While I was in Mongolia, I asked a Mongolian who was an expert in economics what Mongolia needed in order to develop economically. The answer surprised me in one way, but in another way, it did not surprise me. Without hesitating, this person replied, “Mongolia has all the resources that it needs to develop economically. What it needs is a government filled with people who will not allow corruption.” That comment could be applied equally well to many of the countries of this planet. Why has the USA been able to become one of the most prosperous countries the world has known? The USA has vast resources for sure, and that is part of it. But other countries, which have not developed, also have vast resources. One of the things that has kept the USA in a position to prosper is a history of a government which exists for the people as opposed to a people which exist for the government. How did this happen? I submit to you that it is the result of a strong Christian heritage. It is a heritage where leaders serve the people and not where the people serve the leaders.
Samuel is an old man. He has spent his life serving and judging his people. He feels that they have rejected him in order to have a king. He wants to make sure that he leaves without any blemish on his record. He asks them a series of questions. The questions all deal with his personal integrity as he has led them over his lifetime. The questions are there to elicit from them that he has not personally benefited by unjustly using his leadership powers over them. The answer was, “you have not cheated us or oppressed us, nor have you taken anything from any man’s hand.” There is the glory of Jesus. He can take the cheating-corrupt-sinful heart of a man and change it. He can take us who would use our leadership to gain unjust advantage over the people we should be serving and make us into people who serve for the sake of serving. Now that is glory! If you do not think so, then look at the corruption found in many of the 3rd world countries. Much of their problem lies not in the lack of resources but rather in the corrupt heart of the leaders. Not so with our Jesus. He will not forsake His people, for His great name’s sake, because it pleases Him to make us His people. He will teach us the right way. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
PSALM 50
“You thought I was altogether like you.” It is a principle about ourselves and all humans that we must grasp. You see, we all tend to create God in our own image. We feel that we must be able to understand Him. We insist that He views things as we do; He feels as we do; He must do things the way we do them; His sense of justice must be like ours. We instinctively think that His standard of righteousness must be just like ours. By that standard, o sure, I am a sinner, but His justice will be satisfied with a sacrifice. A bull or a goat is something we can quantify, as if God could be quantified. We used to have a joke in seminary that our final examine would be to define God and give three examples. Can God be quantified?
The purpose of the Old Testament Sacrifices was to teach of the awfulness of sin and look forward to the demand of God’s righteousness for forgiveness of sin as it was carried out on the cross. When I look at the cross, I see how much God hates sin. A simple sacrifice of a goat or bull does not express the awfulness unless I can identify with the animal as a sentient being who is being sacrificed for my sin. The cross also speaks of His great love, that He would give His only begotten Son to redeem those who had committed so great sin that He hated so much. He owns all the cattle. For us to give Him back something which we own is of no significance to Him. He wants us to learn from the horrible situation. He wants us to come to Him and be delivered from our horrible sin! I need to learn this every day, lest I begin to once again think that He is like me.
Now that is glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
EZEKIEL 19
Barach Obama, what kind of ruler is he? Well let’s see. He is for the right of a woman to kill her child in her womb at any time, including when the head is outside and the rest of the child is in the birth canal. He is for the right of anyone to commit sexual fornication as they are oriented. He is for the right of the state to limit pastors from speaking their mind on what the Scripture teaches concerning sexual fornication. He is for the right of the state to force companies to go against their conscience forcing them to purchase health coverage which pays for the killing of children in the womb. He makes every effort to support the nations which are devoted to the destruction of Israel. Are any of these things which will produce the fruit of righteousness? Are they pleasing to the Lord?
Ezekiel is commanded to lament the fall of the nation. In verses 1-9 the princes (kings) are cast in the metaphor of young lions. In verses 10-14, the nation is cast in the metaphor of a vine. After the death of Josiah 23-year-old Jehoahaz was made king, but he was evil like his grandfather (who sacrificed babies on idol altars). So, the Lord had Pharaoh come and imprison him. After Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim became king. He also did evil in the eyes of the Lord, so the Lord had Nebuchadnezzar carry him off to Jerusalem. The young lions, the kings like Jehoahaz and Zedekiah, never learned to follow the Lord; they only learned to imitate each other. So, God turned them over to Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar to tame them. The vine was the mother city Jerusalem with its branches its princes or kings. The vine is finally cut and destroyed. Where is the glory of the Lord in this?
Jesus, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, has become the King of kings. Even as all other kings (including our president) have failed to bring us to a true knowledge of the Lord, Jesus has never failed. He has done all that is necessary to bring us back into a relationship with the True and Living God. Jesus is also the true vine. We are the branches. We, in Him, become kings and queens in His life! We bear much fruit as we abide in Him. If we don’t bear fruit we are cut off and borne away. His fruit brings Him great glory. No political ruler (including the president of the United States) or king can ever bring us into a relationship with the True and Living God. No political ruler or king can ever bring us into living in a truly righteous state. No political ruler or king can ever cause us to bear the fruit of righteousness which our souls crave. Jesus can and will do that for us as we repent and believe in Him. He can not only rule righteously, He can invade our lives infusing us with the ability to live righteously bearing fruit which is pleasant to Him and those around us. Now that is Who I want to be King of my life! That is glory! Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
1 CORINTHIANS 3
Boy, talk about mixing metaphors! Paul really mixes them in this chapter. There is the metaphor of the newbirth in Christ and the lack of individual spiritual growth in the church of Corinth. There is the metaphor of a farmer seeking to produce a crop with the church being the crop. There is the metaphor of a builder building a temple. What is the point? The point is the temple of God that He is building, the crop that He is producing, the maturity that He is growing. It is all about Him. One day there is only one thing that will remain--that which pleases Him. The Lord Jesus employs men and women to assist Him in these tasks. However, we should not be enamored with those people, nor their methods, nor our own methods. We dare not boast in past accomplishments in building the church or in other's past accomplishments in building the church or in our methods that have seen success. Everything belongs to the Lord. If there is true eternal fruit to our works, it is only because he has given the increase. Therefore to boast in it is to attempt to steal His glory. Let us boast only in what He has done. It is immaterial through whom He has done it or through what method He has done it. That is why speaking His glory to one another is so important. It keeps us from trying to steal some glory for ourselves. When the church is finally finished and Jesus presents us to Himself as His pure spotless bride, there will be reward for us where we have assisted in the building of His bride. But in the light of the magnificence of His glory, I think we will probably present those rewards right back to Him and say, "We are unworthy servants; we have only done the work we should do.” Christ is the foundation of everything good that we are becoming. Christ is the substance of everything good of the structure we are becoming. Christ will destroy anything that we add that detracts from His glory. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
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