October 19

1 Kings 22
A few years ago there was a guest speaker at OSU. I assume that he was brought here by the gay lesbian community. One of his statements, according to the O’Colly was, “Hate the sin but love the sinner just won’t fly.” Other articles have appeared recently in the O’Colly and News Press implying that the high suicide rate among gays and lesbians can be partially attributed to those who contend that the practice of homosexual acts is sin. The implication is that we are condemning those who act in such ways. Since they cannot live with that condemnation, they commit suicide. The implication is that we hate those who practice such acts if we should ever suggest that such acts are sinful acts.
Jehoshaphat went up to visit Ahab. Ahab talked him into going to war with him. But Jehoshaphat wanted to consult the LORD before he went to battle. Ahab was against it because he thought that the prophet of the LORD hated him. What was Jehoshaphat’s response? “Let not the king say such things!” The LORD indeed hated the things that Ahab did. But He had previously shown mercy upon Ahab. He hated the things that Ahab did; does that necessarily mean that He hated Ahab? The truth must be spoken. Ahab heard the truth. Had he taken the advice of the prophet of the LORD, Ahab would not have died in that battle.
Why do we proclaim that the practice of homosexual acts is sin? The true motive ought to be because of love. If we love someone, we don’t want them to be destroyed by their sin. Ahab heard the truth. He had opportunity to repent and escape the end that he received. To hate him would have been to remain silent. Decades ago, my uncle divorced my aunt. I went privately and as gently as I knew how, I rebuked him. He could have said, “You hate me because you rebuke me.” He did not. He was gracious to me. I once had a friend who was hooked on alcohol. The LORD laid on my heart to tell him that if he did not repent, he would be burned. He did not repent. A month later he died. I rebuked him because he was headed toward destruction. Would it have been love to remain silent? No, love always speaks the truth. But rest assured it will be spoken it in a manner that also communicates love. They go together. Our God is a God of both love and righteousness. That is what makes Him so glorious. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

Psalm 110
In this Psalm David says that Yahweh says to his lord, “Sit at my right hand till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” I have many questions about this passage. Some are, “When did Yahweh say this to him? How did David hear it? Was it verbal? Was it through a prophet? Was it a voice in his thoughts? How did he know it was Yahweh? Does Yahweh speak to us in the same way? How do we know it is Him speaking in our thoughts?” While the Pharisees were trying to trap Jesus, Jesus quotes this verse and asks them how David can call his descendant his lord. Clearly Jesus understood the passage as referring to Himself. So in this passage, God the Father is speaking to God the Son. It speaks clearly of His glory.
First it speaks of His authority. God the Father commands the Son to sit at his right hand. In royal etiquette one does not sit at the right hand of a sovereign except at his invitation, and in so doing the sovereign is granting authority to rule with Him. Jesus has all the authority of God the Father to rule over the whole universe! Peter picked up on what Jesus had to say to the Pharisees when he quoted this verse. In His famous sermon on Pentecost Peter preaches to a once hostile crowd and says concerning Jesus:

“For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself: ‘The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.’ Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

Wow! He is a gutsy fellow! But he could be gutsy because of who Jesus is and where He is seated. He has all authority in that seat. One day He will even use that authority to reverse the effects of death. Now that is authority. So what if I die? The One whom I trust has authority even over death! The writer of Hebrews (1:13) makes it absolutely clear that there is no other being that has greater authority than He.
The second thing that the Father speaks to in His Son is the Son’s role a priest. As a priest in the order of Melchizedek (King of Righteousness), He intercedes for those who volunteer to be among His ranks. I would be too afraid to come to the Son, if He did not have this role. My sin was like a fog horn before me sounding out to a Holy God that I had transgressed His holiness. My sin was like a dead skunk on the highway to holiness. The stench would make the holy God seek to eradicate me. My sin was like the putrid rotting flesh of the leper who had never been treated and was in the late stage of the disease. The mess could only be revolting to His holiness. Yet my King of Righteousness has taken on the role of being my priest. Unlike the Levitical priests who had to make continual sacrifices for themselves and for others, and who died and had to be replaced, my Priest is of the order of Melchizedek in that He is righteousness in Himself, and He has always been and always will be! He ever lives to make intercession for me! I do not have to worry about my sin. He has eradicated it. He intercedes for me!!!!!!!!
Authority and Priesthood, now that is glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

AMOS 2
The recent Democratic debate oozed with socialism. As one radio commentator put it, we are going to buy more votes with giving more free stuff. It reminds me that shortly before the fall of the Roman Republic, Cicero is reputed to have said,

The evil was not in bread and circuses, per se, but in the willingness of people to sell their rights as free men for full bellies and the excitement of games which would serve to distract them from the other human hungers which bread and circuses can never appease.

Here is an interesting web article that I recommend reading:
http://theprogressivecynic.com/2013/11/21/bread-circus-and-the-complacency-before-the-collapse/
While I don’t completely agree with the article, it is a very insightful look at the direction American culture is heading, and it relates to the passage in Amos today.
Like a whirling fighter in a martial arts movie, the Lord addresses each of Israel’s neighbors. In chapter one He first hits Syria to the Northeast. Then whirling Southwest He round houses the Philistine cities beginning from the south and working north along the west coast stopping at Tyre. Once again spinning Southeast He flails Ammon to the direct east of Jerusalem and in chapter 2 works south to Moab. Having completed the whirling judgment of the surrounding nations, He addresses His own people. First up is Judah, and what is her fault? She despised the law of the Lord, did not keep His commandments and believed her own lies that led her astray. It sounds like the USA. Then He lambasts Israel. What is her fault?

Because they sell the righteous for silver, And the poor for a pair of sandals. They pant after the dust of the earth which is on the head of the poor, And pervert the way of the humble. A man and his father go in to the same girl, To defile My holy name. They lie down by every altar on clothes taken in pledge, And drink the wine of the condemned in the house of their god.

They have taken advantage of the poor. They have participated in unbridled lasciviousness. They have pursued other gods using the earnest of the poor. All of these crimes were forbidden by the Law. Most of them were accomplished by the rich against the poor. He recounts to them the benefits that He had given the nation since leading them out of Egypt. Israel has rejected the pleas of His prophets to repent. Israel can therefore expect to be destroyed. A Holy God will do nothing else.
God raised up the USA for a purpose-to spread the good news of Jesus Christ to the rest of the world. He blessed us with natural and material wealth in order to finance taking the good news to all ethnic groups, to give to the poor and to set the captive free. We have turned from God and spent our wealth mostly on ourselves and often enslaved more people of the world in the bondage of materialism. The answer doesn’t lie in more socialism as seen in the Democratic debate. To take by force from those who have to give to those who do not have destroys the human motivation to work hard. The answer doesn’t lie in capitalism. People who pull themselves up by their own bootstraps are to be applauded, but most of those who gain this world’s money see it as belonging to themselves and therefore keep the majority of it for themselves. In reality, it all belongs to God. We are instructed in Ephesians 4:28,
Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.
That is to be understood as to give to one who has true need, not just being lazy. Socialism encourages laziness in the lower economic class because it bypasses the glory of God. They do not see the need to labor for the glory of God. Capitalism encourages greediness when it bypasses the glory of God. Those who have earned more than they need see no need to give the remainder to those in need for the glory of God. The issue really isn’t a political or economic system. The issue is our heart, our desire for the glory of God. He Who had all, gave all that we might have Him. We should do the same. That is His glory. Indeed, we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

2 Thessalonians 2
Who is the one who restrains? Many interpreters believe that the One who restrains is the Holy Spirit. He is Christ's, as such, He is the glory of Christ. The glory of Christ restrains the lawless one. As humans, we are depraved--we are as bad off as we can be. However, we are not as bad as we can be. The glory of Christ restrains the human race from being as bad as we can be. One day the One who restrains will be removed from the earth. On that day, the lawless one will be revealed. He will do his work upon the earth for a little while. During that time, we will see how wicked man can be. But then, Jesus will return. When He returns, He will consume the lawless one with the breath of His mouth. Now that is some powerful breath! Do you get the picture? Is it literally that Jesus has toxic breath or is it an image designed to get us to see how powerful He is. If He desires, even just His breath will consume the most powerful man to ever live on earth! He will destroy with the brightness of His coming. Jesus is so holy and beautiful that His very presence consumes and destroys evil. Oh that His presence might find its fullness in me, consuming all my sin and evil! One day it will be. In that day, I will obtain His glory. Wow! I will obtain His glory! Let's go out and embrace Him! Lord Jesus show me Your glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John