February 24, 2010

Exodus 7

Many times I have had close calls. They could have been auto accidents, lack of funds to pay a financial commitment on time, relational crises, or health problems. As I saw the solution provided by the Lord for each situation, I exited the situation with a new appreciation that He is the Lord. Why do I have to walk through those situations to learn those lessons? I think there is a sense in which I tend to learn to rely on certain things to the point that they in a sense become my god. I trust in the things rather than the Lord. That is what is spoken of in today’s passage. We will see the point driven home many ways over the next few days.

The Lord, begins by judging the court magicians via the staff/serpent incident. When Pharaoh refuses to recognize the glory of the Lord, He literally begins to judge the gods of Egypt upon which the Egyptians have come to rely. The first was the Nile. The Egyptians literally worshipped the Nile. After all, in a climate that had very little annual rainfall, the Nile provide the perfect setting for an agrarian society. The Nile’s yearly flooding cycle happens with such precision that they set their calendar by it. The headwaters of the Nile begin over a thousand miles away near the equator in East Africa. The equatorial rainy season in East Africa provided the automatic irrigation and fertilization of the Nile valley. All the Egyptians needed to do was plant seed. It was as though God provided for them. Indeed He did provide for them. But instead of worshipping the true God, they worshipped and relied upon the Nile River. The true God slew the Nile god turn its waters to nasty blood. But He is doing it not to be vindictive but so that they might know that He is the Lord.

In this He shows His glory. How often does He slay my/our Gods (those things that we rely upon rather than Him) so that we might know that He is the Lord? Sometimes it takes drastic measures to get us to pay attention. I wonder which of my/your gods will he slay today? Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!

--Pastor john

Mark 4:21--41

There were things we did as kids in secret that we thought nobody else knew about. I had a friend that lived right next to the railroad tracks and just a few blocks from the cotton gin. Show me an 8-10 year old boy that has no fascination with trains or cotton gins, and I'll show you a kid who is brain dead. You would be surprised to see how flat a fork or a penny can become after a train has run over it. Playing in the bin where they blow the cotton seed after it has been removed from the cotton is a lot of fun. It is amazing that we didn't derail a train or get run over or get buried under a ton of cotton seed or die from asthmatic reaction from the dust of the cotton. I guess that it’s a good thing my mother never found out about most of our activities.

But then there was the time she did find out about one trip to the tracks. We thought we were safe. But our teacher saw us heading in the wrong direction from school--not toward home but toward the tracks. She collected us, and applied the board of education to us. Oh well, what we thought was secret became public knowledge, and try as I did, even my mother found out. The public revelation of what we thought was secret was not, shall I say, "Pleasant?"

Even as adults, we get into this mindset that some of the things we do, say, or think are our little secret. We continue in them believing that we are safe from discovery. If it doesn't hurt anyone else, what difference does it make? Maybe the secret is viewing pornography. Maybe it is holding a grudge against someone else. Maybe it is inwardly judging someone else. Maybe it is a private theft. Maybe it is indifference toward someone. Maybe it is lack of forgiveness toward someone. After all, no one else notices. What difference could it make? But things that begin little grow big. When they become big, the public revelation of it is not, shall we say, "Pleasant?"

Usually what begins as private attitudes, thoughts or secrets, eventually work their way into outward events in our lives. Thoughts long held become attitudes. Attitudes long retained release into actions. Actions rooted in attitudes that are wrong usually have negative public consequences that are not, shall we say, "Pleasant?"

The Kingdom of God is similar to that. It begins small as a thought in the life of a person. Our glorious Lord plants that seed thought in the life of someone through someone speaking the word of God about the glory of Christ to them. It grows slowly but surely. Eventually it becomes beautiful and restful. The public revelation is, shall we say, "Pleasant?"

Not only is that true in the lives of individuals, but it is true in the Kingdom of God corporately. At the crucifixion there were only the 11 disciples and a handful of women left among those following the Lord. Fifty days later there were only about 120 people in the upper room. Jesus had appeared at one time to only about 500 people. It was a small start. Within 30 years the Gospel was being preached in every major city in the Roman Empire, and believers were even in the Emperor's own household. But still the ratio of believers to non-believers was very great. Today there is 1 believer on the face of the earth for every 10 non-believers and the ratio is getting better every day. We are on the verge of seeing the Gospel of the Kingdom being preached as a witness to all ethnic groups. This is the first time that this is a possibility since the Tower of Babel!

If the disciples had known the size of the task, when they were given this parable of the Mustard Seed, they surely could not have believed it. But our servant Lord brought them through an experience (one of many) that taught them to believe. It was on the Sea of Galilee. A sudden storm came up. So violent was the storm that these seasoned fishermen thought sure they were perishing. They awakened Jesus, fearful for their lives. Jesus rebuked the wind and the sea with three little words. And they became calm. "How is it that you have no faith?" He asked.

Now the disciples feared not the sea but Jesus. "Who is this One that even the wind and sea obey Him?" they said to one another. What starts small, even as a thought, has mighty power in it. I am so glad that Jesus' power is greater than the evil secrets I or anyone else may try to keep. His power is growing in its revelation through His kingdom. The final revelation shall be pleasant for those in His kingdom. His glory shall fill the earth. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!

--Pastor John