On this groundhog's Day it bear repeating. This is why Christ came, to gain you!
The assigned texts this week are Isaiah 40:21-31, I Corinthians 9:16-27, and Mark 1:29-39. If you want to take a minute and look them up now's the time.
The Old Testament text overlaps two sections within Isaiah 40. The first section is comparing YHWH to all idols using rhetorical questions that he knows his readers know the answer too. This section ends with vs. 26 and we see some strong gospel language here. He "brings out" then "calls by name" and by the multitude of His power and the might of His strength, "not one is missing".
The second section, beginning at vs. 27 proclaims the great promise as intimately given to His people (hence the double naming of "Jacob" and "Israel"). Verse 30-31 show us a chiastic pattern common in Hebrew poetry, with the focal point and punch line of the text being in the center. Youths are described as "faint" then "weary" then "exhausted" in vs. 30 and then told they will "grow wings" like when the eagle molts, they will not be "weary" and will not "faint". What's in the middle is the first phrase of vs. 31 "but they who hope in the LORD shall gain new strength". It's a comparison of power again, only this time it's the Lord's power compared with ours. vs. 28 and 29 show us clearly where this gaining new strength comes from, the LORD who is everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the Earth, who looks on its inhabitants like grasshoppers.
Which takes us into the reading from 1 Cor 9. Here Paul talks about being under compulsion to preach the gospel, as though he doesn't have an option! He speaks as one who has been "entrusted with as stewardship". We learn what that stewardship is if we go back to 1 Cor 4:1. He is called to be a Steward of the mysteries of God and servant of Christ, delivering the revealed Word of God in Christ to the people by God's appointed means. His reward for this task is found in vs. 19, and 23 Free from all, Slave to all, to gain as many as possible. all for the sake of sharing in the blessings of the gospel of Christ.
Paul delivers a message to Pastors and to the church here. Emphatically Paul refers to himself in 26 and 27 which serves as warning to the brothers in the ministry. Just because you preach the Gospel doesn't mean you won't be disqualified from sharing in it's blessings! GULP! The word used for "beating" the air is the same one used to describe the treatment of the prophets, apostles, even Christ himself. and the phrase "beating the air" is what the philosophers in Alexandria were said to do. WE DON"T DO THAT. It's not just semantics, This Gospel is life and death stuff here folks. Here's the message for the church. Every athlete runs to gain a perishable thing, but we run to gain the imperishable (check out 1 Cor. 15-50-52). So we hope in the LORD who give us new strength to continue running.
Finally into our Gospel reading. Mark 1 has been an exciting book already. Jesus has overcome the temptation of the devil himself, cast out demons, preached the power of salvation ("the time is fulfilled, the Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the Gospel") and now leaving the Synagogue and heading to Simon's for supper, He can't help but do what he does because of who he is. Funny how when the king of creation is present in His creation, creation responds! As soon as Jesus walks into Simon's house He's told of the Mother-in-law laid out being feverish. So Jesus comes "raised her" by the hand and the fever left her....well that's what the English translation will tell you. What it doesn't say is that the word for "left her" is the same root word used in vs 34 for "not allowing" or "permit" and the same root word that will be used in few short verses when Jesus tells the paralyzed man lowered through the roof that his Sins are "FORGIVEN"! Did you track with me there? Jesus "raised her" by the hand and Forgave her = healed her. The coming of the kingdom of God is the beginning of the renewal of all creation - disease and demons alike, taken out! The immediate result of this is the motivation to serve, the effects of the Gospel are evident here!
So the sun goes down and the entire city once gathered at the Synagogue are now "synagoging" facing the door of the house where Jesus is healing the "having badly" people (the sick with various diseases and the afflicted by demons). He is not "forgiving" the demons even to begin to try to speak...because they were (as is had been) Knowing (as in presently and into the future) WHO JESUS WAS & IS.
Before the dawn Jesus is up and out of there. Hunted down, by Simon and the boys they discover Him. "All are seeking you" (duh why do you think i'm out here guys) and Jesus response is wonderful. "Lets go elsewhere to neighboring towns so I can preach there. "I am saying this because this is why I have come out" OUT OF WHERE? good question, we'll get there in a moment.
Through all of Galilee the KING continues His dynamic preaching ministry and the beginning of the renewal of all His creation (getting the demons out). By His multitude of power and the might of his strength he is calling by name the grasshoppers who will share in the blessings of the gospel. There is no one like him. His understanding is unsearchable. This guy is hard to figure out, you could even say untameable. His preaching into their synagogues was certainly uncomfortable for some of the hearers, but the result is fantastic! as C.S. Lewis put it "Of course He's good, but he's not safe! He's not a tame Lion!" not at all...He's the Lion of Judah!
The assigned texts this week are Isaiah 40:21-31, I Corinthians 9:16-27, and Mark 1:29-39. If you want to take a minute and look them up now's the time.
The Old Testament text overlaps two sections within Isaiah 40. The first section is comparing YHWH to all idols using rhetorical questions that he knows his readers know the answer too. This section ends with vs. 26 and we see some strong gospel language here. He "brings out" then "calls by name" and by the multitude of His power and the might of His strength, "not one is missing".
The second section, beginning at vs. 27 proclaims the great promise as intimately given to His people (hence the double naming of "Jacob" and "Israel"). Verse 30-31 show us a chiastic pattern common in Hebrew poetry, with the focal point and punch line of the text being in the center. Youths are described as "faint" then "weary" then "exhausted" in vs. 30 and then told they will "grow wings" like when the eagle molts, they will not be "weary" and will not "faint". What's in the middle is the first phrase of vs. 31 "but they who hope in the LORD shall gain new strength". It's a comparison of power again, only this time it's the Lord's power compared with ours. vs. 28 and 29 show us clearly where this gaining new strength comes from, the LORD who is everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the Earth, who looks on its inhabitants like grasshoppers.
Which takes us into the reading from 1 Cor 9. Here Paul talks about being under compulsion to preach the gospel, as though he doesn't have an option! He speaks as one who has been "entrusted with as stewardship". We learn what that stewardship is if we go back to 1 Cor 4:1. He is called to be a Steward of the mysteries of God and servant of Christ, delivering the revealed Word of God in Christ to the people by God's appointed means. His reward for this task is found in vs. 19, and 23 Free from all, Slave to all, to gain as many as possible. all for the sake of sharing in the blessings of the gospel of Christ.
Paul delivers a message to Pastors and to the church here. Emphatically Paul refers to himself in 26 and 27 which serves as warning to the brothers in the ministry. Just because you preach the Gospel doesn't mean you won't be disqualified from sharing in it's blessings! GULP! The word used for "beating" the air is the same one used to describe the treatment of the prophets, apostles, even Christ himself. and the phrase "beating the air" is what the philosophers in Alexandria were said to do. WE DON"T DO THAT. It's not just semantics, This Gospel is life and death stuff here folks. Here's the message for the church. Every athlete runs to gain a perishable thing, but we run to gain the imperishable (check out 1 Cor. 15-50-52). So we hope in the LORD who give us new strength to continue running.
Finally into our Gospel reading. Mark 1 has been an exciting book already. Jesus has overcome the temptation of the devil himself, cast out demons, preached the power of salvation ("the time is fulfilled, the Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the Gospel") and now leaving the Synagogue and heading to Simon's for supper, He can't help but do what he does because of who he is. Funny how when the king of creation is present in His creation, creation responds! As soon as Jesus walks into Simon's house He's told of the Mother-in-law laid out being feverish. So Jesus comes "raised her" by the hand and the fever left her....well that's what the English translation will tell you. What it doesn't say is that the word for "left her" is the same root word used in vs 34 for "not allowing" or "permit" and the same root word that will be used in few short verses when Jesus tells the paralyzed man lowered through the roof that his Sins are "FORGIVEN"! Did you track with me there? Jesus "raised her" by the hand and Forgave her = healed her. The coming of the kingdom of God is the beginning of the renewal of all creation - disease and demons alike, taken out! The immediate result of this is the motivation to serve, the effects of the Gospel are evident here!
So the sun goes down and the entire city once gathered at the Synagogue are now "synagoging" facing the door of the house where Jesus is healing the "having badly" people (the sick with various diseases and the afflicted by demons). He is not "forgiving" the demons even to begin to try to speak...because they were (as is had been) Knowing (as in presently and into the future) WHO JESUS WAS & IS.
Before the dawn Jesus is up and out of there. Hunted down, by Simon and the boys they discover Him. "All are seeking you" (duh why do you think i'm out here guys) and Jesus response is wonderful. "Lets go elsewhere to neighboring towns so I can preach there. "I am saying this because this is why I have come out" OUT OF WHERE? good question, we'll get there in a moment.
Through all of Galilee the KING continues His dynamic preaching ministry and the beginning of the renewal of all His creation (getting the demons out). By His multitude of power and the might of his strength he is calling by name the grasshoppers who will share in the blessings of the gospel. There is no one like him. His understanding is unsearchable. This guy is hard to figure out, you could even say untameable. His preaching into their synagogues was certainly uncomfortable for some of the hearers, but the result is fantastic! as C.S. Lewis put it "Of course He's good, but he's not safe! He's not a tame Lion!" not at all...He's the Lion of Judah!
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