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