The Day of the Lord

June 5, 2016 Background Scripture: Zephaniah 1:2 – 2:4 Lesson Passage: Zephaniah 1:4 – 6, 14 – 16; 2:3 Isaac Watts wrote one of the old hymns of the church that began with the words “That awful day will surely come …” That hymn is a stark reminder that we rejoice today that God’s judgment is tempered by His mercy but we should not become complacent and think that judgment will not have its day. The Old Testament prophets reminded Israel that the day of the Lord’s vengeance was coming and she better prepare for it. When Jesus read from the scroll of Isaiah during his inaugural message, he talked about his ministry as the fulfillment of prophecy but he stopped reading in the middle of the sentence because the remainder of it referred to the day of vengeance of the Lord. During his earthly ministry, Jesus proclaimed the Church Age as the Acceptable Year of the Lord or the time when all are invited to enter into the Kingdom of God. When the Church Age closes out, the day of vengeance of the Lord will be upon us. Punishment will be meted out to those who are enemies of the Lord as well as to those who are backsliders. Enemies will be doomed to eternal damnation and backsliders will suffer shame and a loss of reward. This was the far reaching message of the prophet Zephaniah. But as is true with most prophetic messages, there was also a prophetic fulfillment during that time. Zephaniah was warning Judah of God’s impending judgment. God expressed disappointment in those in Judah that proclaimed that He was indifferent and would do neither good nor evil. When we believe that our lives and the circumstances we face are totally within our own power to control, then we become complacent and vain. We tend to rely more and more on material things for security because we think we have the power to obtain and hold them. We feel that having material things will protect us from loss. The more “stuff” we have, the safer we feel. But God declares that material things will not save the owners and will become the spoils of war. This attitude of self-sufficiency is evidence of the presence of sin. Sin blinds us to the reality of God’s holiness and causes us to walk as people of darkness who rely on themselves although they cannot see where they are going. We become God’s enemies. In the day of the Lord, God will bring distress upon His enemies that will cause them to behave as blind men. That day is described as a day of trouble, desolation, darkness, gloom, and alarm. The details of the early fulfillment can be read in Jeremiah and Lamentations. Jeremiah had a right to be called the “weeping prophet” because he was an eyewitness to the devastation God allowed to befall Judah. Ezekiel saw the glory of Israel leaving the temple in the vision he was given. The people of Judah had walked in sin to the point where God was removing His hedge of protection and the Babylonians were coming to ransack Jerusalem and carry the inhabitants off as captives. Only those who seek the salvation and safety of the Lord will be hidden from His fierce anger. Are you prepared for the Day of the Lord? “That awful day will surely come …” Robert C. Hudson May 25, 2016

Joyous Faith

May 29, 2016 Background Scripture: Luke 19:1 – 10 Lesson Passage: Luke 19:1 – 10 Nothing is more joyous than inviting Jesus to come into one’s heart for the first time. Experiencing his presence for the first time is incomparable to anything imaginable. To know that the one and only living God is now alive in one’s heart brings an unspeakable joy. This experience gives assurance that he will be with us forever. It is so uniquely personal that we must share it with others. Others might notice subtle changes in us but they cannot possibly know the fullness we are experiencing on the inside. Perhaps this joyous experience is similar to the contact people had with Jesus when he ministered in the flesh here in this world. Luke’s account of the gospel highlights some of Jesus’ ministries to the outcasts and rejects of society. How exciting it must have been for those who Jesus openly acknowledged and welcomed into his fellowship who were previously shunned by society. For the Savior to publically invite himself into a shunned person’s home would have been even more of a privilege. And to know that the public who witnesses the invitation happens to despise you, then it’s an even more joyous occasion. You will go from being a hated reject to a wonder before all because of that amazing invitation. This is exactly what took place in our lesson text. In the text, we are introduced to a man named Zaccheus. Zaccheus was a member of a group despised by the Jews. He was a publican. The publicans were employed by the Roman Empire to collect tributes or taxes from the Jews. They did not have a good reputation because some of them were considered unethical because they took more than necessary or required from the people and kept the extra for themselves. As a result of this practice, some of them became wealthy at the expense of the people. Not only was Zaccheus a despised publican, he was also described as being short of stature or perhaps a dwarf. His physical height might have caused some other self esteem issues. When the word went out that Jesus was passing through town, the crowd gathered by the side of the road to catch a glimpse. Zaccheus ran ahead of the crowd and climbed into a tree so he could look over the crowd and see Jesus. Not only did this vantage point give Zaccheus a good view of Jesus, it also gave Jesus a good view of Zaccheus. When Jesus came to the place where Zaccheus was, he looked up and called Zaccheus by name and announced that he needed to go to Zaccheus’ house. The despised dwarf in the tree suddenly became a person of pubic curiosity. Jesus acknowledged him and invited himself to his house—and both were done publically! None of this was wasted on Zaccheus. Zaccheus knew that he was privileged to have Jesus invite himself into his home. Prior to Jesus’ invitation, the only ones who were likely to visit Zaccheus would have been other tax collectors and non-religious people. Zaccheus’ response indicates that he was prepared to receive Jesus into his house and into his heart. Jesus’ invitation engenders faith in the one whose heart is prepared to receive him. It is always a joyous faith. Robert C. Hudson May 11, 2016

Childlike Faith

May 22, 2016 Background Scripture: Luke 18:15 – 17; Mark 10:13 – 16 Lesson Passage: Luke 18:15 – 17; Mark 10:16 As we mature in life, we often develop a different way of viewing the world that is not always healthy for us. As children, we knew how to live within the moment and not be preoccupied with worries about the future. We were daydreamers and it seems that our imaginations sometimes worked overtime as we thought about all of the “what ifs” even if they were not always realistic—What if we could fly? We were not afraid to allow our emotions to carry us to the extreme. We cried and laughed loudly. When adults—or grownups as we knew them then—said something to us, we believed them. We trusted adults around us who we knew. In fact, we even gave some strangers the benefit of doubt based on their physical appearance. We were not skeptics or pessimists. We believed that things were going to work out the right way and we would be happy in the end. Being happy was always on our agenda as children. We expected life to be fun and we looked forward to experiencing good things and good times. As a child, I did not know any children who expected to grow old and become a grouch or sourpuss. Many of us thought we would grow up to be heroes and heroines. If we felt that anything was lacking in an adult, we purposed in our minds to not allow that to be our case when we were grown. These may be some of the reasons we feel young again when we are around a group of young people. Young people don’t have the life experiences to judge critically. They are still experiencing new things in life and adding those experiences to their awareness and knowledge. Much of their passion for life is driven by curiosity. Jesus was a local phenomenon during his ministry and this attracted many people to him. His miracles were widely known and many tried to avail themselves of a miracle when they were in his presence. Some were parents who brought their young children to him to be blessed by him. Jesus’ disciples rebuked the people and attempted to keep them from bringing the children to Jesus. Jesus reacted by rebuking the disciples for their actions. Jesus pointed towards the attitude of the little children as the type that is desirous of all who would enter the kingdom of God. The text of our lesson tells us about the actions of the parents, the disciples, and of Jesus. The text does not tell us about the children’s actions or thoughts but Jesus’ reaction suggests that there was anticipation in the children of meeting and receiving a blessing from him. Maybe when their parents told them what they would do that day, the children developed an anticipation of the results. Jesus responded about the need for the children to be brought to him. He went on to talk about how receptive the children are to the kingdom and that everyone needed to have this same disposition. Although some unpleasant experiences in life may cause us to feel down, we should learn to bounce back in anticipation of what God is going to do in our lives because of the teachings of Jesus. And even more than his teachings, Jesus’ actions have provided great opportunities for us to enter and experience the kingdom of God even in this life. As children of God, we should exhibit childlike faith. Robert C. Hudson April 27, 2016

Humble Faith

May 15, 2016 Background Scripture: Luke 18:9 – 14 Lesson Passage: Luke 18:9 – 14 In today’s lesson, Jesus talked about the role of humility in receiving answers to our prayers. Jesus’ instructions to his disciples give us a glimpse of the type of character expected of us as his followers. Too often, our challenge is not in knowing what is expected of us but in knowing how to achieve it. What God provides for us in His word is simple enough to receive but we often find it difficult to apply. One reason for the difficulty is that the bible clearly shows us where we fall short but it isn’t always as clear what the solution is to our shortcoming. Sometimes we don’t search diligently for the solution in the bible but rather begin to seek within ourselves for the answer. The bible is replete with warnings for us to not trust in our own strength, resources, intellect or any other thing that comes from within us. Unfortunately, those warnings frequently go unheeded; as we can see in the lesson. In today’s lesson, Luke described those that Jesus spoke to as trusting in themselves, self-righteous, and despisers of others. This description sets in contrast everything that is not associated with humility. People who rely on their own ability are often proud and far from humble. This can be true even when it doesn’t show in their general disposition or isn’t verbalized by them. Pride gives a sense of self-worth that doesn’t see the need for assistance from others. This comes across in the parable Jesus related about the praying Pharisee who did not ask anything of God but spent his time thanking God because he believed that he was different than other people. He listed all of his great qualities that prove his piety. When people view their personal qualities by a standard that comes from within them, it is easy for them to measure up and excel against that standard. If I am my own standard then I will always be okay. This leads to another characteristic of those listening to Jesus’ parable. Because of their self-righteousness, they looked down on others who did not measure up to them. In their pride they had become vain. They stood in need of God’s mercy and did not know it because their pride made them feel sufficient without it. This attitude of sensing no need of anything from God left them believing that all that they had already become was sufficient for God. Their prayers were completely without faith and dependence on God. It was impossible for them to please God and perhaps they did not know it. In the same parable, Jesus presented a publican who saw himself as a sinner before God and petitioned God for mercy even as he afflicted himself. Then Jesus plainly stated that the publican left the temple in right standing with God and the Pharisee did not. This parable makes it clear that how we see ourselves before God determines how we pray. And how we pray to God determines our standing with Him. We all stand in need of mercy. Humility demands that we look to God alone for mercy—especially as it pertains to His expectation of us. Our prayer of faith should be in humility. Robert C. Hudson April 27, 2016