January 22

GENESIS 23
As I write this meditation, I am sitting next to my father’s death bed (2010). The doctor just came in and expressed that it looks like my Dad doesn’t have long to live, probably won’t see the end of the day. How ironic that I am reading about Abraham making funeral arrangements for Sarah. I will probably be making arrangements for my Dad soon. Death is an ugly thing, not just the moment of parting but also all the degeneration that occurs in the approach. Never-the-less, it is something we all must personally face. Where is the glory of Jesus in death? Hmm…
Paul expresses it differently, “

51Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— 52in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”
55 “O Death, where is your sting?
O Hades, where is your victory?”
56The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord

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I grieve at the momentary parting. However, my heart rejoices for my Dad. He will soon know no more suffering. There is the glory of Jesus. He encountered our spiritual death and took it upon Himself so that we might not have to bear it. For believers, our physical death is but a release into eternal life. We can endure the grief with hope because of Him.
Somehow Abraham knew about the resurrection of the dead. Yes, he knew that he would see Sarah again. He lived 117 years with Sarah. He would live another 38 years without her. But he could grieve with hope as he made the funeral arrangements for her. He could do that because he knew there would be a resurrection. That is the glory of our Jesus. Because of what He has done, I know I will see my Dad again. It may not be as long as 38 years, but I will see him again. That is because of the glory of Jesus. Isn't He glorious! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PSALM 22
“Stop swinging on that door!” The tone in the voice and the glare in his face let me know that my behavior greatly displeased him. Even now, I think that is a bit of an understatement. When Dad was angry the atmosphere was charged with an energy which you could almost taste; I certainly felt it. It was an anger that was in your face. It was unavoidable. As an 8-year-old, I could not quite understand why He was so angry, but I couldn’t deny the anger. As an adult I have had to repair many door frames. Often times the frames were broken because of children using the doors as toys. They place leverage on the doors that the doors were not designed to sustain. Now I understand his anger; then I did not. Nevertheless, his anger was real. I have never swung on a door after that.
Psalm 22 remains as a solid witness to all generations of the glory of the Lord Jesus. Matthew quotes this Psalm to prove that Jesus was fulfilling prophetic Scripture especially in His death. The opening line of this Psalm was Jesus’ cry shortly before His death as He hung on the cross. It was an experience that Jesus, the God man, had never experienced before. From the moment that He entered time and space by adding the nature of a man to His person, Jesus, the man, had known intimate fellowship with the Father. He had experienced the good pleasure of His Father. He knew fully what it meant to be beloved by the Father. Twice the Father publically declared His love for the Son. Only the day before in response to Jesus’ prayer to glorify the Father’s name, the Father had declared, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.” But now that relationship had wholly changed. Jesus was now enduring the fullness of the Father’s wrath against our sin. For this eternal moment in time, Jesus was bearing the full brunt of the wrath of a just God against the sin that you and I had committed. Jesus knew the fury of God. He had never experienced that before either in eternity or in time. The Father was in His face, angry, wrathful, just, and furious. The pain seared His soul and spirit, as well as His body.
How could the Father be just and do this to His innocent Son? I wasn’t innocent. Jesus was. But that is one of the mysteries of the Gospel. The Psalmist tells us. Jesus was no longer innocent. He was now “a worm.” Somehow on that cross He, who knew no sin, became sin on my behalf. The Father was holy (v.3). Jesus was unholy (v.6). Justice required that this sinful worm be squished. And so, the Father was in His face, slowly pouring His wrath upon that sinful worm, but I was the worm.
The religious leaders recognized Jesus’ quote of the opening line of Psalm 22. In the deepest scorn they quote verse 8 right back at Him. So now even His own creation is in His face mocking Him. His created humans now surround Him like savage animals moving in for the kill. They pierce His hands and feet (16 crucifixion). Then they gamble for his clothes (18). Amazing! One thousand years after David prophesied this; Jesus fulfills this. What amazing control of the destiny of history! What amazing resolve to self-sacrifice for us! Just think, He became a worm in my place, Amazing! He faced the Father’s wrath, just for me! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

NEHEMIAH 12
The other day I was walking through the parking lot and broke out in song. Liam’s immediate comment was, “I hate it when you do that.”
“Why?” I asked.
“I just do,” was all that he could answer. Hmmm. . .
I was once told by a friend that she had studied some about the history of Handel’s Messiah. Handel was broke and pressed by creditors when he was given the commission to write the Messiah. He locked himself in his room in order to write it. He did not come out to eat, but he wrote continuously often fasting completely. He wrote it in record time. When he finished, all he could say was, “I have seen the face of God.” Anyone who knows anything about classical music is familiar with his masterful work. Did He see the face of God? Obviously he did not literally, for no man can see God and live, but he probably did see God’s face metaphorically. Music helps express the glory of God.
Music has always been important to the Lord. Some have indicated that Ezekiel 28:13 refers to musical instruments and that Satan was the first Choir leader in heaven. Music has the power to grasp our minds and affections and multiply the intensity of our affections in our minds, will and spirit. It can soothe a troubled spirit. It can heal, and is even used in therapy with some maladies. It is important in grasping the glory of God. That is part of the reason that there is so much fighting in the church over music. People often succumb to the flesh in the way that they express their music (on both sides of the fight). That is fertile ground for Satan to sow his seeds of discord. The filling of the Holy Spirit results in “speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.” Music can help us see the glory of the Lord, or they can divert our vision off of the Lord.
In today’s passage we learn, “Both the singers and the gatekeepers kept the charge of their God and the charge of the purification, according to the command of David and Solomon his son.” Music was important to David. It was important in the later revivals under Hezekiah and Josiah. Music was important in the first return from exile and certainly considered important in Nehemiah’s day. Did you know that there is no record in the Scripture of angels singing? A literal translation of all the Scriptural passages of angels singing should really be ‘saying’ instead of ‘singing.’ Maybe part of the reason we were created is to sing the praise of His glory. Sometimes when I am having trouble remembering the glory of the Lord, I just have to sing it. Do you sing? Indeed we serve a glorious King! Sing His glory to someone today! But be careful, some will not like it.
--Pastor john

MATTHEW 14:22-36
When I was in college in Oklahoma, Oral Roberts jokes were not uncommon. (For all you non-Okies, Oral Roberts University is in Tulsa, OK, and for those of you who don't know who Oral Roberts is, he was a famous evangelist who emphasized receiving miracles from the Lord). I remember one joke that went, "Did you hear that Oral Roberts died today? He was hit by a speed boat while going for his morning walk." Okay, okay, I admit it. It was a bad joke and perhaps in poor taste. The point is that there are only two persons who have ever walked on water--Jesus and Peter. Peter was only for a few steps and only because of the power of the Lord Jesus.
But this shows the glory of our Lord. Who has the power to bring the laws of physics together such that either the water molecules support the weight of a man or something happens that it appears that they support the weight of a man? No one but the Creator could do that. Jesus has that power. Preachers have preached often and long on this passage. A few have denigrated Peter for failing in his faith while walking on the water. Yeah well, when was the last time you even tried? Notice that there were still eleven in the boat watching Peter try. I wonder if all twelve had jumped out of the boat, would their faith have waned. Would Jesus have to rescue all twelve? Or, would their corporate faith have kept them with their eyes on Jesus and enable them to reach their destination? Well, we'll never know. But this we can see, Jesus was willing to work His glory through Peter by granting Peter's request to command Peter to come. Hmm. . .
Why did Peter fall after taking a few steps on the water? It's right there in the text, "When he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink. . . " He quit looking at the glory of Jesus and began looking at the glory of the wind. Who made the wind? It was as if Peter was temporarily exalting the glory of the wind above the glory of Jesus. Jesus took Peter by the hand and raised Him out of the water. After they had strolled back to the boat, the wind ceased. There was no longer any question in their minds concerning the identity and glory of the Lord.
I believe Jesus wants to work His glory in and through us--so that there will be no question of His identity. He wants people to see Him in us. He wants people to see His character in our character. He wants people to see His works in our work. That is an even greater glory than walking on water. I think we spend so much time looking at the wind rather than the glory of the Son that we never walk on the water at His command. We don't even hear His command. The few that do hear His command often fail. But at least they get out of the boat. The rest are just sitting in the boat gazing at the wind-with an occasional glimpse of Jesus. Where is His glory? Metaphorically speaking, I hope that when I die that people will say, "Did you hear that John died today? Yeah, he was hit by a speed boat on his morning walk. He was letting Jesus work His glory in and through Him." And I hope the amazement won't be about me but about Him. “Wow! Jesus could really do that with such imperfect material like John? Isn't Jesus amazing!” Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

Jesus went up on the mountain to pray while the disciples got in a boat to go to Gennesaret. This is taken from the traditional location of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus would have had a fairly commanding view of Galilee from just about anywhere on this mountain. As He saw their fear as they struggled with the waves, so He sees my fear as I struggle with life.