Powerful Faith

March 6, 2016 Background Scripture: Mark 9:14 – 29 Lesson Passage: Mark 9:14 – 29 One of the greatest challenges of Christianity is to appropriate faith beyond the acceptance of salvation as a gift of grace from God. In other words, how does a Christian use faith to overcome the challenges of everyday life? Our testimony is a reminder of how we stepped out on faith and trusted God to save us because we believed in the saving power of Jesus’ blood. We know that our lives changed the moment our belief and confession became a reality. So now what? The battle has been won but there are still some pesky spiritual skirmishes that won’t go away. And I know that the missing link in these is my faith. We tell ourselves that we have to learn to believe God for these situations just like we believe Him for our salvation. The text of today’s lesson will help us see that there might be more to it than we think. Prior to the situation presented in our lesson, Jesus had given his disciples power over unclean spirits to use in cities where he would come later. While in those cities, the disciples were charged with proclaiming the presence of the kingdom of God and preparing the hearts of the people for Jesus’ arrival. Their proclamations were endorsed with the miracles they performed as a result of the power Jesus had given them for the assignment. At some point after this, Jesus took Peter, James, and John and withdrew temporarily upon a mountain from the other nine disciples. While he was gone, a man approached the nine disciples for help to deliver his son from demonic possession. The scriptures indicate the disciples attempted to cast the demonic spirit out of the boy but they were unsuccessful in their efforts. The disciples were frustrated because they had cast out unclean spirits during the previous assignment which Jesus had given them. Upon the return of Jesus and the three disciples, the man approached him and informed him that he needed help and his disciples were not able to assist him. He told Jesus about the demonic possession of his son and begged him to deliver his son. Jesus requested that the boy be brought to him. When Jesus looked at the boy being tormented by the demonic spirit, he asked the father how long the spirit had possessed him. The father answered that it was since the boy was a child. Jesus assured the father that all things are possible with faith. Jesus cast the demonic spirit out of the boy. Later, the disciples asked Jesus privately why they were not able to cast the demonic spirit out. This was a great question because they had previously witnessed that demonic spirits had obeyed their command to exit people when they had commanded them in Jesus’ name to do so. Why did it not work this time? Jesus’ response is enlightening. All demonic spirits do not respond the same. Some types require more affliction of the soul of the faithful person as they pray for the power of God to manifest through them. With some demonic spirits, you have to be real. Much fasting and praying will be required to get one’s flesh out of the way so that the Spirit of God will work through the individual. Powerful faith doesn’t just show up because a person can quote a few scriptures or has good attendance in the church services. An individual’s relationship with Christ must go beyond believing and confessing. As we have seen in previous lessons, Christians are like the leavened bread that is offered before God. We still have sin in our flesh and we must die daily to it. We can appropriate powerful faith to the extent that we are willing to afflict our flesh through fasting and commune with God in sincere prayer. Jesus’ disciples learned this lesson and they are our examples. Robert C. Hudson February 24, 2016

Feast of Tabernacles

February 28, 2016 Background Scripture: Numbers 29:12 – 40; Leviticus 23:33 – 43; Deuteronomy 16:13 – 17; Revelation 14:1 – 5; 1 Corinthians 15:20 – 29 Lesson Passage: Leviticus 23:33 – 43 Never forget where you came from. That’s salient advice that has been passed through many generations and nationalities of people for thousands of years. It is no different for the nation of Israel. There were three annual pilgrimage festivals for Israel’s males (Unleavened Bread, Weeks, and Tabernacles). We have discussed the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Feast of Weeks in earlier lessons. Today we turn our attention to the Feast of Tabernacles. Israel was commanded by God to celebrate the end of the grain harvest season and its offerings. Afterwards, they were required to remember where God had delivered them from. As Moses prepared the nation to be led by Joshua into Canaan, he strongly admonished them to not let their blessings from God blind them and cause them to forget their deliverance. Moses warned them that the greatest danger would come after they had been blessed. The Feast of Tabernacles was one method whereby God kept the nation grounded in reality. Again, I refer to God’s purposeful provision of mandatory “holy days” for Israel that were designed to commemorate God’s covenant relationship with the nation and to create teaching moments for younger generations. God knew that the religious rituals He prescribed for Israel would generate curiosity in young people. He used the curiosity of the young Jews to strengthen the accuracy and the perpetuity of Israel’s oral history relative to their relationship with Him. The adults were required to learn the meaning of their religious rituals and teach the meaning to the younger generations. Israel was required to gather branches from a variety of trees that were specified by the Lord to be used to construct makeshift dwellings that they were required to live in for seven days. This humbling experience was to be used as a teaching moment for their children. When the children asked concerning the ritual, the adults were to teach them that their ancestors lived in such dwellings during the forty years between their deliverance from bondage in Egypt until their occupation of Canaan. God had provided for their ancestors throughout their pilgrimage in the wilderness. Although the nation was now blessed beyond measure, they were not to forget God’s deliverance of their ancestors who had very little physical resources compared to them. I often wonder if today’s generation of children in our society would be as “entitlement minded” if we were required to relive part of our lives prior to God’s deliverance of us. I certainly believe that it would have a profound effect on many young people today. Many of them have never experienced a long term lack of electricity, telecommunications, natural gas, automobiles, and water and plumbing inside the house. Even inmates who are housed in the many penal institutions in our nation today are provided with most of these resources. In fact, under our constitutional law, it is considered “cruel and unusual punishment” to deny most of these provisions to inmates who have been deemed criminals by the nation’s criminal justice system. The Feast of Tabernacles was a religious celebration to teach Israel to never forget the deliverance of their ancestors by God. Robert C. Hudson February 22, 2016

Day of Atonement

February 21, 2016 Background Scripture: Numbers 29:7 – 11; Leviticus 16:1 – 34; 23:26 – 32; Hebrews 7:26 – 28; 9:24; 10:4 – 18 Lesson Passage: Leviticus 16:11 – 19 Every now and then I have a day when I feel the desire to push a “life reset button”. Everything just seems to be off track in those moments. It’s not necessarily the past twenty four hours or even the previous week or month. You just ask yourself: How did I end up in this place, at this time, doing what I am doing? Was it a single decision or a series of less than stellar moves? I don’t recall doing anything intentionally to arrive at this point. What I need is a “life reset button”. Although we may fantasize about a reset, time does not go in reverse and many actions in life do not lend themselves to a “do over”. When it comes to spiritual matters of life, the reset is not a fantasy. Today’s lesson shows how God allowed the nation of Israel to reset her relationship with Him once every year. The tenth day of the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar was designated by God as the Day of Atonement. The word “atonement” really says it all. Atonement, or “at-one-ment”, means to be in union as one entity. God established one day per year for the entire nation of Israel to consecrate themselves and provide burnt offerings before Him and seek His forgiveness for the sins of the nation. The people afflicted their souls through fasting and prayer; this was the only regular day of fasting stipulated in the bible. In addition to fasting and prayer, there was also confession of sins, and celebration. The High Priest confessed the sins of the people on the head of the “scapegoat”. On the Day of Atonement, the nation of Israel would atone for their sins and again be in spiritual harmony with God. This was one of the avenues provided by God for Israel to maintain constant access to Him. All offerings for this celebration were to be brought by the High Priest before the Mercy Seat that covered the Ark of the Covenant within the Most Holy Place. The High Priest had to first make himself ceremonially clean by washing his body, putting on the clothing prescribed by God, and offering sacrifices for himself. The High Priest was only allowed to enter the Most Holy Place once a year on the day that God stipulated. While the High Priest fulfilled the duties of his office on that day, the entire nation of Israel was called to fast and pray or afflict their souls. This day was designated “The Day of Atonement” by God. Other than fasting and prayer, this was to be a day of rest for the entire nation. Only the Priest worked. The sacredness of the work in the Holy Place had been clearly established by God when He destroyed two of the sons of Aaron for entering the Holy Place and attempting to offer sacrifices to God on their terms rather than God’s terms. The Day of Atonement was and is an important day in the life of the nation of Israel. Today, the Day of Atonement is referred to by its Hebrew name, Yom Kippur. If the High Priest performed his duties in a manner acceptable to God, then all the people of the nation would know that God had forgiven them for the sins of the previous year. This would again mean that God was at peace with them and would not allow the sins of their past to separate them from Him. Robert C. Hudson February 8, 2016

Feast of Weeks

February 14, 2016 Background Scripture: Numbers 28:26 – 31; Leviticus 23:15 – 22; Acts 2:1 – 36 Lesson Passage: Leviticus 23:15 – 22 The Feast of Weeks celebration is also known as the Harvest of Pentecost. It begins after the Passover with the offering of the “new grain offering”. The new grain offering, or firstfruits, marked the beginning of the grain harvest. This offering was made along with a loaf of unleavened bread. The Feast of Weeks culminated at the end of seven Sabbaths with a grain offering that was offered with a loaf of bread that contained leaven. The seven Sabbaths (weeks) plus one day totaled fifty days—hence the name “Pentecost” which implies fifty. God commanded Israel to bring offerings to Him at very specific times which He appointed. Those offerings were not to be brought early or late. In the natural sense, the offerings were a reminder to Israel that God is the source of everything and its increase. With each harvest, Israel was to humble herself and acknowledge God as the source and sustainer of all. The celebration began with the offering of the firstfruits or the first sheaf of grain to God. The offering was brought to the Priest who had the responsibility to formally present the offering before God. The unleavened loaf of bread was a reminder of Israel’s deliverance from Egypt that was so hasty that the dough for their bread did not have time to rise. This offering was practiced in conjunction with the Passover meal. After that observance, they were required to wait fifty days before the culminating offering of the Feast of Weeks. This combination of celebrations by Israel took on significant spiritual meaning in the first century with the events surrounding the passion, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. Jesus’ resurrection from the dead was the presentation of him as the firstfruits of those God will raise to eternal life through Jesus. Because Jesus is the firstfruits, the bread offering could not contain leaven because the leaven was being used to symbolize sin. On the other hand, the Feast of Weeks celebration fifty days later involved bread that did contain leaven. Fifty days after Jesus’ resurrection, the Holy Ghost was sent to give new life to the followers of Jesus. All who are being born into this new life since the first Pentecost after Jesus’ resurrection are being delivered from sin and thus we have sin in our mortal bodies in spite of possessing the eternal Spirit of Christ in us. The offering of bread with leaven fifty days after the firstfruits offering is a reminder that we all have sinned and come short of God’s glory. Only because of the grace of God and our faith in the saving power of Jesus’ blood are we presented before God as living sacrifices with leaven. Because Christ was raised from the dead as the firstfruits, we have assurance that all who put their faith in him will also be raised to eternal life in him. What Jews continue to celebrate throughout their generations, Christians are the living examples of it today. Today, we thank God for His loving kindness towards us and look forward to the appointed time when our leaven will be removed so that when we see Jesus we shall be like him. Robert C. Hudson February 5, 2016

Passover

February 7, 2016 Background Scripture: Exodus 12:1 – 14; Numbers 28:16 – 25; Mark 14:12 – 26 Lesson Passage: Exodus 12:1 – 14 The Passover event represented many things of significance for the nation of Israel. First and foremost, the Passover event was the absolute demonstration that they were created as a nation of people by God to be used for His purpose. The nation of Israel would become the human channel through which God would express His holiness and reveal Himself as the creator and savior of all mankind. Secondly, the Passover event was an public demonstration of God’s direct intervention in the earthly affairs of mankind. Through this demonstration, God showed how powerless man’s efforts are to resist His will and actions. God used both the forces of nature and His own direct actions to frustrate those who resisted and showed themselves to be enemies of His divine rule. Thirdly, the Passover event was a clear demonstration of God’s ability and willingness to protect His people who are called by His name in the midst of calamity all around them. Further, the Passover event was a disruptive interference in the course of human history by an omnipotent and yet merciful God. The Passover event should have served as a wakeup call to all of mankind. However, because of the hardness of man’s heart, even those who were protected needed to be constantly reminded of the works of God on their behalf. Likewise, their descendants needed to be assured that just as God was with their ancestors, He would also be with them. Hence, the annual Passover celebration was initiated so that all of Israel would be reminded of the first Passover event. The month of this celebration was used to set the beginning of a new calendar to be used by the Hebrew people to mark time over a twelve month interval. The first month of the Jewish year would always include a holy celebration of the Passover event. The name “Passover” was descriptive of the event. On that fateful night in Egypt, God sent a death angel through the land to kill the firstborn of all of the Egyptians as well as their livestock. The Jews in Egypt were spared because they followed God’s instructions to kill a lamb and smear its blood over the doors and on the sides of the doors to their houses. They were to remain in their houses that night for their safety. The death angel saw the blood of the lamb and passed over those houses and thus spared all who were inside. Israel has been commanded by God to observe the Passover with a feast throughout all of their generations. The Passover is considered more than a holiday. It is to be observed as a “holy day” in Israel. During the celebration, the diet they eat is prescribed by God. Jesus celebrated the Passover during his pilgrimage on earth. He rejoiced in anticipation of celebrating a special Passover with his disciples prior to his crucifixion and death. That Passover was special because it was after that Passover Supper that Jesus taught his disciples that he is the Passover Lamb for the world. On that evening, Jesus instituted a simple celebration we now know as the Lord’s Supper to remind his followers of his role as our savior. Robert C. Hudson January 28, 2016