November 30, 2010

1 Chronicles 28

Sunday after the service Mrs. Carley came up to me and shared with me about a creation video that she had watched during the Thanksgiving holiday that really put into perspective how big God is and how small we are. The result was a fresh reminder of how we need to prepare ourselves to seek Him. We cannot just waltz into His presence. Listen to what David told his son before he died:

As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever. 10“Consider now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be strong, and do it.

Is this not the summation of how we ought to live? Here we are upon the earth. We are created by a God who is so far beyond us that it ought to be amazing to us that He should desire that we should enter a relationship with Him. He calls us to serve Him with a loyal heart and willing mind. He knows my thoughts before I even begin to seek Him. He does not need me to seek Him, but He desires me to seek Him. This amazing Creator wants me to know Him! Given who He is and who I am, it is only the rational thing to say that I should search for Him with all loyalty and that I should seek to understand Him with all my mind. Will I ever understand Him completely? Absolutely not! Can I understand Him truly? Absolutely! As I seek Him with all my understanding and loyalty, He will reveal a little bit of Himself to me. I can delight myself in all that He reveals to me knowing that it is only a small part of Him. I will spend eternity getting to know the God of the Universe and never exhaust being able to learn what He is like! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!

--Pastor john

2 Peter 2

Part of the glory of our Lord is that He bought us. Now stop and think about that. There are only a few people that any of us love enough that we would give all our financial resources in order to buy them. Oh perhaps, you would buy your parent, your spouse, your sibling, your child, your cousin, your aunt or uncle. But outside an immediate circle of close friends and family, if you were honest, there is probably no one that you would give all your finances to purchase. But not Jesus, He gave everything. He gave up all He enjoyed in heaven to become a man. He gave up not only riches outside Himself, but He also gave up His very life to purchase us. With His own blood He purchased every person who ever lived or shall live. There is great glory in that in three respects: 1) He has the ability to do so. 2) He has the desire to do so. 3) He chose to do so

Amazing is it not that so many humans, who have heard the good news, still try to twist it to their own designs? Whether they realize it or not, when they twist to their own designs, they are attempting to steal the glory of our Lord! But it is in the glory of the Lord that He is patient with them, giving them time to either repent or to show to the fullest the devilishness of their plotting against Him. Those who never repent have already been judged. The judgment of the Lord is never idle. That is part of His glory as well. He does punish evil. Good will one day triumph. For 6,000 years it has appeared to many that good does not always triumph.

So what would we rather have, a share in His glory with perhaps some unpleasantness until we receive it in its fullness or to enjoy the sensual things of this earth but miss His glory? That is an easy decision when laid out like that, but we too often look too long upon the sensual things of this earth without looking at His glory. It is then that we lose our motivation. That is why it is so important that every day we spend time in His word, looking for His glory and then speaking it to someone else. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!

--Pastor John

November 29, 2010

1 Chronicles 26-27
So what is there of the glory of Christ in the description of David’s administration? Have you ever looked around at the tremendous detail and order of the creation which God has made? The more that I look at creation, the greater becomes my awe of my Creator’s work. Day to day his glory pours out of His creation. Night to night it streams forth. When we organize ourselves, we are in a way mimicking His glory. It is right to organize ourselves, but that organization should never be of greater focus than Him. When we organize, in a small way we increase His glory. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

2 Peter 1
The glory of Jesus is a brilliant thing! Do I have eyes to see it? Peter, James and John saw part of it physically on the Mount of Transfiguration. Just a moment in that glory and it forever etched His great power in their minds and spirits. His majesty was partially and briefly shown there. The Father's command was to listen to Him. For John it gave him the ability to pursue Jesus even when he did not understand what Jesus was doing. He is the one who helped let Peter in the door at the trial of Jesus. He, alone among the disciples, accompanies the women at the cross. He believed upon seeing the empty tomb. Then he understood the Lord’s warnings about the cross. Peter saw the glory of Christ and was ready to lay down his life for the glory. He only became weak hearted when he did not listen to the Lord's instruction about the cross. He held to his own ideas about the work of the Messiah. There was too much of his own thinking about the glory in his mind. There was not enough thinking about the Lord's instruction concerning the cross and the glory. But even then the vision of His glory at the Mount sustained him to the end of his life. For James the glory led him to fearlessly proclaim the glory of Jesus. James found his head on a chopping block as a result.
Such divine power leads us to cooperate with changing our character. Because of the glory, we pursue knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love. James and John were previously known in the community as 'the sons of thunder.' One hardly gets the impression that knowledge and self-control were foremost virtues in their lives prior to Jesus coming to them. These virtues lead us into great usefulness in spreading the kingdom of God. Is it not amazing that His glory is so powerful that by focusing upon it, we are changed. These virtues are added to our lives as we gaze upon Him. As we gaze upon His glory, we realize that every thing that we need pertaining to life and godliness is found in His glory. The glory of Jesus is a brilliant thing! Do I have eyes to see it? If I am focusing on His glory, His virtue is increasing in my life. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

November 28, 2010

November 28, 2010 1 Chronicles 24-25
“Moreover David and the captains of the army separated for the service some of the sons of Asaph, of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who should prophesy with harps, stringed instruments, and cymbals.” How important is music in the praise of the Lord? In the Revival of David’s day, it was incredibly important. On the one hand, I do not see where the Lord instructed David to do this. On the other hand, the Lord did not stop him from doing this as He stopped him from building the temple. I think this reflected what the Lord desired. Music is incredibly important to the Lord in worship. It enables us to see more clearly the glory of God. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

1 Peter 5
4and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away. . . 10But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. 11To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
There are two kinds of glory:
1. Very great praise or renown given by common consent to someone or something
2. The source or reason for giving praise or renown whether it is given or not.

There have been times when all of us have received praise. But it is always short lived. In the fifth grade, our class did a production of Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol. I was cast for the role of Ebenezer Scrooge. We did the play for everyone in the school in first grade through seventh grade. I even had seventh graders telling me what a great job I did at acting the part. Now to a fifth grader- wow-I was soaking in the praise. I really thought I was something. At least everybody said so. Short lived praise. The next day I was the only one who remembered. Indeed here we are 40+ years later. I’d bet if we could locate those fifth grade class members (much less the audience) that a very small percentage could remember what play we did much less who played the leading role or even whether he did a good job. My point? Most praise or renown given by common consent is fleeting and indeed trivial. I mean really, who cares but me and the fifth grade class of 65/66 as to who played Scrooge or how well it was played? I don’t even care any more. I just have this weird memory floating around in my head. Praise and renown given by common consent is often trivial and we don’t even recognize it.
So what good is glory? What makes it non-trivial? What makes it beautiful, just for beauty’s sake? Is the resplendent glory and beauty of the universe trivial? What if the Creator of it could destroy it in an instant and make an even more beautiful one? What if He could do that over and over again successively? Eventually we would say the first universe was trivial. What then really matters? Would it not be the source or reason for giving praise? And would it not be the Creator Himself? Would not glory emanate from Him and return to Him? This would be glory that would never end.
Peter says that Jesus is the source of that eternal glory and we can partake in it. This Creator became flesh. This Creator is not the divine watch maker who made and wound the clock and then left it to run down. But He is the shepherd of our souls. A shepherd must take careful interest in the welfare of his sheep if the sheep are to thrive and do well. But the sheep have to understand where the source of their welfare comes from. It comes from the Creator of their souls, not from themselves. The Creator invites us to share in His glory. But we cannot do that if we are fixed upon who played the part of Ebenezer Scrooge in a fifth grade play. We can only do that if we are fixed upon Him. To Him be glory and dominion forever! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John, a has been Scrooge

November 27, 2010

1 Chronicles 23

I wonder what my last words will be. I hope they will be ones which promote or exalt the glory of the Lord. “For by the last words of David the Levites were numbered from twenty years old and above; 28because their duty was

to help the sons of Aaron in the service of the house of the Lord, in the courts and in the chambers, in the purifying of all holy things and the work of the service of the house of God…
to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord, and likewise at evening;…
and that they should attend to the needs of the tabernacle of meeting, the needs of the holy place, and the needs of the sons of Aaron their brethren in the work of the house of the Lord.”
Looking back over his life, David wanted a lasting legacy for the glory of the Lord. The Lord would not allow him to build the temple because he was a man of bloodshed. What could he do? Once blood is spilled upon the ground, it cannot be gathered back up and placed into the body from which it came. A life taken is a life taken. His last words were provision for worship of the Lord.

He did not want his legacy to be that he was a man of bloodshed. When we teach our children about the Lord from the life of David, what do we teach them? David and Goliath. As important a lesson that is, I don’t think that is the legacy for which he wanted to be remembered. He united the nation of Israel and took it to its apex in world strength. As great as that is, I don’t think he wanted to be remembered for that. I think he wanted to be remembered for directing people in worship of Lord. He has been called by many “The Sweet Psalmist of Israel.” When you think of David, is that what catches your attention? Lord, when I pass from this world let my legacy be that others were led into your glory because You shone through me. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!

--Pastor john

1 Peter 4

A few years ago Reno family court judge, Chuck Weller was shot and wounded in the chest as he stood near a third-floor courthouse window. The suspect was Darren Roy Mack, who had appeared before the judge in a divorce case. It won't happen in our court system, but what if Mr. Mack had to stand trial for shooting Judge Weller and Judge Weller was the criminal trial judge for Mr. Mack? I don't think it would bode too well for Mr. Mack.

When Jesus was last upon the earth, He came to seek and to save the lost. He did not come as a judge--that time. But as Peter points out here, He is coming again to judge the living and the dead. Peter calls this coming the "revelation of His glory." When Jesus returns, He will eventually hold two courts, one a 'family court' and one a 'criminal court.' In the 'family court' He will judge His own household, His own family. As children of God we will stand before the judgment seat of Christ and all our works will be tried. Those works deemed valuable by Him will be rewarded and those works deemed not valuable will be destroyed. But the person will not be destroyed. It will not be a divorce court. He will not be deciding whether to separate us from Him or not. He died to apply His death to our lives. We received His death and resurrection. He will not deny Himself. There will also be a second court, a 'criminal court.' All those whose names are not in His book of having received the benefits of His death and life will be tried there. They will stand before the One, who went to the cross in their place, who bore the load of their sin, who died for them, who was rejected by them as unworthy to kneel before and call upon His name as Savior and Lord. He will do what is right. However, I it bodes not well for them.

Should we ever suffer because of the Name of Jesus, we must remember

1. He also suffered but overcame the suffering to receive great glory.

2. By suffering we may share in His glory.

3. It is His glory that at some point in time He will set all things right.

It bodes not well for those who do not delight in His glory now. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!

--Pastor John

November 26, 2010

1 Chronicles 22
Yesterday we saw how pride poisons our ability to see the glory of God. Yet God was doing more here than just pointing out David’s pride. He was doing something for all time. He was establishing the location of the temple. This is a significant place. Compare this passage with Gen 22:2 and 2 Chron 3:1. We find that this is the spot where Abraham was commanded to bring Isaac to sacrifice him. This is the spot which David bought from Ornan to sacrifice in order to stay the hand of the Death Angel. This is the spot where Solomon would build the temple. This is the spot where the second temple would be rebuilt. According to Hebrews, the temple typology speaks clearly of the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. It was near this spot that He was taken outside the city walls and crucified in our place as a sacrifice for sin. He is the Son of the Father who is sacrificed in our place. He is the Ram hidden in the thicket that died for us. He is altar of sacrifice where the oxen were slain for the pride of David. He died in our place to pay the penalty for our pride.
Here David makes preparation for Solomon to build the temple. Here he desires a sanctuary to the Lord our God to be built. His intent was for the house to be built for the LORD to be, “Exceedingly magnificent, famous and glorious throughout all countries.” When the preparations were completed, he exhorted Solomon to, “Set your heart and your soul to seek the LORD your God. Therefore arise and build the sanctuary of the LORD God, to bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD and the holy articles of God into the house that is to be built for the name of the LORD.” The Glory of the LORD is such that we should build him a sanctuary that is exceedingly magnificent, famous and glorious throughout all countries. His sanctuary today is His people. It is not buildings made of wood, stone, concrete, metal, and glass. It is my life and the lives of others through whom His glory can shine. Lord, use me and those who read this feeble writing to build your sanctuary! Build lives through which your glory may shine! Make it exceedingly magnificent, famous and glorious for Your name throughout all the countries of the world! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john


1 Peter 3
I love Tolkein's stories of hobbits and the ring of power. I guess I identify with the hobbits because although they are not considered by anyone to be a mighty folk, they end up being the true heroes of the story. Frodo endures unimaginable suffering to achieve great glory. If the story were something we could enter into and I did not know the ending and I were Frodo on the plains of Mordor, I would probably give up the quest. But knowing the ending, the glory to be obtained, I think I could continue on. Some, like me, would want the glory, and some would give up anyway.
In the summer of 1978, after one year of marriage, Laura and I went to the Institute of Biblical Studies hosted by Campus Crusade for Christ at CSU in Ft. Collins, CO. We took four courses. One was Christian Marriage and Family. It was co-taught by two couples. One couple was Dennis and Barbara Rainey. Some of you may recognize that name from the radio show Family Life Today. We got a glimpse of what a true Christian Marriage should look like. One thing we learned is that it was going to take work. But we also saw a glimpse that a true Christian marriage could be a glorious thing. Something we both wanted. Is it not safe to say that unless one sees glory, they never want it? We see in 1 Peter the glory of Jesus through suffering.
I find it interesting that right in the midst of Peter's letter on how to live through suffering, how to live in the intersection of heaven and earth, that he takes time out to give instruction about domestic life. In 2:18 he begins by encouraging servants to be submissive to their masters. Now I can see the similar line of reasoning to the glory of Christ in that Jesus became submissive even to the point of death on a cross and a slave being submissive to a master. But here in chapter 3 he begins by saying likewise wives be submissive to your husbands. Then He commands husbands to live with their wives with understanding. Now get the flow of submission here: Jesus to death; slaves to masters; wives to husbands; husbands to understanding; Christians to loving one another. The second half of each of those implies that submission to them is a hard thing.
Now, I am a husband. I feel like I have been slammed at both ends. I mean, on one end it is implied that for Laura to be submissive to me is suffering for her. What am I a despot? On the other end it is implied that it is suffering for me to live with my wife with understanding. What am I stupid? Wait, don't tell me the answers to those questions. I don't want to hear it. Well, I think most men would agree that it is impossible to understand a woman. We usually throw up our hands with Rex Harrison in My Fair Lady and proclaim, "Why can't a woman be more like a man?" The truth is that if they were more like men, we wouldn't want to be with them.
Here is where the glory comes in. I may think I am not a despot. I may think I am not misunderstanding. But apart from Jesus, I am wrong on both counts. Only He is able to enable me to fulfill my responsibility on both counts. It takes the mighty act of God to break a woman's will so that she is able to truly submit to her husband as Jesus did to the Father. Only He is able to break the will of a man so that he is willing to day in and day out actively seek to understand the way his wife is thinking--not how she thought a year ago but how she is thinking now. Men like to conquer something and then move on to the next task. To live with a woman in an understanding way is an unending task. (By the way guys, Peter makes it clear that if we don't do that, our prayers are hindered.) Men are incapable of it. Ahhh, but Jesus is able. Nothing reveals the glory of Jesus like a couple where the wife is happy to submit and the husband consistently understands. When people see that glory, some want it.
Nothing reveals the glory of Jesus like an employee who gives his best for the benefit of his employer. Nothing reveals the glory of Jesus like a church where the people are of one mind, have compassion for one another, love each other, are tender hearted toward each other, are courteous toward each other, return blessing for evil. Only Jesus can enable us to do that. He can enable us because He has already done it Himself. That is His glory. When we focus on His glory, He changes us to reflect more and more of His glory. When people see His glory some want it. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

November 25, 2010

1 Chronicles 21

What’s the big deal about taking a census? It was a big enough deal that God chose to kill 70,000 men as a punishment. Also, even David himself admitted that he was the one who made the decision. Why punish the people for his decision? What’s up with that? Also, we saw yesterday that Chronicles did not even mention David’s murder and adultery. Most of us would think that adultery and murder were far more serious of sin than ordering the census. Yet 70,000 die for the census and David get’s his sin published in the Chronicles. What’s up with that?

The essence of David’s sin was pride. The purpose of a census in his day was mainly to assess his military strength. The last nationwide census was taken when the nation had finished its 40 years in the wilderness. It was time to begin the conquest of Canaan. They needed to know how many fighting men they had in order to assess how to organize their troops in order to prepare for battle. David had already reached the apex of his military strength without a census. How could a census aid him? It couldn’t. It was a matter of pride. Look at results of the census. He had 1,600,000 fighting men. Joshua only had 600,000. Wow! He had a million more men than Joshua! Sounds like pastors swapping statistics about their ministries.

Okay, so he was having a problem with pride. So why come down so hard on that? Pride seeks to rival the glory of God. God will not have a rival. It is worse than adultery or murder. It condemned Satan to hell. It barred Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. It transferred their kids, you and me, into a cloud of darkness. It clouds the glory of God. When we are proud, we cannot see Him. God will have nothing to do with it. Having a hard time understanding the justice of God? Having a hard time seeing the glory of God? It is pride. The more I catch little glimpses of His glory, the more I begin to see how horribly proud I am. Lord, help me to empty myself of my pride so that I may see your glory. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!

--Pastor john

1 Peter 2

Everyone wants to be part of something big. Andy Stanley tells of an early mentor in his life who used to ask him, "Whatcha got goin' 'big'?" At that stage in his life, the question bothered him. At that point in Andy's life the biggest thing he had going was getting 20 youth group members to the amusement park and back without losing any of them. Churches in the USA don't grow unless you've got something 'big' going on. One would think that if you are following the Lord of the Universe that one would be part of some impressive things. One would think that following the Lord of the Universe would be like moving from one massive victory to another.

Peter is speaking to people who are undergoing persecution because of their faith in the Lord of the Universe. They were not seeing anything 'big' going on in their lives. Consequently they were beginning to drop out. He writes to encourage them to be faithful in the midst of the persecution. He reminds them that Jesus is the Chief Cornerstone. We've looked at the cornerstone quote before in Matthew 21:23-46 and Luke 20:1-26. In the midst of persecution and seeming smallness, Peter recalls Jesus' words as encouragement. The ironic thing is that history demonstrates that when the church is persecuted, that is when Jesus does some of His 'biggest' building.

Remember a cornerstone is one from which the rest of the building gets its orientation. It is the main stone in the foundation. You pick the best quality for that stone. It is usually massive and perfectly shaped. By uniting two intersecting walls, a cornerstone aligns the whole building and ties it together. Jesus says that He is the stone the builders rejected. He became the chief cornerstone.

The wall of heaven and the wall of earth intersect. Ever since the fall of Adam the human cathedral was falling. It collided with heaven's wall. The human wall was crooked and never fit. God gave some instructions to the Jewish nation concerning how to build. Imbedded within that instruction were prophecies concerning the Cornerstone. This is a quote of Psalm 118:22, 23.

The glory of Jesus is that He uses living stones. We are not some dead cathedral that never changes. We are a living organism that continues to grow and change but ever into a more beautiful reflection of Him. We are part of an organism that is so 'big' that we cannot see even a small portion of it. But He is building it one cell, one stone, at a time. In shaping the stones sometimes the mason has to cut or break off the unwanted edges of stone. Since we are living stones, that hurts. Since we cannot always see the whole living cathedral of which we are part, we feel isolated. That is why we must look at His glory. He also suffered. He bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we having died to sins, might live for righteousness--by whose stripes you were healed. That's the way He fits living stones together. He's got something goin' really big. We are part of it. I cannot think of anything bigger than being part of a living wall that intersects heaven and earth! Let's participate in His work. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!

--Pastor John

November 24, 2010

1 Chronicles 19-20
Most scholars consider the Chronicles to be the priestly version of Israel’s history. It is compiled from a priest's view point. Hence, we have all the genealogies and especially details related to the temple. I find it interesting that as the priestly account, the record does not address David’s adultery and murder. In today’s passage we find that David stayed home from battle, 20:1. 2 Samuel tells us that this is the time that David succumbed to adultery and murder. Chronicles does not even mention it. Why? A priest offers up sacrifice to cover the sin of the people for whom he is representative to God. From a priestly perspective, the sin of adultery and murder, which David committed, is covered by the blood of the sacrifice. Since those sins do not relate to the temple, the priestly account of David does not even mention it because it is covered by the blood of the sacrifice.
Jesus is our sacrifice. His blood not only covers our sin, but it washes it completely away. Once we have repented of our sin, Jesus never again mentions it. If I am suffering from guilt over past sin, I need only true repentance and confession. When that happens, it is under the blood. I am forgiven. It is gone. Jesus never throws it in my face again as a condemnation. If that is happening, it is not from Him. He is my High Priest. He cleansed me with His own blood. I am free. I walk in that marvelous light. It is nothing that I have done, but it is all of Him. Now that is glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

1 Peter 1

The glory of what we have seen of the Lord is great. The glory that is to be revealed at His coming is greater still! What is the glory that has been revealed? His abundant mercy has not checked but satisfied the mercy of God. A body He prepared for us! His body He prepared for us. He sacrificed His body for us. He died to remove our sin. He rose to defeat that sin and death! He gives us hope, a living hope! Our hope can't be killed. He defeated death. We can be killed. But we shall live again because of Him! What power there is living in us because He is living in us! Simply because we believe!

In the movie Polar Express the boy receives a bell from the sleigh of Santa Claus when he learns to believe. His parents could not hear the bell because they did not believe. One by one his friends ceased to hear the bell because they ceased to believe. We enjoy the movie because it distracts us from reality and goads us to believe that there is good in this world that is full of bad events. It is a dead hope because deep inside we know it is make believe. We force ourselves to believe in spite of the facts. It is indeed a dead hope.

Not so with Jesus ! He is the only true hope. We do not base our hope on make believe, which we force into reality by the power of our faith. That would indeed be a dismal hope. Our hope is in His resurrection. The resurrection is securely attested to by history. It was produced by the power of God for our salvation. Our faith does not produce it; it merely secures what is already there for our own.

Faith is important. With out it we cannot receive His provision. But the provision is there whether or not we believe. Our faith merely enables us to realize it. That is why focusing on His glory is so important. His glory increases our faith. Remember His glory is a living hope! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!

--Pastor John

November 23

James 5

The might of the army of the U.S.A. lies in several places. One is our technology for warfare, which is far more advanced than any other nation. Two is our experience in warfare is far more prolific than any other nation. Three is our economic industry for warfare is far more massive than any other nation. Four is our population is larger than most providing a host of warriors greater than most nations. Five is that in general our motivation for war is self-defense of liberty rather than aggression of economics. We believe right is on our side.

James calls Jesus the Lord of hosts. The implication of that name is that He is mighty, the Lord of a vast number of warriors who support Him. The Lord does not need technology to be mighty. He designed the principles of physics and science upon which all of our technology is based. To think that any could oppose His infinite knowledge is indeed laughable. The Lord is from beyond time. His experience is unfathomable. His wisdom in running the universe is beyond our ability to conceive. The Lord owns all that is. His riches make our grasping at our paltry millions of dollars seem more laughable than a child's clinging to a penny when his father owns more than Bill Gates. The hosts of the Lord are greater than the stars of the sky which are greater than we can even count. Our Lord is a just judge He never makes a mistake. President Bush may have erred in depending upon the intelligence that he received concerning Iraq and Sadam Hussein. But our Lord's justice is impeccable. He never errs.

This Lord of ours is returning. He is coming to judge. Those who will not believe Him will find their judgment swift and severe. Those, who have not trusted Him for salvation but have clung to their riches rather come to the aid of others, will suffer the loss of reward at His judgment. Those who endure, will understand His compassion and mercy and proclaim His greatness now and at His coming.

Why did Sadam proudly resist the might of the U.S. Army? Who knows! Why do we resist the might of the Lord of Hosts? Who knows! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!

--Pastor John

November 22, 2010

1 Chronicles 18

One of the problems of writing a thing called Meditations on the Glory is that it is both presumptuous and pretentious. It is presumptuous in that it presumes that I can say something of accurate significance about the glory of God. I guess that I have a little ability to do that, but only as it is revealed to me by the Holy Spirit through the word of God. You see, there is none like God. There really is nothing to which I can compare him. So apart from His self-revelation, I really cannot accurately know anything about Him. How do we receive this self-revelation of God? It is by His Spirit and by His Word. It is also pretentious. A child is said to be pretentious when he or she attempts to be older in behavior and thought than they really are. Perhaps I am being pretentious in hoping to explain something of the glory of God. How can I explain anything about the One to whom nothing can be compared?

Somebody has once said that we cannot know God completely, but we can know him truly. He is the infinite God. We can truly know some aspect of Him. But since we are finite, we cannot know Him completely. To know Him completely, we would have to be infinite. Similarly since anything to which we might compare Him is finite, there is none like Him. But He has chosen to enter our lives to deliver us from our sin so that He might make a name for Himself. If He were not the infinite God, that would be very prideful. But since He is the only infinite Creator, that is only right. We are most delighted and fulfilled when we find our delight in enjoying some small or new aspect of what He is like. There is none like Him! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!

--Pastor john

James 4
Part of the glory of Jesus is that He is jealous of us. What would I do if some man began making advances (that she did not want) toward my wife? You'd better believe that I'd be in His face pretty quick. But what if she wanted his advances? I would probably still be in his face. But I would also have to address the reason she wanted his advances. Would the reason she wanted his advances be because of a deficiency in me or a deficiency in her or a combination of both?
With Jesus there is no deficiency. When we give in to the advances of Satan, the world or the flesh, it is because of a deficiency in us, not in Him. He yearns for us, but not at the expense of His holiness. Receiving the advances of others is an indication of pride. After all, He is our Creator. We are receiving advances of a created thing over the love of the Creator. What unbelievable pride! Humility is understanding His glory and yielding only to Him. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

November 21

James 3
Jesus is able to use His tongue rightly. That is part of His glory. The press used to love to jump on President Bush because of his misspeaks. They love to denigrate and belittle him over the slip of the tongue. Some of their clamor is because Mr. Bush did slip with the tongue. Most of it is just political maneuvering. The religious leaders for Jesus' day were the same way. They looked for ways to trip Him in His speech. Yet, they never found it.
The masses marveled at the way He taught. He taught as one having authority, not as the scribes. Once the leaders sent soldiers to arrest Him, having come back empty handed, the leaders asked, "Why didn't you arrest Him?" Their honest reply was, "No man ever spoke like He did." When He was before the leaders in His trials, He controlled the conversation. His tongue is as a sharp sword cutting in between fantasy and reality. His words are true and just. They promote holiness and love. They divide only when men and women cling to their self-righteousness. They condemn only when He is rejected. They bring a sword only when the holiness of God is called into question. They are pure. His words seek to gently bring peace by revealing holiness and sin and then offering mercy and grace. Those who have received that mercy from His lips seek first to extend it to others, because they have come to see the greatness of His glory. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

November 20, 2010

1 Chronicles 15

“13God broke out against us, because we did not consult Him about the proper order.” Does that strike you as an odd statement? It does me at first. It conjures up in my mind that God is in some kind of box (like the ark), and finally He can’t take it anymore so he lashes out at those around the box and then returns to His box.

This is a statement of Scripture. The doctrine of inerrancy tells us that David really did say this, but our doctrine of hermeneutics will tell us how it should be interpreted. God did kill Uzzah because he touched the ark. Uzzah touched the ark because David and others had not consulted the Lord about how the ark should be transported. If they had consulted the Lord, Uzzah would probably have never died in the transport of the ark. But what bothers me about the statement is the phrase “broke out.”

It almost implies that David thought that the Lord could be contained in a box. It is interesting to note that in the parallel passages in 2 Samuel that it is after this incident that David determines that he must build a magnificent house for the Lord. What was the Lord’s response? 2 Sam 7:5f, “Would you build a house for Me to dwell in? 6“For I have not dwelt in a house since the time that I brought the children of Israel up from Egypt, even to this day, but have moved about in a tent and in a tabernacle.” As you read that passage, the flow is that God is saying, “I don’t need a tent to dwell in. I am bigger than that.” Solomon caught the Lord’s drift. When he dedicated the temple, he said, “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have built!” God cannot be contained in anything and we have difficulty remembering that.

But do I not mentally put God in a box? He is supposed to act in this religious manner. He is supposed to do this when I do that. He should always act according to my parameters. Hmmm. . . maybe that is part of why our Christianity is so weak. We expect God to work according to our parameters rather than consulting Him about the proper order. After all, the infinite God might have a better idea about how to do what needs to be done--each time it is done. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!

--Pastor john

James 2

This chapter is full of the justice of Jesus. Have you ever noticed how we tend to make one sin greater than another? If we don't break the 'great ones,' the implication is that we are really 'tight' with Jesus. Today I was sharing the Gospel with a man. He stated at least twice, maybe 3 times, that his worst habit was smoking. He'd quit drinking. I began to share the Gospel with him. I shared Romans 3:23, "All have sinned. . ." We talked about the 10 commandments. I pointed out a few--taking the Lord's name in vain, breaking the Sabbath, stealing, murder, adultery, coveting. By his own admission, he had broken them all.

James says that if you've broken one, you are guilty of all. We tend to look down on those who have a problem with the ones with which we don't have a problem. Not Jesus. He sees the one with which we have a problem and He says, "You are guilty." That is bad news. There is good news. He says that if we will repent of what we are guilty, then He will forgive all.

When we have received that mercy, it is incumbent upon us to give mercy to others. No, we may not have sinned as they, but we have sinned. We are just as guilty. As rich Americans it is to judge some of the poor among us and say, "You are being judged by God because of your misuse of your resources," or to look at the rich and say, "You are being blessed by God because of the good use of resources. In both cases our judgment may or may not be true. But what is true is that if either of them have sinned and if we do not speak to that sin for the purpose that they may receive forgiveness, then we have judged in error. We must show mercy & speak to both when sin is clear, so that both may receive of the wonderful grace of our Lord. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!

--Pastor John

November 19, 2010

1 Chronicles 13-14

“Let us bring the ark of our God back to us for we have not inquired at it since the days of Saul.” That is a long time. Saul had died a minimum of 7 years prior to this point. It was possibly well over 10 years. This is bound to be a momentous occasion. With great pomp David plans on doing this, yet he failed to search the Scriptures regarding how the ark should be transported. David’s mindless mistake cost Uzzah his life. Do I ever approach the Lord without thinking it through? He bids me come bodly before the throne, but there is a protocol. It is only by the blood of the Lamb that I may enter. There was only one gate into the Tabernacle. It led by the altar of sacrifice. Do I appreciate what it cost Him for me to enter? Or do I just cavalierly waltz in expecting the Holy Almighty to bow at my presence?

Uzzah’s death angered David. He abandoned the whole project and left the ark in the home of Obed-Edom a Gittite, a man from Gath. Gath was the Philistine city from which came Goliath and his brothers. Wouldn’t you be a little reluctant to receive the ark after this event? I would. He was probably a member of David’s bodyguard, so he was a good obedient soldier and received it.

Yet the Lord blessed Obed-Edom and all in his house. Who do you suppose was the first to notice the blessing that Obed-Edom received. How did they note it? When the author of life takes up residence in your house, do you not believe that it would make a difference? I suspect that Obed’s house became brimming with life. How great is that? It forever changed him. The same name is used in 15:24&25; 16:5,38; 26:4-8,15. I believe they are the same. He so fell in love with the glory of God that he gave up his military career and permanently pursued the glory of God serving as a doorkeeper/gatekeeper/musician. How cool is that? He could no longer live without the glory of God. Both Psalm 81 & 84 are written to be played on an instrument of Gath. I think this is in memory of Obed-Edom. It is Psalm 84:10 which says:

For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand.

I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God

Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.

That was Obed-Edom. He so encountered the presence of the Glory of the Lord that it changed his whole life. He went from a military man to a man of the cloth. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!

--Pastor john

James 1

Where is Jesus in this chapter? First He permits us to fall into trials for the testing of our faith. He does what? To my simple mind that does not sound like much glory! Why can’t He just keep the trial away? To my simple mind that would seem like more glory. But if we did not experience the trial, we would never know His power to change us through the trial. And He wants us to become perfect like Him. How was He perfected as a Man? Remember Hebrews? He learned obedience, even to the point of death upon a cross. As we go through trials, He is making us like Himself. We are going through trials that He Himself has endured. Jesus, for the joy set before Him, endured the cross despising the shame. We endure the trials, perhaps despising the shame, because of the joy set before us.

What does Jesus give us as we endure the trials with joy? He gives us patience, wisdom and the crown of life. It is gracious of Him to do this because we ought to endure those things without reward. Yet He freely gives us reward. He knows the temptations that we have been through; He experienced the full intensity of all our temptations through His life. In every temptation that Jesus experienced, Satan tempted Him to its fullest strength. Jesus wrestled with the temptation to turn from the Father’s cup of suffering when He was in the Garden of Gethsemane. Having gone through all temptations Himself, He leads us through our trials by His word of truth. He does that so that we might be the firstfruits of His creatures.

If He leads us through by His word of truth, then how important it is that we become hearers and doers of His word! What precious gifts He has given us in His word! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!

--Pastor John

November 18, 2010

1 Chronicles 11-12
These two chapters are filled with the exploits of the mighty men of David. What impresses me the most about these chapters is really 13:16-18:
16Then some of the sons of Benjamin and Judah came to David at the stronghold. 17And David went out to meet them, and answered and said to them, “If you have come peaceably to me to help me, my heart will be united with you; but if to betray me to my enemies, since there is no wrong in my hands, may the God of our fathers look and bring judgment.” 18Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, chief of the captains, and he said:
“We are yours, O David;
We are on your side, O son of Jesse!
Peace, peace to you,
And peace to your helpers!
For your God helps you.”
So David received them, and made them captains of the troop.
Why did they come to David? They knew that only he could set them free, and they dearly wanted freedom. Why do we come to the Lord Jesus Christ? We come because only He can set us free from our sin and death. His glory is greater than that of David. Is He not worthy of our saying to Him:
“We are yours, O Jesus, son of David;
We are on your side, O son of Jesse!
Peace, peace to you,
And peace to your helpers!
For your God helps you.”
Do we really mean “we are yours?” What would happen in our lives if we really meant that? At the very least, He receives us and makes us captains in his troop. He does it all for His glory. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

Hebrews 13
The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. When I consider who He is and have completely grasped that thought, then I am able to continue on in a holy life. Even though a brother in the Lord hates me, I can love him because the Lord is my helper. Even though He calls me to entertain a total stranger, I can do it because I might be entertaining Him. Even if I have a spouse that is not perfect, I can lover her or respect him because He will do it in me. Even though everybody around me has better 'stuff', I can be content because He is always with me. Jesus helped the saints in the past. Jesus has helped me in the past. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. I can trust Him. When I focus on His glory, I am satisfied with His grace. I don't need any thing else.
Jesus is the One who suffered outside the city gates for me. He is the great Shepherd of me, who through His own body and blood cut a covenant. The end result of that covenant is that I will be made complete in every good work to do His will. He is faithful to the end. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

November 17, 2010

1 Chronicles 9-10
My backyard neighbor diagonally from me in 1976/77 was the organizer of the 1977 National Collegiate Power-lifting Championships hosted in Stillwater, Oklahoma. He talked me into trying to compete in the championships. So, he became my mentor as he taught me how to train for the novice division of the championship. I began the rigors of trying to develop my skinny body. Several times he took me to the local power-lifting club meetings. I have never felt so out of place in all of my life. These guys had muscles on their muscles. Men often make jokes about women being vain in their make up and clothing, but I have never met anyone so vain as the bodybuilders in this club. It was obvious when I walked in that I was not one of them. Their attitudes exuded exclusivity. I never fitted in. I never had the muscle definition or the strength that was needed. I was out of place.
What’s the point? I was out of place; I never fit in. In verse two of chapter nine, the Nethinim are mentioned. Who are the Nethinim? The word literally means ‘the givers’. They were the temple servants. For what were servants needed in the temple? If you can imagine all the sacrifices that were going on, someone needed to find and cut wood. With all the blood being shed, someone needed to haul water to the temple to clean it all up. With all the priests washing themselves in the great sea, someone needed to haul water to replenish it. The Nethinim did it. Who were they? They were Gentiles, who had become part of Israel. They were probably descendents of the Gibeonites. In the beginning they were forced servants. But eventually, they served out of choice. The Psalmist said, “I’d rather be a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord than dwell in the tents of the wicked. They were out of place, but they found a place even if it was hauling wood and water. But they were near the glory!
I was out of place in my trespasses and sin. I was alien to the family of God. But my Jesus offered Himself as a sacrifice in my place. Yes there are others who have more spiritual muscle than I, but who cares? Yes there are others with more talent and accolades than I, but who cares? I am privileged to just be a servant of His because now I can be near His glory. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

Hebrews 12
We have seen how there are so many people who have gone before us who have had faith in this glorious Lord of ours. He has enabled them to trust Him in the midst of insurmountable odds. He is the author of their faith. In other words He is the One who brought their faith into existence. He is the One who gave it direction. He is the One who brought it to a glorious conclusion. He is the Finisher of their faith! So also with us, we may think we are solely responsible for our faith in Him, but no beloved, He is the one who began that work of faith in us. He began it by being worthy of our trust! He will bring it to a glorious conclusion. He will finish it. It will not go undone.
So in the meantime, the time between when our faith began and when it is brought to a conclusion, it is so appropriate to fix our thoughts, our eyes, our everything upon Him. In doing so, we will be able to resist sin, even to the point of bloodshed. He will bring discipline into our lives to aid us in that process. Discipline is not fun, but it is necessary. When I played football in high school, there were many practices when we thought the coach was trying to kill us with the rigors of exercise that he made us go through. But it was those horrible rigors of exercise that made us better football players. Even so His discipline is for the purpose of making us more like Himself.
His discipline is to burn away all that is not beautiful in His sight. He is a consuming fire. His fire destroys the ugly but enhances the beautiful. Let Him shake our world. Let everything that cannot stand fall! When He is done, only the beautiful remains. I want to be part of what remains. That happens as I keep my eyes fixed upon Him in the midst of the fire and the quake. In the midst of all that, I receive glimpses of His glory. His beauty sustains us! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

November 16, 2010

1 Chronicles 7-8

Driving, or should I say parking, on the outer loop of Atlanta’s free way system, the interchange was jammed. Six lanes were going north and there was no movement. Six lanes were going south, and there was no movement. It took me about an hour to get out of the interchange. I was overwhelmed with the huge number of people in the city. I have no love for cities. I would go there to minister if the Lord made it clear, but I need clear direction. I get overwhelmed by the masses of people. There are just too many individuals. I cannot take it all in!

Hmm. . . what can one say about genealogies? Why does God put these in the Bible? What do I care about whose son was who? Maybe that is part of the point. Because I am finite, I cannot appreciate the tedious genealogies. But God is not finite. Because he is infinite, He can truly value each individual that is mentioned. So, these genealogies teach us that our infinite God really does care about us as finite individuals. They teach me that I am important to Him. That is pretty amazing. The God who created the masses of people is not overwhelmed by the masses. He still can relate to each of us an individual. He is not overwhelmed. Wow! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!

--Pastor john

Hebrews 11:20-40

Jesus is the One who blessed Jacob and Esau, even though they both held Him in contempt. It was because Jesus allowed Jacob to wrestle with Him that Jacob learned to worship and bless others rather than to trip them up. It was because of Jesus that Joseph was able to remain faithful even when encountering tremendous hardship. It was because of Jesus that the mother of Moses could hide him and see him raised in Pharaoh’s household. It was because of Jesus that Moses could choose affliction with the people of God rather than the pleasure of Pharaoh’s household. It was Jesus who delivered the nation of Israel from the bondage of Egypt and across the Red Sea. It was Jesus who made the walls of Jericho fall after the people of God encircled it 7 days. It was Jesus who turned Rahab, the harlot, into a woman of faith and purity and one of His own ancestors. It was Jesus who delivered the judges, David and the Prophets. It is because of the glory of Jesus that many have endured affliction, destitution, torment. They all do this because they see, through the eyes of faith, Jesus. Focusing on His glory is so key in our motivation. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

November 15, 2010

1 Chronicles 5-6

1 Chronicles 5:2 (NKJV)2yet Judah prevailed over his brothers, and from him came a ruler, although the birthright was Joseph’s. Hmmm. . . The Birthright belonged to Reuben as the firstborn. But he was disqualified because he dishonored his father. Simeon and Levi were next in line, but Judah prevailed. Perhaps Simeon and Levi were disqualified because of their murder of the men of Shechem. At any rate, Judah prevailed and the right to rule and the line of the Messiah shifted to him. Joseph got the double portion through Ephraim and Manasseh, his sons, but the blessing to the whole world went through Judah. Reuben profaned the name of the Lord with his unbridled lust. Simeon and Levi profaned the name of the Lord with their unbridled revenge. Judah prevailed by his intercession before Joseph for the life of his brother Benjamin and his father Israel. Judah offered his own life in exchange for Benjamin. He was willing to lay it all on the line for his brother’s and his father’s sake. Lord, let me be the type of man who will lay it all on the line for the sake of others, so that your glory could shine to its brightest degree. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!

--Pastor john

Hebrews 11:1-19

Faith is the substance of things hope for, the evidence of things not seen. How can we have faith? It is because of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is in Him that our faith is placed. He is the one who framed the worlds. It is He who gives us His righteousness when we place our trust in him. When we come to death's edge, it is He who will bid us welcome as we step on the other shore. It is in Him that we are pleasing to God. It is in Him that we are protected from the wrath of a Holy God as it is poured out against sin. It is by Him that we look for a city whose builder and maker is God. We may die, not having received all of the promises He has given us, but we know that because of Him all the promises will be fulfilled on the other side. It is because of Him that we desire the heavenly country. Because of Him the Father is not ashamed for us to call Him our God. It is because of Him that we have assurance that He will raise us up. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!

--Pastor John

November 14

Hebrews 10:19-39
Because of the provision of His body, His law is written in our hearts. It is not a standard outside of us. But it is in us. That is part of the reason a carnal Christian is often more miserable than the non-Christian. The Christian has the law on their hearts. They know they are disobedient. They know the Spirit is not in control. It makes them miserable. That is a mercy of the Lord so that we will be driven back to Him. His body was prepared to take care of our sin. He dwells now in the heavenlies before God the Father so that when we have had enough of our misery, we can enter the holy place through Him. When we have dealt with the sin (repent), we can once again draw near. His blood sprinkles us clean. His water washes our evil conscience.
However, if we refuse to deal with our sin (repent), it is an indication that we really do not think that sin is so evil so as to bring death. If we do not think that sin is so evil so as to bring death, then we are implying that the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ is of little value. After all if our sin is not so evil as to bring death then we could have saved ourselves--who needs a specially prepared body? That is a dangerous accusation to make of the living God who gave His life for us. If we have that attitude toward sin, He will indeed be terrifying to us. He hates sin and won't let us dwell in it. Our dwelling in sin is tantamount to saying that His blood is useless.
That is why we must speak the glory of the Lord Jesus to one another. That is why we must exhort one another to love and good deeds. That is why we cannot forsake the assembling of ourselves together. That is why we must be open to others speaking the glory of the Lord to us. When we stand in His glory, we sin our sin, then we can repent. He is indeed holy and effective! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

November 13

Hebrews 10:1-18
The body of the Lord Jesus Christ was prepared for the specific purpose of being offered as a sacrifice to God the Father to pay the wages of sin and death in our place. To be a suitable offering He had to be perfect and He had to be able to pay for all time, the holy demands or our righteous God. It was God's will that Jesus do this. It was prophesied 1000 years before His birth that this was the purpose of His coming (Psalm 40:7,8). Through His death Jesus justified us.
It was not only for our justification that Jesus' body was prepared. It was also for our sanctification. Sanctification, among other things, is the working out of His holiness in our lives. It results in our obedience. Because He obeyed the will of God in doing the impossible, so also, we, through His body, are able to do the impossible. He did it once and for all. One of the things I hate about cleaning is that it has to keep being done. In His sanctifying work, Jesus cleans us up. The provision for that impossible outworking in our lives was done once and for all. It is all His doing. He is indeed holy and effective! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

November 12, 2010

2 Kings 25

God is severe. Yes, I said it, severe. It finally has happened. Judgment began with the household of God. He had told the people as far back as Moses that if they deviated from seeking His glory that he would curse them and move them out of the land. He told them in the days of Manasseh that He would wipe them like one wipes a dish. Only the repentance of Josiah postponed the destruction. Now, king Zedekiah experiences the full brunt of the wrath of the Lord through the wrath of the Babylonians. They killed Zedekiah’s sons before him, and then they put out his eyes. The next to last sight that Zedekiah would remember for the rest of his life would be the execution of his sons. That is severe. Others were executed as well. Most were deported. The temple was robbed. The city was looted and burned, and the walls were destroyed. That is severe.

Is that glory? Hmmm. . . What would the innocent people who were slaughtered under Manasseh and Amon say? What would the angels who have been observing this cosmic drama say? What would those who see the largest picture say? I know they would say, “Yes, that is glory for His justice is revealed. How sad it is that, like Josiah, they could also have experienced the mercy of the Lord if they had repented. Will God discipline His children if they do not repent? He certainly will. Doing so manifests His glory. Will God show mercy to His children who repent? He certainly will. Doing so also manifests His glory. Lord, Help me live a lifestyle of repentance! I want your mercy! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!

--Pastor john

Hebrews 9

The first covenant with its high priests and tabernacle and ark was a holy thing. Indeed anyone who did not treat it as holy was judged by God Himself. Take for instance Nadab and Abihu the sons of Aaron were instantly struck dead for offering strange fire. The Philistines who captured the ark of the covenant were struck hemorrhoids and infertility for their act. When David improperly transported the ark and Uzzah put his hand upon the ark to steady it, God killed Uzzah. When Uzziah (not Uzzah) was king, he proudly sought to take the role of a priest upon himself and burn incense in the sanctuary. Eighty priests opposed him. Uzziah became angry with the priests. In the midst of his anger, the Lord struck him with leprosy. The priesthood, the tabernacle and the furniture of the tabernacle were holy things. Trust in the sacrifices was able to procure temporary covering for sin. These things were all shadows or pictures, if you will, of Christ. They were not the real thing. They were simply teaching tools to tell of the sacrifice that Christ would do for our sin.

If these things were holy and effective, how much more effective is the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ? He did not enter into a physical sanctuary made by human hands. Having died and received the judgment of God against all the sins of the world upon the cross, He has now entered into the heavenly throne room of God. There He applies His own blood to the lives of those who trust him. His blood is so powerful that He need not do it time and time again. He does it once. That application is useful for all of our sins, past, present and future. When we die, we will be judged. The first standard of judgment will be, "Has the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ ever been applied to my life." If it has been applied, then we enter into His presence and at His judgment seat, we will be rewarded for the good works we have done. His blood is indeed powerful! If it has not been applied, then judgment awaits at the Great White Throne and after that, hell and the lake of fire. His wrath is indeed terrifying! He is indeed holy and effective! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!

--Pastor John

November 11

Hebrews 8
The writer of Hebrews now clearly reveals the main point of his letter and it is simply this: the glory of Christ as our High Priest. The priesthood and tabernacle, which were brought into existence through Moses, were simply copies and shadows of what Jesus would be, become and do in order to rescue His defiled creation from the sin that we chose to bring upon ourselves. His ministry is much better than any of the ministries of the Jewish priests. His ministry is much better than any pastor's ministry today. His is the real thing. Ours only give partial glimpses at what He is doing. His covenant is much better than the covenant God made with the nation of Israel. The covenant God made with Israel had blessings and curses. If the people obeyed the covenant stipulations, the law, then they would be blessed and could live in the land. If the people disobeyed the covenant stipulations, the law, then they would be cursed and driven out of the land. The law was written on stone tablets for the people to observe and to try to obey. His covenant has a law that is written on our hearts. When His covenant (inaugurated in His blood) comes in its full force (at His return), my job will be obsolete. No one will teach or exhort another any more to know the Lord. We will all know the Lord. Our sins and lawless deeds He will remember no more. He will take away even the very presence of sin. What a High Priest! He brings a real change to our lives with our cooperation! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

November 10, 2010

2 Kings 23

Josiah was an amazing king. Born the grandson and son of the most pagan kings Judah had ever experienced, he led one of the most amazing revivals the world has ever seen. The Word says this of him

Now before him there was no king like him, who turned to the Lord with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses; nor after him did any arise like him.

In order to accomplish this revival, Josiah literally destroyed the works of his father and grandfather. Can you imagine the moral courage it took for him to demand this not only of himself but also his people? Jesus calls us to the same level of moral commitment.

Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment.” (Matthew 22:37,38)

For Josiah this meant turning his back on everything that his grandfather and father had built and encouraged in the people in a religious sense. This means that he was going against 53 combined years of cultural and religious pursuit of false gods led by his fathers.

God calls us to the same commitment. How can we pursue the Lord with all our heart, soul and mind? Certainly we will need to see His glory on a daily basis. We will always pursue what we set our eyes upon. That may mean that I need to tear down some of my false gods, my idols such as financial security, fancy houses, cars, clothing, food, entertainment, even family, anything that stands between God and me. If my eyes are always on those things and not upon the glory of the Lord, how could I ever desire to let those things go? But if my eyes are fixed upon His glory, how could I ever convulsively hang on to those things? He is worth letting all things go. Yes, He is worth letting even life itself go. Lord, I so frequently grab after those other things. But they are not worth anything compared to you. Enable me to let go of those things and gaze at and desire only your glory. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!

--Pastor john

Hebrews 7

The power of an endless life--now that's the stuff movies and legends are made of. It is the dream of some, the nightmare of others. Subconsciously we often think we have it. Most of us live like this life will never end. But only One Person has it, the Lord Jesus Christ. Now that is glory! What would you do different if you knew you had the power of an endless life? Would you take more risks? Would those risks be for your best end or for others?

Jesus uses His power of an endless life for our benefit. He uses it to become our High Priest. Now a really strict interpretation of the law would have said, "Wait! Jesus is from the wrong tribe. He is from the tribe of Judah. He cannot be a priest! Priests can only come from the tribe of Levi. Ahh but! There is this unknown character in Abraham's found in Genesis 14:18-20:

Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. And he blessed him and said:

“Blessed be Abram of God Most High,

Possessor of heaven and earth;

And blessed be God Most High,

Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.”

And he gave him a tithe of all.

Melchizedek means king of righteousness. Salem, which means peace, is perhaps Jerusalem. So this Melchizedek is either the literal king of Salem, Jerusalem, or perhaps this is another appearance to Abraham of Jesus in a fleshly state before He became flesh. Abraham recognized that he was a priest of the Most High God. He also recognized that Melchizedek was of greater rank than he because he gave him a tenth of the spoils from his victory over the 4 kings of Mesopotamia. Now, no lineage is given for Melchizedek. In the Hebrew mindset lineage was very, very important to establish the right to serve as a priest. Yet Abraham, the father of the Hebrew nation, gave tithes to him without establishing that right through a lineage.

David in writing his Messianic Psalm 110 says in verse 4 that the Messiah is a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. What is that order? At the very least, it is an order that is not established by having the proper physical lineage. So the Hebrews writer uses David's Messianic Psalm to claim the proper glory for the Lord Jesus Christ. He has the power of an endless life and He has eternal office and right to intercede for me.

Now comes the application of that glory--He always lives to make intercession. He has no need to offer a sacrifice for Himself before a holy God because He Himself is holy, innocent, undefiled separate from sinners and the highest authority of all of creation. He always lives for the purpose of interceding for us! When I bring my needs and concerns before our Holy God, He talks to the Father for me. When Satan brings His accusations against me before the Father, most of which are probably true, He says to the Father, "My blood was shed for that sin. I have washed John Chaffin clean. Your wrath has been satisfied in my death upon the cross. John has confessed that sin. Let's clothe John in my righteousness. Let's give him all that he needs for godliness and righteousness, peace and contentment." He teaches me to pray and He intercedes for me! What power of an endless life! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!

--Pastor John

November 9, 2010

2 Kings 22
“We have found the book of the LORD!” Can you imagine the Word of God being lost to the whole country for two whole generations? Yet that is exactly what happened because of the evil reigns of Manasseh and Amon. They must have even controlled the priesthood so that the Word of God was never read! But are we any different? We have a multitude of versions of Bibles at our fingertips to read. Enough Bibles have been printed so that there should be several in every home. Yet we have a generation that is growing up that knows nothing of the Word of God! Why? Is the Word of God read in our homes? How can we see the glory of God if we do not open His book? Let us pray for a revival where men will once again take responsibility for their household and read the word in their homes! Let us pray that God will show us something of His glory as we read His word. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

Hebrews 6
When we were back in Titus 1 we found that God cannot lie. In Hebrews 3-5 we found that Jesus is a faithful High Priest. Not being able to lie and faithfulness are similar concepts. One phrase approaches the concept negatively the other word approaches it positively. Today we see one of the practical outworkings of that faithfulness. Because Jesus is a faithful High Priest, because He promised us eternal life if we repent and believe, He will do whatever it takes to get His children to enter the promised land. When He led them out of Egypt to Kadesh Barnea, they refused to cross over and take the land. They wanted to go back to Egypt. They wanted to go back into bondage. He would not let them. He let them die in the wilderness rather than go back into bondage. He promised them the land. If they would not receive it, He certainly would not let them go back into Egypt. His faithfulness was on the line.
So also with us, He desires that we enter into His rest. We often balk and refuse. But He is faithful. He will do whatever it takes to get us to enter into His rest. If we continue to refuse, His discipline becomes more severe until we co-operate. It is like a farmer's field that has a weed or pest infestation. In Biblical days they did not have pesticides and herbicides to spray on the fields. A field that had a problem was often burned at the end of a growing season if it did not produce. The burning would kill the pest or weed infestation. Then he could replant with fresh seed. Perhaps he would obtain a good crop. So also, with us, the weeds and pests of the flesh, the world or the devil infest our lives. We refuse to follow our Lord. But He has promised to lead us into His rest. His faithfulness is on the line. He will not allow us to go back to Egypt. He will do whatever it takes to bring us to the land. If we persist, we might even get burned--severe discipline to destroy the sinfulness in us. If we continue in rebellion, it might even result in being taken out of this world.
Why? Because He is faithful. He has promised to lead us into the land. He cannot lie. What He does, He does for our good. He has promised to give us rest for our souls. We cannot experience that rest if we hang on to sin. He is immutable (He cannot change). So, we have this promise from Him. It is His glory to fulfill it. That gives us hope! It is an anchor for the soul in times of hardship or of discipline. We can enter His presence behind the veil because He is a faithful High Priest! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

November 8, 2010

2 Kings 21
Moving from Oklahoma to Portland, Oregon, during the winter time, we decided to take the southern route—I-40 to California, and then up I-5 to Oregon. As we crossed Mt. Shasta in northern California, near the Oregon border, the view was spectacular! Descending down into southern Oregon, we could see what looked like clouds in the valleys below us. As we approached Medford, Oregon, we entered the clouds, or more aptly put, the fog. Visibility dropped to almost zero. I was becoming a nervous wreck because I could see neither in front of me nor behind me. Since it was late afternoon, early evening when we entered Medford. We decided to find a motel and spend the night in hopes that the new day would bring better visibility. After checking in, we went to eat at a restaurant (within walking distance). I noted the local newspaper headlines in the newspaper box as we entered the restaurant, “5 STRAIGHT DAYS OF FOG!” The front page had a picture of a school bus driver exiting her bus in tears as she finished her route. The stress of the responsibility of driving the children in dense fog had taken its toll upon her. The story said that the weather man did not see any let up in the fog. I suddenly felt like I had made a poor decision. We spent the night, waited until almost noon the next day and decided to inch our way to Portland. After about an hour of driving, the fog began to slowly lift, and we could begin to drive normally again. But those were some hours of white knuckle driving constantly scanning and looking for what might or might not be in front of me. I have never since experienced such poor visibility.
The Glory of the Lord was wonderfully visible during the reign of Hezekiah. The visibility of the glory of the Lord reached an all-time low in Judah under Manasseh. He “seduced them (the people of Israel) to do more evil than the nations whom the LORD had destroyed before the children of Israel.” Now that is quite a statement. Can you imagine that? They did more evil than the nations whom the LORD destroyed before them. As a result God said that He would wipe Jerusalem like one wipes a dish. O LORD, let me be a channel of your glory. Let me not be one who hides your glory with my pride. Let it shine through and beyond me. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

Hebrews 5

One of the great glories of Christ is that He did not glorify Himself. In our age it is natural for a leader to glorify Himself. In a democracy where people vote for their leader, glorifying oneself is the natural demand of the political machine. If you do not glorify yourself, your opponent will glorify himself and the people will vote for the one who does the best job of glorifying himself. After all, you are not going to vote for someone in whom you have no confidence. If you have no confidence in yourself, no one else is going to have confidence in you. In a dictatorship the dictator rules by the absolute authority He wields over the people. Part of that absolute authority is obtained by the image the people have of you. Therefore many dictators are given to excessive boasting as part of their way of producing the image that keeps that sense of absolute power over their subjects. In general, Jesus did not glorify Himself. When necessary or pushed, He declared who He was. But most of the time He let His works (done in the power of the Holy Spirit) or His Father glorify Him. And glorify Him He did! The Father has called Him His Son. The Father has made Him the High Priest.

Another of His glories is that He learned obedience by suffering. Imagine that! The Eternal Son of God learned obedience as a Man. As a man, He suffered in order to obey the Father. The suffering was greater that any that you or I will ever experience. Beginning in the Garden of Gethsemane until the resurrection morning He endured unimaginable agonies. He did it partially out of obedience to the Father. There are times when you and I are suffering innocently. Remember He suffered innocently to a much greater extent. His glory is our shining example of how to endure suffering when undeserved. He succeeded and offers His life and glory to you, so that you may share in His glories! But part of the glory is learning obedience when suffering innocently. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!

--Pastor John

November 7, 2010

2 Kings 20

Do our prayers really affect the plan of God? If He really is sovereign, how can He allow His sovereign plans to be affected by our prayers? Greater minds than mine have honestly grappled with these questions, and they came up with mutually exclusive answers. I am not able to plumb the depths of how the sovereignty of God and the free will of man can both exist and do not infringe on each other. However, this is clear. God had determined that Hezekiah’s time on earth was done. He warned Hezekiah through Isaiah. Hezekiah immediately plead with God for healing. God immediately sent Isaiah back to heal him. Apparently, our prayers do somehow make a difference in the sovereign plan of God.

Maybe we should be careful about how we pray. Hezekiah lived another 15 years. He accomplished two things in those 15 years. Neither were good for the nation. 1) He became proud about the position the Lord had given him. So, he showed it all off, especially to the Babylonian ambassador. He did not brag about what God had done, but about what God had given him. 2) He fathered Manasseh and failed to bring him up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Manasseh was arguably Judah’s most morally corrupt and worst king. If Hezekiah had not prayed and received those requests, would the nation have been better off? Would God’s plan of showing the world the failure of the law been accomplished?

Part of the glory of God is that somehow He assigns the working of His sovereign plan to our participation with Him in prayer. That participation can result in either good or bad, but ultimately His plan is accomplished. That amazes me. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!

--Pastor john

Hebrews 4
Well now if Jesus is able to give me victory over sin, what is the mechanism by which we claim His victory? Jesus uses His word, His Spirit and our faith. As we combine these three, we enter into His faithfulness and rest in our struggle against sin. Jesus’ word, partially given by Moses, is taken by His Holy Spirit and reveals the deepest issues and sins in our lives that need to be removed. He sees into every nook and cranny of our lives. But He does so to act as a High Priest not as a judge. As our sin is revealed, our first inclination is to run and hide our sin from God, others and even ourselves. That is what the nation of Israel did at Kadesh Barnea, when they refused to enter the Promised Land.
But we have a High Priest in Jesus who can sympathize with our weaknesses. We should not run from our sin but rather bring it to our High Priest. After all He was tempted in every point just as we are, and He felt the full force of that temptation. Yet, He triumphed and did not sin. He triumphed and died and rose again for our sin. When His Holy Spirit reveals our sin through His word, we must deal with that sin by coming to His throne of grace obtaining His mercy and grace and the empowerment and provision for overcoming temptation through the filling of His Holy Spirit. It is obtained by faith. He is compassionate toward us and gives us His victory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

November 6, 2010

2 Kings 19

When I am up against a horrendous struggle, and it looks like I will be defeated, what do I do? Do I fret in prayer by sending a barrage of requests before the throne? Or do learn to quiet myself before God by resting in the knowledge of who He is? It never ceases to instruct me when I consider the recorded prayers of the people in the Bible. Whether they are in good times or difficult times, usually at least 50% of their prayers focus on nature and acts of God, and another large percentage focuses on how this situation will affect His glory. This certainly the type of prayer that Hezekiah gives:

O Lord God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 16“Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. 17“Truly, Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands, 18“and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were not gods, but the work of men’s hands—wood and stone. Therefore they destroyed them. 19“Now therefore, O Lord our God, I pray, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the Lord God, You alone.

The actual request is only the first half of verse 19. It is as though he is reciting before Him His glory. Does God need us to recite His glory to Him before He will answer our prayers? Absolutely not! Then why does God encourage that type of prayer? There are many answers to that question. One is that we are created to reflect His glory. To ask requests without reflecting his glory is to sidestep the purpose of our very existence. A second answer is that as we reflect upon His glory, we receive what we need to live victoriously in the midst of challenging circumstances.

Look at what he says. “The One who dwells between the cherubim,” what does that mean? The cherubim are placed in the Garden of Eden to defend the way to the Tree of Life. The cherubim are carved into images and placed on the mercy seat in the holy of holies. Ezekiel describes the cherubim as serving the purpose of magnifying the holiness and power of God, one of their main responsibilities throughout the Bible.[1] What is important about that? By declaring this Hezekiah is choosing to stand in the midst of the holiness and power of God. He is reminding himself of how great God is. He is reminding himself that as important as this struggle is in the history of Israel, it is nothing in comparison to the holiness and power of God. He then moves on to the fact that God is God of all kingdoms, even Assyria, even if they refuse to acknowledge it. He rests in the great power of God that He alone created the heaven and earth. He alone is God! What else can Hezekiah do but rest in what God will decide to do? Will I do that? Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!

--Pastor john


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[1]Youngblood, Ronald F.: Bruce, F.F. (Hrsg.): Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Dictionary : An Authoritative One-Volume Reference Work on the Bible With Full Color Illustrations. electronic edition of the revised edition of Nelson's illustrated Bible dictionary. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1997, c1995



Hebrews 3

We are told to consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus. What is an Apostle? He was one who was sent on behalf of an Emperor and carried all the authority of the Emperor. What was a High Priest. A priest is one who is a mediator between God and man. The High Priest was the chief one in charge. Jesus is the One who was sent on behalf of God the Father with all His authority in order to mediate between us & God. He was completely faithful in fulfilling His duty. What was His duty? It was to build us into a temple to be inhabited by God. Jesus was faithful to take rebellious sinful people like us, remove our sin, give us His righteousness, reconcile us to God, join us together so that we become a house that invites God’s presence. The presence of God can now dwell in us individually and corporately.

Moses was faithful in building his house. The problem was that his house was only successful at revealing the sin of the people. He was unable to bring them into the rest of victory over temptation and sin. That is how Jesus contrasts with him. Jesus not only reveals our sin. He removes it. He gives us ability to be victorious over sin. What Moses accomplished was glorious but Jesus far outshines Moses. Jesus is indeed faithful in making me/us victorious over sin. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

November 5, 2010

2 Kings 18

Of all the OT Prophets, Isaiah is probably the best know largely because of his many Messianic prophecies. But what most people do not associate with him is that many of his prophecies are spoken directly to his contemporaries. Many of his prophecies were encouragements or warnings to be faithful to the Lord and to not depend upon Egypt or any surrounding nations for their national security. Isaiah began his ministry in the year that Uzziah died. He endured the reigns of Jotham and Ahaz. Do you suppose that Hezekiah grew up under the teaching of Isaiah? He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. His father Ahaz did not. Hezekiah “trusted in the Lord God of Israel, so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who were before him.” Why was Hezekiah different? It was Isaiah who had seen the glory of the Lord that is recorded in Isaiah 6:1ff. I think Isaiah spoke it to Hezekiah. Hezekiah wanted it more than anything. Because of that, he cut off anything that detracted from the glory of the Lord. He destroyed the bronze serpent that Moses had made. He stopped the idolatrous worship of the people of Israel!

Alas, he also learned from his father Ahaz. Ahaz had taken gold from the temple in order to hire the King of Assyria to attack Syria and Israel, so that he would get relief from them. When Sennacherib invaded, out of fear Hezekiah took the gold from the temple in order to pay Sennacherib’s demands. Did he really need to do that? The enemy smells fear from afar. The gift of gold only served as the scent of fear to incite Sennacherib to greater demands. The enemy used Hezekiah’s good acts as leverage against him as the demands were laid out upon the wall in Hebrew in the hearing of all the people. The glory of the Lord was maligned by Sennacherib’s officers. What would Hezekiah do? Would he depend upon the Lord? Would he succumb to the threats of fear? When the enemy uses your good acts against you to create more fear in your life, do you depend upon the Lord? Or do you succumb to the threats of fear. Maybe at those times you need someone to speak the glory of the Lord into your life. Maybe someone today needs you to speak the glory of the Lord into their life. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!

--Pastor john

Hebrews 2

The glory of the Lord has been attested to by signs, wonders, miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit. And yes, they still happen today. They do not happen every day or we wouldn't view them as miracles. We would view them as every day events. I have met and know people who have attested to having personally received miraculous healings apart from medical science. I can personally attest to numerous occasions where the Lord has miraculously provided finances for me, especially in my seminary days. For example, one morning in seminary I had zero money in the bank, zero money in my pocket, no food in the refrigerator or cupboard and no prospect of receiving money in the near future. I got up and walked to the seminary library and sat down at a study table to have my quiet time. As I was reading God's word, another student, whom I had only met the week before and barely knew his name, got up from his study table, walked over to me and handed me a $20 bill. In 1980 dollars that was a lot of money. He said, "I don't know why but the Lord told me to give this to you." We ate that day because of a miracle of God. That student did not know my need. He had little money himself. It was a sacrifice for him to give. Yet God spoke to him. He listened and obeyed. And I am sure God made up the difference for him. There were several miracles that occurred in that provision: the student heard, the student obeyed, my need was met without me telling a soul and my faith was strengthened. My seminary days had many similar events.

What is man that God is mindful of him? Yet it is the glory of God that He became a man that He could meet our needs. By the grace of God He endured the suffering of death on the cross for us. Now that is glory! He destroyed the one who had the power of death! Yes, death and sickness reign for a little while, but they flee when Jesus comes and He is coming to ultimately defeat sickness and death. But before He returns He gives us aid. He is able to give us aid because in all things He was made like us. He knows our temptations. He is an ever merciful and faithful High Priest for us. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!

--Pastor John

November 4, 2010

2 Kings 17

Anger is often thought of as a sinful emotion. Yet the Scripture tells us that the Lord was angry with Israel because of their sin. If I am going to have a full view of God, then by necessity, I must understand and appreciate His anger as part of Who God is. If I truly understood His anger, would that not play into my motivations as I am faced with temptations to pursue other gods? If I fear Him because He gets angry when I pursue other gods, wouldn’t be part of a legitimate motivation to pursue Him? I should hope so. The message that is credited with starting the greatest revival that North America has ever seen was entitled Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. Often Jonathan Edwards is parodied as a wild-eyed preacher. In actuality eye-witness accounts state that he read his sermons in a monotone voice, but the power of God was so strong on the congregation that people literally fell on the floor wailing in sorrow over their sin and begging forgiveness of the Holy God, against whom they had transgressed. Most of Jonathan Edwards sermons dealt with the beauty of the Grace God. They knew His Grace. When they were faced with the reality of His anger, they had a balance view of His glory. His anger against sin is every bit as much of a part of His glory as is His mercy. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!

--Pastor john

Hebrews 1

The Lord Jesus Christ is the heir of all things. Someday it is all going to be His. Somehow we think that we and/or others own the things around us. Perhaps we feel like we will have them forever. Not so, it all belongs to Him. And it should belong to Him. After all, He made all the worlds.

The Lord Jesus is also the visible manifestation of God the Father. When we have seen Him, we have seen the Father. He is the express image of the Father. There is only one way that I can see the Father, and it is through Jesus. But Jesus is no longer here. That is why the Word and the Holy Spirit are so important. As we hear, read, study, memorize, meditate upon His Word, we find Jesus. His Holy Spirit begins to take the word and reveal Jesus to us spiritually. We can see Him through the eyes of our hearts. His glory begins to become real to us. It is so vital that at those times, when His glory is becoming real, that we speak His glory to one another.

What holds the atoms together? We say things like the electrical charges of the protons, neutrons and electrons. What holds them together? We can talk about things like quarks. But ultimately there is only One that holds all things together. The Lord Jesus upholds all things by the word of His power. Wow! I admit it! I really don't understand that. But this I realize, if He chose to let go, everything would cease to exist.

This Creator, this Powerful One became flesh and purged our sins. Amazing! He is now seated at the right hand of the Majesty. One day every knee will bow and tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. His name is above any other. He even has a name that we cannot even grasp! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!

--Pastor John

November 3, 2010

2 Kings 16

When I was 5 or 6, my brother and I received a joint Christmas gift. It was a record player. My brother thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. I on the other hand could not have cared less. He also received one of those cheap plastic doctor’s kit. I really thought that the doctor’s kit was great. He really wanted to be the sole owner of the record player. So he traded me the doctors kit for my half of the record player. Monetarily speaking, the record player was of much greater value. When I grew a little older, I realized that I had really made a dumb deal. It just did not make sense.

Often times people just do not make sense. Ahaz did not do right in the sight of the Lord. Not only did he not do right, but he made his son pass through the fire. He was a spiritual adulterer. He ran after many other Gods. So when God sent Syria to punish him, he viewed it as Syria’s attempt to join with Israel to force them into an alliance against Assyria rather than the discipline of the Lord. Instead of repenting and turning to the Lord, He took the Lord’s gold and used it to buy an alliance with Assyria. Assyria came and defeated Syria. Ahaz’ plan worked. He decided to go to Damascus, the capital of Syria, defeated by Assyria. There he visited the temple of the god of the Syrians. In the pagan temple he sees an altar that he likes. He sends a description of it to Jerusalem and has the Lord’s altar moved and a new one like the pagan altar put in its place. What is more; the high priest of the Lord fully cooperates with him. They replace the altar of the Most High God with the altar of an ineffectual god. Why?

I can only assume that it was because Ahaz did not know the glory of the Lord. That is why it is so important that I see the glory of the Lord. If I don’t see it, I am bound to trade it for something worthless. I must continually ask myself, “Do I really see the value of the glory of the Lord?” Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!

--Pastor john

Philemon

Jesus puts good things in us (v. 6). A good thing that Jesus placed in Philemon was a changed heart toward his property. He no longer grasped on to it as his own. But he recognized that everything he owned belonged to the Lord. Philemon was from Colosse and was a wealthy slave owner. Paul had lead Philemon to the Lord perhaps while in Ephesus. But perhaps he made a diversion to Colosse on his way through Phrygia to Ephesus on his third missionary journey (Acts 18:23; 19:1). Paul writes this letter to Philemon from jail in Rome. Apparently Philemon's slave, Onesimus, had run away to Rome. Somehow in the providence of God, Paul and Onesimus met up in Rome. Onesimus became a Christian. Paul was able to disciple Onesimus enabling him to grow in the Lord. Finally, the time came when the matter had to be dealt with. Legally, Onesimus was the property of Philemon. Spiritually, Onesimus was Philemon's brother. Paul did not command Philemon to free his brother. Rather he appealed to him on the basis of the good thing that Christ had put in Philemon's life. It was not a matter of law but a matter of love. How can one love his brother and treat him as a slave? You cannot.

Jesus also placed a good thing in the heart of Onesimus. Onesimus willingly went back to Philemon carrying this letter and the letter to the Colossians. He was willing to submit to an unjust authority. It is unjust that one man should own another man. But because of the 'good thing' Jesus placed in the life of Onesimus, he was willing to submit to the legal code of the Romans and return to Philemon. Philemon had the legal right to treat Onesimus in any manner that he desired, including death. Yet, Onesimus submitted to the legal authority of the government in which he lived. That Onesimus submitted, speaks volumes concerning the glory of our Lord.

Our Lord has placed every 'good thing' in you that you need. The question is do you realize it? I'm sure it took a while for Onesimus to realize it in himself. It took a while before he was willing to risk returning to Philemon. And Paul could have commanded Philemon to receive Onesimus as a brother. But he trusted in the glory of Christ that the 'good thing' was indeed planted in Philemon and Onesimus and their 'good deeds' (v. 14) would be out of willingness and not compulsion. Am I willing to endure or do anything for the sake of Christ? If I am, then it can only be because I have realized the 'good thing' he has placed in me. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!

--Pastor John