I shared the gospel at lunch time with my best friend. He prayed with me to ask Jesus to come into His life. I was elated! After football practice, I had barely walked in the door when the phone rang and it was for me. It was one of the most beautiful girls at the school and she was inviting me out-as in a date. Long story short—I went out with her. I did what was right in my own eyes. For the next 3 months, my effectiveness for the kingdom of God was effectively cutoff. Now, to be clear, she was not an evil girl, quite the contrary. It was simply that I was walking in a direction that Lord did not intend for me to walk. Oh, I had well-reasoned why this course of action was right for me. But my reasoning did not make it right.
Samson wanted a wife. It would have been the Lord’s will to marry a woman who was under the covenant with the Lord. But, Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, for she pleases me well.” Literally it could be translated, “She is right in my eyes.” Here it is again! Everyman, including God’s own judge, is doing right in his own eyes, rather than doing what is right in God’s eyes. Part of what is confusing about it is that God uses the immoral desires of Samson to accomplish His purposes. Now that is an intriguing concept.
What an apt picture of the state of the Church in America today! How many times have I heard, “Pastor, I feel like the Lord is leading me to leave this church.” The excuses are various, “You don’t have any programs for my children.” “My gifts are not being utilized at this church.” “I am not being fed here.” “I don’t have any fellowship here.” “My needs are not being met.” The list goes on ad nausea. Yeah well, been there, done that. Sometimes I just want to puke. These are frequently examples of every man doing what is right in his own eyes. Ephesians 3:21 says, “To Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen” What kind of glory is that in the church? We are fragmented and splintered all over the place. No wonder the non-Christian world around us does not believe. There is no true love for each other. We have no loyalty to each other. We treat the body of Christ with a consumer’s mentality. I pick and choose a church like I buy groceries in the grocery store. It is all about my wants rather than the Lord’s desires.
And I am not any better. I hear the excuses and rather than having the balls to say to them, “Why don’t you build the children’s program?” “Why don’t you build a place for your gifts to be utilized?” “Why don’t you doggedly seek fellowship with others rather than waiting upon them to extend it to you?” “Why don’t you meet other people’s needs?” I just wimp out and say, “Ok, wherever the Lord wants you, that is where I want you.” Well that is true. I do want them where the Lord wants them. But more often than not, I think we/they are just doing what is right in our own eyes. Have we really waited upon and heard from the Lord? He has already spoken in several ways:
John 13:34–35 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”Does the way we move from congregation to congregation reflect this kind of loyal love to one another? As a friend of mine once told me, “I experienced greater loyalty from my old drinking buddies than I have experienced in the church.” Hmmm. . . I am afraid we have seduced ourselves with a beautiful mistress which has resulted in a stagnant church, which has a form of godliness but lacks any power. We have negated our full potential for the building of the kingdom of God.
Ephesians 4:1–3 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
1 Peter 4:8 And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.”
But wait! Samson had power. Yes, but only because God will take even our own carnality and bring good out of it in order to accomplish His greater purpose. I do not think that God’s greatest desire was the way Samson accomplished it. He simply guided even Samson’s sin to accomplish deliverance for Israel. What would happen if we could all somehow quit doing what is right in our own eyes and do only what is right in God’s eyes? What glory He would receive in His church! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
PSALM 30
“You hid Your face and I was troubled.” Everything else can be going fine, but if I can’t see His glory, what is the use? Every once-in-a-while I get in a funk. It seems that I just can’t see Him. It is indeed troubling. Why does that happen? Why does He hide His face? I suppose there are a variety of contributing factors. Sin of course is an obvious reason. If I regard iniquity in my heart, he does not hear me. I would suppose that he also hides His face at those times. Sometimes I think He does it to make me desire Him more. Sometimes I think He does it to test me and show me my heart. Sometimes I think He does it to strengthen my resolve. Sometimes I think He does it to teach me to seek His face and not His hands (blessings). Whatever the reason, it is always troubling.
His anger over my sin remains only as long as I hold on to the sin. So there is weeping until I finally let go. He once again reveals His face and there is joy again. His anger is but for a moment, but His favor is for a lifetime. Last night in Families in the Word we emphasized, “Truth lasts forever, but lies last only a moment.” That is an interesting comparison. His anger over my lies lasts only a moment (or until there has been true repentance). His glory is seen when I turn from my lies to His truth. When I walk in His truth, His glory is seen. The truth is this: He has not withheld His only Son, so that I might walk with Him. He smiles on that. I enjoy basking in the warmth of His smile. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
LAMENTATIONS 4
Now that is repulsive! Who would have thought that the people would have been so reduced to the point that they would do what is described here.
9Those slain by the sword are better off Than those who die of hunger; For these pine away, Stricken for lack of the fruits of the field. 10The hands of the compassionate women Have cooked their own children; They became food for them In the destruction of the daughter of my people.Yet history is replete with examples of cannibalism. The degradation of man is deep indeed when we turn away from the Almighty. It is indeed right that He should be furious against such degradation! God does this to show us the possible depths of the blackness of our hearts, and He is wrathful against it.
Yet we also see a ray of hope in this passage. The last verse of the chapter says, “The punishment of your iniquity is accomplished, O daughter of Zion; He will no longer send you into captivity.” There is an end to the discipline. God will bring something good out of it. Mercy will triumph over judgment. That is the message of the cross. Mercy will triumph over judgment. But simply put, mercy is only received when we join Him on the cross. Now that is repulsive, yet beautiful. How deep is the sin of man? Look at the cross! How much does God hate sin? Look at the cross! What will God do to remove and punish sin? He will kill it. Look at the cross! What will God do to bring in righteousness? He will bring Jesus back from the dead victorious over sin and death!!! Though our sin be so scandalous as to reach to the depth of cannibalism of our own children, through the cross He judges it. Through the resurrection He is able to raise us to righteous living. Now that is glory. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
ROMANS 3
The law makes the Lord Jesus even more glorious. The Law shows us the depth of our sin. Without the Law we would be unaware of the depravity of our sin. We wouldn’t know that we were unrighteous before a Righteous God. When we look at the Law, we realize that we could never live up to the standard of righteousness that it demands. It teaches us of our inability to satisfy the Law’s demands—no one can do it.
But Jesus give us His righteousness. He can do that justly because 1) he completely fulfills the righteous demands of the law and 2) He took upon Himself the penalty of the law that was due toward us. What grace He loves to lavish upon us! He demonstrates that the law was good and so is He! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
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