Sunday School Lesson: Learning About God

Purpose: To recognize Jesus Christ as the ultimate revelation of God’s work present throughout the history of Israel.

Scripture: Hebrews 1

Have you ever wondered why God doesn’t speak to us the way He did in biblical times?

How does God speak to us in our times?

Does God speak to people outside of Scripture?

The Letter to the Hebrews has been called "the riddle of the New Testament". When it was written, to whom it was written, and who wrote it are all matters of debate. Even the label of "epistle" or "letter" is a matter of debate. It is written more like a sermon than a letter.

We can be reasonably sure that it was written prior to the destruction of the Temple in AD 70. It was written to "second-generation" Christians, those who learned of Christ not through personal witness of Jesus himself, but learned of Christ from those who were personal witnesses (2:3). It was not written to new Christians, but to supposedly mature Christians (5:12). There is an indication that the recipients of this "letter" had experienced some persecution but not to the point of martyrdom (10:32-34, 13:7, 12:4).

It was probably not written to one of the great churches or certainly that church would have been named or at least tradition would have remembered the recipient. We are told that it was written to a long-established church (5:12). A church that had experienced some persecution (10:32-34). A church which had in the past had great leaders and teachers (13:7). It was a church that had not been directly founded by the apostles (2:3). It was recognized as a giving church (6:10). The only mention of place is a reference to Italy in 13:24. It is difficult to discern from that one reference whether the letter was written from a church in Italy or to a church in Italy.

It was not written to uninformed Christians. This letter seems to have been written to a group of scholars. Judging from the language in 5:12 we can conclude that the recipients of this letter were in some type of seminary preparing to become teachers of Christian faith. A reading of Hebrews makes it readily apparent, by the assumed Old Testament knowledge of the recipients, that this letter was written by a scholar for other scholars. It is possible that this is a letter written by a great teacher to a group of college students in Rome or some other location in Italy.

But what message does Hebrews convey?

The message of Hebrews was to address some concepts of the faith of the day. There are, broadly speaking, four concepts of faith offered in the New Testament:

1. There is faith as inward fellowship with God. A union with Christ so close and so intimate that Christians can be said to live in Christ and Christ live in them. This was Paul’s concept of faith.

2. There is faith as the standard for life (holiness) and the power needed to achieve that standard. This was the faith as described by James and Peter. To these two early leaders of the church, faith showed them what life ought to be and also enabled them to attain that life.

3. There is faith as the highest satisfaction of the mind. Some seekers seek and seek until they find what they seek: rest in God. Plato said, "The unexamined life in the life not worth living." There are certain people who must have an understanding of life in order to make sense of life. These are the philosophers among us. This was the faith of John. The first chapter of the Gospel of John is one of the greatest attempts in the world to state faith in a way that satisfies the mind as well as the heart.

4. There is faith as access to God. This faith removes the barriers and opens the door to the living presence of God. This was the faith of the writer of Hebrews. This writer’s mind was dominated with the idea of access to God. The writer of Hebrews found in Jesus Christ the one path which could take us into the very presence of God. It is possible that the group to whom the letter was written were debating a return to pure Judaism. The author made the case that God there can be no access to God except through Jesus Christ.

The Letter to the Hebrews through the sheer power of it’s message found it’s way into the canon of the Church without the name of an apostle, a charismatic leader or teacher or the name of one of the successful early churches.

The message of Hebrews is that Jesus is better, Christianity is superior, Christ is supreme and completely sufficient for salvation. The superiority of Christ over everyone and everything is clearly the intended message of the author. Christianity supercedes all other supposed paths to God and will never be surpassed. Where can one possibly find anything better than Christ? All competing paths are deceptions, cheap imitations, or delusions.

According to the author of Hebrews, both Judaism and Christianity are religions revealed by God. This writer argues that Christianity is superior to Judaism even though the ultimate revelation of God came to us through Judaism. The incarnation of God entered history in the history of Israel and there was a reason for that. God’s plan for redemption of the world involved choosing a people who would become so accustomed to hearing the word of God that when the Word became incarnate, they would be able to recognize that word as God’s. God promised Abraham that his descendants would become a blessing for all the earth. The early church and all Christians insist that through Jesus, that promise was fulfilled.

The writer contrasted the Old Testament system of Law with the New Testament ministry of grace and over and over makes it clear that the Judaic system of Law was temporary and that it could not bring about the eternal "better things" that are found in Jesus Christ.

The word "better" is used thirteen times in this book as the writer shows the superiority of Jesus Christ and His salvation over the Hebrew system of Law. Christ is "better than the angels"(1:4). He brought in a "better hope" (7:19) because He is the mediator of a "better covenant" which was established on "better promises"(8:6).

Another word used repeatedly in this book is "perfect". This word or synonyms for it is used fourteen times. The author refers to a perfect standing before God. This perfection could never be accomplished by the priesthood (7:11) or by the Law (7:19). This perfection could not be obtained through animal sacrifice (10:1). Jesus Christ, by giving Himself as the final offering has "perfected forever them that are sanctified" (10:14).

A third common word of the letter is "eternal". Christ is the "author of eternal salvation" (5:9). He has obtained for us "eternal redemption" (9:12). He shares with us the "eternal inheritance" (9:15). His throne is forever(1:8). He is a priest forever (5:6, 6:20, 7:17, 7:21).

Heb 13:8 ESV
(8) Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

The Letter to the Hebrews is a book of exaltation. This is made clear with the opening verses of the letter.

Heb 1:1-3 ESV
(1) Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,
(2) but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.
(3) He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

These verses set the high and holy theme which is maintained throughout the entire letter. This letter is the most stylistically impressive piece of Greek literature in the whole New Testament. This is a passage that any classical Greek orator would have been proud to write. The writer of Hebrews brought to it every possible skill and form of word and rhythm that the beautiful and flexible Greek language could provide. The writer to the Hebrews felt that, since this letter was to speak of the supreme revelation of God, the ideas must be clothed in the noblest language that it was possible to find. The person who wrote this letter must have been trained in Greek oratory. When he became a Christian, he did not throw away his training. He used the talent he had in the service of Jesus Christ.

What seems to be the immediate purpose of these verses?

There immediate purpose is to prove that Jesus Christ is superior to the prophets, the men who were held in the highest esteem by the Jewish people of the first century.

In what ways is Christ superior to the prophets?

To begin with He is the Son of God, not merely a man called by God. He is an "exact imprint" of the glory of God, an "appointed heir", and "through whom" was created the world . This echoes last weeks scripture from Colossians:

Col 1:15-16 ESV
(15) He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
(16) For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through him and for him.

These descriptions could never be applied to a mortal man. The basic idea of this letter is that Jesus Christ alone brings men and women the full revelation of God and that He alone enables them to enter into the very presence of God.

Does the writer say in verse 1 that God no longer spoke to the people of Israel?

What is the difference between how God spoke to the prophets and how He spoke to first century Christians?

The writer contrasts Jesus with the prophets. The prophets were always considered to be the confidants of God. After the time of exile, the Hebrews believed that the age of the prophets was over. They believed that direct conversation with God through prophets was a thing of the past. By the first century, Jewish belief was that God’s means of communication was the Scriptures, the writing from the age of the prophets, when the prophets received and delivered direct messages from God. In the age of the prophets, God used many approaches, "in many and various ways (NRSV)" or "at many times and in many ways (ESV)".

What were some of the ways that God offered His word through the prophets?

Revelation means that something hidden has been uncovered and can now be known. We must remember that of God, we know nothing about him except what He has chosen to reveal using whatever method He has chosen to reveal it. There is very much about God that we would like to know, but we know with certainty only what God has chosen to reveal. Knowledge of God is not discovered by accident or chance. It has come to us through the process of revelation. We know about God because he reveals himself. Our knowledge is not due to our research or study or quest for knowledge.

Revelation is also progressive. God reveals Himself in stages. The prophets were one stage of the progression of revelation. The ultimate revelation of God came in the form of Jesus Christ. This passage of scripture and last week’s lesson tells us that God has revealed Himself totally in His Son. God has told us everything that we need to know for our earthly existence.

Do you agree?

There is often a tension between our quest for knowledge and truth and Truth as has been revealed to us.

Dr. Robert Jastrow, a self described agnostic, has all the credentials of one who could be hostile to Truth as revealed by God. Jastrow, a PhD in Theoretical Physics from Columbia University, joined NASA when it was formed in 1958. Jastrow was first chairman of NASA’s Lunar Exploration Committee, Chief of the Theoretical Division of NASA from 1958-61, was a founding director of NASA’s Goddard Institute where he served until his retirement from NASA in 1981. Post-retirement he has served as Professor of Earth Sciences at Dartmouth College and Professor of Geophysics at Columbia. Jastrow has appeared on over 100 television news programs concerning the space program. With those credentials, what do you think Dr. Jastrow’s position would be in the debate for intelligent design?

He has made several statements that have been picked up by those who support a theory of intelligent design that seem to support their cause. He has expressed views on creation, that although he is "agnostic, and not a believer" it seems to him that "the curtain drawn over the mystery of creation will never be raised by human efforts." In his 1978 book, God and the Astronomers, he tells a story of a "scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason." This scientist has "scaled the mountains of ignorance, he is about to conquer the highest peak. As he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries."

Where do we learn about God, the one who created and sustains all things?

We learn about God, the one who created and sustains all things, from Jesus, the one who created and sustains all things.

There was great diversity in the revelation to the prophets. From age to age, the prophets had spoken, always fitting their message to the age, never letting it get out of date. And yet, at the same time, the message of the prophets was fragmentary. Their message had to be presented in a way that the people of the time would understand. Time after time, the prophets are characterized by one idea. For instance, Amos and Micah call out a cry for social justice. Isaiah had grasped the holiness of God. Hosea, because of his disfunctional family life and bitter experiences at home, discovered the forgiving nature of God. Out of their own experience of life and out of the experience of Israel, that prophets had each grasped and expressed a fragment of the truth of God. No prophet had grasped the fulness of the truth in its entirety.

The prophets used many methods to offer their message to the world. The most common method was speech. They spoke the truth as revealed to them by God. When speech failed they used drama. In 1 Kings 11, Ahijah tore his new cloak into twelve pieces to show King Jeroboam how God would tear apart the tribes of Israel. Jeremiah used a rotted loincloth (Jer. 13) and yokes and harnesses (Jer. 27) to illustrate how God would use Israel. Ezekiel laid on a brick engraved with the image of Jerusalem (Eze 4) and shaved his head (Eze 5) to show the people how they would be defeated. The prophets had to use human methods to transmit their part of the truth of God.

How was Jesus’ revelation different than the prophets?

With Jesus it was different. Jesus was not a fragment of the truth. He was the whole truth. In Jesus, God did not reveal just a part of Himself, but his entirety. Jesus did not reveal His message merely by word or illustrations (although He did use both). Jesus revealed God by being himself.

The revelations of the prophets was great and came in many forms, but it was fragmentary and presented only by such methods as they could find to make it effective. The revelation of God in Jesus was complete and was presented in Jesus himself. The prophets were friends of God. Jesus was the Son. The prophets grasped a part of the mind of God, but Jesus was that mind.

Did the author of Hebrews in any way belittle the prophets?

No, his only aim was to establish the supremacy of Christ. The author does not say that there is a break between the Old Testament revelation and that of the New. He instead stresses the fact that there is continuity, and that that continuity ends in consummation.

How does God speak to us?

The proper "Methodist" answer is through Scripture, Tradition, Reason, and Experience.

What else does the author tell us about Jesus in these first verses of the letter?

He is the Son, the "appointed heir" to "all things". The age of the prophets may be over, but God has spoken to us in a new and more dramatic fashion, by a Son rather than by a prophet. This does not mean that the prophets were wrong but rather that the Son was much more than a prophet. Although the prophets spoke the word of God, the Son is the Word of God.

Last week we learned that "firstborn" does not necessarily mean born first. "Firstborn" was a title given to a chosen heir. Here we are told that Jesus was "appointed heir".

Using language similar to last weeks lesson from Collosians, we are told that the Son was intimately connected with Creation itself. "All things were created through him."

Jesus is the "radiance (reflection) of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being".

The reason that various translations interpret the original Greek as "radiance" or "reflection" is that the original Greek word, apagausma, can mean either light that radiates from a source or light that is reflected from something else. The sun radiates light, the moon reflects that light. Apagausma could be used when speaking of sunlight or moonlight. Jesus is very often spoken of in terms of light. In the Nicene Creed we affirm that the Son is "light from light", not a separate, independent light and yet not simply a reflector of the true light. Jesus Christ as the incarnate Son of God, was not simply a reflection of God, but was, and is, God. However, as a human being like us, he reflected God’s glory rather than seeking to have his own.

Jesus is the "exact imprint" of the nature of God. What does "exact imprint" mean to you?

"Exact imprint" would have made more sense to the early Christians than it does to us. This phrase "exact imprint" is translated from the Greek word "charakter". All men of power in those days had a signet ring with a seal. Any time an important communication or contract was made, a bit of wax was placed on the communication, the ring was impressed into the wax. The image of the seal was the "exact imprint" of the important person. This "exact imprint" or "charakter" made the document official. Anyone who has any experience with contracts of any type is familiar with having documents notarized. A notary places a seal on a document, declaring that the signatures on the document are the "exact imprint" made by the signing party. "Charakter" means two things, first the seal, and second the impression that the seal leaves in the wax. The impression has the exact form of the seal. So when the writer of Hebrews said that Jesus was the "charakter" of the nature of God, he meant that he was the perfect image of God. Just as when you look at an impression made with a seal, you see exactly what the seal which made it is like, when you look at Jesus you see exactly what God is like. Jesus did not carry a seal, he himself was the seal, the charakter, the exact imprint of God.

Both the image of light and the image of the exact imprint convey the message that Jesus was not simply a bearer or prophet of God’s word. Rather, he was and is the Word. The Word incarnate in Christ and the word spoken through the prophets were both God’s word, but the means of communication had changed dramatically.

In another repeat from last weeks lesson, we are told that Jesus created the world and sustains the world. Jesus was God’s agent in creation. God had originally created the world through Jesus. The sustaining power in the world belongs to Jesus. Jesus did not create the world and then leave it to itself. The power that carries the world and each life on to it’s destined end belongs to Jesus.

As Alfred, Lord Tennyson wrote in "In Memoriam":
(I would love to read you this entire poem, but at over 130 verses, time will not allow.)

That nothing walks with aimless feet;
That not one life shall be destroy’d,
Or cast as rubbish to the void,
When God hath made the pile complete.

To Jesus belongs the creative work, the sustaining work as well as the redemptive work. The one who created the world was also the one who redeemed it. By his sacrifice, he paid the price for sin, by his continual presence, he liberates from sin.

To Jesus belongs the place at the right hand of God as mediator. Jesus has taken his place next to the Father, not as judge, but as one who makes intercession for us, so that when we enter into the presence of God, we go not to hear his prosecution of us, but to hear his love plead for us.


How many of you have angels in your Christmas decorations?

Do you sense a renewed fascination with angels in modern culture?

Where is the evidence of this?

I did a Google search for "angel" and got 93 million hits. Television programs, movies, and novels are filled with fanciful accounts of divine visitations. Cards, pictures, and artwork have used angels as a decorative motif.

Why do you think that there is such a modern interest in angels?

What does the bible tell us about angels?

What was/is the angels proper place in the hierarchy of God’s progression of revelation?

Is the modern infatuation with angels really much different from the beliefs of the first century?

Let’s see what the writer of Hebrews tells us of the relationship between Jesus and angels:

Heb 1:4-14 ESV
(4) having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
(5) For to which of the angels did God ever say, "You are my Son, today I have begotten you"? Or again, "I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son"?
(6) And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, "Let all God's angels worship him."
(7) Of the angels he says, "He makes his angels winds, and his ministers a flame of fire."
(8) But of the Son he says, "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.
(9) You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions."
(10) And, "You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands;
(11) they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment,
(12) like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end."
(13) And to which of the angels has he ever said, "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet"?
(14) Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?

Judging by what the author chose to say about angels, what do you think may have been some of the first century beliefs about angels?

The author has already proven Jesus’ superiority over all the prophets. Now he attempts to prove Jesus’ superiority over the angels. That he thinks it worthwhile to do so, proves that belief in angels had to be in the thought of the Jews of his time. At that time, like today, belief in angels was on the increase. The reason, and probably the same reason holds true today, is that people thought more and more about the transcendent nature of God. People feel the distance and difference between themselves and God. The result is that people come to think of angels as intermediaries between God and human beings. They believe that angels bridge the gulf between man and God, that God speaks through angels, and even that angels carry their prayers into the presence of God. We can see evidence of this belief in the New Testament itself. In the Old Testament story of Moses meeting God and receiving the Law at Mt. Sinai, the Law was given directly by God to Moses, without the need for an intermediary. But twice in the New Testament the account is told in a way that seems as if the Jews of that time believed that God gave the law first to angels and the angels passed the law on to Moses. The Jews of the first century believed that direct communication between God and man was unthinkable. (Acts 7:53, Gal 3:19)

With these prevalent beliefs the author felt the need to show that the Son of God was far greater than the angels and that those who knew the Son had not need for angels to be their intermediary with God. The one danger that the author wished to avoid at all costs was this common belief that there was a group of beings, other than Jesus, through whom people could approach God. In Christianity, there is no need for any other beings in between. Because of who Jesus was and what he did, we have direct access to God.

As Tennyson said in "The Higher Pantheism":

Speak to him thou for he hears, and Spirit
with spirit can meet-
Closer is he than breathing, and nearer
than hands and feet.

How can we use this modern infatuation with angels to point people to Jesus instead?

This section from Hebrews is comprised of seven quotes from the Old Testament, each of which prove the superiority of Jesus Christ to the angels and together gives solid, without-a-doubt proof.

The "more excellent name" that Jesus has inherited is "Son". While angels could be collectively described (as we could) as "sons of God", no angel (and no person) could be given individually the title Son of God, Lord Jesus Christ.

Verse 6 returns to the language of "firstborn". As we learned last week, the term firstborn does not always mean born first. Solomon was name "firstborn" and heir of David even though he was not born first. Israel was called the "firstborn" nation of God even though there were other nations in existence before them. The title of "firstborn" is one of rank and honor, for the firstborn receives the inheritance and the special blessing of the father. Jesus is the firstborn of all creation, because He created all things.

Angels serve Jesus and in fact served him while he was on earth (Matt 4:11, Luke 22:43).

Angels minister before the throne of Christ, but have no throne of their own. The angels had no part in creating earth, for they are created beings also. Jesus Christ is the creator. The fact that Jesus is seated at the right hand of God is mentioned at least a dozen times in the New Testament. The angels are never offered this type of honor. In fact angels are servants of the Lord seated on the throne and also serve those "who are to inherit salvation".

Who is that?

That’s us.

The angels should never be confused with, or given the same honor, as the Son of God. The angels are messengers of God, but they are not God or gods. The angels could never make a sacrifice for sin. They are not the beginning or the end of creation.

Several points from this lesson:

We should never expect God to speak to us the same way he did in the time of the prophets. We should never accept any teaching that disagrees with what Jesus taught. We should never put any man or even an angel above Christ. Our worship should be to God and God alone, that includes Father, Son, and Spirit. It is never enough that we respect Jesus as a great man or a great teacher alone. God has ordered even the angels to worship Jesus.

Sunday School Lesson: Seeking Reconciliation

Purpose: To discuss the cosmic significance of the person and work of Christ and its effect on us.

Scripture: Colossians 1: 15-23

Who and/or what is Jesus Christ?

From Adult Bible Studies:

Today is the first Sunday of Advent, the season that "proclaims the comings of the Christ - whose birth we prepare to celebrate once again, who comes continually in Word and Spirit, and whose return in final victory we anticipate." During the next weeks we will sing and hear familiar carols. People all across the world will hail the Christmas holiday with parties, decorations, and greeting cards. But will these parties, decorations, and cards acknowledge who this Jesus is whom we call Christ? What does his birth and life, his death and resurrection, mean to us and for us?

Suppose for a moment that you encountered a couple of people who had just heard the name Jesus Christ for the very first time. Suppose these people asked you to tell them who Jesus is and what he means. If you had just five minutes to tell them what they needed to know, what would you say? Where would you start? What points would you include in your five minute introduction to Jesus Christ?

Paul wrote the letter to the Colossians from prison. This letter was to a church that was not founded by Paul and was never visited by Paul. The church was most likely founded by Paul’s fellow servant Epaphras.

Paul’s purpose in the letter to the Colossians was to head off a threatening heresy that had found it’s way into the church. The false teachings consisted of combining Christian beliefs with ideas from other philosophies and religions. This blending of thoughts and beliefs came to be known as Gnosticism. Gnosticism emphasizes "special knowledge" of spiritual matters and has become very popular recently. Gnostic beliefs have been popularized through "The DaVinci Code" and "The Gospel of Judas" and others.

While Gnosticism is never named in the Letter to the Colossians (there may have not been a name attached to this belief system until many years later), there are many clues in the text that indicates the false teachings:

It was clearly a heresy which attacked the total adequacy and the unique supremacy of Christ. No Pauline letter has such a high view of Christ or such insistence on His completeness and finality. Paul went out of his way to stress the part that Christ played in creation. Gnostics believe that material things (all matter including the earth and all creatures on it) are evil and only spirits could be good. Therefore, according to Gnosticism, an altogether good God could not have created the world.

This belief went even further to say that if matter is altogether evil that Jesus could not have possibly been the son of God and have had an earthly body. If Jesus were the son of God he would have had to be some sort of spiritual phantom. They believed that when Jesus walked, he left no footprints. Spirits can’t leave footprints, you know. This belief completely removes Jesus from humanity and makes it impossible for him to be the Savior of human beings.

Gnosticism attempts to be a highly intellectual approach to life and faith. In order to get to know God, one would need all kinds of secret knowledge, hidden passwords, etc. The Gnostics, or intellectual ones, were dissatisfied with what they considered the unrefined simplicity of Christianity, and wanted to turn it into a philosophy and to align it with the other philosophies which were popular at the time.

If faced with gnostic beliefs, how could you answer the question "Who or what is Christ?" in a way that would show the Gnostics their errors?

The Gnostics believed that Jesus was not unique but only one of many paths to God. The Gnostics believed that one sent by God to be the revelation of God to mankind could not have had a human body. Gnostics believed that there is no simple path to God. The simple truths of the Gospel were not nearly enough.

What was Paul’s answer to the question "Who or what is Jesus Christ?"

Col 1:15-20 ESV
(15) He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
(16) For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through him and for him.
(17) And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
(18) And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.
(19) For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,
(20) and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

Let’s take Paul’s description of Christ and see how it responds to the Gnostic belief that Jesus was only one among many revelations of God and that, however great he might be, He was only a partial revelation of God.

Paul’s answer is loud and clear in his very first statement: Jesus is the image of God. This word image is translated from the Greek eikon. An image of God could be just a representation of God, but a representation, if it is perfect enough, can become a manifestation. When Paul uses this language, he declares that Jesus is the perfect manifestation of God. To see what God is like, we must look at Jesus. He perfectly represents God to us in a form that we can see and know and understand. Not "just one of many" manifestations of God like the Gnostics believe. No partial revelation. Just Jesus.

Let’s look at other thoughts about image or eikon as used in relation to the revelation of God:

We had a lesson not very long ago on Proverbs 8. Proverbs 8 deals with Wisdom. Wisdom is said to exist in eternity with God and to have been with God when he created the world. In the Deuterocanonical book The Wisdom of Solomon, Solomon says that wisdom is the eikon (image) of the goodness of God. Paul seems to say, "We have been taught (in Proverbs) that Wisdom is as old as God, that Wisdom created the world. Now Wisdom has come to us in human form in Jesus Christ."

What is the first mention of the image of God in Scripture?

Gen 1:26-27 ESV
(26) Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. ...."
(27) So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Human beings were themselves created to be the eikon of God. That is what we were meant to be. According to Paul, Jesus not only shows us what God is, He shows us what we were meant to be. Humanity as God designed it. Jesus is the perfect manifestation of God and the perfect manifestation of what it is to be human.

What is, according to Paul, Jesus Christ’s relation to Creation?

The Gnostics believed that creation was brought about by some being hostile to God. They believed that creation was wholly evil and could not have been created by a good God.

Paul said that Jesus was the "first-born" of all creation. What exactly is meant by the word "first-born"?

If we read this word literally with our English definitions of first and born, we would think that this tells a time of Jesus being created or born, that Jesus was the first person to be created.

How can an eternal being be ascribed a time of creation?

"First-born" in ancient cultures was not necessarily the first born, but was the title of honor given to the most favored child. Solomon was not the first child of David to be born but was named the first-born and thus the heir of David. The nation of Israel was called the first-born of God, although there were other nations in existence before Israel. First-born is a title for the Messiah in Psalm 89:27. So, clearly, first-born is not to be thought of in a time sense at all, because, as Paul continues, Jesus was not the first of the creation, but was the creator, existing from eternity, before all created things, before any concept of time. This phrase, "first-born of creation" assures us that Jesus' teaching is not just an afterthought or something tacked onto God’s original intentions in creation. First-born does not refer to time at all, but to place or status. Firstborn simply means "of first importance, or rank." If we change the "for" at the beginning of verse 16 to "because" we see more clearly why Jesus can be given the title of firstborn, "Because by him all things were created...."

.
Col 1:16 ESV
(16) For by him all things were created...

What was created by Him?

ALL things. What does "all" include?

Watch this passage of Scripture and see how many times Paul used the word "all"and synonyms for "all".

What do you think are the "invisible" things of creation?

What are some things that we cannot see, yet know they exist?

We cannot see oxygen, but we draw it in with every breath. We cannot see poisonous gases, yet that makes them sometimes all the more lethal. We cannot see thoughts and emotions, yet they sometimes control our very lives.

Scientists have determined that only 4% of the mass of the universe is made up of stars, planets, cosmic dust, and gases, much of which is invisible to the eye. But what about the other 96% of matter? 22% of this is made up of what scientists call "dark matter". Dark matter cannot be seen even with the most advance scientific equipment. Dark matter does not reflect electromagnetic radiation, but scientists know it exists because it creates a gravitational pull on visible objects. The remaining 74% of our universe is made up of what scientists call "dark energy", an even stranger component than dark matter. The visible things are actually only a very small portion of the "all" of creation.

What other relationships are there between Jesus, the creator, and creation?

It was for Him that all things were created. Jesus is not only the agent of creation, but also the goal of creation. Creation was created to be His, and in the worship and love of and by all creation, He will find His honor and joy.

Is it any wonder that the storms and waves obeyed Him?

What does the phrase "in Him, all things hold together" mean?

Not only is Jesus the agent of creation in the beginning, and the goal of creation in the end, but between the beginning and the end, during time as we know it, it is He who hold the world together.

Now read carefully all you scientifically minded people out there:

All the laws that govern and sustain order in the universe are an expression of the mind of Jesus Christ. The law of gravity and all the other laws by which the universe hangs together are not only scientific laws but also divine laws.

The Son is the beginning of creation, the end of creation, and the power that holds creation together, the creator, the sustainer, and the final goal of the world.

Can see why one of the commentaries that I read this week says that "probably no paragraph in the New Testament contains more concentrated doctrine about Jesus Christ than this one."

But we are just getting started.......

We’ve already asked who is Jesus and what is His relation to creation. Now let’s ask: What is Jesus to the church?

He is the head of the body. The church is the Body of Christ, the organism through which He acts and which shares all His experiences. Look at this in human terms. What is a body without a head? Dead. The body is in reality the servant of the head and is powerless without it. Jesus Christ is the guiding spirit of the church. It is at His bidding that the church must live and move. Without Him, the church cannot think the truth, cannot act correctly, cannot decide its direction. There are two things combined here. There is the idea of privilege. It is the privilege of the church to be the instrument through which Christ works. There is the idea of warning. If we neglect or abuse our bodies, what happens? We can make them unfit to be the servants of the great purposes of our minds. By undisciplined and careless living, the church can make itself unfit to be the instrument of its head, Jesus Christ.

Every Christian is a member of this spiritual body, and Jesus is the head.

He is the beginning of the church. What are two different senses of the word beginning?

There is beginning in the sense of time, and there is beginning as sense of priority, A is the beginning of the alphabet, 1 is the beginning of the series of whole numbers. In which sense is Jesus the beginning of the church? Both. Jesus is the originator of the church. The church had its origins in Him. As the source from which the church came, Jesus is the moving power which set the church in operation. The church had its origin in him, and today it has its operation in Him.

Jesus is the firstborn of the dead. Paul returns here to the event which was at the center of all the thinking and belief and experience of the early church, the resurrection. Did Paul say that Jesus was the first person to be raised from the dead? No, and He was not. But he was firstborn, the most important of those who have been raised. Christ is not merely someone who lived and died. Jesus is alive. Christ is not a dead hero who founded a movement, but a living presence in the church.

He is not only the beginning of the church, but has first place in everything. The resurrection of Christ is his title to supreme lordship. By his resurrection, He has shown that He has conquered every opposing power and that there is nothing in life or in death which can bind Him.

Four great facts about Jesus Christ in His relationship to the church: He is the living Lord, He is the is the source and origin of the church, he is the constant director of the church, and he is the Lord of all, by virtue of His victory over death.

We are still not finished with that paragraph...

What is Jesus Christ to all things, the whole universe?

In Him, the fullness of God dwelled. This statement took Paul’s argument directly to the gnostic believers. The word translated as fullness was the Greek word pleroma, a technical term in the vocabulary of the gnostic false teachers that meant "the sum total of all divine power and attributes." Paul used this word eight times in the Colossian letter in an attempt to meet the false teachers on their own ground. The gnostic believers would never accept that God would allow His pleroma to dwell (much more than merely reside, but to be at home permanently) in a created being. By telling these people that it pleased God to have his pleroma in Christ, Paul was in fact telling these people that Jesus Christ is in fact God.

And because He is God, what is He able to do that no man could ever do?

He could reconcile a lost, sinful world to God.

The object of Christ’s coming was to reconcile or reconciliation. What is reconciliation?

What do we do when we reconcile our bank accounts?

We check our register of the account against the banks register of the account to find any mistakes or omissions and correct them. The goal of the reconciliation is for the two registers to balance or agree.

So what does it mean that through Christ all things are reconciled to God?

First it means that there is a need for reconciliation. There was an imbalance that needed correction. The imbalance came through the separation of the will of man from the will of God. The natural mind of the unsaved sinner is at war with God.

How can a Holy God ever be reconciled with sinful man? Can God just close His eyes, lower His standards and make a compromise with man?

Reconciliation is mentioned in other passages of the New Testament, also, but never is there any mention of God being reconciled to the world. Every mention of reconciliation is of the world being reconciled to God and the initiative in reconciliation was with God. Because God so loved the world, He sent His Son. His object in sending His Son was reconciliation.

What was added to the account to bring it into balance?

The blood of Christ. The driving force behind the reconciliation was the death of Jesus Christ.

Who other than God could offer reconciliation to sinful man?

Was the reconciliation only for man?

No, it was for all things. There is that word all again. God’s reconciliation extends not only to all persons but to all creation: animate, inanimate, seen, and unseen. Not only did Christ come to redeem all people, but also all things.

How in that statement did Paul speak directly to the gnostics?

Remember the Gnostics regarded all matter as essentially and incurably evil, therefore the world is evil. But according to Paul, the world is not evil. This is God’s world. And as God’s world, it shares in the reconciliation offered by Christ. And through Christ we live in a redeemed world, where even inanimate objects are reconciled to God.

And now the second paragraph of our Scripture lesson which tells the aim of reconciliation:

Col 1:21-23 ESV
(21) And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds,
(22) he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,
(23) if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

And what is the aim of reconciliation?

Holiness. The foundation of the Methodist movement.

Sunday School Lesson: Making Wrong Choices

Purpose: To understand that there are disastrous consequences to breaking covenant with God.

Scripture: 2 Chronicles 36:15-21, Psalm 137

What is the best way to discipline a child?

What about a child that is being totally disobedient and not responding to discipline?

What about an employee who doesn’t do his or her job as required? What is the best way to discipline them?

What method of discipline works best for you? To which do you respond to?

What are some examples of behaviors that often lead to painful consequences?

In Proverbs 1 Wisdom is depicted as a woman who "cries out in the streets".

Can you think of any circumstances in your lives that you have made wrong choices that could have been avoided had you heeded God’s wisdom?

What consequences have you had to face as a result of these poor choices?

Pro 1:20-33 ESV
(20) Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice;
(21) at the head of the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks:
(22) "How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge?
(23) If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you.
(24) Because I have called and you refused to listen, have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded,
(25) because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof,
(26) I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror strikes you,
(27) when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you.
(28) Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me.
(29) Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD,
(30) would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof,
(31) therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices.
(32) For the simple are killed by their turning away, and the complacency of fools destroys them;
(33) but whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster."

Does that sound like a parent getting very near to stop the warnings and start the discipline?

Pro 1:20-33 MSG
(20) Lady Wisdom goes out in the street and shouts. At the town center she makes her speech.
(21) In the middle of the traffic she takes her stand. At the busiest corner she calls out:
(22) "Simpletons! How long will you wallow in ignorance? Cynics! How long will you feed your cynicism? Idiots! How long will you refuse to learn?
(23) About face! I can revise your life. Look, I'm ready to pour out my spirit on you; I'm ready to tell you all I know.
(24) As it is, I've called, but you've turned a deaf ear; I've reached out to you, but you've ignored me.
(25) "Since you laugh at my counsel and make a joke of my advice,
(26) How can I take you seriously? I'll turn the tables and joke about your troubles!
(27) What if the roof falls in, and your whole life goes to pieces? What if catastrophe strikes and there's nothing to show for your life but rubble and ashes?
(28) You'll need me then. You'll call for me, but don't expect an answer. No matter how hard you look, you won't find me.
(29) "Because you hated Knowledge and had nothing to do with the Fear-of-GOD,
(30) Because you wouldn't take my advice and brushed aside all my offers to train you,
(31) Well, you've made your bed--now lie in it; you wanted your own way--now, how do you like it?
(32) Don't you see what happens, you simpletons, you idiots? Carelessness kills; complacency is murder.
(33) First pay attention to me, and then relax. Now you can take it easy--you're in good hands."

How is God’s Wisdom "shouted out" to us?

Through His Word and the word of His messengers.

What is our culture's response to God’s Wisdom as given in His word and through His messengers?

Our culture (as is true of all cultures at all times) scoffs and refuses to listen to the call of Wisdom.

What difference would it have made in your life if you had always heeded Wisdom’s call?

Let’s pray:

O God,
We offer to you our praise and adoration. We give you thanks for your many blessings, for the gift of life and the opportunity it gives us to make a difference in your world. As we study your Word, make us aware of the benefits that come from living in covenant with you and the disastrous consequences of breaking that covenant.
In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen

Last week’s lesson offered a glimpse at a bright spot in the history of the Judaic monarchy.

Josiah was more faithful to the call of God’s Wisdom than any other king of Judah or Israel.

Josiah repaired and restored the Temple, restored the observance of the Passover Feast, brought about a general repentance of the people of Judah after discovering books of the Law which had been lost through lack of use.

How long did Josiah’s reforms last?

Until his death. Josiah was killed in an unwise military excursion against Pharaoh Neco of Egypt on the plains of Megiddo. Following his death, Josiah’s son, Jehoahaz, became king. Jehoahaz only lasted three months before being dethroned by the king of Egypt and replaced with another son of Josiah, Eliakim, whose name was changed to Jehoiakim. Jehoiakim ruled for eleven years before being taken captive to Babylonia. His son Jehoiachin, was crowned king at the age of eight. His reign lasted three months. The last king of Judah was Mattaniah, whose name was changed to Zedekiah. Zedekiah was an older brother of Jehoiachin.

Like all the kings who followed Josiah, Zedekiah "did what was evil in the sight of the Lord his God." Not only the king but "all the leading priests and the people also were exceedingly unfaithful."

What do you think was God’s response to the continual disobedience of His people?

2Ch 36:15 ESV
(15) The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent persistently to them by his messengers, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place.

2Ch 36:15 MSG
(15) GOD, the God of their ancestors, repeatedly sent warning messages to them. Out of compassion for both his people and his Temple he wanted to give them every chance possible.


What characteristic of God do we see in this verse?

God’s love for the Israelite people led repeatedly in the past to God’s work of salvation. When the people would fall into sin, God would send messengers and deliverers. God would forgive the people, but then the cycle would start all over again. For over 1000 years God had shown pity, compassion, and patience to the descendants of Abraham. Despite the continued unfaithfulness of the people, God continued to have "compassion on his people." God "persistently" responds to unfaithful people with grace.

How do you think the people of Judah responded to God’s compassionate pleas?

2Ch 36:16 ESV
(16) But they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words and scoffing at his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD rose against his people, until there was no remedy.

2Ch 36:16 MSG
(16) But they wouldn't listen; they poked fun at God's messengers, despised the message itself, and in general treated the prophets like idiots. GOD became more and more angry until there was no turning back–

What does this verse tell us about God’s patience?

God’s patience has a limit. God is very patient but will not always abide our self-indulgent ways or tolerate our willful disobedience.

Would the outcome have been different if the people had responded differently?

2Ch 7:14 ESV
(14) if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

2Ch 7:14 MSG
(14) and my people, my God-defined people, respond by humbling themselves, praying, seeking my presence, and turning their backs on their wicked lives, I'll be there ready for you: I'll listen from heaven, forgive their sins, and restore their land to health

The people of Judah probably could have averted their exile, but eventually there is a point of no return - "until there was no remedy."

God tried to get the people to wake up and rethink the character of their national life, but they wanted nothing to do with that.

Could the same thing be said of today’s church? Do you think that we need to wake up and rethink the character of the church?

In what ways do we need to rethink the character of the church?

In what ways do you and I personally need to wake up and rethink our character?

In what ways do we (either personally or as the Body of Christ) "mock the messengers of God", "despise his words", and "scoff at his prophets"?

Are we mocking the messengers when we make attending church or Sunday school a low priority?

Do we "despise his word" when we neglect Bible study?

Are we scoffing when we call ourselves Christian but continue to live our lives as we please?

From Wesleyan Christian Advocate:

Nowadays we talk about "making wrong choices." That is what we used to call sin. It is somehow more palatable to speak of choosing the wrong option - picking Door Number 2- instead of following God’s commandments and Christ’s commissions....We need to acknowledge our forgetting of God, seek forgiveness and follow in God’s way...

As people of the New Testament, we know the redemptive power of God through Christ. However we have a responsibility to obey God’s commandments and to honor the covenant "written on our hearts". How do we forget God in our church and in our lives?

Does God ever give up on us?

Did God’s compassion for the Israelites reach it’s ultimate limit?

2Ch 36:17-21 ESV
(17) Therefore he brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary and had no compassion on young man or virgin, old man or aged. He gave them all into his hand.
(18) And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king and of his princes, all these he brought to Babylon.
(19) And they burned the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem and burned all its palaces with fire and destroyed all its precious vessels.
(20) He took into exile in Babylon those who had escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and to his sons until the establishment of the kingdom of Persia,
(21) to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths. All the days that it lay desolate it kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.

2Ch 36:21 MSG
(21) This is exactly the message of GOD that Jeremiah had preached: the desolate land put to an extended sabbath rest, a seventy-year Sabbath rest making up for all the unkept Sabbaths.

Is God’s grace evident even in God’s judgement?

From Wesleyan Christian Advocate:

God’s grace is found even in God’s judgement. Maybe some of us feel like we’ve "blown it." Perhaps our choices have led us to our own place of exile. We find ourselves in the wilderness of our failure and sin. But something can be happening during that exile that we don’t always see.........

Looking back we can see that Israel’s exile was its Sabbath rest. It became as formative for her faith as the Exodus from Egypt and the sojourn in the wilderness. It was out of exile that a whole new theology was forged that strengthened and honed God’s people.

Can we see God’s grace working even in the circumstances of our own "wrong choices"?

From Wesleyan Christian Advocate:

The same is true of the exiles of our lives. The divorce, grief, failures in our family life, alcohol or drugs can all be redeemed in time. When all our bad choices have led to hard hearts and brokenness; when all the doors seem to slam shut, and judgement rains down, then, in God’s grace, exile can become a period out of which new possibilities emerge.

Does God ever give up on us?

Our behaviors definitely have consequences. It is not a very long road from recreational drug use to total drug dependency. An angry and hateful attitude leads to loneliness and bitterness as even loved ones are driven away. If we fail to listen to God’s Wisdom we separate ourselves from God.

Why is it that we humans tend to have to "hit bottom" before rebounding?

God offers forgiveness and can redeem any situation we create for ourselves, but we still must live with the consequences of our actions.

From Wesleyan Christian Advocate:

The door of grace always stands open, no matter what a mess we’ve made of our lives. There will be scars that never quite fade, regrets that never entirely go away, effects of sin that still cause pain. But more importantly, there is also the grace of a new beginning and the hope of a new future.

In what ways does our relationship with God change when we are faced with the results of our own actions?

Did the exiled Judahites realize the error of their ways?

Psa 137:1-6 ESV
(1) By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion.
(2) On the willows there we hung up our lyres.
(3) For there our captors required of us songs, and our tormentors, mirth, saying, "Sing us one of the songs of Zion!"
(4) How shall we sing the LORD's song in a foreign land?
(5) If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill!
(6) Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember you, if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy!

Psalm 137 was written by one of the exiled Judahites. What seemed to be in the author’s mind in this Psalm?

As the author recalled his experiences, he was overwhelmed by bitter memories of oppression and brutality. His anger could not be contained, and it was given expression in this violent outburst. His anger was not only directed toward the treatment of the Jews by the Babylonians, but is primarily concerned with what the Jewish people had lost. They had been forced to leave behind the Promised Land.

Most people do not know the value of something until it’s gone. It took captivity for the Israelites to realize what they had lost. They had not only lost their home and their temple, but had lost their relationship with God.

Our challenge is to seek the grace of God even in challenging circumstances that we bring upon ourselves. We can pity ourselves and wallow in our failures or we can allow our failures to be the launching pad for redemption and change. We cannot escape the cost of breaking covenant with God. Disobeying God takes a terrible toll, but in Christ we can find forgiveness and the power to change our circumstances.

Sunday School Lesson: Seeking Renewal

Purpose: To recommit ourselves to reading and hearing the Scriptures as the key to the renewal or our covenantal relationship with God.

Scripture: 2 Kings 22-23

Tell me if you agree or disagree with this statement:

What you study determines what you become.

Give me some real-life illustrations that support that statement.

How about this:

If you study Christ and the Word of God you become more like Christ. If you study the world and the ways of the world you become more like the world.

Can the study of God’s Word change a life?

Can the study of God’s Word lead to change in our world?

Paul in Romans 12:2 says:

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
(Rom 12:2 ESV)

Can the study of the Word transform our minds and teach us to discern the will of God?

What about ignorance of the Word? How does ignorance affect our walk with God?

Many people stumble in their walk because of ignorance.

How can ignorance of the Word be overcome?

Ignorance can only be overcome by the renewal of your mind, by conforming your mind to Christ.

And what is the best way to conform our mind to Christ?

Are all Christian’s minds conformed to Christ?

Is conforming our minds to Christ as simple as becoming a believer?

Becoming a new person in Christ is much the same as a newborn infant. We do not enter the world with full knowledge of all we need to know to survive in the world around us. As new Christians we are just as ignorant and unknowing as a newborn baby. We must be in a constant state of study and learning about the world around us. What type of adult would a person be if they stopped learning early in their life. We cannot be mature Christians if our Christian Study ended with our confirmation class or when we graduated from the senior high Sunday School Class.

So Jesus said ......, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
(Joh 8:31-32 ESV)

The writer of Adult Bible Studies wrote:

A seminary professor once told me that as a pastor I occasionally would have to try to get my church “to be Christian”...

Churches are “Christian”. Why would a church need to be reminded “to be Christian”?

What are some examples of church activities that may not be “Christian”?

How does a church (or an individual) lose its way?

The writer goes on:

Religious institutions can lose their way just as individuals can. What ought to be the primary focus of their attention can be lost. After all, churches are social institutions as well as religious ones. Weddings, funerals, bazaars, parties, meetings, and other events of a social nature occur at our churches that sometimes have little to do with the gospel. There are lots of churches that are well attended and popular and prospering where the preached and taught word bears only the foggiest resemblance to the gospel itself.

When religious institutions or individuals lose their way, when what was meant to be the heart of the faith is peripheral or ignored entirely, reformation is required. Churches sometimes have to learn how to be “Christian” again.


The most likely culprit when a church or person loses the way is when they lose their commitment to study and know the Word.

Today’s scripture lesson gives us the story of one of the first reformations of faith caused by rediscovery of the Word and what it means to abide in the Word.

Josiah became king of Judah at the age of eight when his father, Amon, was assassinated by some of the servants of the palace. The assassins were captured and killed by the people of Judah and the people made Josiah king. Amon “did evil in the sight of the Lord, as his father Manesseh had done.” Manasseh, Josiah’s grandfather may have been the most evil of all the Judahite kings. 2 Kings 21 tells us that Manasseh “misled (the people) to do more evil than the nations had done that the Lord had destroyed before the people of Israel.”

Because of Manasseh’s extreme wickedness, God pronounced destruction on Judah.

But Josiah was different. Only King David was more highly favored by the Deuteronomic historian than Josiah and that mainly because of accomplishments. As a man of God, Josiah gets the highest honors:

2Ki 23:25 ESV
(25) Before him there was no king like him, who turned to the LORD with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses, nor did any like him arise after him.

Josiah’s reformation did not begin immediately. 2 Kings does not offer a single word to describe the first eighteen years of Josiah’s reign. 2 Chronicles 34, however, says that Josiah began to seek God in the eighth year of his reign and during his twelfth year he began to purge all the high places of Asherah and Baal worship and cleansed Judah of all the priests of the false gods.

The story of Josiah’s eighteenth year as told in 2 Kings begins with Josiah funding repairs and renovations to the Temple. The Temple had obviously fallen into serous disrepair during the reigns of Amon and Manasseh, which happens to all aging buildings, but doesn’t it seem that buildings go down faster when they are not being used?

Have you noticed some of the old country churches around that have very small or non-existent congregations?

It seems almost as if severe deterioration begins immediately when the buildings are abandoned .

Imagine, if you will, what a community would be like if the only church left was rundown and decayed to the point of being condemned.

Stretch your imaginations even further and think what a community would be like if the Bible had been out of use for so long that noone even would know what you meant if you said the word “bible”. Can you imagine the Word of God becoming lost to memory in a lifetime?

Do you even think that such a thing is possible?

Could we Christians become so associated with popular culture that the way of the world replaced the Way of the gospel?

Could we study the way of the world until we conformed to the world and were no longer conformed to Christ?

It happened in Josiah’s time.

2Ki 22:8 ESV
(8) And Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, "I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the LORD." And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it.

What was this book that was discovered?

Probably the Book of Deuteronomy.

Where was it found?

In the Temple.

How could the book that contained the Laws of Moses become lost in the House of the Lord, in the nation of the people of God?

It was lost because it was not being used. It was not being used because the people were occupied with conforming to the world around them.

From Adult Bible Studies:

When one associates with a culture that thinks a particular way, it is difficult to remain separate and to maintain another view of reality.

What happened when the secretary read the book?

He immediately recognized the significance of the book and took it to the king.

2Ki 22:11 ESV
(11) When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes.


What happened when the king read the book?

What was the significance of the king tearing his clothes?

This was an accepted act of genuine repentance.


2Ki 22:12-13 ESV
(12) And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Micaiah, and Shaphan the secretary, and Asaiah the king's servant, saying,
(13) "Go, inquire of the LORD for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been found. For great is the wrath of the LORD that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us."

Josiah instructed his advisors to seek further advice from someone familiar with the Word of God.

He had read the book. Deuteronomy clearly states God’s opinion of folks who fail to follow the law and the possible results. Do you think he may have been seeking a second opinion to find any possible loopholes or means to escape the wrath described in the book?

2Ki 22:14-20 ESV
(14) So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe (now she lived in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter), and they talked with her.
(15) And she said to them, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: 'Tell the man who sent you to me,
(16) Thus says the LORD, behold, I will bring disaster upon this place and upon its inhabitants, all the words of the book that the king of Judah has read.
(17) Because they have forsaken me and have made offerings to other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the work of their hands, therefore my wrath will be kindled against this place, and it will not be quenched.
(18) But to the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the LORD, thus shall you say to him, Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Regarding the words that you have heard,
(19) because your heart was penitent, and you humbled yourself before the LORD, when you heard how I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and you have torn your clothes and wept before me, I also have heard you, declares the LORD.
(20) Therefore, behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes shall not see all the disaster that I will bring upon this place.'" And they brought back word to the king.

What do you think Josiah did next?

Huldah offered no hint that God may possibly hear their plea and forgive the sins of the former generations. God had already decreed the destruction of Judah as a result of Manasseh’s actions.

Josiah pushed ahead with the reforms that he had already started. Josiah brought the people together at the Temple to hear these lost words of God and to renew the covenant that had been forgotten.


2Ki 23:1-3 ESV
(1) Then the king sent, and all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem were gathered to him.
(2) And the king went up to the house of the LORD, and with him all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the priests and the prophets, all the people, both small and great. And he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant that had been found in the house of the LORD.
(3) And the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people joined in the covenant.

Josiah led the people in a ceremony commanded in the Law:

Deu 31:11-13 ESV
(11) when all Israel comes to appear before the LORD your God at the place that he will choose, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing.
(12) Assemble the people, men, women, and little ones, and the sojourner within your towns, that they may hear and learn to fear the LORD your God, and be careful to do all the words of this law,
(13) and that their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as you live in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess."

The nation of Judah had lost the Word of God and had forgotten the Word of God, yet when a few men of the leadership of the nation read and studied the Word , their minds conformed to the Word and resulted in a renewal of the covenant with God.

It’s never too late.

After my daddy became so disabled by emphysema that he could no longer work, he had to take an early retirement. He did not have a lot to do and there was very little that he could do because of his physical condition. It’s a good thing that he liked to read. Daddy had always been a reader. His favorite books were paperback westerns written by Zane Grey, Louis L’amour, and Max Brand. Daddy had hundreds of those paperback westerns and he would read them over and over.

Sometime during that time Daddy started reading the Bible. I don’t remember my daddy ever going to church for any reason, even weddings or funerals. We have a New Testament that my daddy received at Vacation Bible School when he was 10 years old in 1951, so I do know that he had attended church as a child. When Daddy started reading that Bible, he read it all. He rediscovered the gospel that he had not heard since childhood. The message had been lost to him, but he found it again.

The preacher from the little country church down the road from Daddy’s house, Andy, had been visiting him regularly. According to Andy, when Daddy started reading that Bible, he also started asking such questions that even a preacher had to dig for the answers.

Because of what Daddy read, he decided that he wanted to be baptized. Andy was elated. There were problems, though. At this stage in Daddy’s illness, he could not walk from the living room to the kitchen without a bottle of oxygen. And even with the oxygen it was an ordeal. How could we possibly get someone in this condition to a church, into a baptistry, and back home again? (This denomination only practices full-immersion baptism.) Andy came up with the solution. He asked permission of his church to baptize Daddy at his home.

One of the high point in my life was the night that a few members of Hebrew Free-Will Baptist Church gathered along with the family at Daddy’s house and Andy sprinkled Daddy and everyone there sprinkled tears of joy. I cried more that night than I did at Daddy’s funeral six weeks later.

The point of this story is that Daddy started late, but it’s never too late. Once he began studying the Word, his mind became conformed to the Word and it changed his life, even though he had very little life left.

God’s Word is not something that we want to lose. How many of us have lost the Word, even with Bibles in our homes. The Bible is the most published book since the invention of the printing press, but it’s one of the least read. Let’s don’t wait until we have to re-learn the Gospel story.

In our world there is no shortage of Bibles. Yet widespread biblical illiteracy means that effectively, the Bible is "lost". What can we do to address that problem?

If we give our minds to God, God will transform our minds. We give God our minds through studying His Word. Our minds conform to whatever we fill them with. For most of my life I filled my mind with the garbage of the world. My mind was garbage. I now fill my mind with Truth and my life has been transformed by that Truth.

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.
(2Ti 3:16-17 ESV)

Think about that for a moment. Scripture is breathed out by God. What happens when God breathes out something? In Genesis 2 we read that God breathed into a body of dust and what happened? That dust became alive. Scripture is the same. Our Bible is not just a book full of words that tell us some history and offer some suggestions as to how to live. The Scripture is alive and lives in us when we live our lives under the authority of that Scripture.

Heb 4:12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.


There are some cautions to be aware of when studying the scripture:

We should never use the study of Scripture in order to reinforce our current lifestyle or opinions. An honest study of Scripture always challenges us to acknowledge our weaknesses and to move deeper into the faith. An honest study of Scripture always leads to a changed heart.


Our purpose for study of Scripture is not simply to gain knowledge. Our purpose for study is to conform our minds to Christ and thus to become more like Christ because we are the Body of Christ in this world. We must be prepared for our task which is to do God’s will in the world.

Knowledge is a great thing as long as you use it. We can read the Bible through four times a year, but if we aren’t challenged by it and changed by it, we may as well spend our time reading the funny papers.

Let’s recommit ourselves to reading and hearing and being challenged and changed by the Scriptures, which is the key to our relationship with God.

Could a modern reformation begin as simply as a renewed emphasis on the reading and study of Scripture?

Sunday School Lesson: God Answers Prayer

Purpose: To be reminded that God’s answers to our prayers give us the opportunity to fulfill covenantal obligations to others.

Scripture: 1 Kings 3:1-14

I know you’ve all fantasized about what you would ask for if you were given three wishes.

If God were to reveal Himself to you and give you that opportunity, what would be your top 3 wishes?

Given three wishes, what do you think most folks would ask for?

I believe that in our culture, the answer to that would, most of the time, be totally self-centered and materialistic. Those born from 1970 to 1999 have now been dubbed “Generation Me” by one modern psychology professor and share one common trait: this generation is “unapologetically focused on the individual”. In her book Generation Me: Why Today’s Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled - And More Miserable - Than Ever Before, Jean M. Twenge, Ph. D. describes a generation whose greatest goals are to “follow our dreams” and to “find ourselves”. Despite these goals (maybe because of them) the Generation Me-ers are for the most part miserable and depressed.

Solomon, in the early years of his reign, was offered a much greater opportunity than a genie in a bottle. Solomon was approached by God, who said “Ask for whatever you want...” What better opportunity to satisfy personal needs and wants could you ask for?

“Whatever you want”.

Think about that for a moment. “Whatever you want.”

“Whatever” is a huge word.

What would you say if God made that offer? Let me start a list. The first thing on my list would likely be, “Every day, for the rest of my life, offer me whatever I want.” That ought to cover it.
Solomon, however, made an altogether different request.

1Ki 3:5 ESV
(5) At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, "Ask what I shall give you."

What request did Solomon make of God and for what purpose?

1Ki 3:9 ESV
(9) Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?"

When given the opportunity to ask for anything in the world, Solomon asked for wisdom. This is one verse where various translations can offer different thoughts.

In the ESV and NRSV, Solomon asks for an “understanding mind”. In the KJV and NIV this is translated as “understanding heart.”

What is the difference, if any, between an “understanding mind” and “understanding heart”?

There may be no real, tangible distinction in the choice of words, but do you get a different thought or idea in your mind when thinking of either “understanding mind” or “understanding heart”?

When we speak of the mind what are we referring to?

When we speak of the mind, we speak of intellect, rational and logical thought.

When we speak of the heart (not the organ) what are we usually referring to?

When we speak of the heart we speak of emotions, affections, and compassions.

Which (the mind or the heart) do you think is a more accurate description of Solomon’s request?

When we pray for wisdom, which is more likely to be what we are seeking, an understanding mind or an understanding heart?

Wisdom reflects a balance between the two. Wisdom needs both an understanding mind and an understanding heart.

Which is more needed to be a good Christian?

Both.

Christian faith needs wisdom. Christians need both a discerning mind and a discerning heart. God gave us minds and intended for us to be rational creatures. We must apply our God- given logic to our Christian beliefs and moral principles. Many people in our world see faith and reason as polar opposites that require a person to choose one or the other.

Is faith irrational?

Faith transcends rationality. Our faith is not limited to that which we can merely understand with our intellect. Faith does not oppose reason, but reason can only take us so far. Faith transcends reason and allows us to believe and follow and commit ourselves even when we do not entirely understand. We must use our discerning mind and intellectual powers in the pursuit of truth. We must be willing to recognize the limits of reason and be open to God’s leading which we can perceive but cannot understand.

How can we relate wisdom to an “understanding heart”?

A discerning heart involves the inner core of a human being. It has to do with the direction toward which one is oriented and to whom or what one is open. A part of being in right relationship with God is to intentionally position one’s inner being toward God, to be constantly aware of God’s presence, always open to God’s leading.

When Solomon asked for a discerning heart, he was petitioning God to empower him to discriminate wisely between those things that were in accord with God’s will and those that were not. Solomon was the religious leader as well as the political leader of his people. As such he must be able to judge right from wrong. His need for wisdom was not only to perceive the right course of action for himself, but to make the right decisions for his people.

Solomon’s very first use of his newly bestowed wisdom immediately follows today’s scripture lesson. In that story, Solomon is approached by two women arguing over an infant. This is a famous story and rightly so as it demonstrates clearly the wisdom of Solomon. The story of these women illustrates the power of a discerning heart. Solomon probably did not have the technological knowhow (DNA test) to decide their case by logic and reasoning.

How did he know what the reactions of the two women meant?

He knew in his heart.

The Message gives yet another way to view Solomon’s request for wisdom:

1Ki 3:9-12 MSG
(9) "Here's what I want: Give me a God-listening heart so I can lead your people well, discerning the difference between good and evil. For who on their own is capable of leading your glorious people?"
(10) God, the Master, was delighted with Solomon's response.
(11) And God said to him, "Because you have asked for this and haven't grasped after a long life, or riches, or the doom of your enemies, but you have asked for the ability to lead and govern well,
(12) I'll give you what you've asked for--I'm giving you a wise and mature heart. There's never been one like you before; and there'll be no one after.

A God-listening heart. Doesn’t that span both the understanding heart and the understanding mind?

How does these various translation help you define “wisdom”?

What are some traits in people that you consider “wise”?

In whom do you see some of these traits today?

How does biblical wisdom challenge some of the currently accepted political, social, or economic definitions of “wisdom”?

How would our nation be different if we truly lived according to God’s wisdom?

Notice that Solomon asked for discernment to carry out his duties to his people. What did he not ask God for?

He did not ask God to do the job for him.

Should we ask God to do for us the things that with His guidance we can do ourselves?

How do we ask for that guidance?

We ask for wisdom to know what to do and the courage and strength to do it.

What did God give Solomon in addition to wisdom?

1Ki 3:13 ESV
(13) I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days.

The Lord was pleased with Solomon’s request and responded with much more than Solomon had asked for.

1Ki 3:10 ESV
(10) It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this.

This verse gives us a glimpse into the mind of God. What do you see there?

Can you think of any New Testament promises to Christians that are similar to what God promised Solomon?

Mat 6:31-33 ESV
(31) Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'
(32) For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.
(33) But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Solomon asked for wisdom, not wealth, but God gave him wealth and a long life as well. Does God promise us riches?

God does promise us to have what we need if we put His will first. We must, like Solomon, keep our priorities where they belong.

Joh 15:7 ESV
(7) If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

What promise is made to us here?

What conditions are given in this promise?
1. We must abide in God.
2. God’s word must abide in us.
3. We must ask.

Why is it important that we ask?

Doesn’t it say somewhere else that God knows what we need before we ask?

Mat 6:7-8 ESV
(7) "And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.
(8) Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Why do we need to ask if God knows what we need already?

From John Wesley’s Commentary:

Mat 6:8 - Your Father knoweth what things ye have need of - We do not pray to inform God of our wants. Omniscient as he is, he cannot be informed of any thing which he knew not before: and he is always willing to relieve them. The chief thing wanting is, a fit disposition on our part to receive his grace and blessing. Consequently, one great office of prayer is, to produce such a disposition in us: to exercise our dependence on God; to increase our desire of the things we ask for; to us so sensible of our wants, that we may never cease wrestling till we have prevailed for the blessing.

Do you think that God is ready to give us everything we want but doesn’t simply because we don’t ask?

Jam 4:2-3 ESV
(2) You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.
(3) You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

Does that answer the previous question?

Do you think God is ever bothered by our asking?

What are some ways the world defines wisdom? Which of these are compatible with Christianity and which are not? Why?

Why do you think Solomon valued wisdom over everything else?

Is wisdom superior to everything else?

God gave Solomon more than he asked for. Do you think that those who seek and practice the wisdom of God are also blessed with earthly rewards? Why, or why not?

Why do you think wisdom is so hard to attain? What are the obstacles to acquiring it in our world today?

How great was the wisdom that God gave Solomon?

God promised to make Solomon a unique individual, the wisest man who ever lived. We should realize that wisdom is much more than the ability to discern good from evil. The wise person always recognizes and chooses the good. One who recognizes the difference and chooses evil is a fool.

Pro 14:16 ESV
(16) One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is reckless and careless.

Solomon’s gift is more than just the ability to know righteousness; it is the ability to choose righteousness. Wisdom is both the ability to discern what is best and the strength of character to act upon that knowledge.

How much does our culture value wisdom?

If you were to make the offer of either wisdom or riches to the average man on the street, what do you think he would choose?

How do we become people who value wisdom over riches?

How would a deep value of wisdom benefit us?

What does a lack of valuing wisdom cost us?

When we pray, for what do we most often ask?

Are our prayers most often intercessions for others or personal requests?

What about in church? What concerns do we typically pray for during our worship services?

What can we do this week to place a higher value on wisdom?

How can we seek God’s wisdom as a matter of habit?

Sunday School Lesson: A Promise You Can Trust

Purpose: To grasp the ways that God’s covenant blesses us by replacing human presumption with divine promise.

Scripture: 2 Samuel 7

How do you define promise?

The word promise has different meanings in different situations. In nearly all definitions, promise is something not yet realized. A promising young athlete is one in whom there is obvious potential. One who will become stronger or faster or more skilled in the future. A promising musician is one who shows skill but whose skill is expected to increase and grow and mature.

When we marry we promise to have and to hold, for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, from this day forward.

The promise is not yet realized. It is for the future.

When we make loans, we sign a promissory note. We promise to pay back the loan, plus interest, at some point in the future.

When I tell this class that I will teach on the second Sunday of every month, I am promising a future action. Until 10 AM on the second Sunday the promise is unfulfilled.

What ultimately determines the value of a promise?

The fulfillment of a promise is the ultimate determinant of the value of the promise. But what about during the interim? Prior to its fulfillment what determines the value of a promise?

Promises are only as good as the one who makes them. When I forgot that the second Sunday fell during my vacation and failed to secure someone to provide the lesson in my place, my promise became worthless. So what value do you place on my promise to be here to teach you on the second Sunday next month? Probably not as much as you did before last week.

There are three components to our definitions of promise:

1. Potential. A promising athlete or musician demonstrates potential success or even stardom. A signature on a loan note demonstrates a potential payback for the loan institution. An "I do" to a spouse shows a potential life of support and happiness.

2. Obligation. When a promise is made, there is a certain obligation involved in the fulfillment of the promise. How many promising athletes or musicians fail to meet their potential because they fail to meet their obligation to train and practice and study? How many marriage vows are tossed away because one or both parties fail to meet the obligations of being a good husband or wife? How many loans are defaulted because the person who signed the note failed make the obligatory payments?

3. Expectation. All promises contain an element of expectation. We expect those with a promising talent to pursue that talent. We expect our spouse to have and hold, love and cherish, even when times are hard. We expect a person who signs a loan to pay it back. Our children expect us to follow through when we say that we will do certain things. How often we hear the plaintive cry, "But you promised!"

A promise is only as good as the one who makes it. Nothing is so disheartening as a broken promise. Today’s scripture lesson contains a promise that God made to David. Our human notions and components of promise are not adequate when we speak of the promises of God.

What are the differences between a human promise and God’s promises?

God’s promises are much more than potential. God’s promises are an assurance of what will surely and certainly come to pass. God always keeps His promises.

God’s promises are not simple obligations. God’s promises are an indicator of God’s commitment.

God’s promises are far beyond our expectations. God’s promises are declarations of God’s intentions.

God’s promises to David not only blessed David and his descendants, but hold promise for all Christians. Bible scholar Walter Brueggamann has said of today’s passage, "...this is one of the most crucial texts in the Old Testament for evangelical faith." The New Interpreter’s Bible says, "This chapter is the most important theological text in the books of Samuel and perhaps in the entire Deuteronomic History."

Background to today’s lesson:

In previous lessons, we learned of Israel’s loose tribal confederation under the leadership of judges. This confederation proved inadequate in face of the superior forces and technology of the Philistines. The Philistines were ruled by kings and boasted a powerful military with advanced weapons of iron.

The Israeli conflict with the Philistines was an on-again, off-again struggle from the first days that the Israelites entered the Promised Land. The people of Israel became so discouraged at repeated conflicts and defeats at the hands of the Philistines that they demanded the last judge, Samuel, to give them a king "like other nations." Samuel did not support the people and assured them that God would not be very happy at their lack of faith. Despite Samuel’s doubts, the people were convinced that if they were to secure a defeat of the Philistines that they must be "like other nations" and have a king. The first problem was that having a king was not the only way that the people followed in the way of the other nations. The Israelites repeatedly slipped into the idolatrous beliefs of the surrounding kingdoms. The second problem was the first king, Saul, himself. Saul was chosen by God and anointed by Samuel, but was not given absolute authority to do whatever he pleased. He was to lead the people, but was still called to abide by all the laws of the covenant God had made with Moses and the people. Saul did not live up to the responsibility of making Israel into a godly kingdom. Eventually God rejected Saul. While Saul was still reigning, God had Samuel anoint a successor.

What characteristics did God see in David that qualified David to be king?

David was a courageous military leader, who was largely responsible for the defeat of the Philistines. David served in the military under Saul and was so successful that Saul became jealous. David was a talented musician. It was his musical ability that caused Saul to recruit him. David was the author of many of the Psalms.

The most important quality that God saw in David was his faith.

1Sa 13:14 ESV
(14) .......The LORD has sought out a man after his own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be prince over his people............

A man that would fulfill all the desires of God’s heart, not oppose them as Saul did.

David was not perfect. David was a sinful man as was Saul. The difference between David and Saul was their response. Saul responded like most of us with arrogance, stubbornness, and rationalizing. David when confronted with his sins, came to God in humility and repentance. When convicted in his heart for his deplorable actions with Bathsheeba and Uriah, David cried out to God for forgiveness and in repentance with Psalm 51 which contains one of my favorite verses:

Psa 51:10 ESV
(10) Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

What characteristics that made David a good king do we still look for in political leaders today?

Do we very often find those characteristics in today’s political leaders?

At the time of today’s scripture passage David had consolidated his kingdom to include Israel and Judah with Jerusalem as their capital. The ark of the covenant had been recovered from the Philistines and moved to Jerusalem. A fabulous cedar palace had been constructed for David.

As David considered the contrast of his palace and the tent which housed the ark, he called on Nathan the prophet to speak to God for permission to construct a temple that would permanently house the ark of God. David wanted to provide God with a royal house where the people could come and worship. The idea of building a temple sounded so good to Nathan that, without further consultation, he gave his blessing to David’s idea.

Do things sometimes feel so right that we do not feel the need to stop and pray about them?

That’s the way it was with David and Nathan. That very night God came to Nathan and offered His opinion of the proposed building project.

2Sa 7:5-7 ESV
(5) "Go and tell my servant David, 'Thus says the LORD: Would you build me a house to dwell in?
(6) I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling.
(7) In all places where I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, "Why have you not built me a house of cedar?"'

David and Nathan may have thought that building a temple to house the ark was a good idea, but God had other ideas.

2Sa 7:8-9 ESV
(8) Now, therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel.
(9) And I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. .....

God here reminded David of all that He had done, that David was king only because God had made him king. In fact, God had been guiding David since he was a young shepherd. God’s point was to the point: David’s success was due to God’s guidance, not to the ideas that David had dreamed up.

2Sa 7:9-17 ESV
(9) ... And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth.
(10) And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly,
(11) from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house.
(12) When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.
(13) He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
(14) I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men,
(15) but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you.
(16) And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.'"
(17) In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.

Here God reveals His plans for David. What promises does God make to David?

What conditions are there to these promises?

How many of these promises have already become a reality?

This is one of the great examples of the Old Testament reflecting the major theme of the New Testament: unconditional grace. The free promise of the good news available to all.

Does God’s promises to David relieve him from the moral demands of God’s Law?

The passage explicitly states that when discipline is necessary, it will be given.

Does the gospel promise relieve us from the moral demands of the Law?

I previously cited quotes concerning this passage from Walter Brueggemann and from the New Interpreter’s Bible.

Why do you think Brueggemann called this text "one of the most crucial texts in the Old Testament for evangelical faith" and why did the New Interpreter’s Bible declare this passage "the most important theological text in the books of Samuel and perhaps in the entire Deuteronomic History"?

This covenant with David contains no "ifs". The Mosaic covenant contained "ifs". "If" you keep my laws you will be my people. The Davidic covenant is unconditional. This unconditional grace is the basis of Christian belief. Theologians regard this grace as the example of how God always deals with us. This text and the New Testament tell us about the amazing unconditional grace of God. This passage and the New Testament also tell us that this covenant does not in any way nullify the moral laws of the Mosaic covenant.

The Davidic covenant also played the key role in the creation of the messianic hope of the Jews and the Christian understanding that Jesus is that Messiah. Historically the Davidic dynasty ended in 586 BC when Jerusalem was conquered, the temple destroyed and the people of Judah taken away by the Babylonians. Because of the unconditional nature of this promise, the prophets encouraged the people to expect that God would restore them through a descendant of David.

In what ways do we connect Jesus with David?

The messianic hope of the Jewish people was that a human agent of Davidic descent would be God’s "annointed one". The messiah would not represent the end of the world but would save God’s people within the course of history. The early Christians saw the fulfillment of this divine promise in Jesus. Christ is Greek for "messiah". Jesus announced the coming kingdom of God, which would bring about a transformation of human history.

What kind of "house" did God promise He would make for David?

In a clever play on words, God says that He will not allow David to build Him a house but that He would build David a house, referring to a dynasty.

2Sa 7:11-14 ESV
(11)...the LORD will make you a house.
(12) When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.
(13) He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
(14) I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. ...

Has God’s promise of an everlasting kingdom been fulfilled?

Absolutley.