Our church's theme verse for 2012 is found in Hosea 10.12, which says:
"Sow for yourselves righteousness,
reap the fruit of unfailing love,
and break up the unplowed ground;
for it is time to seek the Lord,
until He comes and showers righteousness on you."
When studying the Bible, context is extremely important. Hosea chapter 10 begins, "Israel was a spreading vine." The word "was" is a very sad word in this context. It implies that they were no longer growing or vibrant. Hosea gives us the reason why: sin. Although they were God's chosen people, they became a self-focused nation. Although they knew the Shema in Deuteronomy 6.4 which states, "love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength;" they had become a people with divided attentions and shared loyalties. Jesus put it this way: "no man can serve two masters." That's exactly what Israel had done, and in the process God had allowed the consequences of their sin to come upon them. God's punishment was meant to get their attention and bring about reform.
Though God does punish sin and sin has consequences, God still called out to Israel to repent and change their direction.
This is where our theme verse comes into play. Like a farmer that sows seeds, Israel was to begin sowing seeds of righteousness. Righteousness has the idea of being just or being in the right. It also carries with it the idea of being in right relationship, both with God and people. Sowing seeds of truth and right living that brings glory to God and benefits those who are around us. The result is seen in the fruit we harvest.
In order to plant seeds, the ground must be prepared. In Hosea's day, the farmer used a plow. God says to break up the hardened ground and prepare it for the good seed. A farmer would never throw his seed out on unplowed ground. It needs to be prepared.
When I think of the church in America, we've been plowing the same ground over and over, expecting a great harvest. I sense the Lord saying to us to quit doing church as usual and begin to plow where we have not plowed before. For us in Occidental, there is plenty of soil that has never been put to the plow nor has the seed of God's word been scattered over it. Now plowing is hard work, and so is the scattering of seed. But if we want a full harvest, we must get out of our comfort zones and do this. In a way, I'm plowing new ground and planting seeds because I have taken a part time job as a warehouse helper and fork lift driver. When I work, I bring Jesus with me, not to shine a blinding light in the faces of my co-workers, but to simply be Jesus to them. To serve them, to pray for them, to share the truth of the gospel with them, that they too may some day come to know Jesus. I have a hunch that some of us need to stop plowing the same ground and begin asking the Lord of the harvest where He wants us to plow.
The verse concludes with the admonition, "It is time to seek the Lord until He comes and showers righteousness on you." Let me say this: The time is short. The Lord is near. The Lord is looking to see who is faithful and dependable. Those who have undivided hearts and are willing to do the hard work of planting the seeds of the Word of God among a nation of people who no longer know about the Lord. God is looking to enrich the lives of those who are bearing fruit that lasts.
May this coming year be a year of sowing and reaping, of seeking and enrichment.
Above all, may God be praised.
Blessings,
Pastor Pete
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Saturday, December 3, 2011
What's In Your Family Tree?
I find it amazing to look at the family tree of Jesus, for it is not what one would expect of the Savior of the world. The Gospels of Matthew and Luke give us two different Family Tree's of Jesus. Some stumble on this by setting aside the Bible and conclude it is full of errors. Upon closer examination though, we see that Matthew, who wrote to the Jews, recorded the legal line from King David to Joseph. Matthew's account is a list of "Who's Who" in Judah's history. Many of the names recorded were kings of Israel. Luke records the biological line of Jesus through Mary. It was the custom of the day to not list the mother. In Luke 3.23, Luke said "Jesus...was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph," and then proceeded to list the Family Tree. God said through the prophet Jeremiah (22.24-30) that none of Jeconiah's children would ever sit on the throne of David. If Joseph, a direct descendent of Jeconiah, were the father of Jesus, then Jesus could not sit on David's throne nor fulfill the promise given to King David that one of his heirs would one day sit on his throne forever. The Bible tells us that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, not Joseph.
There is also the matter of five women being mentioned in Matthew's Family Tree of Jesus. They are" Tamar (1.3), Rahab (1.5), Ruth (1.5), Beersheba (1.6 described but not mentioned by name) and Mary (1.16) Very unusual to record a woman in the family tree. But these were no ordinary women. Tamar posed as a prostitute and became pregnant by her father-in-law; Rahab was a prostitute in Jerricho who helped the two Israeli spies escape; Ruth was from Moab- an outsider; Beersheba commited adultery with King David; and Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph- a status similiar to our engagement period but according to Jewish law were legally married. During the engagement period the bride and groom were to be kept apart until the wedding day. Mary's pregnancy was a scandal in the little village of Nazareth. You could say that the Family Tree of Jesus was messed up. Yet God worked through both the faithful and sinful of Judah to bring His Son to earth to save us from our sin.
Perhaps you may be thinking your Family Tree and life are messed up. Perhaps your family tree has a few scandals of its own. Perhaps there is a history that you would like to sweep away. Perhaps you see your own children living life apart from God. Yet, even in the worst of circumstances God is at work and accomplishing His plan. Take your eyes off of the failures and place them on the One who is Perfect, Holy and who died on the cross for you. Put your trust in Jesus, who overcame the curse on his Family Tree and became a curse on Calvary's Tree in order that we may have the curse of sin removed from us and live a life in freedom, love, joy and peace with God. For this is why Jesus came to earth and why we celebrate His birth.
Merry Christmas,
Pastor Pete
There is also the matter of five women being mentioned in Matthew's Family Tree of Jesus. They are" Tamar (1.3), Rahab (1.5), Ruth (1.5), Beersheba (1.6 described but not mentioned by name) and Mary (1.16) Very unusual to record a woman in the family tree. But these were no ordinary women. Tamar posed as a prostitute and became pregnant by her father-in-law; Rahab was a prostitute in Jerricho who helped the two Israeli spies escape; Ruth was from Moab- an outsider; Beersheba commited adultery with King David; and Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph- a status similiar to our engagement period but according to Jewish law were legally married. During the engagement period the bride and groom were to be kept apart until the wedding day. Mary's pregnancy was a scandal in the little village of Nazareth. You could say that the Family Tree of Jesus was messed up. Yet God worked through both the faithful and sinful of Judah to bring His Son to earth to save us from our sin.
Perhaps you may be thinking your Family Tree and life are messed up. Perhaps your family tree has a few scandals of its own. Perhaps there is a history that you would like to sweep away. Perhaps you see your own children living life apart from God. Yet, even in the worst of circumstances God is at work and accomplishing His plan. Take your eyes off of the failures and place them on the One who is Perfect, Holy and who died on the cross for you. Put your trust in Jesus, who overcame the curse on his Family Tree and became a curse on Calvary's Tree in order that we may have the curse of sin removed from us and live a life in freedom, love, joy and peace with God. For this is why Jesus came to earth and why we celebrate His birth.
Merry Christmas,
Pastor Pete
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)