January 18

GENESIS 19
“You don’t feel comfortable here, do you?” It was a simple question that she asked me. I did not realize that it showed so much. I couldn’t lie, but she had hit the nail on the head. The time was Spring Break 1975. The location was a motel room in Daytona Beach, Florida. I was there with Campus Crusade for Christ. The plan for that evening was to move in very small groups from motel room to motel room looking for an open party. It was a common activity for college students during spring break. Basically the idea was that students were looking for fun through the consumption of alcohol, marijuana and one night sexual encounters. Our plan was to infiltrate the parties, befriend people and then witness to them. Veterans of the spring break outreach reported that while at the beginning of the week students were not very open, by the end of the week the guilt and emptiness of their activities were beginning to sink in. There was usually a marked increase in responsiveness toward the end of the week. No I did not feel comfortable. I am not sure whether it was a lack of love on my part for them, or was I feeling guilty for being in a place of immorality, or was it that I was just tormented by the immorality that was happening around me. Where is the glory of Christ in a place like this?
Yesterday we saw that Abraham quit bargaining with God when God said that he would not destroy the city for the sake of ten righteous people. Lot had sons-in-law, which means he had at least two married daughters—that’s 4. He had sons, which means he had at least two-that’s 6. He had two virgin daughters, a wife and of course himself. Add it all up and there were a minimum of 10 people in Lot's family. Yet the LORD did not find ten righteous people.
2 Peter 2:4-7 says,

"For if God . . . turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked. . ."

It would appear that Lot was the only righteous one in the family. Inundated by the sexual immorality that surrounded his family, he lost his family to the unrighteousness around him. His sons and sons-in-law thought it was all a joke. His wife longed to return to Sodom and was turned into salt because she looked back. His daughters, thinking that the whole earth was destroyed got their father drunk and . . . well, enough said. This family was dysfunctional to say the least. How Lot must have been tormented in this environment, especially as he saw that he was losing his family!
Where is the glory of Christ in a place like this? I think His glory is seen in that he came down personally to investigate before He destroyed it. What mercy! Even today that glory is extended as we reach out to those enslaved by sin. Through us He comes down to deliver them. Even though Lot left a dysfunctional family, yet the LORD used them. King David was the grandson of Ruth, a Moabitess, a descendent of Lot and his firstborn daughter. Our Lord Jesus is a descendent of David. Isn't His grace amazing? He uses Sarah whose faith was faltering and Lot who couldn't even get his own family to believe. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PSALM 18
I was dancing around with the money I had just counted. “Wow! Look at this! Eighty dollars!” I had been working and saving for it for a couple of years. That was a grand sum for an eleven-year-old in 1966. I was excited about my achievement. All of a sudden the atmosphere changed to one of fire and smoke as my dad angrily snapped, “You don’t even have enough for a down payment on a car!” To this day I am not sure why Dad was so angry about it, but I will never forget the negative electricity in the air. I can relate to the David’s statements about the anger of the Lord:

Then the earth shook and trembled;
The foundations of the hills also quaked and were shaken,
Because He was angry.
Smoke went up from His nostrils,
And devouring fire from His mouth;
Coals were kindled by it.
He bowed the heavens also, and came down
With darkness under His feet.
And He rode upon a cherub, and flew;
He flew upon the wings of the wind.
He made darkness His secret place;
His canopy around Him was dark waters
And thick clouds of the skies.
From the brightness before Him,
His thick clouds passed with hailstones and coals of fire.

When Dad was angry, the whole room was filled, as it were, with “smoke and devouring fire.”
The glory of the Lord is that at times His anger is terrifying. Is it right for the Creator of the Universe to exhibit such anger? Let me ask you this, “If you were unjustly being pursued by a murderer who was hell bent on killing you, would you want a just God to be angry about the murderer’s intent?” I would. At what point should God cease being angry with sin? Is it just murder? Is it adultery? If I lust after a woman in my heart, but never do anything about it, is God still just in being angry with me? Is it lying? If I tell a lie in order to protect someone, is God still just in being angry with me? If I covet the world’s goods so that I dance around rejoicing in what I have earned, while my brother goes without, is God just in being angry with me? At what point. . . .
Lest you think that my concept of God is a Supreme Being who is always angry, consider the rest of the Psalm. The anger was against the murderer, Saul, who was pursuing David to kill him. Now look at it from David’s perspective. He is helpless before his earthly king who is hotly pursuing him to end his life.

He sent from above, He took me;
He drew me out of many waters.
He delivered me from my strong enemy,
From those who hated me,
For they were too strong for me.
They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
But the LORD was my support.
He also brought me out into a broad place;
He delivered me because He delighted in me.

This Psalm drips with the mercies and lovingkindesses of the Lord. The glory of the Lord is that He does intervene in order to rescue us. If there were no anger against sin, would He intervene? So, is the intervention of God somewhat a function not only of His mercy but also of justice? “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!” Lord thank you for your justice, and thank you for your mercy, and thank you that mercy triumphs over judgment! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

NEHEMIAH 8
Who is this God who makes us weep and then joyful? When the people heard the law read, they wept. Why? They wept because they understood the depravity and depth of their sin. They understood that they had offended the Holy God. For the first time they began to understand the magnitude of His holiness. They began to understand the purity of the law. They began to understand the depths of their sin. It brought godly sorrow to their hearts. What were they to do? In some cases the Law required death for their many transgressions. In some cases the Law required that they should be cut off from the people of God, yet they are the people of God. They had offended God in so many ways in their failure. When was the last time that I wept over my sin? Or is it that I defend my sin? They wept.
Who is this God who makes us weep and then joyful? What an amazing response by Ezra, Nehemiah and the leaders.

Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn nor weep.” For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law. 10Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our LORD. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” 11So the Levites quieted all the people, saying, “Be still, for the day is holy; do not be grieved.” 12And all the people went their way to eat and drink, to send portions and rejoice greatly, because they understood the words that were declared to them

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Why were they instructed to not grieve? Because their weeping was clear evidence of repentance. Once repentance is achieved, it is time to walk in the lavish grace of God. This is the God we seek. He demands nothing less than perfection out of us. When we realize how far short we have fallen, if we truly are repentant, it produces great grief. He then ladles, pours, yes even floods us with His grace, which abounds in joy! But we cannot reverse the order! Without true repentance, there cannot be true joy. Lord, help me not to be defensive when my sin is pointed out, but let me repent for I need your joy.
Today’s people think it hatred to speak concerning sin. But if I don’t speak concerning sin, then repentance will not come. Until I/we repent, God does not fill us with His joy.
Who is this God who makes us weep and then joyful? He is the God who tells us the truth about the offensiveness of our sin for the purpose of leading us to repentance. After repentance, He floods us with Himself. He is joy! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

MATTHEW 12:22-50
I had a classmate in High School who was super strong. If my memory is correct, he could bench press 400 lbs. He was a wrestler in the 148 lbs. class. He took the state championship in his junior year. Most of the reason he did so well was because of his strength and quickness. He frequently walked out on the mat and by his great strength pinned his opponent in a matter of seconds. During his junior year, he was unbeatable. His senior year he became proud and thought that he didn’t even need to show up for practice. The coach dismissed him from the team.
There is a strong man loose upon the face of the earth. He has pinned people through out the ages in the bondage of sin. His strength is indeed mighty. But he became proud. Not only did he not understand the crucifixion, he thought he was orchestrating it. The result--he was pinned by a dead Man. That is the glory of our Lord! Even in His death He was stronger than the strong man, who was keeping us pinned. Is there anything in which Satan has you bound? Jesus is stronger. Nothing can stop Him! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John