Leviticus 2,3
Twelve times in these two chapters the Lord says the offerings should be made by fire. Why does He repeat Himself so many times? Why couldn’t it have been a different kind of offering? What is He trying to teach by making such an issue of fire? He also says that the offerings needed to be salted. Is there some kind of link between fire and salt? What do they have in common? Both are purifying agents. What is He trying to teach us? Could it be His own purity? Part of His glory is that He is perfectly pure. To be in His presence demands purity. As sinners, we need a substitute to make us pure. He has provided it for us in Jesus. The sacrifices speak of Him. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Luke 6:1-26
My church experience of my years of 2nd grade through part of 7th grade were spent in a little country church in Oklahoma. During those 7.5 years, I had 7 different pastors. A couple of them left on good terms. One was a missions candidate and he left for Africa. Another was there for 6 months and then left. He never really said why. Another was there for over a year. He left because it became too much of a strain on his family to drive from Tulsa every weekend. The rest were not 'happy' partings. It left an indelible mark upon me. When God first began to speak to me about ministry, I wanted nothing to do with it. Part of the reason was because of what I had observed. I just cannot stand conflict. I've concluded that conflict is a given in ministry. Even Paul had to deal with it in the church in Corinth. Fleshliness had raised its ugly head even there. Wherever there are people, it is there.
There are so many things that divide God's people. The hot issue in Jesus' day was how one observed the Sabbath. The Law is clear that one should do NO work on the Sabbath. It did give some exceptions. So, what constituted work? Kindling a fire was considered work. Today there are still ultra-orthodox Jews who will not turn on a stove on the Sabbath because that would constitute work. There are a few streets in Jerusalem where I am told that if you drive on them on the Sabbath that people will pick up rocks and throw them at you because you are breaking the Sabbath.
The disciples were hungry as they walked from one ministry location to another on the Sabbath. Fortunately for them, they were going through a grain field. They plucked the ripe wheat heads as they walked along. Now that is harvesting, and harvesting is work. Then they would rub the husks and chaff off of the heads of grain. Now that is threshing, and threshing is work. Then they ate. Now this was just too much for the Pharisees. They thought the disciples were clearly in violation of the fourth commandment.
What was the purpose of the fourth commandment? For the nation of Israel it was a sign of the covenant. For everybody, it was to give man an opportunity to cease worldly activities in order to focus on God. Six days is enough to focus on the world. We need one day to focus on God's glory. We need to be refreshed by Him. When we focus on having to define what is and isn't work in order to keep the letter of the Law, we are missing the point. The point is being refreshed by the glory of God! What was Jesus' answer? It was "The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath." The disciples were focusing upon the Son of Man on the Sabbath. What difference did it make if they refreshed themselves by a little "work" while they walked? Their focus was on Him. He is the glory of the Sabbath. Our activities on the Sabbath should be constrained by the principle, "Will this help or hinder my focus on Him? Will He be revealed as Lord by my doing this?" and nothing else.
On another Sabbath they were watching to see if He would heal. Healing would be work, a clear violation of the Sabbath law. Jesus gave them something to have conflict about. He healed the man. What greater glory could there be than healing and giving life on the Sabbath. He healed the man to reveal His glory. The Pharisees? They were filled with rage, so filled that they could not see His glory as it stood in front of them.
Luke contrasts this with the choosing of the disciples, more healing and then the Beatitudes. The poor in spirit recognize a need for the glory of God. Those who hunger for righteousness will do all they can to see His glory. Those who see they lack righteousness will weep until they receive His glory. Focusing on His glory will eventually cause some others to hate you. Why? Because His glory so blatantly reveals their emptiness. I guess fleshliness will always be here until He returns, even in me. That is why I need to see His glory so much. When I see His glory, there is only one thing to do with the flesh--kill it--count it crucified with Him. If we would do this, it would eliminate so much of what divides us. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
March 30, 2010
Leviticus 1
I remember my agnostic philosophy professor stating very clearly that he thought it was unjust that an innocent party should pay the penalty for a guilty party even if the innocent one was absolutely willing to do so. No wonder he was an agnostic! If he was right, and if sin is deserving of death, then there can be no just redemption of sinners in the universe. Since any rational person observing the universe would have to admit that we are all sinners, reality would be hopeless. We would all have to bear the death due our own sin. Is it just for an innocent party to pay the penalty for a guilty party?
Why would the slaughter and burning of an animal be a sweet aroma to the Lord? How does that increase His glory? If we can explain that properly, then we have the key to unlock the book of Leviticus. Some have called Leviticus the gospel of the Old Testament. I have read that in Paul’s day, Jewish boys would begin memorizing Scripture at 2 years old, and those would begin with Leviticus. Talk about tough discipline! Maybe the burning was a sweet aroma not because of the actual smell but because of what it represented. It represents the just forgiveness and cleansing of a sinner because an innocent party willingly took the guilt of the guilty. It represented what Jesus would do for us. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Luke 5:17-39
A pastor friend of mine told me this true story of a pastor friend of his who went on a short-term mission trip to India. It was an inter-denominational trip of a few churches from the same local area. His pastor friend was of the independent-fundamental Baptist type variety that believed the miracle gifts-particularly healing ceased with the passing of the Apostles. As they were ministering, the pastor fell and broke a shoulder or elbow or something. Here he is in a third-world country, where he doesn't speak the language and is skeptical of the quality of medical provision at best. If he goes to the hospital, he will have to deal with the doctors with a language barrier. Sitting in the house contemplating what he should do, one of the pastors indigenous to the area came in. It seems this pastor was of the variety of Christians who believe that when the Lord is near, so is His power to heal. He regularly prayed for healings and had seen many healings. He asked the injured pastor if he could pray and ask God to heal him. The injured pastor's immediate response was from his theological framework. The answer was absolutely not! He sat in the room in great pain contemplating his situation. Should he return immediately to the states to get attention, or should he chance the local physicians with whom there would be language problems? The pain was incredible. Finally, the thought occurred to him, "What would it hurt to let him pray?" Humbling himself, he asked the pastor to come back to pray for him. The pastor did. He was instantaneously healed. The pain left instantly. The bone mended instantly. This was a strange thing to his theological paradigm. It really disrupted it.
The Lord was ministering in Galilee. Luke says, "The power of the Lord was present to heal them." (Does this imply that there were times when the power of the Lord was not present to heal?) In the presence of that power, he told a paralytic, "Man, your sins are forgiven you." Now this really disrupted the Pharisees theological paradigm. In their paradigm only God could forgive sins and Jesus was not God. Demonstrating His power to heal and forgive, Jesus gave the command and the paralytic rose and walked. This was a strange thing to their theological paradigm. But the glory of God was shining through!
The Lord went to Levi's (Matthew) house. Levi was a tax-collector. Now tax-collectors were considered to be traitors and sinners by the Pharisees. There was great enmity between the two groups. That Jesus, who purported to be a holy man, would enter a sinner's house to eat with him was indeed a strange thing to their theological paradigm. Then Jesus gave an even stranger response, "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance." But the glory of God was shining through!
The Lord seemed to like to enjoy food. He never fasted or abstained from drink. The Pharisaical mindset was that fastings were a required part of making oneself holy. This was a strange thing to their theological paradigm. But the glory of God was shining through! Jesus' response was that new wine requires new wineskins! The person who drinks old wine prefers old wine. New wine should be put in a new wine skin. Otherwise, the fermentation process will burst the old wineskin. This was a strange thing to their theological paradigm. Theirs was an old paradigm. God was doing a new thing. They preferred the old. He was doing a new paradigm.
When God wants do a new thing, His glory shines through. When we like the old way that He showed His glory, it makes us uncomfortable. We then have a choice. We can recognize that He always is breaking our paradigms to show us His glory. If we prefer the old, we can recognize that it is possible for Him to reveal Himself in new ways and accept it, even though we prefer the old. Or we can fight against the new. If we prefer the new, we can recognize that it is possible for Him to reveal Himself in the old ways and accept it, even though we prefer the new. Or we can fight against the old.
In either case, I don't believe it is the Lord's desire for us to fight. But He simply wants us to enjoy His glory. He is so beautiful. Part of His glory is that while He never changes, we are finite and are changing; therefore, to grasp a little of His glory, we must at times change in order to appreciate the greatness of the appearance of His glory. In enjoying it we will indeed encounter some strange things, not to Him but to us. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
I remember my agnostic philosophy professor stating very clearly that he thought it was unjust that an innocent party should pay the penalty for a guilty party even if the innocent one was absolutely willing to do so. No wonder he was an agnostic! If he was right, and if sin is deserving of death, then there can be no just redemption of sinners in the universe. Since any rational person observing the universe would have to admit that we are all sinners, reality would be hopeless. We would all have to bear the death due our own sin. Is it just for an innocent party to pay the penalty for a guilty party?
Why would the slaughter and burning of an animal be a sweet aroma to the Lord? How does that increase His glory? If we can explain that properly, then we have the key to unlock the book of Leviticus. Some have called Leviticus the gospel of the Old Testament. I have read that in Paul’s day, Jewish boys would begin memorizing Scripture at 2 years old, and those would begin with Leviticus. Talk about tough discipline! Maybe the burning was a sweet aroma not because of the actual smell but because of what it represented. It represents the just forgiveness and cleansing of a sinner because an innocent party willingly took the guilt of the guilty. It represented what Jesus would do for us. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Luke 5:17-39
A pastor friend of mine told me this true story of a pastor friend of his who went on a short-term mission trip to India. It was an inter-denominational trip of a few churches from the same local area. His pastor friend was of the independent-fundamental Baptist type variety that believed the miracle gifts-particularly healing ceased with the passing of the Apostles. As they were ministering, the pastor fell and broke a shoulder or elbow or something. Here he is in a third-world country, where he doesn't speak the language and is skeptical of the quality of medical provision at best. If he goes to the hospital, he will have to deal with the doctors with a language barrier. Sitting in the house contemplating what he should do, one of the pastors indigenous to the area came in. It seems this pastor was of the variety of Christians who believe that when the Lord is near, so is His power to heal. He regularly prayed for healings and had seen many healings. He asked the injured pastor if he could pray and ask God to heal him. The injured pastor's immediate response was from his theological framework. The answer was absolutely not! He sat in the room in great pain contemplating his situation. Should he return immediately to the states to get attention, or should he chance the local physicians with whom there would be language problems? The pain was incredible. Finally, the thought occurred to him, "What would it hurt to let him pray?" Humbling himself, he asked the pastor to come back to pray for him. The pastor did. He was instantaneously healed. The pain left instantly. The bone mended instantly. This was a strange thing to his theological paradigm. It really disrupted it.
The Lord was ministering in Galilee. Luke says, "The power of the Lord was present to heal them." (Does this imply that there were times when the power of the Lord was not present to heal?) In the presence of that power, he told a paralytic, "Man, your sins are forgiven you." Now this really disrupted the Pharisees theological paradigm. In their paradigm only God could forgive sins and Jesus was not God. Demonstrating His power to heal and forgive, Jesus gave the command and the paralytic rose and walked. This was a strange thing to their theological paradigm. But the glory of God was shining through!
The Lord went to Levi's (Matthew) house. Levi was a tax-collector. Now tax-collectors were considered to be traitors and sinners by the Pharisees. There was great enmity between the two groups. That Jesus, who purported to be a holy man, would enter a sinner's house to eat with him was indeed a strange thing to their theological paradigm. Then Jesus gave an even stranger response, "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance." But the glory of God was shining through!
The Lord seemed to like to enjoy food. He never fasted or abstained from drink. The Pharisaical mindset was that fastings were a required part of making oneself holy. This was a strange thing to their theological paradigm. But the glory of God was shining through! Jesus' response was that new wine requires new wineskins! The person who drinks old wine prefers old wine. New wine should be put in a new wine skin. Otherwise, the fermentation process will burst the old wineskin. This was a strange thing to their theological paradigm. Theirs was an old paradigm. God was doing a new thing. They preferred the old. He was doing a new paradigm.
When God wants do a new thing, His glory shines through. When we like the old way that He showed His glory, it makes us uncomfortable. We then have a choice. We can recognize that He always is breaking our paradigms to show us His glory. If we prefer the old, we can recognize that it is possible for Him to reveal Himself in new ways and accept it, even though we prefer the old. Or we can fight against the new. If we prefer the new, we can recognize that it is possible for Him to reveal Himself in the old ways and accept it, even though we prefer the new. Or we can fight against the old.
In either case, I don't believe it is the Lord's desire for us to fight. But He simply wants us to enjoy His glory. He is so beautiful. Part of His glory is that while He never changes, we are finite and are changing; therefore, to grasp a little of His glory, we must at times change in order to appreciate the greatness of the appearance of His glory. In enjoying it we will indeed encounter some strange things, not to Him but to us. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
Monday, March 29, 2010
March 29, 2010
Exodus 40
The writer of Hebrews refers to Moses’ tabernacle as a pattern of the true tabernacle in heaven (Heb 8:1-5). Certainly then, Moses’ tabernacle is a picture of our redemption and sanctification that is going on in heaven through the intercession of Christ for us. When the tabernacle was finished, it was filled with the glory of God. Twice in the same paragraph Moses says that the tabernacle was filled with the glory of God. Apparently that glory was so great that even Moses could not enter into the tabernacle.
Both Paul and Peter refer to our physical bodies as our earthly tabernacle (2Cor 5:1,4; 2Pt 1:13,14). I wonder if we can make the jump that our own bodies should be a picture of the indwelling presence of the glory of God. Certainly the New Testament indicates that we should be experiencing the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. Peter refers to each of us as being living stones being built together for God’s indwelling (1Pt 2:5-10). Are we experiencing that? Can we experience that? How would we experience that? What would happen to us and our communities if we experienced that? Hmmm. . .
I don’t know. It would indeed be an awesome thing for the glory of God to fill us. However, even with experiencing the presence of the glory of God, Israel still murmured and complained and even refused to enter the land promised to them. So why does God bother to show Himself to us? It is because we were created to experience His glory and to praise Him for it. Oh Lord, please fill me and Your whole church with Your glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Luke 5:1-16
Unlike Peter, James and John, I've never been much of a fisherman. I don't usually catch anything. So it ends up being a frustrating rather than a relaxing experience for me. But then, P, J & J did it for a living. They learned how to find the fish and cast their nets upon them as opposed to throwing a single line. When they didn't catch fish, it meant a lack of a pay check rather than just not accomplishing a goal. I do remember one fishing experience that I enjoyed. Bill and I went down to the Cimarron River one spring evening and ran a trotline across it. It was fun wading out into the muddy water to cross to the other side, setting the line and just enjoying the river. We went home and slept and then came back the next morning to retrieve our trotline. Like most of my fishing experiences, most of what we caught were little carp. Several of our hooks had the bait missing with no fish on them. But I think we did catch one or two cat fish. We were successful! Now that is unusual for me in my limited fishing experience.
Peter, James and John, had been fishing long enough that they understood the habits of fish. They were apparently good enough at it that they made a good living as well as hired other people to fish with them. Fishing was probably part of their personal identity. Here is this man, who up until within the last year or so, had been a carpenter. His home, as the crow flies, was 30 miles from the Sea of Galilee. He knew nothing about lake fishing. It was a full day’s journey from Nazareth to the Sea. Jesus probably never owned a boat. It is unlikely that He had any experience fishing. When Peter submitted to Jesus' request, it was not that he did so because he believed that he would catch anything. Indeed his response indicates that he didn't expect to catch anything. He did it out of pure respect for the relationship he had with Jesus.
Casting their net into the sea, a large school of fish swam right into the net. It was like Nemo telling all the fish to swim into the net. Pulling the net to the boat, the net was starting to break under the heavy strain of the fish. They called their partners to help. The catch was so large that both boats were filled and started to sink! These experienced fishermen were face to face with an absolute miracle. The glory of Jesus was shining forth! Peter, catching a glimpse of that glory, fell down in awareness of his own sinfulness. He had been consumed with the lack of a pay check when the God of glory was in his presence. He was probably thinking how offensive that must have been to the Lord. Jesus calmed his fears and gave him something new to think about. "From now on you will catch men." From that point on they forsook all and followed Him. Paychecks were no longer a concern.
What caused such an upheaval in their lives? They were confronted with the glory of Jesus. When we see the glory of Jesus, he begins to change us so that we too catch men. Where do we see His glory? How do we gain that ability? Look at verse 16. He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed. Often is italicized because there is not a corresponding word in the original. Rather the grammatical construction emphasizes the continual, durative nature of His getting away to pray. We find His glory when, like Him, we withdraw to pray. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
The writer of Hebrews refers to Moses’ tabernacle as a pattern of the true tabernacle in heaven (Heb 8:1-5). Certainly then, Moses’ tabernacle is a picture of our redemption and sanctification that is going on in heaven through the intercession of Christ for us. When the tabernacle was finished, it was filled with the glory of God. Twice in the same paragraph Moses says that the tabernacle was filled with the glory of God. Apparently that glory was so great that even Moses could not enter into the tabernacle.
Both Paul and Peter refer to our physical bodies as our earthly tabernacle (2Cor 5:1,4; 2Pt 1:13,14). I wonder if we can make the jump that our own bodies should be a picture of the indwelling presence of the glory of God. Certainly the New Testament indicates that we should be experiencing the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. Peter refers to each of us as being living stones being built together for God’s indwelling (1Pt 2:5-10). Are we experiencing that? Can we experience that? How would we experience that? What would happen to us and our communities if we experienced that? Hmmm. . .
I don’t know. It would indeed be an awesome thing for the glory of God to fill us. However, even with experiencing the presence of the glory of God, Israel still murmured and complained and even refused to enter the land promised to them. So why does God bother to show Himself to us? It is because we were created to experience His glory and to praise Him for it. Oh Lord, please fill me and Your whole church with Your glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Luke 5:1-16
Unlike Peter, James and John, I've never been much of a fisherman. I don't usually catch anything. So it ends up being a frustrating rather than a relaxing experience for me. But then, P, J & J did it for a living. They learned how to find the fish and cast their nets upon them as opposed to throwing a single line. When they didn't catch fish, it meant a lack of a pay check rather than just not accomplishing a goal. I do remember one fishing experience that I enjoyed. Bill and I went down to the Cimarron River one spring evening and ran a trotline across it. It was fun wading out into the muddy water to cross to the other side, setting the line and just enjoying the river. We went home and slept and then came back the next morning to retrieve our trotline. Like most of my fishing experiences, most of what we caught were little carp. Several of our hooks had the bait missing with no fish on them. But I think we did catch one or two cat fish. We were successful! Now that is unusual for me in my limited fishing experience.
Peter, James and John, had been fishing long enough that they understood the habits of fish. They were apparently good enough at it that they made a good living as well as hired other people to fish with them. Fishing was probably part of their personal identity. Here is this man, who up until within the last year or so, had been a carpenter. His home, as the crow flies, was 30 miles from the Sea of Galilee. He knew nothing about lake fishing. It was a full day’s journey from Nazareth to the Sea. Jesus probably never owned a boat. It is unlikely that He had any experience fishing. When Peter submitted to Jesus' request, it was not that he did so because he believed that he would catch anything. Indeed his response indicates that he didn't expect to catch anything. He did it out of pure respect for the relationship he had with Jesus.
Casting their net into the sea, a large school of fish swam right into the net. It was like Nemo telling all the fish to swim into the net. Pulling the net to the boat, the net was starting to break under the heavy strain of the fish. They called their partners to help. The catch was so large that both boats were filled and started to sink! These experienced fishermen were face to face with an absolute miracle. The glory of Jesus was shining forth! Peter, catching a glimpse of that glory, fell down in awareness of his own sinfulness. He had been consumed with the lack of a pay check when the God of glory was in his presence. He was probably thinking how offensive that must have been to the Lord. Jesus calmed his fears and gave him something new to think about. "From now on you will catch men." From that point on they forsook all and followed Him. Paychecks were no longer a concern.
What caused such an upheaval in their lives? They were confronted with the glory of Jesus. When we see the glory of Jesus, he begins to change us so that we too catch men. Where do we see His glory? How do we gain that ability? Look at verse 16. He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed. Often is italicized because there is not a corresponding word in the original. Rather the grammatical construction emphasizes the continual, durative nature of His getting away to pray. We find His glory when, like Him, we withdraw to pray. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Sunday, March 28, 2010
March 28, 2010
Exodus 39
Occasionally I come across people who name the name of Christ who have little regard for the arts when expressed in the church. More frequently I meet people who name the name of Christ who heavily criticize churches for heavy spending on beautiful buildings. Sometimes even I have been critical when I thought such spending was excessive. Yet this chapter and the previous chapters seem to indicate that the Lord really appreciates artistic work. It is part of his glory to create beautiful things. But when is too much too much? Here are some thoughts. The Israelites numbered about 2 million people. The tabernacle and its priests were about the only corporate thing of material essence that they had. People need corporate beauty. The instruction for the making of these things came from the Lord and were to reflect what He is like. HOLINESS TO THE LORD was to be written on the crown of the High Priest. The beauty was to reflect the holiness of God. Other laws were given to the Israelites that were to indicate that the people should take care of the poor and needy, the widows and orphans. It seems to me that it is part of the glory of God for us to create works of beauty in arts, crafts an buildings as long as it does not deter us from reflecting the holiness of God or from meeting the needs of people. After all, He is an artistic God. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Luke 4:31-44
Randy Matthews was a composer and singer of Christian rock in the early and mid 70's. He took a lot of heat in the 70's because of his rhythm and his appearance. He kind of disappeared from my sight at the end of the 70's. I've occasionally wondered what happened to him. I went on line and found out that he is still putting out CD's. I guess they don't get distributed in my circles. I liked Randy's lyrics and his music style in the 70's. I haven't heard any of his new stuff. One of his songs had a line that went something to the effect of, "It took a carpenter to tear down my walls. It took a stronger hand than mine." Of course, he was singing about Jesus. He was singing about how Jesus liberates us from the sin that so easily besets and enslaves us.
I wonder how many of us realize how active the enemy of our souls is today? The enemy still desires to enslave us. There is a tendency among Christians in the U.S. to attribute a lot of the accounts of demon activity in Jesus' day to mental illness or even physical illness. Certainly much, if not most, mental illness and physical illness is not a direct result of demon activity. But it seems to me that attributing what Scripture calls demonic activity to simple mental or physical illness, implies that the writers of Scripture under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit were ignorant of the truth; therefore, they ascribed what they could not understand to a generic title that everyone thought they understood. This would imply then that even Jesus did not understand the nature of people's illness. With a word He silenced the demons, made them come out of the people and healed people. While Jesus as a man only knew what the Father showed Him, Jesus as God's Son knew all things. While as a man, He depended totally upon the Holy Spirit to lead and empower Him, the Spirit did indeed reveal and empower Him. The Spirit of God knows the difference between mental illness and demonic activity.
He silenced them when they were crying out that He was the Messiah. Why? Why didn't He want people to know that He was Messiah? Answers to that question will be conjecture because the Scripture does not give a straight forward answer. But let us just say that even the disciples were not permitted to tell the vision on the Mount of Transfiguration until He was risen from the dead. But another conjecture that I have is that demons have a habit of twisting truth and telling half-truths. If demons were proclaiming that Jesus were the Messiah, they would have probably somehow perverted it. After all, even the Mormons believe Jesus is the Messiah. They will tell people that they believe almost the same thing about Jesus that we do. But close investigation as to what they believe, demonstrates that they violently twist who Jesus is.
Demons can gain the ability to plant thoughts in our minds. When we yield to those thoughts, we become enslaved to those thoughts. Eventually we act upon those thoughts. Eventually people become deeply ensnared and captivated by twisted thinking. We build our own mental prisons by yielding our thinking process to the enemy (John 8:34). We build walls that keep us imprisoned. It takes a carpenter to tear down our walls. It takes a stronger hand than ours. Jesus is that strong hand. With a word Jesus set people free. He is the One who has power and authority and will break even the chains and walls built because of our own sloppy thinking. Sometimes He does that miraculously, completely and instantly. But most of the time He requires that we work with him after He has broken bonds by our renewing our minds. Sometimes it takes a counselor to help us realize where we have wrong thinking and to change it. Sometimes it takes a counselor to help us identify where we have yielded to the enemy so that we may renounce it and gain freedom from the enemy. Sometimes it takes a friend who will listen so that we can be heard and given input. In every case it is only Jesus who sets us free. He is the mighty One to deliver! That is part of His glory! He is constantly looking for people who will let Him set them free. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
Occasionally I come across people who name the name of Christ who have little regard for the arts when expressed in the church. More frequently I meet people who name the name of Christ who heavily criticize churches for heavy spending on beautiful buildings. Sometimes even I have been critical when I thought such spending was excessive. Yet this chapter and the previous chapters seem to indicate that the Lord really appreciates artistic work. It is part of his glory to create beautiful things. But when is too much too much? Here are some thoughts. The Israelites numbered about 2 million people. The tabernacle and its priests were about the only corporate thing of material essence that they had. People need corporate beauty. The instruction for the making of these things came from the Lord and were to reflect what He is like. HOLINESS TO THE LORD was to be written on the crown of the High Priest. The beauty was to reflect the holiness of God. Other laws were given to the Israelites that were to indicate that the people should take care of the poor and needy, the widows and orphans. It seems to me that it is part of the glory of God for us to create works of beauty in arts, crafts an buildings as long as it does not deter us from reflecting the holiness of God or from meeting the needs of people. After all, He is an artistic God. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Luke 4:31-44
Randy Matthews was a composer and singer of Christian rock in the early and mid 70's. He took a lot of heat in the 70's because of his rhythm and his appearance. He kind of disappeared from my sight at the end of the 70's. I've occasionally wondered what happened to him. I went on line and found out that he is still putting out CD's. I guess they don't get distributed in my circles. I liked Randy's lyrics and his music style in the 70's. I haven't heard any of his new stuff. One of his songs had a line that went something to the effect of, "It took a carpenter to tear down my walls. It took a stronger hand than mine." Of course, he was singing about Jesus. He was singing about how Jesus liberates us from the sin that so easily besets and enslaves us.
I wonder how many of us realize how active the enemy of our souls is today? The enemy still desires to enslave us. There is a tendency among Christians in the U.S. to attribute a lot of the accounts of demon activity in Jesus' day to mental illness or even physical illness. Certainly much, if not most, mental illness and physical illness is not a direct result of demon activity. But it seems to me that attributing what Scripture calls demonic activity to simple mental or physical illness, implies that the writers of Scripture under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit were ignorant of the truth; therefore, they ascribed what they could not understand to a generic title that everyone thought they understood. This would imply then that even Jesus did not understand the nature of people's illness. With a word He silenced the demons, made them come out of the people and healed people. While Jesus as a man only knew what the Father showed Him, Jesus as God's Son knew all things. While as a man, He depended totally upon the Holy Spirit to lead and empower Him, the Spirit did indeed reveal and empower Him. The Spirit of God knows the difference between mental illness and demonic activity.
He silenced them when they were crying out that He was the Messiah. Why? Why didn't He want people to know that He was Messiah? Answers to that question will be conjecture because the Scripture does not give a straight forward answer. But let us just say that even the disciples were not permitted to tell the vision on the Mount of Transfiguration until He was risen from the dead. But another conjecture that I have is that demons have a habit of twisting truth and telling half-truths. If demons were proclaiming that Jesus were the Messiah, they would have probably somehow perverted it. After all, even the Mormons believe Jesus is the Messiah. They will tell people that they believe almost the same thing about Jesus that we do. But close investigation as to what they believe, demonstrates that they violently twist who Jesus is.
Demons can gain the ability to plant thoughts in our minds. When we yield to those thoughts, we become enslaved to those thoughts. Eventually we act upon those thoughts. Eventually people become deeply ensnared and captivated by twisted thinking. We build our own mental prisons by yielding our thinking process to the enemy (John 8:34). We build walls that keep us imprisoned. It takes a carpenter to tear down our walls. It takes a stronger hand than ours. Jesus is that strong hand. With a word Jesus set people free. He is the One who has power and authority and will break even the chains and walls built because of our own sloppy thinking. Sometimes He does that miraculously, completely and instantly. But most of the time He requires that we work with him after He has broken bonds by our renewing our minds. Sometimes it takes a counselor to help us realize where we have wrong thinking and to change it. Sometimes it takes a counselor to help us identify where we have yielded to the enemy so that we may renounce it and gain freedom from the enemy. Sometimes it takes a friend who will listen so that we can be heard and given input. In every case it is only Jesus who sets us free. He is the mighty One to deliver! That is part of His glory! He is constantly looking for people who will let Him set them free. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
March 27, 2010
Luke 4:1-30
One thing the car had was power. When I was a freshman in college a high school friend of mine, two years younger, had just purchased a Camero. I forget the size of the engine. But, it was the largest Chevy could put in a Camero in the late 60's early 70's. He had a four barrel carburetor put on it. The first time I rode with him he said, "You wanna see what it will do?"
I said, "Sure," thinking we'd go out on the highway. Instead he stomped on the accelerator and off we went. As my eyes sunk to the back of my head, I remember thinking, "He's gonna hit someone." We were in a residential area, and I was afraid some kid might jump out in front of us. After a couple of seconds I said, "That's good enough." He let off the accelerator. The raw power in the engine was indeed impressive. In those few-however-many seconds we went from 0 to 55, and he seemed to have the intent to continue accelerating had I not said anything. The wisdom of accelerating in that neighborhood was indeed unimpressive. But I have to admit, that car had a lot of power.
Look at the glory of Jesus. He has all power as God. But as a man before the resurrection, He chose not to use that almighty power. Instead, as a man, He depended upon the Holy Spirit for His power. The Spirit took Him out in to the wilderness to show Him what He could do. It was 0-40 days without food, then the temptation set in. His first was to quit depending upon the Holy Spirit to have His hunger needs met. He had tremendous hunger pains at this time. It would have been easy to justify the inordinate use of His own power to meet His needs. After all, He was led there by the Spirit. He had not had anything to eat for 40 days. The fast was over. It was only right that He should have something and something now! But no, the Spirit would provide.
His second temptation was to side step the Spirit's path to the throne of David. If Satan would just relinquish his hold on the world why not do this one act and side step all the work. But no, the Spirit would provide.
His third temptation was to side step the Spirit's plan for humility. He could use His power to show the world how great He really was. There would be no need for people to be skeptical of His credentials or mistrust Him when even the Chief Priests would observe that He was rescued by angels! But no, the Spirit would provide.
Wow! Such power over sin is unbelievable! Lord, O I would that Your people might begin to avail themselves of this awesome power! But power did not stop at just victory over temptation. He had power to preach, power to heal and power to set free! This is the Jesus we follow! He has power that pushes our eyes to the back of our skull. It is awesome power. But it is power under control! His control! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
One thing the car had was power. When I was a freshman in college a high school friend of mine, two years younger, had just purchased a Camero. I forget the size of the engine. But, it was the largest Chevy could put in a Camero in the late 60's early 70's. He had a four barrel carburetor put on it. The first time I rode with him he said, "You wanna see what it will do?"
I said, "Sure," thinking we'd go out on the highway. Instead he stomped on the accelerator and off we went. As my eyes sunk to the back of my head, I remember thinking, "He's gonna hit someone." We were in a residential area, and I was afraid some kid might jump out in front of us. After a couple of seconds I said, "That's good enough." He let off the accelerator. The raw power in the engine was indeed impressive. In those few-however-many seconds we went from 0 to 55, and he seemed to have the intent to continue accelerating had I not said anything. The wisdom of accelerating in that neighborhood was indeed unimpressive. But I have to admit, that car had a lot of power.
Look at the glory of Jesus. He has all power as God. But as a man before the resurrection, He chose not to use that almighty power. Instead, as a man, He depended upon the Holy Spirit for His power. The Spirit took Him out in to the wilderness to show Him what He could do. It was 0-40 days without food, then the temptation set in. His first was to quit depending upon the Holy Spirit to have His hunger needs met. He had tremendous hunger pains at this time. It would have been easy to justify the inordinate use of His own power to meet His needs. After all, He was led there by the Spirit. He had not had anything to eat for 40 days. The fast was over. It was only right that He should have something and something now! But no, the Spirit would provide.
His second temptation was to side step the Spirit's path to the throne of David. If Satan would just relinquish his hold on the world why not do this one act and side step all the work. But no, the Spirit would provide.
His third temptation was to side step the Spirit's plan for humility. He could use His power to show the world how great He really was. There would be no need for people to be skeptical of His credentials or mistrust Him when even the Chief Priests would observe that He was rescued by angels! But no, the Spirit would provide.
Wow! Such power over sin is unbelievable! Lord, O I would that Your people might begin to avail themselves of this awesome power! But power did not stop at just victory over temptation. He had power to preach, power to heal and power to set free! This is the Jesus we follow! He has power that pushes our eyes to the back of our skull. It is awesome power. But it is power under control! His control! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
Friday, March 26, 2010
March 26, 2010
Exodus 37--no comment
March 26 Luke 3
I spent a good portion of my life growing up in trees. Maybe I am a good argument for evolution. When I was in grade school, our house had a huge Elm tree in the front yard. My oldest brother put a thick rope in it. We could swing out way over the street and back. It was a blast. Our side yard had an oak tree. I loved jumping from limb to limb pretending I was Tarzan. We lived in a small town. So within just a couple of minutes of walking I could be in a woods full of elms, oaks, hickories, pecans, walnuts, cottonwood etc. In my memory they were huge. We built several tree houses in the woods. Generally, I stayed out of fruit trees. They didn’t make very good trees for climbing unless you were trying to steal an apple or a pear. With the exception of some apple trees, most fruit trees are too little to provide good shade. They are usually not large enough for building a tree house. Other than just appearance, fruit trees without fruit usually provide very little functionality.
If anyone ever saw the light of the glory of Jesus, it would have to be John. The Spirit of the Lord had communicated so clearly to him through the word concerning Jesus that he could see what was coming. He described the Lord in such terms that even Roman soldiers were converting and preparing for the coming One. Compared to the Messiah we are none better than a brood of vipers, a fruit tree that never bears fruit. What good is a fruit tree that never bears fruit? None. You can’t build a house in it. It isn’t worth climbing in. What good are we compared to Him, none. Ever seen furniture built of fig wood, pear wood, apple wood, plum wood, coconut wood? Probably not. It is usually not worth the trouble. It is better to just throw it in the fire. Compared to the glory of Jesus we are fruitless fruit trees.
But the picture John paints of the glory of Jesus is that He is our salvation. When He comes, He changes our fruitlessness into fruit. John then switches metaphors. When Jesus comes He makes us like wheat. He takes the chaff and waste of our lives and burns it in unquenchable fire. He takes a kernel of grain and makes us valuable and useful in making the bread of life. That is the beauty of His glory. We are nothing compared to Him. We are wonderfully valuable with Him. Seeing that is what motivated even callous Roman soldiers to convert. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today! I think I’ll go climb a tree.
--Pastor John
March 26 Luke 3
I spent a good portion of my life growing up in trees. Maybe I am a good argument for evolution. When I was in grade school, our house had a huge Elm tree in the front yard. My oldest brother put a thick rope in it. We could swing out way over the street and back. It was a blast. Our side yard had an oak tree. I loved jumping from limb to limb pretending I was Tarzan. We lived in a small town. So within just a couple of minutes of walking I could be in a woods full of elms, oaks, hickories, pecans, walnuts, cottonwood etc. In my memory they were huge. We built several tree houses in the woods. Generally, I stayed out of fruit trees. They didn’t make very good trees for climbing unless you were trying to steal an apple or a pear. With the exception of some apple trees, most fruit trees are too little to provide good shade. They are usually not large enough for building a tree house. Other than just appearance, fruit trees without fruit usually provide very little functionality.
If anyone ever saw the light of the glory of Jesus, it would have to be John. The Spirit of the Lord had communicated so clearly to him through the word concerning Jesus that he could see what was coming. He described the Lord in such terms that even Roman soldiers were converting and preparing for the coming One. Compared to the Messiah we are none better than a brood of vipers, a fruit tree that never bears fruit. What good is a fruit tree that never bears fruit? None. You can’t build a house in it. It isn’t worth climbing in. What good are we compared to Him, none. Ever seen furniture built of fig wood, pear wood, apple wood, plum wood, coconut wood? Probably not. It is usually not worth the trouble. It is better to just throw it in the fire. Compared to the glory of Jesus we are fruitless fruit trees.
But the picture John paints of the glory of Jesus is that He is our salvation. When He comes, He changes our fruitlessness into fruit. John then switches metaphors. When Jesus comes He makes us like wheat. He takes the chaff and waste of our lives and burns it in unquenchable fire. He takes a kernel of grain and makes us valuable and useful in making the bread of life. That is the beauty of His glory. We are nothing compared to Him. We are wonderfully valuable with Him. Seeing that is what motivated even callous Roman soldiers to convert. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today! I think I’ll go climb a tree.
--Pastor John
Thursday, March 25, 2010
March 25, 2010
Exodus 36
I really don’t know what went into persuading T. Boone Pickens to give his hundreds of millions to OSU for the building of a football stadium and an athletic complex. It must have been a fund raiser’s dream come true. I have tried to help raise funds for a few organizations (and I think most every organization was more worthy than a football stadium and an athletic complex). I wish that I could have raised for those organizations even one tenth of one percent of what was given to OSU. But then that is not where God has placed me. Why was Mr. Pickens so willing to give to OSU? It was because he caught a vision of what the glory of the athletic program at OSU could become. It was important to him.
All the craftsmen who were doing all the work of the sanctuary came, each from the work he was doing, 5and they spoke to Moses, saying, “The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work which the Lord commanded us to do.” 6So Moses gave a commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, “Let neither man nor woman do any more work for the offering of the sanctuary.” And the people were restrained from bringing, 7for the material they had was sufficient for all the work to be done—indeed too much.
Granted there were other factors than willingness which account for the abundance of giving. For example there is the ratio of wage earners to the project competing for donated funds. There were about half a million men as part of Israel at this time and only one project. If all the people (every man, woman, child and college student) of the Stillwater area were assessed to give an amount so that the sum would equal Mr. Pickens gift, it would be around $3,000.00 each. In my household of four, that would equal about $12,000.00. I would have to take out a loan paying it back over the course of years, and I would not be a happy camper. Granted, the Israelites probably had to give a much lesser percentage of their belongings, but still they gave willingly. They gave so willingly that they had to be restrained from further giving. Why were they so willing? They seen had a little of the glory of God. They had a vision of a place where the glory of God could be experienced.
Did you know that one day the glory of God will fill the peoples of the earth? When will that day come? Jesus said it would come when the Gospel of the Kingdom was preached as a witness to every ethnos of the earth. Do we have a vision of the glory of God filling the earth? Did you know that if the people who name the name of Jesus in the United States gave ten percent of their income to their churches and another one percent to the fulfillment of the Great Commission that there would not be a single ministry in the U.S.A. or missions sending organization that would go underfunded? Maybe our problem is that people who name the name of Christ really don’t have a vision for the glory of God. What would happen if each of us spent time in the word daily until we saw something of the glory of Christ? What would happen if each of us then shared what we saw of the glory of Christ with someone else on that day? Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Luke 2:25-52
If you could visit any defining moment of history as an observer, what would it be? If you could meet any great person of history who would it be? Maybe Noah as he came off of the ark? Maybe Nimrod at the Tower of Babel? Abraham when God sent him out of the land? How about Hammurabi as he solidified his law code? Moses at the burning bush or confronting Pharaoh for the final time? Maybe some great moment in Chinese history? David when he defeated Goliath? Nebuchadnezzar when he destroyed the Temple? How about Alexander the Great when his troops refused to go any further at the Indus River? Julius Caesar as he decided to cross the Rubicon? Titus as he destroyed the second temple and crushed the Jewish rebellion? Attila the Hun as he set out to sweep across Asia and Europe? Genghis Khan as he began his conquering quest? William the Conqueror at Hastings? George Washington at Valley Forge? Napoleon at Waterloo? What would you want to observe?
For Simeon it was the new born Jesus. When he saw Him, he declared, “My eyes have seen Your salvation which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.” Most of the people first mentioned above brought death to many and security and wealth to a few others. They are considered to be glorious by some and infamous to others. One thing none of them ever brought was peace with God. They may have brought fleeting happiness to some but it was only fleeting. Many of them certainly brought death and destruction to others. When Jesus came he led no armies. He conquered no lands. He did not re-distribute wealth. He built no castles. He had no palace. The closest thing he had to a coronation was riding on the back of a donkey. Yet as a result of Him more people have found peace with God, meaning in life and true wealth than as a result of all the other conquerors combined! Sinners who once wasted their wealth and abilities on debauchery have become productive citizens. Hospitals have been built, clothing disbursed, food pantries organized. Love is restored because of Him. That is the light Simeon saw. That is part of the glory of our Jesus. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
I really don’t know what went into persuading T. Boone Pickens to give his hundreds of millions to OSU for the building of a football stadium and an athletic complex. It must have been a fund raiser’s dream come true. I have tried to help raise funds for a few organizations (and I think most every organization was more worthy than a football stadium and an athletic complex). I wish that I could have raised for those organizations even one tenth of one percent of what was given to OSU. But then that is not where God has placed me. Why was Mr. Pickens so willing to give to OSU? It was because he caught a vision of what the glory of the athletic program at OSU could become. It was important to him.
All the craftsmen who were doing all the work of the sanctuary came, each from the work he was doing, 5and they spoke to Moses, saying, “The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work which the Lord commanded us to do.” 6So Moses gave a commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, “Let neither man nor woman do any more work for the offering of the sanctuary.” And the people were restrained from bringing, 7for the material they had was sufficient for all the work to be done—indeed too much.
Granted there were other factors than willingness which account for the abundance of giving. For example there is the ratio of wage earners to the project competing for donated funds. There were about half a million men as part of Israel at this time and only one project. If all the people (every man, woman, child and college student) of the Stillwater area were assessed to give an amount so that the sum would equal Mr. Pickens gift, it would be around $3,000.00 each. In my household of four, that would equal about $12,000.00. I would have to take out a loan paying it back over the course of years, and I would not be a happy camper. Granted, the Israelites probably had to give a much lesser percentage of their belongings, but still they gave willingly. They gave so willingly that they had to be restrained from further giving. Why were they so willing? They seen had a little of the glory of God. They had a vision of a place where the glory of God could be experienced.
Did you know that one day the glory of God will fill the peoples of the earth? When will that day come? Jesus said it would come when the Gospel of the Kingdom was preached as a witness to every ethnos of the earth. Do we have a vision of the glory of God filling the earth? Did you know that if the people who name the name of Jesus in the United States gave ten percent of their income to their churches and another one percent to the fulfillment of the Great Commission that there would not be a single ministry in the U.S.A. or missions sending organization that would go underfunded? Maybe our problem is that people who name the name of Christ really don’t have a vision for the glory of God. What would happen if each of us spent time in the word daily until we saw something of the glory of Christ? What would happen if each of us then shared what we saw of the glory of Christ with someone else on that day? Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Luke 2:25-52
If you could visit any defining moment of history as an observer, what would it be? If you could meet any great person of history who would it be? Maybe Noah as he came off of the ark? Maybe Nimrod at the Tower of Babel? Abraham when God sent him out of the land? How about Hammurabi as he solidified his law code? Moses at the burning bush or confronting Pharaoh for the final time? Maybe some great moment in Chinese history? David when he defeated Goliath? Nebuchadnezzar when he destroyed the Temple? How about Alexander the Great when his troops refused to go any further at the Indus River? Julius Caesar as he decided to cross the Rubicon? Titus as he destroyed the second temple and crushed the Jewish rebellion? Attila the Hun as he set out to sweep across Asia and Europe? Genghis Khan as he began his conquering quest? William the Conqueror at Hastings? George Washington at Valley Forge? Napoleon at Waterloo? What would you want to observe?
For Simeon it was the new born Jesus. When he saw Him, he declared, “My eyes have seen Your salvation which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.” Most of the people first mentioned above brought death to many and security and wealth to a few others. They are considered to be glorious by some and infamous to others. One thing none of them ever brought was peace with God. They may have brought fleeting happiness to some but it was only fleeting. Many of them certainly brought death and destruction to others. When Jesus came he led no armies. He conquered no lands. He did not re-distribute wealth. He built no castles. He had no palace. The closest thing he had to a coronation was riding on the back of a donkey. Yet as a result of Him more people have found peace with God, meaning in life and true wealth than as a result of all the other conquerors combined! Sinners who once wasted their wealth and abilities on debauchery have become productive citizens. Hospitals have been built, clothing disbursed, food pantries organized. Love is restored because of Him. That is the light Simeon saw. That is part of the glory of our Jesus. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
March 24, 2010
Exodus 35
What makes you willing to sacrifice? For Jesus it was the joy set before Him. For that joy He was willing to die the most grueling death creation has ever known. What makes you willing to sacrifice? I submit to you that the most motivating motivation is to experience the glory of God. When the Lord gave instructions for the building of the tabernacle, He asked for gifts for building material. What was the stipulation for the giving? The gifts had to come from those who had a willing heart. The stipulation is repeated twice. The call was for building materials to build the tabernacle and related tools and garments. It was for the place where the physical manifestation of the presence of God was to dwell. The people gave more than willingly. Why? They gave because they had spent the last nine months observing the glory of God. They wanted it to continue. Once you have tasted of the glory of God, nothing else will do. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Luke 2:1-24
When my grandma turned 90 she sent me a little note that said, "The preacher was by the other day. He said at my age I should be thinking about the here after. I told him, ‘I do think about the here after. I am constantly going into a room and thinking, “Now what was it that I am here after.”'" Not long after that she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. So, there is a little bit of bitter irony in her joke. She died at the age of 104. I am in my mid-50’s and I am already thinking about the here after--in both senses. I am constantly forgetting where I laid something down. Sometimes I will find things in the most surprising places, such as where they are supposed to be. The disturbing thing is that I've usually already accused one of the kids or Laura of having done something with them, only to find out they are where they should be. Although, a couple of days ago I needed to use my drill. A few years ago I opened my drill bit case, and lo and behold there was the chuck key to Brice's drill press. Now, that was surprising because Brice and his drill press were in Ft. Hood, Texas. Also, there were copper drill shavings in the drill bit case. Brice was drilling copper the last time that he used his press. It wasn’t my fault! Now that is surprising!
The glory of the Lord is often found in surprising places. But His glory always has the same message. It is the message of war and peace. The message is that God is at war against sin. That is not a popular message in our culture. However, it is none-the-less true. Those who would minimize it do so at the peril of finding true peace. The other part of that message is that God has done everything to provide peace with those who have sinned. (And in case you have not heard--that is all of us!) That peace is found only in the Messiah, the Christ. So at His birth where would you expect to find the birth announcement sent from heaven that the Christ was born? I would expect it in the temple where He is worshiped!
It did not happen there. It was on a lonely hillside near Bethlehem. Alfred Edersheim thinks it was at Migdal Eder. Jewish tradition seemed to hint that the Messiah's birth was to be revealed from the Migdal Eder, or 'tower of the flock'. The flocks which pastured there, were destined for Temple-sacrifices and accordingly, the shepherds, who watched over them, were not ordinary shepherds. So, it may be a surprise to us but not to Jewish tradition that the glory of the Messiah was first revealed to the shepherds who watched the flocks destined for sacrificial service. The announcement of the birth of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world was first given to the shepherds, not the priests. This Lamb brings peace with God to all who will trust Him. Why did it not happen in the temple?
The glory of God continues to be found in surprising places. Where would you expect to find it today? It should be in the church. Ephesians 3:21 says, "To Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen." Alas that is often not true. I recently read a testimony book by Randy Meuhlman called The Quest for Glory. It was Randy's struggle with legalism that led him through pendulum swings in spiritual growth and in his relationship with the Lord and the organized church. The one constant in His testimony is God's pursuing love for him. When he finally grasped that, it healed him and to some degree his relationship with the organized church. You see, He finally found peace in His war with God. His peace was found not in performance but in the person of Jesus the Christ.
Why isn't the glory of God found too often in church by some people? Probably partly the same reason it was not found in the temple at Jesus' birth. Anytime we organize to worship, we are liable to fall into the trap of thinking, "If I do it this way, God will show up." It is never about, "How we do it." It is always about Jesus. When the focus is on Jesus and not on the trappings, He reveals Himself to us. That is a hard focus to maintain. So, it often surprises us when He shows up. Where did I leave Jesus? Oh yeah, I always find Him right where He should be, the center of my focus, when I am seeking Him with all my heart. Now, why was I blaming someone else for misplacing Him? Isn't He beautiful? Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
What makes you willing to sacrifice? For Jesus it was the joy set before Him. For that joy He was willing to die the most grueling death creation has ever known. What makes you willing to sacrifice? I submit to you that the most motivating motivation is to experience the glory of God. When the Lord gave instructions for the building of the tabernacle, He asked for gifts for building material. What was the stipulation for the giving? The gifts had to come from those who had a willing heart. The stipulation is repeated twice. The call was for building materials to build the tabernacle and related tools and garments. It was for the place where the physical manifestation of the presence of God was to dwell. The people gave more than willingly. Why? They gave because they had spent the last nine months observing the glory of God. They wanted it to continue. Once you have tasted of the glory of God, nothing else will do. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Luke 2:1-24
When my grandma turned 90 she sent me a little note that said, "The preacher was by the other day. He said at my age I should be thinking about the here after. I told him, ‘I do think about the here after. I am constantly going into a room and thinking, “Now what was it that I am here after.”'" Not long after that she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. So, there is a little bit of bitter irony in her joke. She died at the age of 104. I am in my mid-50’s and I am already thinking about the here after--in both senses. I am constantly forgetting where I laid something down. Sometimes I will find things in the most surprising places, such as where they are supposed to be. The disturbing thing is that I've usually already accused one of the kids or Laura of having done something with them, only to find out they are where they should be. Although, a couple of days ago I needed to use my drill. A few years ago I opened my drill bit case, and lo and behold there was the chuck key to Brice's drill press. Now, that was surprising because Brice and his drill press were in Ft. Hood, Texas. Also, there were copper drill shavings in the drill bit case. Brice was drilling copper the last time that he used his press. It wasn’t my fault! Now that is surprising!
The glory of the Lord is often found in surprising places. But His glory always has the same message. It is the message of war and peace. The message is that God is at war against sin. That is not a popular message in our culture. However, it is none-the-less true. Those who would minimize it do so at the peril of finding true peace. The other part of that message is that God has done everything to provide peace with those who have sinned. (And in case you have not heard--that is all of us!) That peace is found only in the Messiah, the Christ. So at His birth where would you expect to find the birth announcement sent from heaven that the Christ was born? I would expect it in the temple where He is worshiped!
It did not happen there. It was on a lonely hillside near Bethlehem. Alfred Edersheim thinks it was at Migdal Eder. Jewish tradition seemed to hint that the Messiah's birth was to be revealed from the Migdal Eder, or 'tower of the flock'. The flocks which pastured there, were destined for Temple-sacrifices and accordingly, the shepherds, who watched over them, were not ordinary shepherds. So, it may be a surprise to us but not to Jewish tradition that the glory of the Messiah was first revealed to the shepherds who watched the flocks destined for sacrificial service. The announcement of the birth of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world was first given to the shepherds, not the priests. This Lamb brings peace with God to all who will trust Him. Why did it not happen in the temple?
The glory of God continues to be found in surprising places. Where would you expect to find it today? It should be in the church. Ephesians 3:21 says, "To Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen." Alas that is often not true. I recently read a testimony book by Randy Meuhlman called The Quest for Glory. It was Randy's struggle with legalism that led him through pendulum swings in spiritual growth and in his relationship with the Lord and the organized church. The one constant in His testimony is God's pursuing love for him. When he finally grasped that, it healed him and to some degree his relationship with the organized church. You see, He finally found peace in His war with God. His peace was found not in performance but in the person of Jesus the Christ.
Why isn't the glory of God found too often in church by some people? Probably partly the same reason it was not found in the temple at Jesus' birth. Anytime we organize to worship, we are liable to fall into the trap of thinking, "If I do it this way, God will show up." It is never about, "How we do it." It is always about Jesus. When the focus is on Jesus and not on the trappings, He reveals Himself to us. That is a hard focus to maintain. So, it often surprises us when He shows up. Where did I leave Jesus? Oh yeah, I always find Him right where He should be, the center of my focus, when I am seeking Him with all my heart. Now, why was I blaming someone else for misplacing Him? Isn't He beautiful? Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
March 23, 2010
Exodus 34
Yesterday we saw that the Lord promised to place Moses in the cleft of a rock. There He would cover him until His front side had passed then Moses could see the back side of His glory. As He passed, the Lord proclaimed:
The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, 7“keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.
Today we see that Moses once again climbed the fiery mountain taking with him two fresh tablets of stone for the others had been shattered. The Lord kept His promise. While the New Testament does not explicitly say that the rock is a type of Christ, it does say, “And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.” I think we can safely say that the cleft in the rock is a type of Christ. Moses climbs into the cleft with the stone tablets. The stone tablets would soon have the writing of God upon them delineating the Ten Commandments. They would be commandments which every one of us have broken every commandment. There in the rock the ‘hand’ of God covered Moses until the justice of God had passed. Then Lord proclaimed His mercy, grace and compassion. Jesus is our place of safety from the wrath and justice of God. He is our place of refuge to receive mercy, grace and compassion.
Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee; let the water and the blood, from thy wounded side which flowed, be of sin the double cure; save from wrath and make me pure.
Not the labors of my hands can fulfill thy law's commands; could my zeal no respite know, could my tears forever flow, all for sin could not atone; thou must save, and thou alone.
Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to the cross I cling; naked, come to thee for dress; helpless, look to thee for grace; foul, I to the fountain fly; wash me, Savior, or I die.
While I draw this fleeting breath, when mine eyes shall close in death, when I soar to worlds unknown, see thee on thy judgment throne, Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee.
--Rev. Augustus Montague Toplady
But the glory of God does not stop with just the dispensation of mercy, grace and compassion. Notice at the end of the chapter that after another 40 days on the fiery mountain with God, Moses’ skin glows with the glory of God. What’s more, we not only receive mercy, but as we gaze upon His glory, we are made like Him, even more than Moses. As the word says in 2 Cor. 3:18: All of us, gazing with unveiled face on the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as from the Lord who is the Spirit. Wow, we receive mercy, grace and compassion, and then we have opportunity to be transformed into His image. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
Luke 1:57-80
"Dawn take you all and be stone with you." I'd have to look it up, but I think those were the words of Gandalf in The Hobbit. The occasion was that Bilbo and the dwarves had been captured by some trolls. Gandalf's problem was to rescue them all without them being injured. Gandalf's magic would work if the he could keep them outside until the first ray of light shone upon them. Gandalf managed to use ventriloquism to keep the trolls arguing among themselves until morning light. The dwarves and Bilbo were able to listen to the argument as to the best way to cook dwarves and hobbit. Encouraging, huh? The trolls argued right up unto the dawn. Then Gandalf pronounced the words, and the trolls turned to stone. Isn't that an interesting metaphor?
Zacharias speaks so much of the glory of the Lord. He prophesies about John preparing the way for the Lord. He speaks of the Lord as being the Dayspring or dawn from on high. We are those who sit in darkness. You ever feel like the powers of darkness were just sitting around arguing over the best way to cook you? Jesus is the dawn. When He comes our enemies turn to stone. He brings light and life. What is my problem anyway? The Dayspring is coming. I may be in the stinking hands of the powers of darkness now, but the Dayspring is coming. I may be listening to the conversation of the various ways that I might be cooked, but the Dayspring is coming. His glory turns my darkness to stone. I have light in which I may walk. He is my Dayspring. He is our Dayspring. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
Yesterday we saw that the Lord promised to place Moses in the cleft of a rock. There He would cover him until His front side had passed then Moses could see the back side of His glory. As He passed, the Lord proclaimed:
The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, 7“keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.
Today we see that Moses once again climbed the fiery mountain taking with him two fresh tablets of stone for the others had been shattered. The Lord kept His promise. While the New Testament does not explicitly say that the rock is a type of Christ, it does say, “And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.” I think we can safely say that the cleft in the rock is a type of Christ. Moses climbs into the cleft with the stone tablets. The stone tablets would soon have the writing of God upon them delineating the Ten Commandments. They would be commandments which every one of us have broken every commandment. There in the rock the ‘hand’ of God covered Moses until the justice of God had passed. Then Lord proclaimed His mercy, grace and compassion. Jesus is our place of safety from the wrath and justice of God. He is our place of refuge to receive mercy, grace and compassion.
Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee; let the water and the blood, from thy wounded side which flowed, be of sin the double cure; save from wrath and make me pure.
Not the labors of my hands can fulfill thy law's commands; could my zeal no respite know, could my tears forever flow, all for sin could not atone; thou must save, and thou alone.
Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to the cross I cling; naked, come to thee for dress; helpless, look to thee for grace; foul, I to the fountain fly; wash me, Savior, or I die.
While I draw this fleeting breath, when mine eyes shall close in death, when I soar to worlds unknown, see thee on thy judgment throne, Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee.
--Rev. Augustus Montague Toplady
But the glory of God does not stop with just the dispensation of mercy, grace and compassion. Notice at the end of the chapter that after another 40 days on the fiery mountain with God, Moses’ skin glows with the glory of God. What’s more, we not only receive mercy, but as we gaze upon His glory, we are made like Him, even more than Moses. As the word says in 2 Cor. 3:18: All of us, gazing with unveiled face on the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as from the Lord who is the Spirit. Wow, we receive mercy, grace and compassion, and then we have opportunity to be transformed into His image. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
Luke 1:57-80
"Dawn take you all and be stone with you." I'd have to look it up, but I think those were the words of Gandalf in The Hobbit. The occasion was that Bilbo and the dwarves had been captured by some trolls. Gandalf's problem was to rescue them all without them being injured. Gandalf's magic would work if the he could keep them outside until the first ray of light shone upon them. Gandalf managed to use ventriloquism to keep the trolls arguing among themselves until morning light. The dwarves and Bilbo were able to listen to the argument as to the best way to cook dwarves and hobbit. Encouraging, huh? The trolls argued right up unto the dawn. Then Gandalf pronounced the words, and the trolls turned to stone. Isn't that an interesting metaphor?
Zacharias speaks so much of the glory of the Lord. He prophesies about John preparing the way for the Lord. He speaks of the Lord as being the Dayspring or dawn from on high. We are those who sit in darkness. You ever feel like the powers of darkness were just sitting around arguing over the best way to cook you? Jesus is the dawn. When He comes our enemies turn to stone. He brings light and life. What is my problem anyway? The Dayspring is coming. I may be in the stinking hands of the powers of darkness now, but the Dayspring is coming. I may be listening to the conversation of the various ways that I might be cooked, but the Dayspring is coming. His glory turns my darkness to stone. I have light in which I may walk. He is my Dayspring. He is our Dayspring. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
Monday, March 22, 2010
March 22, 2010
Exodus 33
“Go to your room and wait there for me.” I don’t remember the infraction, but I remember being frustrated enough that I needed to cool down a bit and think through the discipline for this infraction. The Children of Israel had committed a grave sin. The Lord told them to remove their ornaments while He considered what to do with them. It was an excellent time for them to think through their sin and to consider what they needed to do to pursue Him. Moses swings into action.
Moses knew how to make significant requests of God. In Exodus 3 he asked, “What is Your name?” Here he requests, “Show me Your way.” Then he follows up with, “Please show me your glory.” But consider the progression of events here. Moses goes daily to the tabernacle of meeting. The people come out of their tents to watch him go by. The cloud descends into the tent when Moses enters. He speaks face-to-face (obviously a figure of speech) with Moses as a with a friend. Wow, can you imagine sitting down and talking with the Creator of the Universe as with a friend? Such intimacy! In the midst of that intimacy, Moses makes his first request, “Show me Your way!” There is no forthright explanation given. Instead the Lord simply promises His presence. In all the uncertainties of life we would like to know the way to navigate through them, but He only promises His presence. But what a promise that is considering the circumstances. No resolution had ever been given for the discipline of their action in chapter 32. When earnestly sought for by Moses, only one promise is given, “My Presence shall go with you, and I shall give you rest.”
Moses couldn’t let it go at that, “Please, show me Your glory!” What? Moses, you were up on the mountain of fire with Him! Moses, the cloud descends into the tent every time you enter in the tent. Moses, you are talking with Him face to face as a friend with a friend! Moses, he has already promised you His presence! What is going on? The final disposition of what God is going to do with the disobedient people has not yet been handed down. Moses wanted to see His glory. Did he want God to dispense glorious judgment on this wayward people? What did he want?
The Lord favorably answers Moses’ request. He will show His glory, but not all of it. If the glory of His justice were revealed, it would destroy Moses and the people. He will show him His compassion. He will place him the cleft of a rock (more on the rock tomorrow), and when the front part of His glory passes by, He will let him see the back part of His glory and proclaim compassion and grace. The disposition is being handed down. It is the compassion and grace of the Lord. God’s glory is awesomely revealed in His grace. The Lord sends us to our room to wait, not necessarily so that He can cool down, but so that we can reflect upon our need of compassion and grace and pursue Him for it. As we will see later in the Pentateuch, His longsuffering eventually reaches an end, but in the mean time, we should pursue the latter part of His glory, His compassion and grace. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Luke 1:39-56
Ever noticed how women often times seem to be more spiritually sensitive in their spirits than men? Here are at least two cases anyway. Elizabeth feels her miracle baby leap in her womb at the greeting of Mary and she immediately knows it is a leap of joy because John, through the Holy Spirit, knows the mother of Jesus has entered the room. Now how did she know that? Was it just her spiritual sensitivity? Well, certainly that was a part of it.
I mean after all there are cases of men like Lot. Three Angels come to rescue him from certain destruction and they have to almost literally drag him out of town or he would have died. Well, considering his wife and daughters, maybe he isn't too good of an example. Of course there was Barak who wouldn't go into battle unless the prophetess Deborah went with him. Then there is Gideon, who was hiding in a wine press threshing wheat when the Angel of the Lord appeared to Him. The Angel says, "The Lord is with you O mighty man of valor!" Gideon is almost sarcastic with the Angel and before he can really trust the Lord, the Lord must perform 4 different miracles! Then there is Boaz. Talk about slow. No wonder he was so old and never married. Fortunately for him Naomi sensed where God was leading.
As I begin to think about the Scriptural examples, maybe it isn't so much an issue of Elizabeth and Mary being spiritually sensitive (though I think that was definitely a part of it), as it was the tremendous grace of our Lord. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, the Spirit communicated what she needed to know. This was a one time only event in the history of the human race and God is making sure that everyone gets the right message.
Then Mary having heard all this is overcome with joy that there is at least one other person on this earth who independently knows that what is happening to her is of God. No she did not dream the visitation of the angel. It isn't a desperate psychotic episode that she has thought up to subconsciously explain what is happening in her life. Some one else has had an independent revelation that confirms what she is going through. This is a God thing. Isn't that glorious? The Lord has met her need and confirmed what He is doing! Mary breaks into one of history's most beautiful songs of praise.
I believe that the Lord is constantly doing mighty things for us. His mercies are new every morning, but in order to receive mercy, we must first be in a position where we need it. He does scatter the proud, but they first must have something to be proud about. He does exalt the lowly, but they have to be low first. He does fill the hungry, but if we were not helplessly hungry, we would not recognize that He has helped us. The circumstances help us to see the glory. It is just that we are too often caught up in focusing on our circumstances rather than His glory. It is impossible to be spiritually sensitive when we are focused on our circumstances. God is meeting my need. If I did not have the need, then I would never know that He meets them. Spiritual sensitivity requires recognition of need. That is why we need to meditate on His glory and share it with others. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
“Go to your room and wait there for me.” I don’t remember the infraction, but I remember being frustrated enough that I needed to cool down a bit and think through the discipline for this infraction. The Children of Israel had committed a grave sin. The Lord told them to remove their ornaments while He considered what to do with them. It was an excellent time for them to think through their sin and to consider what they needed to do to pursue Him. Moses swings into action.
Moses knew how to make significant requests of God. In Exodus 3 he asked, “What is Your name?” Here he requests, “Show me Your way.” Then he follows up with, “Please show me your glory.” But consider the progression of events here. Moses goes daily to the tabernacle of meeting. The people come out of their tents to watch him go by. The cloud descends into the tent when Moses enters. He speaks face-to-face (obviously a figure of speech) with Moses as a with a friend. Wow, can you imagine sitting down and talking with the Creator of the Universe as with a friend? Such intimacy! In the midst of that intimacy, Moses makes his first request, “Show me Your way!” There is no forthright explanation given. Instead the Lord simply promises His presence. In all the uncertainties of life we would like to know the way to navigate through them, but He only promises His presence. But what a promise that is considering the circumstances. No resolution had ever been given for the discipline of their action in chapter 32. When earnestly sought for by Moses, only one promise is given, “My Presence shall go with you, and I shall give you rest.”
Moses couldn’t let it go at that, “Please, show me Your glory!” What? Moses, you were up on the mountain of fire with Him! Moses, the cloud descends into the tent every time you enter in the tent. Moses, you are talking with Him face to face as a friend with a friend! Moses, he has already promised you His presence! What is going on? The final disposition of what God is going to do with the disobedient people has not yet been handed down. Moses wanted to see His glory. Did he want God to dispense glorious judgment on this wayward people? What did he want?
The Lord favorably answers Moses’ request. He will show His glory, but not all of it. If the glory of His justice were revealed, it would destroy Moses and the people. He will show him His compassion. He will place him the cleft of a rock (more on the rock tomorrow), and when the front part of His glory passes by, He will let him see the back part of His glory and proclaim compassion and grace. The disposition is being handed down. It is the compassion and grace of the Lord. God’s glory is awesomely revealed in His grace. The Lord sends us to our room to wait, not necessarily so that He can cool down, but so that we can reflect upon our need of compassion and grace and pursue Him for it. As we will see later in the Pentateuch, His longsuffering eventually reaches an end, but in the mean time, we should pursue the latter part of His glory, His compassion and grace. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Luke 1:39-56
Ever noticed how women often times seem to be more spiritually sensitive in their spirits than men? Here are at least two cases anyway. Elizabeth feels her miracle baby leap in her womb at the greeting of Mary and she immediately knows it is a leap of joy because John, through the Holy Spirit, knows the mother of Jesus has entered the room. Now how did she know that? Was it just her spiritual sensitivity? Well, certainly that was a part of it.
I mean after all there are cases of men like Lot. Three Angels come to rescue him from certain destruction and they have to almost literally drag him out of town or he would have died. Well, considering his wife and daughters, maybe he isn't too good of an example. Of course there was Barak who wouldn't go into battle unless the prophetess Deborah went with him. Then there is Gideon, who was hiding in a wine press threshing wheat when the Angel of the Lord appeared to Him. The Angel says, "The Lord is with you O mighty man of valor!" Gideon is almost sarcastic with the Angel and before he can really trust the Lord, the Lord must perform 4 different miracles! Then there is Boaz. Talk about slow. No wonder he was so old and never married. Fortunately for him Naomi sensed where God was leading.
As I begin to think about the Scriptural examples, maybe it isn't so much an issue of Elizabeth and Mary being spiritually sensitive (though I think that was definitely a part of it), as it was the tremendous grace of our Lord. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, the Spirit communicated what she needed to know. This was a one time only event in the history of the human race and God is making sure that everyone gets the right message.
Then Mary having heard all this is overcome with joy that there is at least one other person on this earth who independently knows that what is happening to her is of God. No she did not dream the visitation of the angel. It isn't a desperate psychotic episode that she has thought up to subconsciously explain what is happening in her life. Some one else has had an independent revelation that confirms what she is going through. This is a God thing. Isn't that glorious? The Lord has met her need and confirmed what He is doing! Mary breaks into one of history's most beautiful songs of praise.
I believe that the Lord is constantly doing mighty things for us. His mercies are new every morning, but in order to receive mercy, we must first be in a position where we need it. He does scatter the proud, but they first must have something to be proud about. He does exalt the lowly, but they have to be low first. He does fill the hungry, but if we were not helplessly hungry, we would not recognize that He has helped us. The circumstances help us to see the glory. It is just that we are too often caught up in focusing on our circumstances rather than His glory. It is impossible to be spiritually sensitive when we are focused on our circumstances. God is meeting my need. If I did not have the need, then I would never know that He meets them. Spiritual sensitivity requires recognition of need. That is why we need to meditate on His glory and share it with others. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Sunday, March 21, 2010
March 21, 2010
Exodus 32
When my oldest sons were little, this chapter was one of their favorite readings of the Scripture. It is the ultimate in passing the buck. Here the Children of Israel have time and time again been miraculously saved by the Lord; and they have experienced a number of theophanies. They themselves were able to view a magnificent appearance of God on Mt. Sinai from which Moses and Joshua were invited to come meet with the Lord on the mountain top. Moses and Joshua were gone no more than 40 days and Israel begins to worry, “What has this all consuming fire done with Moses and Joshua? They are gone; we know not where. We are fearful of entering the presence of this God lest our fate end like theirs. What do we do?” Their solution was to make an image that would represent God. It would be safe. It was somewhat like what they experienced in Egypt. After all, the Egyptians had their bull god. Why not a calf god to represent the Lord? When Moses asks something to the effect of, “Aaron, what were you thinking?” He gets this ridiculous answer, “I threw the gold in the furnace and out came this calf!” My boys would roar with laughter at the lame excuse. Even at 7, 5 & 3, they recognized how incredulous was the response.
What is it about us as humans that we so quickly forget or cannot even grasp the greatness of the glory of the Lord? While not under pressure, we laugh at the Israelites for their fickle behavior. But let us get under pressure and we also, like the Israelites, begin to crack. Forty days is a long time to go without seeing His glory. We are designed by God to live in the presence of His glory. His glory is at times frightening. At times it is comforting. It is always amazing. Yet, we can never remember. That is why it is so incumbent upon us to seek His glory daily. As the deer pants for the water, so our souls long after Him—even if we do not recognize it. Nothing satisfies like His glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Luke 1:26-38
I never cease to marvel at what God did in Mary. She sat in a different type of shadow. It was still a shadow of light. Here is a girl who is a virgin and who is willing to bear the insults of the community in order to be obedient to God, and she does it joyfully. But of greater import than Mary's attitude is what God created within her womb in that shadow. Using Mary's chromosomes, God adds special chromosomes to prepare a body for the God-Man.
His name is to be Jesus, which is the Greek transliteration for the Hebrew Joshua. Joshua means, "Yahweh saves," or, "Yahweh is salvation." He is the promised fulfillment of Genesis 3:15 and 12:3. He will be the very Son of God. Yes we are all sons of God in the sense that we are created by Him. We who have received Him are sons of God in the sense that we are adopted into His family. But He is the very Son of God, the Son of the Highest. He accomplished this salvation in His first coming in His death, resurrection and ascension.
He is the Son of David. As such, He fulfills the promise of 2 Samuel 7:12,13,16. But He has not ruled on earth upon the throne of His father, David. He will accomplish that when He returns, His second coming. You know the Shiite Muslims believe that they can hasten the second coming of the 12th imam, the "Mahdi," by creating chaos on earth. What contrast that is to our King. We can hasten His coming by preaching the good news of His death, burial and resurrection can bring new life and new order to people's lives. I like sitting in the shadow of that light. It is so different from the shadow of death that is in the rest of the world. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
When my oldest sons were little, this chapter was one of their favorite readings of the Scripture. It is the ultimate in passing the buck. Here the Children of Israel have time and time again been miraculously saved by the Lord; and they have experienced a number of theophanies. They themselves were able to view a magnificent appearance of God on Mt. Sinai from which Moses and Joshua were invited to come meet with the Lord on the mountain top. Moses and Joshua were gone no more than 40 days and Israel begins to worry, “What has this all consuming fire done with Moses and Joshua? They are gone; we know not where. We are fearful of entering the presence of this God lest our fate end like theirs. What do we do?” Their solution was to make an image that would represent God. It would be safe. It was somewhat like what they experienced in Egypt. After all, the Egyptians had their bull god. Why not a calf god to represent the Lord? When Moses asks something to the effect of, “Aaron, what were you thinking?” He gets this ridiculous answer, “I threw the gold in the furnace and out came this calf!” My boys would roar with laughter at the lame excuse. Even at 7, 5 & 3, they recognized how incredulous was the response.
What is it about us as humans that we so quickly forget or cannot even grasp the greatness of the glory of the Lord? While not under pressure, we laugh at the Israelites for their fickle behavior. But let us get under pressure and we also, like the Israelites, begin to crack. Forty days is a long time to go without seeing His glory. We are designed by God to live in the presence of His glory. His glory is at times frightening. At times it is comforting. It is always amazing. Yet, we can never remember. That is why it is so incumbent upon us to seek His glory daily. As the deer pants for the water, so our souls long after Him—even if we do not recognize it. Nothing satisfies like His glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Luke 1:26-38
I never cease to marvel at what God did in Mary. She sat in a different type of shadow. It was still a shadow of light. Here is a girl who is a virgin and who is willing to bear the insults of the community in order to be obedient to God, and she does it joyfully. But of greater import than Mary's attitude is what God created within her womb in that shadow. Using Mary's chromosomes, God adds special chromosomes to prepare a body for the God-Man.
His name is to be Jesus, which is the Greek transliteration for the Hebrew Joshua. Joshua means, "Yahweh saves," or, "Yahweh is salvation." He is the promised fulfillment of Genesis 3:15 and 12:3. He will be the very Son of God. Yes we are all sons of God in the sense that we are created by Him. We who have received Him are sons of God in the sense that we are adopted into His family. But He is the very Son of God, the Son of the Highest. He accomplished this salvation in His first coming in His death, resurrection and ascension.
He is the Son of David. As such, He fulfills the promise of 2 Samuel 7:12,13,16. But He has not ruled on earth upon the throne of His father, David. He will accomplish that when He returns, His second coming. You know the Shiite Muslims believe that they can hasten the second coming of the 12th imam, the "Mahdi," by creating chaos on earth. What contrast that is to our King. We can hasten His coming by preaching the good news of His death, burial and resurrection can bring new life and new order to people's lives. I like sitting in the shadow of that light. It is so different from the shadow of death that is in the rest of the world. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
March 20,2010
Luke 1:1-25
Have you ever lived in someone else's shadow? Most of us think we have, whether it really happened or not. My brother Bill is five years older than me. When he was in college, he used to preach lots of weekend youth revivals at various churches throughout northern Oklahoma. I greatly enjoyed tagging along. I became well known as 'Bill's little brother.' Hey, that was good! Bill was an excellent preacher and we had a lot of fun sharing the gospel with people. We frequently would find out where the young people hung out, go there, share the Gospel with them and invite them to the youth revival service. I remember when this guy, who seemed to be the leader of the teens to whom we were talking, said that if Bill could beat him at arm wrestling, he would come to the revival service. Bill turned to me and whispered, "You'd better pray."--The guy had huge biceps. Well, to everyone's surprise Bill beat him. The guy reneged on his promise, claiming Bill cheated. He was just too embarrassed that this skinny guy (Bill) beat him. I guess he was too proud and too spiritually insensitive to know that he wasn't wrestling with just a skinny guy. But some of those young people did come. I believe Bill had become known in our church circles for doing mighty exploits for God. It was fun being in his shadow.
Zacharias and Elizabeth lived in a shadow most of their lives. Except their shadow was simply obscurity. Zacharias was part of what the more influential priests might have referred to as an 'idiot priest.' But in the sight of the One that really counts, they were considered 'righteous.' They were old and childless. In their culture being childless usually carried with it the thought that you were being punished by God for some sin. Being childless was a reproach among the people. But sometimes being what people consider to be a reproach is really just God working in you, developing His character in you, and preparing you for a way in which He will show His glory in a greater way.
Finally, when he was old and had lived in the shadow so long that it was hard for him to believe God would ever do anything different with him, God brought Zacharias into the light of His glory. God gave Elizabeth the ability to conceive a child by Zacharias. Not only that but God promised that that child would be the promised forerunner of the Messiah. Can you imagine everyone's surprise when after 5 months of hiding Elizabeth came out into public and lo and behold, "She is expecting!" What does she say, "The Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people." She is now in a shadow of light. She is content to live in the shadow of the Almighty.
It was fun being in Bill's shadow. But you know what? It is more fun walking in the shadow of the Almighty. I may or may not be ever known has having done great exploits for God. But what is more important to me is that I can sit in the Shadow of the Almighty! It is a shadow of light! He is the One that really counts. As I focus on His glory, He does that for which He created me. Whether anyone else recognizes that is immaterial. He is the One that counts. The same is true for you also. That is why it is so important to see His glory and speak it to others. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Have you ever lived in someone else's shadow? Most of us think we have, whether it really happened or not. My brother Bill is five years older than me. When he was in college, he used to preach lots of weekend youth revivals at various churches throughout northern Oklahoma. I greatly enjoyed tagging along. I became well known as 'Bill's little brother.' Hey, that was good! Bill was an excellent preacher and we had a lot of fun sharing the gospel with people. We frequently would find out where the young people hung out, go there, share the Gospel with them and invite them to the youth revival service. I remember when this guy, who seemed to be the leader of the teens to whom we were talking, said that if Bill could beat him at arm wrestling, he would come to the revival service. Bill turned to me and whispered, "You'd better pray."--The guy had huge biceps. Well, to everyone's surprise Bill beat him. The guy reneged on his promise, claiming Bill cheated. He was just too embarrassed that this skinny guy (Bill) beat him. I guess he was too proud and too spiritually insensitive to know that he wasn't wrestling with just a skinny guy. But some of those young people did come. I believe Bill had become known in our church circles for doing mighty exploits for God. It was fun being in his shadow.
Zacharias and Elizabeth lived in a shadow most of their lives. Except their shadow was simply obscurity. Zacharias was part of what the more influential priests might have referred to as an 'idiot priest.' But in the sight of the One that really counts, they were considered 'righteous.' They were old and childless. In their culture being childless usually carried with it the thought that you were being punished by God for some sin. Being childless was a reproach among the people. But sometimes being what people consider to be a reproach is really just God working in you, developing His character in you, and preparing you for a way in which He will show His glory in a greater way.
Finally, when he was old and had lived in the shadow so long that it was hard for him to believe God would ever do anything different with him, God brought Zacharias into the light of His glory. God gave Elizabeth the ability to conceive a child by Zacharias. Not only that but God promised that that child would be the promised forerunner of the Messiah. Can you imagine everyone's surprise when after 5 months of hiding Elizabeth came out into public and lo and behold, "She is expecting!" What does she say, "The Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people." She is now in a shadow of light. She is content to live in the shadow of the Almighty.
It was fun being in Bill's shadow. But you know what? It is more fun walking in the shadow of the Almighty. I may or may not be ever known has having done great exploits for God. But what is more important to me is that I can sit in the Shadow of the Almighty! It is a shadow of light! He is the One that really counts. As I focus on His glory, He does that for which He created me. Whether anyone else recognizes that is immaterial. He is the One that counts. The same is true for you also. That is why it is so important to see His glory and speak it to others. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Friday, March 19, 2010
March 19, 2010
Exodus 30
My Uncle Ross was a very outgoing man. He had a charisma about him that made you want to be around him. For a number of terms he was a state legislator. As a legislator, the thing he enjoyed most was being able to help his constituents with their problems. Whenever I was around him, he always welcomed me and always exhibited and interest in my life. He would frequently say, “Come see me some time.” Laura and I took him up on his offer one weekend. We came and visited him and Aunt Charlene (Charlie). They made us feel royally welcomed. It was great to meet with him and her.
Twice in this chapter, verses 6 & 36, the Lord repeats a similar message related to the altar of incense and the mercy seat:
6“And you shall put it before the veil that is before the ark of the Testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the Testimony, where I will meet with you. 36“And you shall beat some of it very fine, and put some of it before the Testimony in the tabernacle of meeting where I will meet with you. It shall be most holy to you.
The incense and its fragrant smell represents the prayers of the saints before the Lord. The burning of incense is made possible by the golden altar which represents the deity and humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Creator of the Universe has made it possible to meet with Him! The glory of that meeting is far greater than meeting with any human. He makes that meeting possible through prayer. Prayer is possible because of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. When we choose to meet with him, He communicates with us giving us His designs for our lives. From those designs we may ask, and He fulfills them all. Like my uncle who delighted in being able to help his constituents with their problems, He delights in helping His people fulfill His designs for their lives and our problems getting there. He does it at the place of prayer, His mercy seat. The Mercy Seat represents the death of the Lord Jesus Christ in our place. His blood is applied to us and we are forgiven. Now that is glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Mark 16
We were trying to make the drive from Philadelphia to Oklahoma in one long drive. I drove through Indianapolis. I then relinquished the wheel to Laura, because I was too tired to drive. It was in the middle of the night and cold. I awoke to the sensation of spinning, Laura’s scream and the sight of snow coming over the windshield. My first thought was, “Lord, I’m coming home.” We ended up embedded in a deep snow bank. We had hit black ice on the highway. The Lord’s hand had certainly been upon us. Laura said that when we began spinning we were between two semi trailers. The car seemed to steer itself, and the trucks missed us and kept on going. The snow cushioned our sudden stop and there was no visible damage to the car.
I pushed the door open. It was difficult with snow packed around it. I heard a tremendous hissing sound and steam was billowing out from under the hood of the car. Popping the hood, I was greeted with the sight of snow packed around the engine. The hissing and steam was the snow melting against the hot engine. My first thought was, “Oh no, the sudden cooling has cracked the block.” But a little inspection seemed to indicate everything was okay. And the car started again. My next problem was that I was royally stuck in the snow. What had saved us from injury now seemed to encase us next to the road. Who would get me out of this snow bank?
It was early Sunday morning and the women were approaching the tomb. Jesus was dead, or so they thought. They were coming with spices to anoint His body. Their thought was, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?” The thought must have loomed heavy upon their spirits. One second century manuscript of Mark has written in the margin that it was a stone that needed 20 men to move. Certainly it is true that the stone was so large that the three women knew they could not move it by themselves. To their surprise, when they arrived, the stone was already rolled away! Entering into the tomb, angels informed them that Jesus was risen and that they needed to go tell the disciples.
Can you imagine the flood of emotions--first fear, then amazement, then perplexity, but eventually joy? They were encased in the coldness of death, wondering who would move the stone so they could make the whole situation smell better. But the glory of our Lord is such that He liberates us from the stench of death. He moves gigantic stones to set us free. We don’t need more men to move them, we need Him. We don’t need more spices to hide the stench, we need Him. He sets us free that we may tell others of His glory. If we don’t first acknowledge our desperate situation, we can’t be set free to tell others.
Am I stuck in a snow bank? Is there a stone I can’t roll away? He can do all things—He conquered death! That’s His glory. His death saved us from death, but He rose again to set us free from the encasement of death. Oh by the way, I wasn’t in the snow bank more than 5 minutes when an Indiana Highway Patrolman drove up. He pulled out a shovel, dug us out of the snow and helped push me back up onto the highway. Before he left to help someone else, he said, “There is ice from here through Illinois. Get off at the next exit and find some shelter.” We did. Jesus rescues us from being encased in sin, death and other problems. He gives us new life and tells us to walk in it and share His glory with others. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
My Uncle Ross was a very outgoing man. He had a charisma about him that made you want to be around him. For a number of terms he was a state legislator. As a legislator, the thing he enjoyed most was being able to help his constituents with their problems. Whenever I was around him, he always welcomed me and always exhibited and interest in my life. He would frequently say, “Come see me some time.” Laura and I took him up on his offer one weekend. We came and visited him and Aunt Charlene (Charlie). They made us feel royally welcomed. It was great to meet with him and her.
Twice in this chapter, verses 6 & 36, the Lord repeats a similar message related to the altar of incense and the mercy seat:
6“And you shall put it before the veil that is before the ark of the Testimony, before the mercy seat that is over the Testimony, where I will meet with you. 36“And you shall beat some of it very fine, and put some of it before the Testimony in the tabernacle of meeting where I will meet with you. It shall be most holy to you.
The incense and its fragrant smell represents the prayers of the saints before the Lord. The burning of incense is made possible by the golden altar which represents the deity and humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Creator of the Universe has made it possible to meet with Him! The glory of that meeting is far greater than meeting with any human. He makes that meeting possible through prayer. Prayer is possible because of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. When we choose to meet with him, He communicates with us giving us His designs for our lives. From those designs we may ask, and He fulfills them all. Like my uncle who delighted in being able to help his constituents with their problems, He delights in helping His people fulfill His designs for their lives and our problems getting there. He does it at the place of prayer, His mercy seat. The Mercy Seat represents the death of the Lord Jesus Christ in our place. His blood is applied to us and we are forgiven. Now that is glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Mark 16
We were trying to make the drive from Philadelphia to Oklahoma in one long drive. I drove through Indianapolis. I then relinquished the wheel to Laura, because I was too tired to drive. It was in the middle of the night and cold. I awoke to the sensation of spinning, Laura’s scream and the sight of snow coming over the windshield. My first thought was, “Lord, I’m coming home.” We ended up embedded in a deep snow bank. We had hit black ice on the highway. The Lord’s hand had certainly been upon us. Laura said that when we began spinning we were between two semi trailers. The car seemed to steer itself, and the trucks missed us and kept on going. The snow cushioned our sudden stop and there was no visible damage to the car.
I pushed the door open. It was difficult with snow packed around it. I heard a tremendous hissing sound and steam was billowing out from under the hood of the car. Popping the hood, I was greeted with the sight of snow packed around the engine. The hissing and steam was the snow melting against the hot engine. My first thought was, “Oh no, the sudden cooling has cracked the block.” But a little inspection seemed to indicate everything was okay. And the car started again. My next problem was that I was royally stuck in the snow. What had saved us from injury now seemed to encase us next to the road. Who would get me out of this snow bank?
It was early Sunday morning and the women were approaching the tomb. Jesus was dead, or so they thought. They were coming with spices to anoint His body. Their thought was, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?” The thought must have loomed heavy upon their spirits. One second century manuscript of Mark has written in the margin that it was a stone that needed 20 men to move. Certainly it is true that the stone was so large that the three women knew they could not move it by themselves. To their surprise, when they arrived, the stone was already rolled away! Entering into the tomb, angels informed them that Jesus was risen and that they needed to go tell the disciples.
Can you imagine the flood of emotions--first fear, then amazement, then perplexity, but eventually joy? They were encased in the coldness of death, wondering who would move the stone so they could make the whole situation smell better. But the glory of our Lord is such that He liberates us from the stench of death. He moves gigantic stones to set us free. We don’t need more men to move them, we need Him. We don’t need more spices to hide the stench, we need Him. He sets us free that we may tell others of His glory. If we don’t first acknowledge our desperate situation, we can’t be set free to tell others.
Am I stuck in a snow bank? Is there a stone I can’t roll away? He can do all things—He conquered death! That’s His glory. His death saved us from death, but He rose again to set us free from the encasement of death. Oh by the way, I wasn’t in the snow bank more than 5 minutes when an Indiana Highway Patrolman drove up. He pulled out a shovel, dug us out of the snow and helped push me back up onto the highway. Before he left to help someone else, he said, “There is ice from here through Illinois. Get off at the next exit and find some shelter.” We did. Jesus rescues us from being encased in sin, death and other problems. He gives us new life and tells us to walk in it and share His glory with others. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
March 18, 2010
Mark 15:26-47
Remember the pictures, Where's Waldo? Some people like me enjoyed spending a few minutes every once in a while looking for Waldo. In the midst of this massive and intricate cartoon the artist would draw Waldo. Waldo always wore the same clothes. If I remember right, he had this distinctive, colorful, striped hat and shirt. He was always so well blended in with the crowd that sometimes he was difficult to find.
Where is the glory of the King? Here, the King is on a cross. He doesn't much look like a king. Pilate ordered the inscription to insult the Jews. But it was true. He is the King. The ruler of the strongest army of the Universe could have destroyed the earth with a word and set Himself free. He doesn't look much like the King on the cross. Like Waldo, He is blending in with the clowns around Him. Can you see Him? He's the One in the middle of the three naked ones on the cross.
From noon until 3:00 p.m. a curious thing happened. There was darkness over the whole land. How could that happen? It is mid-day. The sun is at its brightest. No clouds are recorded but it was dark. This was significant. The clowns cannot see but the creation can. Oh, wait, He is giving a royal pronouncement. "My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?" The King of the Universe hadn't just blended in with the clowns, the sinners, He had become one. Where is the King? That's Him on the cross. He has become sin on my behalf. I put Him there. He went there for me--and you--and the other clowns that surrounded Him and have lived from Adam until the end of time. Do you recognize Him? Boy did He blend in well! The veil of the temple tore from the top to the bottom. God's glory will come rushing out! His glory will destroy us! But wait. Nothing happened. We did not die! Why? Because the King became one of us, He died in our place. The glory of God is not longer lethal to us who are in Him.
Then there was the Roman Centurion. Of all the people who recognized the King, how did he see Him? He had watched this man. He had probably heard of His teaching in the temple during the week. He had observed the trial. He probably supervised the beating in Pilate's hall. He watched him die. No man dies like that man died. Creation turned black when that man died. This Man forgave in the midst of agony. The earth quaked when He quit breathing. He saw through the disguise. He saw the glory of God. Do you see it? Where is the King? Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
Remember the pictures, Where's Waldo? Some people like me enjoyed spending a few minutes every once in a while looking for Waldo. In the midst of this massive and intricate cartoon the artist would draw Waldo. Waldo always wore the same clothes. If I remember right, he had this distinctive, colorful, striped hat and shirt. He was always so well blended in with the crowd that sometimes he was difficult to find.
Where is the glory of the King? Here, the King is on a cross. He doesn't much look like a king. Pilate ordered the inscription to insult the Jews. But it was true. He is the King. The ruler of the strongest army of the Universe could have destroyed the earth with a word and set Himself free. He doesn't look much like the King on the cross. Like Waldo, He is blending in with the clowns around Him. Can you see Him? He's the One in the middle of the three naked ones on the cross.
From noon until 3:00 p.m. a curious thing happened. There was darkness over the whole land. How could that happen? It is mid-day. The sun is at its brightest. No clouds are recorded but it was dark. This was significant. The clowns cannot see but the creation can. Oh, wait, He is giving a royal pronouncement. "My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?" The King of the Universe hadn't just blended in with the clowns, the sinners, He had become one. Where is the King? That's Him on the cross. He has become sin on my behalf. I put Him there. He went there for me--and you--and the other clowns that surrounded Him and have lived from Adam until the end of time. Do you recognize Him? Boy did He blend in well! The veil of the temple tore from the top to the bottom. God's glory will come rushing out! His glory will destroy us! But wait. Nothing happened. We did not die! Why? Because the King became one of us, He died in our place. The glory of God is not longer lethal to us who are in Him.
Then there was the Roman Centurion. Of all the people who recognized the King, how did he see Him? He had watched this man. He had probably heard of His teaching in the temple during the week. He had observed the trial. He probably supervised the beating in Pilate's hall. He watched him die. No man dies like that man died. Creation turned black when that man died. This Man forgave in the midst of agony. The earth quaked when He quit breathing. He saw through the disguise. He saw the glory of God. Do you see it? Where is the King? Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
March 17, 2010
Mark 15:1-25
I've been told by a couple of people that I am scary. Now that surprises me. I certainly don't view myself as scary. I don't try to be scary. I don't sit around thinking up evil plans. I really try to follow the Lord's command on thinking on things that are of value and of good repute. When I do have occasions where I become aware that I am thinking about someone who has wronged me, I really do try to forgive them and pray prayers of blessing for them. Someone once told me that I am viewed as being scary because I am quiet. In general I am quiet because I really have nothing to say that I think is of value. It’s kind of like that commercial for the movie Nemo. Remember Dora's line in the commercial? It was, "Nothin' in the noggin." That is usually why I am quiet, "Nothin' in the noggin." If there is nothing of value to say, then why say anything? Apparently, that is very disturbing to some people.
Jesus was being tried. In today's passage He answers only one of Pilate's questions, "Are you the King of the Jews?"
Jesus' answer is five simple words in English (two in Greek), "It is as you say." In Mark's passage nothing else of Jesus speech is recorded until He is on the cross. It was disturbing to Pilate. He couldn't understand why a man being charged with crimes that could take his life would not defend Himself. Was it because there was nothin' in the noggin? Jesus had plenty of value to say. He could have spoken words that would have gained His release, had he chosen to speak them. What was going on in Jesus' mind? Why was He quiet? He came to die. His will was being played out by being quiet. His mind was active. What was going on in His mind during this time?
Was Jesus contemplating the sin of the Chief Priests or Pilate? Was He wondering upon the cry of the crowds to crucify Him? Was He fixed on Judas' betrayal or Peter's denial? Was He focused upon the torture of the soldiers? Maybe He was dwelling upon what He saw in the cup in the Garden of Gethsemane. Perhaps He thought of the coming Father's rejection of Him. I think Hebrews 12:2 hints at the answer, "who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame." He was simultaneously aware of the pain and shame that He was enduring and of the joy that it would accomplish. He knew it would not be long and He would be seated once again at the Father's right hand. What joy would be there! Joy would be there because He would have accomplished the Father's will and purchased our redemption! He could see what His death and resurrection would affect in my life. My sin would be gone. I would have His righteousness! That would bring Him joy. Yes He was fully aware of the pain. But He was focused upon the joy to come.
There was plenty in His noggin. Part of what was there were thoughts of joy about the Father, about you and me and about the billions of people that He was redeeming. The next time that you are in pain, especially because of something somebody else has done, think upon the glory of Jesus. In the midst of His pain He thought of the joy to come. He thought of you. In your pain, think of Him and the joy to come. When there is nothing in the noggin, why not consider His glory. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
I've been told by a couple of people that I am scary. Now that surprises me. I certainly don't view myself as scary. I don't try to be scary. I don't sit around thinking up evil plans. I really try to follow the Lord's command on thinking on things that are of value and of good repute. When I do have occasions where I become aware that I am thinking about someone who has wronged me, I really do try to forgive them and pray prayers of blessing for them. Someone once told me that I am viewed as being scary because I am quiet. In general I am quiet because I really have nothing to say that I think is of value. It’s kind of like that commercial for the movie Nemo. Remember Dora's line in the commercial? It was, "Nothin' in the noggin." That is usually why I am quiet, "Nothin' in the noggin." If there is nothing of value to say, then why say anything? Apparently, that is very disturbing to some people.
Jesus was being tried. In today's passage He answers only one of Pilate's questions, "Are you the King of the Jews?"
Jesus' answer is five simple words in English (two in Greek), "It is as you say." In Mark's passage nothing else of Jesus speech is recorded until He is on the cross. It was disturbing to Pilate. He couldn't understand why a man being charged with crimes that could take his life would not defend Himself. Was it because there was nothin' in the noggin? Jesus had plenty of value to say. He could have spoken words that would have gained His release, had he chosen to speak them. What was going on in Jesus' mind? Why was He quiet? He came to die. His will was being played out by being quiet. His mind was active. What was going on in His mind during this time?
Was Jesus contemplating the sin of the Chief Priests or Pilate? Was He wondering upon the cry of the crowds to crucify Him? Was He fixed on Judas' betrayal or Peter's denial? Was He focused upon the torture of the soldiers? Maybe He was dwelling upon what He saw in the cup in the Garden of Gethsemane. Perhaps He thought of the coming Father's rejection of Him. I think Hebrews 12:2 hints at the answer, "who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame." He was simultaneously aware of the pain and shame that He was enduring and of the joy that it would accomplish. He knew it would not be long and He would be seated once again at the Father's right hand. What joy would be there! Joy would be there because He would have accomplished the Father's will and purchased our redemption! He could see what His death and resurrection would affect in my life. My sin would be gone. I would have His righteousness! That would bring Him joy. Yes He was fully aware of the pain. But He was focused upon the joy to come.
There was plenty in His noggin. Part of what was there were thoughts of joy about the Father, about you and me and about the billions of people that He was redeeming. The next time that you are in pain, especially because of something somebody else has done, think upon the glory of Jesus. In the midst of His pain He thought of the joy to come. He thought of you. In your pain, think of Him and the joy to come. When there is nothing in the noggin, why not consider His glory. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
March 16, 2010
Exodus 27
This morning I arose and came downstairs. The lights were all on. Now, I was the last one to bed and I distinctly remember turning off all of the lights but the one over the kitchen sink. I leave it on as a night light. When my ten-year-old awoke, I asked him, “Why did you turn on all the lights last night?” He replied, “I had to go to the bathroom, and I was scared.” I think it is almost a universal thing that at some point in our lives, we are all afraid of the dark. That is the basis of the horror movie industry. As we get older we lose some of that fear of the dark; however, a little bit of it is still there. It is what gives us the adrenaline rush at a scary point of the movie. Without that adrenaline pumping, we probably would not enjoy the movie. The comfort of the light is that we know what is there. Light reveals reality. Darkness hides reality.
Do you suppose things are that way because God is light? His glory always seems to be associated with some form of light. Here in the instruction of the building of the tabernacle, He commands that a lamp, fed by pure olive oil, be tended by the priests 24/7. Why would that be a necessity in a culture where there are no electric lights. Why would there be a need of this in a culture that goes to bed with the sun and rises with the sun? Who would be coming to the Tabernacle at night? Would it not be that the place of His dwelling should be a place where light always reveals reality? Would it not be that somewhere in the dark night of our twisted realities there always needs to be a beacon of light? In the reality of His presence, the darkness flees. His light dissipates all fear but fear of Him. With the first glimpse of His light, if we will step further into His light, even the fear of Him is dissipated because in the light we see our sin. In the light we confess what we can no longer hide. In the light we confess our sin. In the light we find His forgiveness. In the light the sin is burned away; it is purged; it is cleansed. In His light we find boldness to approach the throne of grace! It is a delight (I wonder about the etymology of that word) to be in His light, His glory. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Mark 14:53-72
What is the old saying? "Follow the money." If you really want to know politics, follow the money. It is cynical, but true. The liberal media loved to use this old axiom against President Bush. Human nature does tend to be influenced by the flow of money. I am not aware of ever having had the occasion to dwell in the company of the rich and famous. So, I don't really have any personal experiences to share here. But it does seem in human events that money is power.
They were desperate to be rid of Him. Annas had been the high priest himself for at least 7 years. Each of his 5 sons had a turn at being high priest. Now his son-in-law, Caiaphas, held the high priesthood. Annas' family made lots of money from the trade in the temple courts. They used their money to buy friends in the Roman Empire. (The Emperor had the final approval of who would be High Priest.) Jesus had demonstrated at His Triumphal Entry and in His cleansing of the temple that He was a definite threat to their financial power and therefore their political power. A few years earlier the Sanhedrin had lost the right to try capital cases. This was not a true Sanhedrin trial. Had it been intended to be a true trial, then it was totally illegal. It was only an examination to demonstrate to all of the Sanhedrin that Jesus was a threat to the nation. Follow the money.
They brought in witnesses of Jesus' teaching. But Jesus refused to answer any of their questions. Superior as He is, there was no need for Him to enter into any kind of debate with them. And anyway, He came to die. In their utter sinfulness they were merely cooperating with His plan. After hours of examination and cross examination, the frustrated high priest asked Him, "Are You the Christ the Son of the Blessed?"
Jesus masterfully blends two Old Testament Scriptures to give them the truth and the answer that they desired, "I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven." Psalm 110:1 says, "The Lord said to my Lord, 'Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.' ” This is the second most quoted verse in the New Testament. Jesus had used it earlier in silencing His questioners. Peter quotes it as he addresses the Jerusalem crowd on the day of Pentecost. The writer of Hebrews quotes it in showing the superiority of Christ. Paul alludes to it in explaining death and resurrection in 1 Cor. 15: 25,26. Saying to the high priest that he would see Him sitting at the right hand of the Power was a clear claim to the Jewish mind of being the Messiah. It was a clear claim to the Jewish mind of being divine.
Jesus blends Ps 110:1 with Daniel 7:13, “I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him." Quoting the Daniel passage to the Jewish mind was a clear claim of being the Messiah. To the Jewish mind it was a clear claim of being divine.
Indeed there is a throne in heaven. He who sits on the throne rules the Universe. Jesus is making claim to being the One who will sit upon it. It is that throne that is referred to in Revelation 4&5. It is Jesus upon that throne that the host of heaven worship by saying, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!” What does he receive? He receives power and riches. Do you want to experience real power? Follow the money. The real money is not silver or gold or U.S. greenbacks or stocks or lands. The real riches are the Lord Jesus Christ. It was this One they held in chains. It was this One Peter denied. It was this One who died for me. If you want riches that last for eternity, it can only be found in Him. Follow the money. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
This morning I arose and came downstairs. The lights were all on. Now, I was the last one to bed and I distinctly remember turning off all of the lights but the one over the kitchen sink. I leave it on as a night light. When my ten-year-old awoke, I asked him, “Why did you turn on all the lights last night?” He replied, “I had to go to the bathroom, and I was scared.” I think it is almost a universal thing that at some point in our lives, we are all afraid of the dark. That is the basis of the horror movie industry. As we get older we lose some of that fear of the dark; however, a little bit of it is still there. It is what gives us the adrenaline rush at a scary point of the movie. Without that adrenaline pumping, we probably would not enjoy the movie. The comfort of the light is that we know what is there. Light reveals reality. Darkness hides reality.
Do you suppose things are that way because God is light? His glory always seems to be associated with some form of light. Here in the instruction of the building of the tabernacle, He commands that a lamp, fed by pure olive oil, be tended by the priests 24/7. Why would that be a necessity in a culture where there are no electric lights. Why would there be a need of this in a culture that goes to bed with the sun and rises with the sun? Who would be coming to the Tabernacle at night? Would it not be that the place of His dwelling should be a place where light always reveals reality? Would it not be that somewhere in the dark night of our twisted realities there always needs to be a beacon of light? In the reality of His presence, the darkness flees. His light dissipates all fear but fear of Him. With the first glimpse of His light, if we will step further into His light, even the fear of Him is dissipated because in the light we see our sin. In the light we confess what we can no longer hide. In the light we confess our sin. In the light we find His forgiveness. In the light the sin is burned away; it is purged; it is cleansed. In His light we find boldness to approach the throne of grace! It is a delight (I wonder about the etymology of that word) to be in His light, His glory. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Mark 14:53-72
What is the old saying? "Follow the money." If you really want to know politics, follow the money. It is cynical, but true. The liberal media loved to use this old axiom against President Bush. Human nature does tend to be influenced by the flow of money. I am not aware of ever having had the occasion to dwell in the company of the rich and famous. So, I don't really have any personal experiences to share here. But it does seem in human events that money is power.
They were desperate to be rid of Him. Annas had been the high priest himself for at least 7 years. Each of his 5 sons had a turn at being high priest. Now his son-in-law, Caiaphas, held the high priesthood. Annas' family made lots of money from the trade in the temple courts. They used their money to buy friends in the Roman Empire. (The Emperor had the final approval of who would be High Priest.) Jesus had demonstrated at His Triumphal Entry and in His cleansing of the temple that He was a definite threat to their financial power and therefore their political power. A few years earlier the Sanhedrin had lost the right to try capital cases. This was not a true Sanhedrin trial. Had it been intended to be a true trial, then it was totally illegal. It was only an examination to demonstrate to all of the Sanhedrin that Jesus was a threat to the nation. Follow the money.
They brought in witnesses of Jesus' teaching. But Jesus refused to answer any of their questions. Superior as He is, there was no need for Him to enter into any kind of debate with them. And anyway, He came to die. In their utter sinfulness they were merely cooperating with His plan. After hours of examination and cross examination, the frustrated high priest asked Him, "Are You the Christ the Son of the Blessed?"
Jesus masterfully blends two Old Testament Scriptures to give them the truth and the answer that they desired, "I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven." Psalm 110:1 says, "The Lord said to my Lord, 'Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.' ” This is the second most quoted verse in the New Testament. Jesus had used it earlier in silencing His questioners. Peter quotes it as he addresses the Jerusalem crowd on the day of Pentecost. The writer of Hebrews quotes it in showing the superiority of Christ. Paul alludes to it in explaining death and resurrection in 1 Cor. 15: 25,26. Saying to the high priest that he would see Him sitting at the right hand of the Power was a clear claim to the Jewish mind of being the Messiah. It was a clear claim to the Jewish mind of being divine.
Jesus blends Ps 110:1 with Daniel 7:13, “I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him." Quoting the Daniel passage to the Jewish mind was a clear claim of being the Messiah. To the Jewish mind it was a clear claim of being divine.
Indeed there is a throne in heaven. He who sits on the throne rules the Universe. Jesus is making claim to being the One who will sit upon it. It is that throne that is referred to in Revelation 4&5. It is Jesus upon that throne that the host of heaven worship by saying, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!” What does he receive? He receives power and riches. Do you want to experience real power? Follow the money. The real money is not silver or gold or U.S. greenbacks or stocks or lands. The real riches are the Lord Jesus Christ. It was this One they held in chains. It was this One Peter denied. It was this One who died for me. If you want riches that last for eternity, it can only be found in Him. Follow the money. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
Monday, March 15, 2010
March 15,2010
Exodus 26
He can even make tents reflect His glory! The Gospel is told even in how he instructed them to build the tabernacle. The layers of the tabernacle progress from symbols of the darkness of sin and death, to the red ram’s wool expressing the vicarious atonement of Christ, to the removal of the darkness, and finally to the golden glory of God. He even makes architecture to praise Him! . Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Mark 14:27-52
I tend to remember things that are unusual in my life. When my brother Bill, 5 years older than me, was in college, he used to preach youth revivals in Baptist churches in Oklahoma. He developed a team to help him. I was part of that team. One of the things that we did with some regularity is that we would get together at the church and pray. Usually our prayer meetings were at night when no one else was around. We would sit, kneel or lay prostrate on the sanctuary floor, usually in the dark, and pour our hearts out before the Lord. I remember those meetings with fondness because I always seemed to sense the presence of the Lord there. However, one February night we seemed to be struggling in our prayer. One of the members rebuked the enemy in the Name of the Lord, commanding the enemy to leave. Just as he did that a gigantic gust of wind swept by the church and the Sanctuary doors flung upon and shut. It was unusual to say the least. Those prayer meetings are part of what the Lord used to bring many to Christ.
Some have said that everything Jesus did, He did by prayer. I agree. As a matter of fact, I would say that Jesus’ whole life was really one continuous prayer meeting. Gethsemane was the dénouement of that prayer meeting. In His communion with God, He looked into the cup that He was about to drink. It was full of every vileness that man has ever committed or ever will. And there the battle was won. He chose to drink of the cup. How He needed some to watch and pray with Him! But alas, the disciples were just like me. They fell asleep on the job.
Peter had professed that all might stumble but he would die for Jesus. He missed the frailty of his own flesh. But Jesus knew his frailty. That is the glory of Jesus! He knows our frailty and loves us the same. He knew Peter would fall asleep praying and He loved him the same. He knew that without the communion with God, Peter would be powerless. But He loved him the same. He knew that Peter would deny Him not once but three times. But He loved him the same. Are we powerless? It is probably a lack of prayer. Should that keep us from prayer? No! He loves us and is always calling us to Himself. That is the glory of our Lord. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
He can even make tents reflect His glory! The Gospel is told even in how he instructed them to build the tabernacle. The layers of the tabernacle progress from symbols of the darkness of sin and death, to the red ram’s wool expressing the vicarious atonement of Christ, to the removal of the darkness, and finally to the golden glory of God. He even makes architecture to praise Him! . Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Mark 14:27-52
I tend to remember things that are unusual in my life. When my brother Bill, 5 years older than me, was in college, he used to preach youth revivals in Baptist churches in Oklahoma. He developed a team to help him. I was part of that team. One of the things that we did with some regularity is that we would get together at the church and pray. Usually our prayer meetings were at night when no one else was around. We would sit, kneel or lay prostrate on the sanctuary floor, usually in the dark, and pour our hearts out before the Lord. I remember those meetings with fondness because I always seemed to sense the presence of the Lord there. However, one February night we seemed to be struggling in our prayer. One of the members rebuked the enemy in the Name of the Lord, commanding the enemy to leave. Just as he did that a gigantic gust of wind swept by the church and the Sanctuary doors flung upon and shut. It was unusual to say the least. Those prayer meetings are part of what the Lord used to bring many to Christ.
Some have said that everything Jesus did, He did by prayer. I agree. As a matter of fact, I would say that Jesus’ whole life was really one continuous prayer meeting. Gethsemane was the dénouement of that prayer meeting. In His communion with God, He looked into the cup that He was about to drink. It was full of every vileness that man has ever committed or ever will. And there the battle was won. He chose to drink of the cup. How He needed some to watch and pray with Him! But alas, the disciples were just like me. They fell asleep on the job.
Peter had professed that all might stumble but he would die for Jesus. He missed the frailty of his own flesh. But Jesus knew his frailty. That is the glory of Jesus! He knows our frailty and loves us the same. He knew Peter would fall asleep praying and He loved him the same. He knew that without the communion with God, Peter would be powerless. But He loved him the same. He knew that Peter would deny Him not once but three times. But He loved him the same. Are we powerless? It is probably a lack of prayer. Should that keep us from prayer? No! He loves us and is always calling us to Himself. That is the glory of our Lord. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Sunday, March 14, 2010
March 14, 2010
Mark 14:1-26
Like many families when I was a kid, we raised many things. At one time or another we had a cat a dog, a covey of rabbits, a parakeet, a hamster, and a variety of fish. But I will never forget raising a bunch of roosters. We bought them as chicks from Stillwater Hatchery. We raised them to the right size and age to eat. Mom was really good at killing those guys. I suppose that I could tell a story or two here, but I will spare you. But one of the things I remember was that having raised the roosters, it put a new light on eating chicken, especially those chickens. One of the roosters I had named Crooked Finger because he had a crooked toe. As we ate the fowl, I often wondered, "Is this Crooked Finger?" Somehow that chicken meat didn't taste quite as good to me as the chicken purchased at the grocery store. (Oh in case you are wondering, we didn't eat our other animals. Just thought you ought to know.)
The Passover meal had been celebrated for over 1470 years by the Jewish people by the time of Jesus' death. Oh sure, there were generations of the nation where the feast was almost lost, but God was the one who initiated the feast, and He always brought back a revival of it. Understanding the Passover is central to understanding the Bible and the whole earthly ministry of Jesus, the Christ. Exodus 12 gives the instructions for how the original Passover was to be carried out. On the tenth day of the first month of the Jewish calendar, each family was to select one lamb. It was to be a lamb without blemish. They essentially lived with the lamb until the 14th day of the month. At twilight they were to slay the lamb, to put blood on the doorposts and lintel, to roast the lamb, and to eat it. All who participated in this event would be spared the visit of the Death Angel that night.
I think selecting the lamb 4 days before slaying it did more than just make sure it was a lamb without blemish. I think it reinforced the whole idea that this innocent being was dying in your place and you could live only by consuming it. Chickens are not the brightest of animals, but they certainly are not as cuddly as a lamb. Was there any emotional bonding between the people and the sacrificial lamb? Who knows! But I suspect there was some.
Jesus makes it very clear to the disciples that He is the central figure in the Passover meal. Covenants at the time of Moses were sealed with a meal. The Passover meal was the covenant meal between God and Israel. He was calling them out of Egypt, calling them out of bondage. But Israel was unable to keep the commands of the covenant. Because of their inability to obey, Jeremiah, at the destruction of Israel, promised a New Covenant which Israel would be able to keep.
Jesus says that His body is the New Covenant through which we are spared the visit of the death angel and given the ability to obey Him. It is one thing to know of Him sacrificing His body for me. It is entirely another to know Him and consider that it was for me that He literally chose to die in my place. The chickens and the lambs didn't have a choice in the matter. He chose to die knowing full well what He was doing. That is part of His glory. He knew. He chose. He died that we might live. It adds a whole different light to communion, particularly when we have bonded to Him in a daily pursuit of His glory. It reminds us of His great love. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Like many families when I was a kid, we raised many things. At one time or another we had a cat a dog, a covey of rabbits, a parakeet, a hamster, and a variety of fish. But I will never forget raising a bunch of roosters. We bought them as chicks from Stillwater Hatchery. We raised them to the right size and age to eat. Mom was really good at killing those guys. I suppose that I could tell a story or two here, but I will spare you. But one of the things I remember was that having raised the roosters, it put a new light on eating chicken, especially those chickens. One of the roosters I had named Crooked Finger because he had a crooked toe. As we ate the fowl, I often wondered, "Is this Crooked Finger?" Somehow that chicken meat didn't taste quite as good to me as the chicken purchased at the grocery store. (Oh in case you are wondering, we didn't eat our other animals. Just thought you ought to know.)
The Passover meal had been celebrated for over 1470 years by the Jewish people by the time of Jesus' death. Oh sure, there were generations of the nation where the feast was almost lost, but God was the one who initiated the feast, and He always brought back a revival of it. Understanding the Passover is central to understanding the Bible and the whole earthly ministry of Jesus, the Christ. Exodus 12 gives the instructions for how the original Passover was to be carried out. On the tenth day of the first month of the Jewish calendar, each family was to select one lamb. It was to be a lamb without blemish. They essentially lived with the lamb until the 14th day of the month. At twilight they were to slay the lamb, to put blood on the doorposts and lintel, to roast the lamb, and to eat it. All who participated in this event would be spared the visit of the Death Angel that night.
I think selecting the lamb 4 days before slaying it did more than just make sure it was a lamb without blemish. I think it reinforced the whole idea that this innocent being was dying in your place and you could live only by consuming it. Chickens are not the brightest of animals, but they certainly are not as cuddly as a lamb. Was there any emotional bonding between the people and the sacrificial lamb? Who knows! But I suspect there was some.
Jesus makes it very clear to the disciples that He is the central figure in the Passover meal. Covenants at the time of Moses were sealed with a meal. The Passover meal was the covenant meal between God and Israel. He was calling them out of Egypt, calling them out of bondage. But Israel was unable to keep the commands of the covenant. Because of their inability to obey, Jeremiah, at the destruction of Israel, promised a New Covenant which Israel would be able to keep.
Jesus says that His body is the New Covenant through which we are spared the visit of the death angel and given the ability to obey Him. It is one thing to know of Him sacrificing His body for me. It is entirely another to know Him and consider that it was for me that He literally chose to die in my place. The chickens and the lambs didn't have a choice in the matter. He chose to die knowing full well what He was doing. That is part of His glory. He knew. He chose. He died that we might live. It adds a whole different light to communion, particularly when we have bonded to Him in a daily pursuit of His glory. It reminds us of His great love. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Saturday, March 13, 2010
March 13, 2020
Exodus 24
Have you ever wanted to have dinner on the grounds with God? Sounds pretty cool, does it not? Can you imagine sitting on the mountainside eating and drinking while God reveals Himself in some form nearby? If you were going to describe to others what God looked like, would the only description be that under where His feet were looked like paved work of sapphire stone? Could it be that they do not describe what God looked like because they couldn’t? Perhaps all they saw was just a cloud of glory, maybe a brightness of representation that let them know He was there. After all, the Apostle John told us twice that no one has seen God at any time. So what did they see? Whatever they saw, the only thing they described was where His feet were.
I wasn’t sure I knew exactly what a sapphire was or looked like, so I went to the internet. A sapphire is generally a blue gem stone, aluminum oxide Al2O3, but it can be other colors depending on what other minerals are mixed with it. When it is red, we call it a ruby. My high school class ring has a blue stone in it. I am not sure if it is a sapphire, but it sure is pretty. So were all the sapphires on the internet.
Once in high school I was attending Falls Creek Youth Camp. It was my last year to attend as a student. I had been attending every year since I was 13. I was sitting with my chin on my hands when I saw a reflection in one of the facets of the stone of my class ring. It was a reflection of three crosses on a hill far behind me. I had never been aware of the crosses before, so it startled me when I saw them. Do you suppose that the reason they mention the sapphire pavement is because it gave a reflection of what God looked like? Maybe even the reflection was full of glory that is indescribable much like the joy which comes from Him, which is unspeakable. Sometimes His presence is like that. He is there all along, but He moves in a special way, and suddenly we see Him in a way that we had missed for years.
How did that sapphire pavement work? Did it move as He moved? Surely He didn’t just stay in one spot during the whole meal. Did the ground or rock below Him just suddenly turn a lovely shiny blue with cut facets and joints like pavement as his glory moved above it? When He moved on, did the ground remain for a little while like sapphire pavement, or did it instantly return to its old drab self. His glory is like that. We are drab and lifeless, and then He shows up. Suddenly life is full of color. There is a vivacious, vibrant color and beauty in life that just wasn’t there before, and it wasn’t there before we were aware of His presence. Those who are far away see the reflection of His glory in us for we have become living stones reflecting His glory. Does it startle those who have never seen it before?
Then Moses and Joshua are invited by God to go up on the mountain with God. Of course they take God up on His offer. Moses instructs the others to wait for Him. As Moses & Joshua ascend into the cloud of glory that covered the mountain top, they disappeared. They took on the appearance of fire as the ascended. What do you think Aaron, his sons and the 70 elders thought as they beheld the sight. How long do you think they hung around? Forty days is a long time. Since Moses and Joshua ascended into a cloud of fire, do you think the elders thought they were consumed by God? Sounds scary to me. But then, experiencing the glory of God is a fearful thing. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Mark 13:21-37
One of my favorite pictures of space can be viewed at http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/astro/hst_deep_field.jpg The caption tells that it is a narrow "keyhole" of deep space. The image covers a speck of sky 1/30th the diameter of the full Moon as seen from the earth. This is so narrow! Only a few foreground stars in our Milky Way galaxy are visible and are vastly outnumbered by the menagerie of far more distant galaxies. The galaxies are nearly four billion times fainter than the limits of human vision. The field is a very small sample of sky area. It contains hundreds of galaxies. Each galaxy contains billions of stars. Yet this small speck is typical of the distribution of galaxies in space. Our Lord created each of these galaxies and stars and He calls them all by name. I cannot get my mind around the immensity of the universe much less the immensity of my Lord who created and knows it all.
It amazes me that people can believe that Christ has returned. When He comes, the powers of heaven will be shaken. His glory will exceed that of the heavens. It will be unmistakable. We are given two clear commands until His return, preach the Gospel and watch! Our Master is coming. His glory far exceeds that of the heavens. Knowing His glory is more than enough motivation to preach the Gospel. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
Have you ever wanted to have dinner on the grounds with God? Sounds pretty cool, does it not? Can you imagine sitting on the mountainside eating and drinking while God reveals Himself in some form nearby? If you were going to describe to others what God looked like, would the only description be that under where His feet were looked like paved work of sapphire stone? Could it be that they do not describe what God looked like because they couldn’t? Perhaps all they saw was just a cloud of glory, maybe a brightness of representation that let them know He was there. After all, the Apostle John told us twice that no one has seen God at any time. So what did they see? Whatever they saw, the only thing they described was where His feet were.
I wasn’t sure I knew exactly what a sapphire was or looked like, so I went to the internet. A sapphire is generally a blue gem stone, aluminum oxide Al2O3, but it can be other colors depending on what other minerals are mixed with it. When it is red, we call it a ruby. My high school class ring has a blue stone in it. I am not sure if it is a sapphire, but it sure is pretty. So were all the sapphires on the internet.
Once in high school I was attending Falls Creek Youth Camp. It was my last year to attend as a student. I had been attending every year since I was 13. I was sitting with my chin on my hands when I saw a reflection in one of the facets of the stone of my class ring. It was a reflection of three crosses on a hill far behind me. I had never been aware of the crosses before, so it startled me when I saw them. Do you suppose that the reason they mention the sapphire pavement is because it gave a reflection of what God looked like? Maybe even the reflection was full of glory that is indescribable much like the joy which comes from Him, which is unspeakable. Sometimes His presence is like that. He is there all along, but He moves in a special way, and suddenly we see Him in a way that we had missed for years.
How did that sapphire pavement work? Did it move as He moved? Surely He didn’t just stay in one spot during the whole meal. Did the ground or rock below Him just suddenly turn a lovely shiny blue with cut facets and joints like pavement as his glory moved above it? When He moved on, did the ground remain for a little while like sapphire pavement, or did it instantly return to its old drab self. His glory is like that. We are drab and lifeless, and then He shows up. Suddenly life is full of color. There is a vivacious, vibrant color and beauty in life that just wasn’t there before, and it wasn’t there before we were aware of His presence. Those who are far away see the reflection of His glory in us for we have become living stones reflecting His glory. Does it startle those who have never seen it before?
Then Moses and Joshua are invited by God to go up on the mountain with God. Of course they take God up on His offer. Moses instructs the others to wait for Him. As Moses & Joshua ascend into the cloud of glory that covered the mountain top, they disappeared. They took on the appearance of fire as the ascended. What do you think Aaron, his sons and the 70 elders thought as they beheld the sight. How long do you think they hung around? Forty days is a long time. Since Moses and Joshua ascended into a cloud of fire, do you think the elders thought they were consumed by God? Sounds scary to me. But then, experiencing the glory of God is a fearful thing. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Mark 13:21-37
One of my favorite pictures of space can be viewed at http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/astro/hst_deep_field.jpg The caption tells that it is a narrow "keyhole" of deep space. The image covers a speck of sky 1/30th the diameter of the full Moon as seen from the earth. This is so narrow! Only a few foreground stars in our Milky Way galaxy are visible and are vastly outnumbered by the menagerie of far more distant galaxies. The galaxies are nearly four billion times fainter than the limits of human vision. The field is a very small sample of sky area. It contains hundreds of galaxies. Each galaxy contains billions of stars. Yet this small speck is typical of the distribution of galaxies in space. Our Lord created each of these galaxies and stars and He calls them all by name. I cannot get my mind around the immensity of the universe much less the immensity of my Lord who created and knows it all.
It amazes me that people can believe that Christ has returned. When He comes, the powers of heaven will be shaken. His glory will exceed that of the heavens. It will be unmistakable. We are given two clear commands until His return, preach the Gospel and watch! Our Master is coming. His glory far exceeds that of the heavens. Knowing His glory is more than enough motivation to preach the Gospel. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
Friday, March 12, 2010
March 12, 2010
Exodus 23
Our mayor and one city councilman have been in the news a whole lot over the last six months. If you are from Stillwater, unless your head is buried in the sand, you are aware of the accusations that are flying between them. The mudslinging has been so great that it has resulted in a successful recall petition for the mayor and possibly for the city council member. Both men categorically deny that the charges brought against them are true. Most of us sit back shaking our heads and groaning. What a waste of time and effort and good talent. We wonder what would happen if the same amount of effort went into solving our cities problems as goes into mudslinging. I guess this demonstrates the truth of Proverbs 29:2: When the godly are in authority, the people rejoice. But when the wicked are in power, they groan.
In this instance I am not even sure that I am going to try to sort out the truth. Obviously somebody, if not both parties, is circulating a false report. It is possible that one of them is totally innocent. Hmm. . . Can we really know if either party is telling the truth? This one thing I know. I can be responsible for myself. I will determine that I will not pass along false reports. I will choose to not cooperate with evil people by telling lies on the witness stand. I will keep myself from joining a crowd that intends to do evil. When it comes to speaking, I will not be swayed in my testimony by the opinion of the majority. If in the pursuit of doing and saying what is right, I am slandered, then I will determine to love the one who slandered me. If I find my slanderer in trouble, I will help him. I will not waste time trying to subvert my slanderer’s progress, but I will take rest. I will spend a little time each day and at least one day a week focusing upon the One who gives me rest.
Why will I do this? I will do this because the One who created me is Truth. He will have nothing to do with falsehood. The One who created me is love. He will not have me hate those whom He loves. The One who created me rests. When I have done what He wants me to do, I have time for rest—no matter what anyone else demands of me. I determine to do these things because the One who created me demands obedience. I fear Him and seek to obey Him. Why? I do it because of His glory. He is true, just, love, rest and demands my obedience. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Mark 13:1-20
A couple of years ago while attending our District Conference, we were able to get some free tickets to go tour the Biltmore Estate which was only about 20 miles away. Normally the tickets are in the neighborhood of $38.00 each. So, we jumped at the chance to go. For those of you who do not know, the Biltmore, America’s largest house, was built by one of the richest families in the USA shortly before the turn of the 20th Century. Its opulence is simply stunning. It was built as a summer home in the mountains of North Carolina near Ashville. The master bedroom is bigger than my house. The house includes a swimming pool, bowling alley and gymnasium. The estate was amazing. It made me marvel. I received a taste of what it was like for the disciples when they visited Herod’s temple in Jerusalem.
When we looked at the parallel passage of Matthew 24, we saw the glory of the temple buildings. But Jesus desires that we gaze at a different type of glory. That is why He gives this instruction about His second coming. We desire to live in the glorious temples that are full of beauty. After all, did not Jesus say, “I have come that they might have life and that they may have it more abundantly.” If we define abundant life as the material goods one might posses or the good living situations and relationships into which one may enter, then the disciple of Jesus ought to focus on living in glorious temples. But Jesus has made it clear that life does not consist in the abundance of the things one possesses. It is difficult to embrace that concept day after day, week after week month after month, year after year. But it is nonetheless needful.
The glory of the Lord reveals itself not in buildings but in changing sinful creatures to people who reflect the high moral quality of the Lord. That change is only revealed in adverse circumstances. In the midst of adverse circumstances one who wants to live in the Biltmore will quit. One day the loss of all beautiful buildings will come. Along with it will come the loss of secure nations, security from tsunamis, hurricanes, tornadoes, droughts etc. But in the midst of it all, the Gospel will still go forward, preached by those who don’t focus on the beautiful buildings but rather focus on their beautiful Lord. Now that is glory! Some people have so fallen in love with their Beautiful Lord that they give up the ‘Biltmore’ to proclaim His glory! Not only will they give up the Biltmore, but they will endure war, disaster and martyrdom for Him. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Our mayor and one city councilman have been in the news a whole lot over the last six months. If you are from Stillwater, unless your head is buried in the sand, you are aware of the accusations that are flying between them. The mudslinging has been so great that it has resulted in a successful recall petition for the mayor and possibly for the city council member. Both men categorically deny that the charges brought against them are true. Most of us sit back shaking our heads and groaning. What a waste of time and effort and good talent. We wonder what would happen if the same amount of effort went into solving our cities problems as goes into mudslinging. I guess this demonstrates the truth of Proverbs 29:2: When the godly are in authority, the people rejoice. But when the wicked are in power, they groan.
In this instance I am not even sure that I am going to try to sort out the truth. Obviously somebody, if not both parties, is circulating a false report. It is possible that one of them is totally innocent. Hmm. . . Can we really know if either party is telling the truth? This one thing I know. I can be responsible for myself. I will determine that I will not pass along false reports. I will choose to not cooperate with evil people by telling lies on the witness stand. I will keep myself from joining a crowd that intends to do evil. When it comes to speaking, I will not be swayed in my testimony by the opinion of the majority. If in the pursuit of doing and saying what is right, I am slandered, then I will determine to love the one who slandered me. If I find my slanderer in trouble, I will help him. I will not waste time trying to subvert my slanderer’s progress, but I will take rest. I will spend a little time each day and at least one day a week focusing upon the One who gives me rest.
Why will I do this? I will do this because the One who created me is Truth. He will have nothing to do with falsehood. The One who created me is love. He will not have me hate those whom He loves. The One who created me rests. When I have done what He wants me to do, I have time for rest—no matter what anyone else demands of me. I determine to do these things because the One who created me demands obedience. I fear Him and seek to obey Him. Why? I do it because of His glory. He is true, just, love, rest and demands my obedience. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Mark 13:1-20
A couple of years ago while attending our District Conference, we were able to get some free tickets to go tour the Biltmore Estate which was only about 20 miles away. Normally the tickets are in the neighborhood of $38.00 each. So, we jumped at the chance to go. For those of you who do not know, the Biltmore, America’s largest house, was built by one of the richest families in the USA shortly before the turn of the 20th Century. Its opulence is simply stunning. It was built as a summer home in the mountains of North Carolina near Ashville. The master bedroom is bigger than my house. The house includes a swimming pool, bowling alley and gymnasium. The estate was amazing. It made me marvel. I received a taste of what it was like for the disciples when they visited Herod’s temple in Jerusalem.
When we looked at the parallel passage of Matthew 24, we saw the glory of the temple buildings. But Jesus desires that we gaze at a different type of glory. That is why He gives this instruction about His second coming. We desire to live in the glorious temples that are full of beauty. After all, did not Jesus say, “I have come that they might have life and that they may have it more abundantly.” If we define abundant life as the material goods one might posses or the good living situations and relationships into which one may enter, then the disciple of Jesus ought to focus on living in glorious temples. But Jesus has made it clear that life does not consist in the abundance of the things one possesses. It is difficult to embrace that concept day after day, week after week month after month, year after year. But it is nonetheless needful.
The glory of the Lord reveals itself not in buildings but in changing sinful creatures to people who reflect the high moral quality of the Lord. That change is only revealed in adverse circumstances. In the midst of adverse circumstances one who wants to live in the Biltmore will quit. One day the loss of all beautiful buildings will come. Along with it will come the loss of secure nations, security from tsunamis, hurricanes, tornadoes, droughts etc. But in the midst of it all, the Gospel will still go forward, preached by those who don’t focus on the beautiful buildings but rather focus on their beautiful Lord. Now that is glory! Some people have so fallen in love with their Beautiful Lord that they give up the ‘Biltmore’ to proclaim His glory! Not only will they give up the Biltmore, but they will endure war, disaster and martyrdom for Him. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Thursday, March 11, 2010
March 11, 2010
Exodus 22
Much is being said about our health care system today. No matter where you fall in the debate on health care and how much the government should be involved, one thing we can all agree on is that in an ideal world we want everyone to have equal access to health care. The problem is that we do not live in an ideal world. We all want equal access to health care until it begins to reduce my pocketbook to the extent that I would have to lower my standard of living. It is easier to talk about taxing those who make more than I do, rather than see it as my responsibility to help others. Numerous studies suggest that the more unequal the income distribution in a country, state, or city, the lower the life expectancies for people at all income levels. Some social commentators have suggested that having a greater income gap between rich and poor reduces the willingness of the rich to help. (Well, duh. . . isn’t that human nature?) They further argue that the higher the income gap, the less social cohesion exists in a community. This produces social isolation. Social isolation is known to be a health risk factor.
Maybe we are approaching this all wrong. Rather than trying to solve the problem with government intervention by mandating certain economic interventions, maybe we should be focusing upon our hearts. What motivates a society to seek more social cohesion, less economic disparity? I think the record shows that it is not government intervention that leads the way. Rather, it is government intervention that happens when the hearts of a large number of its governed are changed. How do we change hearts? I think it only happens when we continually spend time gazing at the heart of God. How does gazing at the heart of God change us?
Look at these verses found in today’s passage.
5“If a man causes a field or vineyard to be grazed, and lets loose his animal, and it feeds in another man’s field, he shall make restitution from the best of his own field and the best of his own vineyard.
21“You shall neither mistreat a stranger nor oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
22“You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child. 23“If you afflict them in any way, and they cry at all to Me, I will surely hear their cry; 24“and My wrath will become hot, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.
25“If you lend money to any of My people who are poor among you, you shall not be like a moneylender to him; you shall not charge him interest.
Several times in this passage, which deals with civil law, the principle of restitution is mentioned. What does this tell us about the heart of God? Israel was not to oppress a stranger. What does this tell us about the heart of God? Israel was not to afflict a widow or an orphan, lest His wrath become hot. What does this tell us of the heart of God? Israelites were not to lend money at interest to fellow Israelites. What does this tell us of the heart of God? He is a God who desires that we live at peace with each other. He desires that will live with justice and mercy toward each other. He has a special heart for the helpless. He is angry when we take advantage of the helpless. Isn’t that fantastic? Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Mark 12:28-44
I have five children, four sons and a daughter. One of the principles that Laura and I have tried to live by in child raising is that they should always treat us with respect. Blatant, premeditated willful disrespect has always been a spanking offense. The commandment to honor your father and mother is the first commandment with a promise. We desire that they should enjoy that promise. But even though we have trained them to give us that respect, I would never ever expect them to call me, 'lord.' That would be weird. 'Sir,' yes, I expect that at times. But in my mind, 'lord' is reserved only for God. And you had also better believe that my children will probably never hear me call them, 'lord,' except in jest. That would be just . . . unnatural. Likewise, I will never hear my parents call me, 'lord.' That would be just . . . wrong.
Jesus had endured a barrage of trick questions from the religious leaders in their efforts to discredit Him. He masterfully answered each and everyone. The last one was probably not so much a trick question as just plain curiosity as to how Jesus would answer, "Which is the first commandment of all?" The first commandment is to love Yahweh, your God, with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. The second is to love your neighbor as yourself. Check the Law out. If we could completely fulfill those two commandments, we wouldn't need any others. Jesus answered beautifully and everyone knew it.
Now it was time for Him to point out their lack. He asks them a simple question. In Psalm 110:1 when David says, "The Lord (Yahweh) said to my lord, 'Sit at my right hand. . . '" It was commonly understood by the rabbis that this Psalm referred to the Messiah, who would be a descendant of David. How can David call Him 'lord?' That would be like a parent kneeling before a child and calling him lord. If that descendant is more than human then it might be acceptable. If that descendant were God and human, it would be required. Moreover if He were God and man it would be required to love Him with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.
Like the Scribes our problem it that we often want others to recognize us for having fulfilled the law's demands without having truly met them. We want to throw a few dollars at the church and have everyone think, "Wow, they really love God. Look how much they give to Him." Or we pray and want everyone to think, "Wow, that was a beautiful prayer. They must really love God."
Jesus was sitting in the temple seeing the widow quietly give all that she had in the offering box. Nobody else really cared. After all, what difference will a few cents make? He was probably the only one who noticed. But He noticed what was important. She gave all she had. She loved the Lord, her God, with all that she was and had. She was calling Him, 'Lord' by her heart and her actions. The scribes only wanted the attention of people. Jesus, the Messiah, is LORD! He is worthy of all our love, heart, soul, mind, strength, not just a façade for others to see but the real thing that only He sees. Yes, He is the Son of David and David, by the Holy Spirit called Him, "Lord." And it is right and proper because He is the God-Man! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Much is being said about our health care system today. No matter where you fall in the debate on health care and how much the government should be involved, one thing we can all agree on is that in an ideal world we want everyone to have equal access to health care. The problem is that we do not live in an ideal world. We all want equal access to health care until it begins to reduce my pocketbook to the extent that I would have to lower my standard of living. It is easier to talk about taxing those who make more than I do, rather than see it as my responsibility to help others. Numerous studies suggest that the more unequal the income distribution in a country, state, or city, the lower the life expectancies for people at all income levels. Some social commentators have suggested that having a greater income gap between rich and poor reduces the willingness of the rich to help. (Well, duh. . . isn’t that human nature?) They further argue that the higher the income gap, the less social cohesion exists in a community. This produces social isolation. Social isolation is known to be a health risk factor.
Maybe we are approaching this all wrong. Rather than trying to solve the problem with government intervention by mandating certain economic interventions, maybe we should be focusing upon our hearts. What motivates a society to seek more social cohesion, less economic disparity? I think the record shows that it is not government intervention that leads the way. Rather, it is government intervention that happens when the hearts of a large number of its governed are changed. How do we change hearts? I think it only happens when we continually spend time gazing at the heart of God. How does gazing at the heart of God change us?
Look at these verses found in today’s passage.
5“If a man causes a field or vineyard to be grazed, and lets loose his animal, and it feeds in another man’s field, he shall make restitution from the best of his own field and the best of his own vineyard.
21“You shall neither mistreat a stranger nor oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
22“You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child. 23“If you afflict them in any way, and they cry at all to Me, I will surely hear their cry; 24“and My wrath will become hot, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.
25“If you lend money to any of My people who are poor among you, you shall not be like a moneylender to him; you shall not charge him interest.
Several times in this passage, which deals with civil law, the principle of restitution is mentioned. What does this tell us about the heart of God? Israel was not to oppress a stranger. What does this tell us about the heart of God? Israel was not to afflict a widow or an orphan, lest His wrath become hot. What does this tell us of the heart of God? Israelites were not to lend money at interest to fellow Israelites. What does this tell us of the heart of God? He is a God who desires that we live at peace with each other. He desires that will live with justice and mercy toward each other. He has a special heart for the helpless. He is angry when we take advantage of the helpless. Isn’t that fantastic? Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Mark 12:28-44
I have five children, four sons and a daughter. One of the principles that Laura and I have tried to live by in child raising is that they should always treat us with respect. Blatant, premeditated willful disrespect has always been a spanking offense. The commandment to honor your father and mother is the first commandment with a promise. We desire that they should enjoy that promise. But even though we have trained them to give us that respect, I would never ever expect them to call me, 'lord.' That would be weird. 'Sir,' yes, I expect that at times. But in my mind, 'lord' is reserved only for God. And you had also better believe that my children will probably never hear me call them, 'lord,' except in jest. That would be just . . . unnatural. Likewise, I will never hear my parents call me, 'lord.' That would be just . . . wrong.
Jesus had endured a barrage of trick questions from the religious leaders in their efforts to discredit Him. He masterfully answered each and everyone. The last one was probably not so much a trick question as just plain curiosity as to how Jesus would answer, "Which is the first commandment of all?" The first commandment is to love Yahweh, your God, with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. The second is to love your neighbor as yourself. Check the Law out. If we could completely fulfill those two commandments, we wouldn't need any others. Jesus answered beautifully and everyone knew it.
Now it was time for Him to point out their lack. He asks them a simple question. In Psalm 110:1 when David says, "The Lord (Yahweh) said to my lord, 'Sit at my right hand. . . '" It was commonly understood by the rabbis that this Psalm referred to the Messiah, who would be a descendant of David. How can David call Him 'lord?' That would be like a parent kneeling before a child and calling him lord. If that descendant is more than human then it might be acceptable. If that descendant were God and human, it would be required. Moreover if He were God and man it would be required to love Him with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.
Like the Scribes our problem it that we often want others to recognize us for having fulfilled the law's demands without having truly met them. We want to throw a few dollars at the church and have everyone think, "Wow, they really love God. Look how much they give to Him." Or we pray and want everyone to think, "Wow, that was a beautiful prayer. They must really love God."
Jesus was sitting in the temple seeing the widow quietly give all that she had in the offering box. Nobody else really cared. After all, what difference will a few cents make? He was probably the only one who noticed. But He noticed what was important. She gave all she had. She loved the Lord, her God, with all that she was and had. She was calling Him, 'Lord' by her heart and her actions. The scribes only wanted the attention of people. Jesus, the Messiah, is LORD! He is worthy of all our love, heart, soul, mind, strength, not just a façade for others to see but the real thing that only He sees. Yes, He is the Son of David and David, by the Holy Spirit called Him, "Lord." And it is right and proper because He is the God-Man! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)