Daily Dose of Hope

November 20, 2024

Day 4 of Week 34

Scripture:  Isaiah 17-19; Psalm 62; 1 Corinthians 1

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope.  This is the devotional and podcast that goes along with our Bible reading plan at New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida.  Tonight is Recharge at 6:30pm in the Garage.  This is a time of worship, fellowship, prayer, and small community.  I hope to see you there!

Our first passage today is Isaiah, chapters 17-19.  Chapter 17 includes an oracle against the city of Damascus because of its disobedience and idolatry.  It details the city’s destruction.  Interestingly, Damascus was demolished by the Assyrians at the same time Assyria conquered Israel in 732B.C. What's interesting is if you look up the history of each of these nations described in the oracles, they all prove to be true!  

In chapter 18, the oracle is not against a nation.  Rather, it is a reassurance that God is paying attention to his world and he will eventually end the threat that the Assyrians pose.  Isaiah begins by talking about Cush, most likely the ancient land of Ethiopia in the southern part of Egypt.  Apparently, the kings of Ethiopia were wanting to unite all of Egypt to fight against the threat of the Assyrians.  Isaiah points forward to the time of the Messiah's kingdom on earth.

Chapter 19 includes the main oracle against Egypt but also some judgements against other nations.  The point here is that Isaiah is warning Judah not to put their trust in these nations.  These nations are going to fall.  They must focus solely and completely on the Lord.  It’s only the Lord that can protect them.  Of course, we know they failed to heed this advice.  How often do we fail to heed it as well?

We are starting I Corinthians today!  This will be a wonderful blessing and challenge.  In this first chapter of I Corinthians, we immediately notice this is a letter. Paul starts by identifying himself as the author and makes it clear that the recipients are those in the church at Corinth. After a brief expression of thanksgiving, Paul wastes no time at getting to a most pressing point. There is disunity in the church. Factions have emerged over who to follow. Some say they follow Paul, others say Apollos or Cephas, and some say Christ.

We don't know the details of the disagreements, or how the factions came about. Really, I don't think the fine points are that relevant. What's more interesting to me is how Paul handles the situation. He reminds them who and whose they are. He reinforces the mission. We get so distracted by our own egos and allegiances, the mission is what suffers. The mission is sharing the Gospel, spreading the Good News of Jesus.

Let's fast forward 2000 years. How often have we as individual Christ-followers and as a church gotten off track because of disagreements with other Christians? Think about people you have personally known who have left a church because they got mad about something. Conflicts over individual personalities, music styles, bruised egos, miscommunication, or even the color of the new carpet, can totally derail a church from the true mission! What if we just had laser focus on Jesus? What if the mission trumped everything else? How might that change things?

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

November 19, 2024

Day 3 of Week 34

Scripture:  Isaiah 14-16; Matthew 28

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church Bible reading plan. 

Today, we started our reading in Isaiah.  In chapter 14, we continue an oracle against Babylon (which actually started in chapter 13).  This is a prophecy about what will happen to the Israelites in the future.  Yes, they will be conquered by Babylon and go into exile.  But after the exile, they will be redeemed.  God will once again choose them.  Babylon, on the other hand, will experience God’s judgment.  Chapters 15 and 16 include an oracle against Moab, a nation that had been enemy to Israel for years.  This is an especially gruesome and heart-breaking prophecy.  Even though we know that the Moabites were evil, it’s still hard to read. 

Our New Testament reading is chapter 28 in Matthew, its final chapter.  This includes both the resurrection and the Great Commission.  I know there is always more to say about the resurrection, but we have (and will continue) to discuss resurrection as we read through the Gospels and the New Testament.  Thus, I thought we would briefly chat about the Great Commission, which we find in Matthew 28:16-20.  If you don’t recall, this is when Jesus tells his follows, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore 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. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

There is a fair amount to unpack here but what I want to focus on is making disciples.  Keep in mind that Jesus wasn’t merely suggesting we make disciples.  It feels much more like a command here.  As his followers, we are to make disciples of all nations, baptize them, and teach them the ways of Jesus.  We don’t do this alone, but we rest in the promise that Jesus is with us all the time, guiding and leading us through the power of the Holy Spirit.

But here is the big question: What does it mean to be a disciple?

It’s fairly simple.  A disciple is an apprentice of Jesus. It is someone who actively is working/training to become more like Jesus (to do what Jesus does). A disciple is not someone who has simply said yes to Jesus, a disciple is someone who is actively training in the ways of Jesus and training others in the ways of Jesus.

Discipleship is not simply some acts of personal devotion in the morning, some bible study, prayer, and meditation. That may be a component of discipleship but there is so much more to it!  Being a disciple is not something we do at church and then set it aside as we go back into the real world. Being a disciple is about devoting our whole life to being like Christ. Our whole life. It effects every area of our life. How can it not?

Let’s think about Jesus. In every area of his life, he taught about God. He taught about God’s Kingdom, he showed people this new way of being human. There was never a time where he said, “No, now this part of my life, faith doesn’t affect this. Leave me alone and let me do my own thing.”  Discipleship is intricately connected to Lordship. There is no part of our life that does not fall under God’s reign. There is no part of our life that we don’t submit to God.

But how do we make disciples?  Well, first, we have to become disciples ourselves.  We have to be training to be more like Jesus.  There is intentionality in this.  How are you training to be like Jesus?  What is your plan for spiritual growth?  Once you have reflected on this, then think about how you will teach and train others.  This is a privilege and responsibility that every single Christ-follower has.  Every one of us.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

November 18, 2024

Day 2 of Week 34

Scripture:  Isaiah 11-13; Psalm 118; Matthew 27

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church Bible reading plan.  Happy Monday!  My prayer for you today is that you know and experience the presence of God in your life, wherever you happen to be.

Our Scripture for today begins in the book of Isaiah.  Isaiah 11 begins with the assertion that new life will come forth from an injured stump: “A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.”  It’s hard to say what historical reference the “stump” is referring to.  It would make sense that the stump is referring to the exile, during which it seemed like the promise to David about his monarchy might not come to fruition.  There are really a number of times in Judah’s history in which it appeared that what was promised had become but a stump. 

Whatever the case may be, the Scripture brings up this idea of a new beginning for Judah’s monarchy. In this hopeful future, God’s spirit will fall upon the ruler, resulting in justice for the poor and a fundamental reordering of creation’s priorities. Life emerges from death. Afterall, isn’t this the way of our God?  Of course, most of us can’t read this Scripture without thinking of Jesus.  We know that he is the one to come who will reorder all priorities and turn everything upside down. He is the one who will fulfill God’s promise to David.  Jesus is the one who brings a lasting peace and justice. 

Let’s briefly touch on Psalm 118.  In its Jewish context, Psalm 118 was probably an entrance liturgy to the Temple, used at the festival of Passover. It proclaimed God’s deliverance from Egypt and then from the Exile.  We often read this psalm on Easter.  It’s a beautiful picture of God’s deliverance for all people.  We can see Jesus foreshadowed in this psalm. 

Our New Testament passage is Matthew 27.  We are now into Holy Week.  Today’s narrative about Judas’ suicide is found only in Matthew. Judas betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. I’m not sure what Judas thought would happen when he accepted the bribe. Maybe Jewish independence? Maybe some extra favors? Maybe some sense of satisfaction? But when Judas actually sees that Jesus is arrested and condemned, a man he knew was totally innocent, Judas is filled with remorse. He sees the consequences of his decision.

In his anguish, Judas brings the silver back to the religious leaders. Maybe he was looking for some kind of reassurance or guidance but they gave him none. They were, after all, simply using him to get what they wanted. When Judas realizes this, he appears to be consumed by both remorse and anger and hurls the silver into the temple. It’s then that he kills himself. It seems that Judas was overcome with remorse.

If you think about it, remorse produces extreme sorrow and grief. The goal is that remorse will lead to repentance and life change. This happened for Peter. He denied Jesus three times, a very significant betrayal. He must have felt incredible sorrow after what he did but he didn’t stay there. He allowed God to move him to repentance.

But Judas, for whatever reason, could not get past the grief. Maybe he was overcome with fear about what his life would be like when people discovered it was him. Maybe he didn’t think he would be forgiven or he thought he would lose social position. Whatever it was, he couldn’t get past it.

Friends, I don’t know what you are dealing with right now, but there is ALWAYS hope. Things can be really, really bad. Life can feel totally dark. But God is light. With God, there is always hope for a better day. For some reason, Judas didn’t think so but he was wrong. Jesus would have forgiven him and loved him, just as he did Peter. 

Jesus loves you. Jesus will always forgive you. Your life is valuable. If you ever get to the point where the darkness feels all-consuming, reach out immediately. Reach out to me or to a friend. And God is always there, just waiting, ready to listen and comfort. You are never alone.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

November 17, 2024

Day 1 of Week 34

Scripture:  Isaiah 7-10; Psalm 22; Matthew 26

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church Bible reading plan. 

Our Scripture for today starts in Isaiah.  In chapter 7, we find God protecting Israel, despite their king.  We can tell how the nations around them are trying once again to conquer God’s people and God will not allow it.  God so badly wants the king to stand firm in his faith.  God is giving him an opportunity to redeem himself but he does not take it.  And of course, we know how this will end – Israel will cease to be a country in just 65 years.  As the chapters progress, we see that God’s patience is wearing thin with his people.  He allowed the people to be saved because he had a bigger plan in place.

Our New Testament passage is Matthew 26.  This chapter is the beginning of the passion narrative. These are longer chapters but they are certainly worth reading carefully. In today’s chapter, we find Jesus being anointed for burial but certainly not in the typical way. It would have been fairly normal, in first century Jewish society, to anoint a guest with oil when they came to your home for a meal or gathering. It was an act of respect. The host would typically use an inexpensive oil but in this narrative, we find the woman (other Gospels name her as Mary) uses a highly valued perfume. She obviously saw Jesus as a very, very special guest worthy of only the best.

Remember, the word messiah means “anointed one” so there is symbolism going on here too. The woman’s act of devotion is lost on the disciples. They are rude and indignant. “Why this waste?” they ask. Giving the disciples the benefit of the doubt, we have to remember that they were very poor men. It also gave them a chance to sound pious, “This should have been given to the poor!” But Jesus knew all about the poor; he had been caring for the poorest of the poor throughout his ministry. The disciples weren’t telling him anything he didn’t already know.

But there is something going on here that goes much deeper than the disciples can even fathom. Jesus rebukes the men and says that what she did for him was beautiful; she was preparing him for burial. Of course, this is lost on them too. While it’s possible that Mary had some insight into the danger that lie ahead for Jesus, it’s clear that the disciples still do not understand what is to come. Mary’s act was one of honor and devotion. Rather than being practical, she was extravagant toward her Lord and Savior. How often do we act extravagantly toward Jesus OR are we more likely to simply be practical?

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

November 14, 2024

Day 5 of Week 33

Scripture: Micah 5-7; Matthew 25

Welcome back to our devotional and podcast, the Daily Dose of Hope, intended to complement the Bible reading plan at New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida. 

Today, we finish up the book of Micah.  Remember, Micah is prophesying to the Southern kingdom of Judah.  Throughout the book, Micah is condemning the prophets, priests, and rulers who are leading the people astray.  This was a time of uncertainty, as both Isreal and Judah were faced with overwhelming foreign military powers. The Assyrian Empire was becoming quite a force and they were known for their brutality. Israel (the Northern kingdom) was in chaos. Micah certainly saw the destruction of Israel and foresaw the destruction of Judah. Economic and social injustices were the norm and pagan worship was tolerated and openly practiced. 

Micah was preaching to a people who had become rather complacent and felt they really did not need to pay too much attention to the laws that God had given them as a guideline for their life and community. It’s kind of ironic, as they are experiencing a great deal of political uncertainty. The nation just north of them is falling to the very scary Assyrian army.  This is a time you might think they would really be seeking God, but they exist in this kind of just half-hearted religiosity.  They are going through the motions, they are still oppressing the poor and engaging in gross injustice.

I want us to spend some time today in chapter 6, where we find some of Micah’s most recognizable verses.  Listen to verses 6-7, With what shall I come before the LORD and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

It’s as if the people are saying to God, “What is it you expect from us?” and they start listing this almost absurd list of offerings. You can almost hear them, kind of arrogant, like “Aren’t we doing enough? What is it you require? Why do you keep bugging us about this?” But the bottom line was the people were not doing what God required. They may have been engaging in some religious show but they weren’t really being faithful to what God called them to do. They might stop by the temple, sacrifice an animal as required, but they weren’t truly living as God wanted them to. They were fooling themselves.

I think we do this a lot as Christians today. We think, well, I show up at church every now and then. I’m generally a good person. I don’t lie all that much and I even occasionally buy stuff for missions or put money in the offering plate. Those are all good things, don’t get me wrong, but is that truly what God requires of us?

That leads us back to our passage from Micah. The people were engaging in outward religious show but not really living as God called them to live. So we are going back to this dialogue between God and his people. Let’s move on to verse Micah 6:8, a very famous verse, many of you have heard it before, He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

It’s kind of like God is saying to his people, via Micah the prophet, “Hey guys, you know what you are supposed to be doing.” You know it; you just aren’t doing it. It’s in the law, it’s in God’s Word. It’s like he is saying, “Look, you’ve tried a bunch of things and have messed up, nothing has seemed to be working, now let’s get down to basics.” God doesn’t want your extravagant sacrifices, maybe they are well-meaning at times or maybe they’re prideful and self-serving, but that isn’t what he truly wants from you...GOD WANTS TO CHANGE YOUR HEART!!! Any other offering will fall short over and over again.

What is it God requires of you? What are the three things that are there throughout the bible, basic to the law of Moses, basic to the teachings of Jesus? What does God require? “To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” You might be acting “religious” but if you aren’t living the rest of your life as God requires, if you haven’t changed your heart, then you’ve missed the point.

Okay, let’s move on to Matthew 25, our New Testament reading for today.  In this chapter, Jesus gives us a deeper look into the Kingdom of God through three parables that demonstrate the need to be ready for his return. I’s like to focus on the parable of the bags of gold. Other translations call this the parable of the talents.

A wealthy land owner goes on a journey and entrusts his servants with some talents. A talent was actually a measure of weight rather than an amount of money. It was approximately 130 lbs. so whether or not it was a talent of silver or gold, it would have been very valuable. Even one talent of silver would have been more than an average person would have made in a year. I read several places that one talent in today’s money would be roughly one million dollars. This Master had entrusted one servant with five talents, one with two, and another with one, all significant sums. The talents and the servants belonged to the Master and the crowd that Jesus was speaking to would have known that.

The first servant who was given five talents doubles his money. The second servant who was given two talents doubles his money. The third servant, however, basically just hid his head in the sand and hoped the whole thing would go away. After praising the first two servants for their resourcefulness, the master says to the third one, “You wicked and lazy servant.” He had really harsh words for him. At first glance, we might be taken aback by such hard words. But think about it, the master bought these bondservants or slaves to make a profit for him. He would never have bought them if he thought they would make him lose money. Their purpose was to earn a profit for the master.

God expects to see a profit from us. He isn’t harsh. He doesn’t require that we do the impossible–he has given us abundant resources. However, he does require that we use our God-given talents and resources to produce a spiritual profit for His Kingdom. God created us with the intention that we would use our money, our resources, and our talents and skills to produce a profit for him...spiritual profit. One of my seminary professors used to say, “We don’t serve a mush God.” Our God is not all mushy love, rainbows, and unicorns. Yes, he is loving but he still has expectations for us. There are standards and accountability. And this is one of those areas. God doesn’t expect us just to sit and soak up all the love and wonderfulness of faith. He actually expects us to do something about it, to earn a spiritual profit. And he is serious about it.

What does this look like for us? Interestingly, Jesus answers this for us later in the chapter with another parable about separating the sheep and the goats. If you haven’t read through the entire parable, take a moment and do so. Bottom line: Whenever we use our resources and talents to help alleviate the suffering of the poor or oppressed, it’s like we are doing it for Jesus himself.

Friends, we were created to fulfill a bigger purpose, God’s purpose. As Christ-followers, we are expected to extend the boundaries of the Kingdom of God, bringing some of this spiritual profit, into this world to alleviate suffering and pain, to share the love of Christ, to be ambassadors for Jesus. What we do in this place is to be a preview of heaven. How are we doing?

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

November13, 2024

Day 4 of Week 33

Scripture:  Micah 1-4; Psalm 10; Matthew 24

Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church Daily Bible reading plan.  Today is Wednesday so I hope we see you at Recharge tonight.  It starts at 6:30pm in the Garage.  This is really a lovely time of worship, fellowship, prayer, and small community. 

Today, we are taking a break from Isaiah (considered a major prophet) and moving to Micah, which is another minor prophet.  Micah, whose name means “who is a God like you,” lived during the 8th century BC, which makes him a contemporary of Isaiah.  Micah prophesied a message of judgement and restoration to Judah which actually leads to a revival in the Southern Kingdom.  During the first four chapters, which we read for today, there is an emphasis on the people sinning by oppressing the poor, listening to false prophets, and engaging in idolatry.  However, there is also a sense that the Lord is calling the people back to him.  All is not lost.  God is merciful and ready to forgive.  There is definitely a difference in tone between this book and Isaiah; it feels slightly more hopeful.  Did you notice that?  I would love to hear your thoughts on why that might be.

Our psalm for today, Psalm 10, is really an important one.  It’s a psalm of David and we might call it a psalm for those who think God doesn’t care.  David starts off in verse one, Why, LORD, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?” David holds nothing back. He writes about how the wicked man “murders the innocent.” And yet, David feels as though “God will never notice; he covers his face and never sees.”

This psalm is a great example for us.  It is perfectly okay for us to pour out our raw and unfiltered emotions to God. God has broad shoulders; he can take it. According to Matthew 6:8, he already knows our hearts and desires better than we do. There are people in our lives who may struggle with us expressing these difficult emotions, but God never will.  However, we find that the tone changes in verse 11.  While we can surely bring our pain, struggles, and questions to God, we need to eventually move into a place a faith.  But the key here is to keep the conversation going.  Wrestle with God as much as needed and see how he works in you; stay in connection and he will guide you to a place of faith.

Let’s move to Matthew 24, our New Testament text for today. This chapter begins with Jesus walking away from the temple and predicting its destruction. Keep in mind, the entire temple was destroyed by the Romans in AD 70. So, as we read this chapter, some of the statements are clearly referring to the coming judgment on Jerusalem and others are referring to judgment at the end of the age. And to make it just slightly more confusing, there is overlap in these judgments as well.

Certain groups of Christians have focused a great deal on the coming judgment and the end times. I think what we find in this chapter is that there is more that we don’t know than what we do know. For thousands of years, people have predicted Jesus’ return and the coming judgment and each and every time, they’ve been wrong. I’m always a bit skeptical of anyone who makes predictions like these. I mean, the Scripture says, “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” If Jesus doesn’t know, then why should we?

But what can we do?  Well, the Scripture tells us:  Keep watch and be ready. We don’t need to worry about the coming judgment because we know Jesus. But we do need to be actively living as a follower. We need to sharing the Good News with others. We need to be genuine, loving, and truthful in how we do life. Do your neighbors know that you love Jesus? Do your coworkers know that you follow Jesus? Is your faith obvious and real? Why or why not? Let’s take this Scripture seriously, friends.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

November 12, 2024

Day 3 of Week 33

Scripture:  Isaiah 4-6; Matthew 23

Welcome back, friends, the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional/podcast that goes along with New Hope Church’s Bible reading plan. 

Before moving into our Scripture from Isaiah, I thought it might be helpful to talk more about the prophet himself.  The name Isaiah actually means “the Lord saves” which is essentially what his message was to Judah and Israel.  Isaiah’s prophecy moves from judgement to restoration, continually reminding us of the severity of humanity’s sin, the judgement that is deserved, and God’s incredibe grace for having the desire to save sinners.

Isaiah lived and prophesied during the 8th century BC.  As we mentioned yesterday, he was a prophet to both Israel and Judah, at a time in which the Southern Kingdom had great prosperity.  Remember, it isn’t easy being a prophet when things are going well – no one wants to hear your warning at all; they like the way things are. But Isaiah continued to trust God and be his mouthpiece. 

Chapter 4 is quite short but interesting.  As you were reading it, did you sense the messianic prophecy.  Isaiah, in the previous chapter, had just gotten through describing the Lord’s judgement on the people for their sin and rejection of the things of God.  Then, in this chapter, there is a shift.  We are now looking into the future at a time when the Messiah is among the people.  They are cleansed and holy. 

In chapter 5, we find a parable in the form of a song.  Israel is the vineyard and God’s intention was always for them to produce good fruit.  But that has not happened.  There is oppression and bloodshed.  As a result, there will be a series of woes.  One that made an impression to me was the woe to those who intentionally sin because they think God will not do anything.  The people will go into exile and they have no idea.

In chapter 6, we read about a vision that Isaiah had. In this vision, he saw the Lord in his glory and holiness surrounded by an angelic being. Isaiah was deeply moved and 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!” (Isaiah 6:5). But God appointed him as a prophet. He received a strange commission, “Go, and say to this people, Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive. Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.” (Isaiah 6:9-10). Basically, the people’s hearts have been heartened.  It seems that God might not even be interested in the people waking up anymore.  Things may be too far gone. 

Our New Testament passage is Matthew 23.  Throughout most of this chapter, we see Jesus strongly denounce the Pharisees. Their system of rules and regulations was originally designed to help people seek godliness but their extremism only harmed people. The rules had become an end in themselves and the teachers of the law were much more concerned with following the letter of the law than they were about the people themselves. This gives the appearance of godliness but it is all a facade. The heart is still far from God.

Jesus’ final words in this chapter about Jerusalem are quite sad. Jesus loves Jerusalem and had longed for the people to love him back. He wanted to gather the people under his protective wings and offer them true solace and hope. Remember, this was the holy city where the temple of God resided. And yet, over and over again, the people of Jerusalem had rejected God’s efforts to care for them.

It was no different with Jesus. Jesus’ words were also prophetic. When he says...”Look, your house is left to you desolate,” we understand from history that it isn’t long before the Romans totally destroy the city in AD 70. But besides the physical desolation of the city, there is this tone in the text that suggests God had forsaken it as well. And, of course, when Jesus states that they will not see him again, we know that he is indeed heading to the cross. His earthly ministry has come to a close until God does a new thing.

Let’s chat again tomorrow.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

November 11, 2024

Day 2 of Week 33

Scripture:  Isaiah 1-3; Psalm 9; Matthew 22

Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan.   Happy Monday.  Let’s get right into our Scripture for today.

We are starting the book of Isaiah.  Isaiah was certainly a great prophet, quoted more in the New Testament than any other Jewish prophet.  He prophesied to both Israel, the Northern Kingdom, and to Judah, the Southern Kingdom.  His prophecy begins during a time of economic prosperity but spiritual depravity. It was during Isaiah’s prophecy that the Northern Kingdom was defeated by the Assyrians.  But it isn’t easy to prophecy judgment to people when things appear on the surface to be going so well.  One thing that is interesting and amazing about Isaiah is that besides judgement, we can still find a lot of hope.  There is quite a bit of messianic prophecy in this book.  Probably some of the most famous Scripture about Jesus is found in Isaiah.  If you have time today, I would strongly encourage you to watch the Bible Project’s video on the book of Isaiah.  You can access it via YouTube or on the bibleproject.com.  It gives a great overview of this long and important book. 

The book of Isaiah begins with the Lord making a case, similar to a lawsuit, against the people of Israel.  He speaks of the sin that has become apparent throughout the generations of Jews living in Israel.  Basically the charges go something like this:  God brought up Israel has his children and they have rebelled.  There appears to be a kind of spiritual sickness that will eventually lead to physical destruction.  Isaiah states that if God had not spared a remnant from Israel, they would be like Sodom and Gomorrah with total destruction.

Isaiah goes on to speak of how God is unhappy with Judah’s sacrifices.  By chapter two, we see that Isaiah’s prophecy is speaking directly to Judah.  God is going to judge them, that’s for sure, but they will ultimately see redemption and resurrection.  And yet, this chapter doesn’t end positively.  Isaiah tells the people to stop trusting in men to save you; only God offers what is needed.

In Isaiah chapter 3, we learn that God plans to take away the experienced leadership from the people.  This is why you can’t trust in man; the rule of men is temporal and fleeting.  God, as a result, will leave them with people who are young and inexperienced.  Why is God doing this?  Well, the people have been sinning boldly.  There will be consequences. 

I know we haven’t spent a lot of time on the Psalms lately.  However, today I do want to touch on Psalm 9, a psalm of David.  David points to how God will never abandon his people.  There is this overall theme of worship, to praise God when things are good and to praise God when things aren’t good.  God will remember his people.  There is a beautiful certainty about this – no questioning, this is simply the way things are.  Do you believe that God will take care of his people?  What might it mean for God to care for and provide for his people?

Let’s head over to Matthew 22.  In this chapter, we see the Pharisees and Sadducees are trying to trick Jesus. They are desperately trying to trap him in his words so they can discredit him and/or arrest him. These teachers of the law feel like Jesus is destroying the very fabric of their religious faith. He certainly is turning everything upside down!

When asking about which commandment is greatest, the expert in the law is hoping to engage in some kind of debate. But the commandment Jesus chose was not one that could be open for debate–it was a commandment recited by pious Jews each and every day, Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. But then, Jesus adds something new, as he often does. He says...and the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. A person cannot love God and treat their neighbor poorly. Love of God is not an intellectual or abstract claim. Rather, love of God is expressed in the way we love others.

I John 4:20 speaks to this truth, Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. What’s interesting to me here is that Jesus says that the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments. If one loves God wholeheartedly, then they will observe the law. If someone loves God wholeheartedly, they will care for others as well. The prophets often proclaimed the need to worship God sincerely (not just go through the motions) and take care of those who were oppressed. One cannot split hairs about observing the Sabbath but then cheat your neighbor in the marketplace. Love of God and neighbor are intricately connected. This was true 2000 years ago and it’s true today.

Think about this past week. How have you demonstrated love of God? What about love of neighbor?

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

November 10, 2024

Day 1 of Week 33

Scripture:  2 Kings 15-16; Matthew 21

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church Bible reading plan.  Welcome to week 33!  By this point, we have covered over half of the Bible.  Keep up the good work!!!

In our 2 Kings chapters for today, we get a slightly different perspective of the Judean kings than yesterday’s readings in 2 Chronicles.  For instance, in 2 Kings 15, the king is called Azzariah, not Uzziah as in 2 Chronicles.  I did a little research on this.  It could have been an error in the original text or his given name may have been different from his throne name.  Regardless, he was a man who started well and ended poorly.  Jotham, his son, seemed to learn from his father’s mistakes and does what is right in the Lord’s eyes.  Overall, he ended well, even though he didn’t totally clean out the pagan idols in the high places.  Not totally getting rid of the pagan temples and altars will not end well for Judah in the years to come.

At the same time, we get a picture that things aren’t going so well in Israel, in the Northern Kingdom.  King after king is evil.  King after king, there was warfare and bloodshed.  We are getting very close to the end of the Northern Kingdom.

Chapter 16 in 2 Kings takes a bit of a turn.  King Ahaz, while he ruled in Judah, decided to follow the ways of the kings of Israel.  He not only worships the Baals, but he engages in child sacrifice and he desecrates the temple.  He does what is utterly detestable in the eyes of God.  And so God allows him to be conquered by the pagan kings around him.  Judah may last a little longer than Israel but sin and evil are also finding their way to the Southern Kingdom.

Our New Testament passage is Matthew 21.  Today, we are looking at what we know as the Palm Sunday passage. Jesus has sent the disciples ahead to fetch a donkey and its colt. Let’s start by talking about these animals. Some of us may think it’s strange that Jesus rode on a donkey rather than a horse but that would have been normal at the time. Horses were only used for battle.

What’s more, in the Old Testament, new kings would come riding in on the donkey or mule of the previous king. We see this in 1 Kings 1 when King David puts his son Solomon on his own mule, the trumpet is sounded, the people rejoice and shout, and then the priest and the prophet Nathan anoint him as king of Israel. The mule is like the presidential limo, a sign of power and prestige that says this is the new leader. What is interesting in this case is that Matthew is very clear–Jesus is not riding on a previous king’s colt or donkey. He is riding on a colt that has never been ridden before. This is a sign that God is doing a new thing. Jesus is king but a different kind of king.

We also see Jesus being given a royal welcoming. The people are laying cloaks and branches down for him. This is the kind of welcome that the emperor or a high official of the Roman government would have received. Think of it kind of like the red carpet being rolled out, a sign that a very important leader, the new king, has arrived.

For the Jews in the crowd, they would have also know that this a fulfillment of prophecy–Zech. 9:9, Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. All the signs point to the fact that this Jesus is the king! In addition, the people are running ahead and shouting “Hosanna to the son of David, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” Hosanna means “pray, save us.” They are expressing that this is the messiah, the anointed one, the one they have been waiting for that God has sent to save them. These words are based on Psalm 118:22-26, The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. The LORD has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad LORD, save us! LORD, grant us success! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless you.

Surely, this is the messiah who has come to sit on the throne of David, just as God promised 600 years before. You see, it’s all coming together for them. There is joy and celebration. God has sent King Jesus to save us all. But the enthusiasm is short-lived.

Human beings get distracted and disillusioned fairly quickly (2000 years ago and today!) They realize that while there is something clearly royal about Jesus, he is the promised figure, it’s not in a way they expected or wanted. They think Messiah has entered the royal city to stage a royal takeover, to save them from the Romans. And we know what happens...he has actually entered to royal city to suffer and die. Yes, Jesus is Messiah and Savior. But he wasn’t a military leader on the way to stage a coup. He was actually God himself who came to save us in a much more fundamental way: to be the final sacrifice for sin so that we can be reconciled to God, so that we can live abundant lives walking hand in hand with God.

Jesus certainly could have overthrown the Romans and reinstituted Israel as they desired it, as it was in the days of King David. But Jesus’ mission wasn’t just to save the Jews, but rather to usher in the Kingdom of God, in which all people for all time could be part of God’s greater work in the world and could have a relationship with a God who loves them, adores them, and calls them to something bigger and more important, more eternal. Jesus was king, they were right, he just wasn’t the king they expected.

How often has Jesus not been the King we expect?

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

November 7, 2024

Day 5 of Week 32

Scripture:  Hosea 14; 2 Chronicles 26-27; Psalm 61; Matthew 20

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope.  This is the devotional that should have appeared on Thursday so forgive its tardiness.

Today, we complete the book of Hosea.  Chapter 14 is a call to repentance.  Israel has moved so far from God.  Remember, they are going through the motions.  They are going to worship, they are saying the prayers, and they are singing the songs.  But they have other gods on the side.  They are immoral.  They are oppressing the poor.  And God is over it.  So this is one more call to repentance before God lifts his hand of protection.  I think the final verse says it all (14:9), Who is wise? Let them realize these things. Who is discerning? Let them understand. The ways of the Lord are right;  the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them.

In 2 Chronicles, we meet the next two kings of Judah.  Uzziah was a king who started out well.  He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and as a result, the land prospered.  But as he got older, he seemed to forget who he was.  He became arrogant and bold.  He went into the temple to burn incense himself, something Uzziah knew was wrong.  The temple was the purview of the priests.  They stopped him but Uzziah raged against them.  God swiftly afflicted Uzziah with leprosy as a consequence for his sin.  Thus, he spent the rest of his life removed from society and unable to go to the temple.  How often do we see this pattern in the Bible?  How can we be sure that we end well?

Jotham was Uzziah’s son who followed him.  He apparently learned from his father’s good and bad example.  He also did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.  He lived righteously and governed well. 

Matthew 20 is our New Testament text.  The disciples still really didn’t understand God’s Kingdom. In this passage, we see the mom of James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and asked if her sons could sit at the place of honor on each side of him when he came into his Kingdom. She and the disciples were still thinking of the Kingdom in earthly terms with places of power and prestige.

But Jesus’ reply is interesting. He asks them if they will be able to drink of the bitter cup of suffering that he is about to drink and then he says, “Oh you will experience it.” It kind of gives me a chill the way he says this. But the next part of the passage is the most riveting. Jesus says that this rulers of this world flaunt their power over the people. But among you it will be different. You will serve others. Whoever wants to be a leader will be a servant. And just like that, Jesus transformed the model of Christian leadership.

You know, it’s so easy to get caught up in the desire for position and power in this world, to want people to think highly of you, to have authority over others. We see over and over and over again throughout history. Who are we kidding? We see this in our own lives! But Jesus teaches us a totally different way. It’s counter-cultural. He says what is really valuable is when leaders and those in authority are humble, when they roll up their sleeves and serve others. Jesus lived this out and he calls us to live it out as well.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki