Author: Lois Robbins

Nations Day 2 Out Of Darkness: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Out Of Darkness!

The Questions

1) Follow, deny, and take up sound rigorous. What do they mean in real life? (verse 23)

2) What does it mean to lose one’s life? What is the cost involved? (verse 24)

3) Is being ashamed of Jesus really possible? (verse 26)

Luke 9:23-26

23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone wants to follow after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me will save it. 25 For what does it benefit someone if he gains the whole world, and yet loses or forfeits himself? 26 For whoever is ashamed of Me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory and that of the Father and the holy angels.

Original Intent

1) Follow, deny, and take up sound rigorous. What do they mean in real life? (verse 23)
Jesus intended to be very clear in His statements by using the imagery of a cross as He spoke to those gathered around Him. All who wanted to follow Him must understand it involved denying one’s self and daily taking up their cross. To Jesus’ first audience, “cross” wasn’t a lovely symbol to hang around your neck or a decoration for your wall space. Rather, “cross” instantly brought to mind the cruelest form of death and torture known at the time. To “take up a cross” meant death. To take it up “daily” was altogether confusing to Jesus’ listeners as Christ Himself had not yet been crucified on a cross. However, one day, these listeners would look back after Jesus had died and been resurrected. Then they would understand a fuller picture of His words. Jesus meant for us to die to our sinful, natural selves and daily surrender to the new work of His Holy Spirit within us. “If you live according to the flesh, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” (Romans 8:13) Christ wanted His listeners to understand that true disciples were committing to making a radical decision to deny themselves and then live this out daily. Jesus demonstrated this when He literally took up a physical cross in complete surrendered obedience to the Father’s will. “Yet the Lord was pleased to crush Him severely.” (Isaiah 53:10) There was no self-focus in Jesus’ willful act of surrender, and His disciples were instructed to live out their daily surrender to Him in the same way. Bible scholar, W. Hendricksen, notes that Jesus made His clear statements to an audience of believers and non-believers. Whether His listeners chose to follow Him as disciples or not, their eternity was still at stake.

2) What does it mean to lose one’s life? What is the cost involved? (verse 24)
No one listening to Jesus that day was interested in “losing their life”, just as much as none of us reading this today would like to sign up to “lose”. This is exactly why Jesus chose such extreme language to communicate the all-important decision of following Him. He insisted that if anyone truly wants to save their life and win, they must surrender it to Him. Only by trying to hold onto their lives and their way would they actually end up losing everything. In Luke 12:16-21, Jesus told a story of a man who felt he was truly “winning at life” by piling up his material goods and pleasurable experiences. This man felt he had a long life ahead to enjoy everything, but God came to him and said, “You fool! This very night your life is demanded of you. And the things you have prepared—whose will they be?” (Luke 12:20) The man’s selfish way of living life cost him everything in the end, even his eternity with God. Jesus pointed His listening audience toward real, lasting hope when He said, “but whoever loses his life because of Me will save it.” (verse 24, emphasis mine) The process of losing our life to Christ is costly and painful as our fleshly, sinful desires are crucified. But as the Lord refines us, and teaches us to love Him first and most, we find ourselves whole, healed, and truly free! In surrender, we will ultimately experience great joy for His peace is greater than any sinful thing we give up. The sweetness of living life with the Holy Spirit working within us far outweighs any sin we think is better than Him.

3) Is being ashamed of Jesus really possible? (verse 26)
For a time during Jesus’ earthly ministry, it was popular to follow Him. He drew large crowds, everyone knew Him, and His miracles were known far and wide across the region. Everyone was talking about this miracle working prophet. But, Jesus’ mission wasn’t focused on fame and popularity. He regularly preached difficult messages and confronted people in their sin, offering them a chance to come into the Light, to be known and loved, and walk in newness of a surrendered life. Following Jesus when it was popular was easy. Following Him when He claimed to be God Himself and was facing death was quite another. Even Jesus’ disciples all fled from Him, and Peter denied Him, when crucifixion became imminent. (Matthew 26:56, Luke 22:54-62) When Jesus spoke of being “ashamed” of Him, He intended His audience to understand that if they were to continue in their choice not to follow Him, this equaled being ashamed of Him and His teachings of truth. To not follow Him means to be ashamed of Him. It is to be so proud of one’s ownership of their life that they refuse to live in surrender to Him or His words. At His return, Christ will justly condemn and reject those who rejected Him. The importance of how we respond to Jesus’ call to follow Him cannot be underestimated! Will we choose to live for ourselves on our own strength, or will we daily choose His ways and His path? Our world is very topsy-turvy, and many consider it easier to rebuff Jesus and His message so as to continue living for self. In denying ourselves and following Jesus, we will be rejecting the pattern of this world, which means we can expect ostracism, conflict and social dishonor. Yet, we remain confident that Christ will not be ashamed, or reject, us in the end because we have chosen to surrender to Him.

Everyday Application

1) Follow, deny, and take up sound rigorous. What do they mean in real life? (verse 23)
To follow means to attach ourselves to Jesus as His disciple, it requires denying our sin nature and remembering it has been crucified with Christ. “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20) We are to live continually crucified of all sinful patterns of life that do not harmonize with God and His ways of love. (2 Corinthians 10:5-6) Living lives of surrendered following and self-denial as we take up the cross of Jesus, means that, regardless of what we encounter, we are to trust Christ and His ways over our own. We are to choose His commands for life as we worship Him for His great gift of salvation to us. (Ephesians 4:32-5:2) Crucifying our old nature with Christ means surrendering our bent to rely on ourselves, our abilities, and our logic. It’s the attitude of “I can do this, and I don’t need anyone”. Boy, oh boy, does this ever hit home in my own life! God is gracious by letting me fail on my own, then bringing me back to the reality that I can only follow Him when I surrender my ways to His. It’s impossible to follow Jesus without the power of Christ at work in me! We are to give ourselves away for the gospel! I pray my legacy for my children, grandchildren, and others would be my surrender to Christ so He could amplify His strength in my life. (2 Corinthians 12:9) Jesus is worth surrendering everything for! In surrender to a loving God, we don’t need to fear for His perfect love will never leave us! (1 John 4:18, Matthew 28:20)

2) What does it mean to lose one’s life? What is the cost involved? (verse 24)
Throughout Jesus’ ministry, He had a slogan, if you will, “whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me will save it.” This was the theme of the messages He preached as He ventured from city to city. The crux of His message then is just as important for us now. Jesus is not interested in “casual Christians”. Only those who have surrendered their lives to Jesus in full are genuine. Of course, because we still love our old sin nature, and we forget that Jesus died for us, even true Christians still sin. But Christ stands ready to forgive! “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) Even this returning to Jesus in humble repentance isn’t possible without His Spirit at work within those who have given themselves to Christ. True followers are marked by God’s Spirit at work in them as they surrender daily to His will. Living for ourselves, following our agendas and desires, refusing to deny our sin nature, and choosing not to lovingly serve others through Christ’s power is to live in opposition to God. None who follow this pattern of life can claim to also follow Jesus. “If we say, “We have fellowship with Him (God),” and yet we walk in darkness, we are lying and are not practicing the truth.” (1 John 1:6) We must not miss the seriousness of this distinction! Living separate from God is dangerous! If we die in our sinful state, we will earn eternity apart from God; this equals pain, brokenness, and shattering loss for ALL eternity! The cost of surrender may feel high and painful, but the price tag that comes with an eternity separated from Him isn’t even worth comparing!

3) Is being ashamed of Jesus really possible? (verse 26)
When we choose not to be ashamed of Jesus by surrendering our lives to Him, we are free to anchor our lives in steadfast truth. We no longer need to be carried away by every wind of doctrine or whim of peer pressure around us. As we continue living daily in surrender to God’s Spirit within us, the Lord leads us to give our lives away for Him. One mark of knowing we do indeed belong to Jesus and haven’t rejected Him is the desire to boldly tell others of the forgiveness found in Christ. Sharing about God’s redemption in our lives can be scary, but when we consider that someone’s life for eternity hangs in the balance, we can choose to courageously explain how Jesus gave Himself for all people. Remember, Jesus taught this passage to an audience of both followers and those who didn’t believe. The consequence for choosing to be “ashamed” of God’s gracious gift of salvation is an eternity separated from Him! Jesus wanted all people to know this truth, which is why He has commissioned His followers to go and tell His good news! How often in our daily lives do we shrug off Jesus by avoiding telling someone about Him because we are afraid or unsure? His forgiveness and grace are available to us when we don’t take every opportunity given to us to share the hope of Jesus, but these missed chances should strongly encourage us to share Hope all the more often with others! The Lord is intentional in giving us opportunities to share about Him with others. Pray fervently for who the Lord wants you to share the Gospel with! Be of good courage, God is building His kingdom through His followers! Praise God for His desire that all people come to Him! (2 Peter 3:9)

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Out Of Darkness!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Nations Week One!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Fervent Day 14 Strength Training: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Strength Training!

The Questions

1) What does a life surrendered to Christ look like? (verse 1, 6-21)

2) What does it mean for believers to not be conformed to this age? (verse 2)

3) What does it mean to not repay evil for evil? (verses 17-18)

Romans 12:1-21

Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

3 For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one. 4 Now as we have many parts in one body, and all the parts do not have the same function, 5 in the same way we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another. 6 According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts: If prophecy, use it according to the proportion of one’s faith; 7 if service, use it in service; if teaching, in teaching; 8 if exhorting, in exhortation; giving, with generosity; leading, with diligence; showing mercy, with cheerfulness.

9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Detest evil; cling to what is good. 10 Love one another deeply as brothers and sisters. Take the lead in honoring one another. 11 Do not lack diligence in zeal; be fervent in the Spirit; serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer. 13 Share with the saints in their needs; pursue hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud; instead, associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own estimation. 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Give careful thought to do what is honorable in everyone’s eyes. 18 If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for God’s wrath, because it is written, Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord. 20 But If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink. For in so doing you will be heaping fiery coals on his head. 21 Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.

Original Intent

1) What does a life surrendered to Christ look like? (verse 1, 6-21)
After spending the majority of his letter to the Romans expounding on the incredible richness available to us through Christ for this life and the next, Paul turns our attention to practically living out our everyday lives from this perspective. His short answer is that we, collectively as a whole body of believers, are to present ourselves as a singular living sacrifice together, set apart as holy to Him. The animal sacrifices of the Old Testament were now rendered obsolete by Jesus’ sacrifice for us, but what every believer can still give is the holy offering of our lives as acts of worship and obedience. Paul urges all believers to present the whole of our lives to God for His holy work. Hebrews 13:15-16 helps us understand the believer’s sacrifice is marked by continuous praise, doing good in love, and sharing what we have. These “living sacrifices” are pleasing to God. Romans 11:33-36 is a beautiful poetic picture of the cry of the adoring heart as it offers thanksgiving and praise to the Lord. This passage speaks of the depth of the riches, wisdom, and knowledge of God. His ways and decisions are far beyond the mind of man, “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory Forever!” (Romans 11:36) Paul’s outburst of song was to heartily remind the believers in Rome that, if they were truly surrendered to Christ,  having a transformational change in their lives owing only to God, then the overflow would burst forth in worship of both their tongue and their lives. This was no superficial shift, but a very real whole-heart adjustment, and the result was a deep, stirring desire to worship the Only One Worthy of such complete adoration. The sacrifice of life was demonstrated by serving with the whole self, ready to do His will moment by moment with a heart of adoration. Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and the instrument through which the Holy Spirit works. A transformed heart results in a worship so deep and radical it overflows as continual “living sacrifices” to the God who rescued us and made us new!

2) What does it mean for believers to not be conformed to this age? (verse 2)
Paul used imagery that would quickly connect with his audience as he wrote of God’s heart call to not be “conformed” to this age. His Greek word usage for conform gave the idea of making a copy or following a pattern and passing it along. In contrast, however, the Greek for “transform” means entirely new, not manufactured on our own power, but to quite literally become something altogether different. Paul wanted his readers to immediately understand the significant difference between self-induced patterning and radical transformative metamorphosis because of Jesus! Paul was a list-maker (maybe you are too!), and in his letters he listed several examples of worldly patterns including “sexual immorality, moral impurity, outbursts of anger, drunkenness, envy, and anything similar.” (Galatians 5:19-21) The temptation to sin is strong; there is hardly an end to the list of things the lover of Jesus should shun. Because we have been transformed, utterly made new, our hearts and lives are meant to be expressed not for self, but for Christ! Everything should be done for God’s glory! (1 Corinthians 10:31) Transformation is not a matter of impulse, on again and off again, rather it is continuous as we submit ourselves to the work of the Holy Spirit within us. Paul’s intentional wording reminds us this transformation is not done of ourselves, instead we “are being transformed…from the Lord who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18) As believers, we are not, however, passive in this transformation process, it is our duty is to cooperate fully, allowing the Spirit to do His work in our hearts and lives.  Conforming to this world chooses to worship ourselves instead of the Lord. Live with a heart ready to humbly offer surrender in worship, ready to be transformed by the Spirit of God as you lean in to His wisdom! (Proverbs 2:1-5) 

3) What does it mean to not repay evil for evil? (verses 17-18)
Here, Paul reiterates the principle of non-retaliation for the Christian that Jesus taught. (Matthew 5:38-48) Verse 17 reads, “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Give careful thought to do what is honorable in everyone’s eyes.” Paul didn’t want the recipients of his letter to be left wondering what it looked like to follow Christ in everyday life on this side of eternity. Romans 12 answers that question. Revenge feels natural and all-important in the moment of anger, or in looking back after being poorly treated, but Paul declares we must resist this human, fleshly instinct, instead surrendering to the Spirit’s work. By His power in us, we can actively refuse to pay back evil to another who has done evil toward us. This is true whether the person who hurts us is a believer or not. Rather than emotionally react, Paul tells us to be thoughtful when evil is done to us. He suggests we see that moment of lusting after retaliation to be an opportunity to instead demonstrate Christ’s love He extends freely to all people. “Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for God’s wrath, because it is written, Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord. But If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink. For in so doing you will be heaping fiery coals on his head.” (verses 19-20) After all, we cannot display Christ’s love and forgiveness until we have the opportunity to forgive someone! When we do, we are making a powerful statement about the kind of love Jesus lavishly gives. Acting with intentional goodness toward our enemies is far more effective in showing them God’s heart than attempting petty revenge. Together, let’s refuse to sink to evil’s level of repayment, instead leaving justice to God!                                                                      

Everyday Application

1) What does a life surrendered to Christ look like? (verse 1, 6-21)

We live in a day when finding authenticity is a challenge. From imitation crab to faux nails to Instagram filters, we work hard to have the appearance of the “real thing”. While this condition is commonplace in our world, it is a tragedy when it comes to a believer’s life. If we are brutally honest with ourselves, “Imitation Christianity” is something all believers are tempted with on various levels. It’s easier to live our everyday lives without considering our call to be “living sacrifices” to our God. Imitation Christians can be difficult to spot as they can appear on the outside like a genuine believer. Church attendance, generous giving, a good neighbor, and even serving in church are all marks of genuine believers, but they are easily copied by going through the motions. What is impossible to imitate, however, is a transformed heart of worship! Are we true believers or only imitating? To help us understand what it looks like in everyday life to be an authentic “living sacrifice”, Paul lays out several characteristics each anchored firmly in a heart attitude of sacrificial worship to God. “Let love be without hypocrisy.” (verse 9) Only authentic love, flowing from the heart of God Himself, can genuinely be without hypocrisy. Real love is a matter of the heart, not the face. Masking your real feelings and intentions with superficial niceties is a charade none can sustain before others, and certainly we cannot deceive the Lord God. “Detest evil; cling to what is good. Love one another deeply as brothers and sisters. Take the lead in honoring one another. ” (verses 9-10) Hearts truly transformed by Jesus and indwelt by the Holy Spirit will neither be passive nor indifferent about evil. Rather, they will be repulsed by it, despising what harms others and dishonors God. In place of harsh, self-righteous judgement, the worshipful heart will cling steadfastly to what is good, humbly believing the best and choosing to honor others over themselves. May we each evaluate our hearts before the Lord, asking Him to convict us regarding true sacrifices of worship that honor Him. Let’s bless others graciously and be honoring with our words, choosing to live every day from the overflow of worship!

 

2) What does it mean for believers to not be conformed to this age? (verse 2)

Conforming is so easy! It requires little effort or thought to follow the pattern provided by those around us. Just do what everyone else is doing! While following the well-traveled road can provide a sense of safety, comfort, and belonging, the Christ-follower has been made new that we may live with a full abundance the world does not understand. As you consider your heart desires, ask the Holy Spirit to show you where you are following a worldly pattern. Ask Him for conviction and repentance! Ask the Spirit to encourage you where you are choosing to live in full surrender to His work of transformation in you. Guard and celebrate these areas! Identifying worldly patterns is nearly impossible without the guidance of the Holy Spirit, who brings conviction in order to shift our hearts, not to condemn or shame us. Whether you feel drawn away by wanting a bigger or better house, car, or lifestyle, remember that every believer is called to fight against the pull of the world’s pattern for life. While these feel appealing, they are temporary and can lure our hearts away from worshipping the Only One Worthy of our life’s sacrifice of worship. Only Jesus will satisfy. Purposefully fight against following the pattern by steady surrender to the Holy Spirit in your everyday life. Dare to break free from pattern-following, Ladies! Follow the Good Shepherd of our hearts for the most abundant life possible! Resist the tempting urge to focus on the physical and fleeting delights of this world, setting your heart on things of Christ (Colossians 3:2), determining to be renewed in our minds (verse 2), and ready for action in this transformation process! Rebel against the power of darkness and the schemes of the world. Be a nonconformist, a rebel with a cause for Christ!

3) What does it mean to not repay evil for evil? (verses 17-18)

God spoke through Paul to pen the difficult words, “If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” While we may find it easy, or at least, easier to live peaceably with our friends, the Lord leaves no wiggle room for exception cases. He commands us to “live at peace with everyone.” While Christians need not look far before we find someone with whom we disagree, whether believer or not, God calls us to live peaceably with them. Honor. Love. Respect. Kindness. Gentleness. These should characterize our engagement with, well, everyone. Lost souls without Jesus do not come to Him because a Christian condemned their outward choices, but rather, because they showed the rich, selfless love of the Savior in everyday life circumstances. As believers, there are certainly times to call out our brothers and sisters who are choosing sinful, destructive life patterns, but even this is to be hemmed in love, seeking their peaceful reconciliation with God. Paul’s timely message reminds us of 3 keys to living peaceably with everyone: 1) Retaliation does not belong to us, only to God. In the end, no human being has the right to judge, only the God of all justice can do this. 2) Treating one another with kindness results in lasting change. Vengeance brings discord and piles on hurt, but kindness motivates repentant hearts and fosters deep relationships, which allow space for authentic conversations. 3) Evil can never be conquered by evil. Hatred, if met with more hatred, only results in its increase. If we stoop to revenge, then we ourselves have been overcome by evil. Booker T Washington stated, “I shall not allow any man to belittle my soul by making me hate him.” Mark Twain adds, “The only safe and sure way to destroy your enemy is to make him your friend.”

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Strength Training!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Fervent Week Three!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Beloved Day 2 Unveiled Faces: Digging Deeper

Leave a Comment

Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Unveiled Faces!

The Questions

1) What is the meaning of using fruits, flowers, and animals to describe this man and wife love relationship? 

2) What is the purpose of the warning to the young women of Jerusalem? (verse 7)

3) How does Scripture connect a human marriage to a relationship between God and us?

Song of Solomon 2:1-17

Woman
I am a wildflower of Sharon,
a lily of the valleys.

Man
2 Like a lily among thorns,
so is my darling among the young women.

Woman
3 Like an apricot tree among the trees of the forest,
so is my love among the young men.
I delight to sit in his shade,
and his fruit is sweet to my taste.
4 He brought me to the banquet hall,
and he looked on me with love.
5 Sustain me with raisins;
refresh me with apricots,
for I am lovesick.
6 May his left hand be under my head,
and his right arm embrace me.
7 Young women of Jerusalem, I charge you
by the gazelles and the wild does of the field,
do not stir up or awaken love
until the appropriate time.
8 Listen! My love is approaching.
Look! Here he comes,
leaping over the mountains,
bounding over the hills.
9 My love is like a gazelle
or a young stag.
See, he is standing behind our wall,
gazing through the windows,
peering through the lattice.
10 My love calls to me:

Man
Arise, my darling.
Come away, my beautiful one.
11 For now the winter is past;
the rain has ended and gone away.
12 The blossoms appear in the countryside.
The time of singing has come,
and the turtledove’s cooing is heard in our land.
13 The fig tree ripens its figs;
the blossoming vines give off their fragrance.
Arise, my darling.
Come away, my beautiful one.
14 My dove, in the clefts of the rock,
in the crevices of the cliff,
let me see your face,
let me hear your voice;
for your voice is sweet,
and your face is lovely.


Woman
15 Catch the foxes for us—
the little foxes that ruin the vineyards—
for our vineyards are in bloom.
16 My love is mine and I am his;
he feeds among the lilies.
17 Until the day breaks
and the shadows flee,
turn around, my love, and be like a gazelle
or a young stag on the divided mountains.

Original Intent

1) What is the meaning of using fruits, flowers, and animals to describe this man and wife love relationship?
Song of Songs suggests it is the greatest of all songs and found within its pages are lyrical poetry arranged as dialogue between a woman and her lover. While scholars maintain that the love story makes allegorical connections between God and His love for mankind, Song of Solomon is also, undeniably, a sensuous book reveling in God’s good gifts of intimacy within marriage. To properly understand this poetic song, we must remember to set our minds on the then-current time and culture. The Shulamite Bride compares herself to a wildflower of Sharon and a lily of the valley, both of which were common. The “Sharon” was a fertile plain between Mount Carmel and Joppa along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea producing beautiful wildflowers in abundance. Likewise, the lily was plentiful in Palestine. By saying of herself, “I am a wildflower of Sharon, a lily of the valleys”, she is not speaking in arrogance, but rather that, while she is beautiful, she is also common. (verse 1) Solomon picks up on her imagery of flowers, but responds by pronouncing, “Like a lily among thorns, so is my darling among the young women.” (verse 2) He sets her apart from all other young women, describing everyone else as “thorns” in comparison. The Lover extols her beauty for she was not at all common in his eyes. In similar fashion, the woman uses the imagery of an apricot tree to depict her lover. “Like an apricot tree among the trees of the forest, so is my love among the young men.” Where every other man is simply a tree in the forest, her man is completely unique to her. Apricot trees are generally 30-45 feet tall, quite strong, and bear sweet fruit. Thus, the Shulamite woman describes her man as tall and strong while bearing a sweetness about him. He provides shade (protection) and his love is described as a banner (generally signifying complete peace and victory) over his lovely young woman. (verses 3-4) The comparison of lovers to gazelles, does, or stags throughout the song are symbolic of grace, beauty, strength, and speed. (verses 7-9) The man refers to the young woman as his dove inferring her to be beautiful and soft, waiting to be called out of singleness and virginity by her husband lover and into marriage.

2) What is the purpose of the warning to the young women of Jerusalem? (verse 7)
Within historical context, we don’t know exactly who the “young women of Jerusalem” were first intended to be viewed as. Maybe they were equivalent to our modern day “Bridesmaids” who helped the bride prepare for her wedding day. Maybe, because Song of Solomon is a song, they are representative of a chorus, and the entire song was meant to be sung over the course of several days leading up to a wedding. What most scholars agree on is they were a group of some kind, probably unmarried, intending to represent a community around the couple, either singularly to the Beloved Bride or to both husband and wife. In verse 7, the Beloved Bride gives a warning to these “young women of Jerusalem”, “Do not stir up or awaken love until the appropriate time.” The description of the woman’s intimacy with the man in previous verses is so enticing the Bride feels she must charge the young women of Jerusalem to not jump into a passionate relationship prematurely. Intimacy is definitely wonderful and definitely worth the wait, but foregoing the commitment of a marriage relationship just to experience physical intimacy, misses the real depth of love and sex entirely. The woman’s senses are heightened and stirred by the man’s presence and affirmation of love for her. She finds herself feasting on it all, and feeling “lovesick”. (verses 5-6) She hungers for more of his nearness, and his offering of love only intensifies her desires. She began with a desire for his kisses and then longed for his embrace. (verses 4-6) Her passionate experience with her Lover urges her to give this charge to wait for “the appropriate time” to the unmarried women around her. She knows that intimate love, both physical and emotional, should have its own rhythm and proper progression. TOO Fast TOO soon spoils it all. Theologian, D Garret, adds his insights by saying, “For a woman to awaken love before it pleases is to deprive herself of the full experience of romance and sexuality…”.

3) How does Scripture connect a human marriage to a relationship between God and us?
In Exodus 34:15 (KJV), Israel is being warned not to “whore after their gods.” By describing idolatry with the language of prostitution and sexual immorality, Moses uses the sacredness of marriage as a metaphor to mirror the holiness of God’s covenant relationship with His people, Israel. Again, in the biography of the Old Testament prophet, Hosea, God commands Hosea to marry a prostitute, Gomer, who continually leaves him to return to prostitution. In Hosea’s life, God was giving Israel a visual, real-life picture of what it is to abandon Him as their God. (read more about this story in our Journey Theme, Bride!) In the New Testament, Paul applies the metaphor of marriage to the relationship between Christ and the Church of believers. “This mystery (of marriage) is profound, and I am saying it refers to Christ and the church.” (Ephesians 5:32) In Matthew 9:15, Jesus describes Himself as a Bridegroom and was recognized as such by John the Baptist. (John 3:29-30) After we understand the original context of the Song of Solomon, we can, by looking at the whole of Scripture, see how some of Solomon’s descriptions could describe the relationship between Christ and the Church. Where the apricot tree was the Beloved’s description of her Lover (verses 3-4), Christ is our ultimate strength and protection, totally unique and unlike any other for no one else can rescue us from our sin. “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) As the Lover and Beloved care for each other, finding delight in each other in all things, so does God care and tenderly love each of us who call upon His Name for rescue from sin’s consequence. “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you. (1 Peter 5:6-7) The Beloved and Lover celebrate their physical oneness. This picture mirrors how Christ-followers are to find spiritual oneness with God as His people. “They will be my people, and I will be their God.” (Jeremiah 32:38)

Everyday Application

1) What is the meaning of using fruits, flowers, and animals to describe this man and wife love relationship?
Celebrating our spouse as unique and special runs hard against our culture’s screaming voice. Pornography runs rampant, sex slaves are common in many cities, and the cut throat game of comparison is widespread across marketing, media, and even within our own hearts. How shockingly refreshing it is when one spouse brags on their marriage partner as being one-of-a-kind-wonderful?! In fact, when a husband or wife chooses to intentionally celebrate their spouse, they are fostering this kind of celebratory language to be shared between them. When they take it a step further, and celebrate their spouse to someone else, this encourages other marriage partners to step up their game when it comes to praising the attributes of their beloved one. While celebrating your spouse sounds simple, it can be difficult, especially if you’re walking through a difficult season in your marriage (as all of us have/are/will!). This challenge isn’t meant for us to close a blind eye to abusers within marriage, while amplifying “good things” to excuse abuse. Rather, this model from Song of Solomon is intended to give us a tool to speak life and unconditional love over our husbands. Where will you begin?! If you aren’t married, this challenge extends to you too! Consider this celebration as a tool to initiate flourishing in each of your relationships. Take the challenge to celebrate and begin to think highly, and uniquely, of others, speaking out loud these things to them and about them! Maybe you won’t use fruits, flowers, and animals in your descriptions, but, who knows, maybe you will! Leading like a lion or having hair that feels like silk are both encouraging and celebratory in our culture.

2) What is the purpose of the warning to the young women of Jerusalem? (verse 7)
True Love is worth waiting for! Oftentimes, in our culture, waiting to fulfill one’s sexual desires until marriage is an antiquated notion. Mainstream media encourages us to indulge in our sexual desires anytime we please. What the world doesn’t tell us, but God’s Word makes clear, is that “following our hearts” instead of God’s perfect plan only leads to pain and heartache. (Jeremiah 17:9, Proverbs 3:5-6) During my “young woman years”, I carried a strong conviction to never give myself (body or heart) away to any man until marriage. God gave me strength to hold fast to this conviction. When I met the man I would marry, and we began sharing emotionally, it became very difficult to keep myself pure. My mom warned, “It only takes one a passionate kiss to let go of your senses and go too far.” There were moments in our pre-marriage we came very close to not waiting as we shared passionate kisses, but we made it by HIS grace and strength and our marriage consummated in HIS time. Now, forty years of marriage have passed, and we rejoice in God’s love which has held us fast to Him despite struggles along the way. Everyone’s sexual history is different, but God’s grace is the same for each of us! Human love will always fail us, but redemptively, God allows even our broken relationships to continually point us to the ONE whose love will never falter and whose love will never let us down. There is no fear in the perfect love of God! (1 John 4:18) Whatever your sexual past, or present, looks like, confidently know that the Lord of all Love is waiting, not with condemnation, but with a wide welcoming embrace of love and forgiveness. I count my marriage struggles as JOY in spite of the scars of fallen human love because, through these, the Lord has brought us closer to the cross, both individually and as husband and wife. True Love is worth waiting for! Never give in, never give up, be patient in fervent prayer, and F. R. O. G. (Fully Relying On God)!

3) How does Scripture connect a human marriage to a relationship between God and us?
The Shulamite woman likens her Lover to an apple tree among the trees of the forest. He is strong and sturdy, and his shade covers and protects her from the scorching rays of the sun. In the same way, Jesus, our perfect bridegroom, shelters us with the power of His unfailing love. We are wrecked with our own sin, condemned to die and be eternally separated from the beauty and love of God. Christ, the perfect Love, took our place by suffering our due consequence for our sin when He died on the cross. He became separated from the glory of God the Father as He took on our consequence, though He was sinless. (Matthew 27:46) Three days later, He proved His victory over sin and death by coming back to life and later ascending through the clouds to sit at the right hand of God the Father. (Ephesians 1:20-21) Once we choose to fully trust Christ’s work on the cross for us, we become His and He becomes ours. He guards and protects our souls for eternity because He, the all-powerful God, loves us perfectly. (John 10:28)  As women, most of us spend our lives searching for our “perfect Lover” from teenage years until we find Mr. Right, our knight in shining armor. Ultimately, our hearts are designed to discover that only the Lord God can satisfy us completely. Whether we end up married or single, Christ must remain the fullness of our delight. When we shift our eyes to any lesser love, elevating him over God, we will find heartache, disappointment, and dissatisfaction. If we marry, husband and wife are designed to move forward together with many goals, but the highest being Christ. If we are single, the same is true as we move through life with many hopes and dreams, but our highest being Christ. He alone is to hold the position of pre-eminence. (Colossians 1:15-20) There will be rough roads all along the way for both single and married women, but the love of our great God never falters or abandons!

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1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
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in your everyday!

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Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

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Worship VII Day 9 By Faith: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out By Faith!

The Questions

1) What is the proof we cannot see? (verse 1)

2) What is true faith according to this passage?

3) What benefit do obstacles and struggles have on our faith in everyday life?

Hebrews 11:1-12:2

11:1 Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen. 2 For by this our ancestors were approved.

3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.

4 By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was approved as a righteous man, because God approved his gifts, and even though he is dead, he still speaks through his faith.

5 By faith Enoch was taken away, and so he did not experience death. He was not to be found because God took him away. For before he was taken away, he was approved as one who pleased God. 6 Now without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

7 By faith Noah, after he was warned about what was not yet seen and motivated by godly fear, built an ark to deliver his family. By faith he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

8 By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed and set out for a place that he was going to receive as an inheritance. He went out, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he stayed as a foreigner in the land of promise, living in tents as did Isaac and Jacob, coheirs of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

11 By faith even Sarah herself, when she was unable to have children, received power to conceive offspring, even though she was past the age, since she considered that the one who had promised was faithful. 12 Therefore, from one man—in fact, from one as good as dead—came offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky and as innumerable as the grains of sand along the seashore.

13 These all died in faith, although they had not received the things that were promised. But they saw them from a distance, greeted them, and confessed that they were foreigners and temporary residents on the earth. 14 Now those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they were thinking about where they came from, they would have had an opportunity to return. 16 But they now desire a better place—a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac. He received the promises and yet he was offering his one and only son, 18 the one to whom it had been said, Your offspring will be traced through Isaac. 19 He considered God to be able even to raise someone from the dead; therefore, he received him back, figuratively speaking.

20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come. 21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and he worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff. 22 By faith Joseph, as he was nearing the end of his life, mentioned the exodus of the Israelites and gave instructions concerning his bones.

23 By faith Moses, after he was born, was hidden by his parents for three months, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they didn’t fear the king’s edict. 24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter 25 and chose to suffer with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasure of sin. 26 For he considered reproach for the sake of Christ to be greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, since he was looking ahead to the reward.

27 By faith he left Egypt behind, not being afraid of the king’s anger, for Moses persevered as one who sees him who is invisible. 28 By faith he instituted the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn might not touch the Israelites. 29 By faith they crossed the Red Sea as though they were on dry land. When the Egyptians attempted to do this, they were drowned.

30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after being marched around by the Israelites for seven days. 31 By faith Rahab the prostitute welcomed the spies in peace and didn’t perish with those who disobeyed.

32 And what more can I say? Time is too short for me to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets, 33 who by faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the raging of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, gained strength in weakness, became mighty in battle, and put foreign armies to flight. 35 Women received their dead, raised to life again. Other people were tortured, not accepting release, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36 Others experienced mockings and scourgings, as well as bonds and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawed in two, they died by the sword, they wandered about in sheepskins, in goatskins, destitute, afflicted, and mistreated. 38 The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and on mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground.

39 All these were approved through their faith, but they did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had provided something better for us, so that they would not be made perfect without us.

12:1 Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, 2 keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Original Intent

1) What is the proof we cannot see? (verse 1)
To see our Savior face to face! To enjoy His in-person-company forever! To be freed forever from the entanglement of sin! This is the coming hope for every believer! This is yet unseen and un-experienced, but we wait with anticipation, knowing it is indeed coming. No matter our everyday trials, we can choose to focus on His promise that heaven is our eternal home for all who have trusted in His name. It is our place to be with Him. The Christian life is purposefully moving toward certain hope. Hebrews 12:1-2 paints a beautiful picture, “Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus.” For the early church believers who received this letter of Hebrews, the imagery of finishing a race was easily understood as the Greek Olympic games were in high gear. In their race towards hope, their finest example of endurance was Jesus whose goal was to purchase our freedom from sin. He endured horrific suffering in order to win the restoration of our souls. If Jesus could endure for the prize of a relationship with us, so are we to run with endurance towards the Hope He died to give us! Christ is the goal of our journey and through the power of His Holy Spirit, we are strengthened to press on towards the unseen victory coming ahead. We are surrounded by saints who have gone before us and we are urged to reject the pull of sin while reaching toward Hope. Jesus encourages us, “Don’t let your heart be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to Myself, so that where I am you may be also.” (John 14:1-3) The goal of our faith is God Himself who waits to welcome us at the end of our race on earth. Keep running! It’s worth it!

2) What is true faith according to this passage?
The word faith in the New Testament has many definitions based on the context of that passage. For example, when Judean Christians, whom Paul had sought to kill, spoke of their belief in Christ, they said “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy” (Galatians 1:23) Here, faith is meant as a confession or belief statement, similar to what believers have long held to in the Apostles’ Creed, which summarize the Christian beliefs. However, the author of Hebrews is conveying something different than a creedal statement of belief held by faith. As theologian Guthrie, notes, “For the evangelists that wrote the gospels, Jesus Christ is the object of faith.” John describes this aspect of faith in his gospel when he writes his summary mission statement for his letter, “That you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.” (John 20:31) A personal faith in Jesus is the hallmark of Christians. The writer of Hebrews provided true, historic examples of Christians who lived out their everyday lives from a place of faith. (Hebrews 11:4-38) This faith is firmly anchored in an unchanging hope that transcends the current struggles. This faith is gained by claiming for ourselves the salvation Jesus offers to everyone. His salvation is freedom from the condemnation of sin, complete forgiveness for every offense, and the sweet promise of eternity with Him. Faith in Jesus is the doorway by which we gain access to God Himself. “The righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” (Romans 3:22) The heroes of faith in Hebrews 11 had one thing in common, their undivided confidence in God. The writer of Hebrews wants his readers to witness and experience that which cannot be seen by witnessing the faith of believers who trusted in Jesus. Their testimony brilliantly paints the definition of what it is to truly live by faith, even though their faith is fully in the God who cannot be seen and in His faithful promises, which are equally unseen. “Faith is being sure of what we hope for and for certain of what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1)

3) What benefit do obstacles and struggles have on our faith in everyday life?
If we follow the world’s standards we may have short term ease and comfort, perhaps even prosperity. If we follow God’s standards we are guaranteed suffering, loss, and unpopularity. Astoundingly, it is the conviction of Christians it is better to suffer with God than to prosper with the world. The book of Daniel tells of three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who were confronted with the choice of public worship to King Nebuchadnezzar, or obeying God. The men chose to worship God alone, which earned them the consequence of being thrown into a fiery furnace. Yet, without hesitation, these men chose to fear the Lord God over fearing a human man.  Human experience tells us seize the moment and experience everything good we possibly can, but the Spirit of God, active within every Christian, teaches us only the Lord God is worthy of our worship and following His ways are always best. The Lord allows struggles in life so we can see how faithful HE is in spite of our weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:9) James instructs believers to “Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.” (James 1:2-3) Paul says we can actually boast in our afflictions! For the Christian, God uses trials to “produce endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Romans 5:3-5) Our coming Hope of real life with Jesus gives us a raised platform by which we can see how even trials can be considered pure joy. Every struggle has been allowed by God for a purpose; they are not random.  Abraham was called to sacrifice his son Isaac, Samson was crushed by the Philistines, Sarah was barren, heroes of the faith were sawed in half, slain by the sword, and the list continues, not just here in Hebrews 11 but, throughout God’s entire Word. These fiery, heavy burdens are producing faithful maturity in us as we learn to trust our God, His character, and look with eyes upon the coming “unseen” glory that is still to come and will last forever. Our trials here are merely temporary. “For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory. So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18)

Everyday Application

1) What is the proof we cannot see? (verse 1)
Like those who first received the letter of Hebrews, we too are Jesus’ disciples and we are urged to run the race of faith. Similarly, the apostle Paul said we are to “fight the good fight”. (1 Timothy 6:12) The battle is arduous, but worth it! We don’t need to look far into our everyday lives and schedules, our hurry and our deadlines to find distraction everywhere. Keeping our eyes on the unseen goal of Christ is difficult! If we keep our focus on the countless distractions, we quickly grow weary in our everyday battle. We must renew our minds to stay in the fight (Romans 12:2), to focus on the unseen coming reward of dwelling with our God! We are urged to remain faithful to Him by “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.” (Hebrews 12:2) Finally, when our race in this life is over, we will be able to say together with the apostle Paul and all who have trusted Christ, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. There is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me, but to all those who have loved his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:7-8) Ahhh! We will finally SEE the proof of the unseen! Here is the moment we, as believers, have eagerly waited for, the mighty, in-person presence of the Holy God! Suddenly, the unseen will be made tangible as eternal life begins and peace-filled joy is made perfectly complete. Fear will have no place as we stand immoveable in His magnificent love. As blissful as this coming hope will one day be, He offers us access to these gifts of peace, joy, love, and life without fear even now in our everyday. How? By fixing our eyes on what is to come. He is our Savior, Sustainer, Healer, and Redeemer in eternity, yes, but also in the now. Let’s fix our eyes on the unseen, and run with endurance for the hope set before us as we fight the good fight!

2) What is true faith according to this passage?
Simply put, true biblical faith is a personal trust in Jesus and His work on the cross. This faith is proven in our everyday obedience to God’s Word as the Holy Spirit renews us, making us more like Jesus, who is “the author and perfector of our faith.” (Hebrews 12:2) This faith is exercised in everyday life quite simply. God speaks through Scripture, we hear His Word, trust Him, and act upon His teaching. Those who have true faith are both “hearers and doers of the Word”. (James 1:22) The author of Hebrews provides us with three descriptors of biblical faith, substance, evidence, and witness. Faith is to a Christian what the foundation and framework is to a house. Faith provides the substance and essence of what it looks like to follow Jesus. The faithfulness of God is our blessed assurance and confident hope, to which we cling through faith. “Faith is the reality of what is hoped for…” (Hebrews 11:1) True faith will produce convincing evidence in the believer’s life, proof that what is coming (eternal life with Jesus) is both worth it and the One promising it is worthy of our faith. What God has promised, He will indeed bring to fruition. We evidence this faith when we live out faith-filled lives that point towards the true genuineness of God’s unchanging character. Finally, faith is described as having a witness, which is referenced in Hebrews 12:1, “…a great cloud of witnesses….”. These witnesses are those whose lives testify of God’s faithfulness in the storyline of their lives. God has redeemed their lives, renewed their hearts, and saved them from separation from God, and their lives now give witness to this remarkable change! Faith enables us to accept salvation through Jesus, makes us wise in how to live out our lives, and gives us hope for a coming glory where we will dwell with God and other believers forever. Dr. Oswald Sanders puts it perfectly, “Faith enables the believing soul to treat the future as present and the invisible as seen.” We can cling to our certain “for sure” future life with God because we can trust Him at His Word. This kind of faith can only truly be experienced or understood by those who have chosen to place their faith in Jesus Christ and what Jesus did for us. On the cross, Jesus took our identity of “sin” upon Himself and gave us His identity of “righteousness” instead. As a result, we cannot brag about what we have done to earn salvation because we know only Jesus could make us righteous, trading our identity for His.

3) What benefit do obstacles and struggles have on our faith in everyday life?
Think of trials as training! God trains His troops, where the highest end goal is to trust Him, love Him supremely, and enjoy Him forever. When we walk in faith, God is always building us up to become more mature in Him even when it seems we are broken or our circumstances are impossible. (1 Peter 2:2-5) HE never leaves us! Psalm 138:8) Sometimes we suffer because we followed the wrong voice, doing our will instead of God’s will. Hosea 4:6 tells us we will be destroyed by insisting on our way, rejecting God’s ways and His knowledge. We cannot blame God for our wrong choices, but as we submit our lives to His hand and His ways, He will take even our erring ways and use them to teach us to trust Him, love Him, and enjoy Him. Many times, struggle happens even when we aren’t choosing sin. We may not understand the “WHY” of our trials, but we CAN trust God’s unchanging character of love towards us. Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us the Lord has always been faithful to show kindness towards His people; He has always given them hope. The heroes of faith in Hebrews 11 understood that no matter the trial, they could be anchored firmly in faith in God, knowing “for sure and for certain” He was in control. They confidently knew their trials were achieving for them something far greater than temporary happiness would. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18) The Lord declares to His people, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not My ways. (…) For as heaven is higher than earth, so My ways are higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9) Wow! Obviously, God is in control and we can trust Him! We must not throw away our confidence in Him, His promised hope is coming and it is certain! (Hebrews 10:35-38)

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with By Faith!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Worship VII Week Two!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Blessed Day 7 Blessed Are The Hungry And Thirsty: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Blessed Are The Hungry And Thirsty!

The Questions

1) Who are the thirsty? (verse 1)

2) What are the things that do not satisfy? (verse 2)

3) How is the “permanent covenant” related to the faithful kindness of David? (verse 3)

Isaiah 55:1-3

“Come, everyone who is thirsty,
come to the water;
and you without silver,
come, buy, and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without silver and without cost!
2 Why do you spend silver on what is not food,
and your wages on what does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good,
and you will enjoy the choicest of foods.
3 Pay attention and come to me;
listen, so that you will live.
I will make a permanent covenant with you
on the basis of the faithful kindnesses of David.

Original Intent

1) Who are the thirsty? (verse 1)
Verse 1 is full of imperatives, including a call to action for all who are thirsty. “Come to the water (…), come, buy, and eat (…) without cost.” The open invitation calls aloud to all who thirst. Note how the speaker already has gifts ready to distribute, delicious food and drink, water and wine. This prophecy of invitation and plenty comes in the midst of Israel’s exile into captivity at the hands of the Babylonian empire. They were a people removed from their homeland because of their sinful rebellion against God. They wanted to go home, they wanted to be restored, they wearied of not being able to worship Yahweh in their temple. They longed to return with a longing that felt like hunger and thirst. Isaiah writes how the invitation is for both common (water) and luxury (wine and milk) items, both are offered without pay, but also accompanied with a sense of urgency to accept all the free gifts being held out. Old Testament Bible scholar, Leupold, writes, “It may be said that the spiritual gifts hinted at of food and drink are all incorporated in one concept, the Word of God.” Those who are thirsty are those who have a conscious need to be fulfilled. Thirst represents a deep longing for spiritual fulfillment. Jesus picks up this Old Testament thread of hungering and thirsting when He preaches the Sermon on the Mount, specifically in the beatitude in Matthew 5:6, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” In the Old Testament, Isaiah’s invitation was specifically for the Jew. Jesus’ invitation, however, broadens to encompass all to come and partake of the provision of grace where the only requirement is to be thirsty. God is summoning the exiled to end their separation from Yahweh, despite their physical circumstances of living in a foreign land. The Lord cares most about their hearts! The exiles are to come to the water (Isaiah 12:3) where God may be encountered.

2) What are the things that do not satisfy? (verse 2)
Before Israel was take away into captivity, her people had wasted their time, energy, and resources searching for satisfaction. God’s chosen people had forsaken the joy of fellowship with Him, instead spending all they had in a vain search for satisfaction and deliverance from their feelings of “longing for more”, all apart from God. The end result of their rebellion against God and worship of idols led to their exile. This nation with many talented people devoted their efforts to acquiring things of far lesser value when compared to intimate connection with God. They made great attempts to make themselves comfortable and pursue their physical wants over their spiritual needs. WHY?! The prophet Isaiah cries aloud with anguish, “why spend money on what cannot satisfy?!” (Isaiah 55:2) These things are not the Bread of Life! (John 6:35) Even dating back to before the Ten Commandments given to Moses, the Lord God made known to His children, who would become the nation Israel, “man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” (Deuteronomy 8:3) Yet, here was Israel, centuries later, working to fill their hunger pangs with unsatisfying, temporal things of this earth, and it left them empty. The Lord knew from very beginning the Garden of Eden that true satisfaction and deep lasting joy are found only in wholeness of right relationship with Himself. Despite their rebellion against Him, God still extended an open invitation to His people to return to Him for their sustenance and satisfaction. He promised to faithfully provide for those who returned to Him. Jesus, who called Himself the Bread of Life, gave a similar invitation when He linked the imagery of water and bread with His providence of eternal life to all who believed in Him for salvation. (John 4:10-14)

3) How is the “permanent covenant” related to the faithful kindness of David? (verse 3)
Jesus said in John 6:63, “The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life”. God’s invitational call to come and be satisfied by Him is a call to be filled with His own life, as He is the very author of all life. All who respond to His invitation are welcomed into a “permanent covenant” relationship with God, which began with Abraham, and continued through the King David. In Old Testament times, a covenant was a legally binding promise. If either party broke their end of the vow, they gave permission for the other party to literally cut them in half. Talk about serious! God established a covenant with David by promising that one of David’s descendants would always sit on the throne. Ultimately, this was infinitely fulfilled when Christ was born, taking His place as the long-awaited Messiah who would rule God’s kingdom forever. Matthew 1:1 names Jesus as the son of David proving his royal origin, while also naming him the son of Abraham proving He was an Israelite. Both point unequivocally to Christ as the rightful King of all kings. David had nothing to offer God, but God initiated a rich covenant with him. Once, David was only a shepherd boy, but God cut a covenant with him, promising to build the lineage of Christ through his line and usher in a kingdom that would never end!

Everyday Application

1) Who are the thirsty? (verse 1)
As Jesus made clear in His sermon, the invitation to freely receive the blessings of a full relationship with Him is available to all who hunger and thirst for His righteousness. In Christ, there is enough for all. All are welcome to be filled by Him! We all know what it feels like to be physically hungry or thirsty, but what of longing for righteousness? Where God gives grace, He gives the thirst. Be assured that because God has given the good grace gift of His salvation, of relationship with Him, and communion with Him through His Holy Spirit, He also provides a hungering desire. (Ecclesiastes 3:11, Psalm 34:8) He is waiting to be known by each of us, He is pursuing our hearts, He created us with “eternity in our hearts” that we might seek Him. We each have a “hungering for more”, but how will we attempt to satisfy? More material possessions? More friendships? More likes on social media? More money in the bank account? More freedom in our relationships? Or, more of Jesus? Perhaps you view Christianity as a religion of restrictions with long lists of “do’s and don’ts” and negative commandments. Contrary to this perception, the joys, peace, freedom, and victory available in relationship with Christ are precious beyond description. Too often we look for happiness and security in being entertained, our career, or spending money for things that don’t bring permanent satisfaction. Our hunger for more should cause us to “open our mouths to God, and let Him fill us.” (Psalm 81:10) Worldly pleasure will not satisfy that deep longing. Just as a person’s body cannot live without water, our hearts cannot be satisfied apart from God. It is not a religious cliché when a believer says, “God satisfies”. Depth of relationship with God is the secret of authentic soul satisfaction. Remove the obstructions, tear down the barriers, and let your soul find the fulfillment of its deepest longings in fellowship with God. “Come, buy without money and without cost.” Relationship with Jesus is FREE!!!!! Though it’s cost is inestimable, it is given freely by God Himself!

2) What are the things that do not satisfy? (verse 2)
If you just had an amazing, elegant meal, walking away filled to the brim, you aren’t interested in another lavish meal. In a similar fashion, those satisfied with the palate of the world, see no need of Christ, they do not thirst. There is no uneasiness about their souls. Yet, ironically, they still actively search for “more”. They have become accustomed to dining on the food the world offers, and aren’t aware of all they are missing by feeding on the life of Christ. Without a realization of brokenness or an awareness of never truly being “filled”, there will be no desire to seek beyond the plain fare provided by the world and its allures. Our wants are beyond number, but apart from Christ, we have nothing to truly supply them. If Christ and heaven are ours, we are indebted forever to His free grace as He generously gives us satisfaction and delight in Him. The world comes short of our expectations; we are disappointed. But Christ outdoes our expectations! The gifts of God are of such that no price can be set. They are already paid for by His work on the cross. Christ purchased our salvation fully with His blood. All the pleasures of the world will not yield solid comfort and contentment to our soul, only Jesus! Let the disappointments we face drive us to Christ and seek our satisfaction in HIM Alone.  Only then shall we find rest, peace, and comfort for our souls. Are you getting what you want from life? Have you found satisfaction that doesn’t fade? What are you chasing, aside from Jesus, that you are expecting to fulfill you?

3) How is the “permanent covenant” related to the faithful kindness of David? (verse 3)
All God’s mercies are covenant mercies, they are purchased by Him, they are promised by Him, and out of His hand they are given to us. (Ephesians 1:7-8) On our own, we cannot find salvation, which is available through the Living Water and Bread of Life, foretold in this passage of Isaiah, and brought to fullness in the flesh of Christ Jesus, who is fully human and fully divine. Christ is the fullness of the covenant that was promised to David. He is the one who unveils the mystery of salvation. (Ephesians 1:9) No one comes to the Father, but through Jesus, the embodiment of the long-ago promise declaring One would come who would forever conquer Death with His Life. (John 14:6)  The Lord’s covenant with Abraham and David extends to all people, including you and me, as was foretold in Isaiah’s prophecy. This is not the covenant of works, but the covenant of grace, and it’s founded in the everlasting love of God, according to His eternal purposes. (Ephesians 1:4, Isaiah 42:6) We are to receive Jesus fully, taking in His life as our own. Isaiah’s invitation is for us, “Come! Buy without money! Eat and be satisfied!”

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Blessed Are The Hungry And Thirsty!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Blessed Week Two!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Hallel Day 12 For All Peoples: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out For All Peoples!

The Questions

1) What is the reward that is yet to come?

2) Who will receive the reward?

3) What does the water of life represent?

Revelation 22:12-17

“Look, I am coming soon, and my reward is with me to repay each person according to his work. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.

14 “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates. 15 Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to attest these things to you for the churches. I am the Root and descendant of David, the bright morning star.”

17 Both the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Let anyone who hears, say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come. Let the one who desires take the water of life freely.

Original Intent

1) What is the reward that is yet to come?
Christ’s return is a guaranteed promise. Signed, sealed and soon to be delivered; Christ will indeed return. (John 14:1-3, Revelation 22:7) With His coming, Jesus says He will reward “each person” according to their works. The phrase, “My reward is with Me”, is a direct quote from Isaiah’s Old Testament prophecy stating, “See, the Lord God comes with strength, and His power establishes His rule. His wages are with Him, and His reward accompanies Him.” (Isaiah 40:10) Christ’s promised return incites great joy for those who have trusted Him for their salvation, placing on Him the full weight of their life. In contrast, for those who have not trusted Him fully, or those who have only “appeared” to trust Him superficially, Christ’s assured return brings dreadful fear. (Matthew 7:21-23) The reward for “work” is clearly coming, but a correct understanding of “work” is critically imperative to note. Kistemaker, a New Testament theologian, underlines the correct understanding of “work” by saying, “In Scripture there are no “works of righteousness” man can accomplish on his own, “no counting of good works to outweigh bad”. The term “reward” here in this passage has NO connection with the concept “treasure in heaven”.” There are only 2 types of “reward” spoken of here. One is the earned wages of eternal separation from a loving and holy God; these wages are earned by committing sin. The other reward is the grace-gift of eternal life which is granted to all who have trusted in Christ for their salvation. The “work” here is simply an act of faith, trusting that Jesus has accomplished our victory and rescued us from eternal condemnation. Revelation 11:18 speaks into this saying, “Your wrath has come. The time has come for the dead to be judged and to give the reward to Your servants the prophets, to the saints, and to those who fear your name, both small and great, and the time has come to destroy those who destroy the earth.”

2) Who will receive the reward?
Everyone, across all of time, will be involved in this future event. There will be no escaping the reward of Christ in that day of return, whether for eternal life or eternal judgment. There is a due wage, a reward of punishment, which will be righteously given to the wicked for their sin. They chose to trust themselves, reject the Holy God, and oppose His gift of grace. They have rightfully earned eternal separation from Him. (Hebrews 2:2, Isaiah 3:11) There is also a reward of grace, a reward of inheritance, which is the gift of eternal life, in which God, of His free grace, gives to His people freely when they choose to trust Him for their salvation. He has given them His own righteousness because they had no righteousness of their own. (Colossians 3:24, 2 Corinthians 5:21) Christ has the authority from God, as mediator to inflict vengeance on the wicked and to give eternal life to His people, both of which He will do. Because God is loving, He offers the free gift of grace to all peoples through the sacrificial work of His Son, Jesus Christ. Because God is just, He will punish all who reject life and the offer of righteousness. He will not force His gift of grace on anyone, each must choose, this choosing is the “work” that determines the reward received. Consider Paul’s words from Romans, “For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.” (Romans 14:11-12) One day, when Christ returns, all choice will be removed and all peoples will indeed acknowledge Christ as sovereign ruler with all authority, but at that point, our opportunity to choose Him of our own volition, will be gone. Judgment will be present and the reward will already have come.

3) What does the water of life represent?
Throughout Scripture, a place of barrenness and unquenchable thirst is an apt description for life apart from Christ. For the woman at the well in John 4, whom Christ encountered, she came to understand that without Jesus, the source of living water, she would always experience empty thirst. A dry and thirsty land where there is no water represents very well this world, to the one who doesn’t have the constant presence of the Savior dwelling in their hearts through the Holy Spirit. He is the fountain of life, He is the living water. He is the source of our eternal hope, having raised us from death to life, spiritually speaking, as He took away our sin and gave us His righteousness. As the Israelites would have perished without the flow of water from the rock as they wandered in the barren wilderness, so does every soul perish for eternity without Christ. In our physical world, water is commonly associated with life, without water we will quickly die! Water is mentioned many times throughout the Bible in association with life, not just temporary, but eternal! “But whoever drinks from the water I will give him will never get thirsty again. In fact, ,the water I give him will become a well of water springing up in him for eternal life.” (John 4:14) With this living water of life, there comes a grand invitation, “COME! Let him who is thirsty (for true life), come and take the water of life freely!” (Revelation 22:17)

Everyday Application

1) What is the reward that is yet to come?
The entire chapter of Revelation 22 is phenomenal! It is the end of the Bible, and is a beautiful summation of what God has been drawing us to throughout His Word.  Having run the race of following Christ in this world for Jesus, our great reward is coming in His hand! We, who have placed our faith in Jesus, may eat of the tree of life and enter into the Holy City, the New Jerusalem! Not because we have worked hard at righteousness on our own, but because Christ has completed our work and given us His Own Righteousness in place of our sinfulness. However, there is not only one reward because there are two groups of people. Of all peoples, we are either inside the gates of the Holy City because our names are in the Book of Life as a result of trusting Christ (Revelation 3:5) OR we are outside the gates of the Holy City never to enter in, but to be in Hell for all eternity and separated from God, the author of life and love. (Matthew 18:5-9, Matthew 25:31-46) This is a very clear statement of the only two possible places we will spend in eternity, either Heaven or Hell. Christ is coming soon (verse 12), His reward is with Him to repay us whether we have chosen to trust Him or trust ourselves. He holds all authority, existing for all eternity as the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. (Matthew 28:18, Revelation 22:13) Because it is true that “salvation exists in no other name” (Acts 4:12), our opportunity to choose Christ now, at this moment, is the single most important decision we will ever make. In 10,000 years from now, Christians will still be rejoicing in knowing the eternal God of love in deeper ways. Those who rejected Him now will continue in their unfathomable suffering as they live out eternity under the full wrath of God. Where is your reward?!

2) Who will receive the reward?
Verse 14 is very descriptive and straight forward as to who the rewards are designated for, “Blessed are those who wash their robes so that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter into the Holy City by the gates”. Those who have followed Jesus, those who are All in for Christ no matter the cost and whose names are written in the Book of Life, finally after running the race on earth, will find their eternal home is heaven. This is their great reward! To be with Christ! The second group of people are those who chose not to follow Christ, rejecting the offer of life and righteousness. These folks are described as being OUTSIDE the city gates, and their sinfulness and immorality is clearly described (verse 15). These sins once characterized those who have trusted Jesus for salvation too. (Ephesians 5:8, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11) The only thing separating one group from the other is the precious blood of Jesus who covers all sin when we ask Him to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9, 1 Peter 1:18-19) All forms of wickedness and unrighteous persons will be shut out of heaven forever. There is no middle ground! This should be a wake-up call for all of us. We’re talking about eternity, forever and ever! What side are we on? Where will we freely choose to live eternally? If we’ve already trusted Christ for our own salvation, I urge you my sister, to share this living hope with all gentles, respect, and urgency with those around you! (1 Peter 3:15)

3) What does the water of life represent?
Jesus has freely offered this living water to all peoples, and given many warnings so all would know that now is the time to choose to accept that gift of life for themselves. When Jesus calls out, “Come!”, His offer is extended to all who thirst. The promises and the rich inheritance of the freedom found only in Christ is offered to all! We all experience thirst, and dry emptiness in this life. Loss, hurt, illness, and many others, but with the living water of Christ flooding our hearts through His presence by His Holy Spirit, we are made alive, we are sustained and upheld. We are carried and preserved, and will one day, see our redemption face to face in the lovely countenance of Christ Himself as He brings His reward to us! Jesus calls us to come and freely take of the living water so we may abundantly live while serving here on earth in HIS name as we await the coming day of Christ’s magnificent and most glorious return. If we can just picture in our mind the absolute beauty of God’s restoration of Eden as depicted in the first five verses of Revelation 22, that alone should be a huge catalyst in pulling us nearer to the Father and increasing our thirst for Christ, and Christ alone! The more we drink of Him through feasting on His word in Scripture, the more we are rooted ever more firmly in truth, and encouraged to boldly share this hope of life with all those around us, calling aloud, “Come!”. The account of Revelation assures us God is in control. History is moving toward the consummation of His purposes. His plan is unfolding according to His schedule. Christ will return and win the final battle against evil and injustice. He will reign in victory forever! Believers will be rescued and live forever in the sweet presence of God. I’m in! How about you?!

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with For All Peoples!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Hallel Week Three!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Sketched VII Day 7 A Mother’s Heart: Digging Deeper

Leave a Comment

Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out A Mother’s Heart!

The Questions

1) What does the “year of the Lord’s favor” reference? (verse 2)

2) What is the “day of our God’s vengeance”? (verse 2)

3) What is the Lord saying about those who mourn and are brokenhearted in this passage?

Isaiah 61:1-11

The Spirit of the Lord God is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives
and freedom to the prisoners;
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,
and the day of our God’s vengeance;
to comfort all who mourn,
3 to provide for those who mourn in Zion;
to give them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,
festive oil instead of mourning,
and splendid clothes instead of despair.
And they will be called righteous trees,
planted by the Lord
to glorify him.
4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins;
they will restore the former devastations;
they will renew the ruined cities,
the devastations of many generations.
5 Strangers will stand and feed your flocks,
and foreigners will be your plowmen and vinedressers.

6 But you will be called the Lord’s priests;
they will speak of you as ministers of our God;
you will eat the wealth of the nations,
and you will boast in their riches.
7 In place of your shame, you will have a double portion;
in place of disgrace, they will rejoice over their share.
So they will possess double in their land,
and eternal joy will be theirs.

8 For I the Lord love justice;
I hate robbery and injustice;
I will faithfully reward my people
and make a permanent covenant with them.
9 Their descendants will be known among the nations,
and their posterity among the peoples.
All who see them will recognize
that they are a people the Lord has blessed.

10 I rejoice greatly in the Lord,
I exult in my God;
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation
and wrapped me in a robe of righteousness,
as a groom wears a turban
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11 For as the earth produces its growth,
and as a garden enables what is sown to spring up,
so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise
to spring up before all the nations.

Original Intent

1) What does the “year of the Lord’s favor” reference? (verse 2)
The prophet Isaiah is prophesying through the Spirit of the Lord. Remarkably, Isaiah gives testimony of a tremendous reality in verse 1, “The Spirit of the Lord God is on me…”! Throughout Scripture, the Lord always gives His Spirit for a specific purpose, and here Isaiah tells us that purpose, “because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news…” Often, a prophet of the Lord brought bad news of coming punishment, or hard to hear news as the prophet confronted sin and called for repentance, but this news was GOOD NEWS! These welcome tidings were the precursor for the coming “year of the Lord’s favor” which would be marked by healing, freedom, and comfort for the broken. Isaiah’s prophecy goes on by describing the recipients of the good news as being the poor, the brokenhearted, the captives, prisoners, and all who mourn. This encompassed ALL of Israel. Isaiah’s prophecy foretells of two events that were yet to come in Israel’s future. Salvation through the coming of the Messiah would fulfill the prophecy “the year of the Lord’s favor”. The second, is one we are still waiting for today, “the day of our God’s vengeance”, which is the second coming of Christ when His righteous judgement will condemn those who rejected His offer of life to eternal death and condemnation. (2 Thessalonian 1:8-10) There is a saying that goes, “The Old Testament contains the New Testament concealed. The New Testament contains the Old Testament Revealed.” We see this evidenced in Luke 4:16-30 where Jesus read this prophecy from Isaiah in the Nazareth synagogue and boldly declared with all authority, “Today as you listen, this Scripture has been fulfilled.” (Luke 4:21) The year of the Lord’s favor began with Christ’s physical presence on earth as He came to set the captives free and heal the brokenhearted!

2) What is the “day of our God’s vengeance”? (verse 2)
Verse 2 contrasts two futuristic events, “the year of the Lord’s favor” and “the day of our God’s vengeance”. The day of our God’s vengeance refers to a future, final, judgement while the year of the Lord’s favor is a time of grace (2 Corinthians 6:2), which happens first, while God graciously waits with patience for humanity to choose Him and come to Him in full surrender of their hearts and lives. (2 Peter 3:9) Note the contrasting time periods where “favor” lasts a “year”, but “vengeance” is but a “day”. This is meant as a literal 365 days or 24-hour span, but rather as a figure of speech depicting length. God is granting favor now! Today is the day of salvation! This is our opportunity to choose Christ! One day, the time period allotted by God for humanity to come to know Him through Jesus will be over and the Day of Vengeance will dawn. The prophet Malachi describes that day like this, “For look, the day is coming, burning like a furnace, when all the arrogant and everyone who commits wickedness will become stubble. The coming day will consume them,” says the Lord of Armies, “not leaving them root or branches.” (Malachi 4:1)

3) What is the Lord saying about those who mourn and are brokenhearted in this passage? 
The persons benefiting from Isaiah’s message are described as poor, brokenhearted, captives, and prisoners. These descriptions could definitely be in a literal sense for the first audience who would soon be exiled to Babylon, but there are overtones of a deeper, spiritual meaning. “Poor” includes not only those who lack monetary funds (Psalm 72:12-14), but also those who are poor in spirit (Matthew 5:3), meaning utterly bankrupt with no means to gain salvation or access to God of our own ability. “Brokenhearted” depicts persons who mourn and grieve inconsolably without relief. While the coming Messiah would bring deep comfort to the brokenhearted who grieve, the fullest sense of comfort is evidenced by Christ’s satisfaction of our grief over sin and separation from God, which is precisely the comfort Christ came to bring by His sacrifice to bridge the gap between us and God. (Matthew 5:4) “Captives” or “prisoners” would have first meant physical, as in Israel’s coming exile to Babylon from which God would one day free them, but this reference was especially intended to describe all of humanity held captive to sin and death. (Romans 6:16-18) Christ came to bring freedom in His righteousness, which He will clothe us with when we trust Him. (Isaiah 61:10, 2 Corinthians 5:21)

Everyday Application

1) What does the “year of the Lord’s favor” reference? (verse 2)
Just as Isaiah the prophet was anointed through the Spirit of the Lord to deliver the good news, so are Christians today. Every believer has been indwelt by the Holy Spirit and has been commissioned to deliver the good news of Jesus and the salvation available through Christ’s work on the cross where He took our punishment for sin upon Himself on our behalf.  This indwelling of the Holy Spirit can only happen if one is born again. (John 3:3-8) Today, despite the difficulties and pain of this world, the Bible tells us we are living in an extremely favorable time because Christ has already died, was buried, and rose from the grave. His return is soon, and in the meantime, we are favored with stewarding this gift of grace by telling others. (Ephesians 3:1-2) Salvation for eternity by God’s grace through faith is available to everyone who repents and believes in HIS atoning work on the cross. Once we receive the Good News for ourselves, we are no longer spiritually broken or held hostage as captives to shame and sin. We may continue to be physically broken or monetarily poor, but our spirits are free, no longer slaves to sin or condemnation because we belong to God who holds our eternal hope and freedom securely.

2) What is the “day of our God’s vengeance”? (verse 2)
We like to think and operate our lives from the Year of Favor. We feel it will all be okay in the end, or maybe we barely, if ever, spend time considering a day of judgement and vengeance from God. Surely, a loving God would never exact judgement, right? Sweet lies the enemy feeds us, but our God is a just and righteous God. One day when Christ returns, every one of us will stand before His throne awaiting His righteous, just judgement. Only those whose names are found written in the Lamb’s book of eternal life will have eternal life and enjoy peace with God. Those who have rejected Christ will face an eternity apart from the presence of God; the Bible calls this “hell” or “lake of fire”. (Revelation 20:12-15) The Lord’s vengeance will be carried out quickly, but the Lord’s favor is still available until He comes. However, His return is imminent and time is of importance, we must be ready for His return by choosing now while it is still called “today”. (Hebrews 3:12-13)

3) What is the Lord saying about those who mourn and are brokenhearted in this passage?
The psalmist sings, “The sacrifices of God are a broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.” (Psalm 51:17) The very mention of words like “poverty, brokenness, and captive” may cause us to shudder, but the Christian knows spiritual brokenness is necessary for spiritual growth, as well as fruitfulness.  Spiritual brokenness for a non-believer would be mourning without hope, despair, unrighteousness, shame, disgrace and ruin without HOPE FOREVER.  A non-believer only puts their trust in the things of the world and their own abilities. Spiritual brokenness for the one who has placed the full weight of their trust on Christ, though they share the circumstantial experiences of the non-believer like sadness, loss, shame, disgrace, and difficulty, they are being renewed day by day (2 Corinthians 4:16) because of Christ in them! Their hope is unshakeable (1 Peter 1:3-4) and their victory has already been won. (Romans 8:37-39) God can restore every heart, bringing life from the dead, hope to the broken, and setting captives free! In Isaiah 61:3 God promises to give those who mourn and are broken a “crown of beauty instead of ashes, festive oil instead of mourning, splendid clothes instead of despair, and they will be called righteous trees planted by the Lord to glorify HIM!”  When we surrender our hearts and lives to Christ, His Spirit resides within us, making us new, changing us through His power to become more like Christ. What once was broken is now being healed and renewed. Where we once were slaves to sin, we are now freed to righteousness in following Christ! Casting Crowns sings it like this, “Living He Loved me, dying He saved me, buried He carried my sins far away, rising He justified, freeing forever, One day He is coming, OH GLORIOUS DAY!”

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with A Mother’s Heart!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Sketched VII Week Two!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Shielded Day 12 Certain Rescue: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Certain Rescue!

The Questions

1) What is Paul referring to when he “urges” us to “present our bodies as a living sacrifice”? (verse 1)

2) How is true worship defined and what does it look like?

3) What is Paul’s call to action for the believer in everyday life?

Romans 12:1-2

Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

Original Intent

1) What is Paul referring to when he “urges” us to “present our bodies as a living sacrifice”? (verse 1)
Paul is writing his longest preserved letter and it’s packed full of solid truth for what the gospel is, and how we are to live in the reality of that glorious truth. Paul’s urging here to his readers at the house churches of Rome isn’t about a one-time offering to God, or a single moment of sincere surrender. Following God equals offering ourselves fully to Him in willful obedience. Every day. All together in unity with believers everywhere. In accordance with the time, Paul’s exhortation to “present your bodies as a living sacrifice”, would have been a foreign concept to the Greek audience. A Greek would never say this. According to William Barclay, a prevalent Greek philosophy was “only the spirit of a person mattered, the body was only a prison cell, and was something to be despised and even ashamed of.” Paul’s calling was counter-cultural to the individualistic Greek, as he urged them to view their bodies, fully connected with other believers, as daily, living sacrifices to the Lord in response to His sacrifice for them. Paul is answering his audience’s question of how to live everyday lives in light of all God had accomplished for them through in Christ’s sacrifice. In the Old Testament, sin was atoned for, or forgiven, when an animal was sacrificed on behalf of the person who sinned. When Christ sacrificed Himself for us, once and for all, on the cross, animal sacrifices were no longer needed. His sacrifice purchased our freedom from sin’s penalty of death, our response to such lavish love is surrender to the One who loved us enough to die for us. That surrender doesn’t consist of taking the life of animals, but in giving up one’s own. The sacrifice of obedient lives is the only reasonable response to the grace of God.

2) How is true worship defined and what does it look like?
The Greek word we read in this verse simply as “worship” carries the deeper idea of “reasonable service”. Paul had spent the first 11 chapters of Romans explaining the magnificence of God, His vast, unending love for us, and our own impossible situation of death brought about by our own sin. In light of these blatant realities, the redeemed believer’s “reasonable service” IS worship. Worship includes a spiritual offering by mind and heart and a physical offering as we use our bodies, our time, talent, and treasure to Him as a gift of love. Worship is the act of attributing reverent honor and homage to God with everything we have. Worship overflows from our lives when we remember how magnificent He is, how worthy He is, and how good He is, regardless of our circumstances. Worship acknowledges He alone is the One True Living God and worthy of all honor and praise. He is worthy of our whole life sacrifice of worship!

3) What is Paul’s call to action for the believer in everyday life?
A dedicated life of surrender is also a transformed life, deeply committed to God with a heavenly calling for obedience on earth as He builds His eternal kingdom through us. While the believer has been promised rescue from this present evil age (Galatians 1:4), which has Satan for its god, we still live here until that day when we finally experience our full rescue and are welcomed home to glory. We offer ourselves as living sacrifices while we reside in this world of brokenness and sin. God could instantly take us to Heaven when we become Christians, but He keeps us in this world to call more to Himself through our sacrifice of worship. He has called us to proclaim Him, through our physical bodies and spiritual hearts, declaring with bold worship of the magnificence of Him who “called us out of darkness and into His marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9) God makes this proclamation of His glory through us as He transforms us through the power of His Holy Spirit dwelling in us. We are called to stop living like we once did, before we were made new in Christ. We have been given a new identity, and we are to submit to the Spirit as He entirely transforms us. We must constantly renew our mind, feasting on the life-giving word of God (the Bible). (John 17:17) As we do, we delight ever more so to submit to the work of the Spirit in our lives as He makes us new, declaring God’s glory through our sacrifice of surrendered worship.

Everyday Application

1) What is Paul referring to when he “urges” us to “present our bodies as a living sacrifice”? (verse 1)
Because of God’s rich mercy towards us in Jesus, Paul urges us, you and me as believers in Jesus, to offer the whole of who we are in continual, everyday sacrifice back to Him. Our physical bodies with our hands, tongue, eyes, arms, and mind, all given over to be used by God in our ordinary, everyday life. All of our daily tasks, the way we drive our cars, speak to the cashiers, interact with our spouse, serve our neighbors, and care for our children, everything we do can be given as an offering of worship to the God who offered Himself for us. He does not desire a portion of our lives, for He is a jealous God who knows we will never be fully delighted in Him until we give Him every aspect of our whole selves. Rather than living by the standards of the world, and at a constant unharmonious discord with God, believers are to let the renewing of their minds by the power of the Holy Spirit transform our lives into unity and conformity with God’s will. Saying yes to Jesus is an entire way of life, and it will always involve offering ourselves as living sacrifices as God continues to build His kingdom in and through us. God intended our surrender to not simply be something we verbalize or nod our head to, rather it is to involve the whole of who we are in body, mind, and soul. After all, God did not begrudge taking a human body upon Himself to live in it and work through it, offering Himself wholly as a sacrifice for us! What will you offer Him today?!  

2) How is true worship defined and what does it look like?
We often say we are going to church to worship God, but we should also be able to say we are going to work, school, caring for the family, staying at home as a mom, or going to the grocery all to worship God. We worship Him in how we act, what we say, where we go, and what we do, both alone and in the presence of others. Worship isn’t merely a hand raised at church, or a song on the radio, but an entire life given over in surrender. THIS is the worship Paul was conveying to his audience. Our lives are ready instruments intended to be offered in everyday worship, this is the only reasonable response to God. The offering of EVERY MOMENT and EVERY ACTION to God is our sacrifice of whole life worship. Sometimes it’s hard to worship God, (hence the sacrifice part), but true, reasonable act of service back to God, requires our minds and hearts to shift from circumstance to His unchanging character, His lavish love, and His constant presence with the believing heart. How will you worship Him today?!

3) What is Paul’s call to action for the believer in everyday life?
When we believe and truly receive Jesus as our Savior, trusting that His work on the cross paid the debt for our sin that we could never pay, His Spirit is given to live within us. This Spirit of the Living God is the power of transformation at work in us. This work is not something we can manufacture on our own ability; it is only from God!  (2 Corinthians 3:18) From that first moment of initial surrender to the rest of our days on earth, we are learning the depths of surrender, becoming more like Christ, and Jesus becomes ever sweeter to us as we journey the path before us, following Him, and becoming transformed by Him. This is a radical change from the moment we say YES, LORD, I BELIEVE. We are saved from sin and death in a moment, but we are transformed to be like Jesus over a lifetime. This transformation is not without daily, sometimes moment-by-moment struggle as we fight against being conformed to the world, instead choosing our surrender to God’s powerful Spirit working in us. If we conform to the ways of the world, we are dominated by human nature. When Christ comes into a man’s life, he is a new man, his mind is different, for the mind of Christ is in him. “The old has passed away and the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17) The glorious result of this amazing continuous transformation is that God displays His glory through our renewed lives to people around us who desperately need His salvation and transformation for themselves!
How will you surrender today?!

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Certain Rescue!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Shielded Week Three!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Worship VI Day 7 Isn’t He?: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Isn’t He?!

The Questions

1) Why was Israel the favored nation of God?

2) Was Israel a nation without blemish or sin?

3) What is God teaching Israel in this passage?

Isaiah 43:1-7

Now this is what the Lord says—
the one who created you, Jacob,
and the one who formed you, Israel—
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name; you are mine.
2 I will be with you
when you pass through the waters,
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not overwhelm you.
You will not be scorched
when you walk through the fire,
and the flame will not burn you.
3 For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, and your Savior.
I have given Egypt as a ransom for you,
Cush and Seba in your place.
4 Because you are precious in my sight
and honored, and I love you,
I will give people in exchange for you
and nations instead of your life.
5 Do not fear, for I am with you;
I will bring your descendants from the east,
and gather you from the west.
6 I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back!’
Bring my sons from far away,
and my daughters from the ends of the earth—
7 everyone who bears my name
and is created for my glory.
I have formed them; indeed, I have made them.”

Original Intent

1) Why was Israel the favored nation of God?
God chose the nation of Israel to be the people through whom Jesus Christ’s human ancestry lineage would descend from. Since the beginning of time, God set apart Israel as His chosen race through whom He would bless the whole world through Jesus, the Savior from sin and death, the heart condition of the entire human race. (Deuteronomy 10:15, John 3:16) After Adam and Eve’s fall into sinfulness, effectively separating them for eternity from their once-delighted-in relationship with God, God promised a Messiah would one day come, crushing Satan’s head of power, and would bring restoration back again. (Genesis 3:15) Through the line of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, God continued to confirm again and again throughout the generations, the Messiah would come through His people, Israel. (Genesis 12:1-3) Jesus Christ is the ultimate reason why God chose Israel to be His special people. It wasn’t because they were stronger, or more qualified, or possessed more wealth, He simply decided to set His love upon them in order to highlight His glory. (Deuteronomy 7:6-8) God called Israel to be a distinct people for God’s glory and purposes. Israel was set apart to be a beacon of light in a darkened sinful world.

2) Was Israel a nation without blemish or sin?
The Old Testament is a chronicle of Israel’s repeated failure to obey God. Israel refused to keep His commandments and statues. While God had set them apart for holiness and to live out the righteousness of God in a pagan culture, they failed continuously. (Psalm 78:10-11, 40-42, 56-57. (“Ephraim” in these passages is understood as greater Israel) Remember the only suffering Israel experienced are direct results of her own sinful choices. However, Isaiah 43 paints a stark picture of restoration by divine grace set against the dark backdrop of Israel’s rejection, arrogance, and pride. Isaiah’s words were a reminder to the people of Israel that their identity as a nation existed because of God and His magnificent love for them. Who they were as a people was rooted in their relationship to God and who He was as the Creator and Sustainer. He was in control at all times and their destiny depended on Him and His faithfulness. In Isaiah 43:1-7, we see Jehovah God assure His people with tender love that they need not fear for HE created, formed, redeemed, and called them. He would faithfully be with them in flood or fire. God would be their final deliverance.

3) What is God teaching Israel in this passage?
Chapter 42 details out Israel’s sickening rebellion and leaves no question as to God’s rightfully justified anger towards them. Yet, with one sweeping voice of love, God speaks truth over His people. A truth they must hold tightly to, even in the middle of the reality of their sin and God’s wrath. Through Isaiah’s prophecy of the yet-to-come punishment for their sin, God also declares His unchanging love for them, as if in the same breath. We must remember this original context when we read this precious passage, as it makes its truths all the sweeter. These great and precious promises are originally directed to Israel as solid reminders of what was true. Truths God wanted Israel to hold in the forefront of their minds despite the consequences forthcoming for their sin were: 1) Israel Belongs To The Lord. Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. (verse 1)
This is the basis by which Israel can stand with no fear! 2) Israel Will Be Preserved By God. I will be with you when you pass through the waters, and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not overwhelm you. You will not be scorched when you walk through the fire, and the flame will not burn you. (verse 2) God’s promise to keep Israel never waivers. 3) Israel Is Precious And Loved. You are precious in my sight and honored, and I love you. (verse 4) Despite Israel’s waywardness, God chooses to love with intensity. (Daniel 7:6) 4) Israel Will Be Whole. I will bring your descendants from the east, and gather you from the west. I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back!’ Bring my sons from far away, and my daughters from the ends of the earth. (verses 5-6) One day, God will make Israel whole again. One day, all will be healed where it was once wounded and broken.

Everyday Application

1) Why was Israel the favored nation of God?
The promised Messiah, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, would save us from Death, which is the natural consequences for our choice to reject God and His righteousness, instead choosing our own sin. This Messiah was destined to come through the line of a small nation, who had done absolutely nothing to deserve such rich kindness or heritage towards them. Deuteronomy 14:2 says of Israel, “For you are a holy people to Yahweh your God, and God has chosen you to be His treasured people from all nations that are on the face of the earth.” God did not choose them because they were holy, He made them holy because He chose them. This is a beautiful picture of God’s love towards every human heart! We have done nothing to deserve God’s rich love and mercy towards us, but He still chooses us, calls us into His heritage by making us His children, and purposing our lives to be shining examples of His glory to all people. Just as God used Israel to teach the world about His character and glorious nature, so is the calling of every heart turned towards Christ. Israel exemplified brokenness, while God’s amazing grace and redemptive love declared His glory!

Today, in 2019, in all of our brokenness, every born-again believer is called and set apart to share the gospel, which is the glory of God! God uses our brokenness today just as He did with Israel to highlight His kind grace, tender love, and redemptive power.

2) Was Israel a nation without blemish or sin?
Israel, time and time again, failed to be obedient to God, they were exiled and scattered around the globe, separated spiritually from God. Israel owed God everything, not the least of which was their origin as a nation. He created them. Yet, regardless of how Israel failed, their shortcomings neither deterred God from pursuing them every single time they rejected Him, nor did it disqualify them from still being used by God for God’s purposes. His purposes didn’t prevail because they were good. Not at all! His purposes prevailed because God was good for them. This IS the hope of the gospel! For every heart surrendered to Jesus Christ, the Promised Messiah, this very reality is lived out in our everyday lives as often as we breathe. Christ IS our good, for us, on our behalf, despite how many times we might turn away and fail to follow Him. This is how He rescues us! Many Jews had no hope as they faced being exiled for their perpetual disobedience towards God, but Isaiah’s prophetic words encourage them to have NO FEAR. Why? The God of All had created, formed, and redemptively loved them. This very same God offers His unchanging love and “fear not” message to each of us today. Whatever the darkness you’re facing, the brokenness you’re hiding, or the fear you’re masking, God is pursuantly inviting you to return to His heart and know Him as Savior. Know Him as your everyday Savior. For every human being, our impending default assurance is eternal separation from God. This is a reality of which depths, I cannot imagine or grasp, but neither can I fully comprehend the lavish love of a God who pursues those trapped in darkness so He can rescue!

3) What is God teaching Israel in this passage? 
Just as God was with Israel and declared His love for them, so is He with us today, also declaring His love. The imagery we first see with Israel, we see repeated again in our own, messy, sin-wrecked lives. Israel rebelled, and so do we. Israel’s consequence was severe, but so is ours. Israel needed a One Day Savior. A Messiah who would One Day make all things right, bring restoration, heal, and bind up what had been torn and broken. Don’t you feel the same ache? To have that One Day when all your fears are forever cast out, when every single tear will be redeemed, when every wound will be restored perfectly, and every loss will be rebirthed in newness of life? This is the hope of the Promised Messiah, this is the hope we have in Jesus! For every single person who calls on the name of the Lord Jesus to save them from their own sinfulness, our eternities are altered! Now WE belong to the Lord. …for you were bought with a price. (1 Corinthians 6:20) Now WE are preserved by God alone, not our works. You are being guarded by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed at the last time. (1 Peter 1:5) Now WE are precious and loved by the Creator. Just as the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Remain in my love. (John 15:9) Now WE are promised full redemption on the very same One Day by exactly the same Savior! Look! God’s dwelling is with humanity, and He will live with them. They will be His peoples, and God Himself will be with them and will be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away. (Revelation 21:3-4) Fear Not, WE are His redeemed!

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Isn’t He?!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Worship VI Week Two!
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Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

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