May 3

NUMBERS 10
35 So it was, whenever the ark set out, that Moses said:

“Rise up, O LORD!
Let Your enemies be scattered,
And let those who hate You flee before You.”
36 And when it rested, he said:
“Return, O LORD,
To the many thousands of Israel.”

Why did Moses choose to say these things each time that they broke camp or made camp? When they broke camp and travelled, they needed the protection of the Lord as they crossed through enemy territory to the land which He had given them. When they made camp, it was time for them to be refreshed by experiencing the presence of God. So what?
You and I have been called out of bondage for two purposes. The first is to be used of Him as a means of setting other people free from their bondage. The second is to enjoy Him. If He has called us to set others free, that implies that they are bound by someone. That someone will not sit idly by and let his prisoners be set free. We would assume that the enemy, who has bound them, is stronger than we. It is appropriate that the Almighty God go before us and scatter our enemies as we seek to set them free. When the day is done, we will need rest. The truest rest is found only in His presence (Ex 33:14-16). Are you ready for action or ready for rest? Either way, He is the best solution. So, arise O Lord, and scatter Your enemies, and then return to us and give us rest! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PSALM 122
I learned something about Israel last week that I guess I already knew, but I had just never heard that comparison before. “The modern state of Israel is about the geographic size of the panhandle of Oklahoma.” Like the panhandle, a good portion of it is dry. Hmm. . . How could such a little state be the focus so many world events? It wouldn’t seem that such a little country would matter in the affairs of the world. How many times has its capital, Jerusalem been destroyed and rebuilt? How many nations have surrounded its walls? Since David captured Jerusalem around 1000 B.C. these nations have sought to control its gates: Egypt, Ethiopia, Edom, Moab, Ammon, Syria, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, the Seleucids, Rome. That was only the first thousand years. From the time of the Muslim conquest to the present it has been the recipient of waves of conquerors, Muslim and/or so-called Christian. Why is it the site of so much upheaval? Simple, it represents everything that Satan detests—the rule and reign of God.
The Psalmist states it in a positive way in the last verse, “I will now say, ‘Peace be within you.’ Because of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your good.” For whatever reason, God has chosen Jerusalem to be the focus place of His redemptive plan. It would seem to me therefore that to act in aggression against Jerusalem, without the direct instruction of God, would be to act in aggression against God’s redemptive plan. Jerusalem was the place that God set to place His presence in order to redeem the human race. To act in aggression against Jerusalem without the direct instruction of God would be to act in aggression against God’s presence. Jerusalem was the place where God chose to set His name. To act in aggression against Jerusalem without the direct instruction of God would be to act in aggression against God’s Name. Jerusalem was the place where God chose to set His glory. To act in aggression against Jerusalem without the direct instruction of God would be to act in aggression against God’s glory.
For these reasons we must pray for the peace of Jerusalem, all the while realizing that true peace will never come until the Prince of Peace reigns upon His throne there. If I really understand praying for the peace of Jerusalem, my prayers go beyond physical peace. It is a prayer asking for the return of the Prince of Peace. He said that the end would not come until the Gospel of the Kingdom was preached as a witness to all nations (ethnic groups). I am convinced that praying for the peace of Jerusalem includes praying for the completion of the Great Commission. Yes, it includes praying for physical peace right now, but ultimately physical peace will never come until Jesus returns physically and comes to destroy those who destroy the earth. Then His glory will shine like the sun, and all shall see it. Then the nations will stream to Jerusalem to worship Him and bring the glory He so richly deserves. Then the nations will see and experience His glory. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

Isaiah 33
This passage probably looks through Assyria invading Israel and Judah unto the time of the Great Tribulation. At the end Yahweh comes and rescues her. Look at these things that Isaiah says of the Lord Jesus:

1. 6. . . The fear of the LORD is His treasure.
2. 17Your eyes will see the King in His beauty;
3. 22(For the LORD is our Judge, The LORD is our Lawgiver, The LORD is our King; He will save us);
The fear of the Lord is His treasure.

‘Mine,’ that little word is in many ways the bedrock of how we determine justice. If someone takes from what is our treasure without our permission, we consider ourselves violated. We want justice. What does the Lord mean when He tells us, “The fear of the Lord is His treasure?” Obviously it means that it is something that he values, but does that mean that it originates with Him, and He dispenses it? All good things originate from Him. Fear of Him is a good thing. It must mean that in some way it comes from Him. But since we are encouraged to have fear of the Lord, it must mean that we must somehow make the decision to have it. Also, it must mean that when we have decided to receive that gift from Him and we respond by fearing Him, then He highly treasures our fear of Him. The result of our fear of Him even in adverse conditions is He will begin to reveal His beauty to us. As we see His beauty, we see that He is our Judge, Lawgiver, King and Savior. Our Judge saves us! Now that is beautiful! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

LUKE 22:24-46
When I lived in North Carolina, the local Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Committee had encouraged a "Do Something Campaign" among the youth of the public schools. The intent was to teach service to young people. It is a noble idea. It has its roots in this passage and other passages of the New Testament where Jesus speaks to the issue of wanting to be great. It is something that all of us want. In some area, if not in all of our lives, we desire to be great. We all secretly want others to admire us. Preaching from a passage similar to this one MLK Jr. has a famous sermon called The Drum Major Instinct. He has a familiar line that he repeated in this sermon and outside of this sermon, "Anybody can be great, because anybody can serve."
Peter desired to be great, so did all the other disciples. Jesus points out that greatness is not determined by how many people you govern but by how many people you truly serve in relation to the ability that you have. Peter was a man of great raw ability. Satan saw that he was on a track for service and greatness. Satan desired to "sift him like wheat." Peter still had a problem with thinking that greatness would be achieved with swords and forcing others into submission. Greatness comes from serving others into submission. In that serving process, we die. Jesus is the prime example. He came not to be served but to serve and to give His life a ransom for many. How did Jesus have the emotional, spiritual and volitional power to boldly, powerfully and willingly step up to the cross--His greatest act of service? He received it in prayer. Here in the Garden, the choice was made. Here in the Garden, He saw all that was in the cup that His Father put before Him. Here in the Garden, He saw all the sin of all the people of all the ages. Here in the Garden, He saw that the Father was going to lay that sin upon Him and punish Him in our place. Here in the Garden, for the last time in prayer, He made the choice to step up to the cross and serve us. What amazing glory!
The lesson was not lost on Peter. Yes he slept during this time of prayer. And as a result he stumbled and sinned. But after he was restored, his greatest times of service came in the midst of prayer. Pentecost broke out in a prayer meeting that Peter probably led. Sometime later Peter and John were entering into the temple at the hour of prayer, and they healed a lame man at the gate. That act of service resulted a great preaching opportunity that resulted in many being saved. That preaching opportunity resulted in their arrest, and the arrest resulted in a trial. The trial revealed Peter and John to be bold men who had been with Jesus. They were released. What did they do? They went back and prayed for more boldness for preaching and doing acts in the name of the Father's "Holy Servant Jesus." (Acts 4:30) What happened? They were filled with the Spirit. They preached the word. Multitudes were saved and began serving one another by sharing all things in common. We could go on through Acts tracing the relationship between prayer, evangelism and service. But the greatest example is Jesus in the Garden going to the cross! He has served and is serving us into submission. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john