2017-01
2017-01
Wednesday Jan 25, 2017
"Chapter 12: Weeping"
Wednesday Jan 25, 2017
Wednesday Jan 25, 2017
Walking with God through Pain & Suffering
by Tim Killer
Chapter 12: Weeping
The Disappearance of Lament
Our suffering is not redemptive; Christ’s suffering was redemptive. Our suffering is leading to our sanctification and ultimate glorification.
By and large, the church has lost the use of lament as a proper biblical response to troubles and misery.
The Psalms, however, are filled with examples of lament, cries of distress and grief.
Job and the Prophets are filled with examples of cries of lament.
Some church traditions have minimized the use of lament, out of fear of portraying a lack of faith or doubts about the love of Christ.
This approach to suffering does not do justice to the full range of emotion displayed in the Scriptures.
Faith in God is not necessarily a stoic faith, emotionally detached from the realities of life.
Job legitimately expressed grief with powerful emotion and honesty.
A Bruised Reed He Will Not Break
In light of the Bible’s use of lament, it is not right for us to simply say to a person (or ourselves) in grief that they need to pull themselves together. We should be more gentle and patient.
A bruised reed he [the Servant] will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; (Isa 42:3, NIV)
The Servant is to be identified as the Messiah, Jesus (see Matt 12:20).
Jesus cares for the fragile and the broken. He loves people who are beaten and battered and bruised.
He binds up the brokenhearted and heals our wounds (Ps 147:3; Isa 61:1).
God’s care for the depressed prophet Elijah is an example of his mercy to the “bruised reed.”
The angel does not come to Elijah in rebuke or in an attempt to manufacture joy; he comes with care and provides him nourishment.
Rest, nourishment, and encouragement are not all that Elijah needs, but that is what he needs in the moment.
Later, God will challenge him out of his despair by reorienting Elijah’s vision of the situation.
God takes a balanced approach with his prophet. He is a person with a body and a soul. He needs physical rest and nourishment. He needs emotional encouragement, and at the right time he needs to be spiritually challenged.
Isaiah 42:3 means that Jesus is gentle with the bruised and never mistreats
Richard Sibbes: Think “…if Christ be so merciful as to not break me, I will not break myself by despair….”
Suffering people need to be able to weep and pour out their hearts, and not to immediately be shut down by being told what to do.
Weeping in the Dark
We need to allow more room and freedom for lament. Lament is not a lack of faith.
Reading and praying the Psalms of lament back to God can be good counsel to those in grief.
Psalm 88 ends without a note of hope, and is a biblical reminder that darkness may go on for a length of time before the light comes.
Times of darkness can reveal God’s grace in new depths.
Psalm 88 is in the Bible for a reason.
It reveals that God remains this man’s God not because the man puts on a happy face and controls all his emotions, but because of grace. God is patient and gracious with us. Salvation is by grace.
Heman is not praising God, but lamenting to God, and it is inspired Scripture.
It is perhaps when we are still in unrelenting darkness that we have the greatest opportunity to defeat the forces of evil.
In the darkness we have an opportunity that is not really there in better times.
We can choose to serve God just because he is God, not because things are going well.
In darkness, we can learn to love God for himself, and not for his blessings, while our love for other things lessens.
The Darkness of Jesus
Psalm 88 also reminds us that our darkness can be relativized by Jesus’ darkness.
God never abandons his children, but will use the darkness to make us into what he wants us to be.
Psalm 39 reminds us that Jesus endured the ultimate darkness for us. God turned his face from Jesus, as he died for our salvation.
Jesus died so that we would never be abandoned by God, even in darkness.
Jesus went into suffering for us. He did not abandon us despite all his own suffering. Do you think he will abandon you now in the midst of yours?
Because of Jesus—there is always hope, even in the darkest moments of your life.
Grieving and Rejoicing
What does it mean to “rejoice in suffering”?
Don’t think of it in purely subjective, emotional Rejoicing does not mean just to “have happy emotions.”
It also does not involve denying the real sorrow that you are experiencing.
1 Peter 1:6-7 does not pit rejoicing and suffering against one another.
We can and must rejoice in suffering if we are to grow through our suffering rather than be wrecked by it.
In the Bible, the “heart” is not identical to emotions. The heart is the place of your deepest commitments, trusts, and hopes.
Our emotions, thoughts, and actions flow from these commitments.
To “rejoice” in God means to dwell on and remind ourselves of who God is, who we are, and what he has done for us.
Our emotions may or may not follow us in this remembrance.
Rejoicing in suffering happens within
Grief and sorrow drive us more into God and show us the resources we never knew we had.
Jesus was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Did he not have joy in God?
The joy of the Lord happens inside the sorrow. The weeping drives you into the joy, it enhances the joy, and then the joy enables you to feel your grief without it sinking you.
Rather than expecting God to remove the sorrow and replace it with happiness, we should look for a “glory”—a taste and conviction and increasing sense of God’s presence—that helps us rise above the darkness.
Sunday Jan 22, 2017
“Prophetic Blessings: Joseph’s Sons”
Sunday Jan 22, 2017
Sunday Jan 22, 2017
“Prophetic Blessings: Joseph’s Sons” (Genesis 48:1–22)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday PM, January 22, 2017
Genesis 48:1–22 (NIV)
48 Some time later Joseph was told, “Your father is ill.” So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim along with him. 2 When Jacob was told, “Your son Joseph has come to you,” Israel rallied his strength and sat up on the bed.
3 Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and there he blessed me 4 and said to me, ‘I am going to make you fruitful and increase your numbers. I will make you a community of peoples, and I will give this land as an everlasting possession to your descendants after you.’
5 “Now then, your two sons born to you in Egypt before I came to you here will be reckoned as mine; Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine. 6 Any children born to you after them will be yours; in the territory they inherit they will be reckoned under the names of their brothers. 7 As I was returning from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died in the land of Canaan while we were still on the way, a little distance from Ephrath. So I buried her there beside the road to Ephrath” (that is, Bethlehem).
8 When Israel saw the sons of Joseph, he asked, “Who are these?”
9 “They are the sons God has given me here,” Joseph said to his father.
Then Israel said, “Bring them to me so I may bless them.”
10 Now Israel’s eyes were failing because of old age, and he could hardly see. So Joseph brought his sons close to him, and his father kissed them and embraced them.
11 Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face again, and now God has allowed me to see your children too.”
12 Then Joseph removed them from Israel’s knees and bowed down with his face to the ground. 13 And Joseph took both of them, Ephraim on his right toward Israel’s left hand and Manasseh on his left toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them close to him. 14 But Israel reached out his right hand and put it on Ephraim’s head, though he was the younger, and crossing his arms, he put his left hand on Manasseh’s head, even though Manasseh was the firstborn.
15 Then he blessed Joseph and said,
“May the God before whom my fathers
Abraham and Isaac walked faithfully,
the God who has been my shepherd
all my life to this day,
16 the Angel who has delivered me from all harm
—may he bless these boys.
May they be called by my name
and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac,
and may they increase greatly
on the earth.”
17 When Joseph saw his father placing his right hand on Ephraim’s head he was displeased; so he took hold of his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. 18 Joseph said to him, “No, my father, this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.”
19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He too will become a people, and he too will become great. Nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his descendants will become a group of nations.” 20 He blessed them that day and said,
“In your name will Israel pronounce this blessing:
‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’”
So he put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.
21 Then Israel said to Joseph, “I am about to die, but God will be with you and take you back to the land of your fathers. 22 And to you I give one more ridge of land than to your brothers, the ridge I took from the Amorites with my sword and my bow.”
Applications:
Let us hold tightly to the promises of God, which cannot fail.
Let us remind ourselves of God’s works in the past to give us confidence for the future.
Let us remember that God’s grace does not operate according to our natural expectations.
Let us look forward in faith to the eternal promised land that God is preparing for us.
Sunday Jan 22, 2017
“Incarnational Ministry”
Sunday Jan 22, 2017
Sunday Jan 22, 2017
“Incarnational Ministry” (Romans 1:8–15)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday AM, January 22, 2017
Romans 1:8–15 (NIV)
8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. 9 God, whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you 10 in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you.
11 I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong—12 that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. 13 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.
14 I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. 15 That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome.
We should give thanks to God when the gospel is effective and is growing in influence (8).
We should make prayer for one another a purposeful and constant practice in our lives (9–10a).
We should place a high value on face to face discipleship and gospel ministry (over mediated forms) (10b–13).
It strengthens one another’s faith (11).
It brings mutual encouragement (12).
It produces gospel fruit in the lives of others (13).
It is hard, takes purpose, and is met with many obstacles (13).
As beneficiaries of the grace of God, we have an obligation to share the gospel with others, regardless of their race, economic status, or educational attainment (14–15).
Wednesday Jan 18, 2017
"Chapter 11: Walking"
Wednesday Jan 18, 2017
Wednesday Jan 18, 2017
Walking with God through Pain & Suffering
by Tim Keller
Chapter 11: Walking
“When through fiery trials
Thy pathways shall lie,
My grace all sufficient,
shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not hurt thee;
I only design
Thy dross to consume,
And thy gold to refine.”
-How Firm a Foundation-
Walking with God in Suffering
One of the main metaphors in the Bible for facing affliction is walking.
Walking through darkness
Walking through deep waters
Walking through slippery and dangerous mountain paths
Walking indicates progress.
We are to walk through suffering without shock and surprise, without denial of our sorrow and weakness, without resentment or paralyzing fear, yet also without acquiescence or capitulation, without surrender or despair.
The metaphor of walking through fire is one of the most helpful metaphors.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior… Do not be afraid, for I am with you (Isaiah 43:2-3, 5)
Believers are not promised exemption from trouble.
The promise is that God will be with us, walking beside us in it.
Suffering is like a refiner’s fire, like a forge or furnace (1 Peter).
A furnace can obliterate or improve, depending on the object placed into the fire and the manner in which it is treated.
Adversity is like a fire that, rather than destroying you, can refine, strengthen, and beautify you, as a forge does with metal ore.
When gold is put through fire it may soften or melt, but it will not kindle and go to ashes.
The impurities that are mixed with the gold are burned up or separated from the gold, making the gold more pure and beautiful.
We have many blemishes in our character that we are often blind to in ourselves.
Suffering comes and reveals our impurities and draws them out, in order to refine us.
But, it depends on our response.
Adversity does not automatically cleanse the impurities from our character.
We must recognize, depend on, speak with, and believe in God while in the fire.
Knowing him personally while in our affliction is the key to becoming stronger rather than weaker in it.
Three in the Furnace
The promise of Isaiah 43:2-3 became literally true in the story of the three young Israelite men in Babylon (Daniel 3).
They would literally have to go through fire, into the furnace, for their faith in God.
They exhibited complete trust in God and so were able to be confident yet humble in the face of their affliction.
They confidently believed God could and would rescue them, but they also humbly acknowledged that they did not know the mind of God.
Faith is not believing that God will do something, no matter what, without any exceptions.
Faith is believing that God will do something, if it is God’s will to do it.
We can be confident in the power and might of God, but at the same time not be arrogant in our expectation that God will do exactly what we think he should.
A prayer not answered exactly as requested is not an indication of the weakness of our faith or of the weakness of God’s ability to answer.
Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were ready for deliverance or death. They were already “spiritually fireproofed.”
God would deliver them from death or he would deliver them through
God would be glorified either way.
Their greatest joy was to honor God, not to use God to get what they wanted in life.
As a result, they were fearless. Nothing could overthrow them.
Four in the Furnace
The three Hebrew young men did not go through the fire alone.
As Isaiah 43 said, God walked with them through the flames.
The fourth “man” who appeared was likely the Angel of the LORD, or a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ.
When Jesus came to earth, he entered into our weakness and walked beside us through the difficulties of life.
He experienced them with us, and then endured the ultimate suffering for us.
Jesus endured the fire alone in our place so that we might be forgiven by God.
Now we can have the assurance of God with us in the fire, because Jesus suffered for us alone in the fire.
Lessons of the Furnace
If you believe in Jesus and you rest in him, then suffering will relate to your character like fire relates to gold.
Suffering is the only way to:
know who you truly are, including your strengths and weaknesses
become a compassionate person who helps others who are hurting
develop a profound trust in God that will fortify you against the disappointments of life
become wise about how life goes
God is with us in the fire. He has lived it, so he understands. He is near and available to be known and depended upon.
He walks with us, but will we walk with him?
If we have created a false “God-of-my-program,” then when life falls apart we will simply assume he has abandoned us and we won’t seek him.
How do we come through suffering strengthened and not broken?
We must walk with God.
Treat God as God.
Know God is there with you.
Remember the gospel.
Going into the fire without the gospel is the most dangerous thing you can do.
A heart forgetting the gospel will be torn between anger and guilt.
We must remember that Jesus went through the ultimate fire to save us. Now he will be with us in the smaller fires of our lives to purify us.
Ways to Walk with God
Walking is nondramatic, rhythmic.
It consists of steady, repeated actions you can keep up with over a long time.
A walk is a day in and day out praying, Bible and Psalms reading, obeying, talking to Christian friends, going to corporate worship, committing to and fully participating in the life of the church.
A walk with God is a metaphor that symbolizes slow and steady progress.
Walking with God means that, in general, you will not experience some kind of instant deliverance from your questions, sorrow, or fears.
There will be progress, but it will typically be slow and steady progress that comes only if you stick to the regular, daily activities of the walking.
Walk
Grieve and weep
Trust and pray
Think, thank, and love
Hope
These are complementary actions, not stages or steps.
Some may be more important at different times depending on the person, the circumstances, and the type of adversity.
No two paths through suffering are identical.
All of these, however, are helps that the Bible gives us for walking with God through suffering.
Sunday Jan 15, 2017
“Egypt Is Blessed by Joseph’s Leadership”
Sunday Jan 15, 2017
Sunday Jan 15, 2017
“Egypt Is Blessed by Joseph’s Leadership” (Genesis 47:13–31)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday PM, January 15, 2017
Genesis 47:13–31 (NIV)
13 There was no food, however, in the whole region because the famine was severe; both Egypt and Canaan wasted away because of the famine. 14 Joseph collected all the money that was to be found in Egypt and Canaan in payment for the grain they were buying, and he brought it to Pharaoh’s palace. 15 When the money of the people of Egypt and Canaan was gone, all Egypt came to Joseph and said, “Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes? Our money is all gone.”
16 “Then bring your livestock,” said Joseph. “I will sell you food in exchange for your livestock, since your money is gone.” 17 So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and he gave them food in exchange for their horses, their sheep and goats, their cattle and donkeys. And he brought them through that year with food in exchange for all their livestock.
18 When that year was over, they came to him the following year and said, “We cannot hide from our lord the fact that since our money is gone and our livestock belongs to you, there is nothing left for our lord except our bodies and our land. 19 Why should we perish before your eyes—we and our land as well? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we with our land will be in bondage to Pharaoh. Give us seed so that we may live and not die, and that the land may not become desolate.”
20 So Joseph bought all the land in Egypt for Pharaoh. The Egyptians, one and all, sold their fields, because the famine was too severe for them. The land became Pharaoh’s, 21 and Joseph reduced the people to servitude, from one end of Egypt to the other. 22 However, he did not buy the land of the priests, because they received a regular allotment from Pharaoh and had food enough from the allotment Pharaoh gave them. That is why they did not sell their land.
23 Joseph said to the people, “Now that I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh, here is seed for you so you can plant the ground. 24 But when the crop comes in, give a fifth of it to Pharaoh. The other four-fifths you may keep as seed for the fields and as food for yourselves and your households and your children.”
25 “You have saved our lives,” they said. “May we find favor in the eyes of our lord; we will be in bondage to Pharaoh.”
26 So Joseph established it as a law concerning land in Egypt—still in force today—that a fifth of the produce belongs to Pharaoh. It was only the land of the priests that did not become Pharaoh’s.
27 Now the Israelites settled in Egypt in the region of Goshen. They acquired property there and were fruitful and increased greatly in number.
28 Jacob lived in Egypt seventeen years, and the years of his life were a hundred and forty-seven. 29 When the time drew near for Israel to die, he called for his son Joseph and said to him, “If I have found favor in your eyes, put your hand under my thigh and promise that you will show me kindness and faithfulness. Do not bury me in Egypt, 30 but when I rest with my fathers, carry me out of Egypt and bury me where they are buried.”
“I will do as you say,” he said.
31 “Swear to me,” he said. Then Joseph swore to him, and Israel worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.
God wisely and graciously moved Jacob and his family to Egypt, because the condition in Canaan was incredibly desperate.
God used Joseph’s wise administration of the famine to save Israel’s hosts (Egypt) through their time of adversity.
God used Joseph’s wise administration of the famine to bless his people in the land of Goshen.
God blessed Jacob and allowed him to see Joseph again and to see some of the realization of his promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob coming to pass.
Jacob finished his years in humble worship and confident faith that God would fulfill his promise to bring his people out of this land and return them to Canaan.
Sunday Jan 15, 2017
“The Gospel of the Triune God”
Sunday Jan 15, 2017
Sunday Jan 15, 2017
“The Gospel of the Triune God” (Romans 1:1–7)Pastor Cameron JungelsEastside Baptist ChurchSunday AM, January 15, 2017
Romans 1:1–7 (NIV) Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God—2 the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3 regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, 4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. 5 Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name’s sake. 6 And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. 7 To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy people: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
1. The Gospel’s Messenger (1). a. Paul b. A Servant of Christ Jesus c. Called as an Apostle d. Set-apart/Appointed for the Gospel of God
2. The Gospel’s Promise (2). a. The Gospel promised beforehand by God b. The Gospel prophesied in the Holy Scriptures
3. The Gospel’s Central Person: Jesus Christ (3–4). a. The Son of God b. Descendant of David c. “Appointed as” the Son of God i. In power ii. By the Holy Spirit iii. Through his resurrection from the dead d. Our Lord
4. The Gospel’s Mission (5). a. Call the Gentiles/Nations to the Obedience of Faith i. Through the grace and apostleship received from God ii. For the sake of God’s name
5. The Gospel’s Beneficiaries (6–7a). a. You: Roman Christians (Predominantly Gentile) i. Among the Gentiles ii. Called (effectually) iii. To belong to Jesus Christ iv. Loved by God v. Called (effectually) to be his saints/holy people b. Us: Predominantly Gentiles
6. The Gospel’s Blessings (7b). a. Grace b. Peace i. From God our Father and ii. From the Lord Jesus Christ
Wednesday Jan 11, 2017
Chapter 10: The Varieties of Suffering
Wednesday Jan 11, 2017
Wednesday Jan 11, 2017
Walking with God through Pain & Suffering
by Tim Keller
Chapter 10: The Varieties of Suffering
Suffering has a tremendous capacity to help us grow.
Suffering does not deepen and enrich us automatically.
The same traumatic experience can ruin one person and make another person stronger and even happier.
How can we be prepared to handle suffering in a such a way that it leads to growth?
Diversities of Suffering
One way to be better prepared to handle suffering is to be aware of the fact that suffering comes in all varieties and shapes. Not all suffering is the same.
The Bible contains a remarkable degree of diversity on teaching regarding pain and adversity.
Suffering has a great number of causes as well as a wide variety of responses.
We cannot adopt a “one-size-fits-all” approach to suffering—either its causes or proper responses to it.
The Suffering We Bring on Ourselves
Some suffering we bring on ourselves through immoral or unwise choices.
Biblical examples: David and Jonah
Suffering brought on by our own choices can be used by God to discipline us and to wake us up to our own weaknesses and failures.
God may use this type of suffering to humble us and lead us to turn to him.
The lesson of this kind of suffering is often humility and repentance.
The Suffering of Betrayal
Some suffering is not brought about by our own failures, but by the betrayal or cruelty of others.
Biblical examples: Paul, Jeremiah
Suffering caused by good and brave behavior—a response of the wicked to the righteous.
Standing up for what is right or a just cause may bring suffering.
Personal relationships may encounter betrayal; others may turn on you in their own self-interest.
The temptation will be to become bitter and harbor anger.
Certainly, justice should be pursued when necessary, but a vengeful spirit should be avoided or this type of suffering will lead to bitterness.
The lesson of this type of suffering is to learn the grace of forgiveness and trust in God’s justice.
The Suffering of Loss
There is also the common or “universal” suffering of loss due to our own mortality, weakness, decay, and death.
The curse of sin has affected us all, and no one can escape this kind of suffering.
We will all endure the futility of life in a sin-cursed world, whether disease, natural disaster, loss of a loved one to death, or our own death.
The lesson with this type of suffering is to direct our eyes on God and to the various forms of comfort and hope that our faith offers us.
The Suffering of Mystery
Some suffering is incredibly horrendous, extraordinary, and “senseless” and can be classified as mysterious suffering.
Biblical example: Job
There is no simple answer to this type of suffering as Job and his friends discovered.
The point of Job’s suffering was not to fix any one particular thing in his life but to lead him to trust and obey God simply for who God is, not in order to receive something or to get something done.
Job’s suffering was not a chastisement or a lesson aimed at changing a particular flaw in Job’s life. But it was still used as a powerful vehicle both for Job’s personal growth and for God’s glory.
The lesson was about the whole tenor of Job’s life, and his need to base it fully, with all his heart, on God.
Job-type suffering requires a process of honest prayer and crying, the hard work of deliberate trust in God, and a re-ordering of our loves.
Diversities of Temperament
Not only are there various types and causes of suffering, but the way people respond to suffering is also quite varied depending on a person’s temperament, personality, and individual circumstances.
Aspects of internal affliction in response to suffering:
Isolation
Implosion
Condemnation
Anger
Temptation
Every instance of suffering likely contains a mixture of these internal responses—different for each person.
These responses highlight the infinitely complex and diverse condition affliction can be.
Diversities of Pathways
Every affliction is virtually unique.
Every sufferer will need to find a somewhat different path through it.
Some counsel is helpful to some, but the same counsel could be hurtful or irritating to others – even if the counsel is true.
The timing, tone, and motivation behind true counsel is crucial in order for it to be helpful and comforting.
Truths need to be grasped in the right order for that person in that situation.
“When I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me” (Ps 23:4).
It turns out there is more than one path through the valley.
The Lord, the perfect Guide, will help you find the best way through it.
Sunday Jan 08, 2017
“Jacob and His Family Move to Egypt”
Sunday Jan 08, 2017
Sunday Jan 08, 2017
“Jacob and His Family Move to Egypt” (Genesis 46:1–47:12)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday PM, January 8, 2017
Genesis 46:1–47:12 (NIV)
46 So Israel set out with all that was his, and when he reached Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.
2 And God spoke to Israel in a vision at night and said, “Jacob! Jacob!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
3 “I am God, the God of your father,” he said. “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. 4 I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph’s own hand will close your eyes.”
5 Then Jacob left Beersheba, and Israel’s sons took their father Jacob and their children and their wives in the carts that Pharaoh had sent to transport him. 6 So Jacob and all his offspring went to Egypt, taking with them their livestock and the possessions they had acquired in Canaan. 7 Jacob brought with him to Egypt his sons and grandsons and his daughters and granddaughters—all his offspring.
8 These are the names of the sons of Israel (Jacob and his descendants) who went to Egypt:
Reuben the firstborn of Jacob.
9 The sons of Reuben:
Hanok, Pallu, Hezron and Karmi.
10 The sons of Simeon:
Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman.
11 The sons of Levi:
Gershon, Kohath and Merari.
12 The sons of Judah:
Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez and Zerah (but Er and Onan had died in the land of Canaan).
The sons of Perez:
Hezron and Hamul.
13 The sons of Issachar:
Tola, Puah, Jashub and Shimron.
14 The sons of Zebulun:
Sered, Elon and Jahleel.
15 These were the sons Leah bore to Jacob in Paddan Aram, besides his daughter Dinah. These sons and daughters of his were thirty-three in all.
16 The sons of Gad:
Zephon, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi and Areli.
17 The sons of Asher:
Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi and Beriah.
Their sister was Serah.
The sons of Beriah:
Heber and Malkiel.
18 These were the children born to Jacob by Zilpah, whom Laban had given to his daughter Leah—sixteen in all.
19 The sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel:
Joseph and Benjamin. 20 In Egypt, Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.
21 The sons of Benjamin:
Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim and Ard.
22 These were the sons of Rachel who were born to Jacob—fourteen in all.
23 The son of Dan:
Hushim.
24 The sons of Naphtali:
Jahziel, Guni, Jezer and Shillem.
25 These were the sons born to Jacob by Bilhah, whom Laban had given to his daughter Rachel—seven in all.
26 All those who went to Egypt with Jacob—those who were his direct descendants, not counting his sons’ wives—numbered sixty-six persons. 27 With the two sons who had been born to Joseph in Egypt, the members of Jacob’s family, which went to Egypt, were seventy in all.
28 Now Jacob sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to get directions to Goshen. When they arrived in the region of Goshen, 29 Joseph had his chariot made ready and went to Goshen to meet his father Israel. As soon as Joseph appeared before him, he threw his arms around his father and wept for a long time.
30 Israel said to Joseph, “Now I am ready to die, since I have seen for myself that you are still alive.”
31 Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, “I will go up and speak to Pharaoh and will say to him, ‘My brothers and my father’s household, who were living in the land of Canaan, have come to me. 32 The men are shepherds; they tend livestock, and they have brought along their flocks and herds and everything they own.’ 33 When Pharaoh calls you in and asks, ‘What is your occupation?’ 34 you should answer, ‘Your servants have tended livestock from our boyhood on, just as our fathers did.’ Then you will be allowed to settle in the region of Goshen, for all shepherds are detestable to the Egyptians.”
47 Joseph went and told Pharaoh, “My father and brothers, with their flocks and herds and everything they own, have come from the land of Canaan and are now in Goshen.” 2 He chose five of his brothers and presented them before Pharaoh.
3 Pharaoh asked the brothers, “What is your occupation?”
“Your servants are shepherds,” they replied to Pharaoh, “just as our fathers were.” 4 They also said to him, “We have come to live here for a while, because the famine is severe in Canaan and your servants’ flocks have no pasture. So now, please let your servants settle in Goshen.”
5 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you, 6 and the land of Egypt is before you; settle your father and your brothers in the best part of the land. Let them live in Goshen. And if you know of any among them with special ability, put them in charge of my own livestock.”
7 Then Joseph brought his father Jacob in and presented him before Pharaoh. After Jacob blessed Pharaoh, 8 Pharaoh asked him, “How old are you?”
9 And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty. My years have been few and difficult, and they do not equal the years of the pilgrimage of my fathers.” 10 Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from his presence.
11 So Joseph settled his father and his brothers in Egypt and gave them property in the best part of the land, the district of Rameses, as Pharaoh directed. 12 Joseph also provided his father and his brothers and all his father’s household with food, according to the number of their children.
1. God is faithful to bless, guide, and provide for his people (46:1–7).
2. God is faithful to build his people into a great nation, as he promised (46:8–27).
3.God is faithful to provide a land for his people to dwell (46:28–47:6).
4. God is faithful to use his people as a channel of blessing to the world (47:7–12).
Sunday Jan 08, 2017
“The One True God”
Sunday Jan 08, 2017
Sunday Jan 08, 2017
“The One True God” (Psalm 115)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday AM, January 8, 2017
Psalm 115 (NIV)
1 Not to us, Lord, not to us
but to your name be the glory,
because of your love and faithfulness.
2 Why do the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
3 Our God is in heaven;
he does whatever pleases him.
4 But their idols are silver and gold,
made by human hands.
5 They have mouths, but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see.
6 They have ears, but cannot hear,
noses, but cannot smell.
7 They have hands, but cannot feel,
feet, but cannot walk,
nor can they utter a sound with their throats.
8 Those who make them will be like them,
and so will all who trust in them.
9 All you Israelites, trust in the Lord—
he is their help and shield.
10 House of Aaron, trust in the Lord—
he is their help and shield.
11 You who fear him, trust in the Lord—
he is their help and shield.
12 The Lord remembers us and will bless us:
He will bless his people Israel,
he will bless the house of Aaron,
13 he will bless those who fear the Lord—
small and great alike.
14 May the Lord cause you to flourish,
both you and your children.
15 May you be blessed by the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
16 The highest heavens belong to the Lord,
but the earth he has given to mankind.
17 It is not the dead who praise the Lord,
those who go down to the place of silence;
18 it is we who extol the Lord,
both now and forevermore.
Praise the Lord.
1. The One True God Is Worthy of All Glory (1–2).
2. The One True God Is Worthy of Our Exclusive Worship (3–8).
3. The One True God Is Worthy of Our Complete Trust (9–11).
4. The One True God Blesses His People (12–15).
5. The One True God Is Worthy of our Lives (16–18).
Wednesday Jan 04, 2017
Chapter 9: Learning to Walk
Wednesday Jan 04, 2017
Wednesday Jan 04, 2017
Walking with God through Pain & Suffering
by Tim Keller
Chapter 9: Learning to Walk
What about Our Glory?
Suffering glorifies If God is treated as God during suffering, then suffering can reveal and present him in all his greatness.
Suffering also prepares a glory for us.
The glory that suffering prepares for us is not the same as the modern concept of self-improvement or happiness.
Ironically, happiness does not come by seeking happiness, but by seeking God and his kingdom. Loving God and loving others honors God and produces happiness in us as a byproduct.
We should trust God, not because it will get us something, but because God is worthy of our trust and worship.
If we don’t seek to find ourselves but to find God, we will eventually find both God and ourselves.
If we seek not our own benefit but God’s glory, it will lead paradoxically to a development of our own glory, that is, of our character, humility, hope, love, joy, and peace.
So, we must not waste our sorrows, but grow through them into grace and glory.
Productive Suffering
Contrary to Western secular culture that sees no purpose in suffering, the Bible presents a productive and valuable purpose in suffering.
Suffering can reveal flaws in our character that we might not otherwise see, such as lack of courage, selfishness, or self-love.
Going through sorrow, even depression, can cause us to appraise our own limitations and flaws more accurately, and help us to realize how little control we may have over our circumstances.
Suffering does not automatically improve your life.
Suffering will change you one way or another. It will leave you a much better person or a much worse one than you were before.
“Avoidance coping and denial” leads to avoidance strategies like drinking, drugs, etc. and ultimately to self-destruction.
“Active coping and reappraisal” leads to doing the hard inner work of evaluation, learning, changing, and growing.
How God Uses Suffering
God uses suffering to remove our weaknesses and build us up in primarily four ways:
Suffering transforms our attitude toward ourselves.
Humbles us
Removes unrealistic self-regard and pride
Reminds us of how fragile we are
Leads us to examine ourselves and see weaknesses, because it often brings out the worst in us.
Suffering will profoundly change our relationship to the good things in our lives.
Realize that some things have become too important to us (idols).
Often, the magnitude of our suffering is in direct proportion to the excessive weight we put on the things we have lost or are in jeopardy.
Suffering provides an opportunity to invest more of our hope and meaning in God and others.
Suffering can strengthen our relationship to God as nothing else can.
Lewis: “In prosperity God whispers to us, but in adversity he shouts to us.”
When times are good how do you know that you really love God and are trusting God?
Only suffering can reveal the impurities or falseness of our faith in God.
Suffering drives us to prayer.
Suffering is almost a prerequisite if we are going to be of much use to other people.
Adversity makes us much more compassionate than we would have been otherwise.
Having received comfort from God in our suffering, we are in a better place to minister God’s comfort to others who are suffering. (2 Cor 1:3-7)
God’s Gymnasium
The Bible speaks of suffering using the metaphor of a gymnasium.
Heb 12: suffering is painful, but later on it produces righteousness and peace for those who are being trained (exercised) by it.
In the gym, our weaknesses are exposed for what they are, and then they are purposefully exercised to strengthen them.
In the gym, you feel you are getting weaker, but later on this results in strength and endurance.
In suffering, like in the gym, we need the right application of pressure and discomfort in order to be strengthened.
So, the suffering that God brings into our lives has a limit and has a purpose.
So, our response to suffering should not be to despise it or to faint under it; we should move forward through the exercises.
Our motivation and hope is to look to Jesus who also endured suffering on the way to glory.
Preparing the Mind for Suffering
Suffering will come, and we have a responsibility to walk through suffering in the right way for it to achieve its intended effects.
So, we need to prepare our minds for suffering before the suffering arrives.
The more deeply you know and grasp the Bible’s teachings before the adversity comes, the more comfort they will be.
A growing understanding of the Bible and a vital prayer life are the greatest preparation for affliction.
Preparing the Heart for Suffering
Suffering is not just an intellectual issue, but a personal problem. So, we must prepare the heart as well as the mind to properly walk through suffering.
Developing a consistent, vibrant, theologically deep, and relationally real prayer life is the best way to prepare the heart for suffering.
If our understanding and experience of God’s love are strong before the affliction comes, they can serve as anchors that keep us from being overwhelmed by the adversity.
When suffering first hits you, the gap between what you know with the mind and what you can use out of your store of knowledge in the heart can be surprisingly large.
When troubles come, you will need God’s help to find the particular insights, consoling thoughts, and wisdom you will need to get through.
Biblical truths previously known in the mind will have to be revisited in the heart and applied to the current real life experience.
It is one thing to have biblical truths stored in the warehouse of the mind. It is quite another to know how to apply them to your own heart, life, and experience in such a way that they produce wisdom, endurance, joy, self-knowledge, courage, and humility.
It is one thing to believe in God but it is quite another thing to trust
Walking through suffering requires not just knowing about God, but knowing God.
Sunday Jan 01, 2017
“A Prayer for the New Year”
Sunday Jan 01, 2017
Sunday Jan 01, 2017
“A Prayer for the New Year” (Colossians 1:9–14)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday AM, January 1, 2017
Colossians 1:9-14, NIV
9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, 10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, 12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
1. The prayer’s pattern: purposeful and perpetual.
2. The prayer’s petition: knowledge of God’s moral will.
3. The prayer’s purpose: to live a life worthy of the Lord.
4. The prayer’s product:
a. Bearing fruit in every good work.
b. Growing in the knowledge of God.
c. Being strengthened with God’s power for endurance and perseverance.
d. Giving thanks to God for his gracious gift of salvation.