South Valley Community Church

Bobby Conway is the founder and host of the rapidly-growing ministry, The One-Minute Apologist, which is found on YouTube and on his website. He provides quick, credible answers to apologetic questions that offers resources to people with a hunger to defend their Christian faith. At the OneMinuteApologist.com, he posts a new apologetic answer video five days per week. Bobby has had the privilege of interviewing some of the worlds leading Christian apologists. Among them are: William Lane Craig, Josh McDowell, Hank Hanegraaf, JP Moreland, Norman Geisler, Frank Turek, and many more. He also serves as the lead pastor at Life Fellowship in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus by Michael Brown by Gospel Centered Mission Focused

J. P. Moreland is one of the leading evangelical thinkers of our day. He is a distinguished professor of philosophy at Talbot School of Theology and director of Eidos Christian Center. With degrees in philosophy, theology, and chemistry, Dr. Moreland has taught theology and philosophy at several schools throughout the U.S. He has authored or coauthored many books, including Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview; Christianity and the Nature of Science; Scaling the Secular City; Does God Exist?; The Lost Virtue of Happiness; and Body and Soul. He is coeditor of Jesus Under Fire: Modern Scholarship Reinvents the Historical Jesus.

When we boil down humanity to humanity, sometimes it is difficult to see huge differences between David and Saul, or David and Absalom, maybe even David and Goliath. But the fact remains that the Bible speaks of David as the one after God’s heart. It is his name that is used when looking to the day when God would put all things right. With all the success and failure, unification and strife, life and death in David’s story it can be hard to reconcile. Maybe this thin line exists to help us realize how we too are a hair’s breadth away from being “one after God’s own heart.” What is the difference that remains and how do we seek after it? A humble repentant heart toward the real King, our King Jesus, is all that remains—in fact, if we look closely, we realize that the person at the heart of these poems and at the heart of 1 and 2 Samuel is God Himself

God established a covenant with King David to extend a permanent place on the throne to him and his descendants because he was a man after God’s heart (2 Samuel 7:5- 16). We find the kings that follow fail to live up to the ideals of the covenant God made with David. We see a glimmer of this failure during the end of the reign of Solomon. The phrase from the opening paragraph of Charles Dickens’ novel, A Tale of Two Cities, aptly describes the rule of Solomon: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, . . .” It was under Solomon’s rule that Israel was at its peak in political influence, prosperity, and affluence. But his greatness betrayed him for Solomon was also the last of the kings to rule over a united kingdom. There was disobedience and rebellion under the cover of the best of times. In this session we examine both the glory and tragedy of Solomon.

Family dysfunction is millennia old, and King David had no shortage of it. The snowball effect of his indiscretion with Bathsheba and murderous judgment on Uriah have led not just to a dark place, but a dangerous one. A powerful and enraged son may be his undoing. The horror of the scene with Amnon and Tamar seems a prelude to further mayhem and strife. Absalom is incensed and his father is to blame. While the details are likely different than the story of David and Absalom, family strife can dominate our lives at times.

The passage from this week sounds more like a scene from one of Shakespeare’s tragedies than something you would find in the Bible. David’s reign as king has become haunted by the judgment he brought upon his household in his sin with Bathsheba and Uriah. Not only has it cost him the life of their first child as told in 2 Samuel 12, but here in chapter 13 we read of ongoing tragedy. His first son Amnon has become obsessed with his halfsister Tamar, and the scriptures tell us that he was so tormented that he made himself ill which lead to a horrifying assault. Raped and forsaken by Amnon, Tamar is reduced to a desolate woman living in shame with her brother Absalom. Sin, loss, grief, deception, and discord. It brings to mind the passage in Galatians 6:7 that says, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked. For whatever one sows, that will he also reap.” Our sin is NEVER just about us and, once unleashed, we have no control over its ripple effects.

The passage from this week sounds more like a scene from one of Shakespeare’s tragedies than something you would find in the Bible. David’s reign as king has become haunted by the judgment he brought upon his household in his sin with Bathsheba and Uriah. Not only has it cost him the life of their first child as told in 2 Samuel 12, but here in chapter 13 we read of ongoing tragedy. His first son Amnon has become obsessed with his halfsister Tamar, and the scriptures tell us that he was so tormented that he made himself ill which lead to a horrifying assault. Raped and forsaken by Amnon, Tamar is reduced to a desolate woman living in shame with her brother Absalom. Sin, loss, grief, deception, and discord. It brings to mind the passage in Galatians 6:7 that says, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked. For whatever one sows, that will he also reap.” Our sin is NEVER just about us and, once unleashed, we have no control over its ripple effects.

The headlines in Israel day after day had proclaimed their new spectacular king David whose heart for God is as God’s own heart. He’s been seen dancing like a fool in the streets bringing the ark of the covenant back to Jerusalem, God’s favor returning to Israel. One by one, enemies are falling at Israel’s feet under David’s lead. To say that times are good would be a great understatement, and surely no one is more excited and passionate for the Lord than King David. Then suddenly, the book of 2 Samuel delivers a story painfully inconsistent with the way things have been going. Their highly esteemed leader is falling fast in a shameful scandal that’s unfolding quickly, dangerously, and painfully. The same brilliant king of Israel now makes the reader cringe with every turn of the story and his shameful attempts to cover up his actions. God delivers a verdict over the situation and brings David to a state of repentance, but we’re left saddened with little esteem for this king who once radiated greatness.

David was anointed king of Israel while Saul was still alive and Saul became jealous of David since the Lord was with David. Saul’s jealousy was so intense that he tried to kill David using the royal spear (see 1 Samuel 19:9-10). After that day, David was forced to live as a fugitive of the country God had called him to rule. In the following years, Saul hunted down David and his men whenever he had the chance. 1 Samuel 26 tells the story of the last time Saul and David interacted before Saul’s death at the hands of the Philistines. This story shows how God was able to deliver David from a hopeless situation and is an example of how we should respond to those who seek to hurt us. God shows Himself faithful even in these times of difficulty, but in an interesting way, His faithfulness is more visible when our faithfulness comes in response.

Saul has made mistakes. He tends to come up with excuses and blame-shifts rather than owning up to his missteps. Now, God has rejected him which puts Samuel, who anointed Saul king, in a challenging situation—anoint another king. While Saul was the strapping, tall, dark, and handsome one, we are introduced to a new scene where Samuel is tempted to look for Saul-like outward strength and stature. A parade of candidates from the family of Jesse are showcased, and if it were Samuel’s choice, it is clear there would have been multiple winners. God had other plans. This job would require the faithful one in the pastures, the one who gets overlooked. Like Saul, David is handsome, but young and clearly not what his family would consider a “leader” since he wasn’t even invited to Samuel’s party.

The story of God forming the nation of Israel in the Old Testament tells of the special relationship between God and his people; a theocracy. God Himself was Israel’s King who guided His people using leaders He had called and directed. Moses was called by God to lead the Israelites out of the bondage of Egypt. Joshua was called to lead the military campaigns to possess the land of Canaan. After the Canaanites were militarily defeated, all that was left was the cleanup action. The land was divided among the twelve tribes and they were told to finish the job. The book of Joshua concludes with a renewal of the covenant with God and acknowledgment that God has fulfilled His promise. As the generation of Joshua passes away, the book of Judges records the unfaithfulness that emerges over the next 350 years as the Israelites take on the unacceptable religious practices of those they neglected to remove from the land. As a result, the Israelites come under the political influence and oppression of those around them, spiraling downward in a cyclone of failure. This is the Israel that demands a king and the story into which David is born.

Sacraments: Communion by Isaac Serrano May 27, 2018 by Gospel Centered Mission Focused

Sacraments: Baptism by Sam Whittaker May 20, 2018 by Gospel Centered Mission Focused

Acts 17:16-34 ESV: Paul in Athens 16 Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. 18 Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also conversed with him. And some said, “What does this babbler wish to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities”—because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection. 19 And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? 20 For you bring some strange things to our ears. We wish to know therefore what these things mean.” 21 Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new. Paul Addresses the Areopagus 22 So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. 24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. 26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, 27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, 28 for “‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’ 29 Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. 30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” 32 Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, “We will hear you again about this.” 33 So Paul went out from their midst. 34 But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them.

Mark 10:17-27 ESV: 17 And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” 20 And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.”21 And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. 23 And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how difficult it isto enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 And they were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, “Then who can be saved?” 27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”

Mark 5:1-20 ESV 5 They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. 2 When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. 3 This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. 4 For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones. 6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. 7 He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!” 8 For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!” 9 Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” “My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” 10 And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area. 11 A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. 12 The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” 13 He gave them permission, and the impure spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned. 14 Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. 15 When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 16 Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. 17 Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region. 18 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. 19 Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 20 So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.

John 4:1-38 4 Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John 2 (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), 3 he left Judea and departed again for Galilee. 4 And he had to pass through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob's well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour.[a] 7 A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” 8 (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” 11 The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” 13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again.[b] The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” 17 The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.” 19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.” 27 Just then his disciples came back. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you seek?” or, “Why are you talking with her?” 28 So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” 30 They went out of the town and were coming to him. 31 Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” 32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” 33 So the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?” 34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. 35 Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. 36 Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. 37 For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”

Go Therefore: The Helpless • Isaac Serrano • April 15, 2018 by Gospel Centered Mission Focused

Go Therefore: The Prideful • Isaac Serrano • April 8, 2018 by Gospel Centered Mission Focused

Easter Sunday! Isaac Serrano • April 1, 2018 by Gospel Centered Mission Focused

As a final encouragement, Paul and his companions make a rapid-fire exhortation to the Thessalonian church aimed at how they relate to their church leadership, church community, the non-believing world, and God himself. It may seem disjointed or haphazard, but look carefully how the content relates to the previous sections of the letter. ---- 1 THESSALONIANS 5:12–28 12We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. 14And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. 15See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. 16Rejoice always, 1 pray without ceasing, 18give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19Do not quench the Spirit. 20Do not despise prophecies, 21but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22Abstain from every form of evil. 23Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. 25Brothers, pray for us. 26Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss. 27I put you under oath before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers.

1 THESSALONIANS 4:13–5:11 13But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18Therefore encourage one another with these words. 1 Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. 2 For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 4 But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. 5 For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. 6 So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. 11Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. --- Clearly some of Paul’s initial teaching was either misunderstood or he simply did not have time to explain. There was confusion or uncertainty of what happens at the end of time including concern about what happens to those that die before Jesus comes back. We can imagine within a hostile environment, some may have been killed for their belief in “another king” (Acts 17:7) between the time of the apostle’s visit and Timothy’s return to Thessalonica, and some may have fallen into despair. Paul’s clarification of the hope we have in Jesus’ resurrection would serve as a catalyst for encouragement and his confirming the unpredictability of the end times would provide reason to hold fast to their faith while under the day-to-day pressure of living in a thoroughly Roman and pagan culture.

1 THESSALONIANS 4:1–12 1 FINALLY, THEN, BROTHERS, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more. 2 For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, 5 not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. 7 For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. 8 Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you. 9 Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, 10for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, 11and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, 12so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one. P AUL’S REINFORCEMENT and clarification of previous teaching begins here, but switch your perspective to Timothy for a moment. He is the one who was sent to check on the Thessalonians. Consider his long travel— walking, hitching a ride on a spare donkey or cart when possible. Walking is so commonplace, so pedestrian. Have you ever noticed when you walk, especially alone, you think a lot? Paul can imagine Timothy traveling, thinking, and making right choices as he traversed the 250 miles that led him back to Thessalonica, because he had taught his spiritual son the moment-by-moment practice of putting one foot in front of another in honor of his Lord and King. Paul repeatedly uses the idea of “walking” as a metaphor for living out the Christian life. He had taught the Thessalonians “how [they] ought to walk and to please God.”

1 THESSALONIANS 3:1-13: 1 THEREFORE WHEN WE could bear it no longer, we were willing to be left behind at Athens alone, 2 and we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s coworker in the gospel of Christ, to establish and exhort you in your faith, 3 that no one be moved by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are destined for this. 4 For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction, just as it has come to pass, and just as you know. 5 For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to learn about your faith, for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and our labor would be in vain. 6 But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us the good news of your faith and love and reported that you always remember us kindly and long to see us, as we long to see you— 7 for this reason, brothers, in all our distress and affliction we have been comforted about you through your faith. 8 For now we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord. 9 For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God, 10as we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith? 11Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you, 12and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, 13so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints. AT THE PEAK OF CONCERN, Paul knows something must be done. For the one who would pen the words “do not be anxious about anything” (Philippians 4:6a), Paul certainly seems deeply anxious for his brothers and sisters at Thessalonica. When he cannot go personally he has others that can, so he sends Timothy, a trusted disciple who has learned what it means to “imitate” Paul. Here we see that Paul seeks comfort in the midst of affliction by discovering that the people he has shepherded remain faithful. Ultimately, their spiritual safety is of highest importance; not that it is unimportant, but there is no mention of their physical safety, only a recognition that they share in similar sufferings.

1 THESSALONIANS 2:13–20: 13AND WE ALSO THANK GOD constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers. 14For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews, 15who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out, and displease God and oppose all mankind 16by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved—so as always to fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them at last! 17But since we were torn away from you, brothers, for a short time, in person not in heart, we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face, 18because we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, again and again—but Satan hindered us. 19For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? 20For you are our glory and joy. THE THANKSGIVING that started in verse 2 hasn’t finished yet. The word of God was at work within the church at Thessalonica and Paul felt that they shared the gospel bond, but he and his companions were concerned for them in their absence. Like parents sending their firstborn off to school for the first time, Paul felt the sting of the possible outcomes. Would they be bullied? Would they remember what he taught them? Unlike kindergarten, the culture in Thessalonica was pagan to the core and loved Rome. They had many gods to turn to and Caesar was lord. It was like sending your five-year-old on the first day of school directly into the principal’s office with a list of ways the school was not doing things right, and suggesting the principal should step down.

1 THESSALONIANS 2:1–12: 1 FOR YOU YOURSELVES KNOW, brothers, that our coming to you was not in vain. 2 But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict. 3 For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, 4 but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. 5 For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness. 6 Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ. 7 But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. 8 So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us. 9 For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. 10You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers. 11For you know how, like a father with his children, 12we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory. AFTER RECOUNTING the trials that had occurred as they passed through Macedonia on the way to Thessalonica, Paul speaks of their mission to preach the gospel to Thessalonica as if nothing could stop it. At the same time, a familial tone rings aloud in this passage. The boldness of proclamation was tempered with a mother’s gentleness, and their teaching was motivated and enhanced like a father’s caring words to children. Here lies a portrait of an apostle, a “sent one,” and by inference, the character of the Thessalonian church in Paul’s imagination.

1 THESSALONIANS 1:1–10L 1 PAUL, SILVANUS, AND TIMOTHY, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace. 2 We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, 3 remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. 6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8 For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. 9 For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. DURING PAUL’S SECOND JOURNEY to proclaim King Jesus to the audiences in and around the Mediterranean, he and his companions met with resistance both from Jews and Gentiles. In 2 Corinthians 7:5 we hear Paul describing his travels through Macedonia (where Thessalonica was the prominent city), and he speaks of afflictions they encountered. By the time Paul reached Thessalonica, he had been run out of towns, imprisoned, and stoned. In fact, suffering affliction for the sake of the gospel is something that Paul points out as “common experience” between he and the church of the Thessalonians. To be more precise, he says that they were imitators of him and Jesus because they received the word in much affliction and were an example because of it.

Kevin Kurzenknabe speaking on singleness at our SVCC Hollister Campus

Sam Whittaker speaking on singleness at our SVCC Gilroy Campus

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The Scroll of Isaiah closes with a stunning picture of a new heavens and a new earth, ruled by the one true King and filled with joy and peace. This picture of new creation is not unique to Isaiah; similar pictures are painted by other biblical prophets, and picked up by the authors of the New Testament as well. This picture of the end of suffering and sin is beautiful and provocative, evoking in the reader a sense of hope and longing for a reality that the present world cannot satisfy. But Christians are not called to a passive hope. What does Isaiah’s vision of the future mean for us now, in the present? What can the Church do, as God’s servant on earth, to offer a glimpse of this future to a world without hope?

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Isaiah begs the reader and hearer of his words to ask the question, “who is this servant?” If not Hezekiah, if not Israel, if unfound in Isaiah’s world, who can it be? Who is this holy seed, righteous branch, and Immanuel character? The New Testament authors scream “Jesus! Our King is the Suffering Servant!” The implications are immense, but when you live in a world where authority, power, and violence can be so intertwined, is the Suffering Servant a beautiful image or absolute stupidity and weakness? As Christians saturated in the military power struggles from the Cold War to North Korea, which has more weight—our arsenals or our attitudes toward our enemies?

We must return to the beginning, the first few pages of the Bible, to recognize that the treasonous seed of the serpent begets the day star. To end the evil, someone will have to end the serpent. But what about the seed of the serpent spread throughout the nations? Does killing the serpent mean killing its seed? Isaiah has revealed a serious tension in the story of God and His people. The evils of the day star ultimately find their beginning in a garden, where a dragon seeks to dismantle and dethrone. But Isaiah speaks of a “day of YHWH,” not only bringing judgment on the serpent, but also hope even for the serpent’s seed.

There is a fork in the road ahead. There is ALWAYS a fork in the road ahead which means we are constantly in a state of “decision.” But which “way” do we choose? Through the first thirty-nine chapters of Isaiah, we have seen Isaiah pointing to YHWH’s people choosing the wrong path, setting a pattern of making bad choices. The people of the promised land are devoid of “righteousness and justice” and because of it, they have been exiled, placed back in the wilderness like their forefathers. Even Israel’s kings have gone the wrong way. King Ahaz offers a faithless, pseudo-spiritual rejection to God’s request to ask for a sign in chapter 7. King Hezekiah (chapters 36-39) leans upon God to save Jerusalem from the Assyrians who had already ravaged the northern part of Israel. He faithfully calls out to God for physical healing. Unlike Ahaz, Hezekiah seems to resemble the messianic “Branch” of chapter 11, but within a few verses our hopes are dashed. In a faithless attempt to seek protection outside of YHWH, he reveals all the treasure and strength of Israel to Babylon, the nation that will be the next invader, sacking the city and destroying its temple. You can feel the irony. Israel was to be the light to the nations, but when God’s solution becomes part of the problem, someone must save humanity from itself.

There is a fork in the road ahead. There is ALWAYS a fork in the road ahead which means we are constantly in a state of “decision.” But which “way” do we choose? Through the first thirty-nine chapters of Isaiah, we have seen Isaiah pointing to YHWH’s people choosing the wrong path, setting a pattern of making bad choices. The people of the promised land are devoid of “righteousness and justice” and because of it, they have been exiled, placed back in the wilderness like their forefathers. Even Israel’s kings have gone the wrong way. King Ahaz offers a faithless, pseudo-spiritual rejection to God’s request to ask for a sign in chapter 7. King Hezekiah (chapters 36-39) leans upon God to save Jerusalem from the Assyrians who had already ravaged the northern part of Israel. He faithfully calls out to God for physical healing. Unlike Ahaz, Hezekiah seems to resemble the messianic “Branch” of chapter 11, but within a few verses our hopes are dashed. In a faithless attempt to seek protection outside of YHWH, he reveals all the treasure and strength of Israel to Babylon, the nation that will be the next invader, sacking the city and destroying its temple. You can feel the irony. Israel was to be the light to the nations, but when God’s solution becomes part of the problem, someone must save humanity from itself.

At this point, we see Isaiah describing the marriage between human rebellion and satanic influence giving birth to systematic evil—what the Bible consistently refers to as Babylon. In the sixth and seventh centuries, the nation conquering the known world was Babylon, so when an Israelite heard its name, it would bring painful images to mind: the place of their exile, the ruin of Jerusalem, and the destruction of the Temple where YHWH met His people. But over a century earlier, when Assyria was the world power that conquered Israel’s Northern Kingdom, cosmic “Babylon” already existed. When Nazi Germany sent out its forces to overtake Europe with its fascist ideology, “Babylon” was there. Today, “Babylon” is still at work. Whenever our broken humanity desires the same exalted position, or when groups come together with the goal to elevate themselves above the throne room of God, we will find communities, institutions, and even governments that look just like the Babylon of the Bible.

The majority of chapters 13 through 24 of Isaiah are grim oracles for the nations, where YHWH proclaims His dismay and judgment, ultimately, on all the lands. Individuals disobey. Rebels band together in groups, tribes, even nations. YHWH has clearly labeled His own people, Israel, as unfaithful and unrighteous. But as we read the Scroll, we are posed with another deep question—what is the essence that lurks beneath the evil of humanity? What gives humanity such a sinister unity and boldness in the face of its Creator? In Isaiah 14, we are introduced to the “day star,” where the King of Babylon is likened to the planet Venus wanting to elevate itself at the beginning of each day before the light of the Sun. But we know this imagery has a greater implication. There are spiritual forces that underlie all of humanity’s rebellion, and these forces influence our physical actions (or inactions) and Isaiah is dreadfully aware of this reality and its effect on all. This includes his own people.

A theme easy to find in Isaiah is judgment. It comes for the enemies of Israel and the neighbors of Israel, but it also comes for Israel itself. One of the images used to identify judgment is the use of YHWH’s “outstretched hand or arm” indicating his sovereign power not only to save, but judge. The King of the universe can be found in several parts of Isaiah as a presiding judge in a courtroom, presenting the facts of the case against His enemies, including Israel, His chosen people. We might imagine a courtroom with Perry Mason, Judge Judy, or our favorite version of Law & Order, but we should think more of a similar biblical scene. Imagine the wisdom of Solomon as he hears the arguments of two women who claim an infant as their own. No attorneys. No court reporter. Just a king on his throne interpreting the facts, identifying what is needed to produce his desired outcome, and rendering a decision— ”Cut the baby in half.” The sovereign, decisive power of a king delivering royal judgment compels immediate response, but Isaiah shows us that Israel as a nation is not easily moved.

It is here that the true king of Israel calls his servant to deliver a message to people who don’t want to hear it. Do you like being a messenger? Were you “that kid” in middle school that shuttled notes between your best friend and the person they had a crush on because your friend was a “chicken”? Imagine for a minute what Isaiah was asked to do. Go tell your people—your family— that they are a bunch of rebellious losers who are about to experience the beat down of the century, but you need to know something else. This horrifying message you are communicating, which should motivate change, will not only be rejected, but no matter how clear, obvious, and rational the message is, it will have the opposite effect. Do you feel the weight of this task? The burden of this message is unfathomable, and the obedience to deliver it astonishing.

The apostle Paul, along with the majority of New Testament authors, knew that the book of Isaiah was essential to understanding Jesus and His gospel. “Isaiah’s prediction” noted in Romans 9 above is from the beginning of the Scroll of Isaiah. In fact, Isaiah’s first chapter can be viewed like a summary of what is contained in all of its pages. It is important that we look for terms and imagery used throughout the book and trace them throughout the series.

Why does Isaiah matter to us? After all, we are Christians, so why would this ancient Jewish prophet’s voice have any impact on us? If you review concordances, commentaries, or other biblical reference works, you will find that the books of the New Testament make direct or indirect references to the words of Isaiah more than 400 times. Do the math. If a typical New Testament (without commentary and footnotes) is less than 400 pages, then on average, you would see at least one Isaiah reference for every New Testament page. But it’s not just “quantity” that matters. The content of the Scroll had “qualities” that the New Testament authors and theologians found indelibly connected to the life and work of a humble carpenter who would become the hope of Israel and all the nations.

All the functions of a name—reference, revelation, and reputation—come together to carry a lot of weight. A nickname given by a friend or a foe can bring with it remembrance, sometimes in the form of encouragement, and other times as an anchor around one’s neck. We can see that these names of God carried significant weight in the memory of the people of God in the Bible and they still carry weight for us. As with all the names we have studied, YHWH Yirah or “God provides” can be seen not only as a life-granting reminder for the people of Israel, but also a pointer forward to the hope we find in Jesus.

Sometimes names can give a feel for one’s reputation and point to history. Think of figures such as Alexander the Great, Bloody Mary (Queen of Scots), or Vlad the Impaler. Though the name may not carry a wealth of information, it can speak of the renown (or infamy) of a person. In the Bible, there are many examples of names for God that do this. In Isaiah, it often speaks of the “Holy One of Israel” and in Jeremiah the “Lord of Hosts” but regardless of the book, these names carry a story, a memory of what God has done. One of the most powerful of these names is “El Shaddai” or what is sometimes translated “God Almighty.”

Sometimes names function as a simple reference, but other times they reveal something related to one’s character. For example, if you stop to help a stranded motorist with a flat tire, the motorist may call you a “hero” or a “savior.” Names can be a revelation about a person. YHWH Ra’ah or Rohi means “God is my shepherd.” A quick read of Psalm 23 will show what the author feels about the character of and relationship to this “Shepherd.”

We all have personal names. If you have forgotten yours, think back to that time you broke a lamp, stole a candy bar, or lied about your grade on that test. Our mother never forgot our personal name, in fact, in situations such as these she often included our middle name just to ensure no one else would be confused and think she was talking to them, right? Though there isn’t total agreement on meaning or pronunciation, four Hebrew characters make up God’s personal name to the Israelites—in English we would transliterate it to “YHWH” but in most English Bibles you will see “LORD” (in all capital letters). Think of this as a reference that is more specific than simply saying “God,” thus personalizing and differentiating Him from the gods of the surrounding nations.