Sage Words

An Appointment with Amos: His Secret

By Paula Wiseman Leave a Comment

Surely the Lord GOD does nothing, Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets. Amos 3:7

God is not obligated to reveal Himself
His plans
His ways
But He chooses to.

Amos says, “Surely.”
Certainly.
No question.
God reveals His secret.

In the Old Testament, He spoke through the prophets.
He warned of judgment.
He offered comfort.
He promised blessing.

In the Gospels, He spoke through Christ.
He warned of judgment.
He offered salvation.
He promised the Kingdom.

Now He speaks through Scripture.
He warns of judgment.
He offers hope.
He promises His presence.

If we want to know,
If we want to understand,
He has told us His secret.

Listen.
Read.
Know.
Act.

What a wonder!
What grace!
That God, the King, would take us into His confidence.

The question is
Do we care to know His secret?

Agreed

By Paula Wiseman Leave a Comment

Can two walk together, unless they are agreed? Amos 3:3

The answer is no.

They must agree on destination,
Departure, direction, speed.

The prophet challenges us to consider
Our walk with God.

Is it a walk with God?
Or are we walking,

Deciding for ourselves the destination
The departure time, the direction and speed of the journey.

God will not leave His way to join us.

And if we are not walking WITH God
We are walking AWAY from God.

There is no in between.

A Holy Priesthood: Interceding

By Paula Wiseman Leave a Comment

Peter says believers are a holy priesthood (1 Peter 2:5), drawing parallels with the priesthood established under the Law. Peter packs a lot of information and theological truth in that one metaphor. We’ve been breaking down what Peter wants us to understand. The first thing is God has cleansed us from our sin. We are specially clothed. We are anointed for service. As we serve, we must remain obedient. And one of the first commands we are given is to teach people God’s word. Today, we’ll finish with the sacred duty of interceding for others.

Old Testament priests interceded for the people

When we think of priests, we think of sacrifices. It was the priest’s job to offer the sacrifices on behalf of the people. Each year on the Day of Atonement, the high priest represented the people as he entered the Holy of Holies to seek atonement for their (and his own) sins. Leviticus 16 gives the details on the priest’s duties that day.

Later, in the prophets, the priests are called on to cry out to God for the people. For instance, in Joel 2:17 it reads, “Let the priests, the LORD’S ministers, Weep between the porch and the altar, And let them say, “Spare Your people, O LORD…”” In Malachi, the Lord instructs the prophet to call out the priests whose actions, namely bringing dregs for offerings, undermine their words. “And now ask for God’s favor. Will He be gracious to us? ⌊Since⌋ this has come from your hands, will He show any of you favor?” asks the LORD of Hosts. Malachi 1:9

Even when they failed, there was nonetheless an expectation of intercession for the people.

Jesus intercedes for us

John 17 records Jesus’s prayer in the Upper Room. In verses 6-24, He prays for our protection, our joy, our sanctification and our unity, among other things. But His intercession didn’t end with the conclusion of His earthly ministry. Hebrews explains His high priestly work and is worth reading the entire book. But here’s one example in Chapter 7

[B]ut Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently. Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
Hebrews 7:24-25

Believers have a duty of interceding for others

Paul serves as a great example of intercession. My favorite intercessory prayer of his is Ephesians 3:14-21. In all of the epistles, we find examples of the writers praying for their readers and others, and asking for prayer for themselves as well. However, in 1 Timothy, the apostle Paul commands us to intercede.

First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.
1 Timothy 2:1-2

We are to pray for all, then specifically for those who have authority. James adds a call to pray for the sick.

Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord;
James 5:14

Prayer was a distinctive mark in the early church.

And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.
Acts 2:42

Being a priest in the Old Testament carried a great responsibility. Being a New Testament priest does too. Let us embrace this call and fulfill the duty God has entrusted to us through Christ.

When I Can Read My Title Clear

By Paula Wiseman Leave a Comment

When I can read my title clear
To mansions in the skies,
I bid farewell to every fear,
And wipe my weeping eyes.

Should earth against my soul engage,
And hellish darts be hurled,
Then I can smile at Satan’s rage,
And face a frowning world.

Let cares like a wild deluge come,
And storms of sorrow fall;
May I but safely reach my home,
My God, my heaven, my all:

There shall I bathe my weary soul
In seas of heavenly rest,
And not a wave of trouble roll
Across my peaceful breast.

Isaac Watts, 1707
Read 2 Corinthians 5:1-8

“When I Can Read My Title Clear” is a reminder that this earthly life with all its turmoil is not our home. We will never find rest here. But rest is coming. Jesus offered it in Matthew 11:28. Hebrews 4 promises it. We will find it in the place Jesus is preparing for us right now. This world is not our home, but we will reach home and we cannot fathom how different life will be. Look for it. Long for that home.

An Invitation to Victory

By Paula Wiseman

Toward the end of Matthew’s gospel, an angel issues an invitation to see proof of Jesus’s victory.

But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
Matthew 28:5-6

Do not be afraid.
Jesus has conquered death and sin.
There is no judgment, no condemnation.

Jesus was crucified.
He paid the penalty.
He satisfied God’s righteousness.

He is no longer in the tomb.
Death cannot hold Him.
No death, no corruption.

Jesus raised Himself from the dead.
He had the power to lay down His life on His terms.
He took up His life once again.

As He said.
Every word, every promise
Is fulfilled.

Come see the place.
Come see the proof.
Come see that victory was secured.

Now and forever.
For all who believe.
For me.

A Holy Priesthood: Teaching

By Paula Wiseman

Peter says believers are a holy priesthood (1 Peter 2:5), drawing parallels with the priesthood established under the Law. Peter packs a lot of information and theological truth in that one metaphor. So, let’s take a few posts to break down what Peter wants us to understand. The first thing is God has cleansed us from our sin. We are specially clothed. We are anointed for service. As we serve, we must remain obedient. And one of the first commands we are given is teaching people God’s word.

Old Testament priests were to instruct the people

Last week, we saw in the beginning of Leviticus 10 that obedience to God and His commands was a serious charge, one that Nadab and Abihu passed off and suffered the consequences. God reaffirmed to Aaron the importance of ensuring the people understood what God expected of them. Their lives literally depended on it.

You are to distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean, and you are to teach the people of Israel all the statutes that the LORD has spoken to them by Moses.”
Leviticus 10:10-11

In Deuteronomy 17:8-11, Moses describes to the second generation of Israelites how the priests are to functions as judges. Because they know and understand God’s laws, they are qualified to settle disputes in the nation.

After Babylonian captivity, Nehemiah arranged for Ezra the priest to read the entire Law to the generation returning to Judah. Nehemiah 8:1-8 describes as Ezra read, a team of priests and Levites helped explain and interpret the Law for the people listening. (It’s also worth noting the great respect for the Word of God. The people stood out of reverence the entire time Ezra read.)

Teaching was key to Jesus’s ministry

Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.
Matthew 9:35

Jesus spent a good deal of His earthly ministry explaining and expounding on the Old Testament Law and the rest of God’s Word. In fact, one of the things people noticed about Him was His authority in teaching. It was unlike any other teacher they had ever heard.

New Testament believers are commissioned to teach

As believers following Christ’s example, we need to make sure we are communicating God’s word effectively. This means all of us, not just those specifically serving as preachers or teachers. Christ commissioned us to do so in Matthew 28:18-20.

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18-20

Paul reminds us, though, that we have help from the Holy Spirit.

We also speak these things, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual things to spiritual people.
1 Corinthians 2:13

Paul also underscores how important it is to our daily lives.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
Colossians 3:16

As New Testament priests, one of our sacred duties is teaching the Word to those who don’t yet believe and also to each other. That means it is extremely important that we devote ourselves to studying God’s Word and sitting under good teaching.

Next week, we’ll look at our other key duty as priests: intercession.

An Appointment with Amos: His Secret

Agreed

A Holy Priesthood: Interceding

Old Testament priests interceded for the people

Jesus intercedes for us

Believers have a duty of interceding for others

When I Can Read My Title Clear

An Invitation to Victory

A Holy Priesthood: Teaching

Old Testament priests were to instruct the people

Teaching was key to Jesus’s ministry

New Testament believers are commissioned to teach

Encounters Series

Covenant of Trust Series

Foundations Series