GOD DISCIPLINES HIS PEOPLE

Good parents teach responsibility by giving their children tasks to do, holding the kids accountable by making sure the jobs are done correctly. They give their kids several chances to get it right because the learning process requires patience. What happens when a child refuses to do what is expected? What can loving parents do when their young person fails to meet expectations or deliberately does shameful or harmful things to themselves or to others? Some parents have to make the hardest decision of their lives concerning their children. They chose to apply strong discipline in order to save their kids life because previous warnings had gone unheeded. I’m sure you know where this is leading. This was the situation that faced God.

Read 2 Kings 17:7-11 God’s People Sinned

After Solomon’s death around 931 BC, his kingdom divided into two smaller kingdoms: Israel (Northern Kingdom) and Judah (Southern Kingdom). This lesson focuses on Israel, with the pattern of sin, warning, and judgment. Judah outlasted Israel by 136 years, but it too often sinned, heard God’s warning through prophets, and faced God’s discipline. Both kingdoms suffered similar fates. As a loving Father, God submitted His rebellious children to severe discipline in order to correct their ways. In 722 BC, after a three-year siege, the Assyrians overthrew Samaria, capital of Israel (2 Kings 17:6-7). The Northern Kingdom was no more. The same scenario played out 136 years later when Babylon destroyed Jerusalem, capital of Judah. The Jewish people learned the hard way: God disciplines His people. God’s Story is replete with examples of people who brought judgment upon themselves due to sin.

God’s Story also has many examples of people who repented and turned back to God, experiencing His acceptance and rich blessing as a result. These people gave God reasons for wanting to forgive and restore as many of Jewish people as possible. Why do parents discipline their children? (Out of love because they want them to change and live better lives.) Sometimes following God is difficult and painful, but consider the alternative. We can live for God or die for ourselves. Determine to be God’s person and do what He says regardless the cost. What God thinks of us is infinitely more important than what those around us think (Romans 12:1, 2; 1 John 2:15-17). However, the people of Israel got caught up in wanting to be like and blend in with the surrounding nations and their pagan customs and worshipping of false gods. So the Lord had to discipline and judge the people for their actions. Those who create their own religion tend to live selfishly. And to live for one’s self, as Israel learned, brings serious consequences from God.

Ruin came upon Israel for their public sins and their secret sins.  Not only did they condone wickedness and idolatry in public, but they committed even worse sins in private. Secret sins are the ones we don’t want others to know about because they are embarrassing or incriminating.  Sins done in private are not secret to God, and secret defiance of Him is just as damaging as open rebellion. God’s people “missed the mark” He had set for them for covenant loyalty and obedience. God wants us to live by His principles. When we fall short, we have only to repent and to turn back to God in order for Him to forgive and to restore us.

Read 2 Kings 17:12-15 God’s People Were Warned

Two realities made the Northern Kingdom’s demise particularly tragic. First, God clearly had stated His expectations from the beginning. Second, He often warned His people along the way to repent whenever they had sinned. Thus the writer of 2 Kings (possible Jeremiah) succinctly stated “They served idols, although the Lord had told them, ‘You must not do this” (v.12). The verb “served” is translated as “worship” on some occasions (Ex. 20:5). Clearly God never intended for people, made in His image and likeness, to humble themselves before man-made idols. The Lord did not arbitrarily judge Israel, but rather He exacted upon them the judgment their sin deserved according to the command He had given from the beginning of their covenant together. God would often use prophets to warn the Israelites about appearing godly but lacking depth and devotion- a result of picking and choosing the command they wanted to follow. God’s Word is not a buffet where people can choose meat and desserts and ignore the vegetables (so that is why vegetables are so good for us). God sent His terms for relationship and His warning to repent through His “servants the prophets”. That God referred to them as “my servants” is indicative of their loyalty to His Word and Will. So who were these prophets?

2 Kings was the concluding section of a longer history cataloging God’s people from their entrance into the land under Joshua to the fall of both Israel and Judah. During the course of Israel’s time in the promise land, God had sent many prophets to confront and to guide His people. He used Samuel, who anointed both Saul and David to be kings over God’s people. He used Nathan and Gad to confront David in his sins (2 Sam. 12; 24). He used Ahijah to inform Jeroboam of the intent to divide Solomon’s kingdom (1 Kings 11). When King Baasha sinned, God confronted him through the prophet Jehr Ben Hanani (1 Kings 16). What about the great ministries of the prophets Elijah and Elisha? We need not forget how the shepherd Amos traveled from Judah to confront the sin of Israel at Bethel or how God used Hosea’s broken marriage as an analogy of His relationship with Israel. Additionally God empowered Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and other prophets to confront His people’s sins, warning them to repent. So how do we hear God’s messages and warnings – and who is our “prophet” today? (Read the Bible, Prayer, “Listen” to the Holy Spirit. Listen to the Pastor’s messages, worship together, and studying together.)

God’s patience and mercy are beyond our ability to understand. He will pursue us until we either respond to Him or, by our own choice and hardness of heart, make ourselves unreachable. Then God’s judgment is swift and sure. The only safe course is to turn to God before our stubbornness puts us out of His reach. Think about all of the Jewish people throughout the ages that can’t understand that Jesus is the Messiah. Everything points to Jesus and all of the specific prophecies that have been fulfilled by Jesus exactly as predicted. By the way 2 Kings 25:25 refers to the Israelites, the Hebrews, and the Judeans all a “Jews” (NASB).

Read 2 Kings 17:18-20 God’s People Were Disciplined

Discipline is not pleasant, but it is beneficial and needed. We can even learn from others’ mistakes and turn back to God. However, it seems the Israelites could not learn. In verse 18, the phrase “he removed them from His presence” means God removed His control and protection from their lives. We can remove God’s control from our lives through our attitudes and actions. The people continued to abuse the long-suffering God and to excite His anger with their sins until He finally removed them forever as a nation. Only Judah remained of the twelve tribes of Israel to whom God had given the Promised Land. However, the author of the Books of Kings, who lived after the destruction of Jerusalem, anticipated in verses 190-20 the rejection of all of Israel, including Judah, for their sin. In Dr. David Jeremiah’s book “What in the World is Going On” (10 Prophetic clues you cannot afford to ignore), chapter 5 deals with the Rapture and what occurs to position the event in relation to Tribulation. Dr. Jeremiah also draws a parallel to what happened to Israel and Judah to the United States’ moral decay and loss of dependence on God, in chapter 6. Thus he reasons these are among the thoughts that the Bible is silent on the future of America.

After all of this, we can more clearly see why the remnant of Jews who were finally returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple from Persia by Cyrus was vital. This led directly to establishing the base and set the stage for Jesus. Prior to this small remnant (see Ezra 1-8 for the estimates) being blessed by God, the Israelites engaged in forms of witchcraft, fortune-telling and black-magic – all of which were forbidden by God (Deut. 18:9-14). They were wrong because they sought power and guidance totally apart from God, His law and His Word. Isaiah echoed this law and prophesied of the complete destruction of these occult practices would bring to those who participated in them (Isa. 8:19-22). God is the same today as He has always been and He will preserve His people and His kingdom. We need only to read God’s Story to discover God disciplines His people for the good of His people.

GOD ESTABLISHES A KINGDOM FOR HIS PEOPLE

We all have heard a version of the old adage “The road to Hades is paved with good intentions”. Sometimes this prods procrastinators to quit merely stating good intentions and get started actually doing what they claim they will do. Others may even think that good intentions are the problem if they really pave that road- as unlikely that may seem. We all have put off worthwhile things or had the best intentions to begin a plan only to experience unforeseen negative circumstances or consequences. In God’s Story, we have a primary example of a man who had the very best of intentions concerning expressing his love for God. In his case, God opted not to take him up on his plan, but posed a counter plan with far-reaching implications. This man was David. As king, he intended to build God a house or temple. Early encouragement from Nathan, the prophet, soon gave way to God’s rejection of David’s plan. However, David’s good intentions pleased God, so He decided to make a covenant with David regarding an eternal kingdom. David’s greatest descendant, Jesus, established the kingdom that lasts forever. We all have plans and goals for our lives; but this lesson shows us that we need to continually surrender our plans to God!

Read 2 Samuel 7:8-11a Establishing a Place

In our efforts to develop God’s Story over 13 weeks, we cannot nor do we need to expand on all the significant issues or stories in the Bible. However, it is good to touch on certain events to help our over-all understanding. Much has happened in God’s Story since our previous lesson, namely, the wilderness wanderings, the conquest of the promise land by Joshua, the period of judges, and the establishment of the monarchy. A period of several hundred years separated Moses from David (1450 BC to 1000 BC). David, the victorious youth, had become king over Judah for 7.5 years in Hebron before moving his capital to Jerusalem, where he served as king over all Israel for an additional 33 years. God had blessed David with victories over all of David’s opposing forces.

As we get to 2 Samuel 7, we see David has settled into his palace precisely because “the Lord had given him rest on every side from all his enemies” (2 Sam. 7:1b). David shared with Nathan, his court prophet, his observation about how his was “living in a cedar house while the ark of God sits inside tent curtains” (v. 2). David loved the Lord so he wanted to build a “home” for the ark of God, which was the visible symbol of God’s presence. This was David’s plan and even Nathan encouraged David. However, in God’s Story, God is in charge and directs the course of human events. Like David, we often have good intentions. However, we need continually to surrender our plans to God. God’s plans are always better. Think about from where you were as a teenager to where you are today.  How does that remembrance lead you to trust God with future plans? (He worked His greater purpose in times of heartache and failure- as well as in the good times. So God will continue to lead us in the future if we trust Him!) We might not understand every aspect of God’s magnificent plan nor even in every facet of God’s Story, but we can trust faithfully in His grace and benevolence. He wants to establish His people today no less than He did in David’s day.

David’s request was good, but God said no. This does not mean that God rejected David. In fact, God was planning to do something even greater in David’s life than allowing Him the prestige of building the Temple. However, God did not abruptly tell David no. God reminded David of all that He had done for David over the years and that God will continue to be with David by planning to do something even greater in David’s life. God promised to continue the dynasty of David forever. God said to David, “I will make a name for you like that of the greatest in the land” (v. 9). David’s earthly dynasty ended four centuries later, but Jesus Christ, a direct descendant of David was the ultimate fulfillment of this promise (Acts 2:22-36). Christ will reign for eternity- now in His spiritual kingdom in heaven and later on earth in the new Jerusalem (Luke 1:30-33); Revelations 21). Accepting God’s “no” requires as great a faith as carrying our His “yes”.

Read 2 Samuel 7:11b-17 Establishing an Eternal Kingdom

In a reversal to what David wanted to do for the Lord, the Lord, in these verses, promises “will make a house for you (David)” (v. 11b). Of course the word “house”, in this case, refers to David’s dynasty. This continues God’s covenant He had made with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and all His people who had been part of the covenant community in the past. David was not perfect (as we are Not), but he was loyal to God (1 Sam. 13:14; Acts 13:22). The ancient promise to the patriarchs was to find their fulfillment in David. But a new element appears here too. Nathan, from the Lord, promised that David would have that which Saul wanted desperately (1 Sam. 20:31) but did not achieve- a succession of descendants on his throne, a dynasty (2 Sam. 7:11). This promise to David is a promise from which all Christians benefit today and until Christ’s return.

By this time these events were written, this promise had become fact. Thus these verses were recorded to explain how the dynasty came to be- and why it should be viewed as divinely ordained. The prophecy did not specify which son would follow David, but the Historian writer knew that Solomon was that person. Solomon was authorized to build the house for God that was denied David (v. 13), because David had shed so much blood and waged great wars (1 Chon. 22:6-16). So in these verses God repeated His promise to David to establish his son’s kingdom forever, using the phrase “the throne of his kingdom”. Three of Jesus’ claims about Himself alluded to verse13. First, Jesus said He would build a temple (John 2:19-22).  Second, Jesus told Pilate His kingdom was not of this world (John 18:36). Finally, Jesus said His kingdom was eternal (Luke 22:29-30). So this glimpse into God’s greater purpose was a major turning point in God’s Story. In what ways does this affect one’s personal walk with God? (First, when God repeats something (as He did here), He means it and we need to listen. Then this was a clear promise that God would be with us all the way to eternity, especially since we have Jesus’ words.)

Read 2 Samuel 7:22-24 Establishing A Divine Purpose

In this moving, heartfelt prayer, David uses the phrase “O Lord God” (KJV) to express his close intimacy with his God. Then David follows this with “There is no one like you” and “there is no God beside you”- all in verse 22. All of this shows how overwhelmed David was by what Nathan had passed long from God. David expressed in his prayer the same humility that he exhibited as a youth before Saul (v. 18; 1 Sam.18:23). The king praised God for His past acts for Israel: the redemption of Israel; the driving out of Israel’s enemies; the making of a covenant that established Israel as the people of God forever (2 Sam. 7:23-24). God’s goodness is seen by David as proof of His greatness, and David sees it displayed, not only in his dealing with himself, but also in the past history of the Israel nation. There is in this a depth of evangelic piety. As an unconverted heart would see the greatness of God in the majority of creation, or in severe dealing with impenitent (those not repenting). However, David saw it in acts of mercy and kindness. We look upon Elijah as the type of sternness, yet he too recognized the presence of God is in “the still small voice” of gentleness and love (1 Kings 19:13).

David was acknowledging God’s greater purpose of establishing Israel to be His “own people forever” and for the Lord to “become their God” (v. 24). David concluded his prayer accepting God’s will for his life and asked the Lord to fulfill His promise –to give him a confirmation (v. 25). David knew God’s word to him was sure and true. As a result, David’s house would be blessed forever (vv. 26-29). Like David, we can express our praise and thanksgiving to God for His greatness and His faithfulness to keep His promises. The eternal plans and purposes God began to unfold to David are still in place. We can choose the love and peace of Jesus with others in caring ways to bring them to Christ since God still establishes His people.

GOD COMPLETES THE STORY

Living the Christian life is like taking a long journey. We encounter delaying interruptions and hardships all along the way. Often we grow weary of life in this sin-laden world. God encourages us to press on because He already has revealed the completion of His Story. He wants the promise of Christ’s return and of heaven to encourage us. We need not live in fear of the end time because God has a home for us where we can be renewed. Have you read a book, watched a movie, or recorded a sporting event a second time when you know the end of the story before you start? Knowing the ending of a story takes the anxiety and fear out of it. This is actually what God has done for us.

Read John 14:1-3 The Plan

We are to live in joyful anticipation of Christ’s return and spending eternity in heaven with Jesus. John 14:1-3 is part of Jesus’ farewell discourse, extending from 13:1 to 17:26. Jesus was preparing His disciples for life after His ascension. The disciples were troubled by Jesus’

announcement of His imminent departure (13:36). Jesus was trying to comfort His anxious disciples because they did not know nor understand the end of God’s Story at that point. Instead of being “troubled”, Jesus called His disciples to “believe”. “Believe” occurs twice in the verse. The particular verb form can either make a statement or issue a command. It could be Jesus was doing both. It is likely Jesus was telling the disciples to “believe in God” as a statement but to “believe also in Me” as a command. By trusting in Jesus as they already trusted in God, their hearts would be comforted. This is what Jesus is telling us also.

This 13-week study has been much more than just a patchwork quilt of Bible stories; it has been many stories that all fit together to tell one story of God’s redemption. Verses 2 and 3 are a marvelous promise or covenant of how God completes His story. This was more than a reservation for the disciples in heaven; Jesus was expecting them to show up there. Jesus’ comments indicated there would be room enough and space for all to have an abiding place in the Father’s house. This is a promise that the believer will live in the roominess of the Father’s house with perfect fellowship forever. On the other hand, it is a present promise that Jesus calms the troubled heart with the assurance that He has prepared both the place and the way and will always be present with His believers to strengthen and guide them. The result would be a shared relationship for all eternity (v.3). How could we use John 14:1-3 to help someone who always worries about the future?

Read Revelation 21:1-54; 22:1-5 The Place

As Revelation 21 begins, Satan and unbelievers have been judged and banished eternally. All should read the description of Jesus’ return in Rev. 19:11-16. It says we (all believers in heaven) will follow Him to earth and stay on earth. This description is vastly different than 1 Thes. 4:14-17, which says believers will be caught up in the cloud to go to heaven at the sight of Jesus (Rapture). Chapter 19 describes Jesus return with us and cleansed the earth of the three evil leaders (Satan, the Beast, and the Anti-Christ) and all unbelievers, when their judgment occurs. Chapter 20 describes the Millennium, but not in any real detail. However, we are told that Satan is in chains during this period, only to be released for a brief period. (While I can explain some reasons for this brief release of Satan at this time, only God knows why for sure.) Nevertheless, God sends Satan and any unbelievers to the Lake of Fire for the rest of eternity before Chapter 20 ends.

Basically, the Bible begins in a garden and ends in a garden. Yet between the two gardens a great deal of action, both sacred and secular, takes place. The sacred mainly concerns God’s redemptive efforts, and secular concerns mankind’s sin, rebellion, and puny self-efforts to realize their true destiny. The overall story is about paradise lost and paradise regained. Because people sinned, the material world somehow suffered from mankind’s fall (Gen. 3:17-18) and also will share in His redemption (Rom. 8:22-23). Although the prophet Isaiah was probably the first to envision as ideal society in which people “shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks” (Isa. 2:4), others at different times also have dreamed of a perfect society. The biblical term for the ideal society is the kingdom of God.

Following Isaiah’s lead (65:17), John wrote: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more” (Rev. 21:1). Peter also wrote of “new heaven and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Pet. 3:13). Heaven as well as earth will enjoy the newness that accompanies each life which began when the believer trusted Christ as Savior and Lord (2 Cor. 5:17). IN the new creation, there will be no “sea”. As noted in other Scripture, the sea represented danger, turmoil, restless masses of people, and separation. The first beast came up out of the sea (Rev. 13:1). John saw a sea before God’s throne (4:6), symbolizing HHHis moral transcendence or holiness. On the isle of Patmos, the sea separated John from those he dearly loved. Now in heaven there is no more sea, thus no more separation. Believers will enjoy God’s presence in the fullest sense and have sweet fellowship around His throne. Since the redeemed will be saved even from the presence of sin, there will be no residue of sin to prevent them from enjoying intimate fellowship with God. Revelation seems to depict mankind’s perfect environment as fulfilled in heaven, not during the millennium.

The new Jerusalem is where God lives among His people. Instead of our going up to meet Him, He comes down to be with us, just as God became man in Jesus Christ and lived among us (John 1:14). Wherever God reigns, there is peace, security and love. The “holy city, the new Jerusalem” is described as the place where God will remove all sorrows. Forevermore, there will be no death, sorrow, crying, or pain. What a wonderful truth!! No matter what you are going through, it’s not the last word- God has written the final chapter, and it is about true fulfillment and eternal joy for those who love Him. We do not know as much as we would like, but it is enough to know that eternity with God will be more wonderful than we could ever imagine. The heavenly scene is both spectacular and beautiful. Instead of a sea before God’s throne (as in 4:6), now there is a river flowing from it right through the middle of heaven’s main street. (This is just one of the indications that there is a Present Heaven, as John describes scenes and events prior to Revelation 21, which is vastly different from when the new heaven and new earth come down.)  The water of life is a symbol of eternal life. Jesus used this same image with the Samaritan woman (John 4:7-14). It pictures the fullness of life with God and the eternal blessings that come when we believe in Him and allow Him to satisfy our spiritual thirst (Rev. 22:17).

“Also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit yielding its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations” (v.2b). Ezekiel’s description of the temple with a river flowing from it (47:1), also added “And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing” (47:12). This tree of life is like the tree of life in the Garden of Eden (Gen 2:9). We know Adam and Eve were forbidden to eat from this tree. When they did, it caused the curse of sin. But because of the forgiveness of sin through the blood of Jesus, there will be no evil or sin in this city. We will be able to eat freely from the tree of life when sin’s control over us is destroyed and our eternity with God is secure.

So why would the nations need to be healed if all evil is gone? There is not an obvious answer here. We must look deeper! John in quoting from Ezekiel (as mentioned above), is not implying that there will be illness in the new earth, he is emphasizing that the water of life produces health and strength where it goes. So that is why we will be able to eat freely from the tree of life in the new earth. Does this indicate we must eat from it? This may be one of those questions you will want to ask Jesus or God in-person.

Verse 22:3 “There will no longer be any curse.” means that nothing accursed will be in God’s presence. This fulfills Zechariah’s prophecy (14:11). Then the rest of verse 3 stresses the centrality of the Heavenly Father and Son and suggest that worship will be the main activity in the heavenly city, but not the only activity. We observed earlier that the most faithful of God’s servants on earth could not see God in His fullness. As John wrote in his Gospel, “no one has ever seen God” (1:18)! Now John could write, “they shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads” (v.4). (maybe we all get tattoos after all!) This passage assures intimate fellowship eternally, with complete security, for those who are God’s very own people.  Then verse 5 reiterates the truth expressed in 21:25 concerning the absence of night, which symbolizes sin and danger. This verse also repeats 21:23 that “they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light”. Notice it does not say there will be no sun, just no need for it. Then John adds icing to our eternal cake by asserting “and they shall reign for ever and ever”.

What do you look forward to finding out about heaven?

Read Revelation 22:12-14 The Promise

When Jesus said He was “coming quickly”, it refers to “how” He will come not to “when” He will come. No one knows when Jesus will come, but God. David Jeremiah in his book says that unless your name is “no one” you will not know when Jesus will come. Jesus will come too quickly for people to change their allegiances. So Jesus was challenging His disciples to live by faith, doing His work every day, for no one knows the hour of His coming. He also promised rewards to those He found working when He returns (Matt. 24:44-46). The rewards will be matched to what each person, who already believes and serves Him (2 Cor. 5:10), “has done” for Christ.

Then Jesus said “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, beginning and the end.” The same words, earlier applied to the Father (1:8, 21:6), apply fully to the Son. Verse 14 contains the seventh and final Beatitude in Revelation. Those who “Blessed” (happy) “who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates”! The figure of washing their robes is equivalent to trusting Christ concerning His sacrificial death on their behalf. Those who wash their robes are those who seek to purify themselves from a sinful way of life. They strive daily to remain faithful and ready and ready for Christ’s return. In the final analysis, the real entrance to the heavenly city is through Him who said “I am the door; if any one enters by Me, he will be saved” (John 10:9).

God’s entire Story focuses on His desire or fellowship with those whom He created in His image. Sin broke the fellowship; faith in Jesus restores it. God revealed the completion of His Story by promising Christ’s return. Jesus is preparing a place in His Father’s house for all believers and will come to take them to be with Him forever. The curse of Genesis 3:14-19 is replaced with the blessing of Revelation 22:14. We must get ready for Jesus’ return, knowing what we do in this life has eternal consequences. God’s people living in God’s house for all eternity provides the perfect conclusion to God’s Story.

GOD SENDS HIS SON

Our study of God’s Story has focused upon Old Testament episodes identifying human sin and God’s desire to help. So now we turn to the New Testament. Thus far the coming Messiah has been anticipated. Jesus, the central figure of God’s Story, stepped out of eternity, and into humanity to reveal God’s redemptive plan. The New Testament does not tell a new story, it reveals God’s conclusion to the story He has been telling since the beginning. “Who is Jesus”? has been asked for 2,000 years. Answers include everything from blatant denials He ever existed, to seeing Him as a great philosopher-humanitarian, to understanding Him as the Son of God. I see Jesus as the infallible inerrant Son of God, who lived a perfect life, died a sacrificial atoning death, and was raised to life again. I trusted Jesus as my Savior in late October 1959. Think about the date you trusted Jesus as your Savior.

Read John 1:1-2, 14 The Son’s Identity

Sometime around AD 90, the apostle John set out to answer the question, “Who is Jesus?”.  The result was the Gospel of John. John knew Jesus was the pinnacle person of God’s Story. The Bible begins with the words, “In the beginning” (Gen. 1:1). John chose to begin his story of Jesus the same way, with the words “In the beginning”. He did this as an acknowledgment that Jesus deserved the same reverence and recognition normally reserved for God. More importantly, John wanted to establish from the first that Jesus was not an afterthought or a plan B in God’s Story.  Rather, Jesus was actively involved as the key character of God’s Story from the “the beginning”. In fact, John’s beginning goes beyond the beginning of creation recorded in Genesis 1:1. John began his Gospel with an emphasis on the Word, “ho logos”. In this context, ”word” described what was spoken, done, or existed. With the words “in the beginning was the Word”, John declared that Jesus existed before creation. Though he did not call Jesus by name until John 1:17, John declared Jesus to be pre-existent, divine Word.

The “word” was term used by theologians and philosophers, both Jewish and Greeks, in many different ways. In Hebrew Scriptures, the “word” was an agent of creation (Ps. 33:16, the source of God’s message to His people through the prophets (Hosea 4:1), and God’s law, His standard of holiness (Ps. 119:11).  In Greek philosophy, the “word” was the principle of reason that governed the world, or the thought still in the mind. While in Hebrew thought, the “word” was another expression for God. John’s description shows clearly that he is speaking of Jesus (1:14)- a human being he knew and loved, but at the same time the Creator of the universe, the ultimate revelation of God, the living picture of God’s holiness, the one who “holds all creation together” (Col. 1:7). To John, the new understanding of the “word” was the Good News of Jesus Christ. As one of Jesus’ 12 disciples, John writes with credibility and the details of an eyewitness. John’s book is not a biography (like the book of Luke); it is a thematic presentation of Jesus’ life.

Many in John’s original audience had a Greek background. Greek culture encouraged worship of many mythological gods, whose supernatural characteristics were as important to Greeks as genealogies were to Jews. John shows that Jesus is not only different from but superior to these gods of mythology. What Jesus taught and what He did are tied inseparably to who He is. John shows Jesus as fully human and fully God. To say the “word” “ was with God” indicated a separate Person who was with God the Father in eternity past. To say the “word” “ was God” indicated Jesus was not a separate God, but rather a separated Person within the Godhead. The “word” also “took up residence among us”. “Among us” echoes Isaiah’s prophecy of Immanuel, “God is with us” (Isa. 7:14).  Because the “Word took up residence among us”, “We observed His glory”.  Jesus is God’s only and unique Son. Before Christ came, people could know God partially. After Christ came, people could know God fully because He became visible and tangible in Christ. Christ is the perfect expression of God in human form.

Read John 1:11-13, 18, 29 The Son’s Purpose

What’s the sad news of verse 11? (Jesus’ own people did not receive Him.) What’s the great news of verse 12? (For those who did receive Jesus He gave them the right to be children of God.) Having identified the Son, John sought to spell out His purpose. First, Jesus purposed to reach His own people. John recounted how Jesus “came to His own”. Understandably, Jesus went first to the Jewish people in order to get them back on track with God’s plan. Unfortunately, many of “His own people did not receive Him”. Second, Jesus purposed to redeem all who would receive Him, Jew or Gentile. John quickly focused on those “who did receive Him”. They received Him by taking hold of His message and accepting His words as truth. Those who “did receive Him” were those who “believe in His name”. To believe “in His name” means to buy into every aspect of His character and purpose.

Third, Jesus purposed to manifest the will of God. Those who believe in Jesus’ name “were born” of God. John likened becoming a child of God to being born in a spiritual sense. In America, the phrase “born again”, derived from John 3:3, became popular and political when presidential candidate Jimmy Carter used the phrase. Fourth, Jesus purposed to reveal God. Jesus became flesh, people can understand God through His ministry. For the second time, John referred to Jesus as “the One and Only Son”, rendering “monogenes”.  The term speaks to Jesus’ unique relationship with the Father, making Him uniquely qualified. Because Jesus came to earth from “the Father’s side”, He revealed God to people.

Finally, Jesus purposed to take away the world’s sin. John the Baptist identified Jesus as “the Lamb of God”, a title used only twice (John 1:29, 36).  John the Baptist called people’s attention to Jesus, “Here is the Lamb of God”. For the Hebrews, the “lamb” was the sacrificial animal of the Passover. According to the law, without the shedding of blood there was no forgiveness of sin (Heb. 9:22). Thus, “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” was God’s ultimate sin-sacrifice to remove our sins once and for all. No human being has ever actually seen God. But the Word who had an intimated relationship with Him has declared Him to humans. In verse 18, Jesus, the seen, explained precisely and clearly the unseen God,  the Father. A new creative and redemptive act was begun through the Word who became a person. In Christ, God became a man who lived on earth – and in Revelation, John tells us God will again live on this new earth.

Read Matthew 4:17-24 The Son’s Ministry

How did the lives of Peter, Andrew, James, and John change when they encountered Jesus? (They left their nets and “immediately” left their current life and followed Jesus.) What is the message to us in the actions of these disciples? (To follow Jesus unconditionally!) Jesus ministry consisted of three primary activities: preaching, teaching, and healing. An important aspect of His preaching was an emphasis on repentance (Matt. 4:17).  Preach renders the Greek “kerusso”, meaning “to be a herald” of a message with an implication of formality and authority (Paul tells us this also). God’s desire was to change lifestyles by having the people repent and establishing one’s relationship to God. Matthew preferred to refer to the kingdom of God as the “kingdom of heaven” and he stated it had come near- if you repent and put it in your heart. Matthew used Jesus’ words over and over again to emphasis the importance of having a “right heart”.  Jesus started His ministry with the same message people had heard John the Baptist say “Repent of your sins”. The message is the same today as when Jesus and John gave it. Becoming a follower of Christ means turning away from our self-centeredness and “self” control and turning our life over to Christ’s direction and control.

Jesus used the ministries of teaching, preaching, and healing in order to point people to God (vv. 23-24). Jesus’ preaching took the form of open-air proclamation, often times impromptu as the occasion arose. As for healing, Jesus touched people therapeutically. Jesus’ teaching took place in synagogues He visited. Because of Jesus insightful teaching, authoritative preaching, and effectual healing of many, “the news about Him spread throughout Syria”. In New Testament times, Syria referred to the Roman providence and region just north of Galilee. Here, His reputation grew fast and people came to Him- and “He healed them”. Jesus was not their best hope for healing. He was their only hope!!! Jesus is our only hope and the only way to salvation. In God’s Story, Jesus is all we need.

GOD PROMISES THE MESSIAH

Gifts of all kinds and for all occasions are given with an element of anticipation and excitement.I just took my youngest granddaughter out shopping for gifts for her seventh birthday. We went to Old Navy and Toys R Us, and then we went to Ci Ci Pizza to eat. This was obviously a gift for me of a different kind, but sometimes we receive an even more perfect gift. When we were married, we could consider our spouse as a real gift. The idea of getting a person as a gift could be considered in a theological context. This lesson is important because the culmination of everything we have looked at to this point in God’s Story is wrapped up in the coming Messiah. Jesus is the One who fulfills the law for us. One who reigns over God’s eternal kingdom, and the One who restores us and makes us His own.  As a result of this lesson, we should be able to speak with greater confidence about Jesus as the promised Messiah, Jesus Christ is the indescribable gift offered to all.

Read Isaiah 53:2-3 The Messiah Became One of Us

Isaiah is generally considered the greatest totally human prophet. Isaiah provides the Old Testament perspective of the coming and the work of Christ. The first part of the Book of Isaiah is 39 chapters, with the message of judgment for sin. The second part of the book is 27 chapters that brings a message of forgiveness, comfort, and hope of the coming Messiah. Do you see the parallel? The key verses of Isaiah 52:13- 53:12 are called the fourth Servant Song. A brief review of the Servant Songs in Isaiah will help set the stage for our study. Here are four Servant Songs:

1. The Establisher of Justice (Isa. 42:1-4; Matt. 12:18-21).
2. The Bringer of Worldwide Salvation (Isa. 49:1-6; Luke 2:32; Acts 13:47).
3. The Tormented Teacher (Isa. 50:4-9; John 8:29; 15:10).
4. The Suffering Servant (Isa. 52:13- 53:12).

Some scholars have added a fifth servant song (Isa. 61:1-2) – primarily because Jesus read it at the synagogue (Luke 4:18-19).

Isaiah introduced the concept of calling Jesus the Suffering Servant. First, Matthew indicated Jesus’ healing ministry fulfilled Isaiah 53:4 (Matt. 8:17). Second, and most dramatically, Philip interpreted Isaiah 53:7-8 as a prophecy about Jesus (Acts 8:32-35). Third, Mark 15:28 and Luke 22:37 reference Isaiah 53:12, seeing Jesus’ death between two sinners as a fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy. Fourth, John quoted Isaiah 53:1 as being fulfilled in the rejection of Jesus (John 12:38). Fifth, Peter tied Isaiah 53:9 to Jesus life, Isaiah 53:5 to Jesus’ death, and Isaiah 53:6 to Jesus’ atoning work for our sins (1 Peter 2:22, 24-25).

A key aspect of the fourth Servant Song is the idea that the Messiah became one of us (Isa. 53:2). Jesus became human and dwelt among us (John 1:14). In verse 2, the analogy is “a young plant” needing to establish a good root system to draw moisture and nutrients from the soil. Yet, unfortunately, the young plant has its roots in “dry ground”, meaning the plant will be less than well-nourished or hearty. The analogy is then applied directly to the Servant in the words, “He didn’t have an impressive form or majesty”. The phrase “impressive form” renders the same Hebrew word used in 1 Samuel 16:18 to describe David as a handsome man.

However, this Servant was not handsome. Nor from all appearances did He possess majesty, meaning “splendor” or “grandeur”. In Samuel 16:7, God told Samuel that man looks on the outward appearance but the Lord sees the heart. So Isaiah described the Messiah (Servant) as possessing no extraordinary physical features that made Him stand out from the crowd. Why do you think that was true? (It emphasis that the heart- not appearance- is the real value of a person. It also makes it very clear that the message, miracles, and spiritual attraction is what made Jesus so important.) In God’s Story, the most unassuming people are the real stars; never is this truer than when applied to Jesus. Jesus completely fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecies about the suffering Servant. Those of us who “know” Jesus in the pardon and forgiveness of our sins can praise Him for all eternity. How are the promises God makes different from the promises we make? (We often break our promises and many times make them in haste. God never makes His promises and they are every lasting, well thought out promises.)

Read Isaiah 53:4-9 The Messiah Suffered for Us

As God’s suffering Servant, Jesus suffered for us. Jesus did not merely succumb to the overwhelming deceit of the Jewish leadership of His day. Nor did He fall victim to the irrepressible might of the Roman government. He suffered deliberately, on purpose, as the central figure in God’s Story. Verse 4 juxtaposes two contrasting realities; the realty of Christ’s suffering for us and the realty of our misjudgment of Him. As we read Isaiah, we must be amazed of how accurate, with so many details, his prophecy is. How could an Old Testament person understand the idea of Christ dying for our sins- actually bearing the punishment that we deserved? The sacrifices suggested this idea, but it is one thing to kill a lamb, and something quite different to think of God’s chosen servant as that lamb. But God was pulling aside the curtain of time to let the people of Isaiah’s day look ahead to the suffering of the future Messiah and the resulting forgiveness made available to all people. Isaiah even foresaw that the Messiah would be put on trial and buried in a rich man’s tomb.

Isaiah speaks of Israel straying from God and compares them to wandering sheep. Yet God would send the Messiah to bring them back into the fold. We have hindsight to see and know the identity of the promised Messiah. But if we know all Jesus did and still reject Him, our sin is much greater than that of the ancient Israelites, who could not see what we have seen. We must give our life to Jesus Christ, the “good shepherd” (John 10:11-16), or we would be going our way like a wandering sheep. Jesus is the Lamb (53:7) offered for the sins of all people (John 1:29; Rev. 5:6-14). The Messiah had to suffer for our sake, bearing our sins to make us acceptable to God. Revelations 4:1-2 tells us that John actually went up to heaven and says that he was “instantly” in the Spirit. What does that tell us? (It tells us that we cannot enter heaven in our current form and state of sin. It tells us that no sin can enter heaven. It also tells us that John really went to heaven as stated in Rev. 4-1-2.) So Isaiah was telling all, even in 680 BC, that the Messiah would come and make us without sin and be acceptable to enter heaven!

Read Isaiah 53:10-12 The Messiah Rescues Us

Verse 10 could be completely misunderstood because it sounds harsh and cruel. We might question how the Lord could delight in crushing or bruising His innocent Servant. The proper understanding spotlights God’s delight in the Servant’s death as the path of salvation for sinners. Do we think that God did not know that Jesus would be resurrected? God loves us so much He took delight and was pleased His Servant submitted to being crushed so we might regain life. Jesus was not the helpless victim. Rather, He laid down His life of His own accord (John 10:14-18). Thus the Servant became a “restitution offering”- a specialized sin offering that included making restitution to the offended party, whereby guilty sinners could find atonement through offering sacrifice. The Servant served as our “restitution offering”. Verse 10 is the only place in Scripture a person served as a restitution offering. The promise that the Servant “will see His seed” and “prolong His days” indicated the Servant’s death would not be the final chapter of His Story. The Lord’s “pleasure”, that sinners have guilt removed and receive atonement, will succeed because of the Servant.

Verse 11 tells of the enormous family of believers who will become right with God, not by their own works, but by the Messiah’s great work on the cross. They are justified because they have claimed Christ, the righteous Servant, as their Savior and Lord (Romans 10:9; 2 Cor. 5:21). Their life of sin is stripped away and they are clothed with Christ’s goodness (Ephesians 4:22-24).

Then in verse 12, the Servant is said to receive from God “the many as a portion” and “the mighty as spoil”. The terms “portion” and “spoil” refer to rewards of military conquest. People’s souls are at stake in the spiritual warfare between Satan and the Lord. “Because He submitted Himself to death”, the Servant became the conquering Redeemer of human kind. God’s long-term plan mandated His Servant bear “the sins of many”. This was God’s gift to the Servant, per Isaiah. However, the real, magnificent gift is to us, the true believers of Jesus. Think about how we should express our thanks to God. Normally we would make a phone call or write a note to say thanks for a gift, but that is not possible with God. We must find our heartfelt way to thank God for all He has done for us. So Isaiah was a true servant of God, and was used as a prophet to tell of the Suffering Servant to others who would believe. Isaiah was a vital part of God’s Story and we all have the choice to claim our portion in God’s Story.

GOD RESTORES HIS PEOPLE

When you were younger, have you ever broken something like a vase, statue, or table decoration because you were doing something you were not supposed to be doing? Then you tried to “hide” the “crime” by gluing the object back together. Were you finally discovered? I heard a story where two young boys were throwing a football in the house and knocked a special vase off of the table. When it fell the boys figured it would shatter into many pieces, but it broke cleanly into two pieces. With the help of some good glue, they repaired it and returned it to the table. A few days later their dad brought home some flowers for their mom. Guess where the flowers were placed? That’s right- and the vase leaked. They were busted and their dad disciplined both of the boys. Fortunately, their dad gave them many other chances to get things right. God is that way too. When we mess up, He disciplines us as a loving Father (Prov. 3:12).  He restores us. Last week, we learned or were reminded how God disciplined the Israelites. Now we are going to see how God restores His people.

Read Jeremiah 29:10-14 The Promise of God

God continued to carry out His plan for His people. God is sovereign and faithful –and this lesson focuses on how God kept His promise to restore a “remnant”. This is the remnant that returns from a 70 year exile in Babylon to rebuild the temple. Scholars differ on the exact dates of this 70—year period in Babylon. However, it seems most likely to refer to the 70 years between the fall of Assyria and the fall of Babylon (609-539 BC). This seems to be what Jeremiah was saying when he connected the 70 years to Babylon (v.10). But some can make a good case for time being 586-516 BC, the overlapping period that Jerusalem was without a temple. Remember, the temple was the visible symbol of God’s presence. Regardless, all agree that God sent His people to Babylon for a long time, not the short captivity predicted by the false prophets. Jeremiah, in verses 5-9, encourages the “remnant” to prepare for the 70 year exile by building houses, plant gardens, marry, raise children, allow the children to marry, seek Babylon’s welfare (while they were in that land), and finally not to heed the false prophets and diviners. Jeremiah knew the long exile would take its toll on the Jews if they did not try to live as normal lives as possible- because many of them would not live to return from exile. Why do you think it was important that God told Jeremiah the length of the exile? (Think about sitting in constant preparation, likely doing nothing, for a return trip to Jerusalem.)

So why 70 years?  First, the land (Jerusalem) would have a Sabbath rest (2 Chron. 36:21) – after being “destroyed”. Second God would then “attend to” and “confirm” His “promise” to the people (v.10). God would visit His people and also would confirm His promise, literally His good Word. Notice “you” is plural in verse 10, as God spoke through Jeremiah to His people, not to an individual. The promise was to restore them “to this place” – Jerusalem. We are all encouraged by a leader who stirs us to move ahead, someone who believes we can do the task given and who will be with us all the way. God is that kind of leader. He knows the future and His plans for us are good and full of hope. The “remnant” was being prepared for the heart of God’s Story- the earthly presence of Jesus.

God did not forget His people, even though they were captives in Babylon. He planned to give them a new beginning with a new purpose- to turn them into new people. In times of dire circumstances, it may appear as though God has forgotten us. But God may be preparing us, as He did the people of Judah, for a new beginning with Him at the center. They could call upon Him with confidence. Although the exiles were in a difficult place, they need not despair because they had God’s presence, the privilege of prayer, and God’s grace. If we seek Him wholeheartedly, He will be found. Neither a strange land, sorrow, perception of problems, nor physical difficulties can break our fellowship with God. We know God restored the “remnant” and He will restore us when we search for Him with all our hearts. This is yet another promise filled in God’s Story.

Read Ezra 1:1-5 The Return of God’s People

While His people languished in exile, God prepared the next chapter in His Story, determining to restore His people to the covenant land of Judah. Yet how would they escape their captors, navigate the 800 miles from Babylon to Jerusalem, and arrive safely? God had a new exodus in mind. Rather than fight the Babylonians Himself through miraculous plagues as He did in Egypt, God replaced the Babylonians with the Persians. Enter Cyrus the Great, a fierce, warrior-king whom the Lord referred to as “His anointed” (Isa.45:1). A year after defeating the Babylonians, Cyrus issued a proclamation freeing the exiled peoples, allowing them to be repatriated to their homelands, and encouraging them to build temples to their gods (Persian wording). We are told in verse 1 that this was all God’s doing. Cyrus’ proclamation appears in Ezra 1:2-4 and it spread from Persia in the east to the region of modern Turkey in the west and down along Egypt. Thus Cyrus’ proclamation extended over the entire promise land, enabling him to free the captives and allowing them to return safely to their homeland.

Amazingly, the proclamation begins with “The Lord, the God of heaven…” and ends with a call for financial support from acquaintances of those who would make the journey. Now what was left was for the correct response from God’s people. Why was God’s way of fulfilling His promise, in this case, so amazing? ((Cyrus was a Gentile, in what is today’s Iran, shown had shown leadership and mercy in unifying the Medes (one of the kingdoms in Daniel’s prophecy) and the Persians. Now God used him to permit the Jews to return by defeating the Babylonians (in Today’s Iraq)!) Cyrus even instructed those of the exiles who chose to remain in Babylon to support the efforts of their returning Jewish brethren. Ezra made no reference to the irony of a Gentile king having to instruct his Jewish subject to help each other. However, the emphasis does not lay so much on Cyrus’ tolerant attitude toward his conquered subjects as on the power of God.

Read Nehemiah 8:1-6 The Response of God’s People

Nehemiah describes a magnificent scene at the square in front of the Water Gate. Ezra, the scribe and priest, was to read the “Book of the Law of Moses that the Lord had given Israel”. We are told the reading took something like 6 hours- daybreak to noon. However, at the end of Ezra’s reading, they all bowed down and worshipped the Lord wholeheartedly. This was the scene to celebrate the completion of Jerusalem’s walls. Nehemiah, the governor, returned to Jerusalem from Persia to rebuild the walls and it took only 52 days (Neh. 6:15).

An important account of an event involving Ezra and the rebuilding of the temple is not in our lesson material, likely because the issue was to recount the people’s response to God in this amazing scene by Nehemiah.  During Ezra’s efforts to get the people to rebuild the temple, he had to contend with a lot of opposition from those already in and around Jerusalem. As you may recall, the people who had returned from Babylon in the early groups, lost focus and were building for themselves- not God. Ezra finally got their attention back on the temple and got it completed. Also as a side note here, it may be helpful to say that even though the Book of Jeremiah appears later in the Old Testament chronologically than the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, Jeremiah describes events that historically preceded them. There is also some questions among scholars that maybe the writing of the books of Ezra and Nehemiah appear out of order chronologically- but it doesn’t change the events. What is certain is that Ezra’s life and Nehemiah’s life overlapped and they were contemporaries (8:9). Ezra was much older and Ezra’s journey to Jerusalem from his exile appears to happen sixty years from Cyrus’ proclamation. Nehemiah’s return was another 13 years later and as we see in verses 1-6, he was successful in getting the walls rebuilt. Ezra had been successful in getting the returning “remnant” to rebuild the temple, prior to Nehemiah leading in rebuilding the walls. This seems a very good reason why the book of Ezra is placed first in the Bible.

Many of God’s people returned to Jerusalem and many more remained in Babylon. Many who stayed back had made their homes in Babylon and had family they did not want to leave. Some of these had married outside of their Jewish religion and did not want to leave their spouse and children. Ezra had told them that to return to Jerusalem they must leave these “outsiders’ behind or they would violate God’s law. This was not an easy choice. Many times we seem to face hard choices but we need to make them for God. Those who returned were the faithful “children” of God and had responded as God wanted- many leaving spouses and even children behind.

These verses in Nehemiah again were describing only those who had returned to Jerusalem and had helped in building the walls. Therefore, these were the “remnant” people who set the stage for the lineage that led directly to Jesus, His life, His death, and His resurrection.