Jeremiah 24
Are you a bad fig or a good fig? The Lord seems to have classified the people of Jerusalem into two categories, good figs and bad figs. Josiah’s Kingdom fell apart upon his death in battle against Pharoah in 609 B.C. Jehoiakim was eventually put in power by Pharaoh. After a few of years he switched his allegiance to Nebuchadnezzar who had won a decisive battle against Egypt at Carchemish. Later Jehoiakim rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was replaced by Coniah, who after three months was carried off to Babylon. Along with Coniah, Nebuchadnezzar carried off the best of the land to Babylon. It is this exile to which Jeremiah is speaking. The salvageable people are referred to as good figs, and the unsalvageable are referred to as bad figs. Am I a bad fig or a good fig? How about you?
In the midst of this the Lord says of the good figs:
For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land; I will build them and not pull them down, and I will plant them and not pluck them up. 7 Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the LORD; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart.
This is a general principle about God, and it can be applied to me and you. He desires to give us a heart to seek Him. There comes a point when that offer is no longer available. We have become bad figs. But what incredible grace He gives us that we should be given by Him a heart to seek Him! That is the whole issue of meditations on the glory, men & women in the word, families in the word etc. Are we seeking Him? We need each other to spur each other on to seek the Lord! He gives us the heart; He gives us the grace, but we must choose to seek Him! Lord Jesus I choose to receive the heart to seek You that You have given me. Increase my knowledge of You. It is You I crave and need. It is You who salvages my filthy life! Your glory is all I want! ! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
June 29
Jeremiah 23
This chapter makes me squirm a little. First, I am a pastor. Pastor is an English word for shepherd. Here the Lord is denouncing the shepherds of Israel. Second, my name is Chaffin. Although, linguistically the name has nothing to do with the chaff in wheat, it sure sounds like it. In the Bible what do they do with chaff? It is burned. God’s word is like a fire that burns away chaff (v. 28,29). Well, I guess that means I need to let Him burn away my name and replace it with His. May it be; Lord Jesus, burn away my name and replace it with Your own. May your name be exalted in my life, and may my name receive no glory.
What shall be my motivation to endure the burning away of my name for His?
23 “Am I a God near at hand,” says the LORD, “And not a God afar off? 24Can anyone hide himself in secret places, So I shall not see him?” says the LORD; “Do I not fill heaven and earth?” says the LORD.
He is always near. His manifest presence (His known presence) is not always near, but He is always near. This knowledge should spur me to realize that everything I say, do, think, feel or see, He is fully aware of it! You know, as a child, I would act differently when an adult, to whom I was accountable, was around. Why? It changed my motivation because I knew that I couldn’t get away with anything. As a pastor, what can I get away with? If I really understand that He is near, the answer is that I cannot get away with anything. The fact that I can never get away from the presence of the Lord dramatically changes my motivation. It does not matter where I am at; He still knows what I am doing, saying, thinking, feeling! I cannot get away with anything! Realizing that changes my motivation. Experiencing His manifest presence increases my potential live every moment in fellowship with Him. Oh to be like Brother Lawrence in practicing the presence of the Almighty. That is what He desires! Why do I not pursue it harder than I do? It is the one thing that is achievable that no one else can take away! Oh Lord, let me lay aside all things that I may pursue You with all of my heart! Burn away my name with your word that I may live and move and have my being only in Your name! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
This chapter makes me squirm a little. First, I am a pastor. Pastor is an English word for shepherd. Here the Lord is denouncing the shepherds of Israel. Second, my name is Chaffin. Although, linguistically the name has nothing to do with the chaff in wheat, it sure sounds like it. In the Bible what do they do with chaff? It is burned. God’s word is like a fire that burns away chaff (v. 28,29). Well, I guess that means I need to let Him burn away my name and replace it with His. May it be; Lord Jesus, burn away my name and replace it with Your own. May your name be exalted in my life, and may my name receive no glory.
What shall be my motivation to endure the burning away of my name for His?
23 “Am I a God near at hand,” says the LORD, “And not a God afar off? 24Can anyone hide himself in secret places, So I shall not see him?” says the LORD; “Do I not fill heaven and earth?” says the LORD.
He is always near. His manifest presence (His known presence) is not always near, but He is always near. This knowledge should spur me to realize that everything I say, do, think, feel or see, He is fully aware of it! You know, as a child, I would act differently when an adult, to whom I was accountable, was around. Why? It changed my motivation because I knew that I couldn’t get away with anything. As a pastor, what can I get away with? If I really understand that He is near, the answer is that I cannot get away with anything. The fact that I can never get away from the presence of the Lord dramatically changes my motivation. It does not matter where I am at; He still knows what I am doing, saying, thinking, feeling! I cannot get away with anything! Realizing that changes my motivation. Experiencing His manifest presence increases my potential live every moment in fellowship with Him. Oh to be like Brother Lawrence in practicing the presence of the Almighty. That is what He desires! Why do I not pursue it harder than I do? It is the one thing that is achievable that no one else can take away! Oh Lord, let me lay aside all things that I may pursue You with all of my heart! Burn away my name with your word that I may live and move and have my being only in Your name! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
June 28
Jeremiah 22
He was a godly man. His father was an idolatrous, baby-killing, whoremonger. How did he become a godly man? His brother walked in his father’s footsteps. His sons were evil. How did that happen? His grandson was extremely evil. I speak, of course Josiah. How was it that he was a godly man? Jeremiah speaks in this chapter of the evil of Josiah’s sons, grandson and brother. Each of them reigned successively after Josiah. Each was removed from his reign because of his evil. The first nine verses are probably addressed to all three descendent kings of Josiah. As Jeremiah summarizes their evil, what was it? Here is what he says:
3Execute judgment and righteousness, and deliver the plundered out of the hand of the oppressor. Do no wrong and do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, or the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place. . . . Why has the LORD done so to this great city?’ 9 Then they will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God, and worshiped other gods and served them.
Beginning with Shallum (Jehoahaz) (v.10-12), he tells him to weep for himself, not for Josiah, for Shallum will never see Jerusalem again. Shallum was set up as king by the people after Necho, Pharaoh of Egypt, killed Josiah in battle. But three months later, Pharaoh took him captive and set up Jehoiakim, Shallum’s brother, as king. Jehoiakim was more evil than Shallum. Here is how Jeremiah summarizes Jehoiakim:
13 “Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness And his chambers by injustice, Who uses his neighbor’s service without wages And gives him nothing for his work, 15 Did not your father eat and drink, And do justice and righteousness? Then it was well with him. 16 He judged the cause of the poor and needy; Then it was well. Was not this knowing Me?” says the LORD. 17“Yet your eyes and your heart are for nothing but your covetousness, For shedding innocent blood, And practicing oppression and violence.” 21 I spoke to you in your prosperity, But you said, ‘I will not hear.’ This has been your manner from your youth, that you did not obey My voice.
How about that! Part of knowing God is judging the cause of the poor and needy. Because of his lack of justice toward the poor Jehoiakim was removed from office after 11 years. Finally, Jeremiah addresses Coniah (Jeconaiah or Jehoiachin). What does he say to him? We are not told specifically what Coniah did that was evil, but he only reigned 3 months before he was deported to Babylon. We can only assume that his increased the sin of his father. His sin was so bad that the Lord cursed him from ever having a blood descendent from reigning upon the throne of David. Joseph the husband of Mary the step father of Jesus was a descendent of Coniah.
So what was their sin and what does that tell us about the glory of Jesus? Their sin is that they were idolatrous men who put their own comfort above justice toward the poor and refused to listen to the voice of the Lord. It is the glory of the Lord that He pursues justice for the poor and expects us to listen to His voice. Am I pursuing justice? Am I listening to His voice? This is part of knowing Him. Lord, enable me to pursue justice for the poor! Enable me to listen to Your voice! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
He was a godly man. His father was an idolatrous, baby-killing, whoremonger. How did he become a godly man? His brother walked in his father’s footsteps. His sons were evil. How did that happen? His grandson was extremely evil. I speak, of course Josiah. How was it that he was a godly man? Jeremiah speaks in this chapter of the evil of Josiah’s sons, grandson and brother. Each of them reigned successively after Josiah. Each was removed from his reign because of his evil. The first nine verses are probably addressed to all three descendent kings of Josiah. As Jeremiah summarizes their evil, what was it? Here is what he says:
3Execute judgment and righteousness, and deliver the plundered out of the hand of the oppressor. Do no wrong and do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, or the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place. . . . Why has the LORD done so to this great city?’ 9 Then they will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God, and worshiped other gods and served them.
Beginning with Shallum (Jehoahaz) (v.10-12), he tells him to weep for himself, not for Josiah, for Shallum will never see Jerusalem again. Shallum was set up as king by the people after Necho, Pharaoh of Egypt, killed Josiah in battle. But three months later, Pharaoh took him captive and set up Jehoiakim, Shallum’s brother, as king. Jehoiakim was more evil than Shallum. Here is how Jeremiah summarizes Jehoiakim:
13 “Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness And his chambers by injustice, Who uses his neighbor’s service without wages And gives him nothing for his work, 15 Did not your father eat and drink, And do justice and righteousness? Then it was well with him. 16 He judged the cause of the poor and needy; Then it was well. Was not this knowing Me?” says the LORD. 17“Yet your eyes and your heart are for nothing but your covetousness, For shedding innocent blood, And practicing oppression and violence.” 21 I spoke to you in your prosperity, But you said, ‘I will not hear.’ This has been your manner from your youth, that you did not obey My voice.
How about that! Part of knowing God is judging the cause of the poor and needy. Because of his lack of justice toward the poor Jehoiakim was removed from office after 11 years. Finally, Jeremiah addresses Coniah (Jeconaiah or Jehoiachin). What does he say to him? We are not told specifically what Coniah did that was evil, but he only reigned 3 months before he was deported to Babylon. We can only assume that his increased the sin of his father. His sin was so bad that the Lord cursed him from ever having a blood descendent from reigning upon the throne of David. Joseph the husband of Mary the step father of Jesus was a descendent of Coniah.
So what was their sin and what does that tell us about the glory of Jesus? Their sin is that they were idolatrous men who put their own comfort above justice toward the poor and refused to listen to the voice of the Lord. It is the glory of the Lord that He pursues justice for the poor and expects us to listen to His voice. Am I pursuing justice? Am I listening to His voice? This is part of knowing Him. Lord, enable me to pursue justice for the poor! Enable me to listen to Your voice! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Monday, June 27, 2011
June 27
Jeremiah 21
I have been in the process of passing a kidney stone. Last night the pain was bad enough that I took one of the percocets which the hospital gave me night before last. This morning I feel awful. I don’t know which is worse the kidney stone pain or the after affects of the percocet. If the kidney stone pain doesn’t come back, there is no way that I will ever take another percocet. This sensation is dreadful. What will I choose if the kidney stone pain returns like it was on Saturday night? Most likely I will take the percocet. But the point is that I will have to make a choice. Which will be better, no kidney stone pain or no after affects of percocet.
The Lord sometimes deals with us in a similar fashion because of our sin. Listen to what He says in verse 8, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death.’” The Lord was seeking to cure them of their idolatry. Nebuchadnezzar was sent by the Lord to discipline them and cause them to see their need for a cure of their idolatry. They had a choice. They could choose to submit to Nebuchadnezzar, or they could be killed or taken captive by him. Neither option sounded desirable. It would have been far better to never have pursued the idols in the first place.
Why do we pursue idols when we can walk the infinite Creator? He lays the choice before us, the way of life and the way of death. The choice is ours. Lord, empower me to tear down the idols that I have already erected in my life, and keep me from submitting to any new ones. Lord, I choose life, Your life. In You there is no bad after affect. You are my glorious King! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
I have been in the process of passing a kidney stone. Last night the pain was bad enough that I took one of the percocets which the hospital gave me night before last. This morning I feel awful. I don’t know which is worse the kidney stone pain or the after affects of the percocet. If the kidney stone pain doesn’t come back, there is no way that I will ever take another percocet. This sensation is dreadful. What will I choose if the kidney stone pain returns like it was on Saturday night? Most likely I will take the percocet. But the point is that I will have to make a choice. Which will be better, no kidney stone pain or no after affects of percocet.
The Lord sometimes deals with us in a similar fashion because of our sin. Listen to what He says in verse 8, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death.’” The Lord was seeking to cure them of their idolatry. Nebuchadnezzar was sent by the Lord to discipline them and cause them to see their need for a cure of their idolatry. They had a choice. They could choose to submit to Nebuchadnezzar, or they could be killed or taken captive by him. Neither option sounded desirable. It would have been far better to never have pursued the idols in the first place.
Why do we pursue idols when we can walk the infinite Creator? He lays the choice before us, the way of life and the way of death. The choice is ours. Lord, empower me to tear down the idols that I have already erected in my life, and keep me from submitting to any new ones. Lord, I choose life, Your life. In You there is no bad after affect. You are my glorious King! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Friday, June 24, 2011
June 24
Jeremiah 18
Many years ago when my oldest was around 12 years of age, he gave me a gift for my birthday. It was a pewter figurine of a potter working on a foot powered potter’s wheel. He hand wrote on 3X5 cards a few of the verses of Jeremiah 18. It has made many moves since then. It has fallen off the desk many times. The head is broken off at the neck. The potter is no longer connected to the wheel. But I still have it and the hand written cards, which he gave with it. I keep it for many reasons. It was a very thoughtful gift from my son. It is a strong reminder to me that the Lord is still working on me. Hopefully my son understands that when he sees my imperfections. When I feel that I am hopeless, I can be reminded of the words of Jeremiah. He is the potter, and I am the clay. What I become is based on two things 1) the Lord’s skillfulness as a potter and 2) my yieldedness to His shaping hands.
Yesterday we saw in Jeremiah 17 the contrast between those who trust in the arm of the flesh and those who trust and hope in the Lord. We saw our need to cast ourselves at His feet to show us and change our hearts. If we were to see the complete depravity of our hearts all at once, I am convinced it would drive me to despair. It would probably drive you to despair also. I cannot change! Today in Jeremiah 18 we see a wonderful illustration of why we have hope and not despair. He is the potter, and I am the clay! If we will yield to Him, He is willing and able to mold us into the vessel which He wants us to be. The only issue is, “Will I yield; will I repent? If so, He is the master potter!
The message was too simple for the Israelites. No, they had their righteousness (so they thought). Jeremiah was just, absurd! They not only walked away, they began plotting how to destroy him. What was Jeremiah’s response? He asked the Lord to deal with them in His anger. There is always this tension with the Lord. On the one hand He is a loving forgiving Father to His children who repent and trust in Him. On the other hand, He is a just God who dispenses wrath on those who will not repent.
Do I like who I am? Oh Lord, keep me always with my mind being changed into conformance to your desires. I yield to you that you may mold me however you desire. You are the master artist. I am simply clay. As I yield, I choose to delight in the work of the Master Artist. How about you? Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Many years ago when my oldest was around 12 years of age, he gave me a gift for my birthday. It was a pewter figurine of a potter working on a foot powered potter’s wheel. He hand wrote on 3X5 cards a few of the verses of Jeremiah 18. It has made many moves since then. It has fallen off the desk many times. The head is broken off at the neck. The potter is no longer connected to the wheel. But I still have it and the hand written cards, which he gave with it. I keep it for many reasons. It was a very thoughtful gift from my son. It is a strong reminder to me that the Lord is still working on me. Hopefully my son understands that when he sees my imperfections. When I feel that I am hopeless, I can be reminded of the words of Jeremiah. He is the potter, and I am the clay. What I become is based on two things 1) the Lord’s skillfulness as a potter and 2) my yieldedness to His shaping hands.
Yesterday we saw in Jeremiah 17 the contrast between those who trust in the arm of the flesh and those who trust and hope in the Lord. We saw our need to cast ourselves at His feet to show us and change our hearts. If we were to see the complete depravity of our hearts all at once, I am convinced it would drive me to despair. It would probably drive you to despair also. I cannot change! Today in Jeremiah 18 we see a wonderful illustration of why we have hope and not despair. He is the potter, and I am the clay! If we will yield to Him, He is willing and able to mold us into the vessel which He wants us to be. The only issue is, “Will I yield; will I repent? If so, He is the master potter!
The message was too simple for the Israelites. No, they had their righteousness (so they thought). Jeremiah was just, absurd! They not only walked away, they began plotting how to destroy him. What was Jeremiah’s response? He asked the Lord to deal with them in His anger. There is always this tension with the Lord. On the one hand He is a loving forgiving Father to His children who repent and trust in Him. On the other hand, He is a just God who dispenses wrath on those who will not repent.
Do I like who I am? Oh Lord, keep me always with my mind being changed into conformance to your desires. I yield to you that you may mold me however you desire. You are the master artist. I am simply clay. As I yield, I choose to delight in the work of the Master Artist. How about you? Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Thursday, June 23, 2011
June 23
Jeremiah 17
Dr. Strangelove was a strange movie. Maybe I should have reviewed it before using it as an illustration. But one scene stands out in my mind. It is toward the end of the movie. The warplane had arrived at its target but could not deliver its atomic bomb payload because it was stuck. Slim Pickens straddles the bomb and does what is necessary to release it from the bomb bay. But he is released with the bomb. What I remember was that as the bomb descends, you see him straddled upon the bomb as though he were riding a bucking bronco. In true cowboy form he waves his hat and yells, “Yee! Hah!” as he descends to his doom and the doom of the world. What would motivate a man to celebrate like that in the day of doom? The message of the movie is the absurdity of war. It is an apt scene to communicate that message.
The Lord places a very powerful juxtaposition before us in this chapter. On the one hand, He curses those who rely upon the strength of the flesh. Notice that He curses them! That is a very powerful statement! It is a curse! Lord, am I relying in any form upon my flesh? I have been reading David Platt’s Radical Together and have been challenged. Is the weakness of the American church that which most perceive it be its strength? Look at what we have! Slick packaged programs now abound so much that it is almost impossible to keep up with all of them, let alone just the ones that become popular. We have “Christian” music in every genre to attract people from every segment of society. We have video pastor’s so that we can have the “best” pastors broadcast into every congregation, or for that matter in some cases the most deceptive. We can control the atmosphere of our auditoriums to fit whatever we think will appeal to our target audience. That might mean low lights, bright lights, sun lights, video clips, dramas, humor, art, couches, pews, chairs, coffee shops, bookstores etc. None of these in and of themselves are necessarily bad, but if they are all so good, why is the American church so weak and ineffective? Why are we not growing? Oh sure individual churches increase in numbers, but the research continues to show that in general it is just a redistribution of population from one church to another, as we continue to close churches in record number and the overall growth of the church is minimal. Why does the church seem to be growing only in areas of the world where they do not have these things? Could it possibly be that we have placed our trust in these things rather than the simple word of the Lord and His Holy Spirit? What does the Lord say about that? “If your eye offend you, pluck it out.” Does He really want us to rip out our eyes?
On the other hand in this juxtaposition, He says, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose hopeis in the Lord.” Does this mean that this man or church does not have all of the things mentioned above? Not necessarily. It simply means that his trust and hope are in the Lord. Those thing are immaterial to him. The only time that those things matter is when they keep him from trusting or hoping in the Lord. Then he rips them out. He knows that drought times will come when those things will not protect or produce life, but He will continue to produce the life of the Lord because ultimately it is the Lord who produces life. He knows that there is a doomsday coming through which he might have to live, but because he is trusting and hoping in the Lord, he looks forward to the future because his glorious Lord is in control. Because he has this hope and trust, he bears fruit that remains in drought and doom. Right in the middle of this juxtaposition, He declares:
9”The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? 10 I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.
My heart and mind keep wanting to depend upon the flesh. It is a principle of this life. We have no option but to keep asking the Lord to test our hearts and minds. Why does the Lord test the heart? Is it so that He might find out what is in it? NO!!!! He already and always knows our hearts. The test is for us. It is His glory to show us our hearts and mind if we will ask Him. Beware! We may not like what we see. But, if we repent, we can place our hope in Him rather than the things around us. The benefit will be that in the drought and day of doom, we will still be producing fruit for eternity. Unlike Slim Pickens we can yell, “Yee! Hah!” Not because of the absurdity of our action, but because we know our destiny is to walk through the day of doom into the glory of God. O Lord, test my heart! Keep my trust and hope only in You!! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Dr. Strangelove was a strange movie. Maybe I should have reviewed it before using it as an illustration. But one scene stands out in my mind. It is toward the end of the movie. The warplane had arrived at its target but could not deliver its atomic bomb payload because it was stuck. Slim Pickens straddles the bomb and does what is necessary to release it from the bomb bay. But he is released with the bomb. What I remember was that as the bomb descends, you see him straddled upon the bomb as though he were riding a bucking bronco. In true cowboy form he waves his hat and yells, “Yee! Hah!” as he descends to his doom and the doom of the world. What would motivate a man to celebrate like that in the day of doom? The message of the movie is the absurdity of war. It is an apt scene to communicate that message.
The Lord places a very powerful juxtaposition before us in this chapter. On the one hand, He curses those who rely upon the strength of the flesh. Notice that He curses them! That is a very powerful statement! It is a curse! Lord, am I relying in any form upon my flesh? I have been reading David Platt’s Radical Together and have been challenged. Is the weakness of the American church that which most perceive it be its strength? Look at what we have! Slick packaged programs now abound so much that it is almost impossible to keep up with all of them, let alone just the ones that become popular. We have “Christian” music in every genre to attract people from every segment of society. We have video pastor’s so that we can have the “best” pastors broadcast into every congregation, or for that matter in some cases the most deceptive. We can control the atmosphere of our auditoriums to fit whatever we think will appeal to our target audience. That might mean low lights, bright lights, sun lights, video clips, dramas, humor, art, couches, pews, chairs, coffee shops, bookstores etc. None of these in and of themselves are necessarily bad, but if they are all so good, why is the American church so weak and ineffective? Why are we not growing? Oh sure individual churches increase in numbers, but the research continues to show that in general it is just a redistribution of population from one church to another, as we continue to close churches in record number and the overall growth of the church is minimal. Why does the church seem to be growing only in areas of the world where they do not have these things? Could it possibly be that we have placed our trust in these things rather than the simple word of the Lord and His Holy Spirit? What does the Lord say about that? “If your eye offend you, pluck it out.” Does He really want us to rip out our eyes?
On the other hand in this juxtaposition, He says, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose hopeis in the Lord.” Does this mean that this man or church does not have all of the things mentioned above? Not necessarily. It simply means that his trust and hope are in the Lord. Those thing are immaterial to him. The only time that those things matter is when they keep him from trusting or hoping in the Lord. Then he rips them out. He knows that drought times will come when those things will not protect or produce life, but He will continue to produce the life of the Lord because ultimately it is the Lord who produces life. He knows that there is a doomsday coming through which he might have to live, but because he is trusting and hoping in the Lord, he looks forward to the future because his glorious Lord is in control. Because he has this hope and trust, he bears fruit that remains in drought and doom. Right in the middle of this juxtaposition, He declares:
9”The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? 10 I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.
My heart and mind keep wanting to depend upon the flesh. It is a principle of this life. We have no option but to keep asking the Lord to test our hearts and minds. Why does the Lord test the heart? Is it so that He might find out what is in it? NO!!!! He already and always knows our hearts. The test is for us. It is His glory to show us our hearts and mind if we will ask Him. Beware! We may not like what we see. But, if we repent, we can place our hope in Him rather than the things around us. The benefit will be that in the drought and day of doom, we will still be producing fruit for eternity. Unlike Slim Pickens we can yell, “Yee! Hah!” Not because of the absurdity of our action, but because we know our destiny is to walk through the day of doom into the glory of God. O Lord, test my heart! Keep my trust and hope only in You!! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
June 22
Jeremiah 16
Yesterday I received my new copy of Biblical Archeology Review. I only have two magazine subscriptions that I pay to receive. One is BAR and the other is ANSWERS (a creation science magazine). As I was reading BAR, I came across an article done by a biological anthropologist. While excavating a site in Biblical Lachish, they came across a small home that was destroyed and burned when Nebuchadnezzar sacked the city in 605 B.C. From the position, condition and size of the bones the anthropologist was able to determine that the skeleton once belonged to a young woman in her late 20’s or early 30’s. Her skull was broken and she probably died from a blow to the head or as the burning house collapsed upon her. Either way it was a sad end to a young life. Do you suppose she had any children? If so, were their deaths as violent as hers?
Jeremiah is commanded by the Lord to not marry. The reason which the Lord lays out for him is that most of the wives and children of Jerusalem would die gruesome deaths as a result of an invading army. It would be the same invading army that sacked Lachish, only a few years later. Why couldn’t he marry? It would be because the Lord would not allow any mourning over those killed or taken into captive as result of the coming destruction. Where is the glory of the Lord in this? He is attempting to cure His people of their idolatry. Look at what he says:
Surely our fathers have inherited lies, Worthlessness and unprofitable things” Will a man make gods for himself, Which are not gods? Therefore behold, I will this once cause them to know, I will cause them to know My hand and My might; And they shall know that My name is the LORD.
The discipline of God is designed to turn us away from our idols. It is designed to cause us to know His name. If we do not learn from the discipline it becomes as it were, judgment. His glory is too great to be trifled with. Oh God, help me to revere Your Name. Let me not trade it for the gods of comfort, ease, recreation and games that fill our culture and our churches. Let me and my congregation be radically committed together to the only true God and not the idols of our making. Let your glory shine through us! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Yesterday I received my new copy of Biblical Archeology Review. I only have two magazine subscriptions that I pay to receive. One is BAR and the other is ANSWERS (a creation science magazine). As I was reading BAR, I came across an article done by a biological anthropologist. While excavating a site in Biblical Lachish, they came across a small home that was destroyed and burned when Nebuchadnezzar sacked the city in 605 B.C. From the position, condition and size of the bones the anthropologist was able to determine that the skeleton once belonged to a young woman in her late 20’s or early 30’s. Her skull was broken and she probably died from a blow to the head or as the burning house collapsed upon her. Either way it was a sad end to a young life. Do you suppose she had any children? If so, were their deaths as violent as hers?
Jeremiah is commanded by the Lord to not marry. The reason which the Lord lays out for him is that most of the wives and children of Jerusalem would die gruesome deaths as a result of an invading army. It would be the same invading army that sacked Lachish, only a few years later. Why couldn’t he marry? It would be because the Lord would not allow any mourning over those killed or taken into captive as result of the coming destruction. Where is the glory of the Lord in this? He is attempting to cure His people of their idolatry. Look at what he says:
Surely our fathers have inherited lies, Worthlessness and unprofitable things” Will a man make gods for himself, Which are not gods? Therefore behold, I will this once cause them to know, I will cause them to know My hand and My might; And they shall know that My name is the LORD.
The discipline of God is designed to turn us away from our idols. It is designed to cause us to know His name. If we do not learn from the discipline it becomes as it were, judgment. His glory is too great to be trifled with. Oh God, help me to revere Your Name. Let me not trade it for the gods of comfort, ease, recreation and games that fill our culture and our churches. Let me and my congregation be radically committed together to the only true God and not the idols of our making. Let your glory shine through us! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
June 15
Jeremiah 9
At mid first semester in seventh grade I switched schools from Glencoe to Stillwater. School work had always come relatively easy for me so it wasn’t much of a problem. At the end of the first semester my grades were good enough for the honor roll except for one class, PE. I made a “C” in PE. How can anyone make a “C” in PE? I went to the coach and asked. He said that he graded on improvement. I just hadn’t shown enough improvement in my half-semester there to warrant anything better. I was aghast. There were a number of things he tested, 440, rope climbing, jump rope etc. The idea was to increase incrementally from one level of achievement to the next. Coming at mid-semester, I had wanted to prove that I was just as good as anyone else in the class. I was already in pretty good shape. I did the very best that I could in every event. If you are being graded on improvement, you want to do your very best on the last time you are tested and your very worst on the first time. But one event in particular had always stymied me. The gym wall had a wooden board attached to it. In the board were two pegs at the bottom and a number of corresponding holes going to the top. The idea was to go from the bottom to the top by using the pegs and going from hole to hole until one reached the top. I never could make it to the hole just above the bottom one.
Sometimes known as the weeping prophet, Jeremiah wishes for buckets of tears to shed for his people, who are being slaughtered. Why are they being slaughtered? Look at what verse 3 has to say:
And like their bow they have bent their tongues for lies.
They are not valiant for the truth on the earth.
For they proceed from evil to evil,
And they do not know Me,” says the LORD.
They are not valiant for the truth. They proceed from evil to evil. “Evil to evil” now there is an interesting phrase. What exactly does that mean? It is similar in construction to “faith to faith” (Rom 1:17) and “glory to glory” (2 Cor. 3:18). In Romans the phrase is all about revealing the righteousness of God in us. In 2 Cor. The phrase is all about revealing the image of God in us. In Jeremiah it is all about revealing the deceit in our hearts. It is going from peg to peg. They go from evil to evil, peg to peg. What does it reveal? It reveals that they did not know Him.
He takes it to an even lower level in verse six, “Through deceit they refuse to know Me.” This is a consistent thread in Jeremiah in relation to our own hearts. We are so capable of self-deception. We tell ourselves that we know the Lord, and yet the pride of our lives is in our accomplishments and not in the knowledge of Him. How does one know that the pride of one’s life is in one’s accomplishments? If I were stripped of all my accomplishments and the reputation of my accomplishments, would I still be content with the mere fact that I know Him? Ultimately, that is exactly what Jesus did. He emptied Himself of His right to be worshipped as God by taking the form of a bond servant and going to the cross and dying for my sin and shame. He did it simply because He knew and loved the Father, and He knew and loved me.
But let him who glories glory in this,
That he understands and knows Me,
That I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth.
For in these I delight,” says the LORD.
I am hanging in the middle of a spiritual peg board. I have no strength to go up from glory to glory. I only have ability to go down from evil to evil. I can only do one of two things. I can enter into a relationship with Him, where in getting to know Him, I learn how to allow His lovingkindness, judgment and righteousness to flow through me. In doing that, He strengthens me to go up the board from faith to faith, from glory to glory. In which case, I can only glory in my knowledge of Him, for He is the One working in me enabling me to do all righteousness. Or I can deceive myself and listen to the lies that I have been telling myself about what I deserve. The result is only the ability to descend down the peg board from evil to evil. The sad thing is, I don’t even realize that I am going down.
Who is this King who enters my life exercising lovingkindness, judgment and righteousness? He is my only claim to fame. He is my King of glory. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
At mid first semester in seventh grade I switched schools from Glencoe to Stillwater. School work had always come relatively easy for me so it wasn’t much of a problem. At the end of the first semester my grades were good enough for the honor roll except for one class, PE. I made a “C” in PE. How can anyone make a “C” in PE? I went to the coach and asked. He said that he graded on improvement. I just hadn’t shown enough improvement in my half-semester there to warrant anything better. I was aghast. There were a number of things he tested, 440, rope climbing, jump rope etc. The idea was to increase incrementally from one level of achievement to the next. Coming at mid-semester, I had wanted to prove that I was just as good as anyone else in the class. I was already in pretty good shape. I did the very best that I could in every event. If you are being graded on improvement, you want to do your very best on the last time you are tested and your very worst on the first time. But one event in particular had always stymied me. The gym wall had a wooden board attached to it. In the board were two pegs at the bottom and a number of corresponding holes going to the top. The idea was to go from the bottom to the top by using the pegs and going from hole to hole until one reached the top. I never could make it to the hole just above the bottom one.
Sometimes known as the weeping prophet, Jeremiah wishes for buckets of tears to shed for his people, who are being slaughtered. Why are they being slaughtered? Look at what verse 3 has to say:
And like their bow they have bent their tongues for lies.
They are not valiant for the truth on the earth.
For they proceed from evil to evil,
And they do not know Me,” says the LORD.
They are not valiant for the truth. They proceed from evil to evil. “Evil to evil” now there is an interesting phrase. What exactly does that mean? It is similar in construction to “faith to faith” (Rom 1:17) and “glory to glory” (2 Cor. 3:18). In Romans the phrase is all about revealing the righteousness of God in us. In 2 Cor. The phrase is all about revealing the image of God in us. In Jeremiah it is all about revealing the deceit in our hearts. It is going from peg to peg. They go from evil to evil, peg to peg. What does it reveal? It reveals that they did not know Him.
He takes it to an even lower level in verse six, “Through deceit they refuse to know Me.” This is a consistent thread in Jeremiah in relation to our own hearts. We are so capable of self-deception. We tell ourselves that we know the Lord, and yet the pride of our lives is in our accomplishments and not in the knowledge of Him. How does one know that the pride of one’s life is in one’s accomplishments? If I were stripped of all my accomplishments and the reputation of my accomplishments, would I still be content with the mere fact that I know Him? Ultimately, that is exactly what Jesus did. He emptied Himself of His right to be worshipped as God by taking the form of a bond servant and going to the cross and dying for my sin and shame. He did it simply because He knew and loved the Father, and He knew and loved me.
But let him who glories glory in this,
That he understands and knows Me,
That I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth.
For in these I delight,” says the LORD.
I am hanging in the middle of a spiritual peg board. I have no strength to go up from glory to glory. I only have ability to go down from evil to evil. I can only do one of two things. I can enter into a relationship with Him, where in getting to know Him, I learn how to allow His lovingkindness, judgment and righteousness to flow through me. In doing that, He strengthens me to go up the board from faith to faith, from glory to glory. In which case, I can only glory in my knowledge of Him, for He is the One working in me enabling me to do all righteousness. Or I can deceive myself and listen to the lies that I have been telling myself about what I deserve. The result is only the ability to descend down the peg board from evil to evil. The sad thing is, I don’t even realize that I am going down.
Who is this King who enters my life exercising lovingkindness, judgment and righteousness? He is my only claim to fame. He is my King of glory. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
June 13
Jeremiah 7
Recently I have been going to the Spudnut shop to do my Meditations on the Glory. I seem to get less interruptions there. Today a young lady waited upon me. She was wearing wrist band that says, “Life TV Church.” So, I asked her, “Why do you like Life TV Church?” She was so excited to answer that question. She immediately answered, “The message. And It is so non-traditional!” I have a passion that people walk with Jesus, not so much that they talk about their church but that they talk about HIm. (Although, Jesus has a passion for the church, so if we have a passion for Jesus, we will have a passion for His church.) But what is the church? I cannot help but question, “Is Jesus’ concept of the church for which He gave Himself one of sitting in front of a projected image of an excellent teacher and participating in excellent live worship,?” But I guess I have to also question, “Is what I subject the people in the congregation of which God has appointed me pastor any more church than Life TV?” The obvious answer would be, “I would hope so; otherwise, I should move the congregation to become more like Life TV.” But my point is not to get sidetracked into the differences between Life TV and my congregation, but rather to illustrate that we all have a lot of different ideas about what it means to be part of the people of God and Jeremiah 7 clearly addresses some of those ideas.
What does the Lord mean when He says through Jeremiah, “4Do not trust in these lying words, saying, ‘The temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD are these.’?” The people of Jeremiah’s day loved to attend temple. However, the observance of God’s commands at the temple had no effect upon their lives outside the temple. God is just. He expects His people to live justly. God is merciful; He expects His people to live mercifully. God is faithful to us; He expects His people to remain faithful to Him. God is true; He expects His people to remain true to Him and each other. The end result of their going to temple had no change upon their behavior in everyday life. Going to ‘temple’ or ‘church’ is not primarily about the liturgy. (All churches have liturgy. It is just that some are more organized than others.) Liturgy is performed at a building, but church is about the meaning of the liturgy, the Power behind the liturgy and the Person that drives the liturgy. The people of Jeremiah’s day used the temple as a cloak to practice their immorality. The liturgy was no longer about Yahweh, empowered by Yahweh or driven by Yahweh. It was about them, empowered by them and driven by them.
So what had the temple become? It had become a den of thieves (v.11). It is no accident that this is part of what Jesus quoted when He drove out the money changers. What else did He quote? He quoted Isaiah 56:7, “For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.” Church is not a building. It is the people of God. When we come together in a building, it is for prayer. It is for relationship with Him corporately. When it is about Him, empowered by Him and driven by Him, we become what He desires. We are in relationship with Him, we fulfill the function for which He created us. His glory is magnified abundantly. If that is not happening, we are not much less than a den of thieves. Jeremiah goes on to explain what happens to those who remain in “den of thieves” mode, and it is not pretty. But, that reveals His glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
P.S. Maybe on my next visit I will ask the girl what she thinks of Jesus, probably a more appropriate question.
Recently I have been going to the Spudnut shop to do my Meditations on the Glory. I seem to get less interruptions there. Today a young lady waited upon me. She was wearing wrist band that says, “Life TV Church.” So, I asked her, “Why do you like Life TV Church?” She was so excited to answer that question. She immediately answered, “The message. And It is so non-traditional!” I have a passion that people walk with Jesus, not so much that they talk about their church but that they talk about HIm. (Although, Jesus has a passion for the church, so if we have a passion for Jesus, we will have a passion for His church.) But what is the church? I cannot help but question, “Is Jesus’ concept of the church for which He gave Himself one of sitting in front of a projected image of an excellent teacher and participating in excellent live worship,?” But I guess I have to also question, “Is what I subject the people in the congregation of which God has appointed me pastor any more church than Life TV?” The obvious answer would be, “I would hope so; otherwise, I should move the congregation to become more like Life TV.” But my point is not to get sidetracked into the differences between Life TV and my congregation, but rather to illustrate that we all have a lot of different ideas about what it means to be part of the people of God and Jeremiah 7 clearly addresses some of those ideas.
What does the Lord mean when He says through Jeremiah, “4Do not trust in these lying words, saying, ‘The temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD are these.’?” The people of Jeremiah’s day loved to attend temple. However, the observance of God’s commands at the temple had no effect upon their lives outside the temple. God is just. He expects His people to live justly. God is merciful; He expects His people to live mercifully. God is faithful to us; He expects His people to remain faithful to Him. God is true; He expects His people to remain true to Him and each other. The end result of their going to temple had no change upon their behavior in everyday life. Going to ‘temple’ or ‘church’ is not primarily about the liturgy. (All churches have liturgy. It is just that some are more organized than others.) Liturgy is performed at a building, but church is about the meaning of the liturgy, the Power behind the liturgy and the Person that drives the liturgy. The people of Jeremiah’s day used the temple as a cloak to practice their immorality. The liturgy was no longer about Yahweh, empowered by Yahweh or driven by Yahweh. It was about them, empowered by them and driven by them.
So what had the temple become? It had become a den of thieves (v.11). It is no accident that this is part of what Jesus quoted when He drove out the money changers. What else did He quote? He quoted Isaiah 56:7, “For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.” Church is not a building. It is the people of God. When we come together in a building, it is for prayer. It is for relationship with Him corporately. When it is about Him, empowered by Him and driven by Him, we become what He desires. We are in relationship with Him, we fulfill the function for which He created us. His glory is magnified abundantly. If that is not happening, we are not much less than a den of thieves. Jeremiah goes on to explain what happens to those who remain in “den of thieves” mode, and it is not pretty. But, that reveals His glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
P.S. Maybe on my next visit I will ask the girl what she thinks of Jesus, probably a more appropriate question.
Friday, June 10, 2011
June 10
Jeremiah 5
I have spent a lot of time ministering to a friend of mine lately. He recently said that he was making a recommitment to the Lord. Yesterday he spoke honestly, and it revealed the true state of his heart. He was sharing some things that he had done in the past in order to keep from starving. They were acts of dishonesty where he preyed upon the dishonest motivations of other people. Another friend semi-jokingly said, “Oh, but I am sure you have repented of that.” By his defensiveness it was clear that he was not repentant and justified the dishonest act in his own mind. He was in a defensive mood the rest of the day. It erupted in a lot of discussion about the issues of justice, especially between rich and poor and different ethnic groups.
Jeremiah had a tough message from the Lord to bring to the people of Jerusalem. Destruction from the Lord was coming. The Lord challenged them to search the whole city. If they could find one man who executed judgment (lived justly), then He would not destroy the city. I live in Stillwater, Oklahoma, a city of about 45-48,000 people, perhaps the same size of Jerusalem at that time. If God were to give that challenge to Stillwater, could that man be found? Am I just? Do I execute judgment? Jeremiah said,
Surely these are poor.
They are foolish;
For they do not know the way of the LORD,
The judgment of their God.
5 I will go to the great men and speak to them,
For they have known the way of the LORD,
The judgment of their God.”
But these have altogether broken the yoke
And burst the bonds.
My friend justified himself because he was poor, but what about the rich? The Lord said that they were spiritual adulterers. They assembled themselves to seek other Gods like soldiers in whore houses. I have lived near towns that have army bases. I think I understand the pervasiveness of the imagery. When Jeremiah brought the message, the people denied that it was true. They said that the message was a lie. They rejected the message that judgment was on the way. They refused to believe in the Lord’s standard of justice. Indeed not a man was to be found in Jerusalem who believed in true justice, either among the poor or the rich. The Lord sent the destruction that He promised. Do I believe in His justice?
The Lord sums it all up in the end by saying:
“An astonishing and horrible thing
Has been committed in the land:
31 The prophets prophesy falsely,
And the priests rule by their own power;
And My people love to have it so.
But what will you do in the end?
So where is the glory of the Lord in all this? I must learn to delight in the excellence of His justice. I must not pervert it by trying to twist it to my ends. I must love the excellence of His justice even more than my own life. When I do so, then I can go on to delight in His mercy. Then I will truly understand mercy. Then mercy will be valuable to me. Then showing mercy will be a priority to me. His justice is far beyond my understanding, but His mercy is greater still. Lord, let me not misrepresent justice nor rule my own power. Let me not love anything less than your justice and mercy. Let me love the cross for it is there where justice and mercy meet. Let me die in Jesus on the cross, for then I shall truly live. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
I have spent a lot of time ministering to a friend of mine lately. He recently said that he was making a recommitment to the Lord. Yesterday he spoke honestly, and it revealed the true state of his heart. He was sharing some things that he had done in the past in order to keep from starving. They were acts of dishonesty where he preyed upon the dishonest motivations of other people. Another friend semi-jokingly said, “Oh, but I am sure you have repented of that.” By his defensiveness it was clear that he was not repentant and justified the dishonest act in his own mind. He was in a defensive mood the rest of the day. It erupted in a lot of discussion about the issues of justice, especially between rich and poor and different ethnic groups.
Jeremiah had a tough message from the Lord to bring to the people of Jerusalem. Destruction from the Lord was coming. The Lord challenged them to search the whole city. If they could find one man who executed judgment (lived justly), then He would not destroy the city. I live in Stillwater, Oklahoma, a city of about 45-48,000 people, perhaps the same size of Jerusalem at that time. If God were to give that challenge to Stillwater, could that man be found? Am I just? Do I execute judgment? Jeremiah said,
Surely these are poor.
They are foolish;
For they do not know the way of the LORD,
The judgment of their God.
5 I will go to the great men and speak to them,
For they have known the way of the LORD,
The judgment of their God.”
But these have altogether broken the yoke
And burst the bonds.
My friend justified himself because he was poor, but what about the rich? The Lord said that they were spiritual adulterers. They assembled themselves to seek other Gods like soldiers in whore houses. I have lived near towns that have army bases. I think I understand the pervasiveness of the imagery. When Jeremiah brought the message, the people denied that it was true. They said that the message was a lie. They rejected the message that judgment was on the way. They refused to believe in the Lord’s standard of justice. Indeed not a man was to be found in Jerusalem who believed in true justice, either among the poor or the rich. The Lord sent the destruction that He promised. Do I believe in His justice?
The Lord sums it all up in the end by saying:
“An astonishing and horrible thing
Has been committed in the land:
31 The prophets prophesy falsely,
And the priests rule by their own power;
And My people love to have it so.
But what will you do in the end?
So where is the glory of the Lord in all this? I must learn to delight in the excellence of His justice. I must not pervert it by trying to twist it to my ends. I must love the excellence of His justice even more than my own life. When I do so, then I can go on to delight in His mercy. Then I will truly understand mercy. Then mercy will be valuable to me. Then showing mercy will be a priority to me. His justice is far beyond my understanding, but His mercy is greater still. Lord, let me not misrepresent justice nor rule my own power. Let me not love anything less than your justice and mercy. Let me love the cross for it is there where justice and mercy meet. Let me die in Jesus on the cross, for then I shall truly live. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Thursday, June 9, 2011
June 9
Jeremiah 4
Yesterday I had phone calls at the church from three different single mothers seeking financial assistance for their dilemma. One said that her money had been stolen; another said that her grandfather had died and that she had taken time off to mourn, as a result her minimum-wage-job pay was not enough to make ends meet; another had health problems that had her in and out of the hospital for at least six months; additionally, she had a daughter who was disabled and another daughter facing cancer. They all sounded desperate. It always seems that the most vulnerable are the ones that are most preyed upon. How do you speak the love of the Lord Jesus Christ into despair?
Jeremiah 4 is a good example of how the Lord works with us. When things are going well we ignore Him. So it was with Judah. Jeremiah tells the nation of a ravaging enemy that is coming to destroy them. The enemy is coming at the command of the Lord. In our peaceful environment in the USA, we often don’t appreciate the peace and prosperity that we enjoy. Oh sure we see pictures on our televisions of unrest in the Middle East, in Egypt, in Libya, in lands where people are tired of suffering under the hands of a dictator. But we don’t really feel the desperation because we are not in the situation. The Lord, speaking through Jeremiah, pleads with the nation to repent lest He not hold back the ravaging enemy.
He calls them to circumcise their hearts. Now there is an interesting word picture! How in the world do I circumcise my heart? Every male of Israel was to be circumcised on the eighth day after their birth. Why? It was to be a sign of the covenant with the Lord. Every time a male urinated, bathed or had sex, he should have been reminded by the circumcision that he was supposed to be in a special relationship with the Lord. Like a household repair that is long left undone, the physical sign became invisible and unheeded. God pleads with them to circumcise their heart. He wants them to do whatever it would take to bring their heart to the point that their greatest desire is to walk in relationship with their God. He wants them to remember that they are His people, but they will not. Instead they continue to seek the finest clothes, to buy the best jewelry, to put on the best make up, to make themselves fair for their lover, the world. All the while, the One who truly loves them, they ignored. Their hearts were not circumcised.
Observe the words used to describe the emotions of the Lord as He brings this devastation:
fury like a fire
fierce anger
a wind to strong to come (sirocco)
by His fierce anger
These words describe His passion for His people. He will not be left for a lesser lover. So He designs that which we would call evil in order to drive us back to Himself in order that we might experience His passionate love rather than His passionate anger. Will we delight in His passion? Will we delight in His pleasure? So how do you speak the love of the Lord Jesus Christ into one in despair? You tell them the truth. God designs to allow our circumstance to sour so that we might circumcise our hearts. When our hearts are circumcised, we are passionate about our relationship with Him. When we are in relationship with Him, our circumstances become of lesser importance. Nothing is as important as experiencing His pleasure and His passion. That is His glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Yesterday I had phone calls at the church from three different single mothers seeking financial assistance for their dilemma. One said that her money had been stolen; another said that her grandfather had died and that she had taken time off to mourn, as a result her minimum-wage-job pay was not enough to make ends meet; another had health problems that had her in and out of the hospital for at least six months; additionally, she had a daughter who was disabled and another daughter facing cancer. They all sounded desperate. It always seems that the most vulnerable are the ones that are most preyed upon. How do you speak the love of the Lord Jesus Christ into despair?
Jeremiah 4 is a good example of how the Lord works with us. When things are going well we ignore Him. So it was with Judah. Jeremiah tells the nation of a ravaging enemy that is coming to destroy them. The enemy is coming at the command of the Lord. In our peaceful environment in the USA, we often don’t appreciate the peace and prosperity that we enjoy. Oh sure we see pictures on our televisions of unrest in the Middle East, in Egypt, in Libya, in lands where people are tired of suffering under the hands of a dictator. But we don’t really feel the desperation because we are not in the situation. The Lord, speaking through Jeremiah, pleads with the nation to repent lest He not hold back the ravaging enemy.
He calls them to circumcise their hearts. Now there is an interesting word picture! How in the world do I circumcise my heart? Every male of Israel was to be circumcised on the eighth day after their birth. Why? It was to be a sign of the covenant with the Lord. Every time a male urinated, bathed or had sex, he should have been reminded by the circumcision that he was supposed to be in a special relationship with the Lord. Like a household repair that is long left undone, the physical sign became invisible and unheeded. God pleads with them to circumcise their heart. He wants them to do whatever it would take to bring their heart to the point that their greatest desire is to walk in relationship with their God. He wants them to remember that they are His people, but they will not. Instead they continue to seek the finest clothes, to buy the best jewelry, to put on the best make up, to make themselves fair for their lover, the world. All the while, the One who truly loves them, they ignored. Their hearts were not circumcised.
Observe the words used to describe the emotions of the Lord as He brings this devastation:
fury like a fire
fierce anger
a wind to strong to come (sirocco)
by His fierce anger
These words describe His passion for His people. He will not be left for a lesser lover. So He designs that which we would call evil in order to drive us back to Himself in order that we might experience His passionate love rather than His passionate anger. Will we delight in His passion? Will we delight in His pleasure? So how do you speak the love of the Lord Jesus Christ into one in despair? You tell them the truth. God designs to allow our circumstance to sour so that we might circumcise our hearts. When our hearts are circumcised, we are passionate about our relationship with Him. When we are in relationship with Him, our circumstances become of lesser importance. Nothing is as important as experiencing His pleasure and His passion. That is His glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
June 8
Jeremiah 3
Even in our wicked and adulterous age, we still hold some disdain for a spouse who cheats on his or her mate. We hold no fault toward an “innocent” spouse who has been cheated upon by his/her mate. Yet we would find the “innocent” spouse to be quite remarkable who would forgive a repentant errant mate and who would receive them back. We are spiritually adulterous. The Lord calls us back to Himself. He demands true repentance. He demands true faithfulness. Yet, He will truly receive us back when we repent. He is truly amazing! If your spouse willfully and defiantly cheated upon you before your very eyes, would you receive them back if they were repentant? Our Lord will receive us back. However, He also does things that make it clear that he does not tolerate our spiritual adultery. He forces us to make a choice. He will receive us if we choose Him. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Even in our wicked and adulterous age, we still hold some disdain for a spouse who cheats on his or her mate. We hold no fault toward an “innocent” spouse who has been cheated upon by his/her mate. Yet we would find the “innocent” spouse to be quite remarkable who would forgive a repentant errant mate and who would receive them back. We are spiritually adulterous. The Lord calls us back to Himself. He demands true repentance. He demands true faithfulness. Yet, He will truly receive us back when we repent. He is truly amazing! If your spouse willfully and defiantly cheated upon you before your very eyes, would you receive them back if they were repentant? Our Lord will receive us back. However, He also does things that make it clear that he does not tolerate our spiritual adultery. He forces us to make a choice. He will receive us if we choose Him. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
June 7
Jeremiah 2
Living in the USA, we know very little of the tragedy of the lack of clean water. Most of walk to our kitchen or bathroom and with the turning of a knob we have all the clean water we desire at a temperature of our choosing. We know little of having to store water or boil it in order to drink it. Cisterns in some places in the world are common needs. While in Kenya in 1975, I helped rebuild a house so that some nurses could move in and start a dispensary. It was at Mucaa, a remote village in the mountains in the south. Kilimanjaro was sometimes visible way off in the distance. Because of its remote location, there was no water system. The house used gutters to feed the rain runoff into a giant cistern. We received our water from the cistern. But even with the cistern, we still had to filter and boil our water before using it. In contrast, in south central Oklahoma, in the Chickasaw National Recreation area, there are a number of springs that boil up out of the ground on their own. They produce thousands of gallons per minute of clean clear cold water. The water is extremely refreshing. If had the choice of drinking from a mud puddle, a cistern, or spring of clean clear cold water, guess which one I would choose.
Here in Jeremiah our Lord describes Himself as a fountain of living water. In the Gospels Jesus beckons us to come and drink freely from Him and to allow His well of water to spring up through us into eternal life. This is eternal life: that we might know the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, whom He has sent. In Jeremiah the Lord describes His people as having rejected His living fountain and having gone to build their own cisterns. Not only had the built their own cisterns, but they were cisterns that could not hold water. They were reduced to mud puddles. When they were reduced to mud puddles, they then pursued other sources such as Egypt or Babylon. Why do we forget the great fountain of living waters and pursue other things that never could and never will satisfy? What an insult that is to our Lord! Only He can satisfy our thirsty souls! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Living in the USA, we know very little of the tragedy of the lack of clean water. Most of walk to our kitchen or bathroom and with the turning of a knob we have all the clean water we desire at a temperature of our choosing. We know little of having to store water or boil it in order to drink it. Cisterns in some places in the world are common needs. While in Kenya in 1975, I helped rebuild a house so that some nurses could move in and start a dispensary. It was at Mucaa, a remote village in the mountains in the south. Kilimanjaro was sometimes visible way off in the distance. Because of its remote location, there was no water system. The house used gutters to feed the rain runoff into a giant cistern. We received our water from the cistern. But even with the cistern, we still had to filter and boil our water before using it. In contrast, in south central Oklahoma, in the Chickasaw National Recreation area, there are a number of springs that boil up out of the ground on their own. They produce thousands of gallons per minute of clean clear cold water. The water is extremely refreshing. If had the choice of drinking from a mud puddle, a cistern, or spring of clean clear cold water, guess which one I would choose.
Here in Jeremiah our Lord describes Himself as a fountain of living water. In the Gospels Jesus beckons us to come and drink freely from Him and to allow His well of water to spring up through us into eternal life. This is eternal life: that we might know the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, whom He has sent. In Jeremiah the Lord describes His people as having rejected His living fountain and having gone to build their own cisterns. Not only had the built their own cisterns, but they were cisterns that could not hold water. They were reduced to mud puddles. When they were reduced to mud puddles, they then pursued other sources such as Egypt or Babylon. Why do we forget the great fountain of living waters and pursue other things that never could and never will satisfy? What an insult that is to our Lord! Only He can satisfy our thirsty souls! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Monday, June 6, 2011
June 6
Jeremiah 1
I understand that there is a so-called evangelical theologian today who teaches that God does not know the future. That is a pretty bold statement. That would imply that time is not a creation of God. It would also demand that many of the clear statements of Scripture would have to be creatively reinterpreted. Consider Jeremiah’s call to ministry: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” If God does not know and control the future, then such statements are meaningless. Not only does God know the future, but in Jeremiah’s case, He sends Jeremiah into an impossible situation and promises to deliver him through the situation! Sure enough, the future turned out exactly as God promised.
What does that tell me about my life? God has called us to trust Him with our futures. For some of us our futures will be a bit more pleasant that others of us. But in all cases, for those of us who trust Him, He will deliver us through the situation. That is the glory of our Lord. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
I understand that there is a so-called evangelical theologian today who teaches that God does not know the future. That is a pretty bold statement. That would imply that time is not a creation of God. It would also demand that many of the clear statements of Scripture would have to be creatively reinterpreted. Consider Jeremiah’s call to ministry: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” If God does not know and control the future, then such statements are meaningless. Not only does God know the future, but in Jeremiah’s case, He sends Jeremiah into an impossible situation and promises to deliver him through the situation! Sure enough, the future turned out exactly as God promised.
What does that tell me about my life? God has called us to trust Him with our futures. For some of us our futures will be a bit more pleasant that others of us. But in all cases, for those of us who trust Him, He will deliver us through the situation. That is the glory of our Lord. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Thursday, June 2, 2011
June 2
Isaiah 63
Wrath and anger, none of us likes to be the recipient of it, but a lot of us enjoy releasing it when we feel it. There is something that feels good about the release of anger. Indeed, some have defined depression as anger turned inward. Why does the release of anger feel good? Anger and wrath are the expected emotions of a transgression against what is right. If I am not angered when I am forced to see the flow of human trafficking, especially with the sexual abuse of children, then there is something genuinely wrong. Anger is a good emotion when it vented properly for the right reasons. It is destructive when vented improperly of for the wrong reasons.
I recently watched a DVD entitled Remember Nhu. I don’t think anyone reading what I am writing now could watch the video and not be angry against the sex slave trade in this world. If it doesn’t make you angry, then you have no sense of righteousness. Many of us rail against the image of an angry-wrathful God, but unless God becomes angry against sin, then He is not a holy God. Deep down inside we all know that there has to be a pay day someday for sin. This passage in Isaiah reveals that just side of God. The passage is very similar to Revelation 19. Our God is coming as a Deliverer! He is fiercely trampling and destroying all those who violate His righteousness. Our heart rejoice in the execution of His justice! But be careful! Which side are we on?
In the midst of the description of His wrath in Isaiah 63, the prophet cries out:
I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the LORD
And the praises of the LORD,
According to all that the LORD has bestowed on us,
And the great goodness toward the house of Israel,
Which He has bestowed on them according to His mercies,
According to the multitude of His lovingkindnesses. . . .
And the Angel of His Presence saved them;
In His love and in His pity He redeemed them;
And He bore them and carried them
All the days of old. . . .
He who brought them up out of the sea . . .
To make for Himself an everlasting name,
So You lead Your people,
To make Yourself a glorious name.
It is only in the midst of anger and wrath do we truly understand the meaning of mercy and salvation. So also in Revelation 19, the coming of the wrathful Lamb and King of Kings is in the midst of the marriage supper of the Lamb. Only in the context of justice do we understand the meaning of mercy. This is our Lord! He is in the process of making a glorious name for Himself! We have the option of receiving either His mercy or His justice. I want His mercy. Mercy drops round us are falling, but for the showers we plead. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Wrath and anger, none of us likes to be the recipient of it, but a lot of us enjoy releasing it when we feel it. There is something that feels good about the release of anger. Indeed, some have defined depression as anger turned inward. Why does the release of anger feel good? Anger and wrath are the expected emotions of a transgression against what is right. If I am not angered when I am forced to see the flow of human trafficking, especially with the sexual abuse of children, then there is something genuinely wrong. Anger is a good emotion when it vented properly for the right reasons. It is destructive when vented improperly of for the wrong reasons.
I recently watched a DVD entitled Remember Nhu. I don’t think anyone reading what I am writing now could watch the video and not be angry against the sex slave trade in this world. If it doesn’t make you angry, then you have no sense of righteousness. Many of us rail against the image of an angry-wrathful God, but unless God becomes angry against sin, then He is not a holy God. Deep down inside we all know that there has to be a pay day someday for sin. This passage in Isaiah reveals that just side of God. The passage is very similar to Revelation 19. Our God is coming as a Deliverer! He is fiercely trampling and destroying all those who violate His righteousness. Our heart rejoice in the execution of His justice! But be careful! Which side are we on?
In the midst of the description of His wrath in Isaiah 63, the prophet cries out:
I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the LORD
And the praises of the LORD,
According to all that the LORD has bestowed on us,
And the great goodness toward the house of Israel,
Which He has bestowed on them according to His mercies,
According to the multitude of His lovingkindnesses. . . .
And the Angel of His Presence saved them;
In His love and in His pity He redeemed them;
And He bore them and carried them
All the days of old. . . .
He who brought them up out of the sea . . .
To make for Himself an everlasting name,
So You lead Your people,
To make Yourself a glorious name.
It is only in the midst of anger and wrath do we truly understand the meaning of mercy and salvation. So also in Revelation 19, the coming of the wrathful Lamb and King of Kings is in the midst of the marriage supper of the Lamb. Only in the context of justice do we understand the meaning of mercy. This is our Lord! He is in the process of making a glorious name for Himself! We have the option of receiving either His mercy or His justice. I want His mercy. Mercy drops round us are falling, but for the showers we plead. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
June 1
Isaiah 62
Have you ever wanted someone to take pleasure in you? We all have. Who is it that you want to take pleasure in you? We want someone whom we adore, someone of significance, to admire us. That is what makes romance so intoxicating. We find someone to whom we are attracted, and they take pleasure in us. It is a tremendous boost to our ego. Conversely, that is what makes a break up so devastating. We have someone to whom we are attracted, and they tell us that they no longer take pleasure in us. What if the God of the universe took pleasure in you? If you really believed that He took pleasure in you, would that not be the most emotionally intoxicating thing you could ever experience?
Is this not the Divine Romance? Listen to what God says to Israel, “And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.” The principle is there. He rejoices over His people. But this is a meditation on His glory, not mine. How does this increase His glory? The world called us forsaken and destitute. He took us and changed us, so that we are desirable and marriageable. We are now so desirable that the God of the universe would rejoice over us as does a groom over his bride. I am so excited about my bride! We’ve been married 34 years, and she is just what I want and desire. So also, the God of the Universe, when He is done molding us, will rejoice over us. He takes pleasure in us! Now that is glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Have you ever wanted someone to take pleasure in you? We all have. Who is it that you want to take pleasure in you? We want someone whom we adore, someone of significance, to admire us. That is what makes romance so intoxicating. We find someone to whom we are attracted, and they take pleasure in us. It is a tremendous boost to our ego. Conversely, that is what makes a break up so devastating. We have someone to whom we are attracted, and they tell us that they no longer take pleasure in us. What if the God of the universe took pleasure in you? If you really believed that He took pleasure in you, would that not be the most emotionally intoxicating thing you could ever experience?
Is this not the Divine Romance? Listen to what God says to Israel, “And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.” The principle is there. He rejoices over His people. But this is a meditation on His glory, not mine. How does this increase His glory? The world called us forsaken and destitute. He took us and changed us, so that we are desirable and marriageable. We are now so desirable that the God of the universe would rejoice over us as does a groom over his bride. I am so excited about my bride! We’ve been married 34 years, and she is just what I want and desire. So also, the God of the Universe, when He is done molding us, will rejoice over us. He takes pleasure in us! Now that is glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
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