My blog is moving

I know it is a hassle, but I am moving my blog over to wordpress.  It is just a lot easier to do certain things over there like linking to multimedia, etc.  Anyway, Starting July 1, 2010 all my posting will occur at the new blog http://hopeinchristchurch.wordpress.com/ .

I hope this doesn't totally inconvenience you.  I imported the whole site over there so if you want to find anything you can find it all there.  Hope you enjoy.

Where's Jesus? The Building of the Ark (Genesis 6)

In Genesis 6, the sinfulness of humanity has reached a zenith. God is angry at this blatant sin and is intent on bringing judgment to bear.  While we don't think of it this way very often, God's judgment is an expression of his love for the chosen people.  It is his way of ensuring their safety and continued propagation in the world without fear of sin becoming rampant.

As I have reflected on the story, it seems that Noah is a type of Christ.  He is the one who finds favor in the eyes of God (Genesis 6:8) just as Jesus grew in favor with God and men (Luke 2:52).  Noah builds the ark, which is the means by which God saves he and his family, and Noah is the one who ensures that all the occupants are aboard the ark before judgment comes (Genesis 6:14, 20-21).  This is like Christ who erects our salvation by his holy and righteous life, imparting to us a covering which will allow us to float through God's judgment and come our unscathed on the other side.  Jesus is the righteous man and he is the one with whom God establishes and inaugurates the new covenant so that we may live.   And ultimately he is the one who does everything just as the lord commands him, for he says, "Not my will but yours be done" (Luke 22:42).

I am going to quote now from another author and his thoughts on the Noah story,

Today we call ‘pitch’ tar. The Hebrew word for ‘pitch’ is ‘kaphar’ and it is used seventy times in the Bible to mean atonement as it relates to blood sacrifice. The one exception is here in Genesis where it refers to the substance which covers the ark inside-and-out. In order to better understand the definition, my pastor likes to break-down the word ‘atonement’ into its basic components: at-one-ment, as in ‘being one with God’. By Christ’s shed blood we are in such harmony with God.

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. Romans 5:8-9 (See Note)

People of God, we must crawl into the ark of faith and be shut within it by God himself, who not only seeks our best, but provides the means by which salvation is possible and secure from all the wrath of God which will be poured out again at the end of time.  Praise God for the testimony of Christ in the Old Testament so that we have hope for our future and the promises contained in the New Testament.

For those wanting to explore these thoughts and others, I refer you here.

Note: http://compassiondave.wordpress.com/2009/01/22/noah’s-ark-and-jesus-christ/

Heidelberg Catechism Devotional Q34

Q.34. Why do you call him “our Lord”? 

A. Because – not with gold or silver, but with his precious blood – he has set us free from sin and from the tyranny of the devil, and has bought us, body and soul, to be his very own.

Monday

Lord is a title used to address someone of power and authority.  In the Middle Ages it was used to address barons and some knights.  A lord is someone who has the right to rule over another.  This is a great place to start this week.  Jesus is our Lord because he has every right to rule over the world he created, sustains and preserves.  He is in charge, even the demons recognize it. Read Mark 5:1-13

Where's Jesus? Genealogy to Noah (Genesis 5)

In one of my previous posts, I wrote about my struggle with genealogies, and here I am again in Genesis 5:1-32.  This time looking at a list of names that begins with God, proceeds to Adam and concludes with Noah and his three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth.  Along the way, these 32 verses catalog 11 generations and 13 individuals and nestled right in the middle at number seven is Enoch the man who

walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away. (Genesis 5:24)

This really is an amazing passage for the list of names begins with God, reminding us that all of life originates in God Almighty and we know from John 1 that Jesus is the one who was intimately involved in the creation of the world.  In fact it is his world.  Let us hold fast to this truth.  Then it progresses through the normal cycle of raising children and dying, which exists in our world, but which was not part of the original creation and instead found its way into the world through our sin (Genesis 2:17).

Heidelberg Catechism Devotional Q33

Q.33. Why is he called God’s “only Son” when we also are God’s children?

A. Because Christ alone is the eternal, natural Son of God.  We, however, are adopted children of God – adopted by grace through Christ.

Monday

While a man can adopt many children in addition to his biological child, the biological child is unique among them all.  This child carries his DNA and is literally like him.  This doesn’t mean the other children are loved less, or not his children, but they are different.  In the same way, Jesus is God’s natural Son.  Hebrews 1 tells us Jesus carries God’s DNA. Read Hebrews 1:1-5.