Monday, March 23, 2009

Envisioning New Life - Sunday School Lesson

International Sunday School Lesson
For Week Ending March 29, 2009

Purpose: To rejoice that the waters of God's mercy make the barren wastelands of our lives blossom and thrive

Lesson Text: Ezekiel 47:1-12 (NRVS)

Ezekiel 47:1-12
(1)Then he brought me back to the entrance of the temple; there, water was flowing from below the threshold of the temple towards the east (for the temple faced east); and the water was flowing down from below the south end of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar. (2)Then he brought me out by way of the north gate, and led me round on the outside to the outer gate that faces towards the east; and the water was coming out on the south side.

(3) Going on eastwards with a cord in his hand, the man measured one thousand cubits, and then led me through the water; and it was ankle-deep. (4)Again he measured one thousand, and led me through the water; and it was knee-deep. Again he measured one thousand, and led me through the water; and it was up to the waist. (5)Again he measured one thousand, and it was a river that I could not cross, for the water had risen; it was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be crossed. (6)He said to me, ‘Mortal, have you seen this?’

Then he led me back along the bank of the river. (7)As I came back, I saw on the bank of the river a great many trees on one side and on the other. (8)He said to me, ‘This water flows towards the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah; and when it enters the sea, the sea of stagnant waters, the water will become fresh. (9)Wherever the river goes,every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish, once these waters reach there. It will become fresh; and everything will live where the river goes. (10)People will stand fishing beside the sea from En-gedi to En-eglaim; it will be a place for the spreading of nets; its fish will be of a great many kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea. (11)But its swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they are to be left for salt. (12)On the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing.’

My Thoughts by Burgess Walter

This passage is the fourth vision recorded in Ezekiel, and is the third concerning God's glory. Under the circumstances it may have been necessary to reinforce to Ezekiel and to the remnant of Jews in Babylon, the glory of God. From their vantage point, God seemed to have lost His luster and even His mystic, and the fact is they only had doubts fears and maybe even disbelief.

In Ezekiel's vision there is new hope, because the glory of God does not flow from the temple itself but from the throne of God. The water comes under the threshold, not over it. Ezekiel had seen in a prior vision in chapter 43:7, wherever this water was coming from, it was the dwelling place of God, “The place of my throne and the place where the soles of My feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel forever”.

If we go back to the instructions given to Moses and Aaron on building the Tabernacle in the wilderness, we know it was to be replica of God's throne, the same happened when Solomon built the permanent temple in Jerusalem; it was a replica of God's heavenly throne, where God dwells. If we go forward to the Revelation of John in chapter 22:1-2, we will see an almost identical vision record by John as the one recorded by Ezekiel. Both of these visions can also be compared to the original scene from Genesis 2:9-10, of the Garden of Eden.

I feel the significances of the way the river starts almost as a trickle but grows into a river that could not be crossed, is speaking of God's presence growing from one man Abraham, to a nation of twelve tribes, to a regional power, and eventually to a gigantic movement that can not be stopped. The river flows from Genesis to Revelation, I am not sure you could find this interpretation in any commentary, but it is what God has revealed to me today. The Glory of God is the essence of all creation; in fact you could say that His creation is His glory. Remember after God had finished with His creation, He announces it to be “good” and it is God's goodness that draws all of us to Him (see Genesis 1:18, 25).

It is the glory of God that generates all of the goodness in this world, from the tree of life to the leaves of healing, to eternal life with Him in His dwelling place. He went to great lengths to enable us, His creation, to be able to live with Him forever. He sent His only Son to be our redeemer, and He gave us a creation to use until we no longer need this creation and we can claim the original, not the replica, the eternal throne room of God.

It should give all of us a new hope, that out of barren wastelands, our lives can blossom and bloom, into the fruits of the spirit, it is God's love flowing through each of us. How are you using the power of God's glory flowing through you? Are you making the barren, blossom and bloom? What do you think Ezekiel's vision means? When you compare Genesis, Ezekiel, and Revelation, do you get a sense of the thread or river that runs through these three different books?


Monday, March 16, 2009

"Prophesying New Life" Sunday School Lesson

International Sunday School Lesson
For Week Ending March 22,2009

Purpose: To affirm hope in God's ability to bring new life into hopeless situations.

Scripture Text: Ezekiel 37:1-14(NRSV)

Ezekiel 37:1-14
(1)The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. (2)He led me all round them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. (3)He said to me, ‘Mortal, can these bones live?’ I answered, ‘O Lord God, you know.’ (4)Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. (5)Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. (6)I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the Lord.’

(7) So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. (8)I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in them. (9)Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.’(10)I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude.

(11) Then he said to me, ‘Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, “Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.” (12)Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. (13)And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. (14)I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act, says the Lord.’

My Thoughts by Burgess Walter

Have you ever been in a place of deep despair, maybe out of grief or health fears, or fear of poverty, or even the burden of guilt or addiction? Whatever the reason, most of of us can relate to the circumstances that Ezekiel's audience was in. They were without hope, “our hope is lost; we are cut off completely” (vs. 37:11). How often when you were in this situation did some well meaning Christian or friend say? “Cheer up, things could be worse”, and you cheered up and, sure enough, things got worse.

The nation of Israel was in a valley of dry bones. They had lost their homeland, the temple had been destroyed, and they were now strangers in a foreign land. Where was the God that brought them out of Egypt and established them as a nation? Surely God had deserted them. We can take a lesson from the situation the Israelites were in, God did not present some Pollyanna optimism, or give them a pat on the back and say chin-up. They were in deep, dark despair and they needed real hope, not a superficial platitude.

Ezekiel's vision has a couple of interesting parts. He is placed by God in a valley of dry bones, bones that are disjointed, dusty, and have been picked clean by the vultures. God asked a question. He asked Ezekiel “Can these bones live?” and Ezekiel's answer shows that Ezekiel believes “with God all things are possible”. (MATT 14:26)

Belief is the first requirement from God. The second step is they must hear and receive God's word hear the word of the Lord. The third part is that they must receive the breath of God or the Spirit of God. I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live.” After Ezekiel spoke, the bones began to join themselves together, but he also had to prophesy to the breath, “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.”

Just as John records “in the beginning was the Word” so with Ezekiel it required the Word. God works through words. That is why our prayer life is so important. The very breath of God had to be summoned by Ezekiel, and until they received the breath of God, they were just bones walking around.Ezekiel's vision gives them new hope; the vision breathed new hope, into those that were without hope. The vision of dry bones can be interpreted several ways, including our own resurrection at some future date.

In verse 12 & 13 all of us are given the hope of the resurrection. It is the hope of not only our own resurrection but the hope that Easter morning gives all of us. "Because I live, ye shall live also". John 14:19

We may interpret this passage, that to recover from a desperate situation, we must believe, hear what God has to say, and then receive His Spirit. How can we use this passage in dealing with those that are depressed and without hope in our everyday world? How should these verses help anyone who is hopeless? In James 2:15-16, James says, “If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace: keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what good is that?” How should that affect the way you do ministry?

Monday, March 9, 2009

"God's People Restored Again" Sunday School Lesson

International Sunday School Lesson
For Week Ending March 15, 2009

Purpose: To lead us to a fuller awareness that we are the undeserving beneficiaries of God's intention to be true to God's character

Scripture Text: Ezekiel 36:22-32 (NRSV)

Ezekiel 36:22-32
(22) Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came. (23)I will sanctify my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord, says the LordGod, when through you I display my holiness before their eyes. (24)I will take you from the nations, and gather you from all the countries, and bring you into your own land. (25)I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. (26)A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. (27)I will put my spirit within you, and make you follow my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances. (28)Then you shall live in the land that I gave to your ancestors; and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.

(29)I will save you from all your uncleannesses, and I will summon the grain and make it abundant and lay no famine upon you. (30)I will make the fruit of the tree and the produce of the field abundant, so that you may never again suffer the disgrace of famine among the nations. (31)Then you shall remember your evil ways, and your dealings that were not good; and you shall loathe yourselves for your iniquities and your abominable deeds. (32)It is not for your sake that I will act, says the Lord God; let that be known to you. Be ashamed and dismayed for your ways, O house of Israel.

My Thoughts by Burgess Walter

This particular passage of scripture has some tensions and maybe even controversy. The first thing that should be noted is starting at verse 23b of this chapter, we seem to have a new editor of this passage. According to the LXX (Septuagint) the pattern and vocabulary appears to change, although 1st century copies show this passage intact. The variance could be as simple as a different translator in Alexandria where the translation took place by seventy different scholars, hence the LXX and Septuagint name, given to this translation from Hebrew to Greek.

The other two tensions have to do with the arguments of predestination and baptism. Note that in verse 25 it says “I will sprinkle clean water on you”. This verse along with Romans 10:22 (“having our hearts sprinkled and --- our bodies washed”) is used to justify sprinkling as a form of baptism by some believers, along with the practicality of sprinkling as a convenient way to replace circumcision as a means to separate Christians from non-Christians. I must say, that in most all branches of Christianity, immersion, would be the preferred way for adult baptism. But if you believe baptism to be essential to salvation then you probably sprinkle infants rather than immerse them, or you view it more like circumcision, as a testimony and covenant of Christianity.

As for the argument for predestination these verses seem to make a strong argument The writer seems to say God saved His people. In verse 26 “A new heart I will give you” then in verse 29 “I will save you from all your sin” and in verse 31 “then you shall remember your evil ways”. If we follow these scriptures it would be easy to assume salvation came before repentance, which would be in agreement with the argument for predestination, and contrary to the belief that repentance must precede salvation.

I will only make this point, however we get it, salvation comes as a gift of God's grace. Our salvation depends wholly on God's grace, and not on our good works, or our repentance. We do not repent and do good works, so that God will love us, but rather, we repent and do good works, because we love God. In Romans 5:8 Paul says, “God loved us while we were still sinners”. I believe, because of that love, God does everything to entice us to Him and to establish a relationship with Him, but also allowing for our own free will, to accept or reject His gift of salvation.

As our purpose statement says, we are the undeserving beneficiaries of God's intention. God's intention is that all “be saved” and he went to great lengths, on the cross, to make that happen, but still, some doubt, and others do not believe, nevertheless God loves them all and He loves you.

How would you convince another of your relationship with God? What was your baptism, was it by water or by spirit? As a Christian, what is your reasonable responsibility to God?

Thursday, March 5, 2009

"New Leadership" Sunday School Lesson

International Sunday School Lesson
For Week Ending March 8, 2009

Purpose: To display confidence in God to provide servant leaders who will shepherd the lost, the least, and the neglected.

Scripture Text: Ezekiel 34:23-31 (NRSV)

Background: Ezekiel chapter 34

Ezekiel 34:23-31
(23) I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. (24)And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them; I, the Lord, have spoken.

(25) I will make with them a covenant of peace and banish wild animals from the land, so that they may live in the wild and sleep in the woods securely. (26)I will make them and the region around my hill a blessing; and I will send down the showers in their season; they shall be showers of blessing. (27)The trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield its increase. They shall be secure on their soil; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I break the bars of their yoke, and save them from the hands of those who enslaved them. (28)They shall no more be plunder for the nations, nor shall the animals of the land devour them; they shall live in safety, and no one shall make them afraid. (29)I will provide for them splendid vegetation, so that they shall no more be consumed with hunger in the land, and no longer suffer the insults of the nations. (30)They shall know that I, the Lord their God, am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, says the Lord God. (31)You are my sheep, the sheep of my pasture,* and I am your God, says the Lord God.

My Thoughts by Burgess Walter

I think the first thing you should do when studying this lesson, is read Matthew 25: 31-46. The passage in Matthew is where Jesus talks about separating the sheep and the goats and the judgment is against the goats for not caring.

In today's scripture text, Ezekiel says pretty much the same thing. It is important to read the entire 34th chapter to understand Ezekiel's message. Remember Ezekiel is a prophet and a priest. The chapter is an indictment of the Shepherds of Israel. The responsibility for Israel's plight is laid at the door of the greedy and cruel kings and priests who had exploited and led the people astray. It is against this background Ezekiel sees a vision of the Future Shepherd of God's people in the coming Messiah (see Vs. 15, 23, 24), under whom there shall be no more suffering, and “there shall be showers of blessing” (Vs. 26).

Ezekiel shows his priestly side when he refers to “a covenant of peace”. This first appeared in Numbers 25:10-13, where God tells Moses to give the blessing to Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron, and also promises an everlasting priesthood.

After the kingdom of David was divided, the kings were more interested in seeing how much they could increase their own wealth, and they cared very little for the people. They were not servant leaders, as God had intended. Ezekiel sees a new leader, one that will protect, as well as feed his people, and they will be respected by the rest of the world. One could probably say that the nation of Israel today reflects Ezekiel's vision. The establishing of Israel as a nation, and their position as the most powerful nation in the Middle East, certainly looks like a fulfillment of Ezekiel's prophecy. But as Christians, we also know that the total fulfillment of this prophecy will not happen until Christ, “the prince among them” is established as the King.

The question for us is this; Who is our king? How would you stack up as a servant leader? The parable of the shepherd and the sheep could use some updating. What would your modern day parable be? The most important question is; do we find ourselves counted with the sheep or the goats from Matthew 25?