The Promise To Heal Our Land – Part 1

Wade Webster

“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chron. 7:14). What a promise! God would heal their land and forgive their sins. Sadly, Israel did not ultimately enjoy this promise because they did not meet its conditions. The land that God promised to heal looks little like a land flowing with milk and honey today (Lev. 20:24). It was at one time a land that abundantly met that description, and as this promise suggests could have been that way again; but rather, as a dry, desolate, war-torn land today, stands as a witness to the fact that they failed to lay hold on the promise that God made to them. Let’s examine this promise and what it declares for us today. Let’s make sure that we don’t come up short of the promises that God has made to us.

The Requirements - “If…humble…pray…seek…turn”

The word “if” generally signifies a condition that must be met. Sometimes, this word signifies a condition that has already been met and could better be translated as “since.” In our passage, the “if” is clearly a condition that must still be met rather than one that has already been met. Four conditions are enumerated in the text:

• They must humble themselves. As you know, God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. Peter declared, “Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time” (1 Pet. 5:5-6; cf. Jam. 4:6). When Peter speaks of being clothed with humility, he is likely referring back to the occasion when Jesus girded himself with a towel and washed the disciple’s feet (John 13:1-17).
• They must pray to Him. God wants us to pray. He wants us to ask for what we need and want, including forgiveness. Those who ask receive. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus declared, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” (Mat. 7:7-11). Those which don’t ask, don’t receive. James wrote, “You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask” (Jam. 4:2).
• They must seek His face. God’s face is against those who do evil. The psalmist declared, “Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD. Who is the man who desires life, And loves many days, that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil, And your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous,And His ears are open to their cry. The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles.The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all” (Psa. 34:11-19).
• They must turn from their wicked ways. God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked. Through Ezekiel, God said, “So you, son of man: I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore you shall hear a word from My mouth and warn them for Me. When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you shall surely die!’ and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. Nevertheless if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul. “Therefore you, O son of man, say to the house of Israel: ‘Thus you say, “If our transgressions and our sins lie upon us, and we pine away in them, how can we then live?” ’ Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’”(Ezek. 33:7-11).

God’s blessings were dependent on them meeting these four conditions.

Although there are clear differences between Old Testament Israel and America today, there are still some things that hold true. Righteousness still exalts and sin still reproaches. In Proverbs, Solomon wrote, “Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach to any people. The king’s favor is toward a wise servant, But his wrath is against him who causes shame” (Prov. 14:34-35). If we want God to have mercy upon us and to heal our land, we must humble ourselves and do His will.

The Devil’s “Classifieds” - Help Wanted

Neal Pollard

Everyone must have an occupation. Paul, Aquila, and Priscilla were, “by their occupation,” tent makers (Acts 18:3). Demetrius and others at Ephesus were “silversmiths” (Acts 19:24-26). Joseph and his household were shepherds (Genesis 46:33-34). Jonah was a preacher (cf. John 1:8).

Spiritually, everyone will have a “vocation.” Christians have a calling of which they are to “walk worthy” (Ephesians 4:1). An individual, in obeying the gospel, is “hired” by God to “fulfill all the good pleasure of his goodness” and work “the work of faith…” (2 Thessalonians 1:11). The workers are “holy brethren,” the work a “heavenly calling,” the foreman is “Christ Jesus,” and the work order was appointed by “Him” (the Father) (Hebrews 3:1-2,4). but. even within the context of Hebrews 3, there is warning that Christians might, through hardness of heart, switch employers. The devil surely considers Christians as his most coveted and prized workers, for he already had the world on his “roll” (cf. 1 John 5:19). If the devil advertised, can you imagine the enticing tasks he would list to draw away God’s child?

“Needed: Hungry Cannibal. Must enjoy the taste of division and have an appetite for ‘devouring your brother.’ This job is risky, as you may get consumed by him. But, if you enjoy having ‘the brethren for lunch,’ this job is definitely for you. Ignore Galatians 5:15.”

“Skilled stage-actor wanted. If you are an experienced pretender at religion, enjoy playing church, and wear the name Christian only as a ‘front,’ your skills are needed immediately. Impure motives (Matthew 6:16), lip-service (Matthew 15:7-8), a knack for pretending to be holy while actually being wicked (Matthew 23:13-15,23, et al), and a joy of danger (Matthew 24:51) all are pluses!”

Opening for sheep thieves. Must employ ‘innovative approaches’ (John 10:1), have a willingness to ‘finish the job’ (John 10:10), have a glaring disrespect for the Shepherd, and intimidate the Shepherd’s hired hands (John 10:12). Will supply one camouflage uniform (Matthew 7:15).

“Work for pirates available. Can you shipwreck faith (1 Timothy 1:19)? Are you the type who enjoys ‘lying in wait’ to upset the ‘vessel’ of weak Christians (cf. Ephesians 4:14)? Are you bold enough to take hostages for your employer (2 Timothy 2:26)? An ability to take away from God’s word is an asset (Revelation 22:19). Apply immediately. Too much good is being accomplished.”

“Would you like a sales position? We need you to sell Divine truth (Proverbs 23:23), bargain for this world’s goods with your soul (Matthew 16:26), and be willing to make your children expendable to be a ‘success’ (cf. 1 Timothy 5:8; Proverbs 22:6). All receipts are kept on file (cf. 2 Peter 2:13).”

“Experienced travel agent desired. Can you give tours of the :Far Country” of sin (cf. Luke 15:13)? Applicant needs to be able to lead others on our charted destinations (2 Timothy 3:6; 2 Peter 3:17). If you can find creative routes away from the worship assemblies (Hebrews 10:25) and provide distracting excursions that lead groups away from involvement in church work (cf. Haggai 1:4,6; John 4:35; Matthew 25:24), we want you! Slothfulness (Hebrews 6:12) an appreciated quality for this job! Must be willing to travel away from your first love (Revelation 2:4).”

“Calling all unskilled carpenters: We are looking for individuals who build on the sand (Matthew 7:26-27). We will provide every foundation for you to build upon except Christ (1 Corinthians 3:10). You don’t even need to be good at framing (cf. Ephesians 2:21). We prefer that you keep busy rebuilding the sinful lifestyle you tore down by coming to the Lord (cf. Galatians 2:18; 2 Peter 2:0-22).”

All the while, Christ calls for workers, too (Matthew 9:37-38). Too many have answered the adversary’s ads (2 Corinthians 11:13; Philippians 3:2). both the Lord and “the Liar” (John 8:44) provide extensive retirement plans [after all, they’re both everlasting] (Matthew 25:46). While everyone will be rewarded according to his works (Matthew 16:27), the devil’s “perks” are profitless (cf. Romans 6:23)! Who are you working for?

Jesus is the Mighty God

David Sproule

It is amazing how some people have tried to depict Jesus over the years to be a weak, ineffectual man who could not save His own life.  Endless efforts have been made to mischaracterize Jesus, in order to prevent people from truly getting to know Him and follow Him.

The prophet Isaiah got a glimpse of Jesus as the promised Messiah, and he was overwhelmed with what he saw.  The coming Messiah would reign as King “upon the throne of David and over His kingdom” (Isa. 9:7).  We saw in last week’s article that Jesus is the “Wonderful Counselor” (9:6).  Isaiah also described Jesus as the “Mighty God.”

The Hebrew word for “mighty” carries the idea of being a “mighty warrior” as a “strong, valiant man,” and interestingly is often defined as “hero” or “champion” (cf. 1 Sam. 17:51).  When Isaiah saw Jesus, he saw deity, for Jesus is God (John 1:1-2), possessing “all the fullness of Deity” (Col. 2:9).  As God, He is the “Heroic God,” the one possessing all power and ready to engage on behalf of His people.  Let us think about the “might” of Jesus Christ.

As the Mighty God, Jesus did many “mighty works” while He walked this earth.  Both believers and unbelievers recognized this.  Nicodemus, who became a faithful disciple, exclaimed, “No one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him” (John 3:2).  Even His enemies “were astonished” at His “mighty works” (Matt. 13:54).  Peter could tell the crowd on Pentecost that “you yourselves also know” of the great might demonstrated by Jesus (Acts 2:22).

As the Mighty God, Jesus overcame sin and the world.  Hours before His death, He told His disciples, “Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).  He did that by living a sinless life (1 Pet. 2:22; Heb. 4:15), so that He Himself could (and did) “put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself” (Heb. 9:26).

As the Mighty God, Jesus conquered death.  Paul told Timothy that Christ had “abolished death” (2 Tim. 1:10), for having been raised from the dead (1 Cor. 15:20-26), He is “alive forevermore” and has “the keys of Hades and of Death” (Rev. 1:18).

As the Mighty God, Jesus triumphed over Satan.  He came “that He might destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8), and “through [His] death,” He did “destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Heb. 2:14).

Jesus, the Mighty God, has done so much in demonstrating Himself to be our Heroic God, and even today, He is still “upholding all things by the word of His power” (Heb. 1:3).  Best of all, He has and continues to use His might for the good of His people (Rom. 8:31; Heb. 13:6).

Serve – Part 2

Wade Wester

Jesus is at the heart of true Christianity. He was a servant, and if we as Christians are going to be like Him, then we are going to have to be servants too.  In the first part of this study, we noticed the mind and the mission of Jesus were all about service.  In this installment, we are going to notice two more things that show that Jesus to be a servant. 

The Message of Jesus

The message of Christ was also a message of service. The disciples often argued about who would be the greatest. On one such occasion (Mark 9:30- 35), Jesus asked them what they were disputing, and they remain silent out of embarrassment. Jesus then said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.” This is the message of Christ: to be great, one must serve. James and John asked Jesus to grant them the seats at His right and left in His glory (Mark 10:35-45). Jesus responded by teaching them about true greatness. He says, “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.” Jesus exemplifies this by stating, “Even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” Jesus’ message was clear: greatness in the kingdom of God is measured by service. This is counter to the world’s view of greatness, which often involves being served and lording power over others. Jesus flips this notion on its head, teaching that true greatness is found in humility and service.

The Model of Jesus

Finally, the model of Jesus was one of service. In John 13, we find Jesus washing the feet of His disciples. This act, performed on the night before His crucifixion, exemplified His teaching on service. Jesus, knowing that His hour had come, rose from supper, laid aside His garments, took a towel, and began to wash His disciples’ feet. Peter, initially resistant, ultimately submits to Jesus’ act of service. Jesus explains, “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him” (John 13:15-16).Peter never forgot this lesson. Years later he wrote, “All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because ‘God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.’ Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time” (1 Peter 5:5-6). Peter understood that to follow Jesus is to be a servant, clothed with humility. Jesus’ act of washing the disciples’ feet contrasted starkly with Pilate’s act of washing his hands to absolve himself of responsibility for Jesus’ crucifixion. While Pilate sought to evade service and responsibility, Jesus embraced it fully.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the word “serve” encapsulates the mind, mission, message, and model of Jesus Christ. To be a Christian is to be a servant, following in the footsteps of Jesus. As we strive to embody this key word of Christianity, let us remember that true greatness is found in humility and service. May we, like Jesus, be willing to serve others, putting their needs above our own, and thus fulfill the desire for us as His disciples.

Serve – Part 1

Wade Wester

When we think about Christianity, we think about the religion that is based on who Jesus was and what Jesus taught. At the heart of both of these concepts is Christ. If you take Christ out of the word Christian, what do you have? The letters I-A-N. You know what that spells and what it means? It means “I am nothing” without Christ. Jesus says, “Without me, you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Without Him, we are nothing. He is our everything. We want to be like Him in every way that we can. He is what makes us who we are. Take Him out of Christianity, and you do not have Christianity. You lose both the person He was and what He taught. You are missing the key element of what Christianity is supposed to be about.

When we understand who Jesus was and what Jesus taught, we understand that “serve” has to be one of the key words of Christianity because it is at the heart of who He was. Since He is at the heart of who we are, serving must also be central to our identity. We sometimes sing a song in youth devotionals: “Make me a servant, make me like You, for You were a servant. Make me one too. Lord, do what You must do, but make me a servant. Make me like You.” This song reflects our understanding that Jesus was a servant, and if we are to be like Him, we must be servants as well.

The Mind of Jesus

First, we find that the mind of Jesus was tied to the word “serve.” Paul wrote, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5-8). We are to have the mind of Jesus. What was in the mind of Jesus? What did Jesus think about? At His core, Jesus thought about serving. Booker T. Washington was one of the greatest men to ever live in our country. Despite facing significant obstacles due to his race, he rose to great heights because he was a servant. Washington once had tea with the Queen of England. He was the first black man to have dinner with a president at the White House. He was a very important man. One day, after delivering several lectures in Iowa, he returned to his hotel. A guest mistook him for hotel staff and asked for a glass of water. Washington did not protest or flaunt his credentials. Instead, he fetched the water and asked if there was anything else she needed. This humility and dignity earned him the admiration of many, including President Teddy Roosevelt. Jesus, the greatest man who ever lived (Colossians 1:18), was also a servant. Paul tells us that Jesus did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage. Instead, He took on the nature of a servant and became obedient to death—even death on a cross (Philippians 2:4-8). This mindset of service is what we are called to emulate. Paul said, “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love” (Galatians 5:13). Love serves. Jesus embodied love and therefore embodied service. First Corinthians 13:4-5 shows that love “is not proud . . . it does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking.” Jesus, in love, did not seek His own good but ours. Though He was rich, He became poor for our sakes, so that through His poverty we might become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9). He died so that we might live. Jesus, even in His most agonizing moments in the Garden of Gethsemane, prayed, “Not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42). This is the mind of a servant, and it is the mindset we are commanded to have.

The Mission of Jesus

The mission of Jesus was also based on the concept of service. Jesus said, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). Jesus’ mission was not to be served, but to serve others. He came to serve as our Passover lamb (John 1:29), taking our place on the cross so that by the grace of God, we could be saved. Jesus declared, “The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). His mission was to seek and save the lost, and He accomplished this mission by serving. The Old Testament refers to the Messiah as God’s servant. Isaiah wrote, “By his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many” (Isaiah 53:11). Jesus came with the mission to be God’s servant. Is that our mission? Is our mission to make God’s will known and to make His name great? The psalmist sang, “Let the name of the Lord be praised, both now and forevermore. From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised” (Psalm 113:2-4). Our goal is to lift up the name of God, not to seek our own glory. Jesus’ mission was a mission of service, and it must be ours as well.