July 31

JUDGES 14
I shared the gospel at lunch time with my best friend. He prayed with me to ask Jesus to come into His life. I was elated! After football practice, I had barely walked in the door when the phone rang, and it was for me. It was one of the most beautiful girls at the school, and she was inviting me out-as in a date. Long story short—I went out with her. I did what was right in my own eyes. For the next 3 months, my effectiveness for the kingdom of God was effectively cutoff. Now, to be clear, she was not an evil girl, quite the contrary. It was simply that I was walking in a direction that Lord did not intend for me to walk. Oh, I had well-reasoned why this course of action was right for me. But my reasoning did not make it right.
Samson wanted a wife. It would have been the Lord’s will to marry a woman who was under the covenant with the Lord. But, Samson said to his father, “Get her for me, for she pleases me well.” Literally it could be translated, “She is right in my eyes.” Here it is again! Everyman, including God’s own judge, is doing right in his own eyes, rather than doing what is right in God’s eyes. Part of what is confusing about it is that God uses the immoral desires of Samson to accomplish His purposes. Now that is an intriguing concept.
What an apt picture of the state of the Church in America today! How many times have I heard, “Pastor, I feel like the Lord is leading me to leave this church.” The excuses are various, “You don’t have any programs for my children.” “My gifts are not being utilized at this church.” “I am not being fed here.” “I don’t have any fellowship here.” “My needs are not being met.” The list goes on ad nausea. Yeah well, been there, done that. Sometimes I just want to puke. These are frequently examples of every man doing what is right in his own eyes. Ephesians 3:21 says, “To Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen” What kind of glory is that in the church? We are fragmented and splintered all over the place. No wonder the non-Christian world around us does not believe. There is no true love for each other. We have no loyalty to each other. We treat the body of Christ with a consumer’s mentality. I pick and choose a church like I buy groceries in the grocery store. It is all about my wants rather than the Lord’s desires.
And I am not any better. I hear the excuses and rather than having the balls to say to them, “Why don’t you build the children’s program?” “Why don’t you build a place for your gifts to be utilized?” “Why don’t you doggedly seek fellowship with others rather than waiting upon them to extend it to you?” “Why don’t you meet other people’s needs?” I just wimp out and say, “Ok, wherever the Lord wants you, that is where I want you.” Well that is true. I do want them where the Lord wants them. But more often than not, I think we/they are just doing what is right in our own eyes. Have we really waited upon and heard from the Lord? He has already spoken in several ways:

John 13:34–35 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Ephesians 4:1–3 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
1 Peter 4:8 And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.”

Does the way we move from congregation to congregation reflect this kind of loyal love to one another? As a friend of mine once told me, “I experienced greater loyalty from my old drinking buddies than I have experienced in the church.” Hmmm. . . I am afraid we have seduced ourselves with a beautiful mistress which has resulted in a stagnant church, which has a form of godliness but lacks any power. We have negated our full potential for the building of the kingdom of God.
But wait! Samson had power. Yes, but only because God will take even our own carnality and bring good out of it in order to accomplish His greater purpose. I do not think that God’s greatest desire was the way Samson accomplished it. He simply guided even Samson’s sin to accomplish deliverance for Israel. What would happen if we could all somehow quit doing what is right in our own eyes and do only what is right in God’s eyes? What glory He would receive in His church! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PSALM 30
“You hid Your face and I was troubled.” Everything else can be going fine, but if I can’t see His glory, what is the use? Every once-in-a-while I get in a funk. It seems that I just can’t see Him. It is indeed troubling. Why does that happen? Why does He hide His face? I suppose there are a variety of contributing factors. Sin of course is an obvious reason. If I regard iniquity in my heart, he does not hear me. I would suppose that he also hides His face at those times. Sometimes I think He does it to make me desire Him more. Sometimes I think He does it to test me and show me my heart. Sometimes I think He does it to strengthen my resolve. Sometimes I think He does it to teach me to seek His face and not His hands (blessings). Whatever the reason, it is always troubling.
His anger over my sin remains only as long as I hold on to the sin. So there is weeping until I finally let go. He once again reveals His face and there is joy again. His anger is but for a moment, but His favor is for a lifetime. Last night in Families in the Word we emphasized, “Truth lasts forever, but lies last only a moment.” That is an interesting comparison. His anger over my lies lasts only a moment (or until there has been true repentance). His glory is seen when I turn from my lies to His truth. When I walk in His truth, His glory is seen. The truth is this: He has not withheld His only Son, so that I might walk with Him. He smiles on that. I enjoy basking in the warmth of His smile. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

LAMENTATIONS 4
Now that is repulsive! Who would have thought that the people would have been so reduced to the point that they would do what is described here.

9Those slain by the sword are better off Than those who die of hunger; For these pine away, Stricken for lack of the fruits of the field. 10The hands of the compassionate women Have cooked their own children; They became food for them In the destruction of the daughter of my people.

Yet history is replete with examples of cannibalism. The degradation of man is deep indeed when we turn away from the Almighty. It is indeed right that He should be furious against such degradation! God does this to show us the possible depths of the blackness of our hearts, and He is wrathful against it.
Yet we also see a ray of hope in this passage. The last verse of the chapter says, “The punishment of your iniquity is accomplished, O daughter of Zion; He will no longer send you into captivity.” There is an end to the discipline. God will bring something good out of it. Mercy will triumph over judgment. That is the message of the cross. Mercy will triumph over judgment. But simply put, mercy is only received when we join Him on the cross. Now that is repulsive, yet beautiful. How deep is the sin of man? Look at the cross! How much does God hate sin? Look at the cross! What will God do to remove and punish sin? He will kill it. Look at the cross! What will God do to bring in righteousness? He will bring Jesus back from the dead victorious over sin and death!!! Though our sin be so scandalous as to reach to the depth of cannibalism of our own children, through the cross He judges it. Through the resurrection He is able to raise us to righteous living. Now that is glory. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

ROMANS 3
The law makes the Lord Jesus even more glorious. The Law shows us the depth of our sin. Without the Law we would be unaware of the depravity of our sin. We wouldn’t know that we were unrighteous before a Righteous God. When we look at the Law, we realize that we could never live up to the standard of righteousness that it demands. It teaches us of our inability to satisfy the Law’s demands—no one can do it.
But Jesus give us His righteousness. He can do that justly because 1) he completely fulfills the righteous demands of the law and 2) He took upon Himself the penalty of the law that was due toward us. What grace He loves to lavish upon us! He demonstrates that the law was good and so is He! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

July 30

JUDGES 13
The children of Israel again “did evil.” This is the seventh and last time these two words are used together in the book of Judges. Each time the words are used, they restore peace. The cycles are representative of us. We stray from the Lord. He brings us discipline. We repent. He delivers. We seem to do it over and over again. The judges are in a small degree are representative of the Lord Jesus. He is the Great Judge. He is the Great Deliverer. Only He has none of the faults that these other judges had. Notice that through the cycles of the judges, each successive judge seems to have more faults than the previous judge. Each of the periods of peace brought about by the judge is successively shorter than the previous judge.
The Angel of the Lord appears three times in the Book of Judges. This last time He appears to the mother and then father of Samson. Gabriel appeared to Mary and then to Joseph. Jesus was called a Nazarene, but He was not a Nazarite. A Nazarene was someone from Nazareth, not to be confused with a Nazarite. Samson was to be a Nazirite. A Nazirite was to abstain from any grape products. He was to never cut his hair. And he was to never touch a dead or unclean thing or person. Unlike Samson, who lived according to his fleshly passions leading him to break each of the three Nazarite vows, Jesus kept His vows. He came to do the will of the Father. He pursued that will to the point of death on the cross. Like Samson, the Spirit of the Lord was upon Him to deliver His people. In His death and resurrection, we are delivered and have peace with God. Lord, let me walk in Your peace and in Your victory. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PSALM 29
Constant streaking, crackling, thundering, flashing, lightning, pulsating, rumbling filled the sky from one horizon to the other. Occasionally the strikes were so close that the sound and light were simultaneous and deafening. The display lasted for about 30 minutes. It was the early fall of 1994, and I have never been so awed by a thunderstorm in my life. Oklahoma is famous for its violent weather, and this had to have been the most awesome barrage that I have ever experienced. It illumined the sky in a fireworks display that is unequalled by man.
Such displays overwhelmingly speak to me about the judgment of God. “The God of glory thunders!” My personal theology leads me to believe that before the flood of Noah, certainly before the fall of Adam, such displays did not exist in our environment in a destructive form. They are the result of the curse of the fall and the radical change in the earth’s land masses and atmosphere stemming from Noah’s flood. Electrical storms are a constant reminder of God’s hatred of sin and His sovereignty over the earth. His rainbow is His promise of peace.
David was a widely traveled man for his generation. He spent 10 years on the run from Saul. His travels took him from far south in the Negev to the northern limits of the promised land. Apparently from this Psalm, he had been as far north as Lebanon and Mt. Hermon (Sirion). He was a friend of Hiram, the King of Tyre, who helped David with cedar to build a palace. Early in David’s life the Philistines were the major power in the promised land. Philistines were a sea-going people. Consequently, their gods included sea gods sometimes depicted as part fish. So when David says that the voice of the Lord is over many waters, he is declaring in poetic fashion that the Lord is greater than the gods of the Philistines. The Lord controlled the great flood of Noah; He certainly controls the waters of the Philistine gods, and He certainly controls the elements of the gods around me. But He is not limited to just the sea-gods. He also is sovereign over the mountain forests. This glorious God of ours is sovereign over all things! His power makes the best lightning displays of Oklahoma seem like a mere ripple of 1.5 volt direct current. Whoopee.
Just His voice is full of power and majesty. When Jesus was in the boat in the middle of the storm in the Sea of Galilee, His voice spoken firmly and once, “Peace, be still,” caused the wind and the waves to be still. I have no doubt that His voice not only calmed the sea, but it also caused the storm. Why? Because He wanted His disciples to know His voice was over many waters. He wanted His disciples to know that He is God. No wonder they said to themselves, “Who is this that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” His voice speaks storms into my life and speaks peace into my life. Now that is glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

LAMENTATIONS 3
“This is a sinking ship, and as long as you are pastor, we are going down.” “Either Pastor John goes, or I go.” “You are a hireling.” “You are probably demon possessed.” “You are lying and putting a spin on this whole situation.” “You are suicidal.” These were the approximate words spoken to me at different times by men who were supposed to be my supporters. They were words spoken by men who hit verbally and then ran, definitely not truth spoken in love, nor in an attempt to bring healing. They then left the church and took a third of the church with them, and left me reeling in the emotional pain. It was as if the church was flaming around me.
Jeremiah watched the destruction of Jerusalem. He had faithfully warned the people to submit to the king of Babylon. He loved His city, even if they imprisoned and beat him. He remained with them. Now he is forced to watch the result of their rebellion. The Babylonian army is systematically tearing down the walls of Jerusalem and setting fire to the temple, public buildings and houses. Jeremiah sits outside watching and lamenting.
While he watches, he is reminded both of the evil the people of Jerusalem have done to him and of the fact that he was commanded by the Lord to speak the words which caused them to hate him. He associates the pain inflicted by the people with the Lord. As he cries over his beloved city, he sees its destruction as from the hand of God. But then in the midst of the pain, God gives him a taste of His lovingkindness. In the midst of the flavor burst of that spiritual mouthful, he blurts these famous words:

22Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. 23They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. 24“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!” 25The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him. 26It is good that one should hope and wait quietly For the salvation of the LORD. 27It is good for a man to bear The yoke in his youth.

Imagine that! When his world is flaming around him, he declares the faithfulness of God, his hope in Him, and that the Lord’s loving-kindnesses are new every morning. Wait a minute! Am I missing something here? Total destruction of life as he knows it and Jeremiah declares the faithfulness of God? I thought faithfulness would have diverted the destruction of the city. I thought lovingkindness would have forced the invading army back to their home without the loss of life. I thought lovingkindness would have made life comfortable not miserable. I began with an illustration from my own life. I’ve been through a few awful experiences where life seemed to be unraveling, SIDS death, little sister-in-law’s unexpected death, parental, sibling death etc., but the one I shared was devastating because it struck at who I was. I was being told that in the opinion of people, whom I had respected, that I was worthless. That Sunday during worship when my world was flaming around me, two thirds of the church was now gone, I chose to worship God with all my soul, heart, mind and strength. In the midst of the flames God spoke clearly to me. He assured me of His love. He assured me of my worth in His sight. He let me sense His presence and experience the warmth of His compassions. It was incredible! I would go through the same flames again to experience the same warmth! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

ROMANS 2
We all, whether Jew or Greek, are guilty before God. One day God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to the Gospel. I can hide those things about which I am ashamed from people. We all have them. Dirty little secrets about something we are or did long ago or maybe even just yesterday. They bring shame to us and we try to hide them. Oftentimes that shame leads in to even more shameful behavior. One day God will reveal them all by Jesus Christ.
How will He reveal them and judge them? The answer to that question is an indication of His glory. How will he reveal our secrets? He is God. He knows all things. He is able. Isn’t that amazing? This God-man knows everything about me. How will He judge everything He knows? He will judge it according to the Gospel. So many people envision that He will judge by putting all our works and secrets, good and bad in a scale the good on one side and the bad on the other side. But what kind of glory would that be for Him? It just reduces Him to a technician who properly operates a scale. Furthermore it is not even remotely related to the Gospel. It is the Gospel that Paul is revealing here in Romans.
It is the Gospel that brings Him glory. What is the Gospel? He died to pay the penalty for our sin. He rose to set us free from the power of sin. We must trust Him to receive the benefits of His death and resurrection. When He judges the secrets of our hearts it will be according to whether or not we have trusted in Him. If we have, then when He judges the secrets of our hearts, what will be revealed? His death and resurrection is what will be revealed. Then He will say to us, “You are perfect without spot and blemish. Enter into my joy.” If we have not trusted in Him, and he reveals the secrets of our hearts, what will be revealed? Our sin is what will be revealed. Then He will say, “Depart from me you worker of iniquity, I never knew you.”
He is not just a technician manipulating a scale. He is the King of kings who gave Himself for us. He is the Lord of lords who removes our sin by His self-sacrifice. There is nothing that could give Him greater glory than judging those innocent who trust Him and guilty those who do not. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

July 29

JUDGES 12
God has over and over again been gracious to countries, including ours. Part of the definition of grace is that it is undeserved. The Lord used Jephthah to deliver Israel in spite of the way he lived his life or how he led the people. One would have expected the Ephraimites and Jephthah to have cooperated. Yet the Ephraimites were jealous and attacked. Jephthah retaliated. He was ruthless. When he had the upper hand and had subdued and scattered their army, he took the fords of Jordan and destroyed all Ephraimites seeking to return home. I am obviously not God, but I think I am correct in stating that genocide of the Ephraimite army was a bit excessive. But again, Jephthah was doing what was right in his own eyes. Why didn’t God rebuke or stop him? Ibzan had 30 sons and 30 daughters. Abdon had 40 sons. Obviously, they do not square with the New Testament teaching of elders being the husband of one wife. Why didn’t God say something? It is the glory of God to use imperfect people to accomplish His plan. Jephthah and his followers were imperfect. Yet God still used them. That is grace.
The American Church today is a very pragmatic church. We usually do what is right in our own eyes. God still uses us. Sometimes it is the work of God. Sometimes it is the product of a well oiled machine. If it is the product of a well oiled machine, is that a work of God? If it is not a work of God, why does God allow it? Why doesn’t he rebuke us? Hmmmm. . . . maybe it is mercy. Maybe it is grace. Lord save me from doing what is right in my own eyes. Let me do only what is right in the light of your glory. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PSALM 28
“Save Your people, And bless Your inheritance; Shepherd them also, And bear them up forever.” A Shepherd wants only what is best for his sheep. Why? Because ultimately what is best for his sheep, is best for the shepherd. The sheep has nothing to fear from the Shepherd, if it obeys. It has only good to receive from its shepherd. What ill is allowed by the shepherd is to increase the shepherd’s glory. I have nothing to fear from Him as long as I obey. He wants only the best for me. Not for His sake, but because that is simply the way He is.
In God’s green pastures feeding by His cool waters lie,
Soft in the evening walk my Lord and I.
All the sheep of His pasture fare so wonderfully fine.
His sheep am I.
As His sheep, he does not render to me as I deserve according to my works. Otherwise I would be in the butcher shop, dead meat (is there any other kind?). As His sheep, He builds me up. Some times to build up, one must first tear down. He is my shield. He protects me. The only ill He permits in my life is that which will allow me to bring greater glory to Him. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

LAMENTATIONS 2
In January of 1995 I moved from a suburb of Oklahoma City to North Carolina. In April of 1995 Timothy McVeigh and his accomplice left a rental truck filled with fertilizer in front of the Murrah building in Oklahoma City. When it exploded, it shook the nation. As I watched the destruction on the news and the internet, I was absolutely aghast. I knew one person whose office was located in the building. As far as I know, his body was never found. My mind immediately landed in Lamentations. “Young and old lie on the ground in the streets.” Jeremiah was familiar with such devastation inflicted by humans against humans. In what way does destruction and death reveal the glory of the Lord?
Jeremiah lays the blame for the destruction of Jerusalem at the feet of the Lord. He does not blame the Babylonians. Time and again he charges the Lord with the authorization of the destruction of His people. But in the midst of the charge against Him, Jeremiah introduces a rationale for the Lord’s judgment. Speaking to Israel the Lord says, “Your prophets have seen for you false and deceptive visions; they have not uncovered your iniquity, to bring back your captives, but have envisioned for you false prophecies and delusions.” One of the roles of a prophet is to act as a prosecuting attorney on behalf of the Lord. He is to denounce the sin of the people so that they may repent and return to the Lord. Jeremiah had spoken clearly in that role, but the leaders and people would have nothing to do with it. Instead they listened to false prophets who proclaimed a message they wanted to hear. It is the glory of the Lord to warn a people of their sin and to judge them if they do not repent. It is the glory of the Lord to warn a people of their sin and to grant them mercy if they repent.
Was there a particular sin of which Oklahoman’s needed to repent when the Lord permitted the OKC bombing? Maybe, maybe not. But more importantly, when events like these happen, we need to come to the Lord and ask, “Lord, how are you speaking to us through this event?” What about the USA right now? Our economic system seems to be on the brink of economic disaster, and our congress cannot agree on how to address it. Is this a time when perhaps we should be corporately calling out to the Lord and asking, “Lord, how are you speaking to us through these events?” Our churches in America are dying. Every year we close more churches in the USA than we open. There is not a single county in the USA where percentage of church attendees in the county is on the increase. Yes there are churches that are growing, but the statistics would seem to indicate that overall, the shift is just from one church to another. Is it not a time when we should begin asking, “Lord, how are you speaking to us through these events.”
The Lord will glorify Himself in one of two ways. He will glorify Himself in His great justice. He will glorify Himself in His great mercy. In His glory, He lets us choose which one in which we will participate! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

ROMANS 1
First and foremost in Paul's mind is Jesus Christ. How does he describe Him? Two ways:

1. born of the seed of David according to the flesh
2. and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.

There we see it, the perfect balance of His natures. He is both perfect man and God! He is of the seed of David, that is, a direct descendant of King David. What is the standard by which we measure His being a descendant? It is the standard of flesh. He is man. There is no mistaking it. His genealogy could be traced directly from King David to both sets of Parents. But He is more than mere man. He is God. He did not become God but rather already was God when He added the nature of man to His person when He was conceived. But how would we know that He was more than mere man?
After all, He looked, smelled, felt, tasted and sounded like a man. He had all the proper organs and functions of a man. He was born like a man. He grew up like a man. If you told me that you were God before you were born and had added the nature of a man to your Person so that you could give your life a ransom for many, I would think one of three things: 1) You were trying desperately to be funny. 2) You were lying and really did not expect me to believe you. 3) You were insane. How would we know you were God? God would have to declare it. How did God declare that Jesus was God? Perhaps the angels at His birth would be a clue. Maybe the voice and the dove from heaven at His baptism was an indication. Or could it be on the Mount of Transfiguration when His clothes shone with light and Moses and Elijah appeared and the voice once again spoke. Or could it have been on the day of His triumphal entry when Jesus said, "Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.” Yet, Paul chose none of these occasions. Paul says Jesus was declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection. The standard for being measured a man is flesh. The standard for being measured as God is Holiness. Jesus met the standard. How do we know? His resurrection.
If Jesus had simply died and done nothing more, then all the other communications would have been meaningless. Why? Because He would have simply died the death of a mere man. The purpose of His death was to give His life a ransom for many. To pay the ransom He had to pay it in full. If He was mere man then He could only pay the eternal death for one man, because He was only one man. But if He were also eternal God, as a man, He could pay the eternal death for all men because He is eternal. He could then be raised back to life because the debt was paid! His resurrection declares to us that He is eternal God. He paid the debt of sin. He is separate from the rest of us. He is different. He is Holy. He is powerful enough to raise Himself from the dead, and because He raised Himself from the dead, He can raise you and me!
I don't care what bondage I am in. I don't care what bondage you are in. He has the power to raise us up according to the Spirit of holiness! I don't care what my circumstances are; He is greater than my circumstances! Look at what Paul says that His power is. The Gospel of Christ is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes. His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead. When I look at the things that are made and try to consider the power that produced it and consider that the pre-incarnate Jesus spoke those things into existence, then I am awed by such power. But when I consider further still that the power of the resurrection power, which makes me holy, is even greater still, I am overwhelmed. Oh He is glorious! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

July 28

JUDGES 11
Have you ever stopped to consider the importance of a vow before the Lord? Vows are extremely important to the Lord. But does he expect us to keep a rash vow? Vows are a reflection of our character. They reflect faithfulness and truth. If we do not keep vows then it reflects upon how faithful and true we are. But what if we make a vow without understanding its implications? Does God expect us to keep it then? What if that vow, made without understanding its implications, would lead us, if we fulfilled it, to do something that is morally reprehensible? Is there a line where it is not morally reprehensible enough such that we do it anyway? When have we crossed that line? Why does the Lord care? He cares because He is faithful and true. He cares because He created us to reflect what He is like. Would He want us to do something morally reprehensible in order to carry out a vow made when we did not understand its implications?
Jephthah made a vow to sacrifice the first thing that he saw coming out of his house when he returned from battle if the Lord would make him victorious. The Lord made him victorious. His daughter was the first thing that he saw coming out of his house. Would the Lord expect such a morally reprehensible act to be carried out? Yet the Scripture remains silent on whether or not God wanted Jephthah’s daughter to be sacrificed. Or does it? Twice in the book it is recorded, “In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” In Deuteronomy 12:8, Moses warns the people to not do what was right in their own eyes. Proverbs 12:15 says that the way of a fool is right in his own eyes. Did God want Jephthah to sacrifice his own daughter or give her over to permanent virginity? (Both interpretations are set forth.) I don’t think God wanted or demanded either option. So to argue which option that He wanted is rather pointless.
So what did God want? Here is a prime example of a man doing what was right in his own eyes instead of looking at the glory of the Lord. Yes, God wants us to keep our vows. It keeps us reflecting His justice, faithfulness and truth. But there come times when He wants us to reflect mercy and grace. Had Jephthah brought His dilemma to the Lord, I believe that the Lord would have given him an option that would have reflected justice, faithfulness, truth, mercy and grace all at the same time. After all, is that not what He has done for us in the Lord Jesus Christ? Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PSALM 27
I have never experienced warfare. I am part of that generation that watched Vietnam on the nightly news. Every night they would give a body count of US, Vietnamese and Viet Cong. While the Vietnamese counts were almost always a couple of times higher than the US and the Viet Cong were almost always multiple times higher than the US, it was still wearing upon the soul to hear the nightly counts that went on for years. Occasionally the news would bring footage of battle that occurred recently. I have listened to the stories from my son, who spent 15 months in Iraq and lost many friends and acquaintances. I have read the histories of the Civil War, in which the nation lost more soldiers than all the other wars combined. My great grandfather fought at Cold Harbor which one general called, “Not war but murder.” I think about the ancient wars in which it was not uncommon for 50-80,000 soldiers to die in one battle. I think about David, who led his men into battles all through his life. He said, “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? 2 When the wicked came against me to eat up my flesh, My enemies and foes, They stumbled and fell. 3 Though an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; Though war may rise against me, In this I will be confident.” How can any man not fear and be confident when surrounded by the enemy?
The answer can only be, “Either he is not in touch with reality, or he is filled with blood lust, or he really knows what it means for the LORD to be his light and salvation.” When I know that the LORD is my light and salvation, I can smile at my enemy and say, “I know something you do not know. I am not left handed.” (That’s for you Princess Bride aficionados.) Yes, I can say, “I know something you do not know. I am not alone. The God of all creation is with me.” Why should I ever be afraid?
We are in a spiritual war. The casualties are all around us. The enemy seeks to eat our flesh. He is destroying our families, our children, our friends and our enemies. He wins when we cease to keep our eyes on our light and salvation. He wins when we focus on periods of calm in between the battles. He wins when we set our swords (the Word of God) and shields (our faith) down to enjoy the calm. His ambushes are always unique. But our LORD ever remains our light. In His light we can identify the ambushes of the darkness. In His light we can forge forward in confidence. In His light we can gaze upon His beauty. He is our salvation. We need nothing else. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

LAMENTATIONS 1
I never was a good athlete. I enjoyed trying though. On my 9th grade football team, I was the 3rd string (last string) linebacker and offensive right guard. One game we were behind several touchdowns at halftime. The coach was extremely angry with the first string’s performance, and he let us know it at half-time. By the end of the third quarter he was so frustrated with the performance of the first and second strings that he put the 3rd string in for the remainder of the game. I got to play the whole quarter, which was a lot of fun. Had the game only counted the 4th quarter for scoring, we would have won, 7-0, but all that proved was that our last string played better than their last string.
When we came to practice the next day, we found that the last string had been promoted to first string. The first string had to earn their spots back. Not only that, but the practices the next two days were filled with grueling conditioning drills that let us know that the coach was really angry with us. We did what we called grass drills for 15 minutes to begin practice. He then had us doing grass drills off and on again for the rest of the practice and ended the practice with more grass drills. It was agonizing. Why should the 3rd string have to endure the wrath of the coach when we had out played our opponents during our part of the game? We were a team.
Why should Jeremiah and whatever few righteous people who were left in Jerusalem have to endure the wrath of God? They were one people. Sometimes we are in distress; our soul is troubled; our heart is overturned within us. Outside the sword bereaves and home is like death. Sometimes it happens to us, not because what we have individually done, but because we are identified with a certain people and that people has rebelled and is experiencing the wrath of God as a people. Any good coach disciplines the whole team for the good of the team. There comes a point when he must do what he must, especially if he wants to receive the glory of a well-disciplined team. God wants His people to glorify Him. He will do whatever it takes to change them so that they will love Him and glorify Him, including destroying their national identity. After all, it is His glory that is at stake. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

ACTS 28
This is church planting at its most amazing. And it is so because Jesus designed it from beginning to end. He didn't stop the storm! I wonder if Paul asked him to stop it. He wrecked the ship! He did warn Paul that everything would be all right. He allowed a deadly viper to bite Paul! He prevented the bite from harming Paul. The father of the magistrate of the island lay sick and had dysentery. In those days people frequently died with dysentery. Paul prayed for him, and the Lord raised him up. Do you think anyone on the Island believed? I am sure that Paul left a young church behind.
Paul was delivered over to the captain of the guard. This is probably Afranius Burrus, who judged the cases for Nero. For two years Paul was under house arrest. Soldiers of the Praetorian Guard (the personal troops of Caesar) watched him constantly. He had a constant captive audience. Do you think Paul witnessed to them? I am sure he did. Do you think any of them gave their lives to Christ? I am sure a few did. The letter of Philippians was probably written from Rome. Philippi was a Roman colony in Macedonia. Listen to what Paul tells them in 1:12-14 (the word palace refers to the Praetorian):

But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ; and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

The leaders of the Jews came to him. He proclaimed Jesus to them. Some believed; others rejected the message. Paul concludes with quoting Isaiah on the obstinacies of His people and saying, "Therefore let it be known to you that the salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will hear it!" We began the book of Acts with Jesus telling His disciples that they would be witnesses to the ends of the earth. They were near a city on the outer reaches of the Roman Empire. Outside of a 200 mile radius, almost nobody had ever heard of Jesus. Less than the 30 years later, the Gospel has traveled to the very heart of the empire to Rome itself and is becoming embedded in Caesar's own guard. Tens of thousands, if not hundreds, have embraced Christ. The Gospel is spreading like wildfire! Why? Because His disciples are filled with His Holy Spirit and they speak the glories of Christ! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

July 27

JUDGES 10
We are so fickle. We as people are constantly turning to other gods to meet our desires or needs. The Lord is a forgiving God, but there comes a time when He says, “No more. I will no longer forgive.” There is a line that is drawn somewhere. We cannot cross that line. If there were not a line, He would not be glorious. But there is a line, and we must be careful not to cross it or crowd it. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PSALM 26
What makes me pure in His sight? How could I ever ask Him to judge me? I could make noise like David has made here about having walked in integrity. Comparing myself to other men, I might be able to make a pretty good case for being a man of integrity. But the problem is that the standard is not other men; it is God’s own character. David implores God to not gather his soul with bloody men. Yet God Himself would not allow David to build the temple because, as God put it, “You have shed much blood and have made great wars; you shall not build a house for My name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in My sight.” How could David have the gall to say to God, “Vindicate me, O LORD, For I have walked in my integrity.” Even if this was written before he sinned with Bathsheba and murdered her husband, he was still responsible for the death of thousands of men and had multiple wives. How can he ever claim to walk in integrity?
His loving kindness is always surrounding me. Because of that, I will go about (walk in circles around) His altar. The altar is where sacrifices for sin were made. David was a man of integrity in one respect. He knew that the only way to have his sin covered was at the altar. He knew God was full of loving kindness as well as full of justice. He knew that he could meet God at the altar and be cleansed. Today I can rejoice in the loving kindness of the Lord. I constantly dwell at His altar, the cross of Jesus Christ. There I find and experience His loving kindness. There my sin is washed away and not just covered! There I am empowered to go and sin no more! I come to the cross for one purpose, to die with Him. When I die with Him, I am raised with Him. What loving kindness! What love! What glory! Lord help me to die with You for Your loving kindness surrounds me there and raises me to new life! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

JEREMIAH 52
Why does Jeremiah revisit the destruction of Jerusalem for the final chapter of his book? Why does he spend time mentioning the bronze sea, bulls, pillars and capitals that were broken up and carried away? Why does he mention the utensils of gold and bronze that were carried away? Why does he not mention any of the inner furniture of the temple, particularly the Ark of the Covenant and the Mercy Seat? Why does he not mention the destruction of the bronze altar? Why are these things so important?
Maybe the bronze altar was not mentioned because it had been replaced by Ahaz with a model of a pagan altar and then that altar was replaced with altars for Baal by Manasseh. Josiah destroyed the pagan altars. No mention is made of the remaking of an altar of bronze. The bronze furniture that Solomon made, the altar and the sea were types of judgment. The pillars marked the entrance into the holy place. The whole original typology was that entrance into the presence of a holy God is only accomplished through judgment where our sin punished. The Sea in particular signified the washing away of sin before entering His presence. The gold lampstand, table of presence, altar of incense, Ark of the Covenant and mercy seat (none of which are mentioned) all speak of the presence of God and communion with Him. The thrust of Jeremiah’s ministry was to call the people to repentance so that they might escape the judgment of God. They did not repent. Thus, judgment was carried out. The record of the breaking up of the bronze furniture signifies the accomplishment of judgment. No mention of the interior furniture implies that the path to the presence of and communion with God is temporarily closed. Jeremiah’s ministry is finished. He proclaimed the judgment of God. Yes, he introduced us to the New Covenant, but the New Covenant would not be inaugurated for 620 years.
Jeremiah closes with this final look at the judgment upon Judah for their forsaking the Lord. In less than 23 years following the death of one Judah’s most righteous kings, Josiah, the nation is judged and broken and hauled off to Babylon. How do we see the glory of God in this? He is indeed a God of judgment. The wicked do not go un-judged. Isaiah put it well, “Call out to her! Her warfare is ended! Her iniquity is removed! For she has received of the Lord, double for her sin! . . . Comfort my people!” There is a promise of mercy in the New Covenant. I consider myself to be dead with Him on the cross. Judgment has taken place. I have been raised with Him to walk in newness of life and His righteousness. Instead of having my eyes put out and my sons killed and being placed in chains of bondage, I have His spiritual sight. I have life! I have freedom because of Him! I will cling to this glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
P.S. What happened to the Ark? My seminary prof’s personal opinion was that it was melted down by Nebuchadnezzar. The Ethiopian Coptic church claims that Solomon gave it to their queen, so it was never present when the walls of Jerusalem were breeched. There are a few Rabbinical traditions that it was hidden by Jeremiah in the closing hours of Jerusalem’s life before the breeching of the walls. Some suggest that it is hidden in the Labyrinth of tunnels and cisterns underneath the temple mount. Some suggest other locations.

ACTS 27:27-44
Wow, 276 persons on this ship! That is a big ship. The soldiers' (plural) plan was to kill the prisoners, but the centurion prevented them. Do you suppose the whole unit was going home--all 100? FF Bruce suggests that Julius was a centurion assigned to oversee the shipping of grain to troops. That would explain the ship going from Alexandria to Rome and all of the presence of the grain. The details are not certain, but this is certain: 276 persons go down with the ship, and not one lost his life as the Lord promised. Now there is glory in that! The Lord took them through the shipwreck. He will take us through our storms as well. And if we permit Him, He will show His glory in the process. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

July 26

JUDGES 9
Sometimes we look around and see all the evil and ask, “Why does God allow the evil to continue?” Judges is a prime example. Why did God allow the evil of the Israelites? Why did God allow Gideon to have multiple wives and children? Why did God allow Abimelech to kill 69 brothers? Why did God allow Abimelech to kill thousands of people of Shechem? Why? Why? Why? The answer is simple, if not too satisfying. God allowed it in order to demonstrate to us that evil eventually turns upon itself. Love builds up. Evil destroys. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PSALM 25
Hurry up and wait. All morning long I had been hurrying to get things done on time, but now I was waiting in the backyard driveway behind the privet hedge of my any-moment-to-be in-laws. The Wedding ceremony was supposed to have started 15 minutes earlier. I was waiting and would wait a little longer. But it was okay. I knew that she would eventually come out. It was a beautiful June day; I was enjoying the weather and the anticipation of the event. Finally, someone came out of the house to tell me what was going on. Laura’s wedding dress was homemade, and unfortunately things just didn’t get finished. They were literally sewing her up in her wedding dress. Eventually the ceremony began and my beautiful bride came around the corner escorted by her Dad. She was and always has been worth the wait.
The Psalmist uses the term ‘wait’ three times in this Psalm, verses 3,5 & 21. According to TWOT this root means to look for with eager expectation. The first thing that the Psalmist tells us about waiting is that those who wait will never be ashamed. As I waited for Laura, I was looking with eager expectation. I certainly was not and never have been ashamed. But the context of the wedding and the Psalm are completely different. The context of the Psalm is that he is surrounded by enemies who were seeking his demise. The context of a wedding is that I was surrounded by friends and family who were seeking to celebrate with me. His plea is that in his waiting, nothing would be accomplished by his enemies that would cause him shame. I think it might be easier to look with eager expectation for a beautiful bride to come around the corner than for deliverance from a host of enemies. But that is why he asks for no shame as he waits. He understands that God’s glory is at stake, not his. He waits on the glory of the Lord to be revealed in and through him.
David then uses the term ‘wait’ in relation to his own attitude as he looks for the changes that need to take place in his character in the presence of a holy God. As he waits, he becomes ever more aware of his own sin and the need for change in order to experience the presence of the Lord. What if in my hurry to prepare for my wedding (getting folding chairs, setting them up in the yard, decorating, placing other furniture etc.), I had forgotten to put on my tuxedo? While waiting out by the privet hedge and seeing all the finely dressed guests, I think I would have realized my shabbiness. As we wait upon the Lord, He reveals His holiness to us. That reveals our sinfulness in His light. As we see our sin in His light, we confess our sin and he is righteous and just to forgive. If we refuse to acknowledge the sin, the light goes out. We are no longer waiting. We are hiding. Finally, David uses the term ‘wait’ to sum up what he has said and done. Only in waiting in integrity can our sin be removed and we see His glory. But when we see it, oh it is worth the wait, and it always shall be! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

JEREMIAH 51
“If I only knew then what I know now, . . .” We have all said that at one time or another. In January of 1995 I moved to Oak Island, NC. We were renting a house at the time. We owned property in Oklahoma and couldn’t sell it. We did not have the 20% required down payment to buy anything in NC. Lots were selling for as little as $8,000.00. In 2005 the real estate market became very hot on Oak Island. There was not a lot to be had for less than, $250,000.00. A year later the bubble burst. People who had speculated now found their $250,000.00 lot was only worth maybe 60 or 80 thousand, if they could find a buyer. Even so, it was still ten times the value of 1995. If only. . . Life is full of, “if only.”
Nebuchadnezzar, the hammer of the whole earth, destroyed Jerusalem. He was ruthless. If only he knew. . . Yet he probably did know. Jeremiah wrote this chapter. Daniel was familiar with the writings of Jeremiah. Daniel had access to Nebuchadnezzar. I would suspect that at some point in Daniel’s interaction with Nebuchadnezzar that he told him about Jeremiah’s writings. Somehow Nebuchadnezzar’s grandson never got the memo. Twice in this chapter the Lord states that Babylon would be destroyed by the Medes.

11 Make the arrows bright!
Gather the shields!
The LORD has raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes.
For His plan is against Babylon to destroy it,
Because it is the vengeance of the LORD,
The vengeance for His temple.
28 Prepare against her the nations,
With the kings of the Medes,
Its governors and all its rulers,
All the land of his dominion.

The Lord even tells how He will destroy the city:

36 Therefore thus says the LORD: “Behold, I will plead your case and take vengeance for you. I will dry up her sea and make her springs dry.

Belshazzar, the grandson of Nebuchadnezzar, thought himself safe behind the walls. Had he read Jeremiah or Isaiah, he would not have been so over confident. The city’s massive double walls spanned both sides of the Euphrates River. Set into these walls were eight major gates. When Cyrus the Mede came against city Belshazzar was not worried. He had his walls to protect him. Cyrus was not intimidated. He had his engineers divert the Euphrates many miles upstream. During the night when the river ceased flowing, his army was able to walk in the city underneath the water gates where the river once flowed. The city was taken that night, and Babylon began to sink into oblivion. Today the once wonder of the world sits in ruins under the hot Iraqi sun.
Who can stop what God put into motion? He knows what will happen in the future because He is there right now even as he is here right now. He controls it all, yet enables us to make our own choice to trust Him. That is glory of a sort that I really cannot fathom, yet I can experience it. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

ACTS 27:1-26
A regiment or cohort was made up of 600 men. A legion had 10 regiments or cohorts. At this time Caesarea had 5 regiments stationed in Caesarea (3,000 soldiers). I wonder why this centurion (a man in charge of 100 men) was chosen for the task of taking Paul to Rome. Do you suppose his tour of duty was up? Or maybe it was just one task among many, and he was expecting to return to Caesarea after delivering Paul. Whatever the case, he treated Paul kindly. He was probably pleased and anxious to be going home.
Paul had inside information on the weather. He knew the One who controls the weather. And apparently Jesus had given Paul some kind of insight (whether natural or supernatural, the Scripture does not say at this point) into the fate of voyage. But the centurion was anxious to get home, and the helmsman and owner of the boat thought they could make it before the winter weather became too foul. The storm came and was so severe for so long that everyone on the ship had given up, "all hope that we would be saved." Jesus controls the weather. In this case, He brought bad weather to reveal His glory. He revealed his plan to Paul and Paul stood before the ship's crew and occupants and spoke the glory of Christ. They would be saved but the ship would be run aground on a certain island. Even on the way to Caesar, God had plans for Paul to preach the gospel to this crew and the inhabitants of the island.
Can we stand in the midst of the storm and speak the glory of Christ and trust that our Lord controls the storm and we will be saved? When we are on His mission, we can. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

July 25

JUDGES 8
The pursuit of the glory of God can often be bizarre. The courage Gideon exhibited in doing what God asked is absolutely amazing. He pared his army down to just 300 at God’s command, and led them to defeat an army of 120,000. God used those 300 men to confuse and confound the 120,000, so that Gideon’s enemies killed each other and began to flee. By the time the enemy army was regrouped and had ceased running, there were only 15,000 men left. The 300 were exhausted from chasing the 15,000, yet they continued to pursue. Outnumbered at last 50 to 1, they prevailed! Who should receive glory? Obviously only God could have obtained such a victory. Yes, the men were courageous, but God brought the victory. They should have been wiped out. When God gives me a promise, I should stand in it. Yes it will require courage on my part, but He will display His glory in fulfilling the promise, because it will be His doing.
Finally, I need to be careful to not let the victories go to my head. What is up with Gideon marrying many wives? What is he doing taking all that wealth? Why does he make his own ephod-something only a priest should have? His victories went to his head. He stole the glory of God and it corrupted him. He let his culture and his flesh corrupt him. I/we must be careful. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PSALM 24
I never cease to wonder at the raw beauty of the earth around me. Even in this sun burned Oklahoma summer where the drought has turned the rolling hills into a light brown death, there is a certain beauty as I view the prairies streaked with fences, dotted with cattle and hopelessly resisting drought and red cedar invasion. The drought reminds me that there is something wrong with planet earth, but the land still cries out for its Creator. I just returned from a quick visit to the east coast. What a contrast! Its moisture releases a verdant carpet across the land. The ocean roars of the beauty of its Creator. But even in its outlandish beauty, there is something that belies that something has gone wrong with the creation. The Creator is somehow missing in some way. Who can enter into His presence?
The psalmist informs us of who may enter the Creator’s presence, he who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol nor sworn deceitfully. Woops, that just eliminated the entire human race. We are imprisoned in a beautiful death capsule. We live in a world that is full of the beauty of the Creator but devoid of His manifest presence. It is almost as if we live in a gated community surrounded by bars designed to keep Him out, and we are slowly dying as only His presence is what make life worth living. Living in a world bursting with His beauty, He is not fully here. It has created a famine for Him. We languish for Him. The gates have sought to keep Him out.
It could lead one to despair if one believed that the gates would sustain His assault upon them. But while our sin would seek to bind the gates to keep out the rightful King, He created the gates to declare His presence. Jesus has come to deal a death blow to death. The Creator has come to once again open the gates for the glory of His presence. He has come to declare the eternal beauty of His name. We call and command the gates to open wide and receive their Master. You see, people are the gates. People who have rebelled and died are being transformed from sin ridden vermin to holy, clean saints! It is all done by the Creator God/Man who died and rose again in our place. As we are cleansed by His blood, we can lift up our heads and receive Him as our conquering King! As He comes, He pours new life upon our drought-sucked lives. He rips out the life impaling thorns and thistles in the remaining verdant areas of our lives. He is, after all, the King of Glory. He is coming down to dwell in our midst. Who may ascend? Those with clean hands. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

JEREMIAH 50

It is time for a different attitude in the White House. It is time for a different attitude in the Supreme Court. It is time to turn the page and write a new chapter in American history.” –Barak Obama addressing a Planned Parenthood Fund Inc. conference in 2008.

By this time Mr. Obama had aggressively supported and voted to protect live birth abortions in Illinois, his home state. Those babies were known (by the medical communities that induced their abortions) to live anywhere from a few seconds to a full 8 hours after being born. They were left to die as they struggled for air. It comes as no surprise that Obama is not calling for an investigation of Planned Parenthood in light of the recently released undercover videos. What else would one expect of a man who went to the White House with that attitude? He brought his attitude with him.
What else did Obama bring with his attitude? Unquestionably, he has pushed for a redefinition of marriage and applauded the Supreme Court’s recent decision, as if the definition from the Scripture was poor: “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh,” Gen 2:24. Then there are Obama’s words, “America is not and never will be at war with Islam.” Well, I am not necessarily for going to war, but there is more to these words than what is on the surface. He is definitely pro-Islam in his world view, which is undeniable. His past and present attachments with Islam are clear. His past involvement in Palestinian organizations is clear. Since one of the clear tenets of organizations like Hezbollah, PLO, Hamas, ISIL, Muslim brotherhood and the state of Iran etc. is the annihilation of the state of Israel, is it any surprise that not only would he enter into a nuclear agreement with Iran, which allows them to develop a nuclear bomb, but also releases billions of dollars of frozen Iranian assets to purchase and develop conventional weapons for the arming of not only Iran but also the other extremist Islamic groups and to promise help to Iran if Israel should seek to pre-empt Iran’s nuclear capability? While I don’t think our nation ever wanted to go to war with Islam, or ever wants to, there is a difference between that and arming the enemies of Israel for Israel’s destruction. Indeed there is a new attitude in the White House.
What does any of that have to do with the glory of God? God permitted the destruction, yes even called for the destruction of Israel because of her trust in her own works and treasures, of her worship of other gods and of her shedding of innocent blood (sacrificing children on pagan altars). As a result He raised up the Babylonians (the hammer of the whole earth) in order to accomplish his purpose in Israel (to wean her from the worship of other gods). I think that there are parallels to be seen between us and Israel and Babylon. The USA is not Israel nor Babylon, yet there are clear principles revealed here that are ominous in light of Israel’s and Babylon’s demise. As the destruction of Israel came because of the reasons outlined above, so also will come the demise of the USA. Additionally there are parallels to be seen in Babylon and her demise. The mystery of the relationship between the sovereignty of God and the free will of man is illustrated in Babylon:

Jeremiah 50:23 How the hammer of the whole earth has been cut apart and broken! How Babylon has become a desolation among the nations! I have laid a snare for you;

Babylon was raised up for the purpose of disciplining Israel of her trust in her works, treasures, worship of other gods and shedding of innocent blood. Babylon did the Lord’s work. God ordained it, yet Babylon chose it. However, she went beyond what was necessary. Her destruction of Israel was vicious and overboard. The result? The Lord pronounced that He would make Babylon a desolation. Indeed in 50:39–40:

39“Therefore the wild desert beasts shall dwell there with the jackals, And the ostriches shall dwell in it. It shall be inhabited no more forever, Nor shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation. 40As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah And their neighbors,” says the LORD, “So no one shall reside there, Nor son of man dwell in it.

Eventually, Jeremiah’s prophecy came true. To this day Babylon has been a place where jackals and ostriches dwelt. Saddam Hussein was making plans to restore Babylon and make it a great tourist attraction with hotels and the like, but Operation Iraqi Freedom brought an end to his plans.
So where is the glory of God in this? America (as is every nation) was raised up to display the glory of God. We can fulfill this purpose in two ways. We can become a nation of people that desperately desires the glory of the Lord shine through us in such a way that the world will see Jesus and be drawn to Him, or we can become a nation that fixates our works, our treasures our other gods and falls into shedding innocent blood. I believe our great wealth and natural resources were to have been used for that purpose. It is no accident that the greatest missionary movement of the 19th and 20th centuries found a large part of its source in the church of the USA. Our wealth was meant to be spent on bringing Jesus to the nations. Our wealth was meant to be used for the advancement of the kingdom of God. While we fulfilled it partially, 90% of our wealth (I am talking about people who attend church in USA) was spent on ourselves our own works, our own treasures. Consequently, we have fallen into the path in which ancient Israel walked, we have worshipped other gods and have sacrificed our children upon their idols. Like Israel and Babylon, we have shed much innocent blood.
In Scripture, especially Revelation, Babylon becomes a symbol for trusting in trade, wealth and economic systems rather than the Lord. Trust in these things are antithetical to trust in the Lord. So in Revelation where Jesus is shown to be sovereign Lord over the nations, there is the repeated cry, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city!” We need to remember the Lord’s statement in verse 44:

For who is like Me? Who will arraign Me? And who is that shepherd Who will withstand Me?

A friend of mine likes to say that the Lord gives nations the leaders they deserve. We deserve Mr. Obama. We have trusted in our treasures and spent them on ourselves. We have delighted in free sex, serial monogamy and even open marriage. We have slaughtered 55 million children in abortion chambers since 1973. It is the glory of the Lord to accomplish His sovereign plan and allow us our free will at the same time. We had better be sure that we are siding on the right side. We have had a new attitude in the nation since Mr. Obama took office. It is an attitude that took Israel into the hands of Babylon. It is an attitude that caused the destruction of Israel and Babylon. Unless we repent, our future does not look bright. For who is like our God who is the Judge of all the earth? None can withstand Him. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

ACTS 26
Paul didn’t mince any words with Agrippa. He stuck to the facts. He talked of how he had seen the glory of Christ on the road to Damascus. He spoke of the mission that Jesus had given him to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. He closed it with the Scriptural fact that the glory of Christ was that he suffered, died and rose again. This fact of the glory of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the light, who brings life to the dark death around us.

I serve a risen Savior. He’s in the world today.
I know that He is living, whatever men may say.
I see His hand of mercy. I hear His voice of cheer.
And just the time I need Him, He’s always near.
He lives! He lives! Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and talks with me along the narrow way!
He lives! He lives! Salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives, He lives within my heart!

Agrippa II said, "You almost persuade me to become a Christian." Why almost? The saddest statement about humans is that the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ can be eloquently and unmistakably laid out before us and we still prefer what we have over Him. We would say with Satan in Milton's Paradise Lost, "Better to rule in hell than serve in heaven."
The resurrection of Jesus Christ was foretold by the Scripture. It is the most attestable single fact of history. The power of the risen Christ continues to change lives today. It is the single most powerful force in cultural change in the world today. Why? Because it is the truth. And the truth sets people free! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

July 24

JUDGES 7
In 2007 I had the privilege of preaching in a church in Senegal. The Lord impressed upon me to preach from this passage. I had two interpreters. One translated into French and the other translated into Wolof. As I came to the portion where I spoke about the number of men in the camps, an argument broke out in the congregation with the interpreter. I wasn’t sure what was going on. A missionary who spoke French walked up behind me and said, “Apparently there is a disagreement about how to translate the numbers into Wolof.” I think that Wolof is a base five counting system while French and English are base ten. The mathematical computations were a bit complex to do in the head. So those who spoke both French & Wolof were in disagreement on the accuracy of the translation of the numbers. From that point on, I tried not to use numbers but emphasized that God wanted Gideon to reduce his army to a very small army to fight a very huge army. The point was the glory of the Lord. God does not need our help, but wants us to see Him do mighty and impossible things through us. In that way we learn how great He is.
So I need to remind myself that as the odds against me begin to wax astronomically high, God may be doing that on purpose in order to show his glory to, in and through me. Wow, that can be really scary, but what a privilege! The next time I come against incredible odds, I need to remember this and let God show His glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PSALM 23
Hands down, this is one of the most popular and widely used portions of Scripture to encourage and bring comfort to people. It is widely used to read at funerals and to read at times of extreme health problems. I have had friends who raised sheep. I have read Phillip Keller’s, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23. It is not very flattering to be called a sheep. Sheep are dumb, defenseless, dirty (3D) animals that require constant attention if the flock is to be prosperous. David knew that as a shepherd. That is why he picked shepherd as a metaphor concerning the relationship between God and himself and His people. You see the focus of the Psalm is to explain what God is like in relation to His people. The focus is God. If we are talking about how great God is in comparison to us, then it is an appropriate metaphor.
It is His greatness that feeds, waters and restores our souls. He is the One who makes me capable of living a righteous life. When I have no ability to walk righteously, He enables me. When death surrounds me or my loved ones, He is with me. His tools of correction and protection are ever with me. Even when I am surrounded by enemies, He enables me to relax and I can eat without threat of them. Sheep often have problems with parasites invading the ears. The result could drive a sheep insane with the irritation. Oil poured in the ear would drown the parasite and bring relief. His anointing oil brings healing to the irritations of life brought to me by parasites. He gives me more than enough to satisfy my thirsty life. Goodness and mercy are always following me. To top it off, I get to go live in His house when I die. What more could I ask? All of this is because of His Glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

JEREMIAH 49
The Lord takes us on a tour of the ancient enemies of Israel. First we head straight east to Ammon. Many battles have been fought there. During the time of the Judges, the Ammonites harassed the Israelites. Joab took the capital, Rabbah while David stayed at home and got into trouble with Bathsheba. Going south of the Dead Sea, we come to Edom. It is famous for its rocky heights where the inhabitants built cities that were easily defended because of their high cliffs. The most famous of these is Petra developed by the Nabateans much after Jeremiah’s time. Teman was probably about 5 miles east of Petra. The Lord then takes us north to Damascus, the capital of Syria, certainly a vicious enemy of Israel, even to this day. Then we turn southeast to Kedar and Hazor belonging to what we call Arabia. Next we move to Elam. It occupied the southern end of modern Iraq/Iran on the mouth of the Euphrates River. Today it is oil rich. It was the people living in this area that Saddam Hussein was accused of practicing genocide by using weapons of mass destruction.
Where is the glory of God in this prophecy of destruction? It illustrates a principle articulated by the Apostle Paul 650 years after Jeremiah. These nations had historically troubled Israel. Through Jeremiah God gave them warning about their troubling Israel. Paul says in 2 Thessalonians 1:6, “It is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you.” These nations will not get away with their violence toward Israel. It may take years yet, but they will receive just retribution. They are given fair warning to repent, and some are even given these promises of hope after judgment takes place:

1. Ammon- “But afterward I will bring back the captives of the people of Ammon,” says the LORD.”
2. Edom- “Leave your fatherless children, I will preserve them alive; And let your widows trust in Me.”
3. Damascus is left without a promise of hope.
4. Kedar and Hazor are left without a promise of hope.
5. Elam-it shall come to pass in the latter days: I will bring back the captives of Elam,’ says the LORD.”

So in today’s passage we see the righteousness of God as He warns the nations of impending doom but also holds out a ray of hope for restoration. That is His glory. We also see His veracity for each of these nations were indeed subdued by Nebuchadnezzar, as prophesied. That is His glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

ACTS 25
First Lysias, then Felix, then Festus, then King Agrippa, Paul is beginning to rack up a veritable “Who’s Who” of people to whom he has given his defense. Every time the only thing that surfaces is that Paul believes in a certain dead man named Jesus whom Paul asserts to be alive. In this Jesus is glorified, when the only evil that people can speak of us it that we believe in the resurrection of Jesus. What was Paul guilty of? Healing the sick, raising the dead but His greatest crime was believing in the resurrection and preaching it. May His tribe increase! Soon Paul will have opportunity to speak the glory of Christ to Caesar. Who was this Agrippa? This Agrippa was the son of Herod Agrippa I and great-grandson of Herod the Great. Herod Agrippa I was the one who persecuted the Christians in Jerusalem (Acts 12:1–23) during his reign in Judea from A.D. 41 until his death in A.D. 44. You remember the guy. God struck him with worms because he did not give God glory. Agrippa 1 died. If I were Agrippa II, I think I would give Paul a serious hearing. Guess we’ll find out tomorrow. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

July 23

JUDGES 6
Do you ever think of the Lord as having a sense of humor? I do. I think it is part of His glory. Do my dogs laugh? I am not sure. Sometimes I think they understand humor. Sometimes I wonder. Is having the ability to laugh and tell jokes part of the Divine image reflected in us? I certainly think that the Lord is having a good time of teasing with Gideon here. I mean, think about it! This is a horrible situation in which the Children of Israel and Gideon find themselves. Gideon is threshing his wheat crop by hiding it in a wine press so that no one will know that he has harvested his crop. How does the Lord address him? “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!” The irony is lost on Gideon. Sometimes when things are really bad, we need a little humor in the situation to lighten things up. Sometimes when we are really down, we don’t get the humor. Gideon sees only the problem. He ignores the mighty-man-of-valor part; although, He is ready for an argument about the part of God being with him.
Have you ever been there? I have. He has been reduced to hiding in a wine press in order thresh his wheat. Wheat is normally threshed at a place where the wind blows, like a hilltop. As the grain was tossed into the air, the wind would carry away the lighter, unwanted parts of the wheat plant. This would make it easier to separate the grain kernel from the rest. Hence, an open space was more desirable, but open spaces, especially hill tops are easily seen and observed from a distance. Winepresses on the other hand would be protected from the wind so as not to blow impurities into the freshly squeezed grape juice. A wine press would be a perfect place to hide while threshing wheat. Been there? Your circumstances reduce you to hiding. God is with me? I don’t think so.
Gideon still senses that there is something divine about his visitor. So, he prepares a sacrifice. The sacrifice is miraculously consumed in fire. Gideon now has a greater problem. He complained openly in the face of God. He knows how the Lord responded to his ancestors when they complained. He knew that he was in trouble. How does God respond? “Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die.” That is the glory of our Lord; even when we deserve death, He gives us opportunity to live. The Lord, lovingly, humorously and patiently brought Gideon to Himself. He does the same with us. 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

JEREMIAH 48
Over a week ago an undercover video was released of an interview with a Planned Parenthood official who thought she was in negotiations with someone for aborted baby body organs and tissue. It took a while for the main stream media to even take the news story seriously, but facts are facts and the video is quite damning. It is a rather shocking video and demonstrates clearly how seared our collective conscience has become. Even now, the White House has stated that the videos have been edited and twisted to change the meaning. Sounds like someone in charge doesn’t want to admit to a seared conscience.
Through the end of Jeremiah 51, Jeremiah brings prophecies of the Lord against the enemies of Israel. Now that the Lord has dealt with His people (judgment begins with the household of God. 1 Pt 4:7), He is dealing with the nations who have dealt ill with His people. Moab, descendants of Lot, had a long standing history of enmity with Israel. As early as their journey to the east side of the Jordan, the king of Moab hired Balaam to prophesy against Israel. When they couldn’t curse Israel, Balaam advised the king to get the young women of Moab to seduce the young men of Israel. The intermarriage would open the door to sharing the same gods and ultimately bring a curse upon Israel. It almost worked. Centuries of ill will existed between them. David’s grandmother, Ruth, was a converted Moabitess.
Besides their enmity with Israel, what did the Lord have against Moab? He says this, “Because you have trusted in your works and your treasures, You also shall be taken. And Chemosh shall go forth into captivity.” They trusted in their works and treasures and worshiped Chemosh. Who is Chemosh?

Chemosh (Judg. 11:24; 2 King. 23:13) was the national god of the Moabites. This deity was apparently compounded with Athtar, the Venus star, and so is thought to be a pagan god associated with the heavenly bodies. Chemosh has been identified with Baal of Peor, Baal-Zebub, Mars, and Saturn, as the star of ill-omen. Dibon (Num. 21:30), a town in Moab north of the River Arnon, was the chief seat of its worship.
Like Molech, Chemosh was worshiped by the sacrifice of children as burnt offerings, but scholars believe it is incorrect to identify Chemosh directly with Molech. Solomon sanctified Chemosh as a part of his tolerance of pagan gods (1 Kin. 11:7), but Josiah abolished its worship (2 Kin. 23:13). Human sacrifice was made to Chemosh, according to 2 Kings 3:27, which reports that Mesha, king of Moab, offered his oldest son as a burnt offering on the wall of Kir Hareseth, the ancient capital of Moab.*

Wow, sounds like the present day United States. We trust in our works and treasures, and we worship a sexual god that calls for the abortion of our children. It would be easy to rant and rave about abortion at this point, but notice what is mentioned first. They trusted in their works and treasures. What we trust in ultimately defines what we worship and what we do. Is there any hint in our churches that we worship our works and treasures? As I read books like Radical and Radical Together, both by David Platt, I am becoming more convinced that the reason that the American church is so anemic is because we trust in our works and our treasures, not the Lord’s.
Because the Lord is longsuffering, He took 800 years before the final death blow came to Moab. Why did He take so long? I believe that He was waiting for Moab to repent. He does not desire that any should perish, but He will not wait forever. How long will the Lord wait upon a church before he removes its lamp? I don’t know, but why do I even ask the question? Shouldn’t I want to forsake everything for this glorious God who gave His own Son to save us? Lord, pour your grace upon me and your church that we might forsake trusting in our own works and treasures and trust only in You! Help Lord! You are merciful, longsuffering and full of grace, but You will not strive with us forever. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
*Youngblood, Ronald F.: Bruce, F.F. (Hrsg.): Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Dictionary : An Authoritative One-Volume Reference Work on the Bible With Full Color Illustrations. electronic edition of the revised edition of Nelson's illustrated Bible dictionary. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1997, c1995

ACTS 24
Felix’s wife, Drusilla, was a Jewess. Through her, Felix must have had some kind of awareness of the standard of the Law of God. He was also a Gentile—the kind of person to whom the Lord had sent Paul. He was also the governor, a man exerting great influence in Israel. He was also crooked—looking for money from Paul to release him when he knew full well that there was not enough evidence to convict Paul. So, of what did Paul speak when he had his conversations with Felix? I think he spoke of the glory of Christ. “Wait a minute!” you say, “The Bible says they spoke of righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come.”
Do you remember what Jesus said about the Holy Spirit? He said, “When He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He . . . shall glorify Me; for He shall take of Mine, and shall disclose it to you.” (John 16:14) And a little earlier He said, “And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin, and righteousness, and judgment. Concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you no longer behold Me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.” (John 16:8-11)
What was Paul discussing with Felix?

1. Righteousness—How do we know what righteousness is? Well certainly with a Jewish wife Felix had opportunity to explore the Jewish law. But since she had married a Gentile, it is clear that there was at least one aspect of the Law to which she did not hold—marrying a Gentile. Perhaps her Jewishness was only a cultural exterior and the righteousness of the Law was not all that important to her. How was he to know what righteousness was? There was Jewish Law, there was Roman law, there were a multitude of gods, religions, philosophies to study. The Greeks are famous for their various philosophies and gods. I am convinced that Paul spoke not only out of the Jewish Law but also of the person of Jesus Christ. The standard of righteousness that Jesus presents in the Sermon on the Mount is unattainable. It was Paul who wrote of Jesus to the Corinthians, while in Ephesus, probably not more than a year before this imprisonment, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” The way we know righteousness is that the Holy Spirit convicts us of the righteousness of Christ.
2. Sin—No one likes to be convicted of sin. That is why we run from God. Sin is an indication of a lack of self-control. Everyone of us lacks self-control in at least one area of our life—some more than others. The good news of Jesus is that self-control can be obtained, when we believe, trust, in Him. Felix knew he lacked self-control and he did not want to trust in a dead man he had never met even if He was living again.
3. Judgment—Part of Felix’s job as a governor was serving as a judge. That is why he had met Paul. Paul spoke of judgment. I believe he spoke of the judgment of Christ. Jesus is the righteous judge in contrast to Felix who was looking for a bribe. Jesus is able to change lives so that self control is a possibility. Jesus has already judged Satan, the ruler of this world. All those who refuse to come under the protection of Jesus will fall under the judgment of Satan.

No wonder Felix became frightened! Paul had expounded the glories of Jesus’ righteousness, sin and judgment. Felix did not want to trust in Jesus. The clear implication was that unless he repented, he would fall under the judgment of the ruler of this world, Satan. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

July 22

JUDGES 5
In early June of 2010 I was taking a friend to a court appearance in OKC. We left in the middle of a rain storm that was to set a record for greatest amount of rainfall in a 24 hour period in OKC. Some areas of OKC received up to 12 inches in one morning. The highways were an embroiled mess with all the backups caused by flooded side streets. Thinking we would be late for court, we searched alternative routes to get to the state court room. I took an exit off of the interstate for Grand Avenue only to come over a hill and look down the slope to see a river of water flowing over the street. Out in the middle of the water was the top of car. The rest of the car was underwater. We turned around and found a different direction. We eventually made it to court-late. Judges do not put up with tardiness. We were relieved to find out that it did not matter. The judge had the same problem we had. We actually arrived before he did. It is amazing what a sudden rainstorm can do to bring traffic to a standstill.
In today’s passage we read Deborah’s poetic song concerning God’s deliverance of them in battle. It is here that we learn of the dire straits that people of Israel were in. Apparently Shamgar and Jael were contemporaries. At any rate they had one thing in common. During their times, the Canaanite kings had oppressed the non-Canaanites so much that open trade on the highways was depressed. Probably to travel could well mean the loss of ones goods as the Canaanites had the power to take what they wanted. With their iron chariots they ruled the flat lands through which the highways led. Even Israel’s relatives, the Kenites, descendants of Moses’ father-in-law, had made peace with the Canaanites. Villages in the valley had dried up. It was no longer safe to live there.
But God delivered. He made the rains come during the time of the battle. It came in such volume in both the plain and the mountains that it seemed the mountains were gushing forth water. The water immobilized the chariots of Sisera. Suddenly, the odds changed. Without the chariots, the Canaanites had no technological advantage, and the Israelites had the emotional/motivational advantage, and the leaders served willingly. Deborah sees these advantages as from the hand of the Lord in keeping with her prophecy to Barak that the Lord would deliver. Where once the horses of the chariots trampled the soldiers and people of Israel, now the Kishon River pounded and overflowed the armies of Sisera. Perhaps iron chariots were left stranded in midstream of the flash flood. Like the hooves of a horse, the river pounded the Canaanite soldiers into submission. It remained for the Israelite soldiers to only mop up, (pardon the pun). And mop up they did, not a single Canaanite soldier remained. But their leader escaped on foot. He fled to the home of the Kenites, with whom he thought he had peace. Why didn’t Heber dispatch Sisera? Why didn’t Heber receive Sisera? We are not really told, but it was his wife, Jael, who brought an end to the conflict. Like a pin to a pincushion, she nailed his head to the ground. She received the glory for the final blow to the enemy, just as Deborah had prophesied.
So, she sings, “Thus let all Your enemies perish, O LORD! But let those who love Him be like the sun when it comes out in full strength.” There is the glory of the Lord seen! It is seen when His people will hide themselves in His provision. Barak was the son of Abinoam. Abinoam means, “my father is delight.” He will use the destroying flash flood to cause His people to bask in the delight of His sunshine. That is the glory of our God! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PSALM 21
John Piper said it best years ago, “God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in Him.” That thought rings through this Psalm. Do I come to God because He gives me good things? Well, to be honest yes. I like the good things He gives me. But is that the only reason I come to Him? That is what the book of Job is all about. It is a test to see if Job would still come to God if he were stripped of everything good thing that God could give him. Job grudgingly passes the test. He declares, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.” What is it about God that we could do that? The Psalmist puts it this way, “You have made him (the king) exceedingly glad with Your presence.” If God allowed Satan to take away my house, my money, my animals, my children, my grandchildren, my health and even my wife, would I still be content with just His presence?
The few times that I have had a strong sense of the manifest presence of God have led me to trust that, “Yes His presence alone is enough.” Interestingly enough, the two times that I have felt the manifest presence of God the strongest were both times when I was under attack. They were times when the world would say, “You are not receiving the goodness of God.” Yet, I would not trade the reversal of the sense of His presence for a reversal of those adverse circumstances. He is good especially in adverse circumstance. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

JEREMIAH 47
Gaza is under attack right now (2014). Hamas had been lobbing a lot of missiles into Israel. Each time that Hamas lobbed a missile, Israel retaliated with an air strike. Finally, Israel has had enough. She is pounding the snot out of Gaza. Maybe this is one of those things that leads to the escalation of the final conflict, or it is just another round of Gaza getting the snot knocked out of her. It is interesting that as this is going on, Biblical Archeological Review has an article this month on how the dig at Ashkelon is going. Ashkelon has also been destroyed and rebuilt so many times. It is a long ancient history of destruction and rebuilding. Lest I be misunderstood, today’s destruction is not necessarily related to the prophecy of Jeremiah 47. The prophecy has been fulfilled. It is past. It continues in ruins for us to observe and learn from its destruction.
The Philistine city areas of Gaza and Ashkelon were ancient enemies of Israel. Jeremiah pronounces their just judgment for their history of defying the Lord. An eight-hundred-year history of opposition is now finally avenged. Indeed, the Lord is longsuffering. “O you, sword of the Lord, how long until you are quiet? , , , How can it be quiet seeing the Lord has given it a charge?” Clearly this passage proclaims the justice and faithfulness of the Lord. Clearly, Lord, You are longsuffering! But do not let me presume upon Your longsuffering such that I should, by my own imaginations, think that I will escape your judgments. You are faithful! I can only escape your judgments as I die with your Son upon the cross and am raised to walk in newness of life with Him! Keep me from self deception so that I may sow the crucified life and reap the life of the Spirit! O Longsuffering One, how I need Your Spirit! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

ACTS 23:16-35
Life is full of the mundane and occasionally intrigues. Certainly Paul's life was. Do you ever stop to think that the Lord sometimes controls even the intrigue going on around us? The Council leaders had plotted to kill Paul. They had already done it with Jesus, James the brother of John, and had tried it with Peter, but the Lord foiled it. Now, they are trying it with Paul. But as we saw yesterday, the Lord was not done with Paul yet. He still had an appointment to keep with Caesar. How was Paul going to get from a Jerusalem prison to Rome? And once in Rome, how would he ever get an audience with Caesar? This intrigue sets in motion a series of events the gets Paul a free boat ride to Caesar. God uses Paul's nephew to unveil the plot. Paul's sister did not come--probably because it would have been too obvious. Perhaps she did not even know about the plot. The Scripture says the commander took the boy by the hand and went aside. That tells me he was fairly young, probably not teen-aged years yet--at least, I wouldn't take a teen-aged boy by the hand. But the boy comes by himself and gives a fairly eloquent report. The Scripture calls him a young man. He must have had his bar mitzvah already. He was probably around 12. Was Paul's sister's son a believer? Or was he just looking after his family? Since Paul had been quite influential before he met Jesus, it is quite likely that his sister was married to someone of an influential rank. Perhaps her husband sat on the council, or at least still had friends or acquaintances who sat on the council. Whatever the case may be, the Lord used his enemies to get Paul a ticket to see Caesar. Not first class accommodations but, they will do. This is kind of mundane. Yet, our Lord works in it. If we look, He is working in the mundane around us. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John