January 14

GENESIS 14
Remember the bumper sticker, “He who dies with the most toys wins?” What an appropriate saying to be found in the USA! How we value things and use people! That pagan attitude is deeply ingrained in the American culture. The LORD was patiently taking Abram through experiences to teach him that the LORD is Possessor of heaven and earth. When you have Him, you have all you need or desire.
Formerly, Abram had feared the king of Egypt to the extent that he put his wife in jeopardy because of his fear. The LORD delivered him, even from the king of Egypt. Abram was learning reality that the LORD is the God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth. He learned in the Egypt incident that the LORD would protect him even from kings. He let Lot go. He no longer needed the safety of a few more fighting men--a necessary thing in a day when there were no police forces to protect and to serve.
Lot and his family were carried off as plunder of war when four kings of Mesopotamia fought five kings of Canaan. But Abram had learned that the LORD is the God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth. In a surprise military accomplishment, Abram took his force of 316 servants and attacked the forces of the 4 kings and defeated them. He learned that since God is Most High and Possessor of all things that He could accomplish the impossible through him. As a result, he gave a tithe of all and returned the goods to the 5 Canaanite kings. Would your rather have the Possessor of heaven and earth or just heaven and earth?
Jesus is the LORD. That is why Jesus says, "Abraham rejoiced to see my day." This is the glory of Jesus. He is God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth. He takes us through experiences where He strips us of dependence upon other things so that we can see those things do not satisfy. He teaches us that He alone satisfies. It is a lifelong learning, but worth every bit of it. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John


This picture was taken from the Highway which runs down the west side of the Dead Sea at the southern tip of the Dead Sea. A portion of the Dead Sea can be seen on the left hand part of the picture anbout half-way up. The basin for the Dead Sea extends all the way to the center of the picture, but evaporation and irrigation have significantly dropped the level of the Sea. Most Bible maps locate Sodom and Gommorah on the southern end of the sea. But that is based only on a tradition that is, relatively speaking, rather young. It is hard to believe this was ever a well-watered plain.

Archaeologist Steven Collins had an article in Biblical Archaeology Review where he made a case for the location of Sodom being in the “kikkar ha yarden”, the disc of the Jordan. If he is correct, it would have been located directly east of Jericho approximately where the final ‘R’ is in WADI KHARRAR.

This picture is taken from the traditional location of Mt. Nebo (east of the Jordan) overlooking the Jordan Valley. If Collins is correct, then Sodom would have been located somewhere in this picture, probably about half-way up the picture toward the right hand side.

PSALM 13
I have a friend who recently felt like he was cheated out of $15.00 in an undisclosed set up fee from someone else who is also a friend of mine. He called the one up and complained. Whether he meant to or not, he came across as “yelling and screaming” on the phone. It all escalated. Both friends are currently in difficult situations. Both felt unjustly used by the other. I told the one friend that he was within his rights to complain about the $15.00 dollars, but the manner in which he did it was wrong, and he owed the other an apology. You can imagine how that went. He is obsessed with his rights and the $15.00. He is convinced that he did not yell and scream at the other. Yet I cannot understand how the other friend can be so upset if he did not in some fashion raise his voice. Anyway it is a big enough deal between them both that they are emotionally stressed out over $15.00. What’s going on here?
What is going on here in Psalm 13? On the one hand, the Psalmist seems to be in the depths of despair. The enemy seems to have surrounded him. He has daily sorrow. He is genuinely afraid of dying. On the other hand, he concludes, “The Lord has dealt bountifully with me.” What made the difference? Three statements separate the two outlooks.
The first statement is that he will trust in the mercy of the Lord. The word that is here translated as ‘mercy’ refers to the abundant loving kindnesses of God’s eternal nature. It may also have reference to the covenant relationship with Yahweh. As David looks at his situation, he makes the choice to take his focus off of his situation and put it on the eternal character of God. He knows how God is, and he is willing to wait upon the appearance of those loving kindnesses.
The second statement is that he will rejoice in the Lord’s salvation. He makes a willful choice to rejoice. He is on the verge of dying and he makes a choice to rejoice! May his tribe ever increase! How I need to learn to rejoice in the midst of dramatic struggle, especially facing death.
The third statement is that he will sing to the Lord. Nothing lifts the spirit like singing to the Lord. Remember the Dallas Holms song?

When you’re up against a struggle that shatters all your dreams,
And your hopes are cruelly crushed by Satan’s manifested schemes,
And you feel the urge within you to submit to earthly fears,
Don’t let the faith you’re standing in, seem to disappear.
Praise the Lord! He can work through those who praise Him.
Praise the Lord! Our God inhabits praises.
Praise the Lord! The chains that seek to bind you,
Serve only to remind you they fall powerless behind you when you praise Him!

That is the glory of our Lord! Our measly $15.00, $15,000.00, $15,000,000.00, $15,000,000,000.00 or even $15,000,000,000,000.00 is nothing compared to His glory! We can let it go. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

NEHEMIAH 3
“Your job will be to see that everyone in Kerr Hall has a chance to hear the gospel.” So spoke my CCC campus director at the beginning of my sophomore year in college. We were strategizing as to how we could take the gospel to every student at OSU. Other guys in the central action group had other responsibilities, but mine was Kerr Hall. I had three guys assigned to me who lived there. We started a Bible Study and began praying and thinking about ways to present the Gospel to every resident in the twelve-story dorm. I wish I could say that we accomplished that goal. We came close, but I don’t believe that we achieved it; although, we did saturate a couple of the floors especially the floors on which they lived.
There is a principle of leadership found here in this chapter of Nehemiah that is similar to the one we used then. Nehemiah assigned a section of the wall to those who lived next to the section. Why? Well, if your city was under attack, how strong would you want the wall next to you to be? I would want it to be the strongest in the city. I live there. I would be the most motivated to build it well and to finish it now. Nice principle of leadership, but what does it have to do with the glory of God?
Do I really desire to see the glory of God revealed in me? It is clear from the Scripture that He does. The only doubt here is, “Do I?” If I really desire that, then what am I doing to give Him permission to let His glory be revealed? It begins right where I live. I liken it to concentric spheres of my life. Concentric means, “Having a common center, as circles or spheres.” It begins at the center of my life. Is His glory the center of my private thoughts, goals, desires, and aspirations? The next sphere out is my closest family relations, spouse, children, parents, or the people with whom I live. The next sphere might be my employment. What am I praying and doing in order to enhance the glory of God in my employment? IF God has put me in a job, and for most of us He has, then I am not there just to make money. I am there to spread the glory of God by my actions in the quality of my work and by my words in how I interact with other people.
After I graduated, I and one of the guys, Marc, who lived in Kerr Hall and was in the Bible Study with me, both were hired at Mercury Marine and began attending Alliance Bible Church. We realized that we once again had common spheres of influence, our church and our employment. We covenanted together to try together make an appointment with someone from work with whom we could share the gospel. One week I would be responsible for trying to set up an appointment. The next week he would be responsible. To be honest, most of the weeks neither of us had an appointment, but some weeks we did! I remember on one occasion at work when I walked into the restroom. A fellow employee was picking himself up off of the floor. I asked him if he was all right. He said, “Yeah, I was just smoking a little too much.” (it wasn’t cigarettes) We talked shortly. I made an appointment with him. During the appointment at his apartment, Marc and I shared the gospel with him. He prayed to receive Christ with us. He began attending church with us. Within a couple of weeks, we had a layoff at the plant. He lost his job and moved out of town. I believe the glory of Jesus shone briefly in that sphere.
I think that is what the Lord wants to do. He wants His glory to shine beginning in the inner sphere of our lives, and then work its way out through the other spheres. There are other spheres than the ones which I have mentioned. They will be different for different people. But in each one the Lord wants His glory to shine. The only question that remains is, “Do I want His glory to shine there?” Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

MATTHEW 9:18-38
His mission was urgent as he pressed through the crowd to beg Jesus a favor. His daughter had just died. But He was convinced that if Jesus would come immediately and lay His hand on her, that she would live. Funny, the heathen centurion believed that if Jesus just spoke the word his servant would be healed, but this son of Israel needed Jesus to come physically. He found Jesus seated or reclining. Was Jesus teaching or eating or just resting? Whatever it was, He arose immediately and followed the man. It was urgent to the father. If it was your little girl, you would be pressing Him too.
The crowds were constantly following Jesus. It reminds me of an AMWAY meeting that I went to once at a fancy hotel. The representative there was a man who had made millions, part of it selling AMWAY. After the meeting everybody was crowding around him wanting to talk to him has he made his way to his Rolls Royce with leather interior. It was hard to walk through the crowd to get out of there. So in a similar way in my mind, I see Jesus pressing through the crowd of admirers. The father, I am sure, was frustrated with everyone pressing in, slowing their progress.
Then a woman who had had an unstoppable flow of blood for 12 years saw her opportunity to be healed. "If I can just touch his garment," she thought, "I'll be healed." Instantly she was healed. Instantly Jesus stopped to encourage her. Do you suppose the father was annoyed by the delay? They didn't stay long but went on to the house. Jesus raised the girl. Jesus said she was not dead but sleeping. I guess He meant that she was in a deep coma, so that she appeared dead to everyone else. Whatever her problem, Jesus healed her instantly.
Jesus left there and healed some blind men. Then He healed a mute man. Then He began to make the circuit of towns and villages. He was teaching in the synagogues, preaching the Gospel of the kingdom and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. When Jesus saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered like sheep having no shepherd.
Do you ever feel weary and scattered? This same Jesus who had compassion upon the multitudes has it for you. It is part of His glory. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. His compassion for you and the multitudes is still as great now as it was then. Then why doesn't this Lord of glory just bring an end to all the suffering? I don't have any wise answers, but I know a few pertinent principles. As He told the blind men, everyone He healed, He healed according to their faith. The Father of the girl had to have Jesus' physical presence. The woman with the flow of blood had to touch His robe. The blind men had to call out. The mute man had to be brought by his friends. The centurion had to ask for Jesus to speak the word. He ties His glory to our faith.
The greatest need of the multitude is not healing or food. The greatest need of the multitude is to find the Shepherd, to see His glory. He calls us to exercise our faith beyond healing and food. He calls us pray to the Lord to send laborers into His harvest to declare His glory, to bring the multitudes to Jesus. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John