Daily Dose of Hope

November 5, 2024

Day 3 of Week 32

Scripture: Hosea 7-10; Matthew 18

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that goes along with New Hope Church’s Bible reading plan. On this beautiful Tuesday morning, let’s get right to our Scripture.

We start with Hosea 7-10. I don’t know about you, but reading these chapters in Hosea is hard. The Northern Kingdom, Israel, on the surface acknowledges God. They do all the religious things. But their hearts are far from God. Some of these lines are truly painful. Listen to these words in chapter 8, Though Ephraim built many altars for sin offerings, these have become altars for sinning...Now he will remember their wickedness and punish their sins... In chapter 9, we read, The days of punishment are coming, the days of reckoning are at hand. Let Israel know this. Because your sins are so many and your hostility so great... Maybe it’s because we know what it going to happen that it is hard to keep reading. We know there isn’t repentance in Israel and by this point, there is no going back. We know they will be punished and we know it’s going to be ugly. Sin has consequences and we are going to watch it go down.

With that, let’s head over to the New Testament. Our chapter for today is Matthew 18. There is lots of great substance in this chapter, but I want to focus on verses 15-20. This is what we might call Jesus’ conflict mediation model. If you have a disagreement with someone, you go directly to that person and try to resolve it. You don’t immediately pick up your phone and share your frustration with your closest friends. You don’t post something rude on social media. You don’t decide to quit the church. You actually go to that person and have the hard conversation. Most of the time that works.

But if that doesn’t work, Jesus has more wisdom to share. Go find some other trusted believers and bring them in to help resolve the dispute. That should certainly take care of things but just in case it doesn’t, take it to the church. Do keep in mind that these were pretty small house churches so taking a dispute to the church would have looked differently than it does today. Today, it probably would mean bringing it to the pastor or some church leaders, but ONLY after you have done the other steps.

We use this model in our own leadership teams here at New Hope. That’s why if someone brings me a problem that involves another church member, I always ask, “Have you talked to that person already?” Conflict is inevitable in the church because we are all humans. However, we need to be very intentional and respectful about how we handle conflict. But we do need to handle it. Avoidance, denial, gossip, and/or projection onto others never turns out well and isn’t how Jesus intended his people to behave.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki

Daily Dose of Hope

November 4, 2024

Day 2 of Week 32

Scripture: Hosea 4-6; Psalm 58; Matthew 17

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope!

In our Scripture for today in Hosea, we see both judgement against Israel and an unrepentant people. Remember, they don’t see anything wrong with how they are living. In their minds, there is no need for warning. Things are going well. There is food to eat. The land is flourishing.

At the same time, the people’s hearts have turned from God. While they go through the religious motions, they are wandered far from God. They are not keeping the covenant, they are oppressing to poor, and they are worshiping other gods. They are prostituting themselves and there is no remorse. God seeks to call them back but they are in denial that there is even a problem at all. Y’all, this is a really scary place to be.

In Matthew 17, we join Jesus, Peter, James, and John, on the mountaintop. This text is referred to as the transfiguration. They all trek up to the top of the mountain and Jesus “transfigures” right before their very eyes. For just a moment, put yourself in the position of these three men. They had only known the flesh and blood Jesus. We know Jesus as risen Lord and Savior. Thus, I think we would expect Jesus to wear dazzling white robes and be all shiny and glorious. But they didn’t. Then, right before their very eyes, they get a glimpse of Jesus’ glory, as they had never seen it before. Jesus was radiating the very presence of God and these three disciples got to be witnesses to it.

Then, Moses and Elijah appeared before them and they were talking to Jesus. We don’t know why Moses and Elijah appear on the mountain with Jesus except that they were two Old Testament figures who anticipated the coming of Jesus, the final prophet to come and deliver God’s people once and for all. Their work, their ministries, are basically fulfilled by the person of Jesus. They were servants of God but they weren’t God. Jesus, on the other hand, is God and the disciples get a glimpse of that right here.

But there is something about being confronted by the power and glory of God which can make us uncomfortable and even fearful. In awe, yes, but also frightened. Maybe you’ve been there. Peter is there. He struggles to simply rest in the presence of God’s glory. He doesn’t know what to do or say so he blurts out, “let’s set up three shelters–one for you, Jesus, and one for Moses and Elijah.” Now, Peter is referring to the festival of booths or tabernacles which faithful Jews participating in every year. They make structures in their yards as a sign of when God will tabernacle with his people. Thus, this might seem like a weird thing for Peter to say to us but it wasn’t too off the wall. He is like, “umm...I think God is tabernacling with us and we need to make the shelters.” He is kind of panicky. It seemed like a good thought at the time. What Peter doesn’t quite understand yet is that before his eyes God’s dwelling with humanity is present, for Jesus is the new tabernacle of God dwelling with humanity. The shelters aren’t needed. God is present with his people through Jesus Christ.

There is something about mountain-top experiences–times in which we get a glimpse of the glory and presence of God in our lives. I’m hoping you have each had some kind of mountaintop experience in your walk with Jesus, times in which the veil is removed and you’ve gotten a taste of the presence of God. These are times in which we are confronted with God’s power and it can’t help but change us. You realize that Jesus wasn’t just a good, wise man who walked the earth 2000 years ago but rather was God himself, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki