Monday Morning Coffee with Mark
Monday Morning Coffee with Mark. A spiritual boost to start the week.
Monday Morning Coffee with Mark
The Questions Jesus Asked - #4 Luke 18:8 - When the Son of God comes, will He find faith on earth?
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Welcome to the Westside church’s special Monday Morning Coffee podcast with Mark Roberts. Mark is a disciple, a husband, father and grand dad, as well as a certified coffee geek, fan of CS Lewis’ writings and he loves his big red Jeep. He’s also the preacher for Westside church.
Hello, and welcome to the Westside Church's special Monday Morning Coffee Podcast. On this podcast, our preacher, Mark Roberts, will help you get your week started right with a look back at yesterday's sermon so that we can think through each other and better work the applications into our daily life. Mark will then look forward into this week's Bible reading so that we can know what to expect and watch for. And he may have some extra bonus thoughts from time to time. So grab a cup of coffee as we start the week together on Monday morning coffee with Mark.
SPEAKER_01:Good morning, good morning. Welcome to the Monday Morning Coffee Podcast for Monday, September the 29th. I hope you're ready to think about yesterday's sermon and how to integrate that more effectively into your life, as well as do some prep for this week's daily Bible reading. It's a little bit different this week than what we've been doing. And all of that will help us to start the week right with a sharp spiritual focus. Grab your Bible, grab your coffee. Let's grow together. Let's start with a note from the sermon yesterday. On Sunday, we talked about enduring faith, and Jesus' question, Will the Son of Man find faith on the earth out of the Gospel of Luke. I said in that sermon that the question isn't, will God act, but will we endure? Will I remain steadfast to the Lord? Now here's one way to build that kind of endurance, steadfastness. We do that by practicing small, everyday faithfulness right now. Big trials don't usually arrive out of nowhere. They're faced by people who've been training their hearts in smaller struggles. Just like you don't run a marathon without first jogging a mile, you need to develop deep perseverance before the moment of persecution, trial, and difficulty, maybe even temptation, arrives. You cultivate perseverance, endurance through daily habits. Praying when you don't feel like it, telling the truth when it costs a little, holding your tongue when you'd really like to give somebody a piece of your mind. Choosing to worship when it would be easier to sleep in. That's the training ground of faith. Small acts of obedience become kind of spiritual muscle memory so that when we need some perseverance, we're not starting from scratch. We have a reservoir of endurance we've been building up all along. So here's the challenge for the week. Pick one small area of faithfulness that you've been neglecting and lean into it. Lean into it. Maybe that's going to be with daily Bible reading. Maybe you're kind of hit and miss. How about this week? Every week, every day, start the day in your daily Bible reading, listen to the podcast, do your daily Bible reading, reflect on those questions, and then be about the business of the day, all the other things, scrolling Facebook and everything else we want to do. Let that be your way of answering Jesus' question. Will the Son of Man find faith with a very confident, yes, Lord, with me, you will find that I am enduring. I certainly like the preaching theme this year and have enjoyed it very much. I've had three of those lessons in a row now here in September, and that is the last one for a little bit. We'll get kind of back on schedule once a month, is when I really like to do these preaching themed sermons. So we'll talk more about questions Jesus asks in October, much later in October. In fact, next week, a little bit something different in the pulpit, a sermon I hope will help our senior saints. Now, let's think a little bit about daily Bible reading. As you look at your daily Bible reading schedule, if you do not have one of those, go to JustChristians.com. You can download it there. Week 39, and this is a week that we'll spend some time with Isaiah and on Thursday with Jeremiah, where we'll be reading some in the prophets this week. Let's get set with the prophets then by thinking a little bit about who Isaiah is. Isaiah is considered by many to be the greatest of all the prophets, and the New Testament uses his work, quoting or alluding to him over 60 times. He has enormous impact, especially with messianic prophecy. He is the dominant prophetic voice from about 750 to 700 B.C. He counsels kings at critical times and preaches to a nation that desperately needs to return to God. This week's selections from Isaiah will help us think about David being the ideal king and the Messiah being a king like David. And there'll be some good news, and I like that in our reading today in Isaiah chapter 9. Our reading for Monday is Isaiah chapter 9, verses 1 to 7. Chapter 9 opens here with good news for the lands of Zebulun and Napdali. And coming out of the gloom and darkness of Assyrian invasions in Israel, this is good news. Like to hear something good for a change instead of hearing about how our neighbors to the north have been carted off into captivity. Now, this text is established in Matthew chapter 4, verses 15 and 16 as being messianic, that these would be the lands to be the first to see the Messiah. So this is speaking in very long-distance terms of Galilee and all the things that will go there as Jesus begins his ministry there. And these verses do speak of war implements being destroyed, verses 3, 4, and 5, as a deliverer is coming. But it is not a great warrior that comes. Instead, it is a child, verses 6 and 7. For us unto us a child is born, to a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulders. This is the child Emmanuel, predicted and prophesied in chapter 7 and in verse 14. And this is Jesus the Christ. The titles that are applied here can leave no doubt that the Messiah will be deity, wonderful counselor. He possesses supernatural wisdom, mighty God, he's the divine son, expressing the power of God, eternal father, he is unendingly a father unto us. He is the prince of peace. He will be a ruler of peace, not a ruler of military might. And of the increase for seven of his government and of peace, there will be no end. And on, there it is, the throne of David. 2 Samuel 7 is being referenced there. And over his kingdom to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. He will rule endlessly, prosperly, fulfilling the promise of David in justice and righteousness. How is this possible? The zeal of the Lord will do this. God will accomplish this. God is the one who will install the Messiah on a throne that will never be destroyed over a kingdom that will never pass away. Our reading for Monday, Isaiah 9, 1 to 7. It is Tuesday. Today is Tuesday, and the reading is Isaiah 37, verses 33 to 38. Isaiah 37, 33 to 38. These verses give us the perspective of the prophet Isaiah on the invasion of Sennacheriv. We read about this in week 36 in 2 Kings 18 and 19. And the material here is almost word for word, the same as the account in Kings. The fact that God saw fit to record this three times, it's in Kings, it's here, it's also in the Book of Chronicles, and we'll pay some attention to that tonight in the Zoom call. All that just stresses its importance to the reader. And I think 33 to 38 is not a very long reading. Maybe we want to read more of chapter 37 and get the flavor of the times, and particularly remember the blasphemy against God. This really is God versus Senekarib. Remember all the things that the Rabshaka has to say is how he taunts the people and says, Oh, your God cannot help you, verse 10. Don't let your God in whom you trust deceive you. There's so much said here about God being impotent and powerless against Senekarib, and of course what that does is invite God to teach Sennacherib who really is God. When you taunt the Lord like that, that virtually guarantees that God will intervene. And I love here that God does not allow the enemy to just go home. Verse 36, 185,000 of them stay behind, dead. And I particularly like this little note here in verse 38, that while Sennacherib was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his God, his sons, his own sons, they murder him. And I like the note there about Nizroch. He's worshiping a God who does not save him from assassination by his own children. Our reading for Tuesday, Isaiah 37, 33 to 38. Westsiders, I'll see you tonight in the Zoom call, and we'll talk a little bit about the material in Kings and Chronicles that goes along with what we read today in Isaiah. Our reading for Tuesday, Isaiah 37, 33 to 38. It's Wednesday. It is Wednesday, and today we're reading Isaiah 55, 1 to 13. Today's reading takes us to some very famous verses in Isaiah and said in their context, I think they're even more meaningful than when sometimes they're just kind of quoted out of midair. Chapter 55 really does contain an incredible plea from the Lord for his people. There is an emphasis here, notice verse 2, in stopping foolish, false religion that is just worthless. It does no good at all. Instead, come and share in the covenant of the Messiah that was made to David. King David, verse 3, appears there. David's there in verse 3. The promise again from 2 Samuel chapter 7. And the Son of David, please notice here, will be a leader for all nations. He is for everyone, a witness to all the peoples, and he'll call a nation, verse 5, that you do not know. Come to the Lord then, verses 6 and 7. You will find forgiveness. And that helps us, all that forgiveness language in verse 7 helps us better understand verses 8 and 9. Because, and I get it, verses 8 and 9 are often quoted to say that God doesn't do things the way that we do things, and his thoughts are not our thoughts. But specifically in this context, people don't forgive the way God does. People don't forgive the way the Lord does. And if you think, now come on, Lord, that's never going to happen. You just you can't forgive wicked people like us. Then we get the amazing promise in verse 10 and 11 that my word will not return empty. All the things that I'm saying, the Lord says through Isaiah, installing the Messianic King in the line of David, all of those things will come to pass, especially the new covenant, where people can be forgiven of their sins. Our reading for Wednesday, Isaiah 55, 1 to 13. Welcome to Thursday. Welcome to Thursday. Today we read in the book of Jeremiah. Jeremiah 33, verses 14 to 26 is our reading for Thursday. We spent some time with Isaiah this week. Now it's time to spend some time with Jeremiah. Jeremiah is the last great prophet. He is the prophet during the time when the Judean kingdom collapses and is carried off wholesale into Babylonian captivity. And we're getting some of that bad news, some of those bad times here in Jeremiah 33. For example, verse 1 tells us that Jeremiah had been arrested and was still shut up in the court of the guard. His message and his preaching is not welcome during this time. He is very ill-treated. Jeremiah is a tough prophet, but he is also known as the weeping prophet. And that's not just because Jerusalem gets burned down while he's on duty. No, he's weeping before that happens because nobody listens to him and nobody wants to do what's right. In the middle of that, we get some wonderful promises, and that's our reading today, beginning in verse 14. The days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. Good news, Jeremiah. Everything isn't over. God is not done. God is not done with his people, and God still has promises that he will keep. And those promises are to David, verse 15. I will cause a righteous branch to spring up for David. Once again, I've mentioned it, I think, every day this week on the podcast. This is straight up out of 2 Samuel chapter 7. And part of this has been stated before in Jeremiah chapter 23, verses 5 and 6. And a lot of this looks to the new covenant promise that God delivered to Jeremiah. And Jeremiah talked about in Jeremiah 31, beginning in verse 31. And we really get the idea here that the Davidic king will be the ideal king. One scholar said the Old Testament expectation regarding kings emphasizes the characteristics of righteousness and justice. Jeremiah 22 describes Josiah's reign in those terms. He was such a good king, you remember. The quote goes on to say, these virtues are demonstrated especially in defending the oppressed and saving the poor. That's what an ideal king will do. That's how that was viewed during this time. And this Messiah will be the one who executes justice and righteousness in the land. He will be like that. And this will be an everlasting kingdom, verse 7. The great promise of 2 Samuel 7, as I've said, is being talked about here. Please note, maybe make a note in your Bible, that that promise is qualified in 1 Kings chapter 2 and verse 4, and also in 1 Kings chapter 9. It is not a blank check. And we need to understand that when the kings didn't do what's right, then God took action. We've seen some of that as we've read this year, and we've seen that the Assyrians came and took away the northern ten tribes forever. They're just gone. And in fact, we just read that the Babylonians came and took away the Judean tribes, the southern kingdom. They're in Babylonian captivity. Jeremiah's in the middle of all of that. Jeremiah's trying to help people do what's right and turn back to God, even though they have no interest in doing that. So, verse 21, then also my covenant with David, my servant, may be broken. When could that happen? I should have read verse 20, when my covenant with day and night is broken. This is an everlasting covenant. You can't stop the word of God. And I think this is very much about the gospel and about what God is going to do with Jesus the Son. That's what we're talking about here. And so I'll multiply the offspring of David, my servant, and the Levitical priest who minister to me. Remember, every Christian is a priest today, not just a certain class or these people over here and nobody else. All of us are Christians in that new dispensation that the Messiah brings. So, again, verse 25 and 26 repeat. A reading Thursday, Jeremiah chapter 33, verses 14 to 26. It's Friday. It is Friday. And today we're reading in the Psalm. Psalm 53 is the reading for today. This is an important Psalm, and I know it's an important Psalm because it is in the Psalms twice. This is actually Psalm 14, which we read in week 11, with a minor difference in verse 5 here in Psalm 53, and a minor difference, the difference in verse 5 from Psalm 14, verses 5 and 6. Maybe you're wondering why is this in the Bible twice? And I think the quick answer to that is that it appeared in both collections of songs that are put together. There are five collections in the book of Psalms that have been put together under that one title, the Book of Psalms. And so maybe if you were editing a hymnal and you had sacred selections, a hymnal that a lot of us grew up with, and then a hymnal from today, Praise for the Lord, and you were putting them together, merging them into one giant collection of hymns. There might be some that were in one hymnal that would then also be in the other hymnal, so they could appear two times in your brand new hymnal. And that may be what's happening here in the book of Psalms. I would say this: the difference in Psalm 53.5 and Psalm 14, verses 5 and 6 may not be just a minor translation issue, a minor issue. Verse 5 in chapter 14, Psalm 14 stresses that God is with the righteous. Psalm 53.5 seems to stress more that God is ensuring the doom of the wicked. And that may be a significant difference, uh significant enough difference to include it both times in the book of Psalms. This is a psalm about atheists, and it doesn't exactly deal with atheists in the way that we might think. We think of atheists today, particularly the militant atheists that have just been all over the airwave since 9-11 announcing that all of the world's problems are caused by religion, especially Christianity. So maybe you've heard Dawkins or Hitchens, those guys. Maybe you've read some of the stuff that they've put out. That's not really where Psalm 53 is. If you notice here, the fool says in his heart, verse 1, there is no God. This isn't somebody making a public proclamation. This isn't somebody all over Facebook with his atheism. This is somebody who's saying this inside. And I think what you're looking at here is what is often called practical atheism. This person might even go to the temple and continue to worship God outwardly, but inside he does not believe in God. And that results in corruption, verse 3. And that is the kind of thing that makes you into a fool. Verses 4 and 5 talk about the problem of opposing God, is that that is futile. That's just folly. There's no value to that at all. Now he doesn't know God, he has no knowledge. Have those who work evil no knowledge, who eat my people up as they eat bread? He may know the facts about God, but eating people is not a reference to cannibalism, but to abuse and to mistreatment. They give no thought to that. They abuse people and oppress people, and they don't even care about any of that. But of course, verse 5, there is some terror that goes with that, because God will judge and bring these people down. Verse 6, oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion. There is a prayer here for deliverance. And I wonder, some scholars have noted, this may well have been written during the Babylonian captivity, serving as a reminder that God had delivered in the past, and so there is a prayer for God to deliver yet again. When God restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad. That fits well because in our reading, God's people are in Babylon. Our reading for Friday, Psalm 53. Thank you so much for listening to the podcast. If the podcast is a blessing to you, please tell a friend and consider leaving a rating or review so even more people can be encouraged by the Word of God. It is truly a joy to open the Scriptures with you each day. I'm Mark Roberts, and I want to go to heaven and I want you to come too. I'll see you on Monday with a cup of coffee.
SPEAKER_00:Thanks for listening to the Westside Church of Christ podcast, Monday Morning Coffee with Mark. For more information about Westside, you can connect with us through our website, just Christians.com, and our Facebook page. Our music is from Upbeat.io. That's Upbeat with two P's, U-P-P-B-E-A-T, where creators can get free music. Please share our podcast with others, and we look forward to seeing you again with a cup of coffee, of course, on next Monday.