Deuteronomy 4
David Barton of Wall Builders has very convincingly demonstrated that the founding fathers of the USA based much of their concepts of government and the formation of our constitution upon principles of Scripture. While my son was serving Iraq, he developed a relationship with the interpreter assigned to his unit. His interpreter was very impressed with the way our government was established. He asked Brice for some books on the history and founding of our country. We were able to send him some of David Barton’s books on government. What would cause such a man to desire to learn more about our country, a country which many of his religion have called America, “the great Satan?” What is attractive about America?
Although I cannot find the source, the following quote is generally attributed to French political philosopher and historian de Tocqueville (about 1835):
I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers, and it was not there…in her fertile fields and boundless forests, and it was not there…in her rich mines and her vast world commerce, and it was not there…in her democratic Congress and her matchless Constitution, and it was not there. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because America is good; and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.
Whether or not he said or wrote it, it is still a great statement, filled with some truth. Its truth is found in the Scripture. The principle is found in what God promised to the nation of Israel that their admirers would say of them.
7“For what great nation is there that has God so near to it, as the Lord our God is to us, for whatever reason we may call upon Him? 8“And what great nation is there that has such statutes and righteous judgments as are in all this law which I set before you this day?
While this is a promise to the Nation of Israel and not the USA, the principle is there. When we follow His righteous judgments, life goes well for us. That is part of His glory. If you do the principles, they work whether you believe the principle giver or not. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
John 12:1-26
We come to John’s account of the triumphal entry. Can you imagine the thrill the disciples had as they approached Jerusalem. Thousands of people were streaming out to welcome Jesus! They were quoting part, Psalm 118:25, 26, of the Hallel which indicates they believed Him to be the Messiah, the Christ. Surely this fueled the thoughts of the twelve that the Messianic kingdom was about to be established. The exhilaration of the moment must have been overpowering! It is interesting that John introduces it with Mary anointing Jesus’ feet. Jesus announces that she has done it for His burial.
John tells us of the plot to kill Lazarus. Amazing isn’t it? Some people can have all the evidence in the world in front of them, but if it does not fit their world view, they will not believe. So it is with those who sought to kill Lazarus and would eventually kill Jesus. So John introduces the Triumphal entry with warnings and plots of death and he concludes the telling with Jesus’ admonition that it was now time to for Him to be glorified. Now had I been a disciple then and heard that statement, my natural reaction would have been, "Wow! He has presented Himself as King, as Messiah! The Kingdom will begin soon. What else could He mean that the Son of Man was going to be glorified. And I am going to be in His cabinet!"
But the glory that Jesus spoke of did not include an immediate earthly coronation nor an immediate visible kingdom. Yes the apostles would serve in His cabinet. But no, it would not involve high level affairs of state meetings in grand palaces such as king Herod's palace. Glory meant dying. Jesus' glory meant their following Him into death to grand visions of importance and palaces so that they might serve others. Jesus' glory was first the cross then the resurrection. Someday His glory will come to earth in its fullness. But right now His glory is the cross and the resurrection. Our glory is to follow Him there! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Monday, May 31, 2010
May 30, 2010
May 30 John 11:28-57
Have you ever had disappointment with God? Sure you have. You thought the Lord's glory was such that He would intervene in a certain way if you requested Him to intervene. Then He did not intervene. What happened? For some, the disappointment is so great that they walk away from the situation in disbelief. Mary and Martha were disappointed in Jesus. They had sent to Him for help when their brother Lazarus was sick and dying. Jesus delayed. Lazarus died. Mary expressed her disappointment with Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died." It’s your fault God! If, if, if, if!!!
Jesus was not untouched by the emotion. Verse 35, the shortest verse in the Bible, says, "Jesus wept." Why did Jesus cry? After all, He had purposely delayed so that Lazarus could die. I think there are various reasons why Jesus cried:
1. He was pained by the fact that even His closest friends could not see beyond the terror of the moment and grasp His glory.
2. He really felt the agony of Mary and Martha as they mourned the deep loss of their brother.
3. He mourned that He was going to have to call Lazarus, His friend, back out of paradise into this world of pain. He knew that Lazarus would have to travel through the experience of dying one more time.
4. He cried for joy knowing that they would have opportunity to learn that He could raise them from the dead.
So, there are at least 4 reasons why Jesus wept. I think they were all part of this deeply emotional moment. Our Lord is deeply emotional. Have you ever thought of Him as having strong emotions and that those emotions are part of His glory? I tend to think of Him as a very stoic--what will be will be. But Jesus was alive with emotions. No, they did not over rule His intellect or His spirit but He felt strongly what He felt. The next time you are grieving over a loved one, remember He grieves for your loss probably more strongly than you do. But He also knows the joy that person is experiencing-if they knew Him. He simultaneously rejoices with them as He grieves for you. He strongly desires that you to see His glory in this situation. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
Have you ever had disappointment with God? Sure you have. You thought the Lord's glory was such that He would intervene in a certain way if you requested Him to intervene. Then He did not intervene. What happened? For some, the disappointment is so great that they walk away from the situation in disbelief. Mary and Martha were disappointed in Jesus. They had sent to Him for help when their brother Lazarus was sick and dying. Jesus delayed. Lazarus died. Mary expressed her disappointment with Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died." It’s your fault God! If, if, if, if!!!
Jesus was not untouched by the emotion. Verse 35, the shortest verse in the Bible, says, "Jesus wept." Why did Jesus cry? After all, He had purposely delayed so that Lazarus could die. I think there are various reasons why Jesus cried:
1. He was pained by the fact that even His closest friends could not see beyond the terror of the moment and grasp His glory.
2. He really felt the agony of Mary and Martha as they mourned the deep loss of their brother.
3. He mourned that He was going to have to call Lazarus, His friend, back out of paradise into this world of pain. He knew that Lazarus would have to travel through the experience of dying one more time.
4. He cried for joy knowing that they would have opportunity to learn that He could raise them from the dead.
So, there are at least 4 reasons why Jesus wept. I think they were all part of this deeply emotional moment. Our Lord is deeply emotional. Have you ever thought of Him as having strong emotions and that those emotions are part of His glory? I tend to think of Him as a very stoic--what will be will be. But Jesus was alive with emotions. No, they did not over rule His intellect or His spirit but He felt strongly what He felt. The next time you are grieving over a loved one, remember He grieves for your loss probably more strongly than you do. But He also knows the joy that person is experiencing-if they knew Him. He simultaneously rejoices with them as He grieves for you. He strongly desires that you to see His glory in this situation. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
May 29, 2010
May 29 John 11:1-27
I have had both the privilege and the burden of preaching at funerals. It is a high privilege to preach the funeral of a godly saint who has gone on into the presence of the Lord. They have preceded us into the land of the truly living. Our world is alive and wondrous indeed but it is also at the same time dead and horrible. In the presence of the Lord is true life, life that pulsates, throbs, thrives and is unending. He is life in itself. To know Him is to live. So when a believer dies, it is nothing less than a graduation into greater life and really so much more than we can imagine.
Jesus said, “Whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.” Yet, every person who has believed in Him has died. What is he talking about? Obviously He is talking about the final resurrection. He is the resurrection and the life. We have this sure promise. This life is only a prelude to life. Or maybe I should say, “This death is only a prelude to life.” For those who know Him we will one day enter into life that makes this one pale in comparison. It will be better than any thing that we could have imagined. It will be because He is the resurrection and the life.
I have also had the burden of preaching at funerals. It is extremely difficult to preach at a funeral when you cannot honestly tell the mourners, “This person is in heaven enjoying the resurrection life of the Lord Jesus Christ.” Where is the glory of Jesus here? The Father has given all judgment to the Son. The Son is glorified in that He will be the judge of those who refused to believe in Him. He is always just. He is always fair. He will glorify Himself in that judgment. And yes there will be those to whom He will say, “Depart from Me. I never knew you.” He will raise those who refuse to believe in Him to go where they have chosen to go—eternally separated from Him. He is just in sending them where they have chosen to go. The glory of Jesus is that He is merciful and just to us all, all of the time. Now that is glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
I have had both the privilege and the burden of preaching at funerals. It is a high privilege to preach the funeral of a godly saint who has gone on into the presence of the Lord. They have preceded us into the land of the truly living. Our world is alive and wondrous indeed but it is also at the same time dead and horrible. In the presence of the Lord is true life, life that pulsates, throbs, thrives and is unending. He is life in itself. To know Him is to live. So when a believer dies, it is nothing less than a graduation into greater life and really so much more than we can imagine.
Jesus said, “Whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.” Yet, every person who has believed in Him has died. What is he talking about? Obviously He is talking about the final resurrection. He is the resurrection and the life. We have this sure promise. This life is only a prelude to life. Or maybe I should say, “This death is only a prelude to life.” For those who know Him we will one day enter into life that makes this one pale in comparison. It will be better than any thing that we could have imagined. It will be because He is the resurrection and the life.
I have also had the burden of preaching at funerals. It is extremely difficult to preach at a funeral when you cannot honestly tell the mourners, “This person is in heaven enjoying the resurrection life of the Lord Jesus Christ.” Where is the glory of Jesus here? The Father has given all judgment to the Son. The Son is glorified in that He will be the judge of those who refused to believe in Him. He is always just. He is always fair. He will glorify Himself in that judgment. And yes there will be those to whom He will say, “Depart from Me. I never knew you.” He will raise those who refuse to believe in Him to go where they have chosen to go—eternally separated from Him. He is just in sending them where they have chosen to go. The glory of Jesus is that He is merciful and just to us all, all of the time. Now that is glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
Friday, May 28, 2010
May 28, 2010
May 28, 2010 Deuteronomy 1
“I alone am not able to bear you.” As Moses was recounting the administrative and leadership problems of leading 2million+ people, we are reminded of a time when the strain of leadership was more than he could bear. Are there times in your lives when you feel stretched like a rubber band? Do the limits of your abilities feel like they are being squashed by the preponderance of demands weighing upon you? From the testimony of Moses, the Lord provided help for him so that he was able to bear it. His glory includes His provision such that when we are being squashed by our responsibilities or circumstances that He provides a way out. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
John 10:22-42
I was in McDonald’s with Liam the other day. A man was also there with his daughter who was about Liam’s age. While they played, the man began to express what was in his mind. As the conversation unfolded he began to talk about his niece who seemed to make one bad choice after another. He talked a lot about how some people’s problems are simply because they make one bad choice after another. I eventually waded in and said, “Have you ever made the choice to trust Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.”
He quickly replied, “Yes, but I am not religious.” Then he went on to explain what he meant by that. As he meandered on in his soliloquy, it became obvious to me, but not to him, that actually he was religious but had never made the choice to trust Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. By being not religious he meant that had a hard time believing the Bible and that Jesus Christ really was who He claimed to be and that He had risen from the dead. My thought is, “How can one trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior if you think He is a mere man and that He is still dead?” I don’t know about you but I wouldn’t trust a dead man to save me. That is the height of spiritual suicide. On the other hand, to be religious is to follow a certain path in the hope of obtaining right standing with God. This man felt that as long as he did what he thought was right that, if there was a God, that God would receive Him. Now that is religion!
Jesus makes some astonishing claims in today’s passage. He says, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” This man did not hear the voice of Jesus. He did not follow him. The glory of Jesus is that He does not leave us as orphans. When we trust Him as Lord and Savior, He gives us His Holy Spirit. Through the Holy Spirit and through the written Word of God, all those who have trusted Him can hear His voice. When we hear His voice, we follow Him. This does not necessarily mean that every step of every day we always follow Him. But rather it means that if we truly are His sheep, over the course of time we can look back and see that He has kept us in some kind of close proximity to Him. As wicked as my heart is, that is truly amazing.
Jesus says, “I and My Father are one.” You cannot get a better claim to Divinity than that. He uses the neuter pronoun for one rather than the masculine pronoun. The classical explanation for this is that Jesus is referring to the essence of the Father and the Son are the same, they are one. His claim is not to be in the person of the Father, otherwise He would have used the masculine pronoun and there would have been no room for the Trinity as we understand it. Had He used the masculine pronoun, Jesus would have been claiming to be the person of the Father. As it is, He is claiming to be God (one in essence) but different in person. This is the glory of Jesus, He is God.
Jesus calls us to believe on Him not only on the basis of His claims but also His works. He says, “Believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.” He is the one who turned water into wine. He demanded purity in worship. He discerned the hearts of men. He called the social pariah to Himself. He healed the Nobleman’s son. He healed the man who was infirm for 38 years. He fed five thousand with five loaves and two fish. He walked on the sea. He forced men to acknowledge their sin in front of the woman caught in adultery. He healed the man born blind. He raised Lazarus from the dead. But His greatest work was done upon the cross and in the resurrection. His resurrection was the sign, the work upon which He calls us to believe in Him. This is the glory of Jesus. He has defeated sin and death. He lives again to evermore intercede for us! Now that is glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
P.S. I wish I could say that I was able to introduce the man at McDonald’s to the Lord Jesus. But it was apparent that he was more interested in expressing his own thoughts than gazing upon the glory of Jesus. Let us not be that way.
“I alone am not able to bear you.” As Moses was recounting the administrative and leadership problems of leading 2million+ people, we are reminded of a time when the strain of leadership was more than he could bear. Are there times in your lives when you feel stretched like a rubber band? Do the limits of your abilities feel like they are being squashed by the preponderance of demands weighing upon you? From the testimony of Moses, the Lord provided help for him so that he was able to bear it. His glory includes His provision such that when we are being squashed by our responsibilities or circumstances that He provides a way out. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
John 10:22-42
I was in McDonald’s with Liam the other day. A man was also there with his daughter who was about Liam’s age. While they played, the man began to express what was in his mind. As the conversation unfolded he began to talk about his niece who seemed to make one bad choice after another. He talked a lot about how some people’s problems are simply because they make one bad choice after another. I eventually waded in and said, “Have you ever made the choice to trust Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.”
He quickly replied, “Yes, but I am not religious.” Then he went on to explain what he meant by that. As he meandered on in his soliloquy, it became obvious to me, but not to him, that actually he was religious but had never made the choice to trust Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. By being not religious he meant that had a hard time believing the Bible and that Jesus Christ really was who He claimed to be and that He had risen from the dead. My thought is, “How can one trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior if you think He is a mere man and that He is still dead?” I don’t know about you but I wouldn’t trust a dead man to save me. That is the height of spiritual suicide. On the other hand, to be religious is to follow a certain path in the hope of obtaining right standing with God. This man felt that as long as he did what he thought was right that, if there was a God, that God would receive Him. Now that is religion!
Jesus makes some astonishing claims in today’s passage. He says, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” This man did not hear the voice of Jesus. He did not follow him. The glory of Jesus is that He does not leave us as orphans. When we trust Him as Lord and Savior, He gives us His Holy Spirit. Through the Holy Spirit and through the written Word of God, all those who have trusted Him can hear His voice. When we hear His voice, we follow Him. This does not necessarily mean that every step of every day we always follow Him. But rather it means that if we truly are His sheep, over the course of time we can look back and see that He has kept us in some kind of close proximity to Him. As wicked as my heart is, that is truly amazing.
Jesus says, “I and My Father are one.” You cannot get a better claim to Divinity than that. He uses the neuter pronoun for one rather than the masculine pronoun. The classical explanation for this is that Jesus is referring to the essence of the Father and the Son are the same, they are one. His claim is not to be in the person of the Father, otherwise He would have used the masculine pronoun and there would have been no room for the Trinity as we understand it. Had He used the masculine pronoun, Jesus would have been claiming to be the person of the Father. As it is, He is claiming to be God (one in essence) but different in person. This is the glory of Jesus, He is God.
Jesus calls us to believe on Him not only on the basis of His claims but also His works. He says, “Believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.” He is the one who turned water into wine. He demanded purity in worship. He discerned the hearts of men. He called the social pariah to Himself. He healed the Nobleman’s son. He healed the man who was infirm for 38 years. He fed five thousand with five loaves and two fish. He walked on the sea. He forced men to acknowledge their sin in front of the woman caught in adultery. He healed the man born blind. He raised Lazarus from the dead. But His greatest work was done upon the cross and in the resurrection. His resurrection was the sign, the work upon which He calls us to believe in Him. This is the glory of Jesus. He has defeated sin and death. He lives again to evermore intercede for us! Now that is glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
P.S. I wish I could say that I was able to introduce the man at McDonald’s to the Lord Jesus. But it was apparent that he was more interested in expressing his own thoughts than gazing upon the glory of Jesus. Let us not be that way.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
May 27, 2010
John 10:1-21
Man, talk about switching gears in the middle of a conversation and using mixed metaphors! One moment Jesus is talking about light and sight, and the next moment He is talking about sheep and shepherds. That is just like the Lord. There is so much about Him that it spins the mind to keep up with Him. Those who step into His light and permit their sin to be burned away, He calls His sheep. He is the doorkeeper into the sheepfold. He is the shepherd. We are His property. He seeks to bring us abundant life. He knows us intimately. He lays down His life for us. He picks His life up again. Now that is power!
Everything that humans desire can be found in Him. We desire wealth. As the shepherd, He owns it all. We desire health. As the shepherd, He knows how to heal us. We desire life. As the Eternal shepherd, He both lays down His life and picks it up again and does the same for us. We desire intimacy with others. As the shepherd, He knows us and gives us the ability to come to know Him. We desire food. As the shepherd, He leads us through the dry land to green pastures. We desire security. As the shepherd, when we stay next to Him He protects us from our enemies. We desire power. As the shepherd, He has the power to raise us from the dead. Our last enemy that He will defeat is death. I cannot think of any greater power than to be able to raise a sinner from the dead--pure and undefiled.
I am fifty-five years old now. I can truly say that He is faithful in providing what I need. He is indeed the Good Shepherd. That is glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Man, talk about switching gears in the middle of a conversation and using mixed metaphors! One moment Jesus is talking about light and sight, and the next moment He is talking about sheep and shepherds. That is just like the Lord. There is so much about Him that it spins the mind to keep up with Him. Those who step into His light and permit their sin to be burned away, He calls His sheep. He is the doorkeeper into the sheepfold. He is the shepherd. We are His property. He seeks to bring us abundant life. He knows us intimately. He lays down His life for us. He picks His life up again. Now that is power!
Everything that humans desire can be found in Him. We desire wealth. As the shepherd, He owns it all. We desire health. As the shepherd, He knows how to heal us. We desire life. As the Eternal shepherd, He both lays down His life and picks it up again and does the same for us. We desire intimacy with others. As the shepherd, He knows us and gives us the ability to come to know Him. We desire food. As the shepherd, He leads us through the dry land to green pastures. We desire security. As the shepherd, when we stay next to Him He protects us from our enemies. We desire power. As the shepherd, He has the power to raise us from the dead. Our last enemy that He will defeat is death. I cannot think of any greater power than to be able to raise a sinner from the dead--pure and undefiled.
I am fifty-five years old now. I can truly say that He is faithful in providing what I need. He is indeed the Good Shepherd. That is glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
May 26, 2010
Numbers 35
Life is precious to our Lord. Since it is precious, when a life is taken, it is a very serious thing. Something must happen, but what if it is inadvertent? The Lord makes provision for that. But what about willful shedding of blood?
So you shall not pollute the land where you are; for blood defiles the land, and no atonement can be made for the land, for the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it. 34‘Therefore do not defile the land which you inhabit, in the midst of which I dwell; for I the Lord dwell among the children of Israel
That is scary when we consider the words of Jesus that if we hate our brother, it is equivalent to murder. But He made provision for it. He took our murder upon Himself and His innocent blood was shed in our place. Thus the land no longer cries out concerning our guilt. His blood satisfies the wrath of God. That is indeed amazing. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
John 9:24-41
We continue today with this theme of the blind who see spiritually and the physically sighted being blind. There is a famous quote of C.S. Lewis that runs something like this:
Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon; or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about him being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.
In our day and age, there are a lot of people who want to talk about how good Jesus was but will refuse to call Him Lord. Here is one of those Gospel stories where His claim to Deity is extremely obvious. Jesus makes it obvious as to who He is. The blind man is called to question by the council. He asks a question that I believe is half-honest and half-filled with sarcasm, "Do you also want to become His disciples?"
The council replies, "We do not know where this man is from."
The formerly blind man is incredulous. One thing is clear; Jesus is from God. Otherwise, He could do nothing. The council couldn't deal with the simple logic. So, they had the formerly blind man excommunicated. When Jesus heard what they had done, He immediately went and found the man. (There always seems to be that special place in Jesus' heart for those who are persecuted for His sake. As Stephen was being stoned to death, he saw Jesus standing in heaven. Usually visions of the throne room of God describe Jesus sitting on His throne; for Stephen, He stood.) For the blind man, Jesus revealed Himself to him. The Son of God came into the world to make the blind sighted and the sighted blind. The spiritually sighted see their sin in the light of Jesus. They present it to Him and He burns it away with His light, His glory burns it away. The spiritually blind never see their sin. They never present it to Him. Their sin remains. Do you see your sin burn away in the light of His glory? Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
Life is precious to our Lord. Since it is precious, when a life is taken, it is a very serious thing. Something must happen, but what if it is inadvertent? The Lord makes provision for that. But what about willful shedding of blood?
So you shall not pollute the land where you are; for blood defiles the land, and no atonement can be made for the land, for the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it. 34‘Therefore do not defile the land which you inhabit, in the midst of which I dwell; for I the Lord dwell among the children of Israel
That is scary when we consider the words of Jesus that if we hate our brother, it is equivalent to murder. But He made provision for it. He took our murder upon Himself and His innocent blood was shed in our place. Thus the land no longer cries out concerning our guilt. His blood satisfies the wrath of God. That is indeed amazing. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
John 9:24-41
We continue today with this theme of the blind who see spiritually and the physically sighted being blind. There is a famous quote of C.S. Lewis that runs something like this:
Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon; or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about him being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.
In our day and age, there are a lot of people who want to talk about how good Jesus was but will refuse to call Him Lord. Here is one of those Gospel stories where His claim to Deity is extremely obvious. Jesus makes it obvious as to who He is. The blind man is called to question by the council. He asks a question that I believe is half-honest and half-filled with sarcasm, "Do you also want to become His disciples?"
The council replies, "We do not know where this man is from."
The formerly blind man is incredulous. One thing is clear; Jesus is from God. Otherwise, He could do nothing. The council couldn't deal with the simple logic. So, they had the formerly blind man excommunicated. When Jesus heard what they had done, He immediately went and found the man. (There always seems to be that special place in Jesus' heart for those who are persecuted for His sake. As Stephen was being stoned to death, he saw Jesus standing in heaven. Usually visions of the throne room of God describe Jesus sitting on His throne; for Stephen, He stood.) For the blind man, Jesus revealed Himself to him. The Son of God came into the world to make the blind sighted and the sighted blind. The spiritually sighted see their sin in the light of Jesus. They present it to Him and He burns it away with His light, His glory burns it away. The spiritually blind never see their sin. They never present it to Him. Their sin remains. Do you see your sin burn away in the light of His glory? Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
May 25, 2010
Numbers 34
One of the books that I have been gradually reading the last few years is Angie Debo’s A History of the Indians of the United States. It is indeed a fascinating book. It is amazing the number of atrocities that we have committed against each other. One thing is consistent in the relationship between those of European descent and Native American descent. It is that the white man has consistently taken away the land of the Native American. Usually it was with compensation, albeit usually inadequate and forced. This chapter gives Israel permanent ownership of the land to Israel. Unlike the US government, the Lord does not go back on His treaties. The Lord has promised Israel the land for ever. There is one stipulation though. The right to dwell in the land is linked to obedience. His gifts are never recalled. The right to enjoy them are linked to obedience. Isn’t He something? Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
John 9:1-23
"If you do not believe this story, ask the blind man, he saw it all." There are many folk poems of which we cannot completely trace their origin, and they have many versions. You probably recognize the line I opened with from such a poem. Throughout literature and even in the Bible, the figure of the blind man often stands for one who sees spiritually while the physically sighted are ones who are blind spiritually. It is a similar case in this true story of Jesus healing the blind man.
The man was blind from birth. He had never seen the face of his mother or father. He had never seen colors. He had no clue concerning the color of the dirt throughout the streets of Jerusalem. He had no clue of the beautiful buildings of the temple of Jerusalem. He had no idea of the beauty of the Mount of Olives when it was green from recent rains. His was a life of learning how to navigate through the streets by paces, sounds and scents. After having been healed by Jesus by this unusual healing technique, do you suppose he recognized his parents before they spoke? I wonder, what was that first meeting like. Suppose he walked in the house, looked straight at his mother and said, "Look mom! No cane!" Can you imagine the thrill that his parents experienced? They had the double whammy of their son's disability and the cultural mindset that his disability was their punishment for some sin, which they had committed. Now both were gone. Jesus had healed them.
The man was spiritually sighted enough to know that Jesus was from God; therefore, he would take his stand with Jesus. His parents were dumbfounded. For years they had to deal with gossip concerning what sin they had possibly committed in order for their son to have received this punishment. Now, that social stigma was no longer visible. They were not willing to go on the line risking being put out of the synagogue for something in which they had no part. They simply referred people back to their son. After all he was of legal age. Jesus had lit the world of this one man who was born blind. And his parents were cautiously entering the light.
Jesus always lights our world, if we will enter it. That is the glory of His nature. Now, that light doesn't always reveal what we expect. Do you suppose the blind man was surprised at what he saw or how his parents reacted? I tend to think that he was amazed by some of it, and some of it he already knew instinctively. But afterward he saw reality. It was no longer an imagined thing. When we enter the light of Jesus, some of what we see is truly amazing. Some of it we already knew instinctively. When we step into the light of Jesus, we see the ugliness of our sin. We already knew instinctively its ugliness. What amazes us are two things 1) how horribly ugly it is and 2) how beautiful and amazing His grace is. We are amazed that He would bear such ugliness upon the cross in our place. We are stamped with the amazement of His love for us. It is like His light burns away the sin replacing it with the beauty of His love. The result from Him is a desire to be pure in all things. That is why Paul tells us to examine ourselves lest we be reprobate. If there is no desire to be pure as He is pure, I have news for you; you are not standing in the light. Come on in! Bask in it! It’s great! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor
One of the books that I have been gradually reading the last few years is Angie Debo’s A History of the Indians of the United States. It is indeed a fascinating book. It is amazing the number of atrocities that we have committed against each other. One thing is consistent in the relationship between those of European descent and Native American descent. It is that the white man has consistently taken away the land of the Native American. Usually it was with compensation, albeit usually inadequate and forced. This chapter gives Israel permanent ownership of the land to Israel. Unlike the US government, the Lord does not go back on His treaties. The Lord has promised Israel the land for ever. There is one stipulation though. The right to dwell in the land is linked to obedience. His gifts are never recalled. The right to enjoy them are linked to obedience. Isn’t He something? Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
John 9:1-23
"If you do not believe this story, ask the blind man, he saw it all." There are many folk poems of which we cannot completely trace their origin, and they have many versions. You probably recognize the line I opened with from such a poem. Throughout literature and even in the Bible, the figure of the blind man often stands for one who sees spiritually while the physically sighted are ones who are blind spiritually. It is a similar case in this true story of Jesus healing the blind man.
The man was blind from birth. He had never seen the face of his mother or father. He had never seen colors. He had no clue concerning the color of the dirt throughout the streets of Jerusalem. He had no clue of the beautiful buildings of the temple of Jerusalem. He had no idea of the beauty of the Mount of Olives when it was green from recent rains. His was a life of learning how to navigate through the streets by paces, sounds and scents. After having been healed by Jesus by this unusual healing technique, do you suppose he recognized his parents before they spoke? I wonder, what was that first meeting like. Suppose he walked in the house, looked straight at his mother and said, "Look mom! No cane!" Can you imagine the thrill that his parents experienced? They had the double whammy of their son's disability and the cultural mindset that his disability was their punishment for some sin, which they had committed. Now both were gone. Jesus had healed them.
The man was spiritually sighted enough to know that Jesus was from God; therefore, he would take his stand with Jesus. His parents were dumbfounded. For years they had to deal with gossip concerning what sin they had possibly committed in order for their son to have received this punishment. Now, that social stigma was no longer visible. They were not willing to go on the line risking being put out of the synagogue for something in which they had no part. They simply referred people back to their son. After all he was of legal age. Jesus had lit the world of this one man who was born blind. And his parents were cautiously entering the light.
Jesus always lights our world, if we will enter it. That is the glory of His nature. Now, that light doesn't always reveal what we expect. Do you suppose the blind man was surprised at what he saw or how his parents reacted? I tend to think that he was amazed by some of it, and some of it he already knew instinctively. But afterward he saw reality. It was no longer an imagined thing. When we enter the light of Jesus, some of what we see is truly amazing. Some of it we already knew instinctively. When we step into the light of Jesus, we see the ugliness of our sin. We already knew instinctively its ugliness. What amazes us are two things 1) how horribly ugly it is and 2) how beautiful and amazing His grace is. We are amazed that He would bear such ugliness upon the cross in our place. We are stamped with the amazement of His love for us. It is like His light burns away the sin replacing it with the beauty of His love. The result from Him is a desire to be pure in all things. That is why Paul tells us to examine ourselves lest we be reprobate. If there is no desire to be pure as He is pure, I have news for you; you are not standing in the light. Come on in! Bask in it! It’s great! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
May 24, 2010
John 8:31-59
Bet ya can't eat just one. If there ever was a good example of sin's power over us, it was that old Lays Potato Chips commercial. Ever had a craving for something that you just could not resist? Of course you have had such a craving. Everyone has them. Has it ever been related to doing something wrong or sinful? Of course you have. Everyone has. The glorious thing about Jesus is that He came to set us free from those cravings. The very first time that you gave in to that sinful craving it was like someone slapped hand cuffs on your wrists and a ball and chain on your ankle. Got ya! Now you can't get loose. Oh you don't give in every time the craving comes, but over time it reels you in. After a while you cease even struggling.
Do you want to be free? Of course you do! Everybody does! Actually, not everybody wants to be free. Some people kind of like the familiarity of their sin. It is like the time Jesus asked the lame man, "Do you want to be made well?" Of course he did! But then, why did Jesus ask? Laying paralyzed by the pool was all the man ever knew. If He were healed, then he would have to start working. Life would be different. Being set free from the bondage of sin is something Jesus can do for anyone. But it will cost you your life. He wants your life.
Actually, when you come to understand the truth about your life and His life, the exchange of your life for His freedom is really quite a bargain for us. The problem is that most of us don't really know truth. We don't understand the depth of the depravity of the sin that besets us, NOR do we understand the great limits of the holiness, justice, mercy and grace of Jesus. (They are infinite.) When those all come into focus and balance, and we embrace them, the shackles fall off. Then, as the song says, "I can never go back to the old way ever again." That's the glory of Jesus.
How do we learn that truth? Jesus is the truth, and He speaks the words of God to us. We learn it from Him. We learn it by gazing into His face, the face of God. We learn it by submitting to His name rather than exalting our own name. That is when the shackles fall off. Isn't He beautiful? May His name ever be exalted. May my name be only His.
The day Abraham died, the truth was revealed to him, and for the first time he really lived. How so? When he died, he came face to face with the Son. When the Son left heaven to become flesh, to become Jesus, Abraham rejoiced. Abraham knew that He (God the Son) left Eternity (actually He didn't leave Eternity, He just entered time and space by adding flesh to His person) to enter time to break the shackles of sin. Oh there was joy with Abraham because the Son from Eternity entered time and space to reign over sin and death. That is our Jesus! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
Bet ya can't eat just one. If there ever was a good example of sin's power over us, it was that old Lays Potato Chips commercial. Ever had a craving for something that you just could not resist? Of course you have had such a craving. Everyone has them. Has it ever been related to doing something wrong or sinful? Of course you have. Everyone has. The glorious thing about Jesus is that He came to set us free from those cravings. The very first time that you gave in to that sinful craving it was like someone slapped hand cuffs on your wrists and a ball and chain on your ankle. Got ya! Now you can't get loose. Oh you don't give in every time the craving comes, but over time it reels you in. After a while you cease even struggling.
Do you want to be free? Of course you do! Everybody does! Actually, not everybody wants to be free. Some people kind of like the familiarity of their sin. It is like the time Jesus asked the lame man, "Do you want to be made well?" Of course he did! But then, why did Jesus ask? Laying paralyzed by the pool was all the man ever knew. If He were healed, then he would have to start working. Life would be different. Being set free from the bondage of sin is something Jesus can do for anyone. But it will cost you your life. He wants your life.
Actually, when you come to understand the truth about your life and His life, the exchange of your life for His freedom is really quite a bargain for us. The problem is that most of us don't really know truth. We don't understand the depth of the depravity of the sin that besets us, NOR do we understand the great limits of the holiness, justice, mercy and grace of Jesus. (They are infinite.) When those all come into focus and balance, and we embrace them, the shackles fall off. Then, as the song says, "I can never go back to the old way ever again." That's the glory of Jesus.
How do we learn that truth? Jesus is the truth, and He speaks the words of God to us. We learn it from Him. We learn it by gazing into His face, the face of God. We learn it by submitting to His name rather than exalting our own name. That is when the shackles fall off. Isn't He beautiful? May His name ever be exalted. May my name be only His.
The day Abraham died, the truth was revealed to him, and for the first time he really lived. How so? When he died, he came face to face with the Son. When the Son left heaven to become flesh, to become Jesus, Abraham rejoiced. Abraham knew that He (God the Son) left Eternity (actually He didn't leave Eternity, He just entered time and space by adding flesh to His person) to enter time to break the shackles of sin. Oh there was joy with Abraham because the Son from Eternity entered time and space to reign over sin and death. That is our Jesus! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
May 23, 2010
John 8:1-30
At around 40 years of age I was forced to admit that my eyesight was getting worse--presbyopia--old eyes. My watch battery died. I needed a new one. Going into the drugstore to purchase a battery I popped the back off of my watch, pulled the battery out and examined it for a number so that I could purchase a replacement. "There is no number on this!" I exclaimed. My oldest grabbed it from me and then read it out very quickly. I took it back and replied, "You're making that up. There is no number on this."
"You can't read that?" He queried.
"There is nothing to read." I replied.
"It's as plain as day!" He rebuffed.
He went over to the battery isle and got a replacement. I shuffled off to the reading glasses display, taking the old battery with me. Looking over the reading glass display I selected the magnification that seemed appropriate from the instructions on the display. I looked at the old battery again. Sure enough there was a number there and it was the number my oldest had read out. I soon found out that the amount of light had a great deal of effect upon how well I could see smaller things.
In the last ten years my vision has become so bad that I can no longer read my Bible without glasses. I even have the so-called "large print edition." However, without glasses, if I go outside at noon on a cloudless day, I can usually read my Bible--if it is a familiar passage, so that I have a sense of what words to expect. Light makes a huge difference in being able to see what is really there. Spiritual light makes a huge difference in being able to see what is really there.
Jesus is the light of the world. The Pharisees were trying to catch Jesus in a falsehood in order to accuse Him publicly. They knew that He was a friend of sinners. They also knew the requirements of the Law. For all that they knew, they still had horrible spiritual sight. You know the story. They brought a woman caught a woman caught in the very act of adultery. (Hmm. . . how did they know when and where to catch her?) There was some light to be shed here. At first it seemed that none was emanating upon the men. But then slowly it began to dawn, and they all left. The woman was forgiven and instructed to cease sinning.
The interesting thing about the glory of Jesus is that as we focus upon Him, we begin to see our own sin. When we have seen it, confess it before Him, and repent of them, they dissolve away. As we continue to gaze upon His beauty, we begin to realize that we are also seeing the Father. All that Jesus does is done to reveal the Father. But we cannot see Him in our sinful state. His light is there to expose our sin and take it away. What a glorious thing! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
At around 40 years of age I was forced to admit that my eyesight was getting worse--presbyopia--old eyes. My watch battery died. I needed a new one. Going into the drugstore to purchase a battery I popped the back off of my watch, pulled the battery out and examined it for a number so that I could purchase a replacement. "There is no number on this!" I exclaimed. My oldest grabbed it from me and then read it out very quickly. I took it back and replied, "You're making that up. There is no number on this."
"You can't read that?" He queried.
"There is nothing to read." I replied.
"It's as plain as day!" He rebuffed.
He went over to the battery isle and got a replacement. I shuffled off to the reading glasses display, taking the old battery with me. Looking over the reading glass display I selected the magnification that seemed appropriate from the instructions on the display. I looked at the old battery again. Sure enough there was a number there and it was the number my oldest had read out. I soon found out that the amount of light had a great deal of effect upon how well I could see smaller things.
In the last ten years my vision has become so bad that I can no longer read my Bible without glasses. I even have the so-called "large print edition." However, without glasses, if I go outside at noon on a cloudless day, I can usually read my Bible--if it is a familiar passage, so that I have a sense of what words to expect. Light makes a huge difference in being able to see what is really there. Spiritual light makes a huge difference in being able to see what is really there.
Jesus is the light of the world. The Pharisees were trying to catch Jesus in a falsehood in order to accuse Him publicly. They knew that He was a friend of sinners. They also knew the requirements of the Law. For all that they knew, they still had horrible spiritual sight. You know the story. They brought a woman caught a woman caught in the very act of adultery. (Hmm. . . how did they know when and where to catch her?) There was some light to be shed here. At first it seemed that none was emanating upon the men. But then slowly it began to dawn, and they all left. The woman was forgiven and instructed to cease sinning.
The interesting thing about the glory of Jesus is that as we focus upon Him, we begin to see our own sin. When we have seen it, confess it before Him, and repent of them, they dissolve away. As we continue to gaze upon His beauty, we begin to realize that we are also seeing the Father. All that Jesus does is done to reveal the Father. But we cannot see Him in our sinful state. His light is there to expose our sin and take it away. What a glorious thing! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
May 22, 2010
John 7:25-52
Where are you from? I sometimes do not know how to answer that. Do I tell them where I have reside now? Do I tell them where I was born? Do I tell them the town in which I have resided the longest? Let’s see, I have lived in Ft. Wayne 6.5 years, in Glencoe 5 years, in Stillwater 13 years in Portland 5 years, in Oklahoma City 9.3 years, in Southport 13.3 years and now in Stillwater again 1 year. Those don’t include a few months here and there. Maybe I should answer the state in which I lived the longest. Maybe I should say, “I’m from Indiana, Oklahoma, Oregon, North Carolina.” Perhaps I should just stick with where I live now. Of course the sarcastic answer would be, “From my Father and Mother.”
Jesus knew where He came from and where He was going. To the earthlings at the time, He was just the carpenter from Nazareth. The people didn’t quite understand how He fit into the Messianic prophecies. The Old Testament prophecies were a bit confusing. After all there were:
• Out of Egypt did I call my Son.
• But you Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a Ruler Who will Shepherd My people Israel.
• He shall be called a Nazarene.
• 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. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed.
So where does Messiah come from—Bethlehem, Egypt, Nazareth or the clouds of heaven? Any one of them is correct. He was from His Father in heaven. He was going to return there. He has been glorified upon returning. Upon returning He sent His Holy Spirit to live within us. Because of Him those who walk by His Spirit experience His living water. Now that is glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
Where are you from? I sometimes do not know how to answer that. Do I tell them where I have reside now? Do I tell them where I was born? Do I tell them the town in which I have resided the longest? Let’s see, I have lived in Ft. Wayne 6.5 years, in Glencoe 5 years, in Stillwater 13 years in Portland 5 years, in Oklahoma City 9.3 years, in Southport 13.3 years and now in Stillwater again 1 year. Those don’t include a few months here and there. Maybe I should answer the state in which I lived the longest. Maybe I should say, “I’m from Indiana, Oklahoma, Oregon, North Carolina.” Perhaps I should just stick with where I live now. Of course the sarcastic answer would be, “From my Father and Mother.”
Jesus knew where He came from and where He was going. To the earthlings at the time, He was just the carpenter from Nazareth. The people didn’t quite understand how He fit into the Messianic prophecies. The Old Testament prophecies were a bit confusing. After all there were:
• Out of Egypt did I call my Son.
• But you Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a Ruler Who will Shepherd My people Israel.
• He shall be called a Nazarene.
• 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. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed.
So where does Messiah come from—Bethlehem, Egypt, Nazareth or the clouds of heaven? Any one of them is correct. He was from His Father in heaven. He was going to return there. He has been glorified upon returning. Upon returning He sent His Holy Spirit to live within us. Because of Him those who walk by His Spirit experience His living water. Now that is glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
May 21, 2010
John 7:1-24
Jesus knew His time, and He sought the Father's glory. Do I know my time, and do I seek the Father's Glory? The average age at which my four grandparents died is about 88 years of age. Assuming no accidents or disease, similar genetic livelihood, better lifelong living conditions, improved medical practices and that I take care of my body properly (all of which are pretty big assumptions), I could very well live to be 95+. Hmmm… If that is true I have 41+ years left to live. Well, I am past the half-way mark. Okay kids, you are going to be senior citizens before you get any inheritance from me. Of course that assumes that I have anything worth giving you and that I live that long. But I really don't have that guarantee that I will live that long. My time is always ready. Even if I do live that long or longer, my grandmother, who lived to be 104, spent the last 10 years of her life suffering from Alzheimer’s. I could very well have a similar fate.
But Jesus knew when He was going to die. Wow, that would be interesting. I wonder, “Why did He pack all His ministry in those last 3+ years of His life?” If I knew the day I was going to die, I'd probably procrastinate a lot of things. But I don't believe Jesus procrastinated anything. He always did things in the fullness of time. I think those first 30 years of His life were spent in three major areas:
1. Preparing for the last 3+ years
2. Fulfilling commitment to His family
3. Working and enjoying life
He told His brothers that His time wasn't ready, but theirs was always ready. That is a picture of a masterfully planned life. I am really amazed.
All of His work was done to glorify the Father. There was no unrighteous work in Him. What do we live for as Americans? We live to retire so that we can spend our time and money on ourselves. What a waste! Some years ago I heard John Piper give a sermon on missions. I don't remember exactly what he said, but I do remember that the gist of it was that we should retire so that we can become missionaries. Retire to go to the field to give our lives to the glory of God and the service of others! Hmmm. . . Interesting idea. I have some questions about the practicality of it. But it sure would beat other ways of dying. I did have the privilege of meeting Armin Guesswein late in his life. He died at around 90. He was ministering to others right up until the end. Like Jesus His whole life was to glorify God. Sure he began to slow down later in life; that is expected. But he still had a passion for sharing Jesus. Why? Because he had a glimpse of the glory of Jesus--it was the glory of the Father, full of grace and truth. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
Jesus knew His time, and He sought the Father's glory. Do I know my time, and do I seek the Father's Glory? The average age at which my four grandparents died is about 88 years of age. Assuming no accidents or disease, similar genetic livelihood, better lifelong living conditions, improved medical practices and that I take care of my body properly (all of which are pretty big assumptions), I could very well live to be 95+. Hmmm… If that is true I have 41+ years left to live. Well, I am past the half-way mark. Okay kids, you are going to be senior citizens before you get any inheritance from me. Of course that assumes that I have anything worth giving you and that I live that long. But I really don't have that guarantee that I will live that long. My time is always ready. Even if I do live that long or longer, my grandmother, who lived to be 104, spent the last 10 years of her life suffering from Alzheimer’s. I could very well have a similar fate.
But Jesus knew when He was going to die. Wow, that would be interesting. I wonder, “Why did He pack all His ministry in those last 3+ years of His life?” If I knew the day I was going to die, I'd probably procrastinate a lot of things. But I don't believe Jesus procrastinated anything. He always did things in the fullness of time. I think those first 30 years of His life were spent in three major areas:
1. Preparing for the last 3+ years
2. Fulfilling commitment to His family
3. Working and enjoying life
He told His brothers that His time wasn't ready, but theirs was always ready. That is a picture of a masterfully planned life. I am really amazed.
All of His work was done to glorify the Father. There was no unrighteous work in Him. What do we live for as Americans? We live to retire so that we can spend our time and money on ourselves. What a waste! Some years ago I heard John Piper give a sermon on missions. I don't remember exactly what he said, but I do remember that the gist of it was that we should retire so that we can become missionaries. Retire to go to the field to give our lives to the glory of God and the service of others! Hmmm. . . Interesting idea. I have some questions about the practicality of it. But it sure would beat other ways of dying. I did have the privilege of meeting Armin Guesswein late in his life. He died at around 90. He was ministering to others right up until the end. Like Jesus His whole life was to glorify God. Sure he began to slow down later in life; that is expected. But he still had a passion for sharing Jesus. Why? Because he had a glimpse of the glory of Jesus--it was the glory of the Father, full of grace and truth. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
May 20, 2010
John 6:45-71
I love fresh bread. When Laura bakes rolls or fresh bread, the aroma begins to float through the house. I begin to salivate. It makes me soooooo hungry. Hot out of the oven with some butter placed in it, the butter melts almost instantly, and as soon as it is cool enough to put in my mouth, it is gone. One problem, as I have grown older, is that I seem to have developed a little intolerance of bread. If I eat more than one or two rolls or slices, I get terrible heartburn. But it tastes so good! I don't know how many evenings through which I have suffered because I just couldn't eat just one roll.
Our Lord says, "I am the Bread of Life." No He does not mean He is a loaf of bread. We take the Word literally, unless there is clear reason in the context to understand it as a figure of speech. This is a figure of speech called a metaphor. He is comparing Himself to something physical. Bread was the common staple in their diet. Meat for the common person was not necessarily an everyday part of the meal. Fresh fruit could only be eaten in season. Dried fruit, such as figs and raisins, would be available to some. But bread was something that most everybody could afford anytime of the year. It was necessary to the preservation of life. It was like rice in oriental culture or beans or corn in other cultures. Without it, life was unsustainable.
Without Him, life is unsustainable. Is He suggesting cannibalism here? That is certainly how the crowd took it. Now that is disgusting! Talk about heartburn! Their hearts burned so badly that they all got up and left. Is that what He meant? Almost! Without Him our lives are unsustainable. Our need for Him in order to live is so great that it is as if we have to ingest Him in order to survive. It is a metaphor folks but a very strong one. He came from heaven as the bread of life, so that He could die our death. If we ingest Him, our death is taken care of because He already died it. He came from heaven as the bread of life so that He could be raised to newness of life! If we ingest Him, our resurrection is taken care of because He is already risen! He came from heaven as the bread of life so that He could ascend into glory! If we ingest Him, our glory is taken care of because He is ascended into glory!
Now, I appreciate metaphors but making the jump from the metaphors to literal life is hard to do. While in college, I once was sharing the Gospel with a man. I asked him if he had ever received Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior. He said, "Oh certainly." To which I replied, "Tell me about it. I'd like to hear." His quick honest response, which was consistent with his Catholic theology, was, "Oh, I receive Jesus every time I go to Mass and receive communion."
Now that was a new wrinkle in my protestant mindset. It was the first time I was ever forced to think through the implications of the doctrine of transubstantiation. For those of you who are not Catholic, transubstantiation teaches that when the priest pronounces the blessing upon the communion elements, they in substance become the body and blood of Jesus, though not in appearance. This doctrine came to its present form at the Council of Trent (1545-1563), which was held in response to Luther and other protestant groups. Certainly, if that doctrine is true, then every time one receives communion, one is receiving Christ and literally eating the body and blood of our Lord.
Obviously, since I am not a Catholic, I reject the doctrine of transubstantiation. But I also recognize that there is something more than just metaphor going on here. What is it that Jesus is communicating? Clearly that Jesus calls us to share in Him. He calls us to share in His life, death, burial, resurrection and ascension. We do it by submitting ourselves to Him, recognizing our utter poverty without Him, flinging open the door to our lives for His Lordship and His power rather than depending upon our own sovereignty and power.
Such an encounter begins when we are born again, but it renewed moment by moment. Once He first enters our lives, He never leaves us nor forsakes us, but we still need His life flow moment by moment. The fresh bread I ate when I was 8 years old is no longer fresh today. The fresh bread I enjoyed last week is no longer fresh today. I received Jesus when I was 8 years old, but that experience on that day will not suffice for today. I spoke with Jesus a week ago, but that conversation will not suffice for today. I need Him now. Let's eat some Bread!
Why would I yield my sovereignty and power to Him? Because without Him, I will die. I might linger for 40-80 days without food. But know full well; I will die. Most Christians are content to snack on Jesus, maybe once a week at church or every once in a while in the Bible. They don't even realize they are spiritually malnourished. They are close to death. Yet all the while they could be feasting on His magnificent glory. Sometimes when we do, we get spiritual heartburn. It might be a warm glow such as the disciples on the road to Emmaus experienced. Or, it might be discomfort because the presence of His glory reveals some sin with which we need to deal, but that is part of it. Enjoying His glory demands that we yield. Let's eat some Bread! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
I love fresh bread. When Laura bakes rolls or fresh bread, the aroma begins to float through the house. I begin to salivate. It makes me soooooo hungry. Hot out of the oven with some butter placed in it, the butter melts almost instantly, and as soon as it is cool enough to put in my mouth, it is gone. One problem, as I have grown older, is that I seem to have developed a little intolerance of bread. If I eat more than one or two rolls or slices, I get terrible heartburn. But it tastes so good! I don't know how many evenings through which I have suffered because I just couldn't eat just one roll.
Our Lord says, "I am the Bread of Life." No He does not mean He is a loaf of bread. We take the Word literally, unless there is clear reason in the context to understand it as a figure of speech. This is a figure of speech called a metaphor. He is comparing Himself to something physical. Bread was the common staple in their diet. Meat for the common person was not necessarily an everyday part of the meal. Fresh fruit could only be eaten in season. Dried fruit, such as figs and raisins, would be available to some. But bread was something that most everybody could afford anytime of the year. It was necessary to the preservation of life. It was like rice in oriental culture or beans or corn in other cultures. Without it, life was unsustainable.
Without Him, life is unsustainable. Is He suggesting cannibalism here? That is certainly how the crowd took it. Now that is disgusting! Talk about heartburn! Their hearts burned so badly that they all got up and left. Is that what He meant? Almost! Without Him our lives are unsustainable. Our need for Him in order to live is so great that it is as if we have to ingest Him in order to survive. It is a metaphor folks but a very strong one. He came from heaven as the bread of life, so that He could die our death. If we ingest Him, our death is taken care of because He already died it. He came from heaven as the bread of life so that He could be raised to newness of life! If we ingest Him, our resurrection is taken care of because He is already risen! He came from heaven as the bread of life so that He could ascend into glory! If we ingest Him, our glory is taken care of because He is ascended into glory!
Now, I appreciate metaphors but making the jump from the metaphors to literal life is hard to do. While in college, I once was sharing the Gospel with a man. I asked him if he had ever received Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior. He said, "Oh certainly." To which I replied, "Tell me about it. I'd like to hear." His quick honest response, which was consistent with his Catholic theology, was, "Oh, I receive Jesus every time I go to Mass and receive communion."
Now that was a new wrinkle in my protestant mindset. It was the first time I was ever forced to think through the implications of the doctrine of transubstantiation. For those of you who are not Catholic, transubstantiation teaches that when the priest pronounces the blessing upon the communion elements, they in substance become the body and blood of Jesus, though not in appearance. This doctrine came to its present form at the Council of Trent (1545-1563), which was held in response to Luther and other protestant groups. Certainly, if that doctrine is true, then every time one receives communion, one is receiving Christ and literally eating the body and blood of our Lord.
Obviously, since I am not a Catholic, I reject the doctrine of transubstantiation. But I also recognize that there is something more than just metaphor going on here. What is it that Jesus is communicating? Clearly that Jesus calls us to share in Him. He calls us to share in His life, death, burial, resurrection and ascension. We do it by submitting ourselves to Him, recognizing our utter poverty without Him, flinging open the door to our lives for His Lordship and His power rather than depending upon our own sovereignty and power.
Such an encounter begins when we are born again, but it renewed moment by moment. Once He first enters our lives, He never leaves us nor forsakes us, but we still need His life flow moment by moment. The fresh bread I ate when I was 8 years old is no longer fresh today. The fresh bread I enjoyed last week is no longer fresh today. I received Jesus when I was 8 years old, but that experience on that day will not suffice for today. I spoke with Jesus a week ago, but that conversation will not suffice for today. I need Him now. Let's eat some Bread!
Why would I yield my sovereignty and power to Him? Because without Him, I will die. I might linger for 40-80 days without food. But know full well; I will die. Most Christians are content to snack on Jesus, maybe once a week at church or every once in a while in the Bible. They don't even realize they are spiritually malnourished. They are close to death. Yet all the while they could be feasting on His magnificent glory. Sometimes when we do, we get spiritual heartburn. It might be a warm glow such as the disciples on the road to Emmaus experienced. Or, it might be discomfort because the presence of His glory reveals some sin with which we need to deal, but that is part of it. Enjoying His glory demands that we yield. Let's eat some Bread! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
May 19, 2010
Numbers 28
Why did God spend so much time with the details of these offerings? Very candidly, it is rather tedious. This is especially true in our day when we do not offer bloody sacrifices. And it must have been tedious for them also. I marvel at how meticulous things had to be for the offering unto God. Why is there such detail? The reason is so wonderful that I wouldn’t want you to miss it for anything in the world. It is actually the preciousness of Christ that is brought to our attention here—in fact, the abiding preciousness of Christ.[1]
-J. Vernon McGee
McGee continues to point out that the Lord calls these “My” offering, food, offerings. They belong to Him. McGee points out that some are savory offerings and some are not. He posits that the sweet savory offering speak of the person of Christ and the non-savory offerings speak of the work of Christ. He says that they demonstrate that the Father is satisfied with Christ. I think that is a little too weak. He is more than satisfied with Him. The Father is delighted with Christ, “This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” Jesus goes above and beyond the standard. So in these sacrifices we see the glory of Jesus. The Father delights in Him. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
John 6:22-44
My former church has a corporate seal. In 13 years of pastoring there I only used it once or twice. I know we used it once for official documents for a loan on the building. I think we have used it on another occasion. The seal is proof that the church as a corporation has put its approval upon something. When we did our loan, we were unable to get it without the seal being on the proper page of the paper work. That seal represents all the authority of the body of Cape Fear Alliance Church. In Jesus' day a seal was not a mechanical press that leaves and impression in paper but it was a process of putting wax on the document and then pressing an engraved object into the wax. It might have been a ring pressed into the wax or a cylinder rolled over the wax but it would have left a distinct impression that was a testimony to the authenticity of the document and carried the authority of the sender. Jesus bears the seal of God the Father. He is the authentic Creator. He carries all the authority of the Father.
As such He comes to us as the authentic Bread and Water of Life. He alone can satisfy our hunger for Life and He alone can quench our thirst for Life. He has promised that if we come to Him, if we believe or trust or cling to Him that He will not turn us away thirsty or hungry. He will satisfy our need. And having eventually died, He will raise us up to Life on the last day. No mere human can do that. Only the one bearing the seal of the Almighty Creator can do that. Jesus bears that seal! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
[1]McGee, J. Vernon: Thru the Bible Commentary. electronic ed. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1997, c1981, S. Nu 28:1
Why did God spend so much time with the details of these offerings? Very candidly, it is rather tedious. This is especially true in our day when we do not offer bloody sacrifices. And it must have been tedious for them also. I marvel at how meticulous things had to be for the offering unto God. Why is there such detail? The reason is so wonderful that I wouldn’t want you to miss it for anything in the world. It is actually the preciousness of Christ that is brought to our attention here—in fact, the abiding preciousness of Christ.[1]
-J. Vernon McGee
McGee continues to point out that the Lord calls these “My” offering, food, offerings. They belong to Him. McGee points out that some are savory offerings and some are not. He posits that the sweet savory offering speak of the person of Christ and the non-savory offerings speak of the work of Christ. He says that they demonstrate that the Father is satisfied with Christ. I think that is a little too weak. He is more than satisfied with Him. The Father is delighted with Christ, “This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” Jesus goes above and beyond the standard. So in these sacrifices we see the glory of Jesus. The Father delights in Him. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
John 6:22-44
My former church has a corporate seal. In 13 years of pastoring there I only used it once or twice. I know we used it once for official documents for a loan on the building. I think we have used it on another occasion. The seal is proof that the church as a corporation has put its approval upon something. When we did our loan, we were unable to get it without the seal being on the proper page of the paper work. That seal represents all the authority of the body of Cape Fear Alliance Church. In Jesus' day a seal was not a mechanical press that leaves and impression in paper but it was a process of putting wax on the document and then pressing an engraved object into the wax. It might have been a ring pressed into the wax or a cylinder rolled over the wax but it would have left a distinct impression that was a testimony to the authenticity of the document and carried the authority of the sender. Jesus bears the seal of God the Father. He is the authentic Creator. He carries all the authority of the Father.
As such He comes to us as the authentic Bread and Water of Life. He alone can satisfy our hunger for Life and He alone can quench our thirst for Life. He has promised that if we come to Him, if we believe or trust or cling to Him that He will not turn us away thirsty or hungry. He will satisfy our need. And having eventually died, He will raise us up to Life on the last day. No mere human can do that. Only the one bearing the seal of the Almighty Creator can do that. Jesus bears that seal! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
[1]McGee, J. Vernon: Thru the Bible Commentary. electronic ed. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1997, c1981, S. Nu 28:1
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
May 18, 2010
May 18, 2010 Numbers 27
Families matter to God. He desires a godly heritage be passed on through families from generation to generation. In the case of land ownership for the children of Israel in the promised land, that land ownership was to be passed on through the families. But how do you divide it among your children? When your children marry, to whose family does it belong? How do you trace it? The solution for Israel was to divide it equally among sons. Thus when my son would marry, he would have no claim upon the land of his wife’s family. When my daughter would marry, her husband would have no claim upon my land. Zelophehad had no sons. Was it right that there would be no one to carry on his heritage? His daughters asked a good question. Why couldn’t they receive his portion, so that he could have something to pass on. Ultimately, the land was a gift from God. It is desirable before the Lord that a man be able to pass on the gift that the Lord gives to him.
Families matter to God. He desires a godly heritage be passed on through families. It is different today. We are not passing on land. But he does desire that we pass on a godly heritage. If I pass on anything to my kids, I hope it is an experiential knowledge of the glory of the Lord. I may or may not have land of money to give them, but I hope they have experienced Him. If I can do that, I will have given them more than Bill Gates could possibly dream of passing on to his children. I serve a glorious King. I want to pass His glory on to my children, my children’s children, even my great grandchildren. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
John 6:1-21
I have a sister-in-law and brother-in-law that live in a North Philadelphia suburb. My wife's family all live in the area. We usually spend Christmas day north of Philly. I only go there once a year. I can never remember how to get there. There are so many streets, so many exits, so many turns, I get really confused. I have my brother-in-law send me directions. He knows how all the signs read at each exit. Thank goodness for signs. Without them I'd be really lost. So many streets give me a vague recollection that they might be the right one. But I often find out when I see the sign that it is the wrong one. Jesus came to show us the Father. He performed many signs with the express purpose of authenticating who He was.
The multitude followed Him because of the signs, not because of who He was. Ever thought about this meal recorded by John where He multiplied the loaves and fishes from the lunch of one boy? What was it like to break some off and hand it to the person next to you? Wouldn't it be amazing to break it and find that the broken piece grew as large as the one you gave away? How did it taste? Did it taste just as the boy's mother had prepared it? If so, I hope she was a good cook. If not, did the boy notice that it tasted better than the lunch his mom usually made for him? If you were part of the multitude and experienced this miracle and saw these signs, what would you do? You'd probably do exactly what this multitude wanted to do. They wanted to make Him the political king.
But Jesus wanted none of that. That was a much less glorious goal than that for which He came. It was a familiar street but a dead end. At this point He came not to remake political kingdoms but to remake hearts. He did not come to make a structure for a kingdom but to make people fit for the Kingdom. The signs pointed to something beyond the physical. Sure they included the physical but they pointed to a spiritual change that He required of us all. And He made it possible. The signs point to Him. The multitude is content to take that exit that says, "Easy Street". It looks vaguely familiar and it looks right. It doesn't matter to the multitude whether they find Him on Easy Street. It only mattered that the street was easy. What would it profit them to find Easy Street but not find Him? Nothing. His is the only lasting glory. His is the only worthy exit. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Families matter to God. He desires a godly heritage be passed on through families from generation to generation. In the case of land ownership for the children of Israel in the promised land, that land ownership was to be passed on through the families. But how do you divide it among your children? When your children marry, to whose family does it belong? How do you trace it? The solution for Israel was to divide it equally among sons. Thus when my son would marry, he would have no claim upon the land of his wife’s family. When my daughter would marry, her husband would have no claim upon my land. Zelophehad had no sons. Was it right that there would be no one to carry on his heritage? His daughters asked a good question. Why couldn’t they receive his portion, so that he could have something to pass on. Ultimately, the land was a gift from God. It is desirable before the Lord that a man be able to pass on the gift that the Lord gives to him.
Families matter to God. He desires a godly heritage be passed on through families. It is different today. We are not passing on land. But he does desire that we pass on a godly heritage. If I pass on anything to my kids, I hope it is an experiential knowledge of the glory of the Lord. I may or may not have land of money to give them, but I hope they have experienced Him. If I can do that, I will have given them more than Bill Gates could possibly dream of passing on to his children. I serve a glorious King. I want to pass His glory on to my children, my children’s children, even my great grandchildren. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
John 6:1-21
I have a sister-in-law and brother-in-law that live in a North Philadelphia suburb. My wife's family all live in the area. We usually spend Christmas day north of Philly. I only go there once a year. I can never remember how to get there. There are so many streets, so many exits, so many turns, I get really confused. I have my brother-in-law send me directions. He knows how all the signs read at each exit. Thank goodness for signs. Without them I'd be really lost. So many streets give me a vague recollection that they might be the right one. But I often find out when I see the sign that it is the wrong one. Jesus came to show us the Father. He performed many signs with the express purpose of authenticating who He was.
The multitude followed Him because of the signs, not because of who He was. Ever thought about this meal recorded by John where He multiplied the loaves and fishes from the lunch of one boy? What was it like to break some off and hand it to the person next to you? Wouldn't it be amazing to break it and find that the broken piece grew as large as the one you gave away? How did it taste? Did it taste just as the boy's mother had prepared it? If so, I hope she was a good cook. If not, did the boy notice that it tasted better than the lunch his mom usually made for him? If you were part of the multitude and experienced this miracle and saw these signs, what would you do? You'd probably do exactly what this multitude wanted to do. They wanted to make Him the political king.
But Jesus wanted none of that. That was a much less glorious goal than that for which He came. It was a familiar street but a dead end. At this point He came not to remake political kingdoms but to remake hearts. He did not come to make a structure for a kingdom but to make people fit for the Kingdom. The signs pointed to something beyond the physical. Sure they included the physical but they pointed to a spiritual change that He required of us all. And He made it possible. The signs point to Him. The multitude is content to take that exit that says, "Easy Street". It looks vaguely familiar and it looks right. It doesn't matter to the multitude whether they find Him on Easy Street. It only mattered that the street was easy. What would it profit them to find Easy Street but not find Him? Nothing. His is the only lasting glory. His is the only worthy exit. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Monday, May 17, 2010
May 17, 2010
Numbers 26
People and families are important to God. That is why there are chapters like this in the Bible, especially Numbers. It is also important to God that we treat Him as Holy. That is why there are reminders of Korah, Er, Onan, Nadab, Abihu. All were men, important in the family, but did not treat the Lord as Holy. They died untimely deaths. But largely this chapter is a reminder of a whole generation, important to God, but they did not treat the Lord as holy. They refused to believe and enter the land. The result was a purposeless life wandering in the wilderness. They could have done great things for the Lord to display His holy name and awesome power. Instead, they reaped death in the wilderness. They failed to trust and obey.
Like them, you and I have the opportunity to live purposeful lives. We have opportunity to display to our families and the larger human family the glory of the Lord. He has lands for us to conquer. Not literal lands but spiritual ones. Yes there are giants in the land. But the Lord is with us. Will we trust and obey? If so, his glory will be displayed in our victories. If not, His glory will be displayed in our purposeless lives and ultimate death. The choice is ours. However, it will involve laying everything on the line. Will we do it? It is the only way to see His glory in a pleasant way. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
John 5:25-47
Mars is farther from the sun than the earth. Try as I might I could not convince my sixth grade teacher. She knew I was wrong and would not believe me. There have been many times in my life when I have not been believed. Why should anyone have believed Jesus? After all, there have been many prophets who have made many claims, many outlandish claims. And there have been those who sought to be witnesses for them. What witnesses of Jesus do we have that substantiate His glory? We have three, His works, His Father and His Word.
The works which Jesus did were and are unequaled by any other. He healed the sick. He made lepers clean, the dumb to talk, the blind to see. He multiplied food, walked on water, turned water to wine. He raised the dead and was Himself raised from the dead. It was the Holy Spirit, who did these things through Him. Essentially His works are the testimony of the Holy Spirit as to who Jesus is. The works the Holy Spirit does in us is in essence a testimony to who Jesus is.
The Father verbally testified several times of Jesus. He testified verbally at Jesus’ baptism saying, “This is My beloved Son. . .” (Matt. 4:17). He would testify again on the mount of Transfiguration saying, “This is My beloved Son. . .” (Matt. 17:5). Again the Father testified on the night on which Jesus was betrayed. He answered Jesus’ prayer to glorify His own name saying, “I have glorified it and will glorify it again,” (John 12:28). The greatest testimony of the Father occurred on resurrection morning when He commanded the stone to be rolled back and Jesus came forth from the dead!
The third witness is the Eternal Word, the written word of God. The Scriptures drip with testimony of Jesus. He is:
The One Who will crush the Serpent’s head, Gen 3:15;
The seed of Abraham who blesses all nations, Gen 12:3;
Our Ram in the thicket, Gen. 22:13;
The Man who wrestled Jacob, Gen 32:24-30;
Our Passover Lamb, Ex. 12:6 & 1 Cor. 5:7b;
Our Parting of the Red Sea, Exodus 14:13,22;
Our Healer, Exodus 2:26; Isa. 53:5;
The Rock Who followed Israel Ex. 17:6; Num 22:8; 1 Cor. 10:4;
The Tabernacle and all its furniture;
Our cleft in the rock, Ex. 33:17-23;
The Sacrifices in Leviticus;
The One Whose face shines upon us, Num. 6:22-26;
Our Name, Num. 6:27;
Our Communication with God, Num. 7:89;
The One Who is revealed to us, Deut. 29:29;
Our Joshua, Deut. 31:3;
Our Commander, Josh. 5:14,15;
Our Deliverer, Judges;
Our Kinsman Redeemer, Ruth;
Our Promised Ruler of David, 2 Sam. 7:16;
Our Holy One, Isaiah 6:1-3 & John 12:41;
Our Suffering Messiah, Psalm 22:1-21, Isaiah 53;
Our Ruling Messiah, Psalm 2:7-12; 8; 22:22-31; 24:7-10; Isaiah 9:6,7; 65:24,25;
Our New Covenant, Jeremiah 31-34;
This is the short list. Can I have a witness? Let God be true but every man a liar! Jesus is glorious! By the way, Mars is farther from the sun than the earth. It did not matter that the authority did not believe it. There is a greater witness in the sky. It does not matter what any earthly person says, Jesus has three eternal witnesses of His glory. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
People and families are important to God. That is why there are chapters like this in the Bible, especially Numbers. It is also important to God that we treat Him as Holy. That is why there are reminders of Korah, Er, Onan, Nadab, Abihu. All were men, important in the family, but did not treat the Lord as Holy. They died untimely deaths. But largely this chapter is a reminder of a whole generation, important to God, but they did not treat the Lord as holy. They refused to believe and enter the land. The result was a purposeless life wandering in the wilderness. They could have done great things for the Lord to display His holy name and awesome power. Instead, they reaped death in the wilderness. They failed to trust and obey.
Like them, you and I have the opportunity to live purposeful lives. We have opportunity to display to our families and the larger human family the glory of the Lord. He has lands for us to conquer. Not literal lands but spiritual ones. Yes there are giants in the land. But the Lord is with us. Will we trust and obey? If so, his glory will be displayed in our victories. If not, His glory will be displayed in our purposeless lives and ultimate death. The choice is ours. However, it will involve laying everything on the line. Will we do it? It is the only way to see His glory in a pleasant way. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
John 5:25-47
Mars is farther from the sun than the earth. Try as I might I could not convince my sixth grade teacher. She knew I was wrong and would not believe me. There have been many times in my life when I have not been believed. Why should anyone have believed Jesus? After all, there have been many prophets who have made many claims, many outlandish claims. And there have been those who sought to be witnesses for them. What witnesses of Jesus do we have that substantiate His glory? We have three, His works, His Father and His Word.
The works which Jesus did were and are unequaled by any other. He healed the sick. He made lepers clean, the dumb to talk, the blind to see. He multiplied food, walked on water, turned water to wine. He raised the dead and was Himself raised from the dead. It was the Holy Spirit, who did these things through Him. Essentially His works are the testimony of the Holy Spirit as to who Jesus is. The works the Holy Spirit does in us is in essence a testimony to who Jesus is.
The Father verbally testified several times of Jesus. He testified verbally at Jesus’ baptism saying, “This is My beloved Son. . .” (Matt. 4:17). He would testify again on the mount of Transfiguration saying, “This is My beloved Son. . .” (Matt. 17:5). Again the Father testified on the night on which Jesus was betrayed. He answered Jesus’ prayer to glorify His own name saying, “I have glorified it and will glorify it again,” (John 12:28). The greatest testimony of the Father occurred on resurrection morning when He commanded the stone to be rolled back and Jesus came forth from the dead!
The third witness is the Eternal Word, the written word of God. The Scriptures drip with testimony of Jesus. He is:
The One Who will crush the Serpent’s head, Gen 3:15;
The seed of Abraham who blesses all nations, Gen 12:3;
Our Ram in the thicket, Gen. 22:13;
The Man who wrestled Jacob, Gen 32:24-30;
Our Passover Lamb, Ex. 12:6 & 1 Cor. 5:7b;
Our Parting of the Red Sea, Exodus 14:13,22;
Our Healer, Exodus 2:26; Isa. 53:5;
The Rock Who followed Israel Ex. 17:6; Num 22:8; 1 Cor. 10:4;
The Tabernacle and all its furniture;
Our cleft in the rock, Ex. 33:17-23;
The Sacrifices in Leviticus;
The One Whose face shines upon us, Num. 6:22-26;
Our Name, Num. 6:27;
Our Communication with God, Num. 7:89;
The One Who is revealed to us, Deut. 29:29;
Our Joshua, Deut. 31:3;
Our Commander, Josh. 5:14,15;
Our Deliverer, Judges;
Our Kinsman Redeemer, Ruth;
Our Promised Ruler of David, 2 Sam. 7:16;
Our Holy One, Isaiah 6:1-3 & John 12:41;
Our Suffering Messiah, Psalm 22:1-21, Isaiah 53;
Our Ruling Messiah, Psalm 2:7-12; 8; 22:22-31; 24:7-10; Isaiah 9:6,7; 65:24,25;
Our New Covenant, Jeremiah 31-34;
This is the short list. Can I have a witness? Let God be true but every man a liar! Jesus is glorious! By the way, Mars is farther from the sun than the earth. It did not matter that the authority did not believe it. There is a greater witness in the sky. It does not matter what any earthly person says, Jesus has three eternal witnesses of His glory. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
May 16, 2010
John 5:1-23
When I was in seventh grade my parents bought a split level house on a hill. It had a partial basement with a fallout shelter. Dad decided that he wanted a full basement. Over the next couple of years I watched him work. Little by little he dug out the basement with a shovel, a pick and a wheelbarrow. It was impressive work. Much of what he dug was sandstone. I frequently marveled at how he could consistently remain at the task, especially when it was nothing but sandstone and there was little progress.
As a young teen, I was allergic to work. But as I watched him, I couldn’t help but wonder if I had the muscular power to take the pick and break the rock. On a few occasions I took the pick and shovel and pry bar and tried my hand at it. Little by little Dad whittled it all out and I helped with a couple of shovels full. All totaled he probably moved 3600-4800 cubic feet of dirt and sandstone by hand.
Jesus as the God-Man only did what He was the Father doing. Indeed, He says that He could only do what He saw the Father doing. How did Jesus the man see what the Father was doing?
The few times that I did try my hand at the sandstone were after I had observed dad a while. I watched how he would try to find natural weaknesses in the sandstone and would hit the weaknesses to try to get it to crack along faults. I watched how he would try to carve out holds for the pry bar and then place the pry bar in the hold and see if He could pry loose large hunks of the sandstone. Then, on occasion, I tried the same.
The Father/Creator is working on His ruined creation. He watches and works in similar manner. He sees the Father healing. He healed the man lame for 38 years, lying by the pool of Bethesda. The Father is healing and Jesus heals too.
Here is a twist—Jesus worked on the Sabbath and commanded the lame man to work on the Sabbath. When challenged by the religious about working on the Sabbath Jesus’ defense was, “Well, Dad works on the Sabbath and so do I.” (Chaffin paraphrase) This made them angrier. Why? It made them angry because He made Himself equal with God.
For once they got something right. He is equal to the Father. But He also submits to the Father’s authority. And unless they miss the point, Jesus enumerates both His equality and His submission. He submits by doing only what He sees the Father doing. He is equal in that the Father raises the dead and gives life. . . so does the Son. He is equal in that the Father has given the responsibility of judgment to the Son. Jesus is Equal to the Father. He gives life. How can we watch the Father? Watch Jesus. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
When I was in seventh grade my parents bought a split level house on a hill. It had a partial basement with a fallout shelter. Dad decided that he wanted a full basement. Over the next couple of years I watched him work. Little by little he dug out the basement with a shovel, a pick and a wheelbarrow. It was impressive work. Much of what he dug was sandstone. I frequently marveled at how he could consistently remain at the task, especially when it was nothing but sandstone and there was little progress.
As a young teen, I was allergic to work. But as I watched him, I couldn’t help but wonder if I had the muscular power to take the pick and break the rock. On a few occasions I took the pick and shovel and pry bar and tried my hand at it. Little by little Dad whittled it all out and I helped with a couple of shovels full. All totaled he probably moved 3600-4800 cubic feet of dirt and sandstone by hand.
Jesus as the God-Man only did what He was the Father doing. Indeed, He says that He could only do what He saw the Father doing. How did Jesus the man see what the Father was doing?
The few times that I did try my hand at the sandstone were after I had observed dad a while. I watched how he would try to find natural weaknesses in the sandstone and would hit the weaknesses to try to get it to crack along faults. I watched how he would try to carve out holds for the pry bar and then place the pry bar in the hold and see if He could pry loose large hunks of the sandstone. Then, on occasion, I tried the same.
The Father/Creator is working on His ruined creation. He watches and works in similar manner. He sees the Father healing. He healed the man lame for 38 years, lying by the pool of Bethesda. The Father is healing and Jesus heals too.
Here is a twist—Jesus worked on the Sabbath and commanded the lame man to work on the Sabbath. When challenged by the religious about working on the Sabbath Jesus’ defense was, “Well, Dad works on the Sabbath and so do I.” (Chaffin paraphrase) This made them angrier. Why? It made them angry because He made Himself equal with God.
For once they got something right. He is equal to the Father. But He also submits to the Father’s authority. And unless they miss the point, Jesus enumerates both His equality and His submission. He submits by doing only what He sees the Father doing. He is equal in that the Father raises the dead and gives life. . . so does the Son. He is equal in that the Father has given the responsibility of judgment to the Son. Jesus is Equal to the Father. He gives life. How can we watch the Father? Watch Jesus. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
May 15, 2010
May 15 John 4:31-54
I remember hearing Josh McDowell tell the story of his early days in CCC, before he became famous. Part of his summer duties at headquarters one summer was cleaning restrooms. Coming out of the restroom with toilet brush in hand, he bumped into Dr. Bright and Billy Graham. Dr. Bright introduced the two. It was a rather inglorious beginning for Josh, a lesson in humility. But Josh continued in a task that was inglorious because he was under authority. He learned to clean toilets for God. In that sense He was becoming Christ-like.
Jesus was talking with a Samaritan woman. That was social suicide for a Jewish Rabbi of His day. Yet He was doing it because it was what the Father desired. Jesus got such a rush from doing the Father’s will that He compared it to being as satisfying as eating. It was His nourishment, His food.
There have been a few time in my life where I didn’t like what I was doing (cleaning toilets, a commercial kitchen grease trap, etc.) At those times I have had to come to the Lord and say, “Lord, I detest this activity, but You ask it of me. So I am doing it for You because You desire it of me.” When I have made that choice, he makes the work satisfying! He makes it pleasant.
That’s His glory! He makes doing menial or unpleasant tasks enjoyable! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
I remember hearing Josh McDowell tell the story of his early days in CCC, before he became famous. Part of his summer duties at headquarters one summer was cleaning restrooms. Coming out of the restroom with toilet brush in hand, he bumped into Dr. Bright and Billy Graham. Dr. Bright introduced the two. It was a rather inglorious beginning for Josh, a lesson in humility. But Josh continued in a task that was inglorious because he was under authority. He learned to clean toilets for God. In that sense He was becoming Christ-like.
Jesus was talking with a Samaritan woman. That was social suicide for a Jewish Rabbi of His day. Yet He was doing it because it was what the Father desired. Jesus got such a rush from doing the Father’s will that He compared it to being as satisfying as eating. It was His nourishment, His food.
There have been a few time in my life where I didn’t like what I was doing (cleaning toilets, a commercial kitchen grease trap, etc.) At those times I have had to come to the Lord and say, “Lord, I detest this activity, but You ask it of me. So I am doing it for You because You desire it of me.” When I have made that choice, he makes the work satisfying! He makes it pleasant.
That’s His glory! He makes doing menial or unpleasant tasks enjoyable! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
May 14, 2010
May 14 John 4:1-30
I once lived in Boiling Spring Lakes NC. Not far from my house was a spring from which the town gets its name. It is a natural spring in an area dotted with over 50 little natural lakes. Most of the lakes are spring fed. The spring for which the town is named has a tremendous output of fresh water and makes a pretty good creek that just boils up out of the ground. Some of the lakes in town are actually seasonal pools and not spring fed. As such, their depth is dependent upon the water table and the amount of rainfall that we have had. Their appearance is often scummy and dirty looking.
If I had to drink untreated water, I wouldn’t mind drinking from the spring. Its source is the same aquifer that fed the well for my house. However, I wouldn’t want to drink from the seasonal pool. Just the smell of the pond scum turns my stomach. Jesus provides living water. Living water is like the water that comes up on its own bubbling out of the ground. It is refreshing to drink. It is satisfying. It is always there. You can never be thirsty from lack because it is always there. That is what Jesus told the woman at the well. He is always there. Whenever you are thirsty, all you need do is ask. He provides.
That is the glory of My Jesus. He satisfies all the time. He has only a few requirements. One is that we be honest about our sin. Another is that we desire to worship Him in spirit and truth. And the last is similar, He desires that we seek Him. When we meet those requirements, He gives us water that bubbles up out of us that not only meets our need but also the need of others. We no longer have to settle for old dirty pond scum. We can be satisfied with Him! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
I once lived in Boiling Spring Lakes NC. Not far from my house was a spring from which the town gets its name. It is a natural spring in an area dotted with over 50 little natural lakes. Most of the lakes are spring fed. The spring for which the town is named has a tremendous output of fresh water and makes a pretty good creek that just boils up out of the ground. Some of the lakes in town are actually seasonal pools and not spring fed. As such, their depth is dependent upon the water table and the amount of rainfall that we have had. Their appearance is often scummy and dirty looking.
If I had to drink untreated water, I wouldn’t mind drinking from the spring. Its source is the same aquifer that fed the well for my house. However, I wouldn’t want to drink from the seasonal pool. Just the smell of the pond scum turns my stomach. Jesus provides living water. Living water is like the water that comes up on its own bubbling out of the ground. It is refreshing to drink. It is satisfying. It is always there. You can never be thirsty from lack because it is always there. That is what Jesus told the woman at the well. He is always there. Whenever you are thirsty, all you need do is ask. He provides.
That is the glory of My Jesus. He satisfies all the time. He has only a few requirements. One is that we be honest about our sin. Another is that we desire to worship Him in spirit and truth. And the last is similar, He desires that we seek Him. When we meet those requirements, He gives us water that bubbles up out of us that not only meets our need but also the need of others. We no longer have to settle for old dirty pond scum. We can be satisfied with Him! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Thursday, May 13, 2010
May 13, 2010
Numbers 22
What about the Heathen who never heard? That used to be a common objection to embracing Jesus as the only way. Yet, the Lord never leaves Himself without some trace of the knowledge of Him. Who is this Balaam? He lives in Pethor, a Hittite city in Northwest Mesopotamia. Roughly it would be located near today’s border of Iraq and Syria. The Hittites were a culture of a thousand gods. It was from this area that Abram came to be a sojourner in the land that the Lord had promised to the Israelites. How did Balaam come to a knowledge of the Lord? We are not told. All we know is that he had some kind of relationship with the Lord, albeit somewhat lacking in truth. The relationship was strong enough that the Lord blessed those whom Balaam blessed and cursed those whom Balaam cursed. Hmmm. . .
What does this tell me about the glory of the Lord? It tells me that His glory is so great that no man is without excuse. Anyone who really desires to know the Lord, may find Him if he will seek Him. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
John 3:22-38
I have been a groomsman in a couple of weddings, my brother's and a friend. The neat thing about being a groomsman is you don't have to do anything. The attention is all on the bride and groom. Indeed, as a groomsman you are not supposed to do anything that detracts attention from the bride and groom. Like John the Baptist, we are groomsmen. Jesus is the groom. All that we do should bring attention to Him. That is why we must focus upon His glory daily and share what we find with others. His fame must increase and ours decrease. What can we know from this passage about Him?
He is from above. We enter into existence upon this earth. We do not have a pre-existence as some would teach. But He is from above. He existed from the beginning. He is from eternity in fellowship with the Father. Because of that, He was able to explain what the Father is like.
He is true. He never speaks or spoke a false word. He never exaggerates or exaggerated except as a figure of speech. His word can be counted upon. What He says, He will accomplish. We can entrust our lives to Him. I have been disappointed by many who have not spoken the truth to me or about me or were unfaithful to me. But Jesus always speaks the truth, and He is always faithful to me.
He gives His Spirit so generously that His gift cannot be measured. I need His Spirit to become what He wants me to be. And He gives generously.
He gives me everlasting life if I just believe in Him. Couldn't be simpler. He is also a God of wrath. Failure to trust in Him-something so simple-produces wrath. There is none like Him. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
What about the Heathen who never heard? That used to be a common objection to embracing Jesus as the only way. Yet, the Lord never leaves Himself without some trace of the knowledge of Him. Who is this Balaam? He lives in Pethor, a Hittite city in Northwest Mesopotamia. Roughly it would be located near today’s border of Iraq and Syria. The Hittites were a culture of a thousand gods. It was from this area that Abram came to be a sojourner in the land that the Lord had promised to the Israelites. How did Balaam come to a knowledge of the Lord? We are not told. All we know is that he had some kind of relationship with the Lord, albeit somewhat lacking in truth. The relationship was strong enough that the Lord blessed those whom Balaam blessed and cursed those whom Balaam cursed. Hmmm. . .
What does this tell me about the glory of the Lord? It tells me that His glory is so great that no man is without excuse. Anyone who really desires to know the Lord, may find Him if he will seek Him. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
John 3:22-38
I have been a groomsman in a couple of weddings, my brother's and a friend. The neat thing about being a groomsman is you don't have to do anything. The attention is all on the bride and groom. Indeed, as a groomsman you are not supposed to do anything that detracts attention from the bride and groom. Like John the Baptist, we are groomsmen. Jesus is the groom. All that we do should bring attention to Him. That is why we must focus upon His glory daily and share what we find with others. His fame must increase and ours decrease. What can we know from this passage about Him?
He is from above. We enter into existence upon this earth. We do not have a pre-existence as some would teach. But He is from above. He existed from the beginning. He is from eternity in fellowship with the Father. Because of that, He was able to explain what the Father is like.
He is true. He never speaks or spoke a false word. He never exaggerates or exaggerated except as a figure of speech. His word can be counted upon. What He says, He will accomplish. We can entrust our lives to Him. I have been disappointed by many who have not spoken the truth to me or about me or were unfaithful to me. But Jesus always speaks the truth, and He is always faithful to me.
He gives His Spirit so generously that His gift cannot be measured. I need His Spirit to become what He wants me to be. And He gives generously.
He gives me everlasting life if I just believe in Him. Couldn't be simpler. He is also a God of wrath. Failure to trust in Him-something so simple-produces wrath. There is none like Him. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
May 12, 2010
Numbers 21
“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness even so must the Son of man be lifted up." Such were the words of Jesus as recorded in John 3:14. Following shortly thereafter are the most memorized words of the Bible, John 3;16. When we had grumbled and complained about the magnificent provision of the Lord, the Lord permitted that old serpent, the devil, to bite us. We were dead and dying in our own trespasses and sins. In the midst of our despair, the Lord sent Jesus to become sin on our behalf. Hanging on the pole (cross), He died in our place. We have only to look (trust in) to Him, and instantly we are healed. Now that is glory on His part! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
John 3:1-21
I remember looking down into the bassinette the first time that I laid him in it. He was my first child. What an amazing thing! Here was a new life. I was responsible for raising him. I was overwhelmed with the responsibility. I was in awe of what God had done--a new life. I would think that almost anyone who has had a child knows of what I speak. Yet there is something even more amazing--new spiritual life.
In this passage Jesus uses that phrase that has become so over used in our culture. He tells this highly religious man that he must be born again. In explaining it, He gives us that most memorized verse of the Scripture, John 3:16. He tells us that He will die so that we can be born again. His light reveals our sin. When we come to His light and present our sin to Him, His deed on the cross and resurrection removes our sin and creates life out of death. That is an even more amazing miracle than the physical birth! It is what He does that produces it! He creates life out of my death. That is better than the amazing thing that He does in creating physical babies! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness even so must the Son of man be lifted up." Such were the words of Jesus as recorded in John 3:14. Following shortly thereafter are the most memorized words of the Bible, John 3;16. When we had grumbled and complained about the magnificent provision of the Lord, the Lord permitted that old serpent, the devil, to bite us. We were dead and dying in our own trespasses and sins. In the midst of our despair, the Lord sent Jesus to become sin on our behalf. Hanging on the pole (cross), He died in our place. We have only to look (trust in) to Him, and instantly we are healed. Now that is glory on His part! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
John 3:1-21
I remember looking down into the bassinette the first time that I laid him in it. He was my first child. What an amazing thing! Here was a new life. I was responsible for raising him. I was overwhelmed with the responsibility. I was in awe of what God had done--a new life. I would think that almost anyone who has had a child knows of what I speak. Yet there is something even more amazing--new spiritual life.
In this passage Jesus uses that phrase that has become so over used in our culture. He tells this highly religious man that he must be born again. In explaining it, He gives us that most memorized verse of the Scripture, John 3:16. He tells us that He will die so that we can be born again. His light reveals our sin. When we come to His light and present our sin to Him, His deed on the cross and resurrection removes our sin and creates life out of death. That is an even more amazing miracle than the physical birth! It is what He does that produces it! He creates life out of my death. That is better than the amazing thing that He does in creating physical babies! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
May 11, 2010
Numbers 20
Referring in part to Numbers 20, the apostle Paul tells us in 1 Cor 10:4 “And all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.” Of course, we have already seen this kind of miracle in Ex. 17. In referring to our meditation on March 6, we read:
The children of Israel, 2,000,000+ strong, were in a geographical area that receives no more than 6 inches of annual rainfall. Not nearly enough to support that many people. However, any Bedouin shepherd today knows that those six inches of rainfall filter down through the sand to the limestone base and moves laterally till it reaches a point of release in the valleys and canyons in the area. Over the years the limestone leaches in to the water and covers the canyon walls sealing the water in the ground. The Bedouin shepherd can then come along and strike the rock walls in the canyon in a thin spot and break the limestone covering. The result? A spring in the desert.
The problem in the Numbers passage is that Moses had been commanded to speak to the rock, not strike it. Why speak to the rock? There were two reasons. 1) The rock is a type of Christ. The first time that Jesus literally provided spiritual water for us was when He was crucified. He was stricken for our sin. Jesus died only once for sin. He was stricken only once. Any need for water from Him after that must come from respect for the One who died for us. After the first time we speak to Him in respect. 2) Moses had been a shepherd in the area for 40 years. He knew how to find water. He knew the secrets of the Bedouins. By striking the Rock Moses was drawing attention to himself. He was receiving glory for his abilities as a shepherd of the people. He had been frustrated with the complaints against him and Aaron concerning their leadership abilities. An angry display of his ability of his ability to bring water from the rock was just what he needed to restore the reputation of his abilities in their eyes. Moses thought it was about him. No it wasn’t. It was and always is about the glory of God. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
John 2
In order to accomplish something two things must be present on my part. First, I must have the ability to accomplish it. Second I must have the desire to accomplish it. Suppose there were a Hummer dealership down the road from me. Could I accomplish buying a Hummer? Well first, I would have to have the ability. I probably don't. But with today's lenders, I might be able find someone crazy enough to lend me the money. However, from a Biblical standpoint of not borrowing unless you definitely have the ability to repay, I couldn't do it. A Hummer is out of my price range-what I consider to be my ability. Second, I would have to have the desire. Even if I had the cash to buy a Hummer, I wouldn't. My son might, but I wouldn't. There are very few vehicles on the road that are uglier than a Hummer. Sure it is a sign of strength and power, but I don't care about signs of strength and power. My Lord has enough of that for me. For me transportation is transportation. I don't need signs. I simply need to get from one place to another. A Hummer is a waste of money for me. For me it would be poor stewardship of the Lord's money.
John is presenting the beginning of our Lord's ministry. He wants to present aspects of His ministry that demonstrate that Jesus is someone in whom we should believe in order to obtain Eternal Life from Him. Does He have the ability? His first miracle is that of turning water into wine. Now people at the time of Christ probably could not tell you about the molecular make up of wine. But they knew how to make it. And they knew that water, no matter how long it sat, never turns to wine, particularly aged wine. I once heard of the complaint of a skeptic who said, "The atoms present in water would have to have been changed in order to make atoms found in wine. Such a change would have released nuclear power that would have annihilated everyone around." That is part of the point. Only one who could call the world into existence by saying, "Let there be. . ." could rearrange the atoms and molecules without harming those standing by. If He can speak the worlds into existence, then He can rearrange atoms without causing a nuclear explosion. He has the ability to give me Eternal Life.
Does He have the desire? Jesus apparently cleansed the temple at two points in His ministry, the beginning and the end. He entered the temple and found the court of the Gentiles given over to the selling of sacrificial animals and the exchanging of money so that one may use the 'correct currency' to purchase the sacrificial animals. It was supposed to be a place where people of all nations could come and pray. Instead they had made it a place to raise money for the ministry. (Some have suggested that the priests were crooked and were gaining personally from the exchange.) Does not the Lord of Creation have money to provide for His people to do what He requires? He had a zeal for them to seek His name. They had a zeal to establish their own name. This is one of the few times that we see Jesus really angry and violent. Hmmm. Zeal for Your house has eaten me up. He has a desire. His desire is for His people to want only one thing, Him.
They asked for a sign. Pardon me but He had turned water into wine and done many others at this point that John has not recorded. What more signs do they want? He gave one answer, "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up." It is the sign that stands through all the centuries. Like a huge monolithic obelisk, it points to Him. Most have denied it. Some have tried to refute it. But none have brought it down. It stands as the greatest testament to His ability and desire of all history. He is risen from the dead!
Does He have the ability to give us Eternal Life? Certainly He does! Does He have the desire to give us Eternal Life? Certainly He does--but, His desire is also that His name be first. To whom does Jesus commit Himself? To those who let His name be pre-eminent in their life, He commits Himself. To those who are willing to let go of all else and be satisfied with just Him, He commits Himself. It is all about His glory, not ours. And why not? He is worth far more than we are! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
Referring in part to Numbers 20, the apostle Paul tells us in 1 Cor 10:4 “And all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.” Of course, we have already seen this kind of miracle in Ex. 17. In referring to our meditation on March 6, we read:
The children of Israel, 2,000,000+ strong, were in a geographical area that receives no more than 6 inches of annual rainfall. Not nearly enough to support that many people. However, any Bedouin shepherd today knows that those six inches of rainfall filter down through the sand to the limestone base and moves laterally till it reaches a point of release in the valleys and canyons in the area. Over the years the limestone leaches in to the water and covers the canyon walls sealing the water in the ground. The Bedouin shepherd can then come along and strike the rock walls in the canyon in a thin spot and break the limestone covering. The result? A spring in the desert.
The problem in the Numbers passage is that Moses had been commanded to speak to the rock, not strike it. Why speak to the rock? There were two reasons. 1) The rock is a type of Christ. The first time that Jesus literally provided spiritual water for us was when He was crucified. He was stricken for our sin. Jesus died only once for sin. He was stricken only once. Any need for water from Him after that must come from respect for the One who died for us. After the first time we speak to Him in respect. 2) Moses had been a shepherd in the area for 40 years. He knew how to find water. He knew the secrets of the Bedouins. By striking the Rock Moses was drawing attention to himself. He was receiving glory for his abilities as a shepherd of the people. He had been frustrated with the complaints against him and Aaron concerning their leadership abilities. An angry display of his ability of his ability to bring water from the rock was just what he needed to restore the reputation of his abilities in their eyes. Moses thought it was about him. No it wasn’t. It was and always is about the glory of God. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
John 2
In order to accomplish something two things must be present on my part. First, I must have the ability to accomplish it. Second I must have the desire to accomplish it. Suppose there were a Hummer dealership down the road from me. Could I accomplish buying a Hummer? Well first, I would have to have the ability. I probably don't. But with today's lenders, I might be able find someone crazy enough to lend me the money. However, from a Biblical standpoint of not borrowing unless you definitely have the ability to repay, I couldn't do it. A Hummer is out of my price range-what I consider to be my ability. Second, I would have to have the desire. Even if I had the cash to buy a Hummer, I wouldn't. My son might, but I wouldn't. There are very few vehicles on the road that are uglier than a Hummer. Sure it is a sign of strength and power, but I don't care about signs of strength and power. My Lord has enough of that for me. For me transportation is transportation. I don't need signs. I simply need to get from one place to another. A Hummer is a waste of money for me. For me it would be poor stewardship of the Lord's money.
John is presenting the beginning of our Lord's ministry. He wants to present aspects of His ministry that demonstrate that Jesus is someone in whom we should believe in order to obtain Eternal Life from Him. Does He have the ability? His first miracle is that of turning water into wine. Now people at the time of Christ probably could not tell you about the molecular make up of wine. But they knew how to make it. And they knew that water, no matter how long it sat, never turns to wine, particularly aged wine. I once heard of the complaint of a skeptic who said, "The atoms present in water would have to have been changed in order to make atoms found in wine. Such a change would have released nuclear power that would have annihilated everyone around." That is part of the point. Only one who could call the world into existence by saying, "Let there be. . ." could rearrange the atoms and molecules without harming those standing by. If He can speak the worlds into existence, then He can rearrange atoms without causing a nuclear explosion. He has the ability to give me Eternal Life.
Does He have the desire? Jesus apparently cleansed the temple at two points in His ministry, the beginning and the end. He entered the temple and found the court of the Gentiles given over to the selling of sacrificial animals and the exchanging of money so that one may use the 'correct currency' to purchase the sacrificial animals. It was supposed to be a place where people of all nations could come and pray. Instead they had made it a place to raise money for the ministry. (Some have suggested that the priests were crooked and were gaining personally from the exchange.) Does not the Lord of Creation have money to provide for His people to do what He requires? He had a zeal for them to seek His name. They had a zeal to establish their own name. This is one of the few times that we see Jesus really angry and violent. Hmmm. Zeal for Your house has eaten me up. He has a desire. His desire is for His people to want only one thing, Him.
They asked for a sign. Pardon me but He had turned water into wine and done many others at this point that John has not recorded. What more signs do they want? He gave one answer, "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up." It is the sign that stands through all the centuries. Like a huge monolithic obelisk, it points to Him. Most have denied it. Some have tried to refute it. But none have brought it down. It stands as the greatest testament to His ability and desire of all history. He is risen from the dead!
Does He have the ability to give us Eternal Life? Certainly He does! Does He have the desire to give us Eternal Life? Certainly He does--but, His desire is also that His name be first. To whom does Jesus commit Himself? To those who let His name be pre-eminent in their life, He commits Himself. To those who are willing to let go of all else and be satisfied with just Him, He commits Himself. It is all about His glory, not ours. And why not? He is worth far more than we are! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
May 10, 2010
John 1:29-51
About a year and a half after Laura and I married, we needed to get a different car. I eventually bought a Toyota Corolla from a pastor (from a church of a different denomination than ours). The car seemed okay. It ran decent. The interior was alright. The price range was perfect (at that time I operated on a cash only basis). The pastor also assured me that he had just rebuilt the engine and in his opinion the engine should be good for another 80,000 miles. He said he was selling it for financial reasons and no longer needed the car. I do not have the ability to look into the interior of an engine and determine how sound it is. But I trusted the word of the pastor. It sounded like a great deal. After all, if he had just rebuilt the engine, we should be good to go. So we bought it.
Not many months later we began having problems. I had to rebuild the carburetor. A mechanic informed me that I needed a valve job. And there were a host of other things that happened. At one point I was pulling the back seat out of the car and found an old receipt. It was for having the cylinder heads machined (a process one usually does when you have a valve job done-usually in the process of rebuilding the engine). The receipt recorded mileage and date of when the procedure was done. It was about 60,000 miles earlier than what the pastor had told me. I guess his definition of having "just rebuilt" the engine was a lot looser than my definition. I wished I had the ability to look into an engine to see what it was really like before I bought the car. I would have walked away from it.
Part of the glory of Jesus is that He sees right into our hearts and pursues us anyway. He came along side us in the auction market of sin. We were up for sale. He looked down into our hearts, our engine so to speak and He saw what was defiled and broken. He purchased us to take away our sin and rebuild the broken engine inside. He is just in removing our sin because He shed His own blood in our place. Once our sin is removed and our engine repaired, He fills us with the oil of His Holy Spirit who is able to lubricate all our parts to keep us working. He also fills us with the gasoline of His Holy Spirit who provides the fire to run our engine in a way that delights Him. He is the master mechanic who sees right to the depths of our being. He repairs us and empowers us to please Him. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
About a year and a half after Laura and I married, we needed to get a different car. I eventually bought a Toyota Corolla from a pastor (from a church of a different denomination than ours). The car seemed okay. It ran decent. The interior was alright. The price range was perfect (at that time I operated on a cash only basis). The pastor also assured me that he had just rebuilt the engine and in his opinion the engine should be good for another 80,000 miles. He said he was selling it for financial reasons and no longer needed the car. I do not have the ability to look into the interior of an engine and determine how sound it is. But I trusted the word of the pastor. It sounded like a great deal. After all, if he had just rebuilt the engine, we should be good to go. So we bought it.
Not many months later we began having problems. I had to rebuild the carburetor. A mechanic informed me that I needed a valve job. And there were a host of other things that happened. At one point I was pulling the back seat out of the car and found an old receipt. It was for having the cylinder heads machined (a process one usually does when you have a valve job done-usually in the process of rebuilding the engine). The receipt recorded mileage and date of when the procedure was done. It was about 60,000 miles earlier than what the pastor had told me. I guess his definition of having "just rebuilt" the engine was a lot looser than my definition. I wished I had the ability to look into an engine to see what it was really like before I bought the car. I would have walked away from it.
Part of the glory of Jesus is that He sees right into our hearts and pursues us anyway. He came along side us in the auction market of sin. We were up for sale. He looked down into our hearts, our engine so to speak and He saw what was defiled and broken. He purchased us to take away our sin and rebuild the broken engine inside. He is just in removing our sin because He shed His own blood in our place. Once our sin is removed and our engine repaired, He fills us with the oil of His Holy Spirit who is able to lubricate all our parts to keep us working. He also fills us with the gasoline of His Holy Spirit who provides the fire to run our engine in a way that delights Him. He is the master mechanic who sees right to the depths of our being. He repairs us and empowers us to please Him. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
May 9, 2010
John 1:1-28
I have a lot of negative memories of football, mostly because I was so lousy at it. One particularly lousy memory is of a day in football practice when I was sophomore or junior. It was a 90+ degree day, and the coach was really hammering away at me for my inability to play the position properly. I don't know whether it was because he thought that I wasn't trying to play up to my potential, or he was trying to make me mad hoping anger would make me a better player, or whether he was hoping that I would quit, so that he wouldn't have to mess with me anymore (I was on the last level of the depth chart). I've never been a quitter. As he raved more and more, I became more and more embarrassed. As I became madder and more embarrassed, I tried to hit harder and harder. It seemed futile. I couldn't do the job. The coach continued to press the issue in progressively less flattering terms. Finally, near physical exhaustion and emotionally worked to the limit, my throat began to shut down. I couldn't breathe without making a loud rasping sound, and I couldn't bring in enough oxygen. I learned how dependent I am upon oxygen. The coach, hearing me rasp for air, told me to leave the line up until I could breathe again. There have been few times in my life when I have been more humiliated. If you have ever had to struggle for air you know what it means to realize your dependency upon something else to live.
It is not so with Jesus. In Jesus is life, and the life is the light of men. All things were made through Him, and apart from Him nothing was made that was made. He is dependent upon nothing to live. He is life. You and I are dependent upon the environment, which He holds together, He is not dependent upon it. If we want to travel far very quickly, we need trains, planes or automobiles. He does not need them. We are dependent upon the air. He made the air. We are dependent upon water. He made the water. We are dependent upon clothing. He can clothe Himself in Light. We are dependent upon light. He is Light. He could exert Himself and not become oxygen deficient. Not that is glorious! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
I have a lot of negative memories of football, mostly because I was so lousy at it. One particularly lousy memory is of a day in football practice when I was sophomore or junior. It was a 90+ degree day, and the coach was really hammering away at me for my inability to play the position properly. I don't know whether it was because he thought that I wasn't trying to play up to my potential, or he was trying to make me mad hoping anger would make me a better player, or whether he was hoping that I would quit, so that he wouldn't have to mess with me anymore (I was on the last level of the depth chart). I've never been a quitter. As he raved more and more, I became more and more embarrassed. As I became madder and more embarrassed, I tried to hit harder and harder. It seemed futile. I couldn't do the job. The coach continued to press the issue in progressively less flattering terms. Finally, near physical exhaustion and emotionally worked to the limit, my throat began to shut down. I couldn't breathe without making a loud rasping sound, and I couldn't bring in enough oxygen. I learned how dependent I am upon oxygen. The coach, hearing me rasp for air, told me to leave the line up until I could breathe again. There have been few times in my life when I have been more humiliated. If you have ever had to struggle for air you know what it means to realize your dependency upon something else to live.
It is not so with Jesus. In Jesus is life, and the life is the light of men. All things were made through Him, and apart from Him nothing was made that was made. He is dependent upon nothing to live. He is life. You and I are dependent upon the environment, which He holds together, He is not dependent upon it. If we want to travel far very quickly, we need trains, planes or automobiles. He does not need them. We are dependent upon the air. He made the air. We are dependent upon water. He made the water. We are dependent upon clothing. He can clothe Himself in Light. We are dependent upon light. He is Light. He could exert Himself and not become oxygen deficient. Not that is glorious! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
May 8, 2010
Luke 24:36-53
The young people in my former church made several movies for inclusion in their youth service. They call them, The Meaning of It All. They are a parody of super hero themes. The plot is group of super-heroes cleverly disguised as musicians (punk rock or concert) who save the world. I really enjoy their creativity and comedy. Why do we enjoy super-hero themes? We enjoy them because we know there is evil in the world. We instinctively long for a hero who will set us free from the death and destruction in our souls. In reality Jesus is the hero we all long for.
Today’s passage is the stuff of which super-hero movies are made; except, this is reality. Jesus can appear anywhere, even in locked rooms. Yet he is not just a spiritual apparition. He eats food like a normal man. He is one of us. He is the one of whom the law and the prophets spoke. The earliest prophecy was given 4000 years before His birth and types of Him can be found in almost every book of the Old Testament. The statistical probabilities of the likelihood of the prophecies which he fulfilled are staggering. His death, burial and resurrection were foretold in Psalm 22, Isaiah 53 and Psalm 16.
His message of liberation was to be preached to all nations. You and I have that privilege. We can tell the nations about His glory. That is one of the reasons why meditating on His Glory is so important. Without that consistent meditation, we quit focusing on what is important and find our selves falling once again under the spell of the evil ruler of this world. Also, He has given us the promise of special empowerment to be witnesses of His glory. We were born again for this. What a thrill it is to be witnesses of His glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
The young people in my former church made several movies for inclusion in their youth service. They call them, The Meaning of It All. They are a parody of super hero themes. The plot is group of super-heroes cleverly disguised as musicians (punk rock or concert) who save the world. I really enjoy their creativity and comedy. Why do we enjoy super-hero themes? We enjoy them because we know there is evil in the world. We instinctively long for a hero who will set us free from the death and destruction in our souls. In reality Jesus is the hero we all long for.
Today’s passage is the stuff of which super-hero movies are made; except, this is reality. Jesus can appear anywhere, even in locked rooms. Yet he is not just a spiritual apparition. He eats food like a normal man. He is one of us. He is the one of whom the law and the prophets spoke. The earliest prophecy was given 4000 years before His birth and types of Him can be found in almost every book of the Old Testament. The statistical probabilities of the likelihood of the prophecies which he fulfilled are staggering. His death, burial and resurrection were foretold in Psalm 22, Isaiah 53 and Psalm 16.
His message of liberation was to be preached to all nations. You and I have that privilege. We can tell the nations about His glory. That is one of the reasons why meditating on His Glory is so important. Without that consistent meditation, we quit focusing on what is important and find our selves falling once again under the spell of the evil ruler of this world. Also, He has given us the promise of special empowerment to be witnesses of His glory. We were born again for this. What a thrill it is to be witnesses of His glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
Friday, May 7, 2010
May 7, 2010
Numbers 15
“Make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a blue thread in the tassels of the corners. 39“And you shall have the tassel, that you may look upon it and remember all the commandments of the Lord and do them, and that you may not follow the harlotry to which your own heart and your own eyes are inclined, 40“and that you may remember and do all My commandments, and be holy for your God. 41“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the Lord your God. (emphasize mine)
The blue chord is the color of the heavens. The blue chord was to remind them of the glory of the Lord. The Lord desires for us to remember His commands and be holy. Why? Because He is the Lord our God. His glory upon the earth is intricately entwined with our obedience. Wow, that means there is more at stake than my own welfare in my obedience or disobedience. In a sense the very glory of God is at stake. On the one hand, when someone uses the excuse of not following the Lord because of the hypocrites in the church, it is no excuse. They are allowing the hypocrite to keep them from coming to the glorious God of the universe. On the other hand, the glory of God is dimmed to those around us when we are disobedient. If we truly love the Lord our God, that is unacceptable. How can we, who have been purchased by the blood of His own sacrifice, ever allow His glory to be diminished because of our disobedience. If we stop and think about it, it is absolutely unacceptable. His glory is too precious. His glory is too awesome. His glory is too wonderful. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Luke 24:1-35
It is interesting how people change but don't change over the years. When I was 51 years old, I returned to my home town to attend my son's college graduation. After church a woman walked up to me that looked vaguely familiar. "Paula?" I asked. Indeed it was Paula. We went to grade school together. It had been almost 40 years since I had last seen her and yet she was still recognizable. Now to be honest, my mother had told me that she had started attending the church. So, I had a little bit of context to recognize her. Had I just passed her on the street out of context, I might not have recognized her. Sometimes we need a context to recognize even those with whom we are familiar.
The glory of Jesus is somewhat like that at this point. The women at the tomb could not recognize His glory because they had a mindset that was a context of death, not resurrection, not the Lord of Glory. The angels had to tell them the significance of the empty tomb. From another Gospel we learn that even Mary did not recognize Him when she first saw Him. The disciples on the road to Emmaus did not recognize Him, although they walked with Him a few miles. It was only after He had expounded the Scriptures did they finally see His glory. Then He vanished. It was a context that sparked their recognition. It was the context of the Scriptures that enabled them to move them from their mindset of death to gain a glimpse of His resurrection life. It was the context of His giving thanks and breaking of bread that finally turned the light on. They saw the glory, albeit momentarily, but they saw the glory! That moment changed them forever.
We too can see His glory. Maybe we can't see it physically with our eyes. But in the context of the Scriptures, He comes to us through His Holy Spirit, and as we mull upon and meditate up the Scriptures and His glory, we finally get it! Albeit momentarily, but we get it! Yes He is risen, and He does take our death mindset and turns it back into life! Today, we must see Him in the Scriptures. It is they that testify of Him. Only in Him can we find life. That is why daily we must see His glory and share it with others. Yesterday's manna will not suffice. Yesterday's offering is a death mindset. But He is risen today. We can meet Him in His Scripture for He has entered into His glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
“Make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a blue thread in the tassels of the corners. 39“And you shall have the tassel, that you may look upon it and remember all the commandments of the Lord and do them, and that you may not follow the harlotry to which your own heart and your own eyes are inclined, 40“and that you may remember and do all My commandments, and be holy for your God. 41“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the Lord your God. (emphasize mine)
The blue chord is the color of the heavens. The blue chord was to remind them of the glory of the Lord. The Lord desires for us to remember His commands and be holy. Why? Because He is the Lord our God. His glory upon the earth is intricately entwined with our obedience. Wow, that means there is more at stake than my own welfare in my obedience or disobedience. In a sense the very glory of God is at stake. On the one hand, when someone uses the excuse of not following the Lord because of the hypocrites in the church, it is no excuse. They are allowing the hypocrite to keep them from coming to the glorious God of the universe. On the other hand, the glory of God is dimmed to those around us when we are disobedient. If we truly love the Lord our God, that is unacceptable. How can we, who have been purchased by the blood of His own sacrifice, ever allow His glory to be diminished because of our disobedience. If we stop and think about it, it is absolutely unacceptable. His glory is too precious. His glory is too awesome. His glory is too wonderful. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Luke 24:1-35
It is interesting how people change but don't change over the years. When I was 51 years old, I returned to my home town to attend my son's college graduation. After church a woman walked up to me that looked vaguely familiar. "Paula?" I asked. Indeed it was Paula. We went to grade school together. It had been almost 40 years since I had last seen her and yet she was still recognizable. Now to be honest, my mother had told me that she had started attending the church. So, I had a little bit of context to recognize her. Had I just passed her on the street out of context, I might not have recognized her. Sometimes we need a context to recognize even those with whom we are familiar.
The glory of Jesus is somewhat like that at this point. The women at the tomb could not recognize His glory because they had a mindset that was a context of death, not resurrection, not the Lord of Glory. The angels had to tell them the significance of the empty tomb. From another Gospel we learn that even Mary did not recognize Him when she first saw Him. The disciples on the road to Emmaus did not recognize Him, although they walked with Him a few miles. It was only after He had expounded the Scriptures did they finally see His glory. Then He vanished. It was a context that sparked their recognition. It was the context of the Scriptures that enabled them to move them from their mindset of death to gain a glimpse of His resurrection life. It was the context of His giving thanks and breaking of bread that finally turned the light on. They saw the glory, albeit momentarily, but they saw the glory! That moment changed them forever.
We too can see His glory. Maybe we can't see it physically with our eyes. But in the context of the Scriptures, He comes to us through His Holy Spirit, and as we mull upon and meditate up the Scriptures and His glory, we finally get it! Albeit momentarily, but we get it! Yes He is risen, and He does take our death mindset and turns it back into life! Today, we must see Him in the Scriptures. It is they that testify of Him. Only in Him can we find life. That is why daily we must see His glory and share it with others. Yesterday's manna will not suffice. Yesterday's offering is a death mindset. But He is risen today. We can meet Him in His Scripture for He has entered into His glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
May 6, 2010
Luke 23:26-56
Have you ever been falsely accused? Everybody has at one time or another. Think back on that occasion. How did you feel about your accusers? How did you feel about the truly guilty ones? How did you feel in general? Did you even stop to think about what was going on in the minds of those around you including your accusers? If you did think about them, were they thoughts of forgiveness? My basic and usual reaction is defensive. Is yours? It probably is. But not Jesus. His thoughts were toward others.
Carrying His cross down the streets of Jerusalem, He collapsed beneath the load. I would have been having a major pity party at the time. Not Jesus. Women were mourning for Him alongside the street. He tells them their pity is misdirected. He knows of a coming day when the city will be sacked. His concern is for them. Before He came to the cross He was innocent, holy and pure. Before becoming flesh, He was the adoring focus of all the heavenly creatures and constantly proclaimed holy by them. Before His arrest He was protected by angels and ministered to by them. Now He hung between criminals, was mocked by the gawkers and abused by the soldiers. And concerning those He prayed, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." Hanging on the cross one of the criminals blasphemed Him. The other thief recognized Jesus' innocence. He begged remembrance when Jesus was to come into His Kingdom. (Now there is amazing faith.) Jesus promised Him that that very day they would be together in Paradise.
It is not recorded in Luke's Gospel, but it is in others. Jesus cried out, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" Jesus felt that even God had accused Him. He had. But His accusation was just. The Father placed our sin upon Jesus and then condemned and judged Him. False? Yes and No at the same time. Sinner? Yes, in our place. Sinner? No, before this time, nor since. In the midst of the weight of the judgment upon Him against our sin He says, "Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit." The Father's true/false accusation killed Him. But He was willing to take it in our place. There is no hint of hatred or defensiveness in Jesus on the cross. Forgiveness and love flowed as freely as His blood. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Have you ever been falsely accused? Everybody has at one time or another. Think back on that occasion. How did you feel about your accusers? How did you feel about the truly guilty ones? How did you feel in general? Did you even stop to think about what was going on in the minds of those around you including your accusers? If you did think about them, were they thoughts of forgiveness? My basic and usual reaction is defensive. Is yours? It probably is. But not Jesus. His thoughts were toward others.
Carrying His cross down the streets of Jerusalem, He collapsed beneath the load. I would have been having a major pity party at the time. Not Jesus. Women were mourning for Him alongside the street. He tells them their pity is misdirected. He knows of a coming day when the city will be sacked. His concern is for them. Before He came to the cross He was innocent, holy and pure. Before becoming flesh, He was the adoring focus of all the heavenly creatures and constantly proclaimed holy by them. Before His arrest He was protected by angels and ministered to by them. Now He hung between criminals, was mocked by the gawkers and abused by the soldiers. And concerning those He prayed, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." Hanging on the cross one of the criminals blasphemed Him. The other thief recognized Jesus' innocence. He begged remembrance when Jesus was to come into His Kingdom. (Now there is amazing faith.) Jesus promised Him that that very day they would be together in Paradise.
It is not recorded in Luke's Gospel, but it is in others. Jesus cried out, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" Jesus felt that even God had accused Him. He had. But His accusation was just. The Father placed our sin upon Jesus and then condemned and judged Him. False? Yes and No at the same time. Sinner? Yes, in our place. Sinner? No, before this time, nor since. In the midst of the weight of the judgment upon Him against our sin He says, "Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit." The Father's true/false accusation killed Him. But He was willing to take it in our place. There is no hint of hatred or defensiveness in Jesus on the cross. Forgiveness and love flowed as freely as His blood. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
May 5, 2010
Numbers 12-13
When the glory of the Lord wanes before our eyes,
The obstacles loom gigantic in size.
Miriam and Aaron complained about Moses’ selection of a new wife. We are not told what happened to Zipporah. Perhaps she died. Perhaps Moses was following the cultural norm by taking second wife. At any rate, Zipporah was the daughter of a Midianite Priest, not from Ethiopia. Do I detect a bit of racism here? At any rate, Miriam heavily criticized Moses for this selection. In so doing her main object was not Moses’ selection of wife. After all, Moses was 81 years old at this time, and she makes a point that God had spoken through her as well. What she really was criticizing was Moses’ authority. Why did Miriam not fear criticizing Moses? It was more important to her that others seen that God spoke to her than to respect the line of authority which began with Moses. Her view of the glory was fixed upon people not the Lord.
God commanded that spies be sent into the land. Ten of the twelve brought back a bad report. After all the miracles they had seen in the last year, why did they not believe that they could take the land? They themselves gave the answer, “There we saw the giants . . . ; and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.” They had taken their eyes off of the glory of God, off of the ability of God, and placed it upon themselves. When we cannot see the glory of the Lord, it is usually because we are in the way.
What obstacles are between me and the Lord? Maybe it is my own ability. I choose to look at the glory of the Lord. I will not back down for His glory is before me. I will only back down when He makes it clear that I should. He can overcome any obstacle. He can move mountains. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Luke 23:1-25
At every graduation, schools always pick at least one person to represent the class as a whole. That person is usually the best of the best. The honors they have achieved are announced. Sometimes they are invited to give a speech. This person in a sense is to represent the whole class. They are from the class and represent the class. They represent the hopes of the class. They are in a sense without blemish or fault.
Four days before Passover the Israelites were to select a, "lamb for the household . . . without blemish . . ." For four days the lamb lived among them. It became part of the family. It represented the family. It was one of them. Then it was slain on their behalf that the death angel might pass over them.
Jesus came as the God-Man. He lived among us. He became, as it were, a part of the family. As a man, He was part of the family. As God, He was perfect. As virgin born, He had no sin nature. He was brought before Pilate who declared, "I find no fault in Him." He represents us. He did not have to die because He had no sin that required His death. Yet our King chose to go there. There is no fault in Him.
In our graduations our hopes are for our "best" to go on and achieve great things because they represent us. There is a sense in which we cannot soar any higher than they. We would never consider sacrificing them. Yet, this is what Jesus did. Our perfect representative, our perfect One, was sacrificed in our place. Yet because of His sacrifice He soared to heights undreamed of before. Because He died, our sin was taken care of. Because He was without blemish and had no fault, the penalty of my sin was paid. He is the Faultless One! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
When the glory of the Lord wanes before our eyes,
The obstacles loom gigantic in size.
Miriam and Aaron complained about Moses’ selection of a new wife. We are not told what happened to Zipporah. Perhaps she died. Perhaps Moses was following the cultural norm by taking second wife. At any rate, Zipporah was the daughter of a Midianite Priest, not from Ethiopia. Do I detect a bit of racism here? At any rate, Miriam heavily criticized Moses for this selection. In so doing her main object was not Moses’ selection of wife. After all, Moses was 81 years old at this time, and she makes a point that God had spoken through her as well. What she really was criticizing was Moses’ authority. Why did Miriam not fear criticizing Moses? It was more important to her that others seen that God spoke to her than to respect the line of authority which began with Moses. Her view of the glory was fixed upon people not the Lord.
God commanded that spies be sent into the land. Ten of the twelve brought back a bad report. After all the miracles they had seen in the last year, why did they not believe that they could take the land? They themselves gave the answer, “There we saw the giants . . . ; and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.” They had taken their eyes off of the glory of God, off of the ability of God, and placed it upon themselves. When we cannot see the glory of the Lord, it is usually because we are in the way.
What obstacles are between me and the Lord? Maybe it is my own ability. I choose to look at the glory of the Lord. I will not back down for His glory is before me. I will only back down when He makes it clear that I should. He can overcome any obstacle. He can move mountains. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Luke 23:1-25
At every graduation, schools always pick at least one person to represent the class as a whole. That person is usually the best of the best. The honors they have achieved are announced. Sometimes they are invited to give a speech. This person in a sense is to represent the whole class. They are from the class and represent the class. They represent the hopes of the class. They are in a sense without blemish or fault.
Four days before Passover the Israelites were to select a, "lamb for the household . . . without blemish . . ." For four days the lamb lived among them. It became part of the family. It represented the family. It was one of them. Then it was slain on their behalf that the death angel might pass over them.
Jesus came as the God-Man. He lived among us. He became, as it were, a part of the family. As a man, He was part of the family. As God, He was perfect. As virgin born, He had no sin nature. He was brought before Pilate who declared, "I find no fault in Him." He represents us. He did not have to die because He had no sin that required His death. Yet our King chose to go there. There is no fault in Him.
In our graduations our hopes are for our "best" to go on and achieve great things because they represent us. There is a sense in which we cannot soar any higher than they. We would never consider sacrificing them. Yet, this is what Jesus did. Our perfect representative, our perfect One, was sacrificed in our place. Yet because of His sacrifice He soared to heights undreamed of before. Because He died, our sin was taken care of. Because He was without blemish and had no fault, the penalty of my sin was paid. He is the Faultless One! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
May 4, 2010
Numbers 11
There it was again, peanut butter and jelly. I was sick and tired of peanut butter and jelly. It was getting toward the end of my seminary career. Never once did Laura and I go without food because it was not available. Granted we did not enjoy the abundance and variety that most Americans are accustomed to enjoying. But we never were hungry because we did not have food to eat. We ate a lot of rice and eggs. Lunch for me at Seminary usually consisted of peanut butter and jelly. It was cheap and easy to fix. On this particular day, I was tired of peanut butter and jelly. I chose not to eat. Did I grumble? Maybe a little bit. But at least I had food to eat.
The Israelites were grumbling for lack of anything else to eat besides manna. In all actuality there was an even greater, more severe and more important famine going on. Yet, they did not complain about that lack. “What was it?” you may ask. It was a famine for the Word of God. The only one that these 2,000,000 people had to speak the Word of God to them was Moses. And what did they do with him? They complained about the menu. What did God do? He did two things. 1) He put the Spirit of the Lord upon 70 of the elders of Israel so that they could speak the Word of the Lord to Israel. 2) He gave them quail until it “came out their noses.”
What was the real need of the Israelites? It was the Word of God. As Moses told the next generation. “Man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.” Duet. 8:3. Did they grumble about not getting enough of the Word? No, they grumbled that all they had to eat was manna. How about that! Living on a daily miracle, and they complained about it. Were they the least concerned about receiving God’s word? Apparently not. So God appointed 70 men to teach the word of God. Do I crave the word of God as a newborn craves milk? Do you? The people asked for meat to eat. God gave them more that they could eat. The quail became a nuisance. The people played light and fast with the Word of God. The Lord gave them men to speak the word. But He also gave them all the meat that they wanted and more. Hmmm. . . what does this tell us about finding the glory of God? I think I’ll go eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Luke 22:47-71
In the spring of my freshman year in college, I made a new friend in class. We had American History and Fencing together. He was a walk-on football player. I once talked with him about his plans for the future. He wanted to become a lawyer and earn enough money that he could become one of those guys that controls the athletic program by the way he contributes money. He wanted to be the one who could quietly pull the strings, and no one else knew. He did become a lawyer. Whether he pulls strings behind the scenes for the athletic program, I have no idea. Part of the glory of Jesus is that He both quietly pulls the strings behind the scenes, and He is the focus on the field of play.
In the midst of going to the cross, Jesus remains confident, collected and still looking out for the needs of those whom He loves. Peter, ready to fight to the death, gets a surprise swing in against the High Priest's servant. Missing the mark, Peter severs the man's ear. Jesus rebukes Peter and heals the man's ear. Jesus rebukes the chief priests for coming secretly to arrest Him. Then at the high priest's house, after Peter denied Him 3 times, Jesus turned to Peter and just looked at Him. The chief priests were unable to bring the examination to a successful conclusion until Jesus gave them the precise answer they needed to condemn Him and the only answer He could give that would cause them to condemn Him. He claimed to be the Son of God.
Jesus knew who He was. He guided the events to their conclusion. He was the central character along the line of events. Although not the officer in charge, He controlled the events. Ultimately, He was the One who was both behind the scenes pulling the strings and in front of the scenes as the main actor.
Even today He remains as the One who holds it all together. Nothing happens in my life without His approval or permission. He also is the One in the foreground of my life. He deserves all my attention and yours also. He works behind me and in front of me. That is glory that I can't completely grasp! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
There it was again, peanut butter and jelly. I was sick and tired of peanut butter and jelly. It was getting toward the end of my seminary career. Never once did Laura and I go without food because it was not available. Granted we did not enjoy the abundance and variety that most Americans are accustomed to enjoying. But we never were hungry because we did not have food to eat. We ate a lot of rice and eggs. Lunch for me at Seminary usually consisted of peanut butter and jelly. It was cheap and easy to fix. On this particular day, I was tired of peanut butter and jelly. I chose not to eat. Did I grumble? Maybe a little bit. But at least I had food to eat.
The Israelites were grumbling for lack of anything else to eat besides manna. In all actuality there was an even greater, more severe and more important famine going on. Yet, they did not complain about that lack. “What was it?” you may ask. It was a famine for the Word of God. The only one that these 2,000,000 people had to speak the Word of God to them was Moses. And what did they do with him? They complained about the menu. What did God do? He did two things. 1) He put the Spirit of the Lord upon 70 of the elders of Israel so that they could speak the Word of the Lord to Israel. 2) He gave them quail until it “came out their noses.”
What was the real need of the Israelites? It was the Word of God. As Moses told the next generation. “Man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.” Duet. 8:3. Did they grumble about not getting enough of the Word? No, they grumbled that all they had to eat was manna. How about that! Living on a daily miracle, and they complained about it. Were they the least concerned about receiving God’s word? Apparently not. So God appointed 70 men to teach the word of God. Do I crave the word of God as a newborn craves milk? Do you? The people asked for meat to eat. God gave them more that they could eat. The quail became a nuisance. The people played light and fast with the Word of God. The Lord gave them men to speak the word. But He also gave them all the meat that they wanted and more. Hmmm. . . what does this tell us about finding the glory of God? I think I’ll go eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Luke 22:47-71
In the spring of my freshman year in college, I made a new friend in class. We had American History and Fencing together. He was a walk-on football player. I once talked with him about his plans for the future. He wanted to become a lawyer and earn enough money that he could become one of those guys that controls the athletic program by the way he contributes money. He wanted to be the one who could quietly pull the strings, and no one else knew. He did become a lawyer. Whether he pulls strings behind the scenes for the athletic program, I have no idea. Part of the glory of Jesus is that He both quietly pulls the strings behind the scenes, and He is the focus on the field of play.
In the midst of going to the cross, Jesus remains confident, collected and still looking out for the needs of those whom He loves. Peter, ready to fight to the death, gets a surprise swing in against the High Priest's servant. Missing the mark, Peter severs the man's ear. Jesus rebukes Peter and heals the man's ear. Jesus rebukes the chief priests for coming secretly to arrest Him. Then at the high priest's house, after Peter denied Him 3 times, Jesus turned to Peter and just looked at Him. The chief priests were unable to bring the examination to a successful conclusion until Jesus gave them the precise answer they needed to condemn Him and the only answer He could give that would cause them to condemn Him. He claimed to be the Son of God.
Jesus knew who He was. He guided the events to their conclusion. He was the central character along the line of events. Although not the officer in charge, He controlled the events. Ultimately, He was the One who was both behind the scenes pulling the strings and in front of the scenes as the main actor.
Even today He remains as the One who holds it all together. Nothing happens in my life without His approval or permission. He also is the One in the foreground of my life. He deserves all my attention and yours also. He works behind me and in front of me. That is glory that I can't completely grasp! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
Monday, May 3, 2010
May 3, 2010
May 3, 2010 Numbers 10
Why did Moses choose to say these things each time that they broke camp or made camp? When they broke camp and travelled, they needed the protection of the Lord as they crossed through enemy territory to the land which He had given them. When they made camp, it was time for them to be refreshed by experiencing the presence of God. So what? You and I have been called out of bondage for two purposes. The first is to be used of Him as a means of setting other people free from their bondage. The second is to enjoy Him. If He has called us to set others free, that implies that they are bound by someone. That someone will not sit idly by and let their prisoners be set free. We would assume that the enemy that has bound them is stronger than we. It is appropriate that, the Almighty God go before us and scatter our enemies as we seek to set them free. When the day is done, we will need rest. The truest rest is found only in His presence (Ex 33:14-16). Are you ready for action or ready for rest? Either way, He is the best solution. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Luke 22:24-46
When I lived in North Carolina, the local Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Committee had encouraged a "Do Something Campaign" among the youth of the public schools. The intent was to teach service to young people. It is a noble idea. It has its roots in this passage and other passages of the New Testament where Jesus speaks to the issue of wanting to be great. It is something that all of us want. In some area, if not in all of our lives, we desire to be great. We all secretly want others to admire us. Preaching from a passage similar to this one MLK Jr. has a famous sermon called The Drum Major Instinct. He has a familiar line that he repeated in this sermon and outside of this sermon, "Anybody can be great, because anybody can serve."
Peter desired to be great, so did all the other disciples. Jesus points out that greatness is not determined by how many people you govern but by how many people you truly serve in relation to the ability that you have. Peter was a man of great raw ability. Satan saw that he was on a track for service and greatness. Satan desired to "sift him like wheat." Peter still had a problem with thinking that greatness would be achieved with swords and forcing others into submission. No, greatness comes from serving others into submission. In that serving process, we die. Jesus is the prime example. He came not to be served but to serve and to give His life a ransom for many. How did Jesus have the emotional, spiritual and volitional power to boldly, powerfully and willingly step up to the cross--His greatest act of service? He received it in prayer. Here in the Garden, the choice was made. Here in the Garden, He saw all that was in the cup that His Father put before Him. Here in the Garden, He saw all the sin of all the people of all the ages. Here in the Garden, He saw that the Father was going to lay that sin upon Him and punish Him in our place. Here in the Garden, for the last time in prayer, He made the choice to step up to the cross and serve us. What amazing glory!
The lesson was not lost on Peter. Yes he slept during this time of prayer. And as a result he stumbled and sinned. But after he was restored, his greatest times of service came in the midst of prayer. Pentecost broke out in a prayer meeting that Peter probably led. Sometime later Peter and John were entering into the temple at the hour of prayer, and they healed a lame man at the gate. That act of service resulted a great preaching opportunity that resulted in many being saved. That preaching opportunity resulted in their arrest, and the arrest resulted in a trial. The trial revealed Peter and John to be bold men who had been with Jesus. They were released. What did they do? They went back and prayed for more boldness for preaching and doing acts in the name of the Father's "Holy Servant Jesus." (Acts 4:30) What happened? They were filled with the Spirit. They preached the word. Multitudes were saved and began serving one another by sharing all things in common. We could go on through Acts tracing the relationship between prayer, evangelism and service. But the greatest example is Jesus in the Garden going to the cross! He has served and is serving us into submission. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Why did Moses choose to say these things each time that they broke camp or made camp? When they broke camp and travelled, they needed the protection of the Lord as they crossed through enemy territory to the land which He had given them. When they made camp, it was time for them to be refreshed by experiencing the presence of God. So what? You and I have been called out of bondage for two purposes. The first is to be used of Him as a means of setting other people free from their bondage. The second is to enjoy Him. If He has called us to set others free, that implies that they are bound by someone. That someone will not sit idly by and let their prisoners be set free. We would assume that the enemy that has bound them is stronger than we. It is appropriate that, the Almighty God go before us and scatter our enemies as we seek to set them free. When the day is done, we will need rest. The truest rest is found only in His presence (Ex 33:14-16). Are you ready for action or ready for rest? Either way, He is the best solution. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Luke 22:24-46
When I lived in North Carolina, the local Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Committee had encouraged a "Do Something Campaign" among the youth of the public schools. The intent was to teach service to young people. It is a noble idea. It has its roots in this passage and other passages of the New Testament where Jesus speaks to the issue of wanting to be great. It is something that all of us want. In some area, if not in all of our lives, we desire to be great. We all secretly want others to admire us. Preaching from a passage similar to this one MLK Jr. has a famous sermon called The Drum Major Instinct. He has a familiar line that he repeated in this sermon and outside of this sermon, "Anybody can be great, because anybody can serve."
Peter desired to be great, so did all the other disciples. Jesus points out that greatness is not determined by how many people you govern but by how many people you truly serve in relation to the ability that you have. Peter was a man of great raw ability. Satan saw that he was on a track for service and greatness. Satan desired to "sift him like wheat." Peter still had a problem with thinking that greatness would be achieved with swords and forcing others into submission. No, greatness comes from serving others into submission. In that serving process, we die. Jesus is the prime example. He came not to be served but to serve and to give His life a ransom for many. How did Jesus have the emotional, spiritual and volitional power to boldly, powerfully and willingly step up to the cross--His greatest act of service? He received it in prayer. Here in the Garden, the choice was made. Here in the Garden, He saw all that was in the cup that His Father put before Him. Here in the Garden, He saw all the sin of all the people of all the ages. Here in the Garden, He saw that the Father was going to lay that sin upon Him and punish Him in our place. Here in the Garden, for the last time in prayer, He made the choice to step up to the cross and serve us. What amazing glory!
The lesson was not lost on Peter. Yes he slept during this time of prayer. And as a result he stumbled and sinned. But after he was restored, his greatest times of service came in the midst of prayer. Pentecost broke out in a prayer meeting that Peter probably led. Sometime later Peter and John were entering into the temple at the hour of prayer, and they healed a lame man at the gate. That act of service resulted a great preaching opportunity that resulted in many being saved. That preaching opportunity resulted in their arrest, and the arrest resulted in a trial. The trial revealed Peter and John to be bold men who had been with Jesus. They were released. What did they do? They went back and prayed for more boldness for preaching and doing acts in the name of the Father's "Holy Servant Jesus." (Acts 4:30) What happened? They were filled with the Spirit. They preached the word. Multitudes were saved and began serving one another by sharing all things in common. We could go on through Acts tracing the relationship between prayer, evangelism and service. But the greatest example is Jesus in the Garden going to the cross! He has served and is serving us into submission. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
May 2, 2010
May 2 Luke 22:1-23
I wish I would have known in 2003 what was going to happen to real estate values in Brunswick county until 2006. I would be a very wealthy man right now if I had known that. In 2003 a lot on Oak Island could have been purchased for $20,000-$30,000. In 2006 you could not find one for under $250,000, a seven to tenfold increase in value. In my town of BSL in 2003, you could purchase a house lot for $5,000. In May of 2006 an interior lot down the street from me sold for $45,000, a nine fold increase. Had I the ability to know the future, I would have borrowed all the money I could get, and I would have bought all the lots that I could, and I would have made some significant profits. But alas, I do not know the future. God knows the future. If He had wanted me to be rich, I guess He could have somehow maneuvered me into buying lots three years ago. My focus needs to be on Him. He provides all that I need.
Jesus is the God/Man. He has two natures, a divine nature and a human nature. They are forever united in one person without any mingling of the two. As God, Jesus would know the future. As man, He would not know the future. Is that understandable? I understand what is being claimed but I have difficulty knowing for sure how that worked out in His life here during His first appearance upon earth. It would appear from what He said and did, that all that He did as a man He did not do in His power as God but in the power of the Holy Spirit. But the disciples were approaching a very traumatic time in their lives and in His ministry. They needed both explanations before hand and demonstration of power that Jesus knew what was going on. They got it.
Jesus tells them where and how to go make preparation for the Passover. "When you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house which he enters.” I don't know about you, but that would have been pretty freaky for me, especially when it happened just as Jesus told them. I mean, it would be one thing if Jesus told them, "A man named such and such will meet you at a certain place. I have already met him and made all the arrangements, and he will show you to the house." That's kind of a normal thing. But Jesus doesn't give any names. He gives no address. Just do this, and it will happen. I think that it is a demonstration of the Holy Spirit telling Him future events, and the willing hearts of people He had not yet personally met. I think this was designed by Him as an encouragement to the disciples to trust His abilities and His leadership. It was a demonstration of power that He knew what was going on.
In the upper room He gives them a graphic explanation during the Seder of what was about to happen. The cross was coming. He was heading there purposefully. It was not that He could not control the situation. He was orchestrating this. His death was substitutionary for us. This meal from this point on would forever be a remembrance of His purposeful, loving death on our behalf. The King is in control even when it doesn't look like it. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
I wish I would have known in 2003 what was going to happen to real estate values in Brunswick county until 2006. I would be a very wealthy man right now if I had known that. In 2003 a lot on Oak Island could have been purchased for $20,000-$30,000. In 2006 you could not find one for under $250,000, a seven to tenfold increase in value. In my town of BSL in 2003, you could purchase a house lot for $5,000. In May of 2006 an interior lot down the street from me sold for $45,000, a nine fold increase. Had I the ability to know the future, I would have borrowed all the money I could get, and I would have bought all the lots that I could, and I would have made some significant profits. But alas, I do not know the future. God knows the future. If He had wanted me to be rich, I guess He could have somehow maneuvered me into buying lots three years ago. My focus needs to be on Him. He provides all that I need.
Jesus is the God/Man. He has two natures, a divine nature and a human nature. They are forever united in one person without any mingling of the two. As God, Jesus would know the future. As man, He would not know the future. Is that understandable? I understand what is being claimed but I have difficulty knowing for sure how that worked out in His life here during His first appearance upon earth. It would appear from what He said and did, that all that He did as a man He did not do in His power as God but in the power of the Holy Spirit. But the disciples were approaching a very traumatic time in their lives and in His ministry. They needed both explanations before hand and demonstration of power that Jesus knew what was going on. They got it.
Jesus tells them where and how to go make preparation for the Passover. "When you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house which he enters.” I don't know about you, but that would have been pretty freaky for me, especially when it happened just as Jesus told them. I mean, it would be one thing if Jesus told them, "A man named such and such will meet you at a certain place. I have already met him and made all the arrangements, and he will show you to the house." That's kind of a normal thing. But Jesus doesn't give any names. He gives no address. Just do this, and it will happen. I think that it is a demonstration of the Holy Spirit telling Him future events, and the willing hearts of people He had not yet personally met. I think this was designed by Him as an encouragement to the disciples to trust His abilities and His leadership. It was a demonstration of power that He knew what was going on.
In the upper room He gives them a graphic explanation during the Seder of what was about to happen. The cross was coming. He was heading there purposefully. It was not that He could not control the situation. He was orchestrating this. His death was substitutionary for us. This meal from this point on would forever be a remembrance of His purposeful, loving death on our behalf. The King is in control even when it doesn't look like it. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
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