What have we done?
Just recently I came across a song by Northern Conspiracy which is a band which plays at Mark Driscoll’s church, Mars Hill Church, in Seattle, WA. This song is now one of my favorite songs. I love the lyrics and here they are.
Oh my soul, oh my Jesus
Judas sold you for thirty, I’d have done it for less
Oh my soul, oh my Savior
Peter denied you three times, I have denied you more
As the nails went in, I was standing right there
As you breathed your last, I shook my head and I cried
Oh my God, what have we done, we have destroyed your Son
Oh my God, what have we done, we have destroyed your Son
Oh my soul, oh my Jesus
Judas sold you for thirty, I’d have done it for less
Oh my soul, oh my Savior
Peter denied you three times, I have denied you more
And the blood ran down, I was standing right there
And the water pored, I shook my head and I cried
Oh my God, what have we done, we have destroyed your Son
Oh my God, what have we done, we have destroyed your Son
Oh my God, what have we done, we have destroyed your Son
Oh my God, what have we done, we have destroyed your Son
As the nails went in, I was standing right there
As you breathed your last, I shook my head and I cried
Oh my God, what have we done, we have destroyed your Son
Oh my God, what have we done, we have destroyed your Son
Oh my God, what have we done, we have destroyed your Son
Oh my God, what have we done, we have destroyed your Son
Oh my God, what have we done, we have destroyed your Son
Oh my God, what have we done, we have destroyed your Son
If you’d like to actually listen to the song you my do so by finding it on the list here.
Isaiah 6:1-8
(1) In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. (2) Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. (3) And they were calling to one another:
“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”
(4) At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
(5) “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.”
(6) Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. (7) With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”
(8 ) Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
1 – Some may look at this passage and not see everything in it when in reality, it is one of my favorite passages and shows the glory of God in comparison to who we are. We first see Isaiah, who is writing, showing when this event happened, “In the year that King Uzziah died.” This statement dealing with time shows that this is an event that happened within Isaiah’s life, it’s not just a story he created.
“I saw the Lord seated on a throne.” A theophany is when a person physically sees God the Father. Due to God’s holiness, we will be killed from seeing God as stated when Moses in on Mount Sinai. The physical manifestation of God is Jesus Christ and it is he who sits on the throne of glory (c.f. Rev. 4). So then, is it a Christophany depicted within this passage? Possibly and likely so.
“…high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple.” It is God alone who is high and exalted, his name is above every name. He is YHWH, he is the great I AM. The train of the robe is also of importance. The length of the train depicts the greatness of the individual both in that age and many other ages. The robe of God is one which doesn’t flow behind him, his robe fills the entire temple!
One thing which needs to be noted is the imagery of the temple. 1 Corinthians 6:19 speaks of the body being the temple of God. Corinthians state, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you.” The Spirit indwells in those who follow Christ and therefore, the glory of God radiates from the hearts and lives of those who call Christ Lord!
2 – “Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying.” Here we see the heavenly hosts. Within heaven there are multitudes of angels who constantly praise the name of God. This seraphs, these angels, are flying above proclaiming the name of God but were only using but two of their six wings to do so. Four of their wings were used entirely for relating to God! What does that say about our lives? Do we spend more time seeking to gain God’s favor than we do seeking to have a relationship with him?
3 – “And they were calling to one another: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.’” These seraphs were praising God. The only discription of God every written more than two times in a row is that of holy. Does this signify that God is holy above everything else? Is it his holiness that all of his other characteristics pore out from? I personally think so. The love of God comes from his holiness. The mercy of God. The greatness of God. The sovereignty of God. The Word of God. The justice of God. The wrath of God. All of these radiate from his holiness.
Not only is God holy but his glory radiates from his creation. Everything from a sunset, a rainbow, the rocks of the earth, the sand on the seashore, declare the glory of God. We must also seek to declare the glory of God with our lives by living holy lives.
4 – “At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.” These angels were not merely chanting softly to themselves, they were shouting the praises to God. They were not ashamed, they were not holding back. We must also not be ashamed, we must also not hold back.
5 – “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.” I love this verse. After Isaiah saw the holiness and glory of God, he realized in humility himself in comparison. We are we to think we compare to the majesty of the Lord most high? Isaiah realized his own faults in light of God’s strength. He realized he did not compare. After Isaiah realized who God was, Isaiah realized who he was. This realization is something we must face in our lives if we ever want to call ourselves followers of Christ.
Some, especially unbelievers, may think this is a horrible passage, instead of God lifting up Isaiah he brought him down. This passage isn’t about Isaiah, it is about God. It is God who is most high and due to that, Isaiah made a breakthrough in his life as we will see next.
6-7 – Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” After Isaiah proclaimed his own failures in light of God’s greatness, a seraph flew to him and took away his sin. A sin is when we miss the mark, when we do not live to the potential that God has set for us. God takes it away and makes Isaiah a new creation (John 3).
Isaiah then has the righteousness of Christ himself as it is his Holy Spirit which dwells within him. Through God’s forgiveness, Isaiah is redeemed from his sin, his failure. We too can realized who we are in light of God’s glory and find salvation. We too can live with the Spirit of God indwelling within us.
8 – “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’” After Isaiah received the redemption of God which can only be obtained through Christ Jesus, Isaiah sought to serve God. Isaiah’s heart had been broken and changed into a new heart, one which sought to serve God with his live. God asks the same thing of us, “Whom shall I send?” Are we begging God for the ability to serve him? Are we seeking to serve God out of thanksgiving for the wondrous blessings he has bestowed upon our lives?
Responding to Suffering
A proverb is a saying which states a general truth. One such example is a man will reap what he sows. Does that not imply a righteous man will gain good fortune for his good deeds? This good harvest is often what comes about but what about when the generalization is not met? What about the times when a righteous man suffers undeservingly?
The person of Job is one good example of this undeserved suffering. The book of Job shows how all of this came about as well as the end result. What this paper intends to do is take a detailed look at Job’s immediate responses to his afflictions in a manner that one may have an example of how a blameless and upright man should confront suffering. This will be accomplished by taking a look at the blameless and upright aspect of Job, the heavenly scenes, the afflictions of Job, and then the detailed look at his responses. Looking at his reactions within the historical and especially literary context should give more understanding to his responses. Whether these responses by Job are to be admired and emulated will be determined by this study.
HISTORICAL-CULTURAL CONTEXT
The authorship of Job is unknown and unlike other books where the author is left anonymous, there are not even any candidates to attribute the authorship. Speculation is Job may have been written by multiple people over an extended period of time after a possibly period of oral tradition. [1]
The time of writing is also another complicated situation and has two parts. Due to the context of the book, it seems as if Job quite possibly lived during the time of the Patriarchs as evidenced by living such a long life, and his life was one that is real opposed to fiction. [2] If he had not existed, the book would still be able to teach its real to life principles. As for the writing down of the book itself, it could have been written anytime from Moses to the intertestamental period. As stated previously, many may have played a part in the writing of Job over a period of time. Biblical evidence does not state otherwise. [3]
As for where the book of Job was written and where Job lived, it is stated within Job 1:1 that he lived in the land of Uz. Other mentions of Uz within the Bible show it was east of Palestine. The specifics of that area are less known though Job did live near a town or village as mentioned in places such as Job 28:7. Also, the language used in the book of Job has an Aramaic influence which further narrows down the possible locations of the writer(s) and/or Job. [4]
LITERARY CONTEXT
The book of Job begins by introducing Job and his character. Verse 1:1 begins by showing how he “was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.” Several verses later in verse 8, God quotes this statement again which shows again just how godly of a character Job had. Not only did he seek to live a righteous life but he wanted his family to also live a righteous life. There was nothing to fault about Job, at least not enough to warrant his oncoming affliction.
Not only was Job rich in character but he was rich in possessions. He had the ideal number of children and as well as a large number of livestock. Between Job’s immense character and personal fortune, “this man was the greatest of all the people of the east.”
The text continues by showing the first of two heavenly scenes featuring God, Satan, and the heavenly beings. Satan arrived after roaming the earth seeking to find one to accuse (1 Peter 5:8). He wished to destroy Job and accused him of seeking after God only because of the blessings bestowed upon him.
Some argue that it is Satan who later afflicts Job but in reality, none of it would have happened without God’s permission for God had “put a hedge of protection around him and his house and all that he” had (1:10). It is God who is in control here as God has the power to bind Satan anytime he desires, and he does it for a thousand years in the book of Revelation (20:12). “Satan is on a leash, one held firmly by God’s sovereign hand.” [5]
God grants Satan’s wish of stretching out his hand toward Job as a means to see whether or not Job will bless God or curse God (1:11). This opportunity is giving Job a chance to either bring glory to God or turn from him. Satan’s accusation is that Job will turn against God. God lets Satan do as he pleases but with the disclaimer that he must not directly harm Job physically.
The first affliction of Job is an attack upon the great possessions of Job. Job’s oxen and donkeys were taken by the Sabeans and the servants tending to them were killed. The fire of God killed his sheep and the servants guarding them. More servants were killed and his camels taken by the Chaldeans. Lastly, a strong wind came by and struck the house of his oldest son with the rest of his children inside. All of Job’s children were killed in the collapse (1:13-19). Here is where Job gives his first reaction to his afflictions (1:20-22). The exegesis will go into detail as to what all this encompasses.
Chapter two of Job continues with the second heavenly scene. The scene is very much like the previous one in that Satan is still accusing Job of having the wrong motivation and of wrongdoing. This time instead of attacking what Job owns, Satan wants God to attack Job’s health. God grants this request with the disclaimer that Job’s life must be preserved (2:1-6).
Job as a result is given sores across his body. He then proceeds to scrape the sores as a result of the tremendous itch (2:7-8). Other places throughout Job give further description of what illness fell upon Job but it clearly was a skin disease. Not enough descriptions are given to determine just what Job had but whatever it may have been, it was torturous for him. [6]
Job’s wife then responds to his illness and Job responds to her reaction to Job’s infirmities (2:9). The second section of the exegesis goes into further detail regarding Job’s second response.
EXEGESIS
As seen previously, Job had two separate onslaughts of affliction set upon him. The following exegesis looks at each one of these passages and compares them when necessary. A simple reading of the verse beforehand will be of help though most of the verse is typically mentioned within the text.
First Response of Job
1:20) Job begins his response to his first attack not with words but with action. “Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped.” The very first thing Job did was rise to his feet. As was the custom in many Middle Eastern societies, men would sit while receiving visitors. [7]
After rising to his feet, Job proceeded to rip his robes as was another custom of that day for men of stature. This tearing of the robes is seen in other passages of scripture like Gen. 37:29; Josh. 7:6; 2 Sam. 13:19; and Lev. 10:6. Another mourning ritual in the area of Mesopotamia and Canaan was to shave the mourner’s head. There are also other examples of shaving one’s head out of mourning within scripture (cf. Isa. 15:2; Jer. 7:29; Ezek 7:18; Amos 8:10; Mic. 1:16). Clearly seen is the loss of Job’s possessions, servants, and children greatly affected him. The coming of this news was of deep anguish to him and could not have come easily. [8]
Not only did Job show signs of deep pain but he went to God in his pain. Job fell to the ground and worshiped. This worshiping clearly had God as the object of the worship. Thinking of this being worship no doubt gives new light into how one can worship. Not only in times of blessing did he worship but in times of sorrow. Out of Job’s deepest possible pain Job went to God and continued to praise his name. The worship given to God through this action is also done out of deep humility as seen from Job falling to the ground.
Instead of Job responding to the bad news by means of vengeance towards God, Job responded in the way that glorified God. Earlier in the chapter Satan sought to prove that Job would curse the name of God. His accusation of Job was him cursing God at the loss of his blessings. For Job to continue to worship God shows his strength of character and faith. There is no surprise that God said of Job, “there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil” (1:8). Job lived up to his description in every situation.
Job was not the only person within scripture who responded in a very similar manner to bad news and loss. King Hezekiah in 2 Kings 19:1 responds in very much the same way as Job when he “tore his clothes and covered himself with sackcloth and went into the house of the LORD.” David also responds in a likewise manner in 2 Samuel 12:20 which states, ”Then David arose from the earth and washed and anointed himself and changed his clothes. And he went into the house of the LORD and worshiped.”
1:21) Job continues his response to his afflictions with words and a praise to God. The first part of his words are that of “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return.” Job states that he came naked from his mother’s womb. This nakedness is merely stating that he had no possessions when entering into this world. He then continues to say he will return to his mother’s womb naked. He will not return to his mother’s womb literally or to mother earth’s womb but he simply means he will die with no more than how much he had in the beginning.
Job continues by saying, “The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away.” Job acknowledges his blessings coming from God and therefore he has the right as the giver of blessings to take them away. He acknowledges who God is and the simple fact that he can do as he chooses. In these words Job also used the personal name of God. Job is praising the great I AM, the great YHWH, the covenant giving God for who he is and what he can do. Job might very well have not known the personal name of God not being a Hebrew living during the time of the Patriarchs, but the author of Job wants the reader to understand that it is the very same God that Job is speaking. [9]
Against the assumptions made by Satan, Job did not curse God but instead blessed God by praising, “blessed be the name of the LORD.” Job not only praised God through the times of blessing but he also praised God through times of pain and suffering. Job did just as God would have him do, to bring glory to his name. In reference to this whole verse, “The well-balanced poem that Job speaks in his grief is a model of submissive piety and obedient surrender to God whose ways are not our ways and whose thoughts are not our thoughts.” [10]
Through all of these praises, Job knows it is God who gave his blessings and misfortunes. This awareness does not mean Job was aware of the heavenly meetings however. The author of Job is conscious of the meetings and makes a connection between the two. The Hebrew word that Job used here for bless was brk. This same word is also used in verses 1:11, 2:5, and 2:9 as an euphemism with the opposite meaning when Satan said Job would curse God. Each time the word is used towards God it was translated bless possibly out of respect and reverence toward God. [11] The author of Job seems to have been making a connection between these two verses and the expected reaction by Satan. [12]
1:22) The end of Job’s response a short description of how Job handled the situation. Even though Satan accused Job of cursing the name of God “Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.” Job’s deep faith does not seem to have relieved his agony but possibly added to it. As Job loved God, Job had the same good opinion of God even when things went wrong. “Because Job sees nothing but the Lord’s hand in everything, how can he escape the horrible thought that God has done something bad?” [13] Saying “Praise the Lord” is much more difficult during times of pain than it is when God blesses. “Job assumed no inherent right to his possessions. In sorrow as well as blessing he praised God’s name.” [14] Job continuing to praise God even during this time shows Job’s strong faith.
Even though Job attributes his pain to God he never blames God for his struggle. Job neither attributes his affliction to deserved punishment in his life. He never gets a true understanding of why God puts this struggle in his life until the end of the book of Job. Despite Job’s lack of knowledge of why he is facing struggle, he still praised God. Job “refuses in his agony to accuse god of having done anything remiss or out of character.” [15] This is as if to say Job is saying, “Lord, I do not know why this is happening to me but I will praise you and serve you Lord despite the situations in my life.”
Second Response of Job
After Job’s first response came the second heavenly scene, another set of afflictions upon Job, and finally Job’s second response. This second attack upon Job was upon his body as opposed to his possessions like previously in the form of sores covering his entire body.
2:9) After seeing all the misery Job was going through, Job’s wife makes her first and only appearance by saying to Job, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.” This statement by Job’s wife draws up many questions with only a few that can be answered. If Job cursed God then he would die and end his suffering? Job’s wife may have believed this as many seemed to hold to the Principle of Retribution within the book of Job. This principle states that those who do good will receive the blessings of God while those who curse the name of God by their actions and words will receive curses in return. Could she have believed Job cursing God would cause him to die? Did she believe he deserved this punishment?
Was Job’s wife acting out of hatred in her telling him to die or was it out of sympathy? Was she mad at Job as she too received much of Job’s own affliction? Or was her telling Job to do this out of love for her husband? What can be seen in this statement is that she saw how Job believed himself to be blameless. Her asking whether he still held that belief signifies her own belief in the absolute nature of the Principle of Retribution.
One may not be able to find out whether or not Job’s wife had good intentions in her questioning and statement but regardless of her intentions, it was not the most godly response she could have made. Her telling Job to do this would mean Job would have to curse God. Job cursing God would therefore show a weakness in Job’s faith and therefore Satan would have been correct in his accusations toward Job which is repeated in Job 2:5.
Though Job’s wife is never mentioned directly, she is implied within Job 42:12-17 as Job later has more children. Either the two of them made their peace with one another if she indeed did not have good intentions for her husband or Job is married to another woman. Perhaps the best assumption is that he is indeed married to the same woman. [16]
2:10) Job’s second response to his afflictions are instead of being a praise toward God, it is a rebuttal against his wife. Job’s first sentence towards his wife is, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak.” This statement seems to in part signify that what she told Job was outside of her typical character. He seems to be very aware that cursing God would be the foolish thing for him to do.
Job continues to say to her, “Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” Job states their willingness to take the blessings from God and notes they must also be willing to take the evil. “But Job speaks only of blessing and its opposite, deprivation of blessing, or harm.” [17] Job does not question the goodness of God here but only addresses human’s response toward God. Job expects the attitude of man to be “God being God, we are bound to have whatever he chooses to give us, good or bad; protest is therefore idle, resignation the only reasonable response.” [18]
Even after saying all these things the last part of the verse says of Job, “In all this Job did not sin with his lips.” In just the same way as “Job did not sin or charge God with wrong” in 1:22, Job also responded in a manner that would most bring glory to God. Despite Job’s inability to understand why God put harm in his life as is especially more apparent in later texts, Job continued to glorify God and praise his name.
Yet again the accusations of Satan were false against Job. Job continued to be “blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil” (1:1). Job may not have always understood what was going on but he continued to trust his Lord through each circumstance.
APPLICATION
Throughout this study of the responses of Job to his suffering and pain his righteous behavior is easily apparent in his actions, words, and description of himself. Seeing as he behaved in a manner which brought glory to God, an emulation of his actions should be lived out in the lives of God’s followers. In just the same way as Satan accused Job, he will do the same thing to us. We must be strong in our faith and our walk when we too face pain and suffering as to not curse the name of God but give glory to him.
As Job did not always know why he was facing these trials but still remained faithful, we too must also remain faithful despite our inability to truly understand everything occurring. We too must ask ourselves, “Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” Do we seek to please God because of the blessings he’s put in our lives or because we want him to be gloried with our lives despite our circumstances?
Job also never blamed or accused God of doing wrongdoing when he was under the fire of God. Job never claimed he deserved any of it but claimed his innocence. Often times we may indeed not be innocent, but we must not attribute a specific burden in our lives to a specific sin unless we have revelation of such or it’s blatantly obvious. Suffering is not always the byproduct of our own specific sin but simply living in a fallen world. No matter whether we feel we deserve suffering or not we must realize who God is to be in our lives.
CONCLUSION
What this paper intended was to take a detailed look at Job’s immediate responses to his afflictions so that one may have an example of how a blameless and upright man should face suffering. Satan’s accusation of Job stated he would curse the name of God if Job himself received torments. Despite these accusations, Job lived up to the righteous description given to him by God. Job continued to glorify God despite the situation and his motivations were tested.
Continuing to glorify God and praise his name is how this righteous man handled his afflictions. One who seeks to live the righteous life like that of Job must also seek to handle his or her own situations in the same way. Job had God as his priority instead of himself.
Works Cited
1. Robert L. Alden, The New American Commentary: Job, vol. 11 (Nashville, TN: Broadman and Holman Publishers, 1993), 28.
2. Walter A. Elwell and Robert W. Yarbrough, Encountering the New Testament: A Historical and Theological Survey (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 1998), 298.
3. Alden, 25.
4. Ibid, 29.
5. Normon Geisler, Systematic Theology, vol. 2 (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House, 2002), 541.
6. John H. Walton, Victor H. Matthews, and Mark W. Chavalas, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament, (Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 2000), 496.
7. David J. A. Clines, Word Bible Commentary: Job 1-20, vol. 17 (Dallas, TX: Word Books, 1989), 34.
8. Francis I. Andersen, Job: An Introduction and Commentary (Downders Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1976), 87.
9. Frank E. Gaebelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, vol 4 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1988), 882-83.
10. Alden, 62.
11. John R. Kohlenberger and James A. Swanson, The Hebrew English Concordance to the Old Testament: With New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1998), 675.
12. Joseph S. Exell, The Biblical Illustrator: Job (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1973), 44.
13. Andersen, 89.
14. John E. Hartley, The Book of Job (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1988), 78.
15. John C. L. Gibson, The Daily Study Bible Series: Job (Philadelphia, PN: Westminster Press, 1985), 19.
16. Michael C. Legaspi, “Job’s Wives in the Testament of Job: A Note on the Syntheses of Two Traditions,” Journal of Biblical Literature, 127 (2008): 71.
17. Clines, 54.
18. Ibid.
Possible Sermons for November 2, 2008
On November 2nd I am supposed to preach Homecoming at my home church – Gapway Baptist Church. I have been working on what I could possibly do for a sermon for a while but have too many ideas to choose from. I am therefore writing a bit of my ideas on here and will hopefully get some responses. 
I’m not going to write the entire sermons here but give the general points for each sermon.
I’ve been thinking over the past month or more about what I could possibly preach on and have been praying continuously for God to show me what he’d have me to say. At times I’ve pretty much been preaching to myself and I myself have been impacted by some of this material. Yes, I know I’m weird.
My base audience will be 100-150 people who most likely go to a small country church at least most of the time. Though these people go to church often I think I need to present a more evangelistic message to the people especially with it being homecomingl.
Sermon 1: Ezekiel 37:1-14 – Alive in Christ
I’d present this sermon by first reading the entire text and then presenting each point by means of explaining each person.
The first person is that of the dead (in Christ). I’d explain this type of person and how many believe themselves to be alive though are not. Being religious as opposed to truly following Christ will be presented.
The second person is that of the believer/person who prophesies. How the person acts in accordance with God’s will shall be presented as well as a comparison to the first person.
The third is that of God. As the passage ends with a reminder of God’s promise to the Israelites, I will end with reminding the congregation of what God promised to us through Jesus Christ. A presentation of the basic gospel message will then be presented.
Sermon 2: Luke 2:41-52 – Knowing Christ without knowing Christ.
Most of the text will be read so that they will understand the background text but I will talk in detail more about verses 49 and after. I’m extremely iffy on whether or not to do this one though there is some parts of it I like.
Verses 49-50 state, “”Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he was saying to them.”
I still need to do background material to make certain I am correct in stating this but it seems as if Mary and Joseph did not realize who Jesus was despite his virgin birth. They did not know their own child was the Son of God!
If the earthly parents of Jesus did not realize who he was then shouldn’t that mean we ourselves should examine whether or not we really know him? The “topic” of the sermon will base on that question. I have yet to come up with concrete points to the sermon.
Sermon 3: Isaiah 42:5-8 – God Is
The first point deals with Isaiah 42:5 which states, “This is what God the LORD says— he who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it.”
This point mainly deals with how amazing God is (possibly quote some stuff from Isaiah 40) and gradually have that be told to be the reason we serve him for transition into the next point.
Verses 6-7 will read for the second point which states, “I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.”
Here I’d talk about how we are to go out and be a light unto the world, proclaiming the name of Christ with service and love.
The last point will be Isaiah 42:8 which states, “I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols.”
With this passage I’d speak more on the holiness of God as opposed to the awesomeness of God as previously. God is to be set apart in our lives as no other is set apart. As he has no equal, he should have no equal in our lives.
The Lord is Great, should be proclaimed, and deserves our full attention.
Sermon 4: Isaiah 65 – God’s Urging, Judgment, and Blessing
Here are three verses which seem to show the three points I’d like to make with these sermon. I’d use the entire chapter.
Point1 / Verse 1: I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me. To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, ‘Here am I, here am I.’
God seeks us.
Point2 / Verse 12: I will destine you [who forsake the Lord] for the sword, and you will all bend down for the slaughter; for I called but you did not answer, I spoke but you did not listen. You did evil in my sight and chose what displeases me.
Those who do not answer displease God.
Point3 / Verse 14a: My servants will sing out of the joy of their hearts,
God will bless those who serve and follow after him.
Visual Narratives: Teaching Through Comics
With the reasoning behind the need of teaching illustrations through visual means already stated (click here to read), one means of going about this form of teaching is through that of comic books. Many might instantly think of the comics put out by Marvel or DC Comics. Here me out before turning away in thinking this would simply affect a small sect of the congregation. My thoughts are to use a comic book format to teach the Word of God and lessons in life as well as have it include the church bulletin, devotions, and any other useful information. I’m going to go through each of these ideas to explain how they could be done effectively.
Imagine walking into a church and instead of receiving the typical bulletin, you are given a little booklet that includes a comic involving the sermon for the day and places to take notes. These comics would work alongside what is taught by the pastor. You simply do not just listen to what the pastor says about the Bible but you are able to see the events unfolded in story format. You can see the anguish as David says, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me!” as well as the confidence as he stands in front of Goliath. I’d imagine seeing the facial expressions not only in the bulletin but on the projection screen would add even more to what is being taught. The comic might also include a black and white version of the illustrations for children to color.
Not only do the comics have to deal with what is stated directly in the Bible but it could also include other illustrations the pastor may use to stress a point. The comics would also be interesting enough and teach enough that the person might want to look back at what is shown at a later date or give it to a friend to show what the church is up to. This material would not only be good for the sermon but for Sunday school classes and could also include extra material for one to read in their own time as a devotional.
The comics could also include future events the church may be dealing with like a typical church bulletin but done in a storybook format. Each one could also have a page long comic of a dad leading his child to Christ. This could be used as a way to present the salvation message. Included could also be guides to how to interpret the Bible effectively such as rules to each literary genre.
I hope to one day make an example comic book of how this could possibly be done effectively but it could take some time. Time is indeed one drawback in how effective this could be as a ministry as it would take a while to do this especially if it’s done by a single person. One would not have to do this weekly but could also be monthly, periodically, or alongside each sermon series including the illustrations that would be used during that time frame.
There are many ideas I have in how comic books could be used effectively as teaching tools within the church. One would not have to do so on the grand scale mentioned here but one could also do so on an even grander scale such as using this as a way of teaching youth in a published Bible study. If there are any who thinks this could be useful or have any additional ideas, let me know. In the future I plan to write additional blogs in how other visual medias could be used.
Matt: Chapter 4
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Default Color: Original Text
Green: Quoting Other Text
The Temptation of Jesus
(1) Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. (2) And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. (Deuteronomy 9:18 ) – Then I [Moses] lay prostrate before the LORD as before, forty days and forty nights. I neither ate bread nor drank water, because of all the sin that you had committed, in doing what was evil in the sight of the LORD to provoke him to anger. (3) And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, (Matthew 14:33) – Speaking about Jesus - “Truly you are the Son of God.” command these stones to become loaves of bread.” Back in Matthew 3:9 it is said “God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham” so surely he could turn the stones to bread. (4) But he answered, “It is written,
“‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Ephesians 6 speaks of the armor of God and verse 17 specifically speaks needing “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
(5) Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple (6) and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,
(Psalm 91:11) “‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and (Psalm 91:12) “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”
(7) Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, (Deuteronomy 6:16) ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” (Isaiah 7:12) But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the LORD to the test.” (8 ) Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. (9) And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” (10) Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, (Deuteronomy 6:13)
“‘You shall worship the Lord your God
and him only shall you serve.’” (1 Samuel 7:3) - And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the LORD with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your heart to the LORD and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.”
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
(11) Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.
(Hebrews 2:18 ) – For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. Amazing is the Lord Jesus Christ! He not only saved us from our sins but he can empathize with us in our sufferings and in our temptations as he himself went through them firsthand. Some argue that Jesus was almost like that of a robot, felling no pain and having no personality, but that is not who Jesus was. He pained as much as the rest of us, if not more. Just like David in the Psalms felt as if God was far from him, Jesus felt the same as he took on the sins of the world while upon the cross. David shouted in Psalms 22:1, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?” Jesus too shouted in Matthew 27:46 “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” when he was upon the cross taking on the sins of the world. Jesus felt the presence of God leave him just as David felt as if God was not there. Jesus has great empathy for his people and that is something that the Christian should never forget.
Jesus Begins His Ministry
(12) Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. (13) And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, (14) so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
(15) (Isaiah 9:1-2) “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
(16) the people dwelling in darkness
have seen a great light,
and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death,
on them a light has dawned.” (Psalms 23:4) – Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
(17) From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
Jesus Calls the First Disciples
(18 ) While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. (19) And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 13:47) - “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. (20) Immediately they left their nets and followed him. Imagine if the rest of us simply did as Christ asked without any knowledge of what is to come immediately as they had done. Imagine how that would enrich the kingdom of God. (21) And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. (22) Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
Jesus Ministers to Great Crowds
(23) And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues He often preached in the synagogues as that is where the Jews met. He first preached to the Jews and then to the Gentiles (everyone else). and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. (24) So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, epileptics, and paralytics, and he healed them. (25) And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan. Jesus did great works and became known for it. To deny his miracles is to deny who he is, God in the flesh. His miracles were evidence of who he was though some would later attribute his good works falsely to Satan. Two things that can be seen through this chapter is Jesus empathizes with us and he can do something about what we might be going through.
Matt: Chapter 3
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Default Color: Original Text
Green: Quoting Other Text
John the Baptist Prepares the Way
(1) In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, (2) “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Daniel2:44) - And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever. (3) For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, (Isaiah 40:3) -
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
make his paths straight.’”
(4) Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. (2 Kings 1:8 ) - They answered him, “He wore a garment of hair, with a belt of leather about his waist.” And he said, “It is Elijah the Tishbite.” Due to the preceding verse from 2 Kings many thought John to be the reincarnate of Elijah. It was prophesied in Zechariah 13:4 that a prophet would come “in that day” dressed in this way. (5) Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, (6) and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
(7) But when he saw many of the Pharisees (Matthew 23:13) - But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in. and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? The wrath spoken of is the wrath God has towards sinners. Only through his son Jesus can any be saved. (8 ) Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. (9) And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. Who you know, who you are related to, how good you are is not what saves you but only the grace of God through Christ. (10) Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. This verse is often used to say that you must show evidence of Christ in your life in order to be called a Christian. How can you claim to love God if you do not show it with your life? That does not mean that, however, that our actions save us. The actions are merely but evidence of the grace held within. If it has no walls, no windows, no roof, no people living there, then it might not be a house. If you have no good fruit then you might not be a Christian.
(11) “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, He basically told them to repent of their sins before the one they are sinning against enters their presence. whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. That’s how humble we should be towards God. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. (Malachi 3:2-3) - 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 refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD. (12) His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” Jesus will separate the good from the bad, the believers and the unbelievers. The unbelievers who do not accept the free gift of forgiveness will be burned “with unquenchable fire”: fire and torment that never ends.
The Baptism of Jesus
(13) Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. (14) John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” John the Baptist knew his place in the presence of God. Many do not seem to know how to be humble but we must realize who God is and who we are. Once we make that comparison then well should behave in the same manner as John. (15) But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” This was Jesus’ profession of faith. This is when he showed who he was. This is why Christians should be baptized. Through baptism we declare that we have repented of our sins and that we are followers of God and Christ. Then he consented. (16) And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; (17) and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Isaiah 42:1) - Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. At this moment the Holy Spirit came down like a dove and rested on Christ. This is when not only Christ showed who he belonged to but this is when God said Jesus belonged to him. That is an amazing vision to have for anyone who is baptized: to know that God is claiming you as his own! Oh how great God truly is!
Why choose 1 Peter 3:15 for the heading?
As stated in the heading above, 1 Peter 3:15 says, “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” Some may wonder why this specific verse was chosen. I, however, not only chose that verse to be the on the heading of each page of this blog, but I seek to have 1 Peter 3:15 as a verse that I live my life by.
There is so much that can be taken out of that one verse that can be applicable to my life and those who read it. The book of 1 Peter was written by none other than the disciple Peter with the help of another named Silas. This letter was written to be circulated throughout what is now northern Turkey during times of persecution. This verse shows how the people were to respond to people who asked about their faith.
The first part of the verse, the author stated to set apart Christ as Lord. They were to never forget Jesus was to be Lord of their lives and that they must follow his teachings and follow his footsteps.
The verse continues by saying, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” This signifies that the Christians spoken to do indeed have hope, not only do they have it but it is shown by the very way they live. Christians are to be different than the world, they are to stick out from the crowd. This section of the verse also signifies that people will ask about this hope, about this faith. When that occasion arises one must be prepared to give an answer. This may mean have a testimony prepared or it may be to not be defenseless when attacked by one who has a different set of beliefs.
“But do this with gentleness and respect.” This is the last part of the verse which states how one is to go about sharing and defending their faith. The Christian must not be a negative towards the person by attacking their character. One must confront or answer another out of love and humility like that of Jesus Christ. One must confront and answer however. This cannot be forgotten. The Great Commission at the end of the book of Matthew signifies that Christians are commanded to preach the Gospel, the good news, to those across the world.
1 Peter 3:15 is still applicable to today for when people come to us asking about the Christian faith. Some use the verse in a more Apologetic way (defending the faith) while others use it in a manner that they are prepared to give their testimony. Each is important to how a Christian is to witness. This is a verse that I seek to live my life by and I hope and pray each Christian does just the same.
Matt: Chapter 2
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Green: Quoting Other Text
The Visit of the Wise Men
(1) Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, (2) saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” (3) When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; (4) and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. (5) They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: Micah 5:2
(6) “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
The imagery of Jesus being a shepherd is used throughout scripture symbolizing how he is to lead and take care of his flock.
(7)Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. (8 ) And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” That’s a lie if I’ve ever heard one. In some fashion, Herod can be compared to that of one who intentionally will not seek to follow Christ. Many seek to follow their own way of living, they seek to be their own God and king. Jesus is a worthy king to follow however, just many will not see past their own selfish desires in an attempt to follow him. (9) After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. (10) When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. (11) And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. It is only assumed there were three wise men due to three gifts, there could well have been more. This is mentioned in Isaiah 60:6 in saying – A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall bring good news, the praises of the LORD. (12) And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.
The Flight to Egypt
(13) Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” (14) And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt (15) and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, Hosea 11:1 “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
Herod Kills the Children
(16) Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. (17) Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: Jeremiah 31:15
(18 ) “A voice was heard in Ramah,
weeping and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”
Herod killed every child under the age of 2 years. Due to the small size of Bethlehem (and therefore small number of children), differences in views of how important children were, and other cultural differences there is no historical evidence of this happening. This in no way creates doubt as to whether it happened partly due to the fact that this would not have been against Herod’s character. Herod was known to go to any extreme in order to keep his power, even to the point of killing his wife and sons.
The Return to Nazareth
(19) But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, (20) saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.” (21) And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. Joseph listened to what God said, no wonder he was chosen to raise the Son of God. I wonder what opportunities God would put in our lives if we did just he same. (22) But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. (23) And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled: “He shall be called a Nazarene.”
Much of this text deals with prophecies being fulfilled about the birth of Jesus. All of the Old Testament leads up to the life of this person. The book of Matthew is an excellent gateway between the New Testament and the Old Testament in that it ties everything together effectively.
