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