God is with us

One of the things we celebrate during the Christmas season is the fulfillment of the Immanuel prophesy. (You can find the prophesy in Isaiah chapter 7.) Most of us know that Immanuel means “God with us,” but what does that mean? Is the Immanuel prophesy a hope that developed through scripture. These are the kinds of questions that invade my mind while I’m eating, sleeping, and sometimes when I’m playing Go Fish with my daughter while my 6 month old son tries to eat the cards. Don’t you wish you were me? 

The first occurrence of the Father committing to be “with” someone is in Genesis 26. God said to Isaac, stay here in this place, and I will be with you. Don’t go to Egypt looking for help and relief from the famine you are experiencing.  In this promise there is an implied “if.” If, you will trust me and stay, then I will be with you.   

Another time the Father promises to be “with” someone is when he speaks to Moses through the burning bush in Exodus 3. He even provides a sign as confirmation of His promised presence. The proof was that they would worship on that same mountain. But to get to the evidence, trusting the Father’s promise was required. Moses would have to go back to Egypt as a first step toward the people’s deliverance and the evidence of the Father’s being “with them.”

One of the things we see being developed in the thread of God’s statements, that “I will be with you,” is that faith and trust are necessary on our part. It requires faith and trust to come to the realization of the proof of His presence. Just as when Isaiah gives the Immanuel prophesy to Ahaz in Isaiah 7. During this time in Israel’s history the kingdom was split into Israel, to the north, and Judah, to the south. Israel and the Syrians have teamed up and are attacking Judah.   All the people of Judah are frightened, including their king, Ahaz. Isaiah goes to Ahaz and prophesies that Israel and Syria will not prevail and that Judah should not fear. God even offers a sign to Ahaz as proof, and Ahaz could have asked for anything he could have imagined! Unfortunately, Ahaz tries to play Mr. Spiritual and refuses to ask for a sign, because he doesn’t want to test God.  God’s response is shocking.  “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” (Is. 7:13-14, ESV)

There are two interesting things I want to point out here.  First, Ahaz obviously was showing a lack of faith in God’s ability to deliver them from their oppressors.  He goes and asks for help from their archenemies the Assyrians, who end up attacking Judah anyway.  Second, the promise changes from “I will be with you” to Immanuel, or “God with us.”  The sign itself is a confession of faith in the Father’s character of being a deliverer.   

The initial fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophesy is debated, but ultimately, it was fulfilled in the incarnation of the Son of God. Matthew recognizes this in his Gospel in chapter 1. In fact, according to the way Matthew presents it, Mary’s virgin birth and Joseph being commanded by an angel to make her his wife was all to fulfill Isaiah’s prophesy. God Himself becoming man to deliver his people from their sin is the full expression of God proclaiming, “I will be with you.” 

We have much to rejoice about during this season and all year round.  God became one of us, because He willed to save us. And so we can stand in complete assurance as we sing and shout together, “Immanuel!” Because God is with us! And we have evidence too, but this requires faith. First we have the account preserved in the inspired scriptures, and second we have the inner confirmation of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. Ahaz had made up his mind about what he was going to trust in to save his kingdom, and it wasn’t the Father in heaven. What will you trust in? “If” you believe in Jesus you will be saved, and you will know that He is always with you (no matter what you are dealing with). “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:14, ESV)  

 

Not Many Fathers?

This Father's Day my daughter is six and a half, and my son is only one and a half weeks. I'm still amazed by the impact these little people have made on me.  Everyone told me that I would settle down when I got married, but, initially, this was not the immediate cause of the change that occurred in me.  I still did a number of thrill-seeking activities that were, maybe, less than wise.  I still couldn't wait for the next opportunity to get my motorcycle up to 130 MPH.  Ruth loved higher speeds on the motorcycle too.  I remember once, while we were riding the twisty Vermont mountain roads, I yelled back to her to squeeze tight if she was ready for some fun.  As she evacuated all the air from my diaphragm, she whooped and hurrahed as we weaved through the turns and the trees flew by.  She loved every second!  Well, until we stopped and she asked me how fast we were going.  When I told her, her reaction required some recovery time for my arm. 

The point is that marriage didn't change me as much as everyone said it would, but the first time I held my little girl in my arms, I knew nothing would ever be the same again.  The responsibility of fatherhood hit me like a runaway train.  It wasn't long before the motorcycle was for sale, because it had gathered dust in the garage for a year.  I was now responsible for the emotional, spiritual, and physical development of this little girl!  Me, the father of a little girl.

Now, just over a week ago, my Father in heaven blessed me with a little boy.  Once again I feel that similar sensation, the weight of fatherhood.  Not just Daddy to a beautifully sweet and tender little girl who needs the vision of a father to measure other men by, but Daddy to a future man and standard bearer in a fallen world.  This is a weight that I will gladly bear, and My Father in heaven will give all that I need to lead these two to Him.

In many churches this morning we will hear about the need for fathers to rise up, as we should.  The current directional heading of our society demands it.  If we compare ours to other societies in history, everything points to this being a sinking ship.  But even in the climate we find ourselves in, we are not to despair; Jesus promised hope.  In Matt. 11:12 Jesus told us that the established Kingdom would always suffer violence at the hands of evil men.  And in Matt. 16:18 we are told that the positive confession that Jesus is Lord will not be thwarted!  This is our hope, our confidence!

So, how do we proceed in this society, as fathers, with our children?  What distinction was Paul pointing toward when he said, "For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers?" (1 Cor. 4:15 ESV)  What is the role of a father in this passage?

The Hebrew culture, historically, is founded on the necessity of the father’s role to provide the God-inspired, doctrinal understanding of who God is and what that means for their people.  In Deut. 6:6-9, God gives explicit direction to fathers to give precedent to His instruction not only in their lives but in the interactions they have with their children.  In Deut. 32:7 God says to ask the fathers of God ways in days gone by, expecting the fathers to "show" them what God had done.

In addition, the children are all admonished to listen to their fathers in Prov. 3:1, with positive consequences for doing so.  Even the Ten Commandments progress from how we respond to God to how we respond to each other pivoting on the command to children to honor their fathers and mothers, and this is the first commandment with a promise!

In 1 Cor. 4:15 Paul tells us that it is a father’s role, both spiritually in discipling and practically with their children, is to provide this foundational understanding of God (what He has done, Who He is, and what that means for us as the people of God).  Many people can teach God's principals, but, as with the Corinthians, what is absolutely necessary are fathers who toe the line of foundational truth.  The Corinthians were experiencing mixture in their doctrine, and it was causing division and problems in their worship.  It could be considered a similar situation in our society and church here in America.  We need fathers in the home, and in the church, to teach their children the truth of God so they can discern the truth from a lie.  In our present society, and if Jesus tarries, this is all the more necessary. 

Matt. 24:11-13 says, "And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness (opposition toward God and His people) will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved."  Fathers, give your children a foundation that will enable them to endure.  Charge them to keep the words of the scriptures even in the midst of opposition.  Teach them to pursue the Word of God found in the scriptures so they can know the difference between what is false and what is the truth.

I thank my father, Jack Eaton, and mother, Renate Laprade, for giving me a good foundation, and I thank my in-laws, John and Kelly Kuvakas, for working to build on that foundation.  It is my resolute commitment that my kids won't have to choke on their words to, “Say thank you Dad for a good foundation.”  Won't you make it yours this Father's Day?  Their future depends on it.

Jacob and the Church

A while back I read through Jacob's story again.  I was stuck by a certain resemblance between his journey and where I see the Church at this point in time.  I haven't been able to get it out of my mind for some time now.  I knew it was something that I really wanted to write about.  Not so much because of where I see the Church, but because of where I have been and where it seems He is taking me in the last several years.  I look at Jacob's journey and I see a man brought from a life of concern only for his own position to one that is completely overcome by the power of the sovereign Lord, Who doesn't just guide Jacob to Himself, but accosts Him and takes ownership of his life and future.  

In Genesis 28:20 it says, "Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, 21 so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God, 22 and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you."

After essentially getting kicked out of Dad's house for robbing his brother's birthright, Jacob makes a vow that is "me centered."  He will make God his Lord if He continues to bless him.  Jacob, like many of us, looks for God to provide his success in this life and gives God glory based on the blessing he receives.  So, many times in our walk we will look to God when we need something or desire some sort of significance that is defined by our perception of success.  But is this not shallow?  Is this what God truly deserves?  Is this maturity?  Is it honoring to God if we look to follow His principals and Laws only for our benefit and as a means to a perceived positive end?  It reminds me of when I fell away from the faith in my teens.  Things didn't work out the way they were supposed to, and God didn't come through when He was supposed to.  After all, I didi everything I was supposed to do to be blessed.  So, when I wasn't, God was at fault, wasn't He?

But Jacob doesn't stay in this shallow state of belief in the Living God, but the change doesn't come as a result of any greatness in Jacob.  It comes by the direct power of the Living God in His life, changing Him by divine power and authority.  

First, we find a scene, in Genesis 32:22-32, where Jacob wrestles with an angel, and when, it seems, neither side can overcome the other, Jacob demands to be blessed in order to stop fighting.  Isn't the grace of God amazing.  We argue and wrestle, and yet God doesn't apply a smack down or cast us off.  What He seems to do, in Jacob's case, is point to a future where Jacob will be consumed with the grace of God because of Who He is and not for what he can get from Him.  However, Jacob is not yet there.  He still demands and expects a blessing  and will keep fighting for his way.

In Genesis 35 God again calls Jacob, but something is different in the way Jacob responds.  It is not with any expectation for himself, but he purifies his household and recognizes the one true God.  It is interesting how God calls to him.  “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there. Make an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.”  Did you catch that?  "Make an altar to THE GOD who appeared to you."  It seems that Jacob had not truly honored his previous promise to God in 28:21.  At the most, it seems, that Jacob made YHWH his highest God, because God has to identify Himself apart from the others.  But still God blesses him and honors His end of the bargan.  

Genesis 35 seems to be a sort of experience, not unlike Paul on the road to Damascus, where he is arrested by God and called beyond himself and his desires.  The Jacob who says, "Bless me, bless me" is no more, now he is Israel, called and chosen by God for His purpose and glory.    This all pointing back to the wrestling match with the angel.  He gets blessed, but not on his terms.  This is a far cry from the manipulator that was concerned with only how he was going to get his blessing.   It doesn't seem to be about Jacob and his blessing anymore, but about God and His purpose.  This is a story that provides a picture of what God means when it says, "He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." (Phil. 1:6)

This is where I see us in the church today.  Our concern is what do I need to do to get my blessing, my promise, my breakthrough.  Our concern is for ourselves and our glory, rather than the glory of God in Christ Jesus alone.  Martin Luther called it "Soli Deo gloria!"  Glory to God alone!  If we really see Him, this will be the mark of our lives.  We will be satisfied for nothing but God being glorified.  Even if it means our suffering, not just our success.

So hear my cry in this.  It's not to be another voice beating up on the Church for her idolatry and apostacy, but a recognition of my own as well.  My cry is that the Father will arrest us all, and by His sovereign authority, through the power of the Holy Spirit and the grace of God through Jesus, cause us to come out of ourselves and into Him.  That He will bring us to a place where we see ourselves as nothing, unconcerned with how we may benefit, but completely given to the only right that we have been given.  That is to be Sons of God, and knowing that means we are slaves to the cross.

Joseph's Rise to Greatness

 

Genesis 48:5 "And now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are."

 

Usually we think of Joseph's rise to power culminating in the statement, "I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life" in 45:4-5.  We think this is the big moment where Joseph is vindicated and the dreams he had as a boy, the ones that made his brothers so jealous, all come true.  But I suggest that this scene, where Jacob elevates Joseph's sons and takes them from the position of grandsons to sons, and brother to their uncles, is the blessing that God intended for Joseph all along.

 

Often we think of a position of great influence and power to be the real blessing, and it is, but is it the end that the Father has in mind.  Here by bringing up Joseph's sons to the position of sons, thereby becoming the patriarchs of Hebrew tribes, Jacob also elevates Joseph to the position of brother.  Joseph is now a forefather to the tribes of Israel.  This is the greater honor, even greater than being in command of all of Egypt with no one to answer to but Pharaoh.

 

How often do we see greatness with our limited carnal eyes, thinking that if we rise to some position of great power and authority, we have somehow received great blessing from God.  It is truly a blessing to have influence over those around us and be a marker post pointing to The Lord of lords and King of kings, but the greater blessing, and the greater goal, is the place we leave those who come after us.  What do we leave them to stand on?  Do we leave a legacy for them to carry on that is only of monetary value and powerful only in the moment or will it carry and increase throughout the generations.

 

If you think about it Joseph's power and influence gave him the ability to bring his family to Egypt so that they may live through the famine, but this decision progressed to the eventual enslavement of the nation.  But as a result of Joseph's faithfulness his sons were made coheirs of the promise of God.  Ultimately, whatever influence the Father blesses me with in this life, so be it, I pray Lord You keep me faithful in and through it all.  But what I want to leave behind more than anything else is my children's ability to say of me, "Dad was faithful."  If they can say that “Dad was a great man” that would be awesome too, but if I leave them with an understanding that they are coheirs of the promise and can say of me, "He was faithful," I have done my job.

Will you Throw Jesus Off a Cliff?

I am an ambitious individual.  I see what is set before me, and I go for it.  I want to be effective and successful in everything I set my hands to, be it ministry or the work that I do for the State of Vermont.  I have learned that as I am intrinsically motivated and driven, I need to continually search my heart and my motivations.  I often echo David’s prayer from Psalm 139, “Search me, O God, and know my heart!  Try me and know my thoughts!  And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!”  I felt lead to study the following passage the other morning, and wanted to share what I learned.  I was struck by the question, “What is my motivation for being a Christian?  Am I in it for what I can get out of it, or have I received the call to His mission?” 

Luke 4:20, And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

Jesus has just read from Isaiah 61, and from that passage declares Himself to be the fulfillment of prophesy.

22 And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?”

Often times we read of the reaction His kin, in Nazareth, had to His self-declaration as negative, as if they did not believe that He was the fulfillment of the prophesy.  In actuality, their reaction was in reception of Jesus’ statement, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” 

“Is not this Joseph’s son?” is not a dismissive statement, but one where they are recognizing that He is one of them.  Their recognition of His self-declaration coupled with their limited understanding of Jesus mission leads them to understand His mission as a benefit to them first.  They receive Jesus as a blessing from God, but primarily to benefit them His kin, as He is one of them and should be expected to have His hometown in mind before any other.  

23 And he said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Physician, heal yourself.’ What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.” 24 And he said, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown.

Jesus, knowing what they are thinking, responds to what is behind all that they are saying.   “Physician, heal yourself” is in reference to their thinking that He is one of them and should be there as a benefit to His kin first.  In verse 24, Jesus presents what their true reaction is to the real purpose of His mission.  His mission is to the lowly, the outcast, those who have no hope, and He goes on to parallel Elijah and Elisha’s ministry to Gentiles (those who were not people of the promise).

25 But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, 26 and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27 And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” 28 When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. 29 And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff. 30 But passing through their midst, he went away.

Now their true reaction to His ministry is seen, as, in finding out that Jesus mission is not to benefit them first, they want to kill Him.    

Do we receive Jesus as the answer for all, or only as our answer, individually, for our own benefit?  In our ministry to others, as we are all ministers, do we take joy in and glory in the Lord as others are healed and excel in their place and calling, even while we may suffer to bring the message?  Do we expect that Jesus’ ministry in our own lives will benefit us first and others after?  Or have we received His heart and love others before ourselves?  Do we expect Jesus to prosper us as a result of our ministry to others? 

We may never know great success, wealth, and full physical healing in this life, but will we continue to go out and proclaim the good news of a savior?  Or because we have not benefitted from Jesus directly in the way we expect and see others benefit, will we look to throw Him off a cliff?  Can we, as the Church, see that the beauty of the Gospel is the glory of the Father in Heaven, and that we may never know our reward in this life?  The minute we become Christ followers, it immediately stops being about us.       

Coming Glory

I'm sure you have noticed the leaves in our area.  They are changing their shade and putting on their coats of many colors signifying Yahweh's favor over them.  It’s just the beginning of the coming glory of this region during this season.  There is an excitement that I experience as I think about the family trips to harvest parties and apple picking. 

 

Then I am reminded of the coming frustration associated with this season, the “leaf-peepers.”  That is what we Vermonters call the "out-of-staters" who drive around gawking at the brilliant colors as they drive through the mountain passes.  These are those who drive 35 MPH in a 50 MPH zone and hold me up while I am in a hurry to make a meeting.  Even though there will be times of intense frustration, as I restrain my propensity toward road rage since I am originally from NY, it still doesn't compare to the anticipation of watching my daughter experience all the wonders of Fall in Vermont. 

This makes me think of something Paul wrote, "(18) For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. (19) For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God." (Romans 8:18-19, ESV) 

This glory, that we are empowered by, in anticipation through faith in His promise, far outweighs the frustrations we experience in this present age and life.  Whatever happens in our government, whatever the state of the economy, however aggravating and menial our tasks may be at work, or even the sin, or propensity toward doing the wrong thing, that I can't seem to shake even when I try so hard, none of these things outshine the coming glory we have guaranteed to us in Christ Jesus. 

This promise motivates us toward being like Him, loving like Him, and serving like Him.  All Creation looks forward, with us, with intense desire for "that day."  Even the leaf-peepers can't steal my joy! This promise, and the assurance of it, is the way we experience "that day" right now, even in the midst of our present struggles.  We walk in the Spirit, by faith, holding on to the future hope; this is our inheritance and our possession provided through the work of Jesus Christ!

Be the man that I have called you to be

"Be the man that I have called you to be."

Often times we know the things that God has set aside for us to do.  And often times we hold back from doing those things for reasons like: the fear of failure, concern over our ability or inability, what if I'm not liked or appreciated, etc.  The truth is that we have no idea how far we can go, in what we have been given to do, unless we step toward the goal.  Our perceived ability or inability is completely unknown as it has yet to be tested.  It is all, in reality, a unknown variable that is out of our control.

In the case where we look in our past a remember past failure and allow that to be the force that holds us back from a possible future, we are challenged to change our thinking about failure.  Is failure the mark of limitation, or is failure an opportunity to learn how to go farther?  

The challenge is to our way of thinking.  Do we believe that God can do things through people with failings?  Or do we believe that He labels us as unusable or somehow flawed in our design, even though that would infringe on His reputation as designer?  Or does He view our recognition of our inability to accomplish a goal with our present ability a catalyst for His glory?  If we are unable to accomplish a goal, and place ourselves in the position to trust Him to guide us through a process of meeting the right people, learning the necessary skills, and finding ourselves in the right moment for the right opportunity, then He receives the glory for the things we were unable to control.  In a sense, He shares the glory with us, as He brought us to the place where we enjoy a certain level of success.  

The outcome of a realized goal becomes a mosaic of variables that we could not fit in the proper place, and our steps, into what we cannot control, toward the goal is faith.  A faith in His ability to bring the pieces together.  A faith that He will use someone who might not have it all together, and may not be altogether complete when the goal is reached.  This is the progression "from glory to glory."  (2 Cor. 3:18)

And in this "progression" from one degree of glory to another, we find that the success we enjoy in a goal met was never the Spirit's goal.  His goal was primarily that we as individuals and as a corporate body would reveal the glory of Jesus to a greater degree.  And still in our success, by His power, He will show Himself to others, and this is where those who see Him will begin their "progression."

So, the Spirit says, "Be the man that I have called you to be."  As we deal with the insecurities that hold us back from moving in faith.  Remember that, rather in success or failure, He is moving us all to a place of real success, our projection of His image to a world, that when they look in the mirror, only see themselves and their limitations.  Don't be afraid to take a step toward what He has called you to do.  As the writer of Hebrews warned, "3:13 But exhort one another each day, as long as it is called “Today,” that none of you may become hardened by sin’s deception. 3:14 For we have become partners with Christ, if in fact we hold our initial confidence firm until the end. 3:15 As it says, “Oh, that today you would listen as he speaks! Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion."  

If you understand that He has given you direction, move.