Aug. 28: Authentic Faith Shows in a Caring, Unselfish Lifestyle
by IAN GREIG writing in THE LIVING WORD
This is The Living Word Bible Study for Sunday, August 28
Theme: Authentic faith shows in a caring, unselfish lifestyle
Jeremiah 2:4–13 — The danger of living off a man-centred religion
Luke 14:1, 7–14 — Dinner guest Jesus challenges social climbing
Hebrews 13:1–8, 15–16 — Faith disdains riches but has love for others
* Watch this week’s video (15 min) How Our Faith In God Shines Through How We Live
- You can also read this here in article form
Psalm 81:1, 10–16
1 Sing for joy to God our strength; shout aloud to the God of Jacob!
10 I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.
11–12 “But My people would not listen to Me; Israel would not submit to Me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices.
13–14 “If My people would only listen to Me, if Israel would only follow My ways, how quickly I would subdue their enemies and turn My hand against their foes!
15 Those who hate the Lord would cringe before Him, and their punishment would last forever.
16 But you would be fed with the finest of wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”
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Jeremiah 2:4–13 — The danger of living off a man-centred religion
If we forget God’s goodness, true faith quickly degenerates into a caricature
4 Hear the word of the LORD, you descendants of Jacob, all you clans of Israel.
5 This is what the LORD says: “What fault did your ancestors find in Me, that they strayed so far from Me? They followed worthless idols and became worthless themselves.
“Worthless” — the Lord’s people, set apart from other nations to reflect God’s character, substituted delusions for faith and became as worthless as the idols they worshipped.
6 “They did not ask, ‘Where is the LORD, who brought us up out of Egypt and led us through the barren wilderness, through a land of deserts and ravines, a land of drought and utter darkness, a land where no one travels and no one lives?’
“Did not ask” — the fundamental fault, not seeking the Lord and forgetting who had delivered and sustained them.
7 I brought you into a fertile land to eat its fruit and rich produce. But you came and defiled My land and made My inheritance detestable.
“Fertile land” — Heb. karme l, fertile; the opposite of a desert.
8 The priests did not ask, ‘Where is the LORD?’ Those who deal with the law did not know Me; the leaders rebelled against Me. The prophets prophesied by Baal, following worthless idols.
“Priests… leaders… prophets” — dereliction of duty: the priests, themselves unfaithful, were unable to call people to faithfulness. The people were hearing about Baal worship instead of the Lord and His law.
9–11 “Therefore I bring charges against you again,” declares the LORD. “And I will bring charges against your children’s children. Cross over to the coasts of Cyprus and look, send to Kedar and observe closely; see if there has ever been anything like this. Has a nation ever changed its gods? (Yet they are not gods at all.) But My people have exchanged their glorious God for worthless idols.
“Nation changed its gods” — the pagan nations held to their various deities while Israel had become disloyal.
12 Be appalled at this, you heavens, and shudder with great horror,” declares the LORD.
13 “My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken Me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.
“Living water” — the three sources of water in Palestine are mayim khayyim, running or ‘living’ water, ground water in a well, and stored (and often polluted) water in a limestone pit. Jeremiah’s picture is of trading the very best source for the worst.
Reflection
SUMMARY Jeremiah decries the way God’s own people had abandoned their faith for a worthless religion of trusting in idols. Even the surrounding nations, who had no relationship with the various inanimate deities they worshipped, were not inclined to change their allegiance, in the way Israel had.
APPLICATION Why try to survive on sediment-clouded stored water when there is fresh life-giving drink to be found? We do the same today. We create our own containers of much-recycled religious words, rather than seeking the living water of God’s word for today in listening to God in faith.
QUESTION How do we hear and receive the word of the Lord for us today?
Luke 14:1, 7–14 — Dinner guest Jesus challenges social climbing
He upsets the social convention of seating guests according to their status
In a meal setting, Jesus challenges the authority and entitlement-mindset of the Jewish religious leaders and teaches the principles of compassion and reversal.
1 One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, He was being carefully watched.
7 When He noticed how the guests picked the places of honour at the table, He told them this parable:
"The places of honour" — guests competed for the seating positions which gave them the most status, and best food.
• Further study: Luke 20:46; Mark 12:39.
8-9 “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honour, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place.
"Take the place of honour" — Jesus’ response to their behaviour was a commentary on Proverbs 25:6-7.
10 But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honoured in the presence of all the other guests.
"Take the lowest place" — Jesus rebukes social pride while showing how to grow in character.
11 "For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
"Those who exalt... humble themselves" — the principle that arrogance leads to humiliation, and humility can lead to exaltation is found throughout the Bible.
• Further study: 2 Chron. 7:14-15; Prov. 3:34, Matt. 18:4; 23:12; Luke 18:14; James 4:10; 1 Peter 5:6.
• God invites the most ordinary to His privileged banquet table of salvation, Luke 14:15-24.
12 Then Jesus said to His host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbours; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid.
"Don’t invite... your rich neighbours —banquets which invited friends of similar status with some who were higher were the way to raise one’s status. Jesus turned this hierarchy upside down.
Further study: God invites sinful human beings to dine at his banquet table of salvation, Luke 14:15-24.
13-14 "But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
"Invite the poor" — invite those who have no means to repay. God will reward those who have shown His unconditional love.
Reflection
SUMMARY Jesus challenges the social-climbing customs of the Jewish middle classes and teaches the kingdom principle of reversal by which we prefer to show unconditional love to the poor and needy.
APPLICATION Sincere Holy Spirit-inspired faith has a particular hallmark which is the unconditional love which doesn't discriminate or exalt itself. To win over the world we need to adopt kingdom priorities and renounce worldly and selfish status seeking.
QUESTION What are the subtle tell-tale ways in which we are inclined to exalt ourselves?
Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16 — Faith disdains riches but has love for others
Christians are to honour their leaders and their faith in the way they live
1 Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters.
“Loving one another” — mutual affection and service within the fellowship of the church must continue, Heb. 6:10; 10:24.
2 Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.
“Hospitality to angels without knowing it” — Abraham’s and others’ welcomed strangers who unexpectedly proved to be most worthy. Hosting visitors was especially valued in antiquity; inns could be dangerous.
3 Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.
“Remember those in prison” — first-century prisoners needed outside help for basic necessities, and serving “the least” especially included those persecuted for their faith, Matt. 25:34-40.
4 Marriage should be honoured by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.
“Marriage should be honoured” — as God’s design, Gen. 2:24; Matt. 19:4–6; Eph. 5:22–33.
5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
“Keep your lives free” — under this theme of brotherly love in the church, five specific activities for Christians to engage in are: 1, showing hospitality toward strangers; 2, visiting those in prison; 3, ministering to the mistreated; 4, honouring marriage; and 5, living free from the love of money.
• Further study on love of money: Luke 12:15,21; Phil. 4:10–13; 1Tim. 3:3. 6:6–10,17–19.
“I will never leave you nor forsake you” — this double-negative quotation is like saying: “I will never, ever, ever forsake you.” Jesus expresses the certainty of eternal life for believers in a similar way John 10:28.
6 So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”
“My helper” — quoting Ps. 118:6 this is trusting in God for more than financial needs, e.g. persecution, v3 above.
7 Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.
“Remember your leaders — faithful ministry of “the word of God” is the ground of authority in the church and godly conduct.Christians should observe the lives of their leaders and imitate their faith.
8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
“Is the same… forever” — because Greeks recognised the value of what was changeless and eternal, Jewish Christians emphasised the biblical picture of God’s changelessness in a changing world, Ps. 102:27; Mal. 3:6.
15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise — the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.
“Sacrifice of praise” — a concept found repeatedly in the Psalms, Ps. 50:14, 23; 107:22; 116:17. Under the New Covenant, God seeks praise and thanksgiving from His people rather than offerings of animals or grain. Since NT believers are all priests, 1 Peter 2:5, 9; Rev. 1:6, they all have offerings of praise and thanks to God, Rom. 12:1.
16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
“Do good and… share” — sacrifices of praise coming from the lips of God’s people please Him only when accompanied by loving action, Isaiah 58:6, 7; James 1:27; 1 John 3:18.
Reflection
SUMMARY Keep on loving and keep on trusting in the Lord. That is the encouragement offered to Jewish Christians at a time of persecution when they are urged to care for others, especially any in prison for their faith, renouncing love of money and status and imitating the faith of Christian leaders who teach and practise the Word of God.
APPLICATION Both living and loving without discrimination is how we show authentic faith in God. Having a kingdom attitude to money is another an important indicator. Talking a lot about church budgets and income is loving the wrong thing. We are called to love God, love God’s ways and love those we meet on life’s path, and to praise God in everything, trusting Him as the provider of all our needs — money as well.
QUESTION How hospitable is our church congregation towards first-time attenders, unfamiliar with the language and customs?
PRAYER Lord we know that if we fail to play our part in our relationship with You, our faith soon degrades into something which isn’t faith at all. It’s always the devil’s temptation and we ask that we may be protected from falling into that deception.
We know that trusting You in authentic faith means renouncing the world’s scramble for status and recognition. Help us to seek Your kingdom, knowing that financial and all other needs are part of Your good provision.
So fill us with your Holy Spirit, that we may joyfully live as those who know You and follow Your ways — and in having Your unconditional love to share with others.
As we seek to honour Jesus, Amen.
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Originally published at https://thelivingword.uk on August 26, 2022.
