September 30

1 Kings 2
One of the most incredible experiences which I have ever had that was related to the glory of the Lord came as a result of the privilege of being the pastor of a godly woman. I received a phone call from the hospital relaying to me that if I wanted to see her before she passed into the presence of the Lord, then I should come immediately to the hospital. Upon arrival I found the room full of loved ones. From her bed she went around the room blessing each person there encouraging each one to fulfill what God had created them for. When she was done, the nursing staff asked everyone except her husband, two adult children and myself to exit. We spent the time praying and singing hymns of praise until Jesus came to get her. As her breathing seemed to be coming to an end, we began to sense and incredible unseen presence of the glory of God. It was so strong that I literally kept looking around expecting to see some kind of physical manifestation of the Lord Jesus in the room. He was there. I could not see Him, but He was there. I could feel Him. It was simply incredible.
It was time for David to exit this life, and he knew it. In those moments, what was on his mind? Oh of course there were the items of unfinished business with Joab, Barzillai and Shemei, but what was first out of David’s mouth was this charge to Solomon, “Prove yourself a man. And keep the charge of the LORD your God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies.” David wanted Solomon to experience the glory of the Lord, not a glory produced by man, but a glory that came by walking with Him. That was the first important thing on his mind as he exited. Oh that the glory of God would rest on me in the same way, in order that others might be drawn to Him. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
The plaque above my head says, “King David’s Tomb” and lists the times when it is open. It is written in English and Hebrew. While it is debatable whether David was really ever buried there, it is interesting that the building next door is the church of the upper room commemorating where Jesus celebrated the Last Supper and where Peter preached the Pentecost sermon. In His sermon Peter says:

The patriarch David. . . is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, 31 he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. --Acts 2:29-32

Psalm 91
A lot of legends have developed around this Psalm. One is about a 91st Infantry Brigade of the U.S. Expeditionary Army in WWI. The Brigade reportedly read this Psalm together every morning during WWI, and is reported to have had no casualties. A brief check on the internet reveals to story to be bogus, in as much as there was no 91st AEF in WWI. However, there are a number of individual stories of God’s provision for soldiers who claimed this Psalm for themselves. Here is a link to one of them: http://www.cantonrep.com/newsnow/x1446674109/WW-II-Then-and-Now-Invaded-from-the-sky
Here is a an actual incident, which I know to be true. My son spent 15 months in Iraq at Taji with the 7th Cavalry, Nov., 2006-Jan., 2008. He was a Chaplain’s Assistant. Since chaplains are forbidden to use firearms, anytime they went outside the wire, the assistant became the chaplain’s body guard. My wife daily prayed for many things for my son. One of them was that the Lord would protect the seat of the Humvee in which my son would ride. On one occasion my son and the chaplain were scheduled to go outside of the wire. At the last moment, the Chaplain decided not to go. By necessity my son would not go either. So a group of four other soldiers were assigned to the Humvee. During the excursion, the Humvee, in which my son would have been riding, hit an IED. Three of the soldiers were instantly killed. The fourth, a female army journalist, who was riding in what would have been my son’s seat, was thrown from the Humvee. Her only major injury was a sprained ankle. She is reputed to have said that it was like hands came under me and set me down on the ground. Hmm. . . I don’t know the theology behind why God allowed the three other soldiers to die, but of this I am convinced, God protected that seat in which my son would have sat. In His time and at His discretion, He saves some who are in battle. It is His glory to do so.
So should I be encouraged to go into battle? Well, we have to do what we have to do, but let us be careful not to tempt God. Satan quoted verses 11 & 12 to Jesus in tempting Him to jump from the pinnacle of the temple. What was Jesus’ response? He quoted Deuteronomy 6:16, “You shall not tempt the LORD your God.” No, we never force God to show His glory, but we should be ever mindful that it is at time His desire to show us his glory by delivering us from the situation. If He chooses not to show us His glory by delivering us, His glory is revealed by our willingness to lay our lives on the line on His behalf. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

Daniel 12
Assurance of Eternal Life, Daniel had it. The man in the linen told him to, “Go your way till the end; for you shall rest, and will arise to your inheritance at the end of the days.” Of course the end of the days is what was referred to in verse 2, “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt.” His Lord is faithful. My Lord is faithful. He does what He promises. Daniel could relax, an old man full of days. Because his Lord is faithful, he could look forward to rising again as a young man. Like Daniel, I am clinging to the Lord Jesus Christ. He is faithful. What a joy to know that I may relax because of His glory. Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

Ephesians 3
Its another one of those chapters that is just overflowing with the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. The first thing I see to which Paul refers is the unsearchable riches of Christ. Would you like to have the riches of Bill Gates? To be honest, I never have pondered it too much. My quick response would be, "Oh, of course!" Yet, I submit to you that Bill Gates is a pauper, yes even a worm, compared to Jesus. It's not even as close as comparing Fort Knox to my son's piggy bank.
My grandfather bought a 60 acre farm when he retired. Then he leased some of the land that was adjacent to his 60 acres in order to increase his herd. I have many fond memories searching all over those lands exploring God's creation as a child. A decade ago I returned to show my children my playgrounds when visiting Grandma and Grandpa. It took all day to search those grounds and we still did not see all that was to be searched.
Jesus' glory is like that. Only you would have to add all the lands of the earth. Then you would have to explore everything under the water. Then you would have to explore the interior of the earth. But still you would only have barely begun. Once you thoroughly searched the earth, then you could begin with the moon, then the planets, then asteroids and comets. When our solar system was finished, you would have just finished one of billions of solar systems in our galaxy. When you finished our galaxy, you could begin one of the other billions of galaxies which each contain billions of stars. Oh did we include black holes--whatever they are--or the giant gas clouds of the galaxy.
Jesus created all things. Nothing exists that He did not create. Surely the glory of the creator is greater than the created thing. He accomplished God's eternal purpose for the creation. He accomplished it in us. He names the whole earth. To name something implies your authority over that thing. This same Christ desires to dwell in us through His Holy Spirit by faith. Forget Bill Gates' riches! He is a pauper! I want the Lord Jesus Christ! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

September 29

1 Kings 1
Adonijah’s name means “Yahweh is my Lord,” but was He lord of Adonijah? I doubt it. Adonijah is David’s fourth born. By birth order Chileab, son of Abigail, should have been next in line for king after Amnon. Both Amnon and Absalom were dead receiving death as the reward for their sin. We know nothing of Chileab. It was probably common knowledge that David had promised Bathsheba that Solomon would receive the throne. Apparently, Chileab made no overtures to obtain the throne even though he is the oldest living son, so Adonijah began to pursue the throne. Apparently, David did not rebuke or correct him. That was an indication either that David approved, or David was temporarily incompetent, or David just did not have the emotional energy to address the issue. So, Adonijah makes his move. His move indicates that he is grasping after that which does not belong to him.
Bathsheba and Nathan intervene. Solomon is anointed king. Now in most cultures of the world, the first thing that the new sovereign would do is eliminate his opposition. Solomon does not. Had Adonijah been successful in becoming king, he certainly would have eliminated Solomon. We see a small glimmer of the glory of the Lord Jesus in Solomon’s act of mercy. We stand before Him guilty of treason. We sought to usurp His throne. He says to us, “I paid the penalty for your treason. You are forgiven. Live and rule with me.” Let us prove ourselves worthy of His mercy for the glory of His grace by extending mercy to others! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

2012, Psalm 90
I did not sleep well last night. I don’t know why. I just couldn’t sleep. The last time I looked at the clock, it was around 3:00 am. I awakened naturally at around 7:00. It was a short sleep. I am 57 years old. It seems like just yesterday that I was playing little league baseball. Almost every time that I look in the mirror lately, my first thought is, “Who is that old man?” Then I realize that it is I. It was just a short time ago that I donned that baseball uniform. I am a grandfather now. How did that happen so fast? It seems only a short time ago that I brought home my first child from the hospital. Now he has three children.
Moses lived to be 120 years old. That would indeed have been a record in his day. His first 40 years were spent in comfort in Pharaoh’s household. His second 40 years must have been tedious indeed, as he took care of sheep in the desert. His last 40 years were stressful leading Israel through the wilderness. Over his last 40 years, everyone died who was above twenty years old when they left Egypt, an entire generation, or possibly two generations! Imagine that! That is over 250 funerals per day! By the time Moses died, there was not a single person in Israel who was over 60! It must have been awfully depressing for Moses. How could he possibly have kept his sanity? I think this Psalm reveals how. Moses looked steadfastly at the glory of the Lord and found in it his solace and what was needed for the people.
First He recognized the eternality of God, “From everlasting to everlasting You are God.” Then He recognizes the justice of God, “You have set our iniquities before you.” Then He recognizes the compassion of God, “Have compassion on your servants.” Finally, he recognizes that the only solution to the dreary dread of this malady is to be overwhelmed with His glory:

Let Your work appear to Your servants, And Your glory to their children. And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us, And establish the work of our hands for us; Yes, establish the work of our hands.

No human except maybe Peter, James and John should know the glory of the Lord better than Moses. Moses had the privilege of spending 40 days and nights basking in the glory of God at Mt. Sinai. Moses had the privilege of speaking with God as a man does with his friend. Based upon what Moses knew of God and what he knew of man, what does he ask of God? Let the glory and work of the Lord appear to His people. We can endure just about anything, if we can simultaneously experience his glory. His glory is just that good. Oh, Lord it has been too short (or is it too long) a time since I last saw your glory. Let your shine upon me. Let Your beauty establish the work of Your hands. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

Daniel 11
The small nuances of systematic theology often trip me up. Indeed, some of the things that people argue over are really frustrating to me. Some argue over the identity of this first visitor to Daniel. If he is the same person that put a hand on Daniel, then there is not a question to his identity. If he is not the same person, then is He the Pre-incarnate Christ? Either way, consider this the glory of this person caused Daniel to fall on his face and tremble. Does meditating on the glory of Jesus ever cause me to tremble? If not, then quite probably, I still am not getting the true picture. His unveiled glory is so great that it will cause a strong man to quake in fear. Hmmm. . .
The overall aspect that I see in this particular chapter of the glory of the Lord is the incredible accuracy of this chapter in predicting the history of Persia, Greece and the empires created as a result of Alexander the Great’s death. It is so accurate that it leads liberal scholars to conclude that the vision could not have been recorded by Daniel, but rather the prophecy was actually written by an unknown author after all the events had taken place. My opinion is that that is nonsense. After all, since God is God, He is perfectly capable of telling His servants what is going to happen in the future without any error. It simply enhances His glory. If you cannot believe it, then it simply indicates the brokenness of your heart. My Lord, is capable of guiding history without violating freewill. Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

Ephesians 2
Jesus is rich in mercy. What are the words to the hymn? "My sin, o the bliss of this glorious thought, my sin, not in part but the whole, is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more! Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul!" My sin is deep enough if that I alone were the only one for whom He died, then that would be a great mercy indeed! Yet, I am convinced that there will be billions in heaven who will say the same thing. How vast is His mercy!
Part of His mercy and grace is that He made us alive. We were dead in our trespasses and sins. Have you every wondered why God cursed dead things so that they smell really nauseating to us? A few days after hurricane Ophelia I was out in the yard picking up the debris and burning it in my lot next to me. I kept smelling a foul dead odor. Liam finally came across the carcass of a small dead animal. With my shovel I threw it in the burn pile. Within 15 minutes the dead smell was gone. There are few, if any, smells that are more disgusting than a rotting animal. I think God made that dead smell so disgusting to us so that we might understand a little bit about how disgusting we were to Him when we were dead in our trespasses and sins. But for those of us who trust Jesus, He does not throw us in the burn pile. He makes us alive again. He takes the smell away. He make us new--organs, skin, spirit, everything. He makes us alive again with Christ. It would have been so much easier for Him to throw us in the burn pile and start over. Ahhh but He is merciful!
The kindness of God is demonstrated through Jesus. He always deals with His children kindly. Remember it is the kindness of God which leads us to repentance. Sometimes that kindness is severe because our unwillingness to repent is so great. But as His workmanship He works to bring us into peace with Himself--just like disciplining a child. The best discipline has only the motive of desiring the child's best. So is Christ's kindness, work and peace with us. He indeed is the secure rock on which to build our lives. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

September 28

2 Samuel 24
I have lived through 6 censuses. The US government depends upon an accurate census for many things. If I remember correctly, the original motivation for a census was so that we would know how to apportion representatives to each state in our Republican form of government, but it has also since gained a multitude of other practical uses, not only for the government but also for businesses and even churches. My little city of Stillwater was hoping against hope that our incorporated population would exceed 50,000 people. Doing so would qualify us for a number of grants to help us improve our quality of life. We fell short. Oh well. Comparatively speaking, Stillwater has a very high quality of life anyway. I took a church planting course in seminary where we were taught to use census information for helping to determine the need for a new church and for knowing how to devise ministries which would be useful to the population in which the church is serving. I have also used it for genealogical purposes. My great-great-great-grandfather is listed in the 1800 census in Davie County, North Carolina. It is recorded that living with his family was one non-white adult, perhaps a slave?
It is not certain what the sin is in numbering the people. Matthew Henry lists at least 6 theories which have been set forth. The text simply does not say what was wrong with doing a census. This much we know:

1) God was angry with Israel.
2) God moved David to number the people.
3) 1 Chron. 21 says that Satan moved David to number the people.
4) Even the violent Joab and his captains recognized that numbering the people was sinful. 5) David’s own heart condemned him after he had done the deed.
5) The sin was severe enough that God would kill 70,000 men because of it.

Does God take the death of even one man lightly, much less 70,000? This whole event is about the glory of God. What did David do that robbed from the glory of God? What was it about this sin that made the sin corporate rather than individual? I suggest this. After all the rebellions had been put down, the nation returned to its prosperity. In their prosperity they became proud and did not trust in the Lord. I suggest that David’s desire to number the people was the epitome of the pride of the people. He wanted to know just how strong his army was. He wanted to know how strong of a king he was. After an entire lifetime of depending upon the protection of the Lord, he wanted to know how big his army was. It was a sin that reflected the sin of the people. What was the sin? The sin was a lack of dependence upon God and a glorying in what they thought was their own prosperity.
When David saw the destruction his sin had caused, his heart not only condemned him, but he took the responsibility upon himself. Gad encouraged him to erect an altar on Araunah’s threshing floor. Araunah offered it for free, but David would not take it saying, “I will not give the Lord that which cost me nothing.” When one really gets a proper view of the glory of God, they will give anything including their very lives in exchange for it. How can I give to God something of no value to me? His glory demands that I give Him my all. No matter what census I take of myself, all that I have is pathetic in value compared to His great glory. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

The Temple Mount is a large area. It houses two large mosques. This is part of the area that lies between the two mosques. Some have suggested that in this area the first temple was constructed. Of course it was constructed approximately where Araunah’s threshing floor lay. Certainly the area looks nothing like it did in David’s day, but it is fun to sit there and try to imagine all the events of the past that have taken place within a few hundred yard radius of this place beginning with Abraham.

This is the Dome of the Rock. Muslim tradition teaches that the rock which the building surrounds is the rock upon which Abraham sought to sacrifice Ishmael. It sits to the north of the previous picture

This mosque sits to the south of the first picture.


Psalm 89
We used to joke in our Theology Proper class that the final exam would consist of one problem: “Define God and give two examples.” Who is like the Lord? By definition there can be no other being like the Biblical God. There is only One uncaused being. There is only One who can hold all things together by the word of His power. There can only be One who is Almighty, for if there were another as strong as he, then he would not have power over him. He would not then be almighty.
Every time that I look at pictures of the Hubble telescope, I am struck with awe of our creator God. If you were to hold a quarter out at arm’s length to the night sky, in the area that the quarter covers, the Hubble telescope could find a thousand galaxies (not stars), and that scenario could be replicated throughout the sky. The vastness, precision and order that our Creator has created is beyond my little mind. If we would turn our telescope in and turn it into a microscope, the results would be equally amazing. It has taken vast teams of scientists untold hours of research to unfold the complexity of a simple DNA strand. Yet that DNA performs functions which we cannot explain or replicate. The Almighty is far beyond anything to which I may compare Him.
But for the sake of helping mere men understand a little of what He is like, the Psalmist ventures to offer praise to His name. Unlike pagan gods, the Lord is faithful in His mercy, which He abundantly pours out upon us. He stills the raging sea. When we encounter times in our lives when it seems that we are about to drown in the circumstances of life, when there is just no more breath to be had, He stills the sea. When foes rise up against us and destroy our jobs, our lives, our families, our marriages, He scatters our enemies. When righteousness, justice, mercy and truth seem to be devoid in our government and culture, He at long last will arise and will prevail and will restore justice, mercy and truth.
The Psalm is universally considered by Jew and Christian alike to be Messianic. It clearly celebrates the David Covenant and God’s faithfulness to that covenant. Here are the essential elements of the covenant:

29 His seed also I will make to endure forever,
And his throne as the days of heaven. . . .
33 Nevertheless My lovingkindness I will not utterly take from him,
Nor allow My faithfulness to fail.
34 My covenant I will not break,
Nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips.
35 Once I have sworn by My holiness;
I will not lie to David:
36 His seed shall endure forever,
And his throne as the sun before Me;
37 It shall be established forever like the moon,
Even like the faithful witness in the sky.” Selah

The seed (singular) of David will rule upon David’s throne. His throne will be established forever. What then are we to make of the Babylonian destruction and the Roman destruction of the nation? What happened to David’s throne? Jesus could trace His lineage to David, but after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., we can no longer trace the lineage of David. Only Jesus is qualified to fill that throne.
There is some question of who is Ethan the Ezrahite mentioned in the title. If the Ethan in 1Kings 4:1 and 1 Chronicles 15 is the same Ethan, then they indicate that he is a contemporary of David. That would place the writing of this Psalm after the time when David brought back the ark to Jerusalem, at the height of David’s rule. But the end of the Psalm seems to indicate that it was written at the time of the exile. The term “Ezrahite” is misleading. To the English speaker it would indicate that he was a follower of Ezra. But actually it means, “‘A descendant of Zerah,’ or ‘arising out of the soil.’” The Jewish Encyclopedia of 1906 says:

The name occurring in Psalms lxxxviii. and lxxxix. (in the titles); I Kings iv. 31; and I Chronicles ii. 6. In the last-mentioned passage the Authorized Version gives "son of Zerah." It is not probable that the Ezrahite of Kings, who was famed for his wisdom, was the author of a psalm of the tenor of Psalm lxxxix., which, moreover, must have been written during the Exile, when the crown of the Davidic family was, as it were, broken (Ps. lxxxix. 40). In the superscription to the preceding psalm, the Korahite Heman, also, is called "the Ezrahite"; that is, a descendant of Levi is spoken of as if he were a son of Zerah, who belonged to the tribe of Judah. The addition of "the Ezrahite" to the names of Heman and Ethan in the superscriptions to Psalms lxxxviii. and lxxxix. is due to an error.

Whether or not this name is an error is a whole other topic, outside the scope of this meditation. But this Psalm must have been written after the fall of Jerusalem, simply because that is the best way to make sense of verses 38-51. So the Psalm is a celebration by faith that the throne of David will be restored and the seed of David will sit upon it. Wow! In the darkest of circumstances, Ethan celebrates the promises of God. At a time when Israel had been faithless and it would appear that God had abandoned His covenant (and indication of faithlessness), Ethan takes his stand on the faithfulness of God and celebrates the faithfulness of the Lord!
Last night (2012) I watched on video the remarks of Benjamin Netanyahu to the UN in reply to Ahmadinejad’s remarks earlier in the week. Clearly we are on the brink of international disaster. Dark circumstances loom before us. Ahmadinejad has made it clear that his country is moving toward the extermination of Israel. Netanyahu has made it clear that some kind of intervention will have to be initiated within the next nine months. Revelation 11:16–18 says:

And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying: “We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, The One who is and who was and who is to come, Because You have taken Your great power and reigned. The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, And the time of the dead, that they should be judged, And that You should reward Your servants the prophets and the saints, And those who fear Your name, small and great, And should destroy those who destroy the earth.”

Jesus will return when we will be on the brink of the destruction of the world. Hmm. . . He will set up His throne in Jerusalem and fulfill His promise to rule upon the throne of David. Whether or not you agree with that interpretation, you have to admit that it appears that we are on the brink of what could be one of the darkest hours of world history. Will we take our stand with Ethan and proclaim, “The heavens will praise Your wonders, O LORD; Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the saints.”
Even if this does not happen to be the final apocalyptic battle, there are still events in our lives and communities that call upon us to stand and proclaim the faithfulness of the Lord in the midst of the darkest of circumstances. Yesterday at Stillwater Junior High, a young man took his own life on campus. For family, friends and community this is a very dark circumstance. Can we stand together and proclaim, “Lord, by faith we announce Your faithfulness to us!”? We should be able, for He is indeed faithful, and that is His glory! In His time, He will calm the raging sea! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

Daniel 10
I remember a few times in my life when I have been absolutely exhausted and feeling as though there was no strength within me at all. I remember two-a-day football practices in 100 degree+ weather in High school going through conditioning exercises which we had dubbed “fifteen minutes of Hell.” It and the heat would suck the strength right out of us. I remember running a six mile race for extra credit for biology class. I remember days of construction work where I felt like I had nothing left at the end of the day. I also remember emotional weariness that sucks the strength out of the soul. How do we find strength in these times? Physical strength is renewed with water, food and rest. But from where does spiritual rest come?
This description of the messenger who appears to Daniel is almost exactly that description given by the Apostle John as he describes the Lord Jesus Christ in Revelation 1. I would therefore consider this messenger to be the pre-incarnate Christ. Shall I speak of His appearance? Others have done a better job of explaining this description. Your own sanctified imagination could probably do better than what I could say on this page. But this I see; Daniel was mourning over sin for three full weeks. Perhaps they were the first three weeks of the first month of the year. In which case, it would have been the end of Passover and then the Feast of the Unleavened Bread. It is at this point that the Lord appears to Him. The vision of the appearance of the Lord was overwhelming and sucked the strength right out of Him. He fell on his face on the ground before Him. It was the word of the Lord when He spoke to him that strengthened Daniel (v.19).
Is it not interesting these two polar opposite effects the manifest presence always has upon those to whom He appears? First there is a great dread that comes upon those in His presence, and their strength is gone, then He touches them in some way and all is made right and strength returns. Then the communicate is ready to hear the instruction of the Lord.
Oh Lord, all I know is that I need to see You! I need your manifest presence to tear me apart so that I may be remade and strengthened in Your presence. I need to hear Your instruction. I am weary of my own inadequacies. I need to view your glory in a way that tears me apart and reorients and strengthens me. OH Lord will you grant me the privilege of living in Your glory? Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

Ephesians 1
How do you write a little meditation on the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ on a chapter like this? It is more like a grocery list of many of the many things that are true of His glory. Each item on the list could have a book written on it. Let's look at them now:

He is full of grace toward you and me. Can you express to others how He has shown His grace to you? Speak His glory to others.
He is full of peace toward you and me. Can you express to others how He has shown His peace to you? Speak His glory to others.
He chose you. Can you express to others how He marvelous it is that He has chosen you? Speak His glory to others.
He predestined us to adoption. Can you express to others how marvelous it is that He has adopted you? Speak His glory to others.
He has a good pleasure to will ? Speak His glory to others.
Look what we have in Him--redemption, forgiveness of sins, the riches of His grace! Can you express to others what you have in Him? Speak His glory to others.
He has a purpose for everything. Can you express to others His purpose for you? Speak His glory to others.
He will eventually bring it all together in Himself. Can you express to others the hope that brings to your heart? Speak His glory to others.
He is worthy of our trust. Can you express to others how you have recently trusted Him? Speak His glory to others.
He has sealed us. We are safe until the day of redemption. Can you express to others the safety you feel because of the sealing of Holy Spirit? Speak His glory to others.
We will be the praise of His glory. Can you express to others the hope it brings to you to know that you are His purchased possession and that He is in the process of changing you so that one day your character and very life will bring Him great glory? Speak His glory to others.
His power raises the dead. Can you express to others how He has raised you from the deadness brought about by your sin and trespasses against His holiness? Speak His glory to others.
He has exceeding great power. Can you express to others the exceeding great power He has to create and hold the universe together and at the very same time, change your life? Speak His glory to others!
He is seated in the Authority of the Godhead. Can you express to others how you are seated in Him, and He is in the driver’s seat of the Universe? Who needs to be friends with any president when one is seated in the lap of the King of the Universe! Speak His glory to others!

Every principality, power, might and dominion, every name that is named in all of eternity is under His authority. Can you express to others a little bit of the vastness of His authority? Speak His glory to others! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

September 27

2 SAMUEL 23
When you come to the end of your life and say your last words, what will you say? What could David have said? He could have boasted of all that he had accomplished. He could have said:

I rose from being a shepherd boy to building one of the greatest countries of the world in my region. I united my people under my leadership. I defeated the Philistines, the Amalakites, the Edomites, the Ammonites and the Syrians. I formed alliances with Egypt, Geshur, Tyre, Sidon and other countries. I ruled from the river of Egypt to Syria. I had many wives, sons and daughters. I built a new capital. I amassed great wealth for my sons to follow me.

But what did David say? He identified himself as one that God had raised up. He shared what God spoke to him about how to rule. He summed up what he had done with God’s instruction with this statement, “Although my house is not so with God, yet He has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and secure.” He looked back over his life, and rather than boast upon his accomplishments, he saw the greatest significance in His life to be the covenant that he God had made with him. His greatest boast was the mercy and grace that the Lord had bestowed upon Him. Is that my greatest boast? Is that your greatest boast? If it is not, then I would say that we truly have not begun to grasp the glory of our Lord.
In contrast to him, were mighty men, men who had done wonderful exploits. One man had killed 800 men in one battle. One had fought so hard and so long in battle that his hand cramped in position in grasping his sword, and he could not let go. One stationed himself in a field of lentils and single handedly fought off an invading Philistine force when everyone else had fled. The list goes on, but what does David boast about? He could have boasted about killing Goliath or any number of other things, but his boast is in God’s mercy and grace. He had seen God’s glory. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PSALM 88
Wow! Talk about a dark Psalm! I have been depressed before, I don’t think it was ever to this extreme! It seemed to Heman (See 1 Kings 4:31 for a description of his wisdom.) that he was on the brink of death, alone and deserted. Neither loved one nor friend sought to comfort him. He was convinced that all that was happening to him was God’s intent and design. He is angry at God and angry at man. He describes himself as being under the waves of God’s wrath. And yet, he calls out to God for relief. He stretches out his hands toward Him. How does this reflect the glory of God? Deep inside, Heman knows that in spite of the wrath of God, that the Lord is merciful. He will not let go of Him. He knows that God’s mercy will triumph over justice! That is the glory of the Lord Jesus! He is God’s mercy incarnate. It is also fitting that the father has handed all judgment over to the Son. If we neglect His mercy, how shall we escape His justice. If I feel I am experiencing His wrath now, then I should call out to Him for His mercy! That is His glory. He is compassionate, longsuffering and full of mercy! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

DANIEL 9
Yesterday, I learned of yet another pastor friend of mine who had been fired from his church. He has decades of service on the mission field. He is a great preacher. He is a hard worker. He loves people. Yet once again, a governing board fires their pastor. Oh I am sure they had their reasons. And I am sure he had his faults. I certainly have mine. Every one of the prophets had their faults. There was the man of God from Judah who successfully prophesied against the Bethel altar of Jeroboam, king of Israel. Yet another prophet talked him into disobeying the Lord. A lion killed him. Elijah would have been labeled bipolar. He beat the prophets of Baal in a fire contest, called down rain after a three-year drought, beat the king in a marathon and then sank into a deep depression and ran south to hide. Most boards would have given him the right foot of fellowship. Elisha had quite a temper; I mean, he cursed the young men who made fun of his baldness. A bear ate them. Is there a governing board in the nation that would put up with that one? The sins of our church governing boards and our pastors are mounting up before the Lord like unsurpassable obstacles. Israel and Judah’s sins had mounted up before the Lord. They had killed prophet after prophet who spoke the truth, including Isaiah. They tried to kill Jeremiah, and would have, except the Lord sent men to intervene.
Jeremiah prophesied 70 years of desolation for Jerusalem. Daniel was a boy when they began. That is how he received his ticket to Babylon. Now he is well into his eighties. Recalling the prophesy and doing his math, he realizes that it is time for Jeremiah’s prophesy to be fulfilled. He begins praying about it. Look at his prayer!

4 And I prayed to the LORD my God, and made confession, and said, “O Lord, . . . 5 we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments. 6 Neither have we heeded Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings and our princes, to our fathers and all the people of the land. 7 O Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but to us shame of face, as it is this day—to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those near and those far off in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of the unfaithfulness which they have committed against You. 8 “O Lord, to us belongs shame of face, to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, because we have sinned against You. 9 To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him. 10 We have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in His laws, which He set before us by His servants the prophets. 11 Yes, all Israel has transgressed Your law, and has departed so as not to obey Your voice; therefore the curse and the oath written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against Him. 12 And He has confirmed His words, which He spoke against us and against our judges who judged us, by bringing upon us a great disaster; for under the whole heaven such has never been done as what has been done to Jerusalem. 13 “As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us; yet we have not made our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities and understand Your truth. 14 Therefore the LORD has kept the disaster in mind, and brought it upon us; for the LORD our God is righteous in all the works which He does, though we have not obeyed His voice. 15 And now, O Lord our God, who brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and made Yourself a name, as it is this day—we have sinned, we have done wickedly! 16 “O Lord, according to all Your righteousness, I pray, let Your anger and Your fury be turned away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people are a reproach to all those around us. 17 Now therefore, our God, hear the prayer of Your servant, and his supplications, and for the Lord’s sake cause Your face to shine on Your sanctuary, which is desolate. 18 O my God, incline Your ear and hear; . . .

Daniel is one of the men in the Scripture for whom there is no fault ever recorded. Yet over and over again he confesses sin and guilt which was from different generations before him. He very personally identifies with the sin because he very personally identifies with his nation which is guilty. The American mindset would say, “But he did not commit those sins! He should not have to repent of them, and he cannot repent of them.” Is Daniel using a figure of speech or does he literally mean “we,” and “us?” Interesting concept! David, as king of Israel, repented for the sin of Saul, previous king of Israel. Why? Because God held Israel guilty under David’s reign for sin Saul committed. Ezra and Nehemiah are also examples of men who identified with sins of people from previous generations and confessed it as their own.
Why do all of these men confess sin of a previous generation? The answer is simple. There is such a thing as corporate identity. If there is corporate identity, then there is corporate responsibility. If there is corporate responsibility, then when the corporate responsibility is not met, there is corporate sin. Individual’s take care of their sin through repentance and confession. How does a corporate body take care of its sin? Their leaders as representatives of the corporate body bring the body together and they, speaking for the body, the corporation, confess the sin of the body and repent for it. That is what Daniel is doing. His request is for the nation, not just himself. He desires to know when God is going to keep His promise to the nation. For clear communication with God, we must be clean of sin. God does not regularly communicate with those who will not acknowledge, confess and repent of sin. This is a principle which applies to individuals and to bodies, corporations.
But what did it produce? God answered his prayer and sent the angel Gabriel to communicate to him what would be one of the most amazing prophecies in the Scripture.
What is translated 70 'weeks' could be literally translated 70 'sevens'. If each individual unit referred to as "sevens" by Daniel was one year, then the cutting off of the Messiah would be equal to 69 X 7 years or 483 years. Ancient calendars often consisted of 360 day years. In which case 69 X 7 = 173,880 days.
Calculating 173,880 days after March 5, 444 B.C.(the day the decree was given to rebuild the wall) = March 30, 33 A.D. According to Dr. Harold W. Hoehner this is the very day that Jesus made His triumphal entry in Jerusalem to present Himself as Messiah.
That is incredible! Daniel records this prophecy in approximately 533 B.C. some 89 years before the decree to rebuild the wall. It was at a time when nobody really thought Jerusalem would ever recover from the destruction of the Babylonians. Not only does he predict the rebuilding of the walls but he also predicts to the very day, some 566 years later, the cutting off of the Messiah. If that is not an acceptable testimony to the claims of Jesus as King of kings and Lord of lords, then you won't believe any evidence, no matter how well produced. Daniel gives two dates, both to come after his death. Daniel tells the very number of days which will transpire between the two dates. The likelihood of that happening is just incredible odds!
Jesus is the King of glory/King of Love! He still wants to display His glory. Maybe the reason we do not see His glory displayed more often and in a greater way is because we are unwilling to repent, acknowledge and confess our sins corporately. Maybe there is unconfessed corporate sin of pastors toward congregations and congregations toward pastors. Hmmm, maybe we are part of the reason His glory is obscured. Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

GALATIANS 6
Galatians is Paul's great letter on the nature of liberty in the Lord Jesus Christ. We saw a few days ago that liberty is the freedom and ability to do what is right apart from coercion and that the law can never bring liberty, only condemnation. Yet here we are told, "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." Is the glory of Christ that which He brings us into liberty only to enslave us with a new Law? May it never be! What then is the law of Christ which is both law and liberty? Jesus gave one and only one new commandment before His death. It can be found in

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.”
And again in John 15:12 “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
The Apostle John reiterates this in 1 John 2:8-11 Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining.9 He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now.10 He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.11 But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
And again in 1 John 4:21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.

Is Paul contradicting himself? By no means! It is the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ to liberate us in order to enable us to fulfill His law. He has the ability to live His victorious life in us! On the plane of man to man, woman to woman, if we love one another as He has loved us, all of the law is fulfilled. There is no need to coerce one another. We are not condemned by the law because we are already doing it, fulfilling it. Yes, there will be times when the old nature rears its ugly head. Yes, there will always be times when Satan succeeds in breaking that love for one another. Yes, there will be times when the world's way of thinking holds sway over our thinking. But each time when that happens, The Lord's command is brought back to our minds through Paul's reminder. If we have broken the law, then we simply bring our sin back to the Lord and, if necessary, to the one we offended. Forgiveness is full and immediate from the Lord. He will work in us to make us able to love, even the most unlovely. Now that is glory. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

September 26

2 SAMUEL 22
When the Lord had delivered David from all his enemies, David spoke to the Lord this psalm. The opening line is a summary of David’s life, “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer.” The rest of the Psalm is an unfolding of that theme. When my life comes to an end, what will my song be to the Lord? Will it be centered upon His great protection and provision, or will it be centered upon my great selfishness and greed? Will it be upon how He has protected me, or will it be upon how I have conquered and brought others to bow at my feet? The three word pictures rock, fortress and deliverer are related in thought and reality. In the ancient world, cities were built in places that had a defensible crest. A large rock upon which a fortress could be built was desirable for protection. David saw the Lord as His protection. I have never been in physical battle, but many times I have known the protection of the Lord. A couple of times I have faced a robber or an assailant. The Lord has protected me then! He has always heard my cry.
Living in tornado alley, I have experienced many tornado warnings and watches. They have been up close and personal. I’ve seen the awesome power of the dark waters and clouds. The power of His voice rumbles through the thunders of the storms. The lightning flashes the brilliance of His glory.
David talked about the waves of life overflowing Him. Had he ever, like the disciples, been out on the Sea of Galilee when a sudden storm came up and almost drowned? Had he been to the Mediterranean Sea and experienced the irresistible pull of a rip tide? Had the Lord come walking to him on the water? Maybe not literally but metaphorically, his life had often been that way, and the Lord delivered Him everytime. As He thought about the Lord, it caused him to cry out, “For who is God, except the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God?
The enemy of our souls constantly seeks to kill, steal and destroy us. The Lord is our Rock. We can hide in Him as our fortress. The enemy seeks to drown us with the cares and the deceitfulness of the riches of this world. The Lord sets us on a rock where the waves cannot touch us. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

Who is a Rock except our God. This looking out from the northern palace of Herod the Great on top of Masada. Can you imagine what a defense this rock would have been against an army? The Dead Sea is to the east (right). No wave can touch you on this rock.


PSALM 87
My brother once lived in a house that he rented from a farmer. The house did not have a well. It had a cistern. He had to pay to have water regularly hauled out to have his cistern filled. What would have happened if we did not have trucks that could haul the water? He would definitely have to have found another place to live. Life is unlivable without access to water.
The theme of the Psalm is the glories of the city of God, Zion. Something or someone’s glory is usually found in what people often say of it. What do Rahab (Egypt), Babylon, Philistia, Tyre and Ethiopia have in common with Zion? They are all nations which at one time or another controlled or sought to control Israel. Geographically, they surround Israel, and relatively speaking, they are close. They are the ones who could give testimony of Zion’s glory. Zion is the place where God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. Zion is the place where David offered sacrifice stopping the work of the death angel. Zion is the place where Solomon’s Temple was built, where God’s glory dwelt, where sacrifices were made daily and the annual feasts were held. Zion is the place where Jesus died outside the city gates.
What is the significance of the threefold repeated statement, “This one was born there?” It is His death and resurrection that made my new life possible. It is His death and resurrection that made our adoption into the family of God possible. In a spiritual sense, I was born there. Metaphorically, everyone who is born again was born there!
“My springs come from Zion!” A spring is the source of life. It is the source of a family. It is what makes daily life enjoyable and possible. When we sing, we sing of our joys and our sorrows. We sing of the source of our life. When our springs dry up it renders our life, lifeless. When the springs flow, we are abundant with life. What are the glories of the city of God, of Zion? We are. It is all about His awesome work in His death, burial, resurrection and ascension in order to cause us to be born again into His family! When our lives flow with the joy that springs from the very life of God, the nations and people who surround us stand up and take notice. God is glorified because of the life that flows out of us. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

DANIEL 8
I have had many times when I was penniless and without food, and the time for a meal was approaching, but I have never gone hungry because I could not afford to eat. I have had many times when it appeared that danger was approaching, but I have never experienced difficulty but that His presence was with me in the danger, and something good came out of the difficulty. It appears from my life that He is clearly in control of the events I encounter.
The glory of the Lord Jesus Christ in Daniel 8 is that He demonstrates that He clearly is in control of world events to the extent that he could tell Daniel exactly what was going to happen 373 years before it happened. He did it in a vision which confused Daniel, but when the keys to interpreting the vision are given and the history transpired, it becomes crystal clear, especially as we look backward in History. The Medo-Persian empire, which would replace Belshazzar’s empire, would be destroyed by Alexander the Great. When Alexander would die, his kingdom would be divided among his four generals. None of the four would rule with the power that Alexander would rule. A descendant of one of the four kings, Antiochus Epiphanes, would rise to power and perform an act of desolation upon the temple of Jerusalem and upon the people for 2,300 days. Antiochus slaughtered a pig in the temple and used the temple to worship Zeus. This abomination lasted for 2300 days, the length of time from when he initiated it until the time which the Maccabees restored the temple and cleansed it. Daniel had this vision around 538 B.C., around 68 years after the first deportation of Jerusalem (in which Daniel was exiled). The events described in this vision would begin at about 334 B.C.; the decisive battle being at Gaugamela in 331 B.C. The cleansing of the temple from Antiochus’ desolation occurred about 165 B.C. So Daniel’s vision of the future covered roughly 169 years the beginning of which was at least 200 years in the future. The vision Jesus gave Daniel nailed it. It was spot on.
If Jesus can control world events like that, can and will he control events in my life and your life? Of course He can and does. Then why is there so much pain in history of man against man? There was tremendous pain of man against man in the vision that God showed Daniel. The pain was so great that Daniel was overwhelmed and faint for some days upon completion of the vision. It is reported that in the battle of Gaugamela over 100,000 soldiers perished. Thousands perished in the liberation of Jerusalem by the Maccabees. I think Daniel saw and felt the emotional trauma of these battles. Somehow in the sovereignty of God, He controls history yet permits us to make our own decisions. The result is that He guides history, and we are indeed free moral agents. So yes, Jesus controls the events in my life and your life, yet we make genuinely free decisions. I am unable to logically reconcile those two facts. Yet, I believe they are true. That makes His glory all the brighter! I can trust Him that he will make everything come to good, if I choose to love Him and follow His purpose. So, today, I choose to trust in his Sovereignty that He will make my way to come to good. It might not be today, but I will indeed trust him today for tomorrow. Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

GALATIANS 5
When we are in Christ, we have true liberty. That liberty is worked out in our lives by walking in His Spirit. I walked by my potted plant the other day. It had jumped out of its pot. The pot was turned upside down. Potting soil was everywhere. The roots had been damaged, so had some of the limbs and leaves. I picked it up and began the process of putting it all back together and I said, “You silly plant. What happened so that you would jump out of your pot and do all this destruction?’
The plant told me, “Master, I wanted so much to bear fruit and I wasn’t. I needed to get some new soil and to rid myself of the restrictions of the pot. I was hoping that in doing so, I would then be able to bear the fruit I wanted.
“You silly plant,” I said, “I put you in that soil and that pot. I will give you everything you need to produce the fruit you were designed to produce. Stay in the pot and you will eventually produce all that you desire to produce—in the fullness of time.”
Walking in the Spirit is like that. We must focus on the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. Doing so, we stay in the soil. We stay in the pot. We eventually produce the fruit we were designed to produce. And it is all to His glory. He made it as simple as abiding in the pot, in Him. Gazing at His glory we are changed into His glory. It is something He does. It brings glory to Him. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

September 25

2 SAMUEL 21
“So what you are saying is that you think it is unjust for one person to voluntarily pay the just penalty of a crime which another person has committed?” I asked that question of my problems of philosophy professor as a sophomore in college. His answer was, “Absolutely.” I then knew why he was an agnostic. If one holds that tenant as true, nothing about the Gospel could make any sense. Substitution is not allowed.
Where is the glory of the Lord in all of this killing? It began with Saul as he sought to commit genocide against the Gibeonites, Why would Saul seek this in light of his lack of willingness to kill all of the Amalekites? It was because of Saul’s bloodthirsty act that the Lord sent a famine into Israel, long after Saul was dead. David is now king, and probably old. Why did God wait so long to send a famine that was a discipline for something Saul did? I cannot fully understand this passage, yet I feel like two things must be pointed out both of which run contrary to the cherished American mindset.

1) There is no statute of limitations with the justice of God.
2) God holds people corporately responsible for the sins of their leaders. It was the people of Israel who suffered a three year famine for the sins of Saul as king.

It is a kind of justice that we as Americans just don’t understand.
The next question which I have is, “Was David’s remedy according to God’s desire?” Elsewhere we are told by God that children should not be put to death for the sins of their fathers. Matthew Henry argues that this was an exceptional case and therefore did not fall under that command. I am not convinced. But this I know, God accepted the act and broke the famine. But could there have been another method by which God justly forgave the nation for the sin(s) of Saul? Is there another method by which the sons of Adam may be forgiven the sin of Adam? Certainly God’s method for forgiving the sins of the of sons of Adam was that His own Son became a son of Adam, the second Adam. As such He died in our place. Is that just? Man would say, “No.” At least my philosophy prof would say, “No.” God would say, “Yes!” Not only would He say that it is just, but He would also say, “I will die for you. I will be your substitute.” I cannot answer all the questions, but I believe that He died and rose in my place. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PSALM 86
Look at this list of the glories of the Lord!

He is merciful (3, 5, 13, 15).
He makes us glad (4).
He is good and ready to forgive (5).
He listens to our prayers & supplications (6).
He answers us (7).
There is no one like Him (8, 10).
He does great and wondrous things (10).
He is truth (11, 15).
He delivers me (13).
He is full of compassion and longsuffering (15).
He helps and comforts (17).

With a resume like that, why are we so slow to praise Him in spirit and truth? David hits on the answer in verse 11. He pleads with the Lord to “unite” his heart to praise His name. Now wait a minute! This is the man whom God describes as a man after His own heart. This man has a problem with a divided heart. Oh there is hope for me!
I am so fractured. I know how wonderful the Lord is, but my heart is deceitful. It seeks to tell me not to trust Him with every detail of my life. It sees the appearance of the things that the system of this world offers. It hears the lure of the enemy whispering that the world’s system really will not kill me. I hear him saying that the world’s system can really make me wise. My heart hears the old nature whispering that the world’s system is pleasant and it will make me wise. Yet that list of what God is like tells me that the world, the enemy and my old nature are all liars! Oh God, unless You unite my heart, I am undone! Unite my heart that I might praise Your name! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

DANIEL 7
As I write this, the madness in the Middle East is increasing. There are so many enemies and weird alliances that it spins the head trying to keep track of it all. The violence increases. People are being beheaded. Particularly in Syria, not to mention many other countries of the world, Christians are being driven from their homes, imprisoned or enslaved, if not killed, for simply trusting in Jesus. The saints of the Most High are indeed being persecuted. It is simply madness.
Nebuchadnezzar died in 562 B.C. A series of weaker kings followed him until his son-in-law Nabonidus was able to obtain the throne through some intrigue in 556 B.C. He apparently was prone to madness as was Nebuchadnezzar. Leaving Babylon at about 550 B.C. for Arabia, he left Belshazzar behind as co-regent. During the time from Nebuchadnezzar’s death until the death of Belshazzar, Daniel took a lesser (if any at all) role in the government. Perhaps it gave him more time to focus on seeking the Lord. It was during the first year of Belshazzar (about 12 years after Nebuchadnezzar’s death) that Daniel receives this vision.
Being carried off into exile, Daniel knew firsthand the destruction of God’s people. As a young man, God had given Daniel the wisdom to interpret the terrifying dream given to the madman/ruler Nebuchadnezzar. The terror of the dream left Nebuchadnezzar a temporary insomniac. Now in his solitude as an older man (around 70), God places a similar dream/vision in Daniel’s mind. Daniel found the beasts of the dream/vision equally terrifying, but he simply pondered the troubling sight. The dreams so accurately depicted the coming history that some liberal theologians claimed that the Book of Daniel could not have been written by Daniel, for they are too accurate and must have been written after many of the events of history had already transpired.
The Lion represented Babylon; the bear represented the Medo-Persian empire; the leopard represented the Greek empire; the dreadful beast represented the Roman empire. The dreadful beast disintegrates and yet reforms having ten horns where one horn uproots three to rule them all. Most commentators would say that we are living in that stage of world history between the disintegration of the Roman Empire and its reforming under the ten horns and one horn.
Had the dream ended there, it would have been most terrifying indeed. But Daniel also sees the Ancient of Days and One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven. Clearly Jesus was claiming to be this Son of Man when He gave testimony when on trial before the High Priests as recorded in Matthew 26:64; Mark 14:62; Luke 22:69. At that point the Sanhedrin decided that His confession warranted ending of the trial. They did not think that Jesus could be the Son of Man as described in Daniel’s vision. In their reasoning, Jesus had sealed His own fate by blasphemously claiming to be the Son of Man, the Messiah.
Who is this Person? Well as Daniel puts it:

14Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed. 27Then the kingdom and dominion, And the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, Shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And all dominions shall serve and obey Him.’

Jesus is the One who will take the madness of this world and destroy it. He will come and rule. He will set up His Kingdom which will not pass away. It will be obvious. It will be sudden. It will not need a human army. It will belong to His people alone. All people of every nation will then serve Him. The madness of this earth will be ended by His rule. Now that is glory! Let us hasten His coming by speaking His glory to others. Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

GALATIANS 4
Sometimes I wonder if God has a watch. I mean really, He never meets my time schedule. Maybe next Christmas I should send Him a good Rolex. But then, that would only be revealing my own creatureliness. God is never late. He is never early either. He performs his acts in time at the perfect time. He is infinite. His infinitude covers all His attributes. That’s part of the meaning of eternal. Time is His creation. He exists in time and out of time. He does everything perfectly at the proper time. A Rolex is a waste to Him.
So it is—Jesus came at the perfect time, the fullness of time. As a man, Jesus exists in time. As God, Jesus does everything at the proper time. He was born at the proper time. When it had been demonstrated to all creation that man could not even understand what is right, then God sent the Law. When it had been demonstrated to all creation that man could not do what was right even when he was told what was right, then God disciplined the nation to whom He gave the law. When God had prophesied to that Nation about their coming destruction and their redemption through the Messiah He brought them back into the land. When the Mediterranean world had a common language because of Alexander, He brought the Romans. When the Mediterranean had a stable transportation system, brought by the Romans, Jesus was born. It was the perfect time. He became our near kinsman, human yet divine, able to die yet sinless. He bought our redemption with His own blood. He set us free from sin and death. And the world would hear of it.
Unfortunately I am often impatient with His time table. Yet my impatience has no effect on His perfect timing. He times things perfectly to enable me to avail myself of the liberty that He offers. Remembering His glory in relation to time helps me to cope with my own impatience. That is why we must focus on His glory and share it with others. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

September 24

2 SAMUEL 20
Where is the glory? Sometimes God shows us in His word where the sin of man leads. It is downright ugly. This chapter is one of those ugly chapters. But it was for the ugliness of this sin that Jesus suffered and died. If I can think of any glory here, it is that my sin was just as heinous to God as was this chapter. Jesus suffered and died for that sin. The jewel of his death and resurrection shines all the brighter against the backdrop of sin such as this. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
P. S. Here is a link to some current archeological excavations at Beth Maacah http://www.abel-beth-maacah.org/

PSALM 85
Mercy and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed (10). What happens when mercy and truth do not meet? Or, what happens when righteousness and peace do not kiss. Years ago, I read an editorial in the News Press by a national columnist. It addressed how Obama was losing in the swing vote states because of his radical pro-abortion stand. It seemed that word was finally leaking out that three times as an Illinois senator, he voted against a law which would grant full constitutional rights to a baby who survived an abortion attempt. He has publicly stated that he will not back down on his stand for abortion rights. I hope you understand what that means in terms of righteousness. There are few people with more potential and less vulnerability than a new born baby. To refuse rights to a new born infant has to be one of the most visible transgressions of righteousness that exists! Who among us would walk away from a newborn leaving him or her to die unattended, or actually kill the child. That kind of behavior should make us angry and wrathful against the behavior! But when righteousness does not step up to the plate when unrighteousness rears its ugly head, that kind of behavior is what results.
What was it that pulled the trigger when God declared that Judah must be kicked out of the land? It was unrighteousness manifested in child sacrifice. Listen to this passage in 2 Kings 21:14–16:

14 So I will forsake the remnant of My inheritance and deliver them into the hand of their enemies; and they shall become victims of plunder to all their enemies, 15 because they have done evil in My sight, and have provoked Me to anger since the day their fathers came out of Egypt, even to this day.’ ” 16 Moreover Manasseh shed very much innocent blood, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another, besides his sin by which he made Judah sin, in doing evil in the sight of the LORD.
Or listen to this passage:
2 Kings 24:2–4 And the LORD sent against him raiding bands of Chaldeans, bands of Syrians, bands of Moabites, and bands of the people of Ammon; He sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the LORD which He had spoken by His servants the prophets. 3 Surely at the commandment of the LORD this came upon Judah, to remove them from His sight because of the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done, 4 and also because of the innocent blood that he had shed; for he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, which the LORD would not pardon.

It was the shedding of innocent blood that pulled the trigger of God’s righteousness when He drew the line and said, “No more!” Sure, that was not the only issue. There was a multitude of other issues, but that was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. What was the shedding of “innocent blood?” Listen to what 2 Chronicles 33:1–6 has to say:
Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. 2 But he did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel. 3 For he rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down; he raised up altars for the Baals, and made wooden images; and he worshiped all the host of heaven and served them. 4 He also built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, “In Jerusalem shall My name be forever.” 5 And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD. 6 Also he caused his sons to pass through the fire in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom; he practiced soothsaying, used witchcraft and sorcery, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger.
Unrighteousness had reached it fullness in Judah under Manasseh’s reign. It was just a matter of time before the hammer fell. The Lord’s anger had been torched. He was aflame with wrath, and it was a righteous wrath. There comes a point when if righteousness does not step up to the plate, then all righteousness becomes a mockery, and one wonders if it even exists. Wrath expressed by God against unrighteousness is a good thing. It must necessarily exist for goodness to exist. If it did not exist, then moral good would be meaningless. Righteous anger must be expressed. Judah felt it. That is what this Psalm is all about.
But, the Lord’s anger is not like mine or other humans. His anger is just, and He forgives. When we repent, He relents in His anger. His mercy is extended! A peace treaty is signed. He turns his wrath away. He restores us. How can mercy and peace come forward without violating His righteousness? That is what His glory is all about! Consider Ephesians 2:14–18:
14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, 16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. 17 And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. 18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.
He is our peace. He fulfills for us the righteous demands of God’s holiness. Can it get any better than that? The truth of the standard of His righteousness is fulfilled, and His mercy and peace are extended toward us! Righteousness and peace have kissed! He will revive us again!
When righteousness and peace do not kiss, one of two extremes happens. Libertarianism or license overtakes the moral climate. Ungodliness rules the day. Pleasure masquerades as a “right.” Babies are murdered in the name of a right to privacy. Or, mercy is forgotten. Peace is lost and chaotic justice rules the day. Justice masquerades as a vigilante. Abortion clinics are bombed. But our gracious King has intervened. By the power of His cross and resurrection, He rules the day! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

DANIEL 6
God often allows things to look really bleak before He steps in and rescues. Can you imagine Daniel’s situation? By this time in Daniel’s life, he is getting up there in age. We are not sure exactly how old he is, but he is probably somewhere in his 80’s. He has faithfully served the Lord during his life. As a teenager he was carted off in captivity to Babylon. In Babylon he was selected to be in the service of the king where he faced his first test when he was asked to eat non-kosher food. Having passed that test, he won the trust of the king by his ability to listen to God and interpret the kings dreams and visions. He faithfully served Nebuchadnezzar interpreting his dreams, managing his kingdom and warning him of his pride, until Nebuchadnezzar died when Daniel was around 60 years old. Daniel served the kingdom in lesser positions under various weaker kings until Belshazzar’s last day of rule when Daniel was promoted to 3rd highest ruler in the land. With Belshazzar’s defeat that same night, Daniel takes the role as one of the governors of the land under Darius the Mede. (Darius is possibly the army general sent by Cyrus to conquer Babylon, or it is a name or title used as an alternative to Cyrus. The Septuagint uses the name Cyrus instead of Darius.) So at 80 years of age Daniel has had many life reversals, yet he has faithfully served his Lord through those years.
Now he is facing another challenge. As political enemies are prone to do, they have searched meticulously to find a fault in Daniel and found none. Wow! That speaks volumes about Daniel. So they lay a trap for him that will have him done away by using his righteousness. I wonder would it be possible for my enemies to lay a trap that would do away with me because of my righteousness? So here is Daniel at 80 years of age, righteous in all his ways and years, and about to be thrown into a den of hungry lions. What do you suppose went through his mind? What do you suppose went through the minds of his friends and family? But God has a plan to glorify Himself in this reversal. He shuts the mouths of the lions.
Do suppose Daniel snuggled against the lions as he slept that night? I am sure that there is one lion that he nestled up against, the Lion of Judah. It was the glory of the Lion of Judah that was revealed that night and the next morning. Darius is credited with declaring:
26I make a decree that in every dominion of my kingdom men must tremble and fear before the God of Daniel. For He is the living God, And steadfast forever; His kingdom is the one which shall not be destroyed, And His dominion shall endure to the end. 27He delivers and rescues, And He works signs and wonders In heaven and on earth, Who has delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.
Now that is glory, the glory of the Lion of Judah! God permitted and worked of this to declare His glory. Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

Galatians 3
We have seen and will continue to see that the focal point of the glory of Jesus Christ (in relation to human beings) is the cross. That is not to say that there are not other things that we could focus on. It is that the cross looms so large in our sight. And in relation to us it is the cross that enables us to truly experience His other glories. What are some of those other glories?
Because of the cross He supplies the Holy Spirit to live in us. Wow! the infinite Spirit of God lives in us. He speaks to us, comforts us, leads us, empowers us. Jesus is able to send Him to live in us because of the cross. Now that is glorious! The cross and the Holy Spirit alone would be enough but that is not the end. He occasionally works miracles among us. They are miracles of provision, healing, and power. They are all from His hand. Now that is glorious! The cross, the resurrection, the Holy Spirit and miracles would be enough but that is not the end. He provides this all to those who simply and fully trust in Him. He could have required that we reach a certain point of holiness. But He didn't. It is available to all who trust. The cross, the resurrection, the Holy Spirit, miracles and the provision of faith would be enough but that is not the end. He promised this all to Abraham, 2,000 years before He came. Here we are 4,000 years from Abraham and we are receiving the benefits of his promise. Now that is glorious! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

September 23

2 Samuel 19
Bickering among themselves, the tribes have difficulty knowing what to do to bring David back as the King. His apparent leadership has been lacking. Those responsible for his most recent victory have been men like Hushai, Zadok, Abiathar, Jonathan, Ahimaaz, Joab, Abishai, and Ittai. David has relied heavily upon them to do their jobs. It has worked. It is time to bring him back.
Are there any parallels to the Second Coming of Jesus? A cursory look at the state of the fulfillment of the Great Commission might reveal an apparent lack of leadership in finishing the job to bring back the King. After all, we have thousands of different organizations each trying to get the job done. Wouldn’t you think the King of Glory could orchestrate a little better organization? It would appear that the spinal chord connecting the head to the limbs has been invaded with some disease. The body is erratic and going in many different directions. Could He not exhibit a little better leadership? Like David, He apparently is heavily relying upon us to get the job done. Why? If we are to be partakers in His glory, then we need to be partakers in His work. His glory is seen best as He works through us. Are we yielding to His leadership to bring back the King? Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

Psalm 84
I have visited the Biltmore Estate. America’s largest single-family dwelling built by the Vanderbilts in the early 1900’s is indeed the epitome of opulence. I have also toured the Marland Mansion finished in 1928 and built by E.W. Marland founder of Marland Oil Company (later to become CONOCO). Marland lost his oil company in a hostile takeover by J.P.Morgan. Marland had to move out of his mansion into the adjacent artist studio because he could no longer afford the utilities on the mansion. Eventually Marland had to sell the mansion for $66,000.00, 1.2% of its building cost. The mansion, though dwarfed by the lavishness of the Biltmore Estate, was also amazing in its grandeur. Both palaces are residences which almost all people can only dream of owning. If either of the mansions were offered to you, and you were told that you would be given a yearly income sufficient for living in the place, you would probably joyfully accept the offer. But what if you knew that you also would need to give up enjoying the glory of Lord?
Obed-Edom once housed the tabernacle of the Lord for three months (1 Chron 13:13). David was improperly transporting the ark to Jerusalem; when the oxen stumbled and Uzzah reached out to steady the ark, God slew Uzzah for his insolence. In anger David gave up trying to transport it and left it in the home of Obed-Edom. We read that while the ark was housed in his house that the Lord greatly blessed Him. He experienced the presence of the Lord. In 1 Chron. 15:24 we read that Obed-Edom was appointed a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord. What would prompt him to leave his home west of Jerusalem to take up residence in Jerusalem just so that he could be a doorkeeper for the ark? I think that there can only be one answer. Obed-Edom’s life was so changed by that presence of God’s glory that he would gladly give up his comfortable residence just so that he might continue to experience His glory.
Obed-Edom was a Gittite. A Gittite is someone who had lived in Gath. Notice that our Psalm was written to be sung accompanied by an instrument of Gath. Why an instrument of Gath? Do you suppose that Obed-Edom taught the proper playing of the instrument of Gath? I believe he did. I think the sons of Korah wrote this Psalm and dedicated it to be played on an instrument of Gath in memory of Obed-Edom’s love of the presence of the glory of God. When we truly experience the glory of God, everything else fades in comparison to the wonder of Him. I would never trade the glory of God’s presence for the Biltmore Estate or the Palace on the Prairie. They are pig stys compared to His glory. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

DANIEL 5
I love that scene in A Knights Tale after the antagonist is defeated on the jousting field. The protagonists appear over him and say, “You have been weighed, and measured and found wanting.” I suspect that most people don’t realize that it is borrowed from this chapter of Daniel. After a long hard struggle when it seems that evil would prevail, evil is put down, and good triumphs. So too, in Daniel’s day it seemed that Belshazzar was reveling in Babylon’s victory over Israel and her God. It appeared that evil was prevailing.
In the mid 1800’s critics doubted the historical accuracy of the Book of Daniel. They claimed that there was no record of Belshazzar ever having existed. However, cuneiform tablets with Belshazzar’s name on them were eventually found. Then in 1956 the Nabonidus Chronicles were found. Nabonidus was the son of Nebuchadnezzar, and Belshazzar was the son of Nabonidus and his coregent at the time that this incident takes place. It is clear from those chronicles that Belshazzar was as immoral as is implied by Daniel. To take the very vessels used by the priests in the Temple of Yahweh and use them in an orgy/banquet, proclaiming power over Yahweh, was the height of arrogance. He failed to grasp that Yahweh is the One who held the king’s breath in His hand and owned all the king’s ways.
The Lord let Belshazzar know the depth of his sin. Belshazzar had opportunity to repent. It appears that he did not repent. That very night in the midst of his orgy, his life was taken. Herodotus and Xenophon both attest to the fall of Babylon to Cyrus of Persia. The fall came during the night of the festivity. Cyrus had his engineers divert the waters of the Euphrates. The mote surrounding the strategic parts of Babylon suddenly went dry during the night. The Persian army was able to enter the city almost unopposed under what was the water gate. Daniel’s word came true.
We dare not forget the fact that Yahweh is the One who holds our breath in His hand and owns our ways. In remembering we come again and again to view His glory. Viewing His glory, we respond appropriately to life’s victories, defeats and challenges. Our political leaders would do well to consider this point. Our Lord has raised up Israel for His purposes. He disdains the murder of the unborn for the worship of our own pleasure. He champions faithfulness in marriage and calls us to reflect His glory by his instruction, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” He does not say, “Be joined to wife after wife.” Nor does He say, “Be joined to another man.” It is pretty simple and pretty clear. Yet our leaders seem to scoff at this. When we fail to grasp that He owns our ways, we will be weighed, measured, found wanting, and eventually divided out to other nations. His glory always prevails over the long haul. Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

Galatians 2
Here is one of the unique things about the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. When He comes, He brings true liberty. Do you know where the word religion comes from? It is from the Old French which came from the Latin re + ligare. Re means back or again. Ligare means to bind. The etymology of the words means to bind back or bind again. Originally it meant the expression of faith in conduct and ritual often resulting in a code of ethics. That is the opposite of liberty. While Christianity possesses a code of ethics, it is not a code of ethics. It is relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. As a result of that relationship we find true liberty.
Liberty is the freedom and ability to do what is right apart from coercion. Liberty is not doing what is right because if you don't you will suffer severe consequences. Law is supposed to be here to protect those who have liberty. It condemns those who do not have the ability to do what is right apart form coercion. For those people who do not have the ability to do what is right apart from coercion, the law can never bring liberty, only condemnation.
Apart from Jesus we do not have the ability to obey the law. Therefore the attempt to follow God's law in order to avoid condemnation from God is folly. We don't have the ability to follow it perfectly and we will eventually be condemned by the law--for that is its purpose. Those who place their faith in Jesus Christ do so because they recognize their inability to do God's just demands. But, they see that being in a relationship with Him is that He uses His ability to live His life in us. His ability is available to each of as we unite with Him and are willing to consider ourselves as having died with Him on the cross and also raised with Him in His resurrection. That is the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Not only does He have the freedom and ability to do what is right all of the time apart from coercion but He also has the ability to live His victorious life in us! We need only to yield to Him moment by moment. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

September 22

2 SAMUEL 18
Only those who have lost an adult child could fully appreciate David’s pain. The rest of us probably appreciate the justice that takes place here. But where is the glory? Yes, we want the rebellion put down. Yes, we want Absalom put in his place. But to have him brutally speared to death while hanging by his hair in a tree? Hmmm. . . So how does being speared to death differ from some other type of punishment? Justice is served.
Let’s fast forward 1,000 years. The Son of David, the Son of God is hanging on a tree. He has been condemned in a human court to die. He has been condemned in the Eternal court to die. Why? In the Earthly realm He was condemned because He claimed to be the King, the Son of God. In the Eternal realm He was condemned because He claimed the sin of man. He became sin for us. God was now serving justice upon the sin of man. Death had come to Him who knew no sin. The rebellion of man was being put down. He was brutally speared while hanging on the tree. So how does this spearing differ from other deaths? This death paid for an eternal debt of sin. Do you suppose the Father mourned, “O my son Jesus—my son, my son Jesus!” But the story does not end here. Absalom remains in his grave. Jesus rose again. He conquered sin and death by coming alive again on the third day. Here is the glory. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PSALM 83
There are certain confederacies and governments today that do not believe in the right of Israel to exist (Such as ISIS and ISIL.) In their opinion, the only good Israel is a non-existent Israel. Sounds much like the enemies of Israel referred to in this Psalm. Asaph asks the Lord to do some pretty awful things to them. Why does he request such events? Notice the stated goal for the retribution:
Let them be confounded and dismayed forever; Yes, let them be put to shame and perish, That they may know that You, whose name alone is the LORD, Are the Most High over all the earth.
I would rather have awful things happen to me, which would lead me to a personal knowledge of God, than live a life of luxury and ease yet never find Him. The awful things would become a blessing. Why? The awful things would lead me to a clear relationship with the Almighty. I would rather live a life of deprivation which would lead to knowledge of the glory of God than live a life of comfort and never taste His glory. His glory is just that important. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John

DANIEL 4
As I write, the USA has completed one night of airstrikes into Syria against the ISIS stronghold of Raqqa. The Middle East is and always has been a quagmire of rebellion and fighting. For millennia it has sucked the resources of the world as leader after leader has tried to rally troops to become the dominant force in that part of the world and control the people. This is nothing new under the sun. What would be new would be a leader who would be somewhat successful at uniting that part of the world and holding it in unity for his lifetime.
Nebuchadnezzar, Cyrus the Great, and Alexander the Great were three rulers who were somewhat successful at that task. Nebuchadnezzar was able to control the area from the Brook of Egypt west through the Arabian peninsula, northwest to the border of present day Turkey, northeast to the Median empire or present day Iran. Nebuchadnezzar was remarkable in that he was able to gain enough unity to conquer such a large territory. He was also remarkable in that he was able to build the great city of Babylon. He conquered and he built. He had accomplished great things. One of the major reasons that he was able to accomplish all of this is because he was a tool in God’s hands in guiding human history. He was raised up by God to discipline Israel, God’s chosen nation.
In the midst of his accomplishments, he not only overstepped his bounds in punishing Israel, but he became proud, thinking he had accomplished these things by his own ability. He failed to give honor to the glory of the Lord in producing these things—even though he had Daniel as his advisor. The result? He ate grass like a bull for 7 years. My Old Testament prof in seminary was of the opinion that the main reason that he was able to regain his throne was that Daniel covered for him for the seven years of madness and of course, the Lord’s intervention. The Lord intervened in order to teach us all a lesson about Him and about our pride.
After the Lord restored Nebuchadnezzar’s senses, He said this, “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to put down.” He was not bitter about having lost 7 years of his life to mental illness and a nasty diet. Rather, he accepted what happened to him as his just reward for how he had treated the King of heaven.
Hmmm. . . . Our King, King Jesus, controls the destiny of human history. What is happening in the Middle East does not catch Him by surprise. He uses even the sin of man to accomplish His designs in human history. There are enough enemies of Israel surrounding her that if they could unite under one common leader and one common purpose, they could destroy Israel overnight. ISIS will not accomplish its objective because it is too short sighted to unite with her common enemies to destroy Israel. There are so many enemies of Israel, ISIS, Syria, Egypt, Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, Al Qaeda, Saudi Arabia and the list goes on. What keeps them from uniting? Perhaps it is the One who restrains. Perhaps it is this one miracle that keeps Israel alive. He keeps them from uniting in order to accomplish His designs in human history. As the tower of Babel prevented mankind from accomplish whatever it wanted in history, so perhaps the Lord confounds the minds of the leaders of the area in order to preserve His chosen nation.
There is a simple lesson to be learned from this passage and from our current events. All the ways of the Lord are true and all His ways are just. With that in mind, we should be very, very careful with congratulating ourselves with our accomplishments. It is best to keep our eyes on Him to see what He wants to accomplish, lest we end up eating grass and unable to trim our fingernails. He controls it all using our wills. The question is whether or not we will work for Him or against Him. The God who can make things give praise to His glory is the one I want to serve and worship. Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

GALATIANS 1
Quite frequently we have a guest at our table. The guest is a neighborhood boy the same age as Liam. Liam often begs to have his friend eat with us. He loves his friend. I guess you could say that the boy enjoys our riches (a meal) at Liam’s expense. Quite frankly we wouldn’t probably invite the boy if it were not for Liam, and the boy probably would not accept an invitation if it were not for Liam. Verses 3-5 are about as succinct a statement concerning the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ as one can make. His glory involves incredible grace toward His own children. The little acronym, God's Riches At Christ's Expense, applies very well to describing a part of that glory. In the midst of a world that constantly assaults the value of who we are in our own eyes, in the eyes of others and even in God's own eyes, we can be assured of the riches of God poured out upon us. He has lavished His own love upon us. He has declared us to be His own children. He did this because Jesus gave Himself for our sins.
The glory of Jesus involves an incredible peace that we have with God. Before we found Jesus, there was this underlying current of unrest in our lives. It was the current that God was angry with us, that God was against us. Indeed, the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. But Jesus delivered us from this present evil age. We no longer are under the wrath of God, nor is God indifferent to us. We, who are in Christ, have peace with God.
The glory of Jesus involves His obedience. He died for us and delivered us according to the will of our God and Father. That is incredible! There is obedience even within the Godhead. The Son obeys the Father. The Spirit obeys the Son and the Father. He was obeying when He went to the cross. He was obeying when He delivered us out of this present evil age. Our own obedience comes as a result of being united with Him. Once we are united with Him, His obedience is able to flow through us.
It is a dangerous thing when people begin to teach that our obedience leads to our being delivered from this evil age. Why? Because for one thing, it is simply not true. For another thing, it robs Jesus of His glory. Our justification is all about Him. Our sanctification and obedience is all about Him. It is grace. It is His glory. Relax! Enjoy His table! Enjoy His glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John