June 9, 2010

Deuteronomy 13-14
Since the dawn of creation we have battled three foes, Satan, the world, and the flesh. Today, we fight against Satan by submitting to God and resisting Satan. Today we fight against the world by not loving it. Today, we fight against the flesh by killing it, not literally but spiritually and mentally. What do those statements have to do with today’s text? Since, the Fall in the Garden of Eden, the Lord had been seeking to bring about the Godly Seed of the woman who would crush the head of the Serpent. At this point (Dt. 13), He had successfully produced a Nation through whom that Seed would come. To this point, Satan had sought to destroy or corrupt the line of descent through whom the Seed would come. To this point, the world had sought to corrupt the line of descent by enslaving it or enticing it. In order preserve the line of descent of the Godly Seed the Lord commanded the nation to kill anyone in their own midst who sought to entice them after other gods. Not only is this a practical means that the Lord gave them to preserve the line of descent, it is also a picture of how we now battle the flesh, that entity within us that seeks to woo us away from the Lord our God.
Many people look at this text and wonder how it brings glory to the Lord our God. How can this loving God command the destruction of people simply for enticing people to worship other gods? The answer is simple, yet it is multiple. First, the glory of our Lord is so great that it cannot be sullied with anything less. His glory is more important that human life. Why? Because human life is created in His image. When humans desecrate their lives with sin, they are desecrating the image of God. There can only be one treatment of such an infraction against Divine holiness, death. Second, the holiness of God must preserve the holiness of the line of descent through which the Godly Seed would come. What would be the best way to keep out corruption? Kill it! How do doctors treat flesh invaded with MRSA? In badly infected cases, surgery must be performed to remove the part of the infection that is untreatable with drugs. Then the drugs can be effective. So also, in that time people within the line of descent who sought to lead the people of God astray, were executed to preserve the line of descent. Third, now that the Godly Seed has come and offered up Himself as a propitiation for our sin, the killing of those people is a type of how we deal with the member with our self that seeks to lead us after other gods. We kill it. We were buried with Christ in Baptism; we are risen to walk in newness of life. When our flesh rises up against us to lead us after other gods, we reckon ourselves dead to sin, but alive in Christ. In doing so, we walk in freedom from the flesh. What an amazing God we serve. He enables with the possibility of living above sin. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

John 18:19-40
Kings and rulers have come and gone in this world. A student of world history can only focus on the more well known kings or rulers. Their number is too great to know them all well. Each king has sought to do that which will grant him immortality. The Pharaohs sought it through the building of their pyramids. Others, such as Nebuchadnezzar, sought it through building great cities. Others sought it through world conquest. Others sought it through requiring their subjects to worship them as god. But all have one thing in common. They died, were buried and were never heard of again. People were expendable to them. Wealth was necessary to them. Military conquest was a necessary evil for them. Truth was expendable to them. For earthly kings and rulers, truth is something only to be bent and colored in order to accomplish their designs.
Pilate was a ruler. For him truth was something to be manipulated in order to gain more power. For Pilate truth had no basis in what existed but rather in commonly shared beliefs that could be swayed to accomplish ones own ends. Here the true reality was presented before him, and he would not recognize it. Truth for Pilate was something to be manipulated, not something to be obeyed. Are we not all little rulers, seeking to manipulate truth rather than obey truth?
Jesus is a King. But His kingdom is not of this world. He needs not for His subjects to seek great building programs for His glory. He needs not for His subjects to take kingdoms by sword or gun. He is the King of truth. He is truth. The truth is that He is King of all. He will one day forcefully rule as King of all. But today He bids us recognize the truth and willingly bow our knee before Him. Indeed our King is a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John