2 Kings 25
God is severe. Yes, I said it, severe. It finally has happened. Judgment began with the household of God. He had told the people as far back as Moses that if they deviated from seeking His glory that he would curse them and move them out of the land. He told them in the days of Manasseh that He would wipe them like one wipes a dish. Only the repentance of Josiah postponed the destruction. Now, king Zedekiah experiences the full brunt of the wrath of the Lord through the wrath of the Babylonians. They killed Zedekiah’s sons before him, and then they put out his eyes. The next to last sight that Zedekiah would remember for the rest of his life would be the execution of his sons. That is severe. Others were executed as well. Most were deported. The temple was robbed. The city was looted and burned, and the walls were destroyed. That is severe.
Is that glory? Hmmm. . . What would the innocent people who were slaughtered under Manasseh and Amon say? What would the angels who have been observing this cosmic drama say? What would those who see the largest picture say? I know they would say, “Yes, that is glory for His justice is revealed. How sad it is that, like Josiah, they could also have experienced the mercy of the Lord if they had repented. Will God discipline His children if they do not repent? He certainly will. Doing so manifests His glory. Will God show mercy to His children who repent? He certainly will. Doing so also manifests His glory. Lord, Help me live a lifestyle of repentance! I want your mercy! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Hebrews 9
The first covenant with its high priests and tabernacle and ark was a holy thing. Indeed anyone who did not treat it as holy was judged by God Himself. Take for instance Nadab and Abihu the sons of Aaron were instantly struck dead for offering strange fire. The Philistines who captured the ark of the covenant were struck hemorrhoids and infertility for their act. When David improperly transported the ark and Uzzah put his hand upon the ark to steady it, God killed Uzzah. When Uzziah (not Uzzah) was king, he proudly sought to take the role of a priest upon himself and burn incense in the sanctuary. Eighty priests opposed him. Uzziah became angry with the priests. In the midst of his anger, the Lord struck him with leprosy. The priesthood, the tabernacle and the furniture of the tabernacle were holy things. Trust in the sacrifices was able to procure temporary covering for sin. These things were all shadows or pictures, if you will, of Christ. They were not the real thing. They were simply teaching tools to tell of the sacrifice that Christ would do for our sin.
If these things were holy and effective, how much more effective is the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ? He did not enter into a physical sanctuary made by human hands. Having died and received the judgment of God against all the sins of the world upon the cross, He has now entered into the heavenly throne room of God. There He applies His own blood to the lives of those who trust him. His blood is so powerful that He need not do it time and time again. He does it once. That application is useful for all of our sins, past, present and future. When we die, we will be judged. The first standard of judgment will be, "Has the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ ever been applied to my life." If it has been applied, then we enter into His presence and at His judgment seat, we will be rewarded for the good works we have done. His blood is indeed powerful! If it has not been applied, then judgment awaits at the Great White Throne and after that, hell and the lake of fire. His wrath is indeed terrifying! He is indeed holy and effective! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
Friday, November 12, 2010
November 11
Hebrews 8
The writer of Hebrews now clearly reveals the main point of his letter and it is simply this: the glory of Christ as our High Priest. The priesthood and tabernacle, which were brought into existence through Moses, were simply copies and shadows of what Jesus would be, become and do in order to rescue His defiled creation from the sin that we chose to bring upon ourselves. His ministry is much better than any of the ministries of the Jewish priests. His ministry is much better than any pastor's ministry today. His is the real thing. Ours only give partial glimpses at what He is doing. His covenant is much better than the covenant God made with the nation of Israel. The covenant God made with Israel had blessings and curses. If the people obeyed the covenant stipulations, the law, then they would be blessed and could live in the land. If the people disobeyed the covenant stipulations, the law, then they would be cursed and driven out of the land. The law was written on stone tablets for the people to observe and to try to obey. His covenant has a law that is written on our hearts. When His covenant (inaugurated in His blood) comes in its full force (at His return), my job will be obsolete. No one will teach or exhort another any more to know the Lord. We will all know the Lord. Our sins and lawless deeds He will remember no more. He will take away even the very presence of sin. What a High Priest! He brings a real change to our lives with our cooperation! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
The writer of Hebrews now clearly reveals the main point of his letter and it is simply this: the glory of Christ as our High Priest. The priesthood and tabernacle, which were brought into existence through Moses, were simply copies and shadows of what Jesus would be, become and do in order to rescue His defiled creation from the sin that we chose to bring upon ourselves. His ministry is much better than any of the ministries of the Jewish priests. His ministry is much better than any pastor's ministry today. His is the real thing. Ours only give partial glimpses at what He is doing. His covenant is much better than the covenant God made with the nation of Israel. The covenant God made with Israel had blessings and curses. If the people obeyed the covenant stipulations, the law, then they would be blessed and could live in the land. If the people disobeyed the covenant stipulations, the law, then they would be cursed and driven out of the land. The law was written on stone tablets for the people to observe and to try to obey. His covenant has a law that is written on our hearts. When His covenant (inaugurated in His blood) comes in its full force (at His return), my job will be obsolete. No one will teach or exhort another any more to know the Lord. We will all know the Lord. Our sins and lawless deeds He will remember no more. He will take away even the very presence of sin. What a High Priest! He brings a real change to our lives with our cooperation! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
November 10, 2010
2 Kings 23
Josiah was an amazing king. Born the grandson and son of the most pagan kings Judah had ever experienced, he led one of the most amazing revivals the world has ever seen. The Word says this of him
Now before him there was no king like him, who turned to the Lord with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses; nor after him did any arise like him.
In order to accomplish this revival, Josiah literally destroyed the works of his father and grandfather. Can you imagine the moral courage it took for him to demand this not only of himself but also his people? Jesus calls us to the same level of moral commitment.
Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment.” (Matthew 22:37,38)
For Josiah this meant turning his back on everything that his grandfather and father had built and encouraged in the people in a religious sense. This means that he was going against 53 combined years of cultural and religious pursuit of false gods led by his fathers.
God calls us to the same commitment. How can we pursue the Lord with all our heart, soul and mind? Certainly we will need to see His glory on a daily basis. We will always pursue what we set our eyes upon. That may mean that I need to tear down some of my false gods, my idols such as financial security, fancy houses, cars, clothing, food, entertainment, even family, anything that stands between God and me. If my eyes are always on those things and not upon the glory of the Lord, how could I ever desire to let those things go? But if my eyes are fixed upon His glory, how could I ever convulsively hang on to those things? He is worth letting all things go. Yes, He is worth letting even life itself go. Lord, I so frequently grab after those other things. But they are not worth anything compared to you. Enable me to let go of those things and gaze at and desire only your glory. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Hebrews 7
The power of an endless life--now that's the stuff movies and legends are made of. It is the dream of some, the nightmare of others. Subconsciously we often think we have it. Most of us live like this life will never end. But only One Person has it, the Lord Jesus Christ. Now that is glory! What would you do different if you knew you had the power of an endless life? Would you take more risks? Would those risks be for your best end or for others?
Jesus uses His power of an endless life for our benefit. He uses it to become our High Priest. Now a really strict interpretation of the law would have said, "Wait! Jesus is from the wrong tribe. He is from the tribe of Judah. He cannot be a priest! Priests can only come from the tribe of Levi. Ahh but! There is this unknown character in Abraham's found in Genesis 14:18-20:
Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. And he blessed him and said:
“Blessed be Abram of God Most High,
Possessor of heaven and earth;
And blessed be God Most High,
Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.”
And he gave him a tithe of all.
Melchizedek means king of righteousness. Salem, which means peace, is perhaps Jerusalem. So this Melchizedek is either the literal king of Salem, Jerusalem, or perhaps this is another appearance to Abraham of Jesus in a fleshly state before He became flesh. Abraham recognized that he was a priest of the Most High God. He also recognized that Melchizedek was of greater rank than he because he gave him a tenth of the spoils from his victory over the 4 kings of Mesopotamia. Now, no lineage is given for Melchizedek. In the Hebrew mindset lineage was very, very important to establish the right to serve as a priest. Yet Abraham, the father of the Hebrew nation, gave tithes to him without establishing that right through a lineage.
David in writing his Messianic Psalm 110 says in verse 4 that the Messiah is a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. What is that order? At the very least, it is an order that is not established by having the proper physical lineage. So the Hebrews writer uses David's Messianic Psalm to claim the proper glory for the Lord Jesus Christ. He has the power of an endless life and He has eternal office and right to intercede for me.
Now comes the application of that glory--He always lives to make intercession. He has no need to offer a sacrifice for Himself before a holy God because He Himself is holy, innocent, undefiled separate from sinners and the highest authority of all of creation. He always lives for the purpose of interceding for us! When I bring my needs and concerns before our Holy God, He talks to the Father for me. When Satan brings His accusations against me before the Father, most of which are probably true, He says to the Father, "My blood was shed for that sin. I have washed John Chaffin clean. Your wrath has been satisfied in my death upon the cross. John has confessed that sin. Let's clothe John in my righteousness. Let's give him all that he needs for godliness and righteousness, peace and contentment." He teaches me to pray and He intercedes for me! What power of an endless life! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
Josiah was an amazing king. Born the grandson and son of the most pagan kings Judah had ever experienced, he led one of the most amazing revivals the world has ever seen. The Word says this of him
Now before him there was no king like him, who turned to the Lord with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses; nor after him did any arise like him.
In order to accomplish this revival, Josiah literally destroyed the works of his father and grandfather. Can you imagine the moral courage it took for him to demand this not only of himself but also his people? Jesus calls us to the same level of moral commitment.
Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment.” (Matthew 22:37,38)
For Josiah this meant turning his back on everything that his grandfather and father had built and encouraged in the people in a religious sense. This means that he was going against 53 combined years of cultural and religious pursuit of false gods led by his fathers.
God calls us to the same commitment. How can we pursue the Lord with all our heart, soul and mind? Certainly we will need to see His glory on a daily basis. We will always pursue what we set our eyes upon. That may mean that I need to tear down some of my false gods, my idols such as financial security, fancy houses, cars, clothing, food, entertainment, even family, anything that stands between God and me. If my eyes are always on those things and not upon the glory of the Lord, how could I ever desire to let those things go? But if my eyes are fixed upon His glory, how could I ever convulsively hang on to those things? He is worth letting all things go. Yes, He is worth letting even life itself go. Lord, I so frequently grab after those other things. But they are not worth anything compared to you. Enable me to let go of those things and gaze at and desire only your glory. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Hebrews 7
The power of an endless life--now that's the stuff movies and legends are made of. It is the dream of some, the nightmare of others. Subconsciously we often think we have it. Most of us live like this life will never end. But only One Person has it, the Lord Jesus Christ. Now that is glory! What would you do different if you knew you had the power of an endless life? Would you take more risks? Would those risks be for your best end or for others?
Jesus uses His power of an endless life for our benefit. He uses it to become our High Priest. Now a really strict interpretation of the law would have said, "Wait! Jesus is from the wrong tribe. He is from the tribe of Judah. He cannot be a priest! Priests can only come from the tribe of Levi. Ahh but! There is this unknown character in Abraham's found in Genesis 14:18-20:
Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. And he blessed him and said:
“Blessed be Abram of God Most High,
Possessor of heaven and earth;
And blessed be God Most High,
Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.”
And he gave him a tithe of all.
Melchizedek means king of righteousness. Salem, which means peace, is perhaps Jerusalem. So this Melchizedek is either the literal king of Salem, Jerusalem, or perhaps this is another appearance to Abraham of Jesus in a fleshly state before He became flesh. Abraham recognized that he was a priest of the Most High God. He also recognized that Melchizedek was of greater rank than he because he gave him a tenth of the spoils from his victory over the 4 kings of Mesopotamia. Now, no lineage is given for Melchizedek. In the Hebrew mindset lineage was very, very important to establish the right to serve as a priest. Yet Abraham, the father of the Hebrew nation, gave tithes to him without establishing that right through a lineage.
David in writing his Messianic Psalm 110 says in verse 4 that the Messiah is a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. What is that order? At the very least, it is an order that is not established by having the proper physical lineage. So the Hebrews writer uses David's Messianic Psalm to claim the proper glory for the Lord Jesus Christ. He has the power of an endless life and He has eternal office and right to intercede for me.
Now comes the application of that glory--He always lives to make intercession. He has no need to offer a sacrifice for Himself before a holy God because He Himself is holy, innocent, undefiled separate from sinners and the highest authority of all of creation. He always lives for the purpose of interceding for us! When I bring my needs and concerns before our Holy God, He talks to the Father for me. When Satan brings His accusations against me before the Father, most of which are probably true, He says to the Father, "My blood was shed for that sin. I have washed John Chaffin clean. Your wrath has been satisfied in my death upon the cross. John has confessed that sin. Let's clothe John in my righteousness. Let's give him all that he needs for godliness and righteousness, peace and contentment." He teaches me to pray and He intercedes for me! What power of an endless life! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
November 9, 2010
2 Kings 22
“We have found the book of the LORD!” Can you imagine the Word of God being lost to the whole country for two whole generations? Yet that is exactly what happened because of the evil reigns of Manasseh and Amon. They must have even controlled the priesthood so that the Word of God was never read! But are we any different? We have a multitude of versions of Bibles at our fingertips to read. Enough Bibles have been printed so that there should be several in every home. Yet we have a generation that is growing up that knows nothing of the Word of God! Why? Is the Word of God read in our homes? How can we see the glory of God if we do not open His book? Let us pray for a revival where men will once again take responsibility for their household and read the word in their homes! Let us pray that God will show us something of His glory as we read His word. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Hebrews 6
When we were back in Titus 1 we found that God cannot lie. In Hebrews 3-5 we found that Jesus is a faithful High Priest. Not being able to lie and faithfulness are similar concepts. One phrase approaches the concept negatively the other word approaches it positively. Today we see one of the practical outworkings of that faithfulness. Because Jesus is a faithful High Priest, because He promised us eternal life if we repent and believe, He will do whatever it takes to get His children to enter the promised land. When He led them out of Egypt to Kadesh Barnea, they refused to cross over and take the land. They wanted to go back to Egypt. They wanted to go back into bondage. He would not let them. He let them die in the wilderness rather than go back into bondage. He promised them the land. If they would not receive it, He certainly would not let them go back into Egypt. His faithfulness was on the line.
So also with us, He desires that we enter into His rest. We often balk and refuse. But He is faithful. He will do whatever it takes to get us to enter into His rest. If we continue to refuse, His discipline becomes more severe until we co-operate. It is like a farmer's field that has a weed or pest infestation. In Biblical days they did not have pesticides and herbicides to spray on the fields. A field that had a problem was often burned at the end of a growing season if it did not produce. The burning would kill the pest or weed infestation. Then he could replant with fresh seed. Perhaps he would obtain a good crop. So also, with us, the weeds and pests of the flesh, the world or the devil infest our lives. We refuse to follow our Lord. But He has promised to lead us into His rest. His faithfulness is on the line. He will not allow us to go back to Egypt. He will do whatever it takes to bring us to the land. If we persist, we might even get burned--severe discipline to destroy the sinfulness in us. If we continue in rebellion, it might even result in being taken out of this world.
Why? Because He is faithful. He has promised to lead us into the land. He cannot lie. What He does, He does for our good. He has promised to give us rest for our souls. We cannot experience that rest if we hang on to sin. He is immutable (He cannot change). So, we have this promise from Him. It is His glory to fulfill it. That gives us hope! It is an anchor for the soul in times of hardship or of discipline. We can enter His presence behind the veil because He is a faithful High Priest! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
“We have found the book of the LORD!” Can you imagine the Word of God being lost to the whole country for two whole generations? Yet that is exactly what happened because of the evil reigns of Manasseh and Amon. They must have even controlled the priesthood so that the Word of God was never read! But are we any different? We have a multitude of versions of Bibles at our fingertips to read. Enough Bibles have been printed so that there should be several in every home. Yet we have a generation that is growing up that knows nothing of the Word of God! Why? Is the Word of God read in our homes? How can we see the glory of God if we do not open His book? Let us pray for a revival where men will once again take responsibility for their household and read the word in their homes! Let us pray that God will show us something of His glory as we read His word. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Hebrews 6
When we were back in Titus 1 we found that God cannot lie. In Hebrews 3-5 we found that Jesus is a faithful High Priest. Not being able to lie and faithfulness are similar concepts. One phrase approaches the concept negatively the other word approaches it positively. Today we see one of the practical outworkings of that faithfulness. Because Jesus is a faithful High Priest, because He promised us eternal life if we repent and believe, He will do whatever it takes to get His children to enter the promised land. When He led them out of Egypt to Kadesh Barnea, they refused to cross over and take the land. They wanted to go back to Egypt. They wanted to go back into bondage. He would not let them. He let them die in the wilderness rather than go back into bondage. He promised them the land. If they would not receive it, He certainly would not let them go back into Egypt. His faithfulness was on the line.
So also with us, He desires that we enter into His rest. We often balk and refuse. But He is faithful. He will do whatever it takes to get us to enter into His rest. If we continue to refuse, His discipline becomes more severe until we co-operate. It is like a farmer's field that has a weed or pest infestation. In Biblical days they did not have pesticides and herbicides to spray on the fields. A field that had a problem was often burned at the end of a growing season if it did not produce. The burning would kill the pest or weed infestation. Then he could replant with fresh seed. Perhaps he would obtain a good crop. So also, with us, the weeds and pests of the flesh, the world or the devil infest our lives. We refuse to follow our Lord. But He has promised to lead us into His rest. His faithfulness is on the line. He will not allow us to go back to Egypt. He will do whatever it takes to bring us to the land. If we persist, we might even get burned--severe discipline to destroy the sinfulness in us. If we continue in rebellion, it might even result in being taken out of this world.
Why? Because He is faithful. He has promised to lead us into the land. He cannot lie. What He does, He does for our good. He has promised to give us rest for our souls. We cannot experience that rest if we hang on to sin. He is immutable (He cannot change). So, we have this promise from Him. It is His glory to fulfill it. That gives us hope! It is an anchor for the soul in times of hardship or of discipline. We can enter His presence behind the veil because He is a faithful High Priest! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
Monday, November 8, 2010
November 8, 2010
2 Kings 21
Moving from Oklahoma to Portland, Oregon, during the winter time, we decided to take the southern route—I-40 to California, and then up I-5 to Oregon. As we crossed Mt. Shasta in northern California, near the Oregon border, the view was spectacular! Descending down into southern Oregon, we could see what looked like clouds in the valleys below us. As we approached Medford, Oregon, we entered the clouds, or more aptly put, the fog. Visibility dropped to almost zero. I was becoming a nervous wreck because I could see neither in front of me nor behind me. Since it was late afternoon, early evening when we entered Medford. We decided to find a motel and spend the night in hopes that the new day would bring better visibility. After checking in, we went to eat at a restaurant (within walking distance). I noted the local newspaper headlines in the newspaper box as we entered the restaurant, “5 STRAIGHT DAYS OF FOG!” The front page had a picture of a school bus driver exiting her bus in tears as she finished her route. The stress of the responsibility of driving the children in dense fog had taken its toll upon her. The story said that the weather man did not see any let up in the fog. I suddenly felt like I had made a poor decision. We spent the night, waited until almost noon the next day and decided to inch our way to Portland. After about an hour of driving, the fog began to slowly lift, and we could begin to drive normally again. But those were some hours of white knuckle driving constantly scanning and looking for what might or might not be in front of me. I have never since experienced such poor visibility.
The Glory of the Lord was wonderfully visible during the reign of Hezekiah. The visibility of the glory of the Lord reached an all-time low in Judah under Manasseh. He “seduced them (the people of Israel) to do more evil than the nations whom the LORD had destroyed before the children of Israel.” Now that is quite a statement. Can you imagine that? They did more evil than the nations whom the LORD destroyed before them. As a result God said that He would wipe Jerusalem like one wipes a dish. O LORD, let me be a channel of your glory. Let me not be one who hides your glory with my pride. Let it shine through and beyond me. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Hebrews 5
One of the great glories of Christ is that He did not glorify Himself. In our age it is natural for a leader to glorify Himself. In a democracy where people vote for their leader, glorifying oneself is the natural demand of the political machine. If you do not glorify yourself, your opponent will glorify himself and the people will vote for the one who does the best job of glorifying himself. After all, you are not going to vote for someone in whom you have no confidence. If you have no confidence in yourself, no one else is going to have confidence in you. In a dictatorship the dictator rules by the absolute authority He wields over the people. Part of that absolute authority is obtained by the image the people have of you. Therefore many dictators are given to excessive boasting as part of their way of producing the image that keeps that sense of absolute power over their subjects. In general, Jesus did not glorify Himself. When necessary or pushed, He declared who He was. But most of the time He let His works (done in the power of the Holy Spirit) or His Father glorify Him. And glorify Him He did! The Father has called Him His Son. The Father has made Him the High Priest.
Another of His glories is that He learned obedience by suffering. Imagine that! The Eternal Son of God learned obedience as a Man. As a man, He suffered in order to obey the Father. The suffering was greater that any that you or I will ever experience. Beginning in the Garden of Gethsemane until the resurrection morning He endured unimaginable agonies. He did it partially out of obedience to the Father. There are times when you and I are suffering innocently. Remember He suffered innocently to a much greater extent. His glory is our shining example of how to endure suffering when undeserved. He succeeded and offers His life and glory to you, so that you may share in His glories! But part of the glory is learning obedience when suffering innocently. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
Moving from Oklahoma to Portland, Oregon, during the winter time, we decided to take the southern route—I-40 to California, and then up I-5 to Oregon. As we crossed Mt. Shasta in northern California, near the Oregon border, the view was spectacular! Descending down into southern Oregon, we could see what looked like clouds in the valleys below us. As we approached Medford, Oregon, we entered the clouds, or more aptly put, the fog. Visibility dropped to almost zero. I was becoming a nervous wreck because I could see neither in front of me nor behind me. Since it was late afternoon, early evening when we entered Medford. We decided to find a motel and spend the night in hopes that the new day would bring better visibility. After checking in, we went to eat at a restaurant (within walking distance). I noted the local newspaper headlines in the newspaper box as we entered the restaurant, “5 STRAIGHT DAYS OF FOG!” The front page had a picture of a school bus driver exiting her bus in tears as she finished her route. The stress of the responsibility of driving the children in dense fog had taken its toll upon her. The story said that the weather man did not see any let up in the fog. I suddenly felt like I had made a poor decision. We spent the night, waited until almost noon the next day and decided to inch our way to Portland. After about an hour of driving, the fog began to slowly lift, and we could begin to drive normally again. But those were some hours of white knuckle driving constantly scanning and looking for what might or might not be in front of me. I have never since experienced such poor visibility.
The Glory of the Lord was wonderfully visible during the reign of Hezekiah. The visibility of the glory of the Lord reached an all-time low in Judah under Manasseh. He “seduced them (the people of Israel) to do more evil than the nations whom the LORD had destroyed before the children of Israel.” Now that is quite a statement. Can you imagine that? They did more evil than the nations whom the LORD destroyed before them. As a result God said that He would wipe Jerusalem like one wipes a dish. O LORD, let me be a channel of your glory. Let me not be one who hides your glory with my pride. Let it shine through and beyond me. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Hebrews 5
One of the great glories of Christ is that He did not glorify Himself. In our age it is natural for a leader to glorify Himself. In a democracy where people vote for their leader, glorifying oneself is the natural demand of the political machine. If you do not glorify yourself, your opponent will glorify himself and the people will vote for the one who does the best job of glorifying himself. After all, you are not going to vote for someone in whom you have no confidence. If you have no confidence in yourself, no one else is going to have confidence in you. In a dictatorship the dictator rules by the absolute authority He wields over the people. Part of that absolute authority is obtained by the image the people have of you. Therefore many dictators are given to excessive boasting as part of their way of producing the image that keeps that sense of absolute power over their subjects. In general, Jesus did not glorify Himself. When necessary or pushed, He declared who He was. But most of the time He let His works (done in the power of the Holy Spirit) or His Father glorify Him. And glorify Him He did! The Father has called Him His Son. The Father has made Him the High Priest.
Another of His glories is that He learned obedience by suffering. Imagine that! The Eternal Son of God learned obedience as a Man. As a man, He suffered in order to obey the Father. The suffering was greater that any that you or I will ever experience. Beginning in the Garden of Gethsemane until the resurrection morning He endured unimaginable agonies. He did it partially out of obedience to the Father. There are times when you and I are suffering innocently. Remember He suffered innocently to a much greater extent. His glory is our shining example of how to endure suffering when undeserved. He succeeded and offers His life and glory to you, so that you may share in His glories! But part of the glory is learning obedience when suffering innocently. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
November 7, 2010
2 Kings 20
Do our prayers really affect the plan of God? If He really is sovereign, how can He allow His sovereign plans to be affected by our prayers? Greater minds than mine have honestly grappled with these questions, and they came up with mutually exclusive answers. I am not able to plumb the depths of how the sovereignty of God and the free will of man can both exist and do not infringe on each other. However, this is clear. God had determined that Hezekiah’s time on earth was done. He warned Hezekiah through Isaiah. Hezekiah immediately plead with God for healing. God immediately sent Isaiah back to heal him. Apparently, our prayers do somehow make a difference in the sovereign plan of God.
Maybe we should be careful about how we pray. Hezekiah lived another 15 years. He accomplished two things in those 15 years. Neither were good for the nation. 1) He became proud about the position the Lord had given him. So, he showed it all off, especially to the Babylonian ambassador. He did not brag about what God had done, but about what God had given him. 2) He fathered Manasseh and failed to bring him up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Manasseh was arguably Judah’s most morally corrupt and worst king. If Hezekiah had not prayed and received those requests, would the nation have been better off? Would God’s plan of showing the world the failure of the law been accomplished?
Part of the glory of God is that somehow He assigns the working of His sovereign plan to our participation with Him in prayer. That participation can result in either good or bad, but ultimately His plan is accomplished. That amazes me. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Hebrews 4
Well now if Jesus is able to give me victory over sin, what is the mechanism by which we claim His victory? Jesus uses His word, His Spirit and our faith. As we combine these three, we enter into His faithfulness and rest in our struggle against sin. Jesus’ word, partially given by Moses, is taken by His Holy Spirit and reveals the deepest issues and sins in our lives that need to be removed. He sees into every nook and cranny of our lives. But He does so to act as a High Priest not as a judge. As our sin is revealed, our first inclination is to run and hide our sin from God, others and even ourselves. That is what the nation of Israel did at Kadesh Barnea, when they refused to enter the Promised Land.
But we have a High Priest in Jesus who can sympathize with our weaknesses. We should not run from our sin but rather bring it to our High Priest. After all He was tempted in every point just as we are, and He felt the full force of that temptation. Yet, He triumphed and did not sin. He triumphed and died and rose again for our sin. When His Holy Spirit reveals our sin through His word, we must deal with that sin by coming to His throne of grace obtaining His mercy and grace and the empowerment and provision for overcoming temptation through the filling of His Holy Spirit. It is obtained by faith. He is compassionate toward us and gives us His victory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
Do our prayers really affect the plan of God? If He really is sovereign, how can He allow His sovereign plans to be affected by our prayers? Greater minds than mine have honestly grappled with these questions, and they came up with mutually exclusive answers. I am not able to plumb the depths of how the sovereignty of God and the free will of man can both exist and do not infringe on each other. However, this is clear. God had determined that Hezekiah’s time on earth was done. He warned Hezekiah through Isaiah. Hezekiah immediately plead with God for healing. God immediately sent Isaiah back to heal him. Apparently, our prayers do somehow make a difference in the sovereign plan of God.
Maybe we should be careful about how we pray. Hezekiah lived another 15 years. He accomplished two things in those 15 years. Neither were good for the nation. 1) He became proud about the position the Lord had given him. So, he showed it all off, especially to the Babylonian ambassador. He did not brag about what God had done, but about what God had given him. 2) He fathered Manasseh and failed to bring him up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Manasseh was arguably Judah’s most morally corrupt and worst king. If Hezekiah had not prayed and received those requests, would the nation have been better off? Would God’s plan of showing the world the failure of the law been accomplished?
Part of the glory of God is that somehow He assigns the working of His sovereign plan to our participation with Him in prayer. That participation can result in either good or bad, but ultimately His plan is accomplished. That amazes me. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Hebrews 4
Well now if Jesus is able to give me victory over sin, what is the mechanism by which we claim His victory? Jesus uses His word, His Spirit and our faith. As we combine these three, we enter into His faithfulness and rest in our struggle against sin. Jesus’ word, partially given by Moses, is taken by His Holy Spirit and reveals the deepest issues and sins in our lives that need to be removed. He sees into every nook and cranny of our lives. But He does so to act as a High Priest not as a judge. As our sin is revealed, our first inclination is to run and hide our sin from God, others and even ourselves. That is what the nation of Israel did at Kadesh Barnea, when they refused to enter the Promised Land.
But we have a High Priest in Jesus who can sympathize with our weaknesses. We should not run from our sin but rather bring it to our High Priest. After all He was tempted in every point just as we are, and He felt the full force of that temptation. Yet, He triumphed and did not sin. He triumphed and died and rose again for our sin. When His Holy Spirit reveals our sin through His word, we must deal with that sin by coming to His throne of grace obtaining His mercy and grace and the empowerment and provision for overcoming temptation through the filling of His Holy Spirit. It is obtained by faith. He is compassionate toward us and gives us His victory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
Saturday, November 6, 2010
November 6, 2010
2 Kings 19
When I am up against a horrendous struggle, and it looks like I will be defeated, what do I do? Do I fret in prayer by sending a barrage of requests before the throne? Or do learn to quiet myself before God by resting in the knowledge of who He is? It never ceases to instruct me when I consider the recorded prayers of the people in the Bible. Whether they are in good times or difficult times, usually at least 50% of their prayers focus on nature and acts of God, and another large percentage focuses on how this situation will affect His glory. This certainly the type of prayer that Hezekiah gives:
O Lord God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 16“Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. 17“Truly, Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands, 18“and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were not gods, but the work of men’s hands—wood and stone. Therefore they destroyed them. 19“Now therefore, O Lord our God, I pray, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the Lord God, You alone.
The actual request is only the first half of verse 19. It is as though he is reciting before Him His glory. Does God need us to recite His glory to Him before He will answer our prayers? Absolutely not! Then why does God encourage that type of prayer? There are many answers to that question. One is that we are created to reflect His glory. To ask requests without reflecting his glory is to sidestep the purpose of our very existence. A second answer is that as we reflect upon His glory, we receive what we need to live victoriously in the midst of challenging circumstances.
Look at what he says. “The One who dwells between the cherubim,” what does that mean? The cherubim are placed in the Garden of Eden to defend the way to the Tree of Life. The cherubim are carved into images and placed on the mercy seat in the holy of holies. Ezekiel describes the cherubim as serving the purpose of magnifying the holiness and power of God, one of their main responsibilities throughout the Bible.[1] What is important about that? By declaring this Hezekiah is choosing to stand in the midst of the holiness and power of God. He is reminding himself of how great God is. He is reminding himself that as important as this struggle is in the history of Israel, it is nothing in comparison to the holiness and power of God. He then moves on to the fact that God is God of all kingdoms, even Assyria, even if they refuse to acknowledge it. He rests in the great power of God that He alone created the heaven and earth. He alone is God! What else can Hezekiah do but rest in what God will decide to do? Will I do that? Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[1]Youngblood, Ronald F.: Bruce, F.F. (Hrsg.): Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Dictionary : An Authoritative One-Volume Reference Work on the Bible With Full Color Illustrations. electronic edition of the revised edition of Nelson's illustrated Bible dictionary. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1997, c1995
Hebrews 3
We are told to consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus. What is an Apostle? He was one who was sent on behalf of an Emperor and carried all the authority of the Emperor. What was a High Priest. A priest is one who is a mediator between God and man. The High Priest was the chief one in charge. Jesus is the One who was sent on behalf of God the Father with all His authority in order to mediate between us & God. He was completely faithful in fulfilling His duty. What was His duty? It was to build us into a temple to be inhabited by God. Jesus was faithful to take rebellious sinful people like us, remove our sin, give us His righteousness, reconcile us to God, join us together so that we become a house that invites God’s presence. The presence of God can now dwell in us individually and corporately.
Moses was faithful in building his house. The problem was that his house was only successful at revealing the sin of the people. He was unable to bring them into the rest of victory over temptation and sin. That is how Jesus contrasts with him. Jesus not only reveals our sin. He removes it. He gives us ability to be victorious over sin. What Moses accomplished was glorious but Jesus far outshines Moses. Jesus is indeed faithful in making me/us victorious over sin. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
When I am up against a horrendous struggle, and it looks like I will be defeated, what do I do? Do I fret in prayer by sending a barrage of requests before the throne? Or do learn to quiet myself before God by resting in the knowledge of who He is? It never ceases to instruct me when I consider the recorded prayers of the people in the Bible. Whether they are in good times or difficult times, usually at least 50% of their prayers focus on nature and acts of God, and another large percentage focuses on how this situation will affect His glory. This certainly the type of prayer that Hezekiah gives:
O Lord God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 16“Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. 17“Truly, Lord, the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands, 18“and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were not gods, but the work of men’s hands—wood and stone. Therefore they destroyed them. 19“Now therefore, O Lord our God, I pray, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the Lord God, You alone.
The actual request is only the first half of verse 19. It is as though he is reciting before Him His glory. Does God need us to recite His glory to Him before He will answer our prayers? Absolutely not! Then why does God encourage that type of prayer? There are many answers to that question. One is that we are created to reflect His glory. To ask requests without reflecting his glory is to sidestep the purpose of our very existence. A second answer is that as we reflect upon His glory, we receive what we need to live victoriously in the midst of challenging circumstances.
Look at what he says. “The One who dwells between the cherubim,” what does that mean? The cherubim are placed in the Garden of Eden to defend the way to the Tree of Life. The cherubim are carved into images and placed on the mercy seat in the holy of holies. Ezekiel describes the cherubim as serving the purpose of magnifying the holiness and power of God, one of their main responsibilities throughout the Bible.[1] What is important about that? By declaring this Hezekiah is choosing to stand in the midst of the holiness and power of God. He is reminding himself of how great God is. He is reminding himself that as important as this struggle is in the history of Israel, it is nothing in comparison to the holiness and power of God. He then moves on to the fact that God is God of all kingdoms, even Assyria, even if they refuse to acknowledge it. He rests in the great power of God that He alone created the heaven and earth. He alone is God! What else can Hezekiah do but rest in what God will decide to do? Will I do that? Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[1]Youngblood, Ronald F.: Bruce, F.F. (Hrsg.): Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Dictionary : An Authoritative One-Volume Reference Work on the Bible With Full Color Illustrations. electronic edition of the revised edition of Nelson's illustrated Bible dictionary. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1997, c1995
Hebrews 3
We are told to consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus. What is an Apostle? He was one who was sent on behalf of an Emperor and carried all the authority of the Emperor. What was a High Priest. A priest is one who is a mediator between God and man. The High Priest was the chief one in charge. Jesus is the One who was sent on behalf of God the Father with all His authority in order to mediate between us & God. He was completely faithful in fulfilling His duty. What was His duty? It was to build us into a temple to be inhabited by God. Jesus was faithful to take rebellious sinful people like us, remove our sin, give us His righteousness, reconcile us to God, join us together so that we become a house that invites God’s presence. The presence of God can now dwell in us individually and corporately.
Moses was faithful in building his house. The problem was that his house was only successful at revealing the sin of the people. He was unable to bring them into the rest of victory over temptation and sin. That is how Jesus contrasts with him. Jesus not only reveals our sin. He removes it. He gives us ability to be victorious over sin. What Moses accomplished was glorious but Jesus far outshines Moses. Jesus is indeed faithful in making me/us victorious over sin. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
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