Something Different, Job 19:25–27

Introduction

The last time that I was up here I spoke on Job's friends, particularly on Job's complaint about his friends. His complaint about his friends was thorough enough that we were able to pick out what Godly friends ought to be. We found five points, in particular: devotion, availability, courage, honesty exercised wisely, and purity of motives.

I'll be the first to admit that pulling out the qualities of good friends is not one of the typical uses of the book of Job. I mentioned before that people turn to Job for a number of reasons, including comfort, wisdom, and prophecy. Today I want to look at one of these more common topics: prophecy.

Preliminaries

Before we dig into the prophetic portions of Job, we need to review a preliminary; we need to understand the contrast of the typical appearance of God in the Bible's wisdom literature with His appearance in the rest of Old Testament scripture, particularly History and Prophecy.

History

History in the Old Testament, by and large, follows the path of one people, one nation, and that is Israel. Genesis 12:1–3 sets the tone for the rest of Israel's history:

Now the Lord said to Abram, Go forth from your country, and from your relatives, and from your father's house, to the land which I will show you; and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. Genesis 12:1–3

The history that is presented in the Old Testament focuses on the descendants of Abraham. We can read about his children, and the centuries of captivity in Egypt, the Exodus that united the nation and, eventually, brought them into the promised land. After a period of Judges, Israel institutes a monarchy that after only a few kings becomes divided, and so on. The rest of the world still existed throughout this time, but the Bible focuses on the history of a particular people that God chose out from all the rest.

I did something sneaky while I was quoting scripture, though—I cut off the end of verse three. It ends with And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. The prophecy in Job touches on some of that part of God's promise.

History in the Old Testament focuses on Israel, and God's special relationship with Israel.

Wisdom Literature

The wisdom literature in the Bible, viz.: Job, Psalms (sort of), Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon, doesn't focus as much on the history of Israel, per se. Most of the proverbs, for instance, can be understood without knowing anything at all of the Israel's calling. Knowing nothing of God, we can still accept Proverbs 10:4–5, Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth. He who gathers crops in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son. Similarly, most people can accept the advice of Ecclesiastes 11:6, Sow your seed in the morning, and do not be idle in the evening, for you do not know whether morning or evening sowing will succeed, or whether both of them alike will be good, whether they are Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, or atheist, because it is true, and it is universally true—it doesn't depend on some particular understanding of God unique to Israel.

In Job, even though Job and his friends talk about God, they are not drawing from the particular interaction of God with His people. One common perspective on the book of Job is that it addresses the question of suffering; why do the righteous suffer? This presupposes a notion of righteous, and, perhaps, of justice (if you suppose that righteous people ought not to suffer), and there is the understanding that there is a God who is just, and who is righteous, and that that God is able to and does intervene in the happenings of the earth.

But because the questions that arise in Job are more general, and apply to all of mankind, it should come as no surprise, then, the answers that come up, or at least that Job is looking for, are things that not only is Israel looking for, but all of humanity is looking for.

Scripture

Now, the prophetic passages in Job are scattered through the book, but I want to draw attention to the one that is probably known the best. With our preliminaries out of the way, we can look at this passage and see why it really is something different. This passage is Job 19:25–27:

I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end He will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see Him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me! (NIV)

And as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last He will take His stand on the earth. Even after my skin is destroyed, yet from my flesh I shall see God; Whom I myself shall behold, and whom my eyes shall see and not another. My heart faints within me. (NASV)

This isn't the only part of Job that is considered prophetic. Other parts include:

He is not a man like me that I might answer Him, that we might confront each other in court. If only there were someone to arbitrate between us, to lay his hand upon us both, someone to remove God's rod from me, so that his terror would frighten me no more. Then I would speak up without fear of Him, but as it now stands with me, I cannot. Job 9:32–35

Even now my witness is in heaven; my advocate is on high. My intercessor is my friend, as my eyes pour out tears to God; on behalf of a man he pleads with God as a man pleads for his friend. Job 16:19–21

[Elihu speaking:] Yet if there is an angel on his side as a mediator, one out of a thousand, to tell a man what is right for him, to be gracious to him and say, Spare him from going down to the pit; I have found a ransom for him—then his flesh is renewed like a child's; it is restored as in the days of his youth. He prays to God and finds favor with him, he sees God's face and shouts for joy; he is restored by God to his righteous state. Then he comes to men and says, I sinned, and perverted what was right, but I did not get what I deserved. He redeemed my soul from going down to the pit, and I will live to enjoy the light.Job 33:23–28

Something Different

Now in these passages that are considered prophecy, I think that we can find some things that are different; we can find truths being revealed that, perhaps, we already know, but that are new and revolutionary in the book of Job, and that point directly to Jesus. In the time that we have left, we'll look at three things which are new, revolutionary, and show us something different about God's plan for mankind. These are redemption, fellowship, and God in us.

Redemption

In the Old Testament, there was no getting rid of sin. There were sacrifices for covering it up, but sin was a fact of life, and the punishment for sin, death, was inevitable. David wrote Psalm 49 whose verses 7–9 read:

No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for him—the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough—that he should live on forever and not see decay. Psalm 49:7–9

Mankind has a sin nature, and the wages of sin is death. Death was inevitable, and it was clear that nothing that we might do would keep us from it. Elihu said, though Spare him from going down to the pit; I have found a ransom for him—then his flesh is renewed like a child's; it is restored as in the days of his youth. He prays to God and finds favor with him, he sees God's face and shouts for joy; he is restored by God to his righteous state. We now understand more fully, for, as John wrote in his gospel: for God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16

The redemption of man is Something Different.

Fellowship

Job lamented about God, that He is not man like me that I might answer him, that we might confront each other in court. If only there were someone to arbitrate between us, to lay his hand upon us both, someone to remove God's rod from me, so that his terror would frighten me no more. Then I would speak up without fear of him, but as it now stands with me, I cannot. Job knew that as a sinner (for while he thought his suffering was unfair, he knew that he wasn't absolutely sinless) he could not approach God. We see this in the separation of the Holy of Holies into which a priest could only enter once a year, or from Isaiah's vision (Woe is me!), or Moses' glowing face.

Because of sin we were separated from God, and nothing that we could do could bring us back to Him. But He was willing to come to us as Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man. We know of God that He tempts no one, and He cannot be tempted, but we also know that Jesus was in the wilderness for forty days and was tempted by Satan. God knew that we could never redeem ourselves, and since the gap between us and Him was so large, that only He could bridge it through Jesus Christ.

Being able to fellowship with God Himself is Something Different.

God in Us

One of the aspects of human sin nature is that we cannot get out of our sin rut. We cannot practice, or develop will power, or anything of that sort that would get us out of sin nature. This corruption is present all the way into the core of our being, to the point that we are powerless. Paul sums up condition: we are slaves to sin.

We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!

So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. Romans 7:14–25

While Christ's sacrifice took care of our redemption, God has something else in store for us once we've accepted Christ as Lord and Savior to take care of us while we still occupy these physical bodies. Elihu spoke, saying,

Yet if there is an angel on his side as a mediator, one out of a thousand, to tell a man what is right for him, to be gracious to him and say, Spare him from going down to the pit; I have found a ransom for him—then his flesh is renewed like a child's; it is restored as in the days of his youth. He prays to God and finds favor with him, he sees God's face and shouts for joy; he is restored by God to his righteous state. Then he comes to men and says, I sinned, and perverted what was right, but I did not get what I deserved. He redeemed my soul from going down to the pit, and I will live to enjoy the light.Job 33:23–28

God has done even more for our redemption! We don't have an angel to say Spare him from going down to the pit; I have found a ransom for him, but we have the one and only Son of God! And Jesus' final command is echoed here, for [coming] to men and [saying] I have sinned, and perverted what was right, but I did not get what I deserved. He redeemed my soul from going down to the pit, and I will live to enjoy the light! is nothing less than spreading the Gospel, the most effective way to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.

But what's even more, is that we're promised something within us! John records Jesus as saying,

But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor [that is, the Holy Spirit!] will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgement. John 16:7–8

And doesn't this sound an awful lot like an angel on his side as a mediator, one out of a thousand, to tell a man what is right for him?

Elihu said, He prays to God and finds favor with him, he sees God's face and shouts for joy. Doesn't this sound like what Paul wrote to the Roman church, … the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know ow to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. (Romans 8:26)

Now God guided His people in the past. He has never abandoned His people, that is a certainty. But that God is willing to send a part of Himself to us, as individuals, and to guide us along in everything that we do, to teach and convict us, and to keep us in communion with Christ is truly Something Different.

Summary

To quickly summarize, we considered two preliminaries, that the historical books tend to focus on the history of Israel, and emphasize God's special dealings with His chosen nation, and the Prophets deal largely with prophecies for Israel (though they do, most certainly, point toward the bigger picture). The Wisdom books, however, lack some of this national emphasis, and their message is more easily received by those who might not be aware of God's special dealings with his chosen people. As a result, when we look to the wisdom literature, we can expect to see things that are more universally understood, and prophecy in the wisdom literature deals with things that apply to all of mankind.

In Job, we see three things that might be Something Different than what we'd expect after reading the Jewish history and prophecy. We see a plan for redemption of sin, restoring man's righteous status. We see God willing to come as a man in order to fellowship with his creation. We see the promise of the indwelling Holy Spirit, God's presence within us.

I'm sure that I've only barely scratched the surface of the prophecies in Job, but I hope that we've seen that prophecy in the wisdom literature points to something for the whole world, something different.

Matthew 10:40-42

He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me. Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.Matthew 10:40–42

This week, Pastor Kang's sermon was based on Matthew 10:40-42, in which Jesus describes to them the rewards that await those who welcome the brethren, and also identifies himself, indirectly, with the brethren.

The context of this passage is that Jesus has completed the Sermon on the Mount, and has continued to instruct his disciples. Several miracles and parables are recorded after the Sermon on the Mount, and now Jesus is again teaching his disciples. He has been speaking of the various costs of discipleship, and is giving them final instructions, having [given] them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness (Matthew 10:1) before telling them to go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you god, preach, saying The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, case out demons. (Matthew 10:6–8)

Jesus has described to his disciples the cost, as well as the compensation, of discipleship. He has told them that they are undertaking a dangerous role, and that there is risk in spreading the Gospel, but that there are rewards for those who perform this task faithfully and effectively.

Jesus identifies Himself with his disciples in that who receives you receives Me. The receiving and welcoming of which Jesus speaks is the ancient tradition of hospitality (that continues today), and though as Christians we ought to be hospitable to all, Jesus here speaks of receiving a disciple, a prophet, a righteous man, and the little (or humble) one.

The rewards that Jesus offers, we note, are not restricted to those who have high standing or privilege in this life. Hospitality is not measured against some fixed, objective scale. It does not mean an obligation to house someone for up to three nights, or to share with them between four and six meals. Hospitality means giving what one is able to give, similarly to the widow who had but two coins, and who gave all of two coins. Jesus highlights this point when He chooses the act of [giving] to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, for this is something that is within our reach, however humble our means. Yet, the significance of what we, as believers, can offer is seen in the imagery of water, for Jesus said, Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. (John 4:13–14)

As an example of receiving a prophet, Pastor Kang pointed us to 1 Kings 17:8–24 in which a widow at Zarephath receives Elijah, and feeds him. Hesitant at first for lack of food, the woman feeds Elijah when he tells her that despite her meager supply of flour and oil, when Elijah tells her that her bowl of flour and jar of oil will not become empty until God again sends rain. More than that, the woman's son eventually falls ill and dies, and Elijah revives him. The woman who received a prophet also received the reward of a prophet.

Jesus, then, has instructed us that we ought to practice hospitality to the brethren, has shown us that we are able to do so, and reminds us that for our efforts, though facilitated by God, we will not be unrewarded.

Matthew 8:1-4

(Firstly, my apologies in advance. Posting sermons three weeks after they're given means that the quality of the text here, based on three week old notes, suffers a bit. Hopefully, with time, this process will become more streamlined. I also recognize that the ending is a little abrupt; this is my fault, and not the original speaker's.) This message was delivered by Elder Park.

And when He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. And behold, a leper came to Him, and bowed down to Him, saying, Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean. And He stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, I am willing; be cleansed. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus said to him, See that you tell no one; but go, show yourself to the priest, and present the offering that Moses commanded, for a testimony to them.Matthew 8:1–4

In our human lives, it is easy to become confused between the things that are real, and the images of those things. As an example, consider a lake at the base of a mountain. When the lake is still and calm, the reflection of the mountain on the lake looks exactly like the mountain itself. If it were not that one were upside down, and the other right side up, the two would be indistinguishable, and we would not be able to tell the difference between them. This is only the case, however, when the wind of the physical world is still. When the wind arises, the image in the lake is shattered, and the ripples and waves on the surface of the water destroy the perfect reflection.

In the ancient world, since leprosy was such a terrible disease, with no known cure, and a gradual decay of the body to death, it was viewed as a curse. Lepers had to live in the areas designated for them, and could not be a part of the regular society. Because leprosy was so severe, and viewed as a curse, there were involved and complex rituals in place for anyone who recovered, or was cured of leprosy.

The leper approached Jesus, and asked to be cured, but did not bring anything in exchange. He wasn't approaching Jesus as though He were a doctor who might accept payment, and really, the leper couldn't bring anything. When he approached Jesus, he simply asked to cleansed, should Jesus be willing. The leper recognized that what he needed form Jesus could only be obtained if Jesus were willing, and that the leper himself had nothing that he could offer, even if he wanted to, in exchange. The actions of the leper are much like the still reflection, in that the actual object is reflected clearly.

How often do our actions, though, not mirror so clearly the actual reality of grace. We often act as though we think we have, or will eventually have, something to offer in exchange for salvation. How many people find themselves desiring baptism, but saying, Not yet. Not until I'm ready. They think that they can prepare themselves, and that they will eventually have something better to offer God, and so can, in some sense, earn their salvation, or be worthy of it. We seem to think that we can effect some change in ourselves that will make us better before God.

The leper, however, recognized something that we would do well to take to heart: there is nothing in our power that we can do to change ourselves. We must come to Christ and ask Him to change us if He is willing. We are infinitely fortunate, for He is always willing to change us.

Not only is God willing to effect change in our lives, He really does change us. If we are in a time of suffering or trials, we might be surprised, or perhaps frustrated, when God does not make the changes that we think we might like to see. Rather than change our situations, God may, for our own sake, change our perspectives.

We must try, then, to follow God as he is in reality, and not as He might appear in a distorted reflection. We can only come to Christ recognizing that we have nothing to offer, and that anything He does is of His own will. The world too often distorts this message, telling us that we must bring something with which to buy our salvation, or that before accepting grace and mercy we must improve ourselves. These things, though, are impossible—we have nothing that we could bring to Him, and there is no change that we can effect that would be sufficient. We are saved only though His grace and will, and all we need do is come to Him and ask.

The Bible

Pre-Introduction: On Our Messages

If you have been with us for some time, you will have noticed that while there is a sort of message or sermon each week, it is not always given by Pastor Kang, or by Elder Park. For instance, those of you who know Bow-Nan may remember that he used to deliver the message once or twice a month. I would like to explain some of the reasons that we have this structure.

Firstly, having two weekly services (that is, the English service and the Korean service) is good, but it is also a great deal of work, and so having a message schedule that alternates between Pastor Kang, Elder Park, and others helps everyone by distributing that load, and helps to keep any one individual from becoming overwhelmed.

The practice of preparing and sharing a message within a supportive group of believes is good training for sharing the Gospel with the world, and a great opportunity for personal spiritual growth. In 2 Timothy 4:2, Paul instructed Timothy to preach the word; be ready in season and out of season, and as we learned some weeks ago, this adhering to this command helps ensure good things for those with whom we interact, and forces us to stay spiritually fit.

Writing to the church at Corinth, Paul encourages the Corinthians to have orderly church meetings, and includes the importance of hearing what others had to say and of weighing it afterward:

What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up. If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret. But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God. Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent. For you can all prophecy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged, and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. 1 Corinthians 13:26–32

Not only was this the practice that Paul proscribed for the early church, something like it had already been present in the Jewish synagogues. In Luke 4:12—15, we read that Jesus went and preached in the synagogues,Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit in Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. The notion of someone coming into town and coming and speaking in a local church might seem a little odd to us today, but in scripture it is not given a second thought. Paul, working as an evangelist to whom God had revealed Jesus of Nazareth as Christ, that is, the Messiah who the Jewish prophets had foretold, and recognizing that the Jews were in a unique position to hear the gospel—they were expecting the Messiah, and Paul was ready to tell them all what they has been waiting for! Now, in this traveling and preaching, Paul was acting as an evangelist, but acting as simple members of the congregation, we can learn from his example.

• Acts 13:5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews.
• Acts 13:14–15 [Paul and Barnabas] went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it. (Paul's address here is a beautiful summary of the relationship between God and his chosen people, and how Jesus is clearly the Messiah.)
• Acts 14:1 Now at Iconium they entered together into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks believed.
• Acts 17:1 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews.
• Acts 17:10 The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue.
• Acts 17:17 (Athens) So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there.
• Acts 18:1–4 (Corinth) And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks.
• Acts 19:8–10 (Ephesus) And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God.

Then I would like to encourage you to consider our messages not as a rotation, but as an invitation. Paul spoke in the synagogues because he knew something that he needed to share, and the synagogue was the place to do it. He encouraged the churches to let their prophets and teachers speak at their meetings, and to recognize that none were speaking infallibly, that what they said ought to be weighed carefully afterward. The implication, then, is that we do not need to be seminarians or pastors or full-time evangelists in order to share with those around us.

I would also make the suggestion that people who will be going on missions this summer, or are going to be involved with small group ministry, or any number of similar activities, to consider becoming involved with the Sunday messages.

Introduction

I would like to establish a motivating theme for my own messages, starting today, and for our Bible studies, starting in the fall, and this theme is Biblical literacy. That is, I would like for us to become people who are familiar with the Bible and knowledgeable about the Bible. There are a number of reasons for studying the Scriptures, a number of benefits we gain from studying the Word, and a number of things, I would point out, that we will not get the Bible. The Bible has influenced the Middle-Eastern and Western world since the first words to be penned were set down on papyrus. Let us now consider how the Bible reveals.

The Bible Reveals God

I am currently a graduate student at RPI in the Computer Science department, and my day to day work happens in the RAIR Lab, where I work on logic-based artificial intelligence. I also happen to have a personal home page. If you wanted to learn more about me, for instance, say you were a job recruiter, you might look for information about some of these things. If you want to know about my academic research, you would look for papers that I have written, and the projects that I have worked on. A few years ago, you would probably look at my Xanga, and these days you would probably be sure to look at my Facebook profile. After you had read some of these things, and done some research of your own, you could not say that you personally know me, but you would be justified in saying that you have a much better idea of who I am.

In the same way, knowing the Bible does not enable us to say that we personally know God, but once we do know God, the Bible helps us understand who He is.

A Single, Universal God

The Romans and Greeks and Egyptians all worshiped many deities. These deities had various properties, and some deities were associated with geographic locations—the fertile mother/queen Artemis was worshiped at a grand temple at Ephesus, and wise Apollo at the Oracle of Delphi.

The Bible, though, tells us of a supreme God above all other beings, a God who is responsible for the creation of all things, and who is to be worshiped alone. Indeed, John writes in John 1:3 that All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made., and the Ten Commandments include You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them.

A Holy, Righteous God

It exalts a God who is holy, righteous, faithful, incorruptible, and incapable of error and sin, so different from the Roman, Green, and Egyptian pantheons. The Greek philosopher Xenophanes had said that the gods did all that is shameful and disgraceful among men; they steal, commit adultery, and deceive one another. The God we see in the Bible, though, is good, perfect, and holy. There are Psalms that exalt these attributes of God, and James reminds us (in James 1:13) to let no one say when he is tempted, I am being tempted by God, for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.

A Personal, Loving God

It reveals a God who is personally interested in and loves His creations, including human beings. When God speaks, He often speaks to individuals. He walked and talked with Adam in the Eden as a man walks with his friend, and He called Noah, and Abraham, and Moses, and Gideon, and Samuel, and David, and Solomon, and Job, and Jesus spoke face to face with his disciples, and spoke to Paul, and we see that not only does God love mankind, but he loves a nation, and not only does he love a nation, but he loves a tribe, and not only does he love a tribe, but he loves a family, and not only does he love a family, but he loves an individual, and not only does he love an individual, but he loves me, and he loves you.

The Bible Reveals Man

The Bible reveals God, perhaps in a somewhat biased way (for instance, the history of the Israelites taking Canaan would probably be told very differently from the point of view of the Philistines), but God is not the only thing revealed by the Scriptures. The writings of ancient Greek philosophers declare their thoughts, but just as much, by way of contrast, they expose the thoughts of those on whom they built, and of those whom they opposed. The writings of the founding fathers of the United States paint a picture of England (again, perhaps in a biased way). In the same way, since the Bible documents the history of God's interaction with Man, it thereby reveals something of the nature of Man.

What Man Was Intended To Be

Then God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. … And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. Genesis 1:26–27,31

1. O Lord, our Lord,
   how majestic is your name in all the earth!
   You have set your glory above the heavens.
2. Out of the mouth of babies and infants,
   you have established strength because of your foes,
   to still the enemy and the avenger.
3. When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
   the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
4. what is man that you are mindful of him,
   and the son of man that you care for him?
5. Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
   and crowned him with glory and honor.
6. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
   you have put all things under his feet,
7. all sheep and oxen,
   and also the beasts of the field,
8. the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
   whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
9. O Lord, our Lord,
   how majestic is your name in all the earth!Psalm 8

Mankind is created in the very image of God. Every good thing that can be pointed to in the human race points back to God. Mankind was created in the image of God and the parallels are abundant. As God is supreme over the entirety of this creation, so mankind has been given dominion over this earth. As God created and saw that it was good, so is mankind born with an innate love of creating and an appreciation of the glory of what God has created.

What Man Has Become

A quick look around at our world, however, makes us wonder whether we are beings created in the image of a righteous, holy God. We find no shortage of every kind of depravity and cruelty, and even when we try to do what is right and follow after the example of Jesus, we seem to stumble more often than we might have thought possible.

Knowing that the Bible records God's interaction with man, we might expect God to work with the purest, the most righteous and holy specimens of mankind. We might look to the Bible to find those with whom God has been pleased, and try to set them up as examples for us. If we try to do this, though, we will quickly find ourselves crossing off Noah for drunkenness, Moses for murder, David's adultery, Solomon's idolatry, and so on. We soon recognize the truth in Paul's words to the Romans, that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23 (I don't mean to suggest that there have never been righteous people—for instance, righteousness was, in fact, attributed to Noah. I am illustrating the simple fact that we are a corrupt race, and in need of salvation.) In his letter to the Romans, Paul also quotes David:

1. The fool says in his heart, There is no God.
   They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds,
   there is none who does good.
2. The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man,
   to see if there are any who understand,
   who seek after God.
3. hey have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt;
   there is none who does good,
   not even one.
4. Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers
   who eat up my people as they eat bread
   and do not call upon the Lord?
5. There they are in great terror,
   for God is with the generation of the righteous.
6. You would shame the plans of the poor,
   but the Lord is his refuge.
7. Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
   When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people,
   let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.

What Man Is To Become

Fortunately, what Bible tells us about ourselves does not end with the contrast between what we were meant to be and what we eventually became. No, the story of salvation continues with the arrival of the indwelling Holy Spirit that changes us. For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:14–17) The Bible shows us what we are becoming.

What is the Bible?

What, then, is this amazing thing called the Bible? The Bible is God's Word meant to be permanently available to His people. Though the millennia, God has communicated with His people in a number of different ways: personal revelation, prophecy, dreams and interpretations, and so on. Some of these communications have been recorded in the Bible, and so the Bible is a record of His interaction with His people through the millennia.

What Effect Does the Bible Have?

We just spent a fair amount of time talking about what is actually in the Bible, at least in terms of what we might expect to find, overall, in the Bible. But even so, there are many true things that we can find in this world, and some of them seem to have an effect on s more than others. What effect does the Bible have on us? We can start by examining what effect the Bible has had on others through history.

2 Kings 22—Josiah's Revival

Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan who read it. And Shaphan the scribe came to the king and brought back word to the king and said, Your servants have emptied out the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of the workmen who have the oversight of the house of the Lord. Moreover, Shaphan the scribe told the king saying, Hilkiah the priest has given me a book. And Shaphan read it in the presence of the king. And it came about when the king heard the words of the book of the, that he tore his clothes. Then the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Achbor the son of Micaiah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king's servant saying, Go, inquire of the Lord for me and the people and all Judah concerning the words of this book that has been found, for great is the wrath of the Lord that burns against us, because our fathers have not listened to the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us.2 Kings 22:8–13

We read on to see how Josiah tore down all the places of pagan worship: the houses of cult prostitution, the high places, the Asherah, the various temples for the gods of the peoples around Israel. The word of the Lord exposed and revealed the terrible state of the people, but it also caused them to repent.

Not only did the people repent, but they made forward-looking promises and covenants:

Then the king sent, and they gathered to him all the elders of Judah and of Jerusalem. And the king went up to the house of the Lord and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests and the prophets and all the people, both small and great; and he read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant, which was found in the house of the Lord. And the kind stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord, and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to carry out the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people entered into the covenant. 2 Kings 23:1–3

To those of us who know God, the Bible calls us back and shows us who we are, and who God is. The Bible also plays an important rule in telling us who Christ is.

Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch

Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. This is a desert place. And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip, Go over and join this chariot. So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, Do you understand what you are reading? And he said, How can I, unless someone guides me? And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this:

Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.

And the eunuch said to Philip, About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else? Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized? And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea. Acts 8:26–40

Just reading the Scriptures as they existed at that time were not enough to get the Ethiopian eunuch to know Christ, but they were the starting point and background that made it possible for him to accept Christ as savior and Messiah.

Jesus and the disciples on the road to Emmaus

That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk? And they stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days? And he said to them, What things? And they said to him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see. And he said to them, O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory? And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, but they urged him strongly, saying, Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent. So he went in to stay with them. When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures? And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, saying, The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon! Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread. Luke 24:13–35

The disciples who had been with Jesus during His ministry and who had heard Jesus preach, still did not understand what was happening around them. Jesus knew exactly what they needed, and what would convince them, and so he explained the Scriptures to them to show them that the Messiah must come and be rejected and crucified and that He would rise again. Though they were present for the biggest events in God's plan for salvation, they didn't understand it until they became familiar with the Scripture.

Structure of the Bible

I hope that by this point the motivation for studying the Bible is clear. In the time that we have left, I would like to quickly give an overview of the structure of the Bible. This may be familiar material for many of you, but it never hurts to review.

The Bible is a collection of about sixty-six books (the standard Protestant canon has sixty-six, though some people consider a few more part of the canon, and some (e.g., Martin Luther) have wondered whether certain books ought not be considered canon, and of course, there are divisions in some books that are considered a single book in Hebrew).

Old Testament

The Old Testament contains all the Scriptures authored before the time of Christ. Within the Old Testament there are number of groups of books. The books of each group are each connected in some way, either topical, or by time period.

The Pentateuch

The Pentateuch comprises the five books authored by Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. Genesis records Creation, the introduction of Sin into the world, early civilization, all the way up to God's personal relationship with Abraham (and up to captivity in Egypt). From Moses' point of view, the most recent of these events would have been almost five-hundred years ago. Though Moses wrote under the influence of the Holy Spirit, much of the material in Genesis would also have been passed down through oral tradition in some form. Genesis, then, deals with God's interaction with all of humanity.

We often consider Christianity an extension of Judaism, or the fulfillment of Jewish prophecy. These notions are not incorrect, but it is worth mentioning that God has had interactions with people outside of Israel, and outside what has been recorded in the Bible. For instance, Jesus is a high priest according to the order of Malchizedek, and this reminds us that God had dealings with other peoples from the beginning. (Malchizedek was a priest for God who blessed Abraham, and so clearly God was known to other peoples.)

Exodus through Deuteronomy records events that happened primarily within Moses' lifetime. (Though some accounts, e.g., Moses' death and burial, were clearly afterwards.) These include Moses' birth and childhood as Egyptian royalty, his self-imposed exile into a pastoral life, his return to Egypt, God's dealings with the Egyptian Pharaoh that ultimately led to the exodus of the Hebrews from Israel. Moses led the Israelites through the wilderness for forty years until they had reached the promised land, though he himself was not permitted to enter in.

Historical Books

The historical books narrate the history of Israel (and some surrounding nations) from the time after Moses' through the time of the judges, the kings, the exiles, and some of the prophets.

After the death of Moses, the Israelites entered the promised land, but still had to conquer it from the many peoples who were already living there. They did not conquer it all at once, and indeed, some of the people whom God instructed the Israelites to remove never left.

Despite Israel's initial jubilation at reaching the promised land and being free to worship their own God, and live on their own land, and receive the blessings God had promised them, the time of the judges is very dark. Numerous stories tell of intruding foreigners and apostasy within Israel. The stories in judges point out that the Israelites had been physically redeemed, in that they had come up from Israel and were, more or less, in the land that they had been promised, but that they were still spiritually weak and prone to stumble. How similar were they to we in our own Christian walks!

Poetical and Wisdom Books

The poetical and wisdom books comprise the Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon. These books explore some of the questions that people still ask today, for example Why is there suffering and evil?; Why do good people suffer and evil people prosper? They express wisdom, and praise, and prayer, and portray divine love.

Prophets

After the time of Moses, during which Moses had been instructed to write the commandments and the Law and, presumably, various parts of history, God communicated to Israel through the priesthood and the prophets (who are not, it should be mentioned, mutually exclusive). In the earlier years of Israel's history, communication seem to have been primarily through the priests (consider king Saul learning of God's will through the priests), but during the dispersions, the prophets had a larger role.

Some of the prophets spoke of things to come, including Israel's diaspora, that is, the dispersions and captivities that they were to suffer, or God punishing the nations that did these things to Israel (though they themselves were used by God to punish and purify Israel). Other prophets spoke of the Messiah. Isaiah, for instance, describes Jesus very well.

New Testament

The New Testament was written after the time of Christ, and contains two types of books, the gospels, and letters. The New Testament books are somewhat different than the Old Testament books because they address, initially, a much wider audience than the Old Testament books did.

Gospels

The Gospels record the ministry of Jesus, and the history of the early church. Four accounts of the gospel have been considered canon, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and these would have been copied and sent around to various places in the ancient world. The spread of the Roman Empire makes the New Testament world much smaller, in the same sense that the Internet and globalization is making the world smaller today. (Perhaps the Gospels were the viral videos of the ancient world?)

Pauline Epistles

The apostle Paul wrote a great deal of the New Testament, and his conversion is a great encouragement to any evangelist—both in that a ministry can be effective, even with modest resources, and that there is no one that God cannot change. Each of Paul's letters is usually placed into one of two categories. Though Paul was a Jew, and started his preaching in each city in the synagogue, the Pauline epistles are largely aimed toward the Gentiles.

Church Epistles

Paul's letters called church epistles are letters to churches that he had planted, or helped to establish. The instructions he sent to these churches is still relevant and applicable today, and also helps to understand how Paul's ministry progressed, and how he evangelized.

Pastoral Epistles

Paul's pastoral epistles are those letters that were written to individuals who had, or would eventually have, leadership roles in the local churches. These letters are also relevant and meaningful today, can guide us as individuals, and help us as churches.

General, or Catholic, Epistles

The remaining books of the New Testament are called General Epistles, and these are books that are aimed toward large audiences. For instance, the book of James is written to the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad, that is, Jews everywhere. The General Epistles are also, in some senses, aimed toward the Jews and Hebrew Christians, and so supplement Paul's writings that were aimed at the Gentiles.

Isaiah's Vision

Pastor Kang spoke today on Isaiah's Vision, that is, Isaiah 6:1-8

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:

Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!

And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!

Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.

And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then I said, Here am I! Send me.

It was our first meeting in the fellowship hall (the English ministry is moving into the fellowship hall from the sanctuary proper), and I hadn't driven in downtown Albany lately, so we ended up start almost fifteen minutes late. As a result, Pastor Kang had to give a somewhat condensed version of what he'd been planning to say. To avoid putting words into his mouth, then, I'll just summarize some of the points that he made.

Before looking at what effect this vision might have had on Isaiah, let's first take a look at the kind of prophet that Isaiah was. In Isaiah 20, we find the Lord speaking, As my servant Isaiah has walked naked and barefoot for three years as a sign .... Isaiah had been naked and barefoot for three years as a demonstration of what would happen to the Egyptians at the hand of the Assyrians. Three years! And that perseverance shows us that Isaiah's was confident in the what the Lord had told him. Isaiah knew that the word was true, and did what God told him to do.

Then, we'd be right to ask, where did Isaiah get all his confidence? He had seen God. When we see God, he becomes the source of our life, and the motivator of our actions. All too often, we see a little bit of God, and then put something else in between—we set up another god for us, and we keep ourselves from truly seeing God. But Isaiah did see God, and he had confidence.

And what did Isaiah see when he saw God? Firstly, when did Isaiah see God? Isaiah's vision is in the year of King Uzziah's death. Now using the reigns of kings as reference dates is not a practice unique to Isaiah, but look at the contrast. Earthly kings reign for a while, and then die. But Isaiah saw the Lord sitting on His throne, lofty and exalted. Isaiah saw a king whose reign is eternal! Some people are willing to move to another country for legal reasons, others for safety, others because they agree with the ideals of the country, but Isaiah was exposed to a kingdom eternal and perfect. God is present and his presence fills.

A few other things we can note about God from this vision:

• He is Holy, Holy, Holy—He is perfectly set apart, in a way that no man or other created thing can be set apart, yet He is the creator, and nothing exists without Him.
• He is the Lord of hosts—He is the ruler not just of mankind, not just of Heaven, but of everything that has ever been, is, and ever will be. He is the ruler not just of beings, but of History and Nature.
• The whole earth is full of His glory—Sometimes we dwell on the fact that God is holy, that is, set apart, and forget that His glory surrounds us, even here on earth. There is nothing that we could point to that doesn't show His glory.
• The temple was filled with smoke—while God reveals Himself to each of us individually, He remains a God in mystery. Isaiah responded to the presence of God, Woe is me! We cannot be exposed to the entirety of God.

Isaiah responded Woe is me! because when we see God, we also see ourselves, and we see ourselves as what we are: beings made in the image of God, but who are impure, sinful, and have fallen short of the glory of God. Yet God calls us to love, and we cannot love on our own accord. We must experience love in order to love; God loves us and so we can love others. Isaiah was told Your iniquity is taken away, and your sin is forgiven, and when he heard the call Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us? he responded Here I am. Send me!

On the Road to Emmaus

This morning interim Pastor Kang spoke about Luke 24:13-35, in which Jesus reveals himself as the risen Lord to two disciples who are traveling to Emmaus. Some brief notes from the sermon follow.

Summary of the Scripture

In this passage, two disciples are walking to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. One of the disciples remains nameless. The other is named Cleopas, though he isn't mentioned anywhere else in the New Testament. As they are walking along, they are discussing the things that have happened in Jerusalem over the past several days. After the Lord's final supper with the twelve disciples, He was betrayed and delivered up to the chief priests, who then brought Him to Pilate. He was crucified on Friday, and entombed several hours later. This morning, Sunday, some of the women went to His tomb, but found it empty. They saw a vision of angels, who said that Jesus had risen. When they went to see it for themselves, the tomb was empty, just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.

Along the way, Jesus comes up to the disciples, who are kept from recognizing Him. He asks what they are talking about—they stood still and looked sad. They began recounting the recent events: that Jesus the Nazarene was a prophet mighty in deed and in word in the sight of God and all the people; that the chief priests and scribes delivered Him up to the sentence of death; that they were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel, and that these things all happened already three days ago; that this morning some of the women went to the tomb, but that Jesus was not there.

At this point, Jesus rebukes them, saying, O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary for the Messiah to suffer these things and to enter into His glory? He proceeds to start from the beginning, with Moses, and explains the prophecies concerning Himself throughout Scripture.

As they near the village, Jesus seems as if He will continue on, but the disciples urge Him to stay the night with them. He took dinner with them, and when He blessed and broke the bread, their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him. They arise that very hour and return to Jerusalem to tell the eleven that Jesus had really risen.

Notes from the Message

That the women have already seen the empty tomb, and Mary has already seen Jesus might make this setting of this story seem later than it is. However, this is the same day. The women saw the empty tomb that same morning.

What the disciples discuss, and what Jesus has to explain to them shows how incomplete and immature the disciples' conception of the Scripture and the prophecy concerning the Messiah really was. Indeed, they had hoped that He might be the Messiah; yet their hope was finished. Jesus had been crucified, and they knew that dead men don't rise again to pick up where they'd left off. They were in a state of hopelessness.

They rightly called Jesus a prophet, for indeed He was, yet they don't call Him the Son of God. They had a reverence and respect for the prophets, and so honor Jesus by comparing Him to them, but they didn't understand Christ's divine nature.

They didn't understand prophecy. Jesus Himself had told His disciples that He must be crucified and would rise again, yet they say some women among us amazed us. One is only amazed at things that one isn't expecting. They were not eagerly awaiting the resurrection of the Lord. Furthermore, Jesus' suffering and resurrection wasn't merely a possibility, but Jesus said Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory? That necessary indicates divine imperative, and one that had been laid in out in Scripture by the prophets.

The disciples' misunderstandings might not have entirely been a product of ignorance. Had it only been a lack of knowledge, they wouldn't have required so much correction. (Recall that the walk to Emmaus was seven miles—a two to three hour walk during which Jesus was explaining the prophets to them!) There were probably elements of pride and a kind of arrogance. They had witnessed these events, and they had some conception of what had happened, and so they were hesitant to let go of these.

However, by the end, they do recognize Jesus based on a new understanding of Scripture, and also through Jesus' actions that parallel those before His crucifixion. Though it was already dark (they'd invited Jesus to spend the night because day was nearly over) they arose that very hour and went all the way back to Jerusalem to share their story (and the stories of the women and of Simon Peter) with the eleven.

Pastor Kang ended with the story of Robert Jermain Thomas, a missionary who was martyred in Korea. The relevance of the story, however, is that many came to know Christ through exposure to the Scriptures, and that just as the two disciples recognized Christ when the Scriptures and prophecies were explained to them, so we come to a fuller knowledge and understanding of Christ through the Scriptures.

As an aside, the story of Thomas is somewhat contested, and so I haven't recounted it here. The relevance to this is post is the fact that people come to know Christ through the Scriptures, and this is true.

2 Thessalonians 1

Summaries

In some of the second epistle to the Thessalonians, Paul clarifies things he had written in the first epistle. Other parts reiterate things Paul had written earlier. In both cases, it is important to remember that the Thessalonians had already receieved the first letter. The second is thought to have been written several months later.

1 Thessalonians 1

Greetings from Paul, Silas, and Timothy. Thanks to God for the Thessalonians; they received the gospel in word and in power and in the Holy Spirit. The Thessalonians are an example to all those who are in Greece and Macedonia. Paul and his companions don't have to tell other about the Thessalonians; their good reputation is spreading.

1 Thessalonians 2

Paul remembers his persecution, and how it only made him bolder in preaching to the Thessalonians. Paul and his companions didn't preach to make money, or for any ulterior motive, and were gentle, kind, and humble among the Thessalonians. Paul &c. worked hard alongside the Thessalonians, and shared the gospel. Paul again thanks God for the Thessalonians, and compares them with him, and with Jesus, for they all suffered for the sake of the gospel.

1 Thessalonians 3

Although Paul &c. tried to visit, they were always hindered, so they sent Timothy along with a letter, and to encourage them. Timothy returned to find that they hadn't fallen, or lost their faith, but had continued just as they should have; this fact comforted Paul. Paul prays for the Thessalonians.

1 Thessalonians 4

Paul urges the Thessalonians to grow in their faith. God's will for their lives is sanctification; abstainance from sexual immorality, that a man not wrong his brother; he who does these isn't just rejecting Paul's comands, but is rejecting God. Christians should live simple, peaceful lives, and not be dependent on anyone.

Paul reminds the Thessalonians that they needn't worry about those who have died. When Christ returns and takes the church, those who have died will be ressurcted just as was Christ.

1 Thessalonians 5

Paul won't (and can't) reveal the day and the hour of Jesus' coming, for it will come like a theif in the night. But the Thessalonians, as Christians, are to be constantly prepared for the coming of the Lord. God has not desinted us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation. Encourage one another!

Love the leaders and teachers among you. Live in peace with one another. Admonish those who need it. Don't repay evil for evil. Rejoice! Pray without ceasing. Be thankful! Do not quench the Spirit. Respect prophecy, examining everything, keeping what is good. Benediction and closing.

2 Thessalonians 1

Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy write to the Thessalonians. A blessing. Paul &c. thank God for the Thessalonians because they continue to grow in faith, and in love for one another. Paul &c. speak proudly about the Thessalonian church to the other churches, of their perseverance, even in the midst of persecution and affliction. Yet that same affliction will prove the Thessalonians worthy of the kingdom of God. (Bob Wilkins notes, that, while faith alone is sufficient to enter the kingdom, Jesus speaks of rewards for those who endure persecution for their faith.) Paul reminds the Thessalonians of God's eventual judgement and justice; those who afflict the church will be afflicted; their punishment will be everlasting destruction and they will be shut out from the presence of the Lord. Paul prays that the Thessalonians will be found worthy in this way.