Sanctify Us

Isaiah 55 is a call for people to come and enjoy the blessings of the LORD. Whereas we were once separated fr om God because of our sins, we now have the opportunity to be with Him and partake of His bles sings. T his is possible because of the work of the Messiah as God had promised would come from the house of David. Chapter 53 also speaks of that redemptive, sacrificial work of Jesus. But n ow in 55:6-9 we see a key component to that call to be with God. If we want to be with Him, we must b e like Him. That seems impossible to do, yet it is necessary.   Forsake wicked ways.  “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the  wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he  may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:6-7). The open call in verse 1 is given an urgent twist. God is accessible and ready to receive us—what a blessing! But the time t...

The transition of power from Solomon to his son Rehoboam was anything but smooth. By most standards, Solomon was a wildly successful king who established economic control over the region and built up Israel to new glory. The people were initially united in their support of Rehoboam, but a usurper named Jeroboam worked to spoil that.   Jeroboam was a former official in Solomon’s court who rebelled against Solomon and fled to Egypt (1 Kings 11:26-40). Once Solomon died, Jeroboam returned to take another shot at seizing the throne for himself. Rehoboam handled the situation foolishly and lost control over the majority of the nation. The ten northern tribes anointed Jeroboam as their king and the nation was permanently split in two (12:16-20).   There was significant instability in both nations for a time—the seemingly inevitable war between the two was only avoided because God intervened through the prophet Shemaiah (12:21-24). It doesn’t surprise us that Rehoboam is left pic...

“Amen” is a word that we don’t always think much about, but it means more than “the prayer is over”—it actually carries a meaning of truth or assent. When we use it at the end of a prayer, what we are really doing is expressing our agreement with the words of the prayer. When someone else is leading the prayer, that is a way for me to join in and echo his words; when it is my own, it serves as a form of emphasis. Another way we say amen is in response to a speaker’s assertion: the preacher makes a point that resonates with you, and so you say “amen”. The same can also be done in a private conversation. Either way, the function here is very similar. I agree with what was said and I want to vocalize that agreement.     There’s a striking account in Deuteronomy 27 where this word takes center stage. It paints a picture of a powerful moment in the wilderness but also teaches us something about our relationship with God and His covenant.     Keep silent and listen.  ...

In John 17, Jesus prayed for His disciples to be faithful even though He was getting ready to leave them. In this prayer He shows deep concern for how they will conduct themselves in the future. There are so many opportunities for us to lose our faith. Let’s take some of what Jesus prayed for and echo it as a prayer for ourselves. Unity.   “I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one” (John 17:9-11).     Jesus’ prayer was especially focused on those who followed Him. He certainly still cared about the world—He was getting ready to die for the sins of every person. But His disciples needed special intercession on their behalf.     When Jesus leav...

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves” (Matthew 7:15). Jesus warns us of the danger of false teachers, whom He describes as ravenous wolves. The danger posed by false teachers.  False teachers are dangerous because they alter something of great value. Immediately after his admonition to “rightly handle the word of truth”, Paul says in 2 Timothy 2:16 to “avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness.” The contrast is unmistakable. God’s word provides us with the tools we need to be effective, faithful workers. Unholy false doctrine is nothing more than babble to be ignored. That’s why Paul goes on to call out Hymenaeus and Philetus as two men who had “swerved from the truth… they are upsetting the faith of some” (v.18). False teachers like Hymanaeus and Philetus are destructive forces.    Wolves in sheep’s clothing.  The frightening part of these spiritual wolves is that they d...

Many people find it difficult to read the Bible regularly and consistently for one reason or another. If you don’t find yourself reading Scripture as often as you’d like even though you try, one of these suggestions may help.   Reading is not your strength.  We all have different strengths and some of us struggle to do large amounts of reading in any context, not just the Bible. This may be due to limited education, limitations such as dyslexia, or simply not much practice at study. Some people’s jobs and hobbies really do not require much deep reading. Thankfully, God does not require disciples to be scholars. Here are a few ideas:   ·         Try a simpler translation or even paraphrase of the Bible. These have limitations and can sometimes obscure nuance, but there is still much to be gained from a version of the Bible that you can stick to and read regularly. ·         Study in shorter bursts. Bible...

One of the most informative accounts in the gospels is the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness found in Matthew 4:1-11. Satan wasn’t going to let Jesus carry out His ministry unopposed. At every turn, he looked for ways to throw obstacles in Jesus’ way. This is maybe seen most clearly when he directly tried to tempt Jesus. But more importantly, Jesus’ response teaches us how we can defeat Satan.   Time and place.  Why did Satan choose this moment to tempt Jesus? Jesus had just been baptized by John (3:13-17). Of course, Jesus did not need the forgiveness of sins that baptism would come to offer in the church. Baptism for the remission of sins works because it is the response of one who trusts in God for salvation and because it connects the sinner to the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Neither of these things applied to Jesus for obvious reasons, but his baptism was still important. It was a sort of anointing to signify the start of His ministry. Jesus was given th...