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Morning Sermon: Audio Link

Nehemiah 1: Somebody, do something!

I. Historical Situation: Jerusalem lies in ruins, many of the exiles have been returned.

     A. Into exile why? National sinfulness: 2 Chronicles 36:15-17

     B. Out of exile why? God’s grace 2 Chronicles 36:22-23

II. Nehemiah, though, remains in Susa, the ancient capital of the Persian Empire (Currently "Shush" in Iran)

     A. Personally separate from the suffering

     B. Yet he cannot accept that

III. Something must be done

     A. Nehemiah, though, has a good job, responsibilities

IV. Nehemiah goes first to God in prayer

V. Suffering continues

VI. We are not not unlike Nehemiah

     A. Just because we’re not personally affected does not mean we should not do something

     B. We must be willing to put ourselves at risk for it

VII. When we see something that needs somebody to do something about it, that somebody is you.

Evening Sermon: Audio Link

Nehemiah 2:1-10

HAVE A PLAN!

1. The world does not want to see you sad

     Especially if you have claimed that God is your supply and strength.

     What are our words worth if our countenance does not reflect them?

2. Do not assume hostility from the world to all your purposes

     Neither can you assume that material support means they agree

     The king does not come to the One True God

3. Know what you want

     Ask God for strength

     Then follow through with it

4. Be prepared for opposition

     What you are doing does not meet with everyone’s approval

     Your actions will disturb those against God’s people

If this were an interactive class, I would photocopy maps and hand them out to you, and we’d label locations. I’d advise you to grab a good study Bible and look up the area.

The names here do not have many that need highlighting. Nimrod shows up, and his legend outside of the Bible is bigger than this text supports. He is counted as "A Mighty Hunter"  but that’s not really a positive. The idea is that he went overboard with his hunting: he possibly is the father of bag limits. He’s the guy with the chariot with the big buck strapped to the hood, that type of thing.

He also forms a kingdom which is found in the same region the later Babylonian Empire exists. In turn, he tends to be blamed for lots of bad things, and there’s nothing really to prove he was or wasn’t responsible.

Yet what can we see in the rest of this? We see, partly, the spread of humanity. If you turn it backwards, we see that humanity comes from a small group of people and spreads from there. Which is not only theoretically possible, but something that even evolutionary science supports.

In all, though, what starts happening now with the narrative of Scripture is a focusing. The story moves from ‘the world this’ and ‘the world that’ into a more personal story. Even the story of the Nation of Israel is related through individual people in most cases.

What does that matter? It matters because of this: you’re an individual person. 

Because God works through individual people. Because the Kingdom of God is made up not of earthly kingdoms of men but of people like you and like me and together we are here to obey the Word of God. The idea is not that we should get one nation or another to obey God through the law but that we should challenge all people to obey God through the Spirit. In turn, the laws would reflect godliness in general.

Note: that’s not to say one does not try to restrain evil through the law. That’s really what good earthly law is: restraining evil. Law can never make a man good but it can stop his evil actions.

That’s all for now…Genesis 11 coming up!

Doug

Genesis 9: (LINK) Rainbows and Ruins. At least that ought to be the subheading here. The Flood ends. Noah and family come out of the Ark, animals come out of the Ark, and life starts afresh in a very different environment.

Oh, and God sees that man will be so violent that instituting the death penalty for murder is necessary and Noah gets drunk and passes out unclothed in his tent. There’s that, too.

What do we do with this?

Let’s work the opposite question first: what do we not do with this?

1: We do NOT take Genesis 9:25-27 as justifying slavery, racism, or any other ethnocentric nonsense. Seriously, I have respect for many of Baptist forbears and men and women of other branches of Christianity that went before me, but that part was dumb. I do wonder what part of mine will be counted just plain dumb by my great grandchildren, but I digress. That Canaan was cursed by Noah does not mean you get to curse someone you think is descended from Canaan.

Got that?

Good. Keep in mind, there’s really only two kinds of people in the world: those who need the Gospel and those who need the Gospel. Well, the difference is those who have responded to the Gospel and those who have not. So,you’re not better than anyone because of your skin color and you’re not worse. Your culture may be different and there may be points of difference to discuss but we’re all the same before God: sinners in need of the Savior.

2: We do NOT simply write off the rainbow portion as mythic nonsense. Of all the reasons man would invent for the rainbow, we’d make up that it’s God’s sign there won’t be a worldwide flood? For that to be the invented reason, mankind must have a common memory of a worldwide flood. So…

3. We do NOT take the provision of capital punishment as the right to take our own revenge. There’s more here than just a simple vengeance principle and it’s also not a definite command to execute murderers. I think it is a Biblically acceptable practice when guilt is exceedingly clear, but that’s another discussion. The purpose of the statement in Genesis 9:6 is to establish the value of human life: we are higher than the animals and are not to be killed just for hunting. (Hear that, Slitheen? Good.)

4. We do NOT get drunk and pass out unclothed in our homes. Or elsewhere.

Now, what DO we do?

1. Trust God: imagine the terror of storms. It’s easy, really, when you have seen tornadoes and hurricanes. Now, amplify that terror by adding some big survivor guilt. Yet the reassurance of seeing rainbows as a sign that God will preserve a remnant. When you see stress coming, trust God. Seek His Word.

2. Value human life: all human life. From the moment of conception through death, all human life is precious. That means seeking the good of all people—not just the convenient ones. So, what can we do about that? Lots, and we need to work on it.

3. Take care of the earth: we’re suppose to fill it (and we haven’t, you neo-Malthusian folks) and populate it. That means live here. Your house may be your house, but you don’t just fill it with trash and leave the heat blasting, do you? Seriously, I like the term “Creation Care” better than “Environmentalism” but many of the goals are the same: keep this place fit to live on.

And I think we should do it because God told us to, not because we’ll miss the whales and polar bears.

4. Consider the effects of our actions when we respond to sin: do we desire only to embarrass the sinner or do we seek redemption? Want to be Ham or Shem?

That’s that, then.

Doug

Moving ahead: Genesis 8. (LINK) We’re still in the Flood. Actually, we start the chapter while the water is still upon the Earth. There’s lots of water at this particular point—over the tops of the mountains. There are additional sources to discuss the physical possibilities on this one.

The application angle I want to look is this: take a look Genesis 8:13 and compare to Genesis 7:11. The flood has taken a year.

Now, consider this: the purpose of the flood was to bring judgment on sinful humanity by destroying most of the human race. This is in response to the sinfulness of humanity: it is not an arbitrary judgment or undeserved one.

How long do you think that really needed? Channeling my best Bill Cosby as he does his old Noah routine: “How long can you tread water?” It didn’t need a year to accomplish that. There are reasons one can guess for why the flood took that long to happen and then subside. The general idea is that more was at stake than just purging the first post-Edenic world. Maybe there were cities or buildings to destroy. Perhaps this was a time that saw continents formed or deformed. The answer is: we just don’t know.

Had Noah been the one to make the decision, he probably would have spent about a month in the ark, come out, and gone on with life. After all, who wants to stay locked in a boat with a bunch of animals?

We would make decisions differently. Faster, for one thing. Without the extra time surrounded by smelly critters for another. We want life to move and work at our pace.

Yet  it does not happen that way. Very rarely does anything take place as quickly as we want. Whether it’s building success or growing a garden, more time is necessary than we want.

When God is working to move us from dead sinfulness, it’s the same way. It is an instant in which our dead spiritual life is raised by the power of God in conversion. Yet we’re not instantly holy on the outside. It takes time. Continual effort, sustained patience. Time.

More than we want it to take. All the while, we have to keep going. While we wonder how long it will take—while Noah wonders when the water will go down, he keeps feeding animals, keeps shoveling out the bottom of the ark, and keeps going.

That is the key for us: keep going. Some days, all we see is the flood water.

But eventually, the water recedes and we go forward. We keep going.

God is not finished working in our lives—and we’re not done with what we’re supposed to be doing for Him.

Then, for many of us, we retreat into a bubble-safe zone on Sunday. It’s called "church." While we can hang whatever explanations on that fact we’d like to, most Christians live in that reality. Most of us also recognize that something’s not quite right there—racially isolated sinners worshiping God apart from each other when we know eternity will look very, very different from that.

How do we adjust for that? How do we change the reality that is into what it ought to be?

The first tendency may be to simply accept the way things are as the way things will be and not bother with change. The next tendency is to change the appearance, change the practice, without considering how or even why to make the changes.

Yet as Christians, we have to base our decisions on more than just the need to feel better about ourselves. We cannot excuse inaction, but feeling doesn’t cut it. Our lives are supposed to be grounded in the Bible and led by the Spirit. it is the Spirit of God that is convicting us and bringing that unease about the status quo. We need to search the Scriptures to base our actions on the foundation of God’s Word.

That is the express goal of Matthews & Park’s The Post-Racial Church. They write to highlight the need for rekindling a passion for racial/ethnic reconciliation through Christ among His people. The effort is to shine a light first on the need and then on the direction for reconciliation.

The book was a challenging read for me. The church I pastor is essentially monolithic in ethnicity. Honestly, there’s not many folks in the church that aren’t related to the ground around here. And the community isn’t diverse, either—it’s not a matter of divided churches in a divided town. It’s a lack of option. Problems of race and ethnicity are big-city issues and far away problems (even with ‘far away’ being ten miles), not things that are here and now for us.

So, the book was challenging because it lit up issues that I have tended to downplay. With marriages falling apart, kids with needs, and an aging church population with shifting needs, is there really a need to consider how to reach people that don’t live here? This book hit me with a resounding "YES" answer to that question.

Within the covers of this book are chapters addressing large-church issues like missions and worship and chapters looking at one-to-one issues like marriage and family. Each chapter address the biblical passages and examples related to the issue at hand. The chapters then conclude with a "Thought Provokers" section intended to help the reader put into practice what they’ve read.

In all, I would strongly recommend this book. It was challenging to read: some of the terms and style reflect that this is from Kregel’s Academic and Professional group. Other parts are challenging because they shine light into places that it’s hard to have light shined on. Get through it. It will make good reading for a church staff group or small group study.

The Post-Racial Church: A Biblical Framework for Multiethnic Reconciliation

Note: Disclosures! reflects my policy on book reviews, though it may be out-of-date with names of publishers. Kregel provided this book in exchange for the review. They do not exert any influence on the content, only the scheduling.

There are some questions that the chapter leaves unanswered, such as exactly which animals are to be considered clean and unclean. The Mosaic law that will dictate that for the Israelites is still several centuries away, but there is apparently a known distinction even then. It is also a logical thing: if these are the animals that can be eaten and considered "acceptable" then you’re going to need more of them. You’re going to need them quicker, too.

The focus, though, for this chapter falls in verse 1. The Lord tells Noah to go into the Ark. This is important.

Why?

Consider this: for a hundred years, Noah and Sons have been in the ship-building business. They have, alongside doing whatever was necessary to survive, been building a ship that exceeds any thoughts of seaworthiness or control: it’s going to be a big, floating box that is too big to steer, too big to move to the water, too full of animals to keep it clean…

The whole effort could have been a waste. Noah, Shem, Ham, Japheth all could have decided not to bother getting in the Ark. They could have decided that building it was enough. They could have decided that they had done what God had commanded: build it. Now, they’re commitment was proven and it was time to call it a day.

Yet what would that have accomplished? Not a thing. Not one single thing.

If they don’t obey and get in the ark, then they die in the flood. Failing to finish their obedience would result in an overall failure.

Can you see where this is going?

What are God’s commands for us? Do justice, love mercy, walk humbly before your God, perhaps? (Micah 6:8) Love God with all you have and love your neighbor as yourself? (Matthew 22:36-40) Make disciples of all nations? Not just converts and notches in the pulpit and tally marks on the attendance rolls, but disciples? (Matthew 28:18-20)

These things are not to be half-done. They are to be completed.

Not because our salvation depends upon it—God in His grace saves sinners, even ones who do not fully obey Him. Our faithfulness is at stake.

And our faithfulness reflects on the One we serve. It affects people’s response. Our incomplete obedience to the Gospel drives people to distrust us and our teaching and our Master.

So, the goal ahead is this: finish. Take the last step, finish the task ahead and do all of what God has commanded you.

The Biblical story, though, is not an untrue story. It’s just that the word "story" describes what’s the Bible contains: a series of events, told in a mostly logical and chronological order, that contains action and other elements. The other term that gets applied is "narrative" and the two are often interchangeable and are definitely used that way around this blog.

Genesis 5 wasn’t much in the way of narrative. It’s a list of deaths and births with the one interruption of Enoch being ‘taken away’ instead of dying. The previous installment of Through the Whole Bible looked at that chapter (link), so you can see my thoughts at that link.

This chapter begins with an oft-debated section about the "Sons of God" marrying the "daughters of men." Let’s not rehash this discussion: you can find my opinion here if you want it. The basic matter is this: the people on earth are turned wholly against God. That’s what drives the story forward. The wickedness of mankind.

With that in view, it grieves the heart of God that He made people. The last part of His Creation, the part that moved Genesis 1 from "good" to "very good," those people. It’s a terrible thing, really.

So, God decides to bring judgment on this world and all the people in it at the time. Every last one of them. Except for Noah and his family, who find grace in the eyes of the Lord. (Note: that would be YHWH, the covenant name of God. See discussion here.) Please be aware that the word "favor" and the word "grace" in English are shades of the same Hebrew word. Noah has been more righteous than his surroundings, but it is still God’s grace that is bestowed on him.

This bothers us when we read it. After all, has mankind really gotten bad enough to deserve this severe of a judgment? Really? It is one of the critiques of the God of the Bible that such a thing would be done and counted as righteous: men, women, children all killed in a worldwide flood.

Why, though, does that bother us? Specifically, why would it bother someone who counts man as just another animal, one more rung on the ladder of evolution? The species became endangered and then recovered (and some folks would find that part tragic, I know). What’s the big deal?

The big deal is this: we see value in human life. That’s part of what many people in America are raised with, even if they are raised without a Bible or without faith in God. What makes man valuable, though?

Selfishly, we might find someone valuable because of what they can do for us. We hate to see that child die who might cure cancer or AIDS. We hate to see that life lost that might have inspired peace. But are people really only worth what they can do for others? That pragmatism can turn lethal in a hurry.

People are not valuable because of what they can do for us. They are valuable intrinsically. Valuable because of what they are. Because of what you are. You are made in the image of God.

The evil and violence of Genesis 6 is what God sees and judges. People have begun to take on the habit of killing and destroying each other. That is what God is addressing. Does it seem over harsh? It does. It may be, yet there is not much to say for it. Noah and family can only raise so much food, provide for so many mouths.

It is highly important to grasp this reality as well: GOD BRINGS JUDGMENT. Later Scripture, such as Hebrews and 2 Peter, tell us that Noah strove to tell his world about God and turn them to right, but he does not raise his hand in judgment. IT IS NOT FOR MANKIND TO BRING TOTAL JUDGMENT: it is fitting to establish systems for the administration of case-by-case justice based on law. To strike out generally is not our job-that would be for God to do or not do.

In all, this chapter challenges us to consider a few things: what ill effects does sin have? What destruction comes, even to those who we consider innocent, because of sin?

Why do we value human life?

Just a few things to think about.

Doug

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Morning Sermon: Matthew 8:18-27

Audio Link (or alternate link)

Challenges before seeing the greatness

I. Abandonment of all that you have

What will you not surrender?

II. Abandonment by all that you have counted on

What do you rely on?

Where does your strength come from?

III. Abandonment of any hope

Are you perishing yet?

Are you really just struggling?

IV. Astonishment at the work of God

Consider what price you are willing to pay?

Evening sermon: Matthew 8:14-17

Not much by way of outline here, just this question: What are you doing with the healing from sin you received? Been healed? Then get busy!

Evening audio link (or alternate)

Imagine, though, if you could run your family history back more than just hundreds of years. Consider what you would do with knowing thousands of years of history.

Many of us don’t have that and so don’t think it’s all that important. Yet even filling in some of those gaps can provide a sense of stability. Perhaps a sense of destiny (or density, too) about your life and future fills in when you know the past.

For example, in the early years of America, there was a man named John Hibbard. he was a Major in the Kentucky Militia during the War of 1812. He was also a tavern-keeper, sheriff, commissioner, and…a preacher.

I am not named after my Great-to-the-fourth-power Grandfather, though I do share his name. What do I learn? We Hibbards are interesting bunch. Preachers, tavern-keepers and more, all at once. Farther back and farther forward, there’s many a preacher/minister/pastor and many a hooligan, and oftentimes they’re the same person on the family tree.

In a way, I can see where my family has come from by seeing even just the names I’ve found on Ancestry. They’ve survived wars and famines, troubles and tribulations. There have been some successes and some failures. There has not been much in the way of fame or fortune—that is left to future generations, I suppose. Yet these men and women have been part of the ebb and flow of history. For all I can tell, Anglais Hibbard’s presence at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 was critical to William the Conqueror. (Yes, his name is recorded for history as "English Hibbard." Probably from helping conquer England. Or being from England when it was conquered.)

They are a portion of my heritage. There’s a Hibbard that studied at Cambridge (doesn’t say he graduated). And so on, so forth…The Hibbards have survived, moved forward, tamed wildernesses and urban settings. We’re not famous, but we’re here.

This is Genesis 5 (link) for the people of Israel. It’s the record of where they’ve come from. It’s likely got a few places where "Son/Father" is more of "Descendant/Ancestor" but that’s for the Hebrew experts to teach you—the important names are there.

The events seem to be missing, but think about it: you know history separately from your genealogy too, don’t you? You know whether to ask Grandpa about World War II or Vietnam because you know when he was born and when those wars were fought. You know it separately, and the one reinforces the other.

I see Genesis 5 as having the one, the family list, but the history is likely lost to the sands of oral history time.

Aside: write it down. Seriously. Record it, then transcribe it. What you did in the Depression. How your family handled the wars, the Civil Rights Era, where you were when…the stories will be lost. Also the recipes. Get someone to film you making the family secret sauce and then write it down. Keep it in a safe if necessary, but don’t let it be lost!

These names, ages, years are recorded to remind the Israelites of where they have come from. They are not just a random lot of people but people with a history. People that have come after one group—and will precede another group. It helps to place the history in line with people.

Enoch is there, Genesis 5:21-24, who has a shorter life but is recorded as walking with God. I think he reminds us that what we do with the years is as important as how many years we have.

We’re reminded as we look at this chapter that God works in the lives of people, not just in a void without us. He works in and through living, breathing human beings. In the midst of the living, eating, sleeping, and breathing, God is there and not to be ignored.

Will you use your years?

Genesis 4 is one of those places in Scripture where things just go from bad….to worse. In a hurry. It starts out alright: Adam and Eve come together and produce offspring. Eve recognizes that God has helped her, even calling God by His covenant name, YHWH. Let’s take that detour and then come back:

In ancient times, it was normal practice that an individual’s name was of much greater importance than it is today. I have very little fear of telling you my name is Doug Hibbard, and knowing my name does not really give you any authority in my life. Neither does it give you much insight into my character.

Not so, the ancient names. Frequently names were given to reflect character expectations. Also, names were safeguarded to a certain degree: one might have a publicly known name for general business, but then a specific name for your most important relationships and covenants.

It is not unlike people like me that are “middle-name” people. Doug is my name…but I have a different first name than that. I don’t typically use it, but I know when it comes up: taxes, government, insurance. If I hear that name, I know it’s not a personal relationship: it’s business, through and through.

Likewise, something you need to remember about the Bible is that “God” isn’t a name. It’s a noun. A fairly non-specific one, actually. Bible translators strive to use context so that they capitalize God when it’s the One True God but show it as god when it’s not. With me?

There are times, however, when the generic designation is not enough. For those times, God reveals Himself by a specific name. That name is considered holy by the original audience of Scripture, such that it was generally not pronounced or fully written out. Naturally, since the Old Testament is written in Hebrew, the name is Hebrew. The best it comes across into English is YHWH, often rendered as either Jehovah or Yahweh.

This is the name that reflects when dealing with the true God, personally, relationally. There. Detour over.

Now that we took that detour, notice that this is how Eve refers to God in this situation. She recognizes the specific and personal nature involved. This is a good recognition on her part. It should be noted that Eve recognizes this—whatever fault you want to lay on her from Genesis 3, she is the one who first calls God by name.

Of course, things don’t stay that positive. Adam and Eve have two children named at this point: Cain and Abel. These two go into separate career fields. One to farming, one to herding. Both bring offerings to God from their work, but Abel’s is accepted while Cain’s is not. The text does not give us an exact basis for understanding how Cain and Abel knew this to be the case, only that they knew it.

This gives us something to consider: very often we are aware when what we do displeases God. Occasionally we may need external evidence of it, but we know when God is displeased with us.

Now, there’s two options left to us when that happens. We can either find a way to make right our behavior toward God or we can lash out at those who are accepted by Him. Cain chooses one.

The wrong one. Abel is murdered. We’re given a classic question that is an indictment of all of us when we neglect those around us: “Am I my brother’s keeper?” The answer is: Yes, you are. We all are.

We are to be mindful of the well-being of those around us. Every last one. The victims of human trafficking in London and Lonoke. The poor kids on the streets of Little Rock or the villages of Laos. The sick and afflicted here, there, and everywhere.

That’s the message of Genesis 4: you are your brother’s keeper. Not because there is no God but because there is one. Because that one holds your brother important and has put his life in your hands.

The chapter finishes with contrasting endpoints: Adam and Eve have a new son, Seth, to carry on their line. Also, the line of Cain leads to a man who boasts of his revenge for insults. Lamech expresses disdain at keeping his brother and rather prefers to put his brother under threat.

Who are we?

Lamech?

Or those who will keep our brothers?