Jeremiah 5
I have spent a lot of time ministering to a friend of mine lately. He recently said that he was making a recommitment to the Lord. Yesterday he spoke honestly, and it revealed the true state of his heart. He was sharing some things that he had done in the past in order to keep from starving. They were acts of dishonesty where he preyed upon the dishonest motivations of other people. Another friend semi-jokingly said, “Oh, but I am sure you have repented of that.” By his defensiveness it was clear that he was not repentant and justified the dishonest act in his own mind. He was in a defensive mood the rest of the day. It erupted in a lot of discussion about the issues of justice, especially between rich and poor and different ethnic groups.
Jeremiah had a tough message from the Lord to bring to the people of Jerusalem. Destruction from the Lord was coming. The Lord challenged them to search the whole city. If they could find one man who executed judgment (lived justly), then He would not destroy the city. I live in Stillwater, Oklahoma, a city of about 45-48,000 people, perhaps the same size of Jerusalem at that time. If God were to give that challenge to Stillwater, could that man be found? Am I just? Do I execute judgment? Jeremiah said,
Surely these are poor.
They are foolish;
For they do not know the way of the LORD,
The judgment of their God.
5 I will go to the great men and speak to them,
For they have known the way of the LORD,
The judgment of their God.”
But these have altogether broken the yoke
And burst the bonds.
My friend justified himself because he was poor, but what about the rich? The Lord said that they were spiritual adulterers. They assembled themselves to seek other Gods like soldiers in whore houses. I have lived near towns that have army bases. I think I understand the pervasiveness of the imagery. When Jeremiah brought the message, the people denied that it was true. They said that the message was a lie. They rejected the message that judgment was on the way. They refused to believe in the Lord’s standard of justice. Indeed not a man was to be found in Jerusalem who believed in true justice, either among the poor or the rich. The Lord sent the destruction that He promised. Do I believe in His justice?
The Lord sums it all up in the end by saying:
“An astonishing and horrible thing
Has been committed in the land:
31 The prophets prophesy falsely,
And the priests rule by their own power;
And My people love to have it so.
But what will you do in the end?
So where is the glory of the Lord in all this? I must learn to delight in the excellence of His justice. I must not pervert it by trying to twist it to my ends. I must love the excellence of His justice even more than my own life. When I do so, then I can go on to delight in His mercy. Then I will truly understand mercy. Then mercy will be valuable to me. Then showing mercy will be a priority to me. His justice is far beyond my understanding, but His mercy is greater still. Lord, let me not misrepresent justice nor rule my own power. Let me not love anything less than your justice and mercy. Let me love the cross for it is there where justice and mercy meet. Let me die in Jesus on the cross, for then I shall truly live. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Friday, June 10, 2011
Thursday, June 9, 2011
June 9
Jeremiah 4
Yesterday I had phone calls at the church from three different single mothers seeking financial assistance for their dilemma. One said that her money had been stolen; another said that her grandfather had died and that she had taken time off to mourn, as a result her minimum-wage-job pay was not enough to make ends meet; another had health problems that had her in and out of the hospital for at least six months; additionally, she had a daughter who was disabled and another daughter facing cancer. They all sounded desperate. It always seems that the most vulnerable are the ones that are most preyed upon. How do you speak the love of the Lord Jesus Christ into despair?
Jeremiah 4 is a good example of how the Lord works with us. When things are going well we ignore Him. So it was with Judah. Jeremiah tells the nation of a ravaging enemy that is coming to destroy them. The enemy is coming at the command of the Lord. In our peaceful environment in the USA, we often don’t appreciate the peace and prosperity that we enjoy. Oh sure we see pictures on our televisions of unrest in the Middle East, in Egypt, in Libya, in lands where people are tired of suffering under the hands of a dictator. But we don’t really feel the desperation because we are not in the situation. The Lord, speaking through Jeremiah, pleads with the nation to repent lest He not hold back the ravaging enemy.
He calls them to circumcise their hearts. Now there is an interesting word picture! How in the world do I circumcise my heart? Every male of Israel was to be circumcised on the eighth day after their birth. Why? It was to be a sign of the covenant with the Lord. Every time a male urinated, bathed or had sex, he should have been reminded by the circumcision that he was supposed to be in a special relationship with the Lord. Like a household repair that is long left undone, the physical sign became invisible and unheeded. God pleads with them to circumcise their heart. He wants them to do whatever it would take to bring their heart to the point that their greatest desire is to walk in relationship with their God. He wants them to remember that they are His people, but they will not. Instead they continue to seek the finest clothes, to buy the best jewelry, to put on the best make up, to make themselves fair for their lover, the world. All the while, the One who truly loves them, they ignored. Their hearts were not circumcised.
Observe the words used to describe the emotions of the Lord as He brings this devastation:
fury like a fire
fierce anger
a wind to strong to come (sirocco)
by His fierce anger
These words describe His passion for His people. He will not be left for a lesser lover. So He designs that which we would call evil in order to drive us back to Himself in order that we might experience His passionate love rather than His passionate anger. Will we delight in His passion? Will we delight in His pleasure? So how do you speak the love of the Lord Jesus Christ into one in despair? You tell them the truth. God designs to allow our circumstance to sour so that we might circumcise our hearts. When our hearts are circumcised, we are passionate about our relationship with Him. When we are in relationship with Him, our circumstances become of lesser importance. Nothing is as important as experiencing His pleasure and His passion. That is His glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Yesterday I had phone calls at the church from three different single mothers seeking financial assistance for their dilemma. One said that her money had been stolen; another said that her grandfather had died and that she had taken time off to mourn, as a result her minimum-wage-job pay was not enough to make ends meet; another had health problems that had her in and out of the hospital for at least six months; additionally, she had a daughter who was disabled and another daughter facing cancer. They all sounded desperate. It always seems that the most vulnerable are the ones that are most preyed upon. How do you speak the love of the Lord Jesus Christ into despair?
Jeremiah 4 is a good example of how the Lord works with us. When things are going well we ignore Him. So it was with Judah. Jeremiah tells the nation of a ravaging enemy that is coming to destroy them. The enemy is coming at the command of the Lord. In our peaceful environment in the USA, we often don’t appreciate the peace and prosperity that we enjoy. Oh sure we see pictures on our televisions of unrest in the Middle East, in Egypt, in Libya, in lands where people are tired of suffering under the hands of a dictator. But we don’t really feel the desperation because we are not in the situation. The Lord, speaking through Jeremiah, pleads with the nation to repent lest He not hold back the ravaging enemy.
He calls them to circumcise their hearts. Now there is an interesting word picture! How in the world do I circumcise my heart? Every male of Israel was to be circumcised on the eighth day after their birth. Why? It was to be a sign of the covenant with the Lord. Every time a male urinated, bathed or had sex, he should have been reminded by the circumcision that he was supposed to be in a special relationship with the Lord. Like a household repair that is long left undone, the physical sign became invisible and unheeded. God pleads with them to circumcise their heart. He wants them to do whatever it would take to bring their heart to the point that their greatest desire is to walk in relationship with their God. He wants them to remember that they are His people, but they will not. Instead they continue to seek the finest clothes, to buy the best jewelry, to put on the best make up, to make themselves fair for their lover, the world. All the while, the One who truly loves them, they ignored. Their hearts were not circumcised.
Observe the words used to describe the emotions of the Lord as He brings this devastation:
fury like a fire
fierce anger
a wind to strong to come (sirocco)
by His fierce anger
These words describe His passion for His people. He will not be left for a lesser lover. So He designs that which we would call evil in order to drive us back to Himself in order that we might experience His passionate love rather than His passionate anger. Will we delight in His passion? Will we delight in His pleasure? So how do you speak the love of the Lord Jesus Christ into one in despair? You tell them the truth. God designs to allow our circumstance to sour so that we might circumcise our hearts. When our hearts are circumcised, we are passionate about our relationship with Him. When we are in relationship with Him, our circumstances become of lesser importance. Nothing is as important as experiencing His pleasure and His passion. That is His glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
June 8
Jeremiah 3
Even in our wicked and adulterous age, we still hold some disdain for a spouse who cheats on his or her mate. We hold no fault toward an “innocent” spouse who has been cheated upon by his/her mate. Yet we would find the “innocent” spouse to be quite remarkable who would forgive a repentant errant mate and who would receive them back. We are spiritually adulterous. The Lord calls us back to Himself. He demands true repentance. He demands true faithfulness. Yet, He will truly receive us back when we repent. He is truly amazing! If your spouse willfully and defiantly cheated upon you before your very eyes, would you receive them back if they were repentant? Our Lord will receive us back. However, He also does things that make it clear that he does not tolerate our spiritual adultery. He forces us to make a choice. He will receive us if we choose Him. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Even in our wicked and adulterous age, we still hold some disdain for a spouse who cheats on his or her mate. We hold no fault toward an “innocent” spouse who has been cheated upon by his/her mate. Yet we would find the “innocent” spouse to be quite remarkable who would forgive a repentant errant mate and who would receive them back. We are spiritually adulterous. The Lord calls us back to Himself. He demands true repentance. He demands true faithfulness. Yet, He will truly receive us back when we repent. He is truly amazing! If your spouse willfully and defiantly cheated upon you before your very eyes, would you receive them back if they were repentant? Our Lord will receive us back. However, He also does things that make it clear that he does not tolerate our spiritual adultery. He forces us to make a choice. He will receive us if we choose Him. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
June 7
Jeremiah 2
Living in the USA, we know very little of the tragedy of the lack of clean water. Most of walk to our kitchen or bathroom and with the turning of a knob we have all the clean water we desire at a temperature of our choosing. We know little of having to store water or boil it in order to drink it. Cisterns in some places in the world are common needs. While in Kenya in 1975, I helped rebuild a house so that some nurses could move in and start a dispensary. It was at Mucaa, a remote village in the mountains in the south. Kilimanjaro was sometimes visible way off in the distance. Because of its remote location, there was no water system. The house used gutters to feed the rain runoff into a giant cistern. We received our water from the cistern. But even with the cistern, we still had to filter and boil our water before using it. In contrast, in south central Oklahoma, in the Chickasaw National Recreation area, there are a number of springs that boil up out of the ground on their own. They produce thousands of gallons per minute of clean clear cold water. The water is extremely refreshing. If had the choice of drinking from a mud puddle, a cistern, or spring of clean clear cold water, guess which one I would choose.
Here in Jeremiah our Lord describes Himself as a fountain of living water. In the Gospels Jesus beckons us to come and drink freely from Him and to allow His well of water to spring up through us into eternal life. This is eternal life: that we might know the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, whom He has sent. In Jeremiah the Lord describes His people as having rejected His living fountain and having gone to build their own cisterns. Not only had the built their own cisterns, but they were cisterns that could not hold water. They were reduced to mud puddles. When they were reduced to mud puddles, they then pursued other sources such as Egypt or Babylon. Why do we forget the great fountain of living waters and pursue other things that never could and never will satisfy? What an insult that is to our Lord! Only He can satisfy our thirsty souls! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Living in the USA, we know very little of the tragedy of the lack of clean water. Most of walk to our kitchen or bathroom and with the turning of a knob we have all the clean water we desire at a temperature of our choosing. We know little of having to store water or boil it in order to drink it. Cisterns in some places in the world are common needs. While in Kenya in 1975, I helped rebuild a house so that some nurses could move in and start a dispensary. It was at Mucaa, a remote village in the mountains in the south. Kilimanjaro was sometimes visible way off in the distance. Because of its remote location, there was no water system. The house used gutters to feed the rain runoff into a giant cistern. We received our water from the cistern. But even with the cistern, we still had to filter and boil our water before using it. In contrast, in south central Oklahoma, in the Chickasaw National Recreation area, there are a number of springs that boil up out of the ground on their own. They produce thousands of gallons per minute of clean clear cold water. The water is extremely refreshing. If had the choice of drinking from a mud puddle, a cistern, or spring of clean clear cold water, guess which one I would choose.
Here in Jeremiah our Lord describes Himself as a fountain of living water. In the Gospels Jesus beckons us to come and drink freely from Him and to allow His well of water to spring up through us into eternal life. This is eternal life: that we might know the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, whom He has sent. In Jeremiah the Lord describes His people as having rejected His living fountain and having gone to build their own cisterns. Not only had the built their own cisterns, but they were cisterns that could not hold water. They were reduced to mud puddles. When they were reduced to mud puddles, they then pursued other sources such as Egypt or Babylon. Why do we forget the great fountain of living waters and pursue other things that never could and never will satisfy? What an insult that is to our Lord! Only He can satisfy our thirsty souls! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Monday, June 6, 2011
June 6
Jeremiah 1
I understand that there is a so-called evangelical theologian today who teaches that God does not know the future. That is a pretty bold statement. That would imply that time is not a creation of God. It would also demand that many of the clear statements of Scripture would have to be creatively reinterpreted. Consider Jeremiah’s call to ministry: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” If God does not know and control the future, then such statements are meaningless. Not only does God know the future, but in Jeremiah’s case, He sends Jeremiah into an impossible situation and promises to deliver him through the situation! Sure enough, the future turned out exactly as God promised.
What does that tell me about my life? God has called us to trust Him with our futures. For some of us our futures will be a bit more pleasant that others of us. But in all cases, for those of us who trust Him, He will deliver us through the situation. That is the glory of our Lord. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
I understand that there is a so-called evangelical theologian today who teaches that God does not know the future. That is a pretty bold statement. That would imply that time is not a creation of God. It would also demand that many of the clear statements of Scripture would have to be creatively reinterpreted. Consider Jeremiah’s call to ministry: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” If God does not know and control the future, then such statements are meaningless. Not only does God know the future, but in Jeremiah’s case, He sends Jeremiah into an impossible situation and promises to deliver him through the situation! Sure enough, the future turned out exactly as God promised.
What does that tell me about my life? God has called us to trust Him with our futures. For some of us our futures will be a bit more pleasant that others of us. But in all cases, for those of us who trust Him, He will deliver us through the situation. That is the glory of our Lord. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Thursday, June 2, 2011
June 2
Isaiah 63
Wrath and anger, none of us likes to be the recipient of it, but a lot of us enjoy releasing it when we feel it. There is something that feels good about the release of anger. Indeed, some have defined depression as anger turned inward. Why does the release of anger feel good? Anger and wrath are the expected emotions of a transgression against what is right. If I am not angered when I am forced to see the flow of human trafficking, especially with the sexual abuse of children, then there is something genuinely wrong. Anger is a good emotion when it vented properly for the right reasons. It is destructive when vented improperly of for the wrong reasons.
I recently watched a DVD entitled Remember Nhu. I don’t think anyone reading what I am writing now could watch the video and not be angry against the sex slave trade in this world. If it doesn’t make you angry, then you have no sense of righteousness. Many of us rail against the image of an angry-wrathful God, but unless God becomes angry against sin, then He is not a holy God. Deep down inside we all know that there has to be a pay day someday for sin. This passage in Isaiah reveals that just side of God. The passage is very similar to Revelation 19. Our God is coming as a Deliverer! He is fiercely trampling and destroying all those who violate His righteousness. Our heart rejoice in the execution of His justice! But be careful! Which side are we on?
In the midst of the description of His wrath in Isaiah 63, the prophet cries out:
I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the LORD
And the praises of the LORD,
According to all that the LORD has bestowed on us,
And the great goodness toward the house of Israel,
Which He has bestowed on them according to His mercies,
According to the multitude of His lovingkindnesses. . . .
And the Angel of His Presence saved them;
In His love and in His pity He redeemed them;
And He bore them and carried them
All the days of old. . . .
He who brought them up out of the sea . . .
To make for Himself an everlasting name,
So You lead Your people,
To make Yourself a glorious name.
It is only in the midst of anger and wrath do we truly understand the meaning of mercy and salvation. So also in Revelation 19, the coming of the wrathful Lamb and King of Kings is in the midst of the marriage supper of the Lamb. Only in the context of justice do we understand the meaning of mercy. This is our Lord! He is in the process of making a glorious name for Himself! We have the option of receiving either His mercy or His justice. I want His mercy. Mercy drops round us are falling, but for the showers we plead. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Wrath and anger, none of us likes to be the recipient of it, but a lot of us enjoy releasing it when we feel it. There is something that feels good about the release of anger. Indeed, some have defined depression as anger turned inward. Why does the release of anger feel good? Anger and wrath are the expected emotions of a transgression against what is right. If I am not angered when I am forced to see the flow of human trafficking, especially with the sexual abuse of children, then there is something genuinely wrong. Anger is a good emotion when it vented properly for the right reasons. It is destructive when vented improperly of for the wrong reasons.
I recently watched a DVD entitled Remember Nhu. I don’t think anyone reading what I am writing now could watch the video and not be angry against the sex slave trade in this world. If it doesn’t make you angry, then you have no sense of righteousness. Many of us rail against the image of an angry-wrathful God, but unless God becomes angry against sin, then He is not a holy God. Deep down inside we all know that there has to be a pay day someday for sin. This passage in Isaiah reveals that just side of God. The passage is very similar to Revelation 19. Our God is coming as a Deliverer! He is fiercely trampling and destroying all those who violate His righteousness. Our heart rejoice in the execution of His justice! But be careful! Which side are we on?
In the midst of the description of His wrath in Isaiah 63, the prophet cries out:
I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the LORD
And the praises of the LORD,
According to all that the LORD has bestowed on us,
And the great goodness toward the house of Israel,
Which He has bestowed on them according to His mercies,
According to the multitude of His lovingkindnesses. . . .
And the Angel of His Presence saved them;
In His love and in His pity He redeemed them;
And He bore them and carried them
All the days of old. . . .
He who brought them up out of the sea . . .
To make for Himself an everlasting name,
So You lead Your people,
To make Yourself a glorious name.
It is only in the midst of anger and wrath do we truly understand the meaning of mercy and salvation. So also in Revelation 19, the coming of the wrathful Lamb and King of Kings is in the midst of the marriage supper of the Lamb. Only in the context of justice do we understand the meaning of mercy. This is our Lord! He is in the process of making a glorious name for Himself! We have the option of receiving either His mercy or His justice. I want His mercy. Mercy drops round us are falling, but for the showers we plead. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
June 1
Isaiah 62
Have you ever wanted someone to take pleasure in you? We all have. Who is it that you want to take pleasure in you? We want someone whom we adore, someone of significance, to admire us. That is what makes romance so intoxicating. We find someone to whom we are attracted, and they take pleasure in us. It is a tremendous boost to our ego. Conversely, that is what makes a break up so devastating. We have someone to whom we are attracted, and they tell us that they no longer take pleasure in us. What if the God of the universe took pleasure in you? If you really believed that He took pleasure in you, would that not be the most emotionally intoxicating thing you could ever experience?
Is this not the Divine Romance? Listen to what God says to Israel, “And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.” The principle is there. He rejoices over His people. But this is a meditation on His glory, not mine. How does this increase His glory? The world called us forsaken and destitute. He took us and changed us, so that we are desirable and marriageable. We are now so desirable that the God of the universe would rejoice over us as does a groom over his bride. I am so excited about my bride! We’ve been married 34 years, and she is just what I want and desire. So also, the God of the Universe, when He is done molding us, will rejoice over us. He takes pleasure in us! Now that is glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Have you ever wanted someone to take pleasure in you? We all have. Who is it that you want to take pleasure in you? We want someone whom we adore, someone of significance, to admire us. That is what makes romance so intoxicating. We find someone to whom we are attracted, and they take pleasure in us. It is a tremendous boost to our ego. Conversely, that is what makes a break up so devastating. We have someone to whom we are attracted, and they tell us that they no longer take pleasure in us. What if the God of the universe took pleasure in you? If you really believed that He took pleasure in you, would that not be the most emotionally intoxicating thing you could ever experience?
Is this not the Divine Romance? Listen to what God says to Israel, “And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.” The principle is there. He rejoices over His people. But this is a meditation on His glory, not mine. How does this increase His glory? The world called us forsaken and destitute. He took us and changed us, so that we are desirable and marriageable. We are now so desirable that the God of the universe would rejoice over us as does a groom over his bride. I am so excited about my bride! We’ve been married 34 years, and she is just what I want and desire. So also, the God of the Universe, when He is done molding us, will rejoice over us. He takes pleasure in us! Now that is glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)