
Jonah 1:1–2: Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.
Jonah 1:3: Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.
Jonah is okay preaching to sinners like him, but he’s not okay with preaching to sinners like them.
Jonah 1:4–6: But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up. Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep. So the captain came and said to him, “What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish.” And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. “Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?” And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, “What is this that you have done!” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them. Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?” For the sea grew more and more tempestuous. [Jonah gives them a plan of action]. He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.” Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them. Therefore, they called out to the Lord, “O Lord, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you.”
In their attempts to lighten the ship’s cargo, they proved that the weight of Jonah’s disobedience was the heaviest burden.
~ John Chrysostom
Jonah 1:15–16: So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.
You can run, you can hide, but you can’t escape God’s presence.
Jonah 1:17: And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
II. Jonah Rescued by God (Jonah 2)
Matthew 12:40: For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
How you respond to this will depend on how you read the rest of the Bible. If you accept the existence of God and the resurrection of Christ, a far greater miracle, then there is nothing particularly difficult about reading Jonah literally. Certainly many people today believe all miracles are impossible, but that skepticism is just that—belief that itself can’t be proven. Not only that, but the text doesn’t show evidence of the author having made up the miracle account. A fiction writer ordinarily adds supernatural elements in order to create excitement or spectacle and to capture reader attention, but this writer doesn’t capitalize on the event at all in that way. The fish is mentioned only in two brief verses, and there are no descriptive details. It’s reported more as a simple fact of what happened. So let’s not get distracted by the fish.
~ Tim Keller, The Prodigal Prophet
Jonah 2:1–2: Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, saying, “I called out to the Lord, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice.
Psalm 107:23-31: Some went down to the sea in ships,
doing business on the great waters;
they saw the deeds of the Lord,
his wondrous works in the deep.
For he commanded and raised the stormy wind,
which lifted up the waves of the sea.
They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths;
their courage melted away in their evil plight;
they reeled and staggered like drunken men
and were at their wits' end.
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
He made the storm be still,
and the waves of the sea were hushed.
Then they were glad that the waters were quiet,
and he brought them to their desired haven.
Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
Jonah 2:7–8: When my life was fainting away, I remembered the Lord, and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple. Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love.
Jonah 2:9: But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the Lord!”
2 Timothy 3:15: … and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
Jonah 2:10: And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited [vomit means vomit] Jonah out upon the dry land.
III. Jonah Recommissioned by God (Jonah 3)
Jonah 3:1–3: Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.” 3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days’ journey in breadth. Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.
1 Corinthians 6:9–11: Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
Jonah 3:6–10: The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.” When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.
Jonah: Disobeyed God by fleeing to Tarshish and was swallowed by a great fish (Jonah 1:17).
Peter: Denied Jesus three times despite declaring his loyalty (Luke 22:61-62).
Jonah: Prayed from the belly of the fish and was delivered by God's mercy (Jonah 2:1-10).
Peter: After his denial, filled his belly with fish the morning Jesus restored him and commissioned him to care for His flock (John 21:15-17).
Jonah: God commanded Jonah to go to Nineveh, a major Assyrian city, to warn them of impending judgment (Jonah 1:1-2). Nineveh was a Gentile city and a long-time enemy of Israel.
Peter: God called Peter to preach to Cornelius, a Roman centurion, marking the inclusion of Gentiles into the early church (Acts 10:1-33).
Jonah: Instead of obeying, Jonah fled in the opposite direction to Tarshish (Jonah 1:3).
Peter: Peter initially resisted God’s vision of unclean animals, which symbolized the inclusion of the Gentiles, saying, "Surely not, Lord!" (Acts 10:13-16).
Jonah: Preached reluctantly, yet the entire city of Nineveh repented, leading to God's mercy (Jonah 3:5-10).
Peter: Preached to Cornelius and his household, and they received the Holy Spirit, leading to the official acceptance of Gentiles into the church (Acts 10:44-48).
Jonah: Was angry and bitter that God spared Nineveh, questioning His compassion (Jonah 4:1-3).
Peter: Rejoiced and defended God’s inclusion of the Gentiles when criticized by Jewish believers (Acts 11:1-18).
IV. Jonah Resentful Toward God. (Jonah 4)
Jonah 4:1: But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry.
Jonah had a PhD in theology, but he’s in grammar school when it comes to having the heart of God.
Jonah 4:2: And he prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster. Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” And the Lord said, “Do you do well to be angry?” Jonah went out of the city and sat to the east of the city and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, till he should see what would become of the city. Now the Lord God appointed a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort. So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant. But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered. When the sun rose, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint. And he asked that he might die and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.” But God said to Jonah, “Do you do well to be angry for the plant?” And he said, “Yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die.” And the Lord said, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?”
Matthew 12:40–41: For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.
The Kingdom of the Lord
Obadiah
*Unfortunately, we were unable to record the sermon from Sunday, February 9, 2025. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience.
The Kingdom of the Lord
obadiah
Your patient has become humble; have you drawn his attention to the fact? All virtues are less formidable to us once the man is aware he has them, but this is especially true of humility. Catch him at the moment when he is really poor in spirit and smuggle into his mind the gratifying reflection, ‘By jove! I’m being humble,’ and almost immediately pride - pride at his own humility - will appear.
~ C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters
Main Idea: As the sovereign King, the Lord will humble the exalted and exalt the humble.
I. The Pride of Edom (1-14)
The sibling rivalry between Jacob and Esau (Gen. 25:19-34) evolves into a long-standing fraternal struggle between the nations of Israel and Edom. These two ‘brothers’ had near constant strife and animosity toward one another, often resulting in violence and warfare.
Obadiah indicts Edom for the “pride of their heart” that has “deceived” them (3). The Lord hints of numerous points of pride for the nation:
They presumed their topography meant they were invulnerable to attack (3-4)
They had relative wealth (5-6)
They had friends and allies (7-8)
They perceived to have worldly wisdom (8) and mighty strength (9)
The evidence of their deceptive pride became obvious in the way they treated others, particularly after Judah was defeated by Babylon:
They “stood aloof” as Judah was destroyed (11; cf. Prov. 3:27)
They boasted and delighted in their downfall (12; cf. Prov. 24:17-18)
They exploited and looted their ‘brother’ (13)
They assisted Babylon in capturing those fleeing (14)
1 Peter 5:5b-6: Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you
II. The Cup of Judgment (15-18)
Obadiah then expands the humbling, justified judgment on Edom to a picture of what will happen on the “Day of the Lord’ to all nations who follow in their prideful path (cf. Mt. 25:31-32). The nations will drink the “cup” of God’s wrath, a frequent theme of the OT (cf. Ps. 75:8; Isa. 51:17; Jer. 25:15, Eze. 23:33; Hab. 2:15–16).
God has provided a way of “escape” (17) from his righteous judgment on the prideful who oppose the Lord, his anointed (cf. Ps. 2:2), and his people. The incarnation of Christ was an act of ‘humiliation,’ leading to crucifixion, the supreme picture of humility (Phil. 2:5-8). On the cross, Jesus drinks the full cup of God’s wrath against pride and sin until it is dry (Mk. 14:32-42).
See him there, amid the olives in Gethsemane’s garden, prostrate in prayer, and covered with a bloody sweat as he pleads with his Father on his people’s behalf. Do you see that cup, filled with wormwood and gall, of which he must drink if you are to be saved? Can you bear the sight? Are you not overwhelmed with penitent sorrow as you see the Lord of life and glory lying there covered with his own blood, and know that all his agony was on your account? It is that poverty of his which has made you rich; for he has taken from your hand the cup of his Father’s just wrath against sin, and he has drained it himself; and, instead, he has set before you the cup of salvation, from which he bids you to drink the new wine of the kingdom full of joy and delight... Yet you never could have had that cup of blessing in your hand if he had not first emptied that other cup, which his Father gave him to drink—that cup of awful bitterness which he resolved that you should never taste.
~ Charles Spurgeon, “Christ’s Poverty, Our Riches”
For those of humble faith, the Day of the Lord will be a refining fire (17; cf. 1 Cor. 3:13-14); for those of prideful rebellion (like Edom), they will be like ‘stubble’ consumed by judgment (18).
III. The Kingdom of God (19-21)
Obadiah ends his book with a vision of the people of God expanding into and beyond the Promised Land, taking possession of an increasing portion of the earth. Ultimately, this is a “telescopic” vision of the restoration of all things, when “the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever” (Rev. 11:15).
Dominion belongs to the Lord after the great reversal that comes on his day (Obad. 15). The Day of the Lord brings the Kingdom of God. God’s ultimate aim is not just a reversal of his people’s fortunes… not simply the defeat of enemies or the restoration of Israel, but his kingship over the whole world.
~ Craig Bartholomew & Heath Thomas, The Minor Prophets
Matthew 5:3: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Hebrews 12:28-29: Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.
Preparing to Meet God
Amos
PReparing to meet god
Amos
Main Idea: We prepare to meet God through whole-hearted, whole-life worship.
I. The Sovereignty of God (4:6-11)
In response to the injustice happening throughout N. Israel (cf. 2:6-7; 4:1; 5:11-12; 8:5), the Lord sovereignly sent judgment upon their land in the form of:
Famine (4:6)
Drought (4:7-8)
Destruction of Vegetation (4:9)
Plagues & Pestilence (4:10)
Overthrow & Defeat (4:11)
Despite God’s sovereign intervention in these dramatic ways, the people failed to respond appropriately to the Lord’s discipline (cf. 3:1-2; Ps. 94:12; Heb. 12:5ff): “yet you did not return to me” (5x).
Five times in Amos 4 God says that he had done specific things in the lives of his people to turn them back to himself. And five times it says, ‘Yet you did not return to me.’ Each of these things God had done to get their attention could be explained as natural events with no divine cause. But God holds Israel accountable to listen and respond… In not hearing the voice of God, or seeing the hand of God, Israel failed to prepare to meet him. That is what we must not do. We must wake up and stop looking at our lives like secular, scientific, western naturalists. God is doing things in your life which are gracious providential messages to return to him and trust him.”
~ John Piper, “Prepare to Meet Your God”
II. The Sureness of Judgment (4:12-13; 5:18-20)
Because of Israel’s gross injustice and their failure to repent, the Lord will bring an inevitable judgment as a consequence of their sin. This judgment is multifaceted:
A. The Visitation of the Lord (4:12-13)
Israel is urged to prepare for the arrival of the Lord himself, to whom they must give an account. Amos reminds the people through a ‘creation hymn’ (4:13, 5:8, 9:5-6) that the Lord they will meet is the creator of all, omniscient in his discernment, and omnipotent in his reign.
B. The Day of the Lord (5:18-20)
The inevitability of judgment is described in a parable; a man escapes a sudden encounter with a lion (cf. 1:2) and a bear, only to be bitten by a snake while thinking he is safe in his own home. All of this was meant to stir up awe, reverence, and fear within God’s people (cf. Heb. 10:31).
The day of the Lord is the advent of God into the world in judgment and salvation to usher in his kingdom.
~ Craig G. Bartholomew and Heath A. Thomas, The Minor Prophets: A Theological Introduction
III. The Substance of Worship (5:21-24)
The haunting irony of Israel’s situation is that they assumed God’s favor and approval due to their religious fervor and practice (cf. 4:4-5). However, their worship had become an end to itself, and they were unaware of the fact that God had left them a long time ago.
The Lord indicts Israel for “honoring me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me” (Isa. 29:13; Matt. 15:8-9a). They treated their religious assemblies, feasts, and offerings as a “den” of protection from the rest of their lives which were marked by iniquity and injustice (Jer. 7:11; Matt. 21:13).
Israel had failed to give attention to the “weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness” (5:24; Mt. 23:23). Repentance would mean replacing their outward, hypocritical, compartmentalized religiosity with true and proper worship that would permeate all of society and all of life as an ever-flowing stream.
The marks of true, substantive worship:
True worship is about God
True worship is in spirit and in truth (Jn. 4:23-24)
True worship is whole-hearted and whole-life (Rom. 12:1; Heb. 12:28)
You may have very sweet voices, but God does not regard your voice, he hears your heart, and if your heart does not sing you have not sung at all. When we stand up to pray it may be that the preacher’s words may happen to be suitable to your case, but it is not prayer so far as you are concerned … unless you join in it. Recollect that if you do not put your hearts into the worship of God, you might for that matter as well be at home as here; you are better here than at home for other reasons, because you are in the way where good may come to you; but for worship’s sake you might as well have been in bed as here… It is not your worshipping God by words in hymns and prayers, or sitting in a certain place, or covering your faces at certain times that is acceptable to him; true worship lies in your heart paying reverence to him, your soul obeying him, and your inner nature coming into conformity to his own nature, by the work of his Spirit in your soul.
~ Charles Spurgeon, “An Axe at the Root”
Anytime, Anyone, Anywhere
Joel 2:28-32
Anytime, anyone, anywhere
joel 2:28-32
Main Idea: Anytime anyone, anywhere calls upon the name of the Lord, they will be saved
I. The Spirit (2:28-29)
Passages where the Lord bestows His Spirit:
Kings – 1 Sam 16:13 – 14; Isa 1:2
Prophets – 1 Sam 10:6; 19:20 – 24; Isa 61:1; Mic 3:8
Other Leaders – Ex 31:3; 35:31; Judges 3:10; 6:34; 14:6
The gift of the Spirit was not to be for personal satisfaction, or even for national recovery and stability. It was to strengthen the people of God to take up a position of prophetic leadership among the nations in a world heading for an apocalyptic day of final reckoning. If individual prophets had the task of taking God’s word to a nation at risk of God’s judgment, a prophetically inspired people would have the task of taking God’s word to a world on the brink of Ultimate judgment.
~ David Prior, The Message of Joel, Micah, and Habakkuk
II. The Day (2:30–31)
The Day of the Lord:*
Is a time and event, not just a singular day (Joel 3:1)
Emerges in more than one historic moment in the history of God’s people
Emerges with/after momentous cosmological events
Is a time of restoration and salvation and it is followed by peace and harmony
Is a time of judgment and punishment
Anticipates a coming vindication of the righteous and punishment of the wicked
Correlates with the coming reign of God, which can also be identified as the coming kingdom of God
Is a day of refuge and restoration for those who, in humility and fidelity, call on the Lord and wait for him
Reveals the just and restorative character of Yahweh
*Adapted from The Minor Prophets: A Theological Introduction, Craig G. Bartholomew and Heath A. Thomas
The day of the Lord is the advent of God into the world in judgment and salvation to usher in his kingdom.
~ Craig G. Bartholomew and Heath A. Thomas, The Minor Prophets: A Theological Introduction
III. The Call (2:32)
I believe the doctrine of election, because I am quite certain that, if God had not chosen me, I should never have chosen Him; and I am sure He chose me before I was born, or else He never would have chosen me afterwards; and He must have elected me for reasons unknown to me, for I never could find in myself why He should have looked upon me with special love. So I am forced to accept that great Biblical doctrine.
~ Charles Spurgeon, C. H. Spurgeon's Autobiography
We are invited to rejoice in a God who is still pouring out his Spirit on those who, in glad and humble response to his call, turn to him to be saved — from the grip of sin and the powers of death, but supremely from the day of judgment. They then become part of the people of God, a ‘remnant’ called and equipped to speak his word to their generation and, by such ministry, to provide godly leadership in society at every level.
~ David Prior, The Message of Joel, Micah, and Habakkuk
God's Wayward Bride
Hosea 1-3
God’s wayward bride
hosea 1-3
Main Idea: Despite our spiritual adultery, the Lord graciously calls us back to himself as our husband.
I. Marriage & Our Husband (1:2)
Hosea’s marriage to Gomer was to be a prophetic picture of the Lord’s marriage to his covenant people, Israel (cf. Jer. 2-4, Ezek. 16, Isa. 54:5, 62:4-5). Throughout Hosea’s prophetic message, he emphasizes the Lord’s special, covenant relationship with Israel (cf. 11:1; 13:4), reflecting the larger OT story of God “setting his love upon them and choosing them” in keeping with his covenant promises (cf. Deut. 7:7-8).
[The prophets] retell the whole story of Israel in a new way – as a tragic romance. The Lord gave himself to Israel in a pure and holy marriage. He pledged himself to her to be her God, for all that that means, and she consented to be his, for all that that means. He promised to guide her infallibly, protect her fiercely, and fulfill her satisfyingly. She promised to love him, obey him, honor him. But this most sacred marriage relationship failed miserably. Though the divine husband was faithful, true, and generous, the bride sold out. She gave herself away to many lovers many times. And she was not shy about it. She hurled herself with abandon into her pattern of open and even compulsive adultery.
~ Ray Ortlund, Marriage and the Mystery of the Gospel
II. Adultery & Her Children (1:4-11)
Hosea’s marriage to unfaithful Gomer is clearly communicating that sin is not merely the breaking of the law or the transgression of a commandment; at its deeper level all sin is spiritual adultery against the Lord, our husband. The prophets use the language of ‘whore’ or ‘whoredom’ more than 60x to describe this spiritual adultery.
This sin and spiritual adultery has consequences. The children of Gomer represent different aspects of this:
‘Jezreel’ represents the “scattering” and judgment on Israel that is to come, like the massacre of the house of Ahab in the past
‘Lo-Ruhama’ means “no mercy,” as the Lord will “carry them away” into exile (cf. 3:4)
‘Lo-Ammi’ which means ‘not my people,” as the Lord will initiate a kind of divorce with Israel
Despite the Lord’s righteous response of judgment to Israel’s sin, there is a tension that runs throughout the book. Despite the unfaithfulness of his “bride,” the Lord still graciously promises to keep his covenant promises (1:10-2:1); Hosea oscillates back and forth between his righteous judgment and his steadfast mercy and love.
III. Redemption & Our Savior (2:14-3:5)
Despite Israel’s spiritual adultery, the Lord is a jealous God (cf. Ex. 34:14) who will show unbelievable grace and mercy by:
Tenderly wooing and ‘alluring’ his people back to himself (2:14-15)
Saving and securing them (2:16-18)
Redeeming them in a renewed covenant relationship (2:19-23)
The mystery of grace revealed here is a promise of covenant renewal—although even the word renewal is weak, for this oracle promises not merely the reinvigoration of the old marriage but the creation of a new one. A fresh betrothal, as if Israel were starting out again as a pure virgin, is set before the corrupted nation as their future hope. The declaration ‘I will betroth you to me’ appears three times with emphatic force... It is striking that a premarital term is exploited by the prophet to portray Israel’s future. The positive function of this is not to suggest that God intends to stop short of a full marriage with Israel but rather to suggest the unspoiled newness of their union on that day. The ugly past will be forgotten and they will start over again, as if nothing had ever gone wrong. And unlike the first marriage, which was such a disaster that it could not be salvaged, this new marriage will last forever, strengthened by the moral qualities of righteousness and justice, steadfast love and mercy—all of which translate into a marriage secured by faithfulness.
~ Ray Ortlund, God’s Unfaithful Wife: A Biblical Theology of Spiritual Adultery
However, in order for the Lord to act in this way toward his people, it would come at a cost (3:1ff). Hosea is commanded to “go again” and “buy back” Gomer, who is loved and owned by another man in her adulterous affairs and idolatrous worship. Symbolically, though exile is coming (3:4), there is a day when the people of God will return to him through the promised offspring of David (3:5).
This picture of redemption sets the stage for our ultimate redemption in Jesus, who entered the marketplace of sin and bought us back “not by silver or gold, but by the precious blood of Christ” (1 Pet. 1:18-19). The mystery of marriage is the profound reality of Christ’s love for his bride, the church (Eph. 5:32) which will be fully consummated at the marriage supper of Lamb that awaits us in the future (Rev. 19:6ff).
1 Peter 2:9–10: But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Sheep-Side Economics
Matthew 26:6-13
Sheep-side Economics
Matthew 26:6-13
Main Idea: Blessed are those who see that Jesus matters most and who do something about it.
I. The Woman Who Got It
Just about every woman in the room today understands what Mary did and why it made such overwhelming sense to her. She was behaving toward her maker exactly as He had made her to behave. She was, in that moment, “woman” in her fullest and strongest sense. And it was beautiful.
The blessedness this woman illustrates is based in her grasp of the surpassing value of Jesus. Here is the blessedness of the “Woman Who Got It” — she saw that Jesus is worth any and every sacrifice.
II. The Men Who Missed It
Matthew 26:8-9: “When the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying ‘Why this waste?! For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.’”
For Judas - and for all the others who more or less agreed with him - the most valuable thing in the room was the money bag. To make matters worse, the men who missed it thought they got it!
If Jesus had not stepped in, who knows what levels of verbal abuse and shaming this woman would have been forced to endure. Matthew 26:10-13: “(Leave her alone.) Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, (and whenever you want, you can do good for them.) But you will not always have me. In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial. Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”
The men who missed it did nothing beautiful that night.
III. The Poor Who Need It
Jesus frequently says more in an aside comment than we say in books and volumes. That is certainly the case here. In Mark’s version of this story, Jesus rebukes Judas’s pretended concern for the poor with a more complete statement about the poor: “For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me.” (Mark 14:7)
There are a couple really important implications for us to notice here:
Jesus chooses not to end poverty…
Theologically, we cannot support the idea that Jesus is not capable of solving the poverty problem. With God, all things are possible. The reality is that He chooses not to fix this one.
…so that we can have occasion to serve the poor.
The only given reason He gives for not ending poverty is so that we can do good for them whenever we want! Jesus is giving us a gift and an opportunity.. In the same way that this woman, Mary, had done a beautiful thing to Him, Jesus is giving us opportunities to do beautiful things for “the poor.”
Matthew 25:31-46: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me…’
Matthew 25:31-46 (continued): “… Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me…’
Matthew 25:31-46 (continued): “…Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’
Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.
Doing something for the poor is equivalent to doing something for Jesus.
Notable in Jesus’ story about the final judgment is His identification with the poor in their various expressions. Jesus leaves the “poor” among us in order that, if we will, we might demonstrate our regard for Him in our obedience to Him by pouring out our treasures on “the least of His brothers and sisters,” the same way that Mary poured out her ointment on Jesus.
Loving the “poor” is what it looks like to be “the righteous” in real life
Twice in this passage, those whose real lives are characterized by recurring acts of service to the poor are called “the righteous.”
Mt. 25:37 - Then the righteous will answer, “Lord, when did we…”
Mt. 25:46 - “…the righteous will [go away] into eternal life.”
The beauty of their righteousness is in that they were not trying to be perceived as beautiful. They were just doing what flowed properly from their regard for Jesus. Just like the woman who got it… three verses later in Matthew’s Gospel.
This is “Sheep-Side Economics”: It is the economy of “the righteous” who value Jesus above all and who, consequently, value all that Jesus values, especially “the poor,” whom He has left with us as a gift and with whom He identifies as “the least of these his brothers and sisters.”
Blessed are those who see that Jesus matters most and who do something about it.