Repent for the Kingdom is at Hand!
Psalm 77:16-20
16 The waters saw you, God,
the waters saw you and writhed;
the very depths were convulsed.
17 The clouds poured down water,
the heavens resounded with thunder;
your arrows flashed back and forth.
18 Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind,
your lightning lit up the world;
the earth trembled and quaked.
19 Your path led through the sea,
your way through the mighty waters,
though your footprints were not seen.
20 You led your people like a flock
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
Reflections: The psalmist shows the sovereignty of God over the Creation He made. Since technology and scientific reasoning was minimal, nature played a big role in people’s lives. Since they were powerless over it, they turned to other gods to protect them from nature. The psalmist reflects on God’s power over the sea, especially through the deliverance of the Israelites through the Red Sea. Despite feeling powerless, when they acknowledged God as the source of all power and Creation, they found their true object of worship. What do you tend to worship in Creation? In Southern California there is a lot of emphasis on our physical bodies, which often become an idol of worship here. Our bodies are a true Creation of God as we are made in His image, but yet their significance comes in what they house as a temple, God’s Holy Spirit,
Numbers 34
Boundaries of Canaan
34 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Command the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter Canaan, the land that will be allotted to you as an inheritance is to have these boundaries: 3 “‘Your southern side will include some of the Desert of Zin along the border of Edom. Your southern boundary will start in the east from the southern end of the Dead Sea, 4 cross south of Scorpion Pass, continue on to Zin and go south of Kadesh Barnea. Then it will go to Hazar Addar and over to Azmon, 5 where it will turn, join the Wadi of Egypt and end at the Mediterranean Sea.6 “‘Your western boundary will be the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. This will be your boundary on the west. 7 “‘For your northern boundary, run a line from the Mediterranean Sea to Mount Hor 8 and from Mount Hor to Lebo Hamath. Then the boundary will go to Zedad, 9 continue to Ziphron and end at Hazar Enan. This will be your boundary on the north.10 “‘For your eastern boundary, run a line from Hazar Enan to Shepham. 11 The boundary will go down from Shepham to Riblah on the east side of Ain and continue along the slopes east of the Sea of Galilee. 12 Then the boundary will go down along the Jordan and end at the Dead Sea.“‘This will be your land, with its boundaries on every side.’”
Reflections: Today, Moses at God’s command, describes the allotment of land for the Israelites with borders on the North, South, East and West. Of course, there is all kinds of disagreement today over the holy land and just whose it is. God has been preparing the Israelites and even cleansing them from any impurities, before they take over the Promised Land. And more than the physical significance of the boundaries, we will learn through the Big God story of the spiritual significance as the birthplace of the Messiah. The Israelites had been trained and still today look at land as very spiritual because of these types of passages where God had promised them land. Since they had wandered so many years you can see why it would be so important to them. As we move through the rest of the Old Testament and into the New Testament we will see this continued relationship between land, God’s purposes for it, and the role of the temple where God would be worshipped.
Luke 3:1-20
John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 9 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”10 “What should we do then?” the crowd asked.11 John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”
12 Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?”13 “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them.14 Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?” He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely —be content with your pay.” 15 The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah. 16 John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” 18 And with many other words John exhorted the people and proclaimed the good news to them.19 But when John rebuked Herod the tetrarch because of his marriage to Herodias, his brother’s wife, and all the other evil things he had done, 20 Herod added this to them all: He locked John up in prison.
Reflections: As John had been prepared by God through the power of the Holy Spirit, spent his time in the desert listening to God, he now came to deliver the message as God’s prophetic messenger. The Israelites had not heard from a true prophet for hundreds of years. And when the crowds came to hear John his message was very direct and confrontational.
His message was “repent for the kingdom of God is at hand.” For too long the people had relied on their name as children of Abraham, and not examined their hearts to see what it meant to live as a child of God through promise of Abraham. They were going through the motions and John confronts their worldly attitudes and lifestyles.
Because of the authority he spoke with, they wondered if John might be the Messiah. But John told them that he was not worthy to untie Jesus’ shoes. As people were convicted by this message, some turned to God, and others grow even more calloused as John exposed their true heart condition. Herod, the most powerful man in the world besides Caesar, locked up John in prison, thinking he was a man of authority. Though it worked for a moment, Herod would soon where true authority and power come from, the hand of God.
If John were to come to our community today what would he say? What would be his message? How would you receive it?
You will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Exodus 19:6 (NIV)
Like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:5
O High Priest above, we celebrate our consecration as your people and offer our lives to your calling. Together we raise a spiritual sanctuary, tending to the temples of our hearts, minds and bodies, which we dedicate to you. Amen.
16 The waters saw you, God,
the waters saw you and writhed;
the very depths were convulsed.
17 The clouds poured down water,
the heavens resounded with thunder;
your arrows flashed back and forth.
18 Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind,
your lightning lit up the world;
the earth trembled and quaked.
19 Your path led through the sea,
your way through the mighty waters,
though your footprints were not seen.
20 You led your people like a flock
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
Reflections: The psalmist shows the sovereignty of God over the Creation He made. Since technology and scientific reasoning was minimal, nature played a big role in people’s lives. Since they were powerless over it, they turned to other gods to protect them from nature. The psalmist reflects on God’s power over the sea, especially through the deliverance of the Israelites through the Red Sea. Despite feeling powerless, when they acknowledged God as the source of all power and Creation, they found their true object of worship. What do you tend to worship in Creation? In Southern California there is a lot of emphasis on our physical bodies, which often become an idol of worship here. Our bodies are a true Creation of God as we are made in His image, but yet their significance comes in what they house as a temple, God’s Holy Spirit,
Numbers 34
Boundaries of Canaan
34 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Command the Israelites and say to them: ‘When you enter Canaan, the land that will be allotted to you as an inheritance is to have these boundaries: 3 “‘Your southern side will include some of the Desert of Zin along the border of Edom. Your southern boundary will start in the east from the southern end of the Dead Sea, 4 cross south of Scorpion Pass, continue on to Zin and go south of Kadesh Barnea. Then it will go to Hazar Addar and over to Azmon, 5 where it will turn, join the Wadi of Egypt and end at the Mediterranean Sea.6 “‘Your western boundary will be the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. This will be your boundary on the west. 7 “‘For your northern boundary, run a line from the Mediterranean Sea to Mount Hor 8 and from Mount Hor to Lebo Hamath. Then the boundary will go to Zedad, 9 continue to Ziphron and end at Hazar Enan. This will be your boundary on the north.10 “‘For your eastern boundary, run a line from Hazar Enan to Shepham. 11 The boundary will go down from Shepham to Riblah on the east side of Ain and continue along the slopes east of the Sea of Galilee. 12 Then the boundary will go down along the Jordan and end at the Dead Sea.“‘This will be your land, with its boundaries on every side.’”
Reflections: Today, Moses at God’s command, describes the allotment of land for the Israelites with borders on the North, South, East and West. Of course, there is all kinds of disagreement today over the holy land and just whose it is. God has been preparing the Israelites and even cleansing them from any impurities, before they take over the Promised Land. And more than the physical significance of the boundaries, we will learn through the Big God story of the spiritual significance as the birthplace of the Messiah. The Israelites had been trained and still today look at land as very spiritual because of these types of passages where God had promised them land. Since they had wandered so many years you can see why it would be so important to them. As we move through the rest of the Old Testament and into the New Testament we will see this continued relationship between land, God’s purposes for it, and the role of the temple where God would be worshipped.
Luke 3:1-20
John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 9 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”10 “What should we do then?” the crowd asked.11 John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”
12 Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?”13 “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them.14 Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?” He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely —be content with your pay.” 15 The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah. 16 John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” 18 And with many other words John exhorted the people and proclaimed the good news to them.19 But when John rebuked Herod the tetrarch because of his marriage to Herodias, his brother’s wife, and all the other evil things he had done, 20 Herod added this to them all: He locked John up in prison.
Reflections: As John had been prepared by God through the power of the Holy Spirit, spent his time in the desert listening to God, he now came to deliver the message as God’s prophetic messenger. The Israelites had not heard from a true prophet for hundreds of years. And when the crowds came to hear John his message was very direct and confrontational.
His message was “repent for the kingdom of God is at hand.” For too long the people had relied on their name as children of Abraham, and not examined their hearts to see what it meant to live as a child of God through promise of Abraham. They were going through the motions and John confronts their worldly attitudes and lifestyles.
Because of the authority he spoke with, they wondered if John might be the Messiah. But John told them that he was not worthy to untie Jesus’ shoes. As people were convicted by this message, some turned to God, and others grow even more calloused as John exposed their true heart condition. Herod, the most powerful man in the world besides Caesar, locked up John in prison, thinking he was a man of authority. Though it worked for a moment, Herod would soon where true authority and power come from, the hand of God.
If John were to come to our community today what would he say? What would be his message? How would you receive it?
You will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Exodus 19:6 (NIV)
Like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:5
O High Priest above, we celebrate our consecration as your people and offer our lives to your calling. Together we raise a spiritual sanctuary, tending to the temples of our hearts, minds and bodies, which we dedicate to you. Amen.
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