Archives for May 2021

WELCOME to this week’s The Living Word, a non-denominational Bible study on the set readings for May 30 listed in the Revised Common Lectionary and used by many churches and chapels:

Isaiah 6:1-8 — Isaiah in a glimpse of heaven hears God asking, “Who will go for us?”

John 3:1-17 — Jesus tells Israel’s renowned teacher that even he needs spiritual renewal

Romans 8:9-17 — The old selfish life is contrasted with the life of the Spirit: we should choose to follow His leading

And also read: Psalm 29

Theme: Made spiritually alive in Father, Son and Holy Spirit

• See also the related article exploring this theme Made New and Still Being Renewed

• And there’s a video God’s New for Old Exchange which tells the story through the three perspectives of Old Testament, New Testament gospel and New Testament letter and explains why we need to be born again spiritually, and being renewed day by day, and how good this undeserved offer by God through Jesus really is!

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Isaiah 6:1-8 — Isaiah hears God asking, “Who will go for us?”

Isaiah receives his call from the enthroned Lord in a glimpse of heaven

1-2 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above Him were seraphim, each with six wings: with two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying.

“The year that King Uzziah died” — a time of national disaster in 740 BC when the Assyrians were becoming dominant, and a God-honouring reign of more than 50 years had just ended

“I saw the Lord” – although no one has ever seen God, because God is Spirit, John 1:18, 4:24, at times He clothes Himself with visibility, as here in Isaiah’s vision, or Joshua’s challenge, Joshua 5:13-15

“Seraphim” – the word suggests that they looked like flames. “Covered their faces” – even heavenly creatures could not look upon holy God.

3 And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of His glory.”

4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.

“Holy, holy, holy” — the triple phrase emphasises the Lord’s absolute separateness.

5 “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”

“Unclean lips” – the light of the glory of heaven makes Isaiah aware of attitudes which were less than holy.

“The King” – the earthly ruler has died and Isaiah becomes more aware of the Almighty King.

6-7 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”

“Live coal… from the altar” – taken from the place of sacrifice and symbolic of the final, perfect atoning sacrifice later to be provided by God in Jesus.

8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for Us?”

And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

Reflection

SUMMARY  Isaiah has a vision of heaven, and the glory of God convicts him of his own unsuitability to speak for God. An angel takes a live coal from the altar, touches his lips and proclaims him free from guilt. He can respond to the question “Who will go for us” hearing his call from Father, Son and Holy Spirit together.

APPLICATION  None of us will give prophecies so far-reaching they become part of God’s word, but we all have a call to be God’s partners to go, serve and speak for Him.

QUESTION  What remedy do we have when we become aware of our unholiness?

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Psalm 29

A psalm of David

1 Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due to His name; worship the Lord in the splendour of His holiness.

3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord thunders over the mighty waters.

4 The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic.

5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.

6 He makes Lebanon leap like a calf, Sirion like a young wild ox.

7 The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightning.

8 The voice of the Lord shakes the desert; the Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh.

9 The voice of the Lord twists the oaks and strips the forests bare.

And in His temple all cry, “Glory!”

10 The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord is enthroned as King for ever.

11 The Lord gives strength to His people; the Lord blesses His people with peace.

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John 3:1-17 — Even Israel’s renowned teacher needs spiritual renewal

Through His encounter with Nicodemus, Jesus gives us the most important statement of the gospel

1-2 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs You are doing if God were not with Him.”

“He came… at night” — a cautious private visit after dark (John hints at his spiritual darkness) showed Nicodemus’ genuine desire to discover who Jesus was.

3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”

“No one can see” — we enter the world by physical birth and enter into spiritual awareness through spiritual birth. This was a challenge to Nicodemus who believed he qualified for the kingdom of God through being a correctly-religious Jew. 

4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

5-6 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.

“Born of water and the Spirit” – water cleanses from impurity, the Spirit transforms hearts.This cannot refer to Christian baptism —  Nicodemus would not have understood that — but must refer to what he knew well, the Scriptures. Water in the OT is often symbolic of renewal and cleansing, Ezekiel 36:25-27.

“The Spirit gives birth to Spirit” — the presence of God’s Spirit which is born in the human spirit of someone who believes.

7-8 You should not be surprised at My saying, “You must be born again.” The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

“You” – not just Nicodemus, everyone.

• For further study: The Bible uses “born again”, “born of God” and becoming a “child of God” to talk about the same thing.

• For further study, read John 1:12-13, Titus 3:5, 1 Peter 1:3 and 23, 1 John 2:29, 3:9, 4:7, 5:1 and 4 and 18.

“The wind blows” — ‘wind’ or ‘spirit’, which with ‘breath’ and ‘breathe’ are all the same word group in Hebrew. Jesus is reminding Nicodemus of the ‘life into dry bones’ prophecy of Ezekiel 37:1-14 and saying that He is its reality.

9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

“Nicodemus asked”— it was shocking for him, a renowned Scripture teacher, to be told he could not enter the kingdom of God on his merit as a Jew and his good works.

10-11 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? Very truly I tell you, We speak of what We know, and We testify to what We have seen, but still you people do not accept Our testimony.

“We speak of what We know” —Jesus, one of the Trinitarian godhead, ironically answers Nicodemus saying “We know… We testify” as if to say “We are God and We really do know…” 

12 “I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven — the Son of Man.

14-15 “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in Him.”

“Lifted up” – it would be some years before Nicodemus could make the connection with the Cross. The bronze “snake in the wilderness”, Numbers 21:4-9, was raised up as a symbol of judgment, and a means of deliverance. The crucifixion of Jesus is a picture both of judgment for our sin, and the means of deliverance from it; God grants spiritual, eternal life through Jesus who, unlike the effigy, has life in Himself, John 1:4, 5:26.

16-17 For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.

“To condemn… to save” – The holiness and righteousness of Jesus shows up the selfishness and independence of the world, not to further condemn, but to provide another way: believe, and live. Faith is not about doing, but believing.

Reflection

SUMMARY  An esteemed Jewish religious teacher makes a cautious, night-time visit to meet Jesus who is not a formally trained rabbi and has the calloused hands of a carpenter/builder. He asks a question — essentially “Who are you really, and how is it that these signs and wonder accompany You?” Jesus tells him that this is the kingdom of God, apparent to those who enter it by a spiritual awakening or birth from above. His reply is the most direct and profound explanation of how we are transformed by receiving the Good News.

APPLICATION  The key is the change of heart that believes and fully trusts who Jesus is, and what He has done, so that we, deserving of condemnation, can walk free in new and eternal life. The absolute requirement for every person to be born again spiritually is often contested — but only by those who have not yet come into that experience.

QUESTION  What is your story of coming to know Jesus personally?

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Romans 8:9-17 — The life of the Spirit contrasted with the old life

With the Holy Spirit active in us, we should choose to follow His leading

9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.

“Have the Spirit of Christ… belong to Christ” – being dedicated as an infant, brought up by Christian values, or attending church, does not make one a Christian, any more than frequenting the gym for coffee makes one a gymnast. To “belong” to Christ is a decision we take, to believe and invite the Spirit of God to live in us and renew us.

10-11 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of His Spirit who lives in you. 

“Spirit of God… Spirit of Christ… Christ in you” – the Trinity (God in three persons who are one) is not stated directly but is taught by a number of Bible passages like this one.

12-13 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation — but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.

“To the flesh…by the Spirit” – the selfish human nature is contrasted with the Spirit-led nature which grows out of the new birth. Paul is referencing what he wrote earlier.

• For further study, read Romans 8:1-8; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 5:16-17.

14-15 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by Him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 

“Abba, Father” – Jesus used this form of address, Mark 14:36, which shocked religious Jews with its informality and intimacy.

“Fear…adoption to sonship” – slaves, having no rights, lived in fear of arbitrary punishment. In Greek-Roman practice, adoption conferred the full rights and authority of a son of the family.

16-17 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs — heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory.

“We are heirs” – which transform the way we pray relate to God as a Father.

For further study, read John 1:12, Galatians 3:26, Philippians 2:15, 1 John 3:1, 1 John 5:19. 

SUMMARY  Paul is writing to born-again Christians who knew the Holy Spirit’s empowering. But they too easily fall back on the familiar habits of their old way of life. He reminds them of their new identity as children of God and says — live up to it!

APPLICATION  The understanding of new life with a new identity is central to growing in Christian maturity. Seeing ourselves as sinners, captive to our selfish and independent desires,  will lead us to sin. The good news is, the opposite is equally true.

QUESTION  How do Paul’s assumptions about the people he is writing to speak to us today?

PRAYER  Father, we reflect that Isaiah knew You as Almighty God, Nicodemus met You in Jesus and the Early Church had experience of You through being filled with Your Spirit.
May we be made ever more aware of our relationship with each Person,
as we seek, like Isaiah, to be available to You,
conscious of our human weakness,
but rejoicing that we are counted as Your children and empowered to serve.
With humble thanks we praise You, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Amen.

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PRINT EDITION  TLW is available as a PDF to print on A4 paper and create a four-page Bible-size folder. Permission given to copy for your own use, for your home Bible study or other small group, or for inclusion with your church bulletin.

Welcome to The Living Word Bible study page for May 23, Pentecost. The Living Word is a non-denominational resource that uses the Bible to explain the Bible without leaning to any church’s liturgical preferences.

Theme: Revival Spirit

Ezekiel 37:1-14 — The dry bones restored to life depict God’s hope for all who seek Him for renewal

John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15 — Jesus teaches what to expect when He goes and the Spirit of Truth and Advocate comes

Acts 2:1-21 — The Holy Spirit is poured out on the gathering, and now every believer can know His presence

• See also the linked article How to speak life into dry bones.

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Ezekiel 37:1-14 — Vision of an expanse of dry bones coming to life

Ezekiel’s word of hope for all who seek God for renewal and restoration

1-3 The hand of the Lord was on me, and He brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me to and fro among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”’

I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.”

“The hand of the Lord was on me” — Ezekiel’s third and best-known vision is preceded by his word against harsh, ungodly leaders who provoked the nation’s defeat and exile, Ezek. 34:1-7, then a word of hope with God’s promise of resettlement, Ezek. 36:8-11. The return of the scattered exiles would be in a new heart and spirit imparted by the Holy Spirit, Ezek. 36:24-28.

“Can these bones live” – can this picture of such devastating defeat that no one was left to bury the corpses, become living people with a new hope in God? The bones can live if God decrees it; the real question is whether this is God’s will.

• For further study, see Ezekiel 36:26-27, 33, 35, 37-38.

4-6 Then He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’ “

“Breath enter you” – a word play where ruach conveys spirit and breath and wind.

• For further study see Spirit, Ezek. 37:1,14; breath, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10; and wind or winds, 9. The same three meanings are in the Greek word pneuma of John 3:8.

7-8 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.

“So I prophesied” – I declared in faith. Ezekiel is instructed to speak God’s truth and life into the slain.

“There was no breath” – connected bones and tendons and muscle require respiration to show life. 

9-10 Then He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’ ” So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet — a vast army.

 “From the four winds” — from every direction, a complete and powerful renewal.

11-12 Then He said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ Therefore prophesy and say to them: “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel.

“Our bones are dried up” – Israel’s hope had gone. From their perspective, there was no hope of being God’s own people again.

13-14 “Then you, My people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put My Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.”

“I will put My Spirit in you and you will live” – the hope comes from the essential spiritual dimension, added to a political and geographical restoration.

Reflection

SUMMARY The deported Jews had been in Babylon for about ten years when the exile prophet Ezekiel received this picture.

APPLICATION The hope and prayer of every growing church, is that God will bestow the new life of His Spirit as a witness and attraction for others. This word is grounds for us to pray His will done, v.14.

QUESTION Can you think of ‘unlikely’ places that have known historic revival?

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John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15 — The Spirit of Truth or Advocate is promised

Jesus teaches what to expect when He is gone and the Holy Spirit comes

26-27 “When the Advocate comes, Whom I will send to you from the Father — the Spirit of Truth who goes out from the Father — He will testify about Me. And you also must testify, for you have been with Me from the beginning.

“When the Advocate comes” — the Holy Spirit is a person like the Father and the Son: the Spirit of God, Matthew 3:16, the Spirit of Christ, 1 Peter 1:11, and the revealing voice of Christ, vv. 14-15 below.

“Goes out from the Father” — of the same essence as the Father, sent out to do the Father’s work on earth.

4b-6 “I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you, but now I am going to Him who sent Me. None of you asks Me, ‘Where are you going?’ Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things.

“None of you asks” — this was now a timely question that should be asked.

7 “But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.

“Unless I go away” — Jesus clearly taught that His saving work was necessary before the sending of the Spirit.

• For further study: on the Holy Spirit, a gift awaiting Jesus’ glorification, John 7:37-39; 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:12-14.

8-11 “When He comes, He will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because people do not believe in Me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see Me no longer; and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.

“Prove the world to be in the wrong” – the NT emphasises the work of the Spirit in believers but this shows how He works more widely to bring awareness of the nature of sin i.e. the difference between self-righteousness and God’s righteousness, both in believers and in the world.

12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come.

“The Spirit of Truth… will guide… into… the truth” – see John 14:26. The thrust of the gospel comes, not just by information but by revelation of truth (or reality). Jesus relied on this, John 5:19-20 and in the same way that Jesus could do only what He saw His Father doing, the Holy Spirit will only speak what He hears.

14 -15 “He will glorify Me because it is from Me that He will receive what He will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is Mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from Me what He will make known to you.”

“All that belongs to the Father is Mine” — the relationship between Father, Son and Holy Spirit is intimate, and they work in perfect unity.

Reflection

SUMMARY  Jesus sets out how it will work for His disciples when He goes and the Holy Spirit comes — steering them towards truth, and working in the world as well.

APPLICATION  The Holy Spirit is our indispensable partner to make church dynamic, attractive and effective in its mission. As we pray the kingdom of God over others, He is released to work in their lives.

QUESTION  How much does your worship, your outreach and your prayer draw on a balanced awareness of Father, Son and Holy Spirit?

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Acts 2:1-21 — The Holy Spirit is poured out on the gathered believers

Formerly an anointing for individuals, now every believer can know His presence

1-4 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.

“Pentecost” – the fiftieth day after Passover was a festival to remember the covenants with Noah and Moses and the Giving of the Law.

2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

“A sound like… wind… and… tongues of fire” – the Spirit came with audible and visible signs, Exodus 19:16-18; 1 Kings 19:11- 12; Ezekiel 37:9 (above)

“All of them” – not just the Twelve but the bigger group, men and women, see v.18 below

“Tongues” – languages; the spiritual gift of an unlearned praise and prayer language often accompanies being filled with the Holy Spirit today.

5-6 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken.

“Each one heard” — in the public gift of tongues today, sometimes a person of different ethnicity will hear words of praise, often personal to them, in their own language.

7-12 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans?  Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs — we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”

“Each of us hears” — Jerusalem was a city population of seven nations and three languages, visited by “God-fearing Jews from every nation”, v.5, for the festival.

13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”

“Some, however” — local Judeans, who didn’t receive the sign of the dialects, rather than the Hellenic Jews from further afield, who did.

14-16 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning!

“Fellow Jews” —  particularly the Judeans and Jerusalem dwellers.

16-18 “No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.

“Pour out My Spirit on all people” — in the OT the Holy Spirit anointed individuals as righteous kings, prophets, craftsmen etc. The promise being fulfilled here, was for Spirit-filled people, male and female, young and older, all gaining a Holy Spirit-inspired confidence in God’s guidance and ways.

18 ” ‘Even on My servants, both men and women, I will pour out My Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.

“They will prophesy” – speaking out for God, more forth-telling than foretelling.

19 ” ‘I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.

“Wonders… and signs” — of the future consummation of the kingdom.

21 ” ‘And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ ”

“Everyone who calls will be saved” – anyone can turn to Jesus, and the Holy Spirit adds to their good intent the faith for salvation, Matt. 7:21.

Reflection

SUMMARY  On the fiftieth day after Passover the Twelve and their friends were together, probably in the temple courts, when a roar like a storm and a manifestation of flames drew a crowd. The Spirit on the disciples provoked ecstatic praise in unlearned languages, so that Jews visiting from around the Mediterranean heard God being extolled in their own dialects. Peter then explains how this fulfils what Joel foretold as a sign of the beginning of the Last Days.

APPLICATION  With Jesus’ sacrificial death on the Cross and His Resurrection to new life, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit without distinction of race, gender or religious standing, is the mark of Christian believers. The Cross defines our redemption, the Resurrection defines the new life under Jesus’ ever-present lordship and the outpouring of the Spirit defines our inclusion and empowering for ministry and mission. It’s not a choice — we need it  all.

QUESTION  Thinking about the crowd that gathered, very mixed and not all Jews, what is the significance of Pentecost for not-yet-Christians?

PRAYER  Father God, You gave Yourself in Jesus, and You poured out Yourself in the giving of Your Spirit,
not selectively but for all who would receive.
In this Pentecost season, may we be ever open to receive more of Your Spirit in a refreshing,
and to be giving away more of Your  love, and life, and light in our daily interactions.
Honouring Jesus we pray, Amen.

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PRINT EDITION  TLW is available in a print edition to copy on A4 paper and for m a four-page Bible-size folder. Permission given to copy for your own use, for your home Bible study or other small group, or for ionclusion with your church bulletin. ©2021 Living Word Publishing UK