Bible Study 4th January 2022. Knowing Ourselves to be Loved
Isaiah 43:1-7; Psalm 29; Acts 8:14-17; Luke 3:15-17, 21-22;
Isaiah 43:1-7. New International Version. Israel’s Only Savior
43: 1 But now, this is what the Lord says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.
3 For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush[a] and Seba in your stead. (The Upper Nile region).
4 Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, I will give people in exchange for you, nations in exchange for your life.
5 Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children 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 afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth— 7 everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”
Footnotes:
a.Isaiah 43:3 That is, the upper Nile region
Comment:
The people of Israel were living in exile in Babylon. They were a long way from home and were now immersed in a culture that was not their own. The pressure was to conform to the religious traditions of their captors, and to abandon the covenant that God had made with his people long ago. The temptation to be assimilated into the latest swing of popular culture is not new. It faces us also in the modern world.
Isaiah reminded the people of Israel of the facts that they were being tempted to forget.
-I have redeemed you;
-I have summoned you by name;
-You are mine.
-When you pass through the waters, I will be with you
-When you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.
-When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.
Even in exile and loss, the people of Israel could go back to the source of their hope for strength to stand and to be faithful. God Himself.
Qu? What, if any, are the pressures that Christians might face in today's society to conform to different ideologies and practices?
Psalm 29. A psalm of David.
1 Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
worship the Lord in the splendour of his[a] holiness.
3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the Lord thunders over the mighty waters.
4 The voice of the Lord is powerful;
the voice of the Lord is majestic.
5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon leap like a calf,
Sirion[b] (Mount Hermon) like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the Lord strikes
with flashes of lightning.
8 The voice of the Lord shakes the desert;
the Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the Lord twists the oaks[c]
and strips the forests bare.
And in his temple all cry, “Glory!”
10 The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
the Lord is enthroned as King forever.
11 The Lord gives strength to his people;
the Lord blesses his people with peace.
Footnotes
a.Psalm 29:2 Or Lord with the splendour of
b.Psalm 29:6 That is, Mount Hermon
c. Psalm 29:9 Or Lord makes the deer give birth.
Comment: We live in a world of numerous competing voices. Many are so self interested, they don’t care for truth, and truth itself is considered subjective.
Question:
How does Psalm 95 help us when we feel that our voices are frail or lacking in power.
How is God and His voice described?
Acts 8:14-17. New International Version
14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. 15 When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
Comment:
It is easy in an individualistic society such as ours to think that life is either “all about me” or that only some individuals truly count. Celebrities, hero’s, leaders, etc. In this passage describing life in the early church, a different truth emerges. The spread of the good news of Jesus and the growth of the church is a community work, not just of individuals. Peter and John knew that, even though the people of Samaria had accepted the word of God, that there was still more work to be done.
Questions:
What is the difference between the baptism of Jesus, and the baptism of the Holy Spirit?
How might the Jewish perception of Samaritans have hindered this work of God?
Luke 3:15-17, 21-22. New International Version
The Baptism and Genealogy of Jesus
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[a] (or in) 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[b] (or in) 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.” 21 When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
Footnotes:
a.Luke 3:16 Or in
b. Luke 3:16 Or in
Comment:
John the Baptist is traditionally seen as a maverick, a man who lived in the wild, someone who was uncompromising, who came out of the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance; a challenge for the listening people to change, to turn away from self centred living and to re centre their lives on God.
The people, we are told, were ready and waiting for change, and they received John's message. They thought he might be the Messiah but John made it clear that he was not. (He still paid a high price though for his part as he was killed by the authorities who saw him as a threat).
John spoke clearly about the difference between him and the Messiah. I baptise with water but when the Messiah comes he will Baptise not in water but in the Holy Spirit and with Fire. And as if to confirm the truth of his words, when Jesus was baptised by John, the Holy Spirit came, a dove descended and a voice was heard from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
For Jesus, the Holy Spirit merely rested upon him; there was nothing in Jesus to burn away. For the person who turns to Jesus, there is nothing to fear, only love and acceptance to discover.
The Holy Spirit is a fire that does not consume the person but it does remove all that will block us from the power of knowing God's love.
Qu.? The warmth of the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus, “like a dove”. How does God affirm us?
How does this baptising fire help us to know ourselves as loved by God?
“I have called you by name”, says God via Isaiah. What does this tell us about how God values and loves us?