Exodus 24
Have you ever wanted to have dinner on the grounds with God? Sounds pretty cool, does it not? Can you imagine sitting on the mountainside eating and drinking while God reveals Himself in some form nearby? If you were going to describe to others what God looked like, would the only description be that under where His feet were looked like paved work of sapphire stone? Could it be that they do not describe what God looked like because they couldn’t? Perhaps all they saw was just a cloud of glory, maybe a brightness of representation that let them know He was there. After all, the Apostle John told us twice that no one has seen God at any time. So what did they see? Whatever they saw, the only thing they described was where His feet were.
I wasn’t sure I knew exactly what a sapphire was or looked like, so I went to the internet. A sapphire is generally a blue gem stone, aluminum oxide Al2O3, but it can be other colors depending on what other minerals are mixed with it. When it is red, we call it a ruby. My high school class ring has a blue stone in it. I am not sure if it is a sapphire, but it sure is pretty. So were all the sapphires on the internet.
Once in high school I was attending Falls Creek Youth Camp. It was my last year to attend as a student. I had been attending every year since I was 13. I was sitting with my chin on my hands when I saw a reflection in one of the facets of the stone of my class ring. It was a reflection of three crosses on a hill far behind me. I had never been aware of the crosses before, so it startled me when I saw them. Do you suppose that the reason they mention the sapphire pavement is because it gave a reflection of what God looked like? Maybe even the reflection was full of glory that is indescribable much like the joy which comes from Him, which is unspeakable. Sometimes His presence is like that. He is there all along, but He moves in a special way, and suddenly we see Him in a way that we had missed for years.
How did that sapphire pavement work? Did it move as He moved? Surely He didn’t just stay in one spot during the whole meal. Did the ground or rock below Him just suddenly turn a lovely shiny blue with cut facets and joints like pavement as his glory moved above it? When He moved on, did the ground remain for a little while like sapphire pavement, or did it instantly return to its old drab self. His glory is like that. We are drab and lifeless, and then He shows up. Suddenly life is full of color. There is a vivacious, vibrant color and beauty in life that just wasn’t there before, and it wasn’t there before we were aware of His presence. Those who are far away see the reflection of His glory in us for we have become living stones reflecting His glory. Does it startle those who have never seen it before?
Then Moses and Joshua are invited by God to go up on the mountain with God. Of course they take God up on His offer. Moses instructs the others to wait for Him. As Moses & Joshua ascend into the cloud of glory that covered the mountain top, they disappeared. They took on the appearance of fire as the ascended. What do you think Aaron, his sons and the 70 elders thought as they beheld the sight. How long do you think they hung around? Forty days is a long time. Since Moses and Joshua ascended into a cloud of fire, do you think the elders thought they were consumed by God? Sounds scary to me. But then, experiencing the glory of God is a fearful thing. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Mark 13:21-37
One of my favorite pictures of space can be viewed at http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/astro/hst_deep_field.jpg The caption tells that it is a narrow "keyhole" of deep space. The image covers a speck of sky 1/30th the diameter of the full Moon as seen from the earth. This is so narrow! Only a few foreground stars in our Milky Way galaxy are visible and are vastly outnumbered by the menagerie of far more distant galaxies. The galaxies are nearly four billion times fainter than the limits of human vision. The field is a very small sample of sky area. It contains hundreds of galaxies. Each galaxy contains billions of stars. Yet this small speck is typical of the distribution of galaxies in space. Our Lord created each of these galaxies and stars and He calls them all by name. I cannot get my mind around the immensity of the universe much less the immensity of my Lord who created and knows it all.
It amazes me that people can believe that Christ has returned. When He comes, the powers of heaven will be shaken. His glory will exceed that of the heavens. It will be unmistakable. We are given two clear commands until His return, preach the Gospel and watch! Our Master is coming. His glory far exceeds that of the heavens. Knowing His glory is more than enough motivation to preach the Gospel. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Friday, March 12, 2010
March 12, 2010
Exodus 23
Our mayor and one city councilman have been in the news a whole lot over the last six months. If you are from Stillwater, unless your head is buried in the sand, you are aware of the accusations that are flying between them. The mudslinging has been so great that it has resulted in a successful recall petition for the mayor and possibly for the city council member. Both men categorically deny that the charges brought against them are true. Most of us sit back shaking our heads and groaning. What a waste of time and effort and good talent. We wonder what would happen if the same amount of effort went into solving our cities problems as goes into mudslinging. I guess this demonstrates the truth of Proverbs 29:2: When the godly are in authority, the people rejoice. But when the wicked are in power, they groan.
In this instance I am not even sure that I am going to try to sort out the truth. Obviously somebody, if not both parties, is circulating a false report. It is possible that one of them is totally innocent. Hmm. . . Can we really know if either party is telling the truth? This one thing I know. I can be responsible for myself. I will determine that I will not pass along false reports. I will choose to not cooperate with evil people by telling lies on the witness stand. I will keep myself from joining a crowd that intends to do evil. When it comes to speaking, I will not be swayed in my testimony by the opinion of the majority. If in the pursuit of doing and saying what is right, I am slandered, then I will determine to love the one who slandered me. If I find my slanderer in trouble, I will help him. I will not waste time trying to subvert my slanderer’s progress, but I will take rest. I will spend a little time each day and at least one day a week focusing upon the One who gives me rest.
Why will I do this? I will do this because the One who created me is Truth. He will have nothing to do with falsehood. The One who created me is love. He will not have me hate those whom He loves. The One who created me rests. When I have done what He wants me to do, I have time for rest—no matter what anyone else demands of me. I determine to do these things because the One who created me demands obedience. I fear Him and seek to obey Him. Why? I do it because of His glory. He is true, just, love, rest and demands my obedience. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Mark 13:1-20
A couple of years ago while attending our District Conference, we were able to get some free tickets to go tour the Biltmore Estate which was only about 20 miles away. Normally the tickets are in the neighborhood of $38.00 each. So, we jumped at the chance to go. For those of you who do not know, the Biltmore, America’s largest house, was built by one of the richest families in the USA shortly before the turn of the 20th Century. Its opulence is simply stunning. It was built as a summer home in the mountains of North Carolina near Ashville. The master bedroom is bigger than my house. The house includes a swimming pool, bowling alley and gymnasium. The estate was amazing. It made me marvel. I received a taste of what it was like for the disciples when they visited Herod’s temple in Jerusalem.
When we looked at the parallel passage of Matthew 24, we saw the glory of the temple buildings. But Jesus desires that we gaze at a different type of glory. That is why He gives this instruction about His second coming. We desire to live in the glorious temples that are full of beauty. After all, did not Jesus say, “I have come that they might have life and that they may have it more abundantly.” If we define abundant life as the material goods one might posses or the good living situations and relationships into which one may enter, then the disciple of Jesus ought to focus on living in glorious temples. But Jesus has made it clear that life does not consist in the abundance of the things one possesses. It is difficult to embrace that concept day after day, week after week month after month, year after year. But it is nonetheless needful.
The glory of the Lord reveals itself not in buildings but in changing sinful creatures to people who reflect the high moral quality of the Lord. That change is only revealed in adverse circumstances. In the midst of adverse circumstances one who wants to live in the Biltmore will quit. One day the loss of all beautiful buildings will come. Along with it will come the loss of secure nations, security from tsunamis, hurricanes, tornadoes, droughts etc. But in the midst of it all, the Gospel will still go forward, preached by those who don’t focus on the beautiful buildings but rather focus on their beautiful Lord. Now that is glory! Some people have so fallen in love with their Beautiful Lord that they give up the ‘Biltmore’ to proclaim His glory! Not only will they give up the Biltmore, but they will endure war, disaster and martyrdom for Him. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Our mayor and one city councilman have been in the news a whole lot over the last six months. If you are from Stillwater, unless your head is buried in the sand, you are aware of the accusations that are flying between them. The mudslinging has been so great that it has resulted in a successful recall petition for the mayor and possibly for the city council member. Both men categorically deny that the charges brought against them are true. Most of us sit back shaking our heads and groaning. What a waste of time and effort and good talent. We wonder what would happen if the same amount of effort went into solving our cities problems as goes into mudslinging. I guess this demonstrates the truth of Proverbs 29:2: When the godly are in authority, the people rejoice. But when the wicked are in power, they groan.
In this instance I am not even sure that I am going to try to sort out the truth. Obviously somebody, if not both parties, is circulating a false report. It is possible that one of them is totally innocent. Hmm. . . Can we really know if either party is telling the truth? This one thing I know. I can be responsible for myself. I will determine that I will not pass along false reports. I will choose to not cooperate with evil people by telling lies on the witness stand. I will keep myself from joining a crowd that intends to do evil. When it comes to speaking, I will not be swayed in my testimony by the opinion of the majority. If in the pursuit of doing and saying what is right, I am slandered, then I will determine to love the one who slandered me. If I find my slanderer in trouble, I will help him. I will not waste time trying to subvert my slanderer’s progress, but I will take rest. I will spend a little time each day and at least one day a week focusing upon the One who gives me rest.
Why will I do this? I will do this because the One who created me is Truth. He will have nothing to do with falsehood. The One who created me is love. He will not have me hate those whom He loves. The One who created me rests. When I have done what He wants me to do, I have time for rest—no matter what anyone else demands of me. I determine to do these things because the One who created me demands obedience. I fear Him and seek to obey Him. Why? I do it because of His glory. He is true, just, love, rest and demands my obedience. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Mark 13:1-20
A couple of years ago while attending our District Conference, we were able to get some free tickets to go tour the Biltmore Estate which was only about 20 miles away. Normally the tickets are in the neighborhood of $38.00 each. So, we jumped at the chance to go. For those of you who do not know, the Biltmore, America’s largest house, was built by one of the richest families in the USA shortly before the turn of the 20th Century. Its opulence is simply stunning. It was built as a summer home in the mountains of North Carolina near Ashville. The master bedroom is bigger than my house. The house includes a swimming pool, bowling alley and gymnasium. The estate was amazing. It made me marvel. I received a taste of what it was like for the disciples when they visited Herod’s temple in Jerusalem.
When we looked at the parallel passage of Matthew 24, we saw the glory of the temple buildings. But Jesus desires that we gaze at a different type of glory. That is why He gives this instruction about His second coming. We desire to live in the glorious temples that are full of beauty. After all, did not Jesus say, “I have come that they might have life and that they may have it more abundantly.” If we define abundant life as the material goods one might posses or the good living situations and relationships into which one may enter, then the disciple of Jesus ought to focus on living in glorious temples. But Jesus has made it clear that life does not consist in the abundance of the things one possesses. It is difficult to embrace that concept day after day, week after week month after month, year after year. But it is nonetheless needful.
The glory of the Lord reveals itself not in buildings but in changing sinful creatures to people who reflect the high moral quality of the Lord. That change is only revealed in adverse circumstances. In the midst of adverse circumstances one who wants to live in the Biltmore will quit. One day the loss of all beautiful buildings will come. Along with it will come the loss of secure nations, security from tsunamis, hurricanes, tornadoes, droughts etc. But in the midst of it all, the Gospel will still go forward, preached by those who don’t focus on the beautiful buildings but rather focus on their beautiful Lord. Now that is glory! Some people have so fallen in love with their Beautiful Lord that they give up the ‘Biltmore’ to proclaim His glory! Not only will they give up the Biltmore, but they will endure war, disaster and martyrdom for Him. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Thursday, March 11, 2010
March 11, 2010
Exodus 22
Much is being said about our health care system today. No matter where you fall in the debate on health care and how much the government should be involved, one thing we can all agree on is that in an ideal world we want everyone to have equal access to health care. The problem is that we do not live in an ideal world. We all want equal access to health care until it begins to reduce my pocketbook to the extent that I would have to lower my standard of living. It is easier to talk about taxing those who make more than I do, rather than see it as my responsibility to help others. Numerous studies suggest that the more unequal the income distribution in a country, state, or city, the lower the life expectancies for people at all income levels. Some social commentators have suggested that having a greater income gap between rich and poor reduces the willingness of the rich to help. (Well, duh. . . isn’t that human nature?) They further argue that the higher the income gap, the less social cohesion exists in a community. This produces social isolation. Social isolation is known to be a health risk factor.
Maybe we are approaching this all wrong. Rather than trying to solve the problem with government intervention by mandating certain economic interventions, maybe we should be focusing upon our hearts. What motivates a society to seek more social cohesion, less economic disparity? I think the record shows that it is not government intervention that leads the way. Rather, it is government intervention that happens when the hearts of a large number of its governed are changed. How do we change hearts? I think it only happens when we continually spend time gazing at the heart of God. How does gazing at the heart of God change us?
Look at these verses found in today’s passage.
5“If a man causes a field or vineyard to be grazed, and lets loose his animal, and it feeds in another man’s field, he shall make restitution from the best of his own field and the best of his own vineyard.
21“You shall neither mistreat a stranger nor oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
22“You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child. 23“If you afflict them in any way, and they cry at all to Me, I will surely hear their cry; 24“and My wrath will become hot, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.
25“If you lend money to any of My people who are poor among you, you shall not be like a moneylender to him; you shall not charge him interest.
Several times in this passage, which deals with civil law, the principle of restitution is mentioned. What does this tell us about the heart of God? Israel was not to oppress a stranger. What does this tell us about the heart of God? Israel was not to afflict a widow or an orphan, lest His wrath become hot. What does this tell us of the heart of God? Israelites were not to lend money at interest to fellow Israelites. What does this tell us of the heart of God? He is a God who desires that we live at peace with each other. He desires that will live with justice and mercy toward each other. He has a special heart for the helpless. He is angry when we take advantage of the helpless. Isn’t that fantastic? Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Mark 12:28-44
I have five children, four sons and a daughter. One of the principles that Laura and I have tried to live by in child raising is that they should always treat us with respect. Blatant, premeditated willful disrespect has always been a spanking offense. The commandment to honor your father and mother is the first commandment with a promise. We desire that they should enjoy that promise. But even though we have trained them to give us that respect, I would never ever expect them to call me, 'lord.' That would be weird. 'Sir,' yes, I expect that at times. But in my mind, 'lord' is reserved only for God. And you had also better believe that my children will probably never hear me call them, 'lord,' except in jest. That would be just . . . unnatural. Likewise, I will never hear my parents call me, 'lord.' That would be just . . . wrong.
Jesus had endured a barrage of trick questions from the religious leaders in their efforts to discredit Him. He masterfully answered each and everyone. The last one was probably not so much a trick question as just plain curiosity as to how Jesus would answer, "Which is the first commandment of all?" The first commandment is to love Yahweh, your God, with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. The second is to love your neighbor as yourself. Check the Law out. If we could completely fulfill those two commandments, we wouldn't need any others. Jesus answered beautifully and everyone knew it.
Now it was time for Him to point out their lack. He asks them a simple question. In Psalm 110:1 when David says, "The Lord (Yahweh) said to my lord, 'Sit at my right hand. . . '" It was commonly understood by the rabbis that this Psalm referred to the Messiah, who would be a descendant of David. How can David call Him 'lord?' That would be like a parent kneeling before a child and calling him lord. If that descendant is more than human then it might be acceptable. If that descendant were God and human, it would be required. Moreover if He were God and man it would be required to love Him with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.
Like the Scribes our problem it that we often want others to recognize us for having fulfilled the law's demands without having truly met them. We want to throw a few dollars at the church and have everyone think, "Wow, they really love God. Look how much they give to Him." Or we pray and want everyone to think, "Wow, that was a beautiful prayer. They must really love God."
Jesus was sitting in the temple seeing the widow quietly give all that she had in the offering box. Nobody else really cared. After all, what difference will a few cents make? He was probably the only one who noticed. But He noticed what was important. She gave all she had. She loved the Lord, her God, with all that she was and had. She was calling Him, 'Lord' by her heart and her actions. The scribes only wanted the attention of people. Jesus, the Messiah, is LORD! He is worthy of all our love, heart, soul, mind, strength, not just a façade for others to see but the real thing that only He sees. Yes, He is the Son of David and David, by the Holy Spirit called Him, "Lord." And it is right and proper because He is the God-Man! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Much is being said about our health care system today. No matter where you fall in the debate on health care and how much the government should be involved, one thing we can all agree on is that in an ideal world we want everyone to have equal access to health care. The problem is that we do not live in an ideal world. We all want equal access to health care until it begins to reduce my pocketbook to the extent that I would have to lower my standard of living. It is easier to talk about taxing those who make more than I do, rather than see it as my responsibility to help others. Numerous studies suggest that the more unequal the income distribution in a country, state, or city, the lower the life expectancies for people at all income levels. Some social commentators have suggested that having a greater income gap between rich and poor reduces the willingness of the rich to help. (Well, duh. . . isn’t that human nature?) They further argue that the higher the income gap, the less social cohesion exists in a community. This produces social isolation. Social isolation is known to be a health risk factor.
Maybe we are approaching this all wrong. Rather than trying to solve the problem with government intervention by mandating certain economic interventions, maybe we should be focusing upon our hearts. What motivates a society to seek more social cohesion, less economic disparity? I think the record shows that it is not government intervention that leads the way. Rather, it is government intervention that happens when the hearts of a large number of its governed are changed. How do we change hearts? I think it only happens when we continually spend time gazing at the heart of God. How does gazing at the heart of God change us?
Look at these verses found in today’s passage.
5“If a man causes a field or vineyard to be grazed, and lets loose his animal, and it feeds in another man’s field, he shall make restitution from the best of his own field and the best of his own vineyard.
21“You shall neither mistreat a stranger nor oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
22“You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child. 23“If you afflict them in any way, and they cry at all to Me, I will surely hear their cry; 24“and My wrath will become hot, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.
25“If you lend money to any of My people who are poor among you, you shall not be like a moneylender to him; you shall not charge him interest.
Several times in this passage, which deals with civil law, the principle of restitution is mentioned. What does this tell us about the heart of God? Israel was not to oppress a stranger. What does this tell us about the heart of God? Israel was not to afflict a widow or an orphan, lest His wrath become hot. What does this tell us of the heart of God? Israelites were not to lend money at interest to fellow Israelites. What does this tell us of the heart of God? He is a God who desires that we live at peace with each other. He desires that will live with justice and mercy toward each other. He has a special heart for the helpless. He is angry when we take advantage of the helpless. Isn’t that fantastic? Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Mark 12:28-44
I have five children, four sons and a daughter. One of the principles that Laura and I have tried to live by in child raising is that they should always treat us with respect. Blatant, premeditated willful disrespect has always been a spanking offense. The commandment to honor your father and mother is the first commandment with a promise. We desire that they should enjoy that promise. But even though we have trained them to give us that respect, I would never ever expect them to call me, 'lord.' That would be weird. 'Sir,' yes, I expect that at times. But in my mind, 'lord' is reserved only for God. And you had also better believe that my children will probably never hear me call them, 'lord,' except in jest. That would be just . . . unnatural. Likewise, I will never hear my parents call me, 'lord.' That would be just . . . wrong.
Jesus had endured a barrage of trick questions from the religious leaders in their efforts to discredit Him. He masterfully answered each and everyone. The last one was probably not so much a trick question as just plain curiosity as to how Jesus would answer, "Which is the first commandment of all?" The first commandment is to love Yahweh, your God, with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. The second is to love your neighbor as yourself. Check the Law out. If we could completely fulfill those two commandments, we wouldn't need any others. Jesus answered beautifully and everyone knew it.
Now it was time for Him to point out their lack. He asks them a simple question. In Psalm 110:1 when David says, "The Lord (Yahweh) said to my lord, 'Sit at my right hand. . . '" It was commonly understood by the rabbis that this Psalm referred to the Messiah, who would be a descendant of David. How can David call Him 'lord?' That would be like a parent kneeling before a child and calling him lord. If that descendant is more than human then it might be acceptable. If that descendant were God and human, it would be required. Moreover if He were God and man it would be required to love Him with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.
Like the Scribes our problem it that we often want others to recognize us for having fulfilled the law's demands without having truly met them. We want to throw a few dollars at the church and have everyone think, "Wow, they really love God. Look how much they give to Him." Or we pray and want everyone to think, "Wow, that was a beautiful prayer. They must really love God."
Jesus was sitting in the temple seeing the widow quietly give all that she had in the offering box. Nobody else really cared. After all, what difference will a few cents make? He was probably the only one who noticed. But He noticed what was important. She gave all she had. She loved the Lord, her God, with all that she was and had. She was calling Him, 'Lord' by her heart and her actions. The scribes only wanted the attention of people. Jesus, the Messiah, is LORD! He is worthy of all our love, heart, soul, mind, strength, not just a façade for others to see but the real thing that only He sees. Yes, He is the Son of David and David, by the Holy Spirit called Him, "Lord." And it is right and proper because He is the God-Man! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
March 10, 2010
Exodus 21
A friend of mine recently asked me, “Why is it that we seem to pick some portions of the law to say that we must obey it, while others we ignore?” That is a very good question. It has an answer that at times is simple and at times is complex. The simple answer is that Christ came to fulfill the law, not to destroy it. The simple answer is that the law came to reveal sin. The complexity of it is that at times different passages seem to be in contradiction of each other. Theologians have tried to explain the answer to my friend’s question for thousands of years. For example, part of today’s passage was used by some Southern pastors prior to the “War of Northern Aggression” as a defense of the institution of slavery. Yet the driving force behind the abolition movement of the north was the pastors who used the Scripture to argue that slavery was an immoral institution. Those two forces added to the heat that produced the Civil War. Did God desire the Civil War? I don’t think so. But His wrath is displayed in the terror it produced.
Part of the problem is that there were different kinds of law. There was ceremonial, moral, and civil law. There is casuistic law (giving case examples) and apodictic (you shall not . . .) law. When the Lord gave the law, He moved in and out of the different kinds of law without telling us, “Okay listen up! Now we are going to talk about ceremonial law,” nor did He say, “Now that we are done with the ceremonial law, let’s talk about civil law.” No, they are somewhat mixed together. In short the ceremonial law spoke of the ministry of Christ. He fulfilled those ceremonial laws in His death burial and resurrection. They are fulfilled in us as we trust and obey His finished work. What about civil law? The civil law was for Israel in the land. It was God’s way of teaching them how His people should live with each other. In a culture of extremism Israel need to learn how to moderate their justice as they developed as a new country. Since we are not the nation of Israel living in the land, we do not always follow the literal law. Rather we look for the principle behind the law and look for proper applications of that principle. What about moral law? It seems to me that moral law is binding for all times and cultures and we should observe that moral law. The difficulty is in determining which kind is each and how to fulfill it.
But where is the glory of God in all of this? His glory is seen in that He patiently stoops down to help us understand the depths of our depravity. In today’s passage we see that He communicates that we each have a responsibility to work. If we do not work or handle our finances properly, it leads to bondage. But bondage is not to be permanent! Even in bondage, He makes provision for our freedom! In this passage we see His protective desire for those who cannot protect themselves (the female servant). In this passage we see His demand that we respect and honor our parents. In this passage we see that justice is to be equal. Retribution is not to be greater than the crime. In this passage we see the demand for personal responsibility. Where is the glory of God in this? He is glorious because He wades into the muck of our sin and helps us sort it out. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Mark 12:1-27
How often do we make decisions or hold attitudes based upon tradition rather than the glory of God? Levirate marriage was an understood practice where the younger brother would marry the oldest brother's widow when she was childless. It was a practice that sought to ensure that the lineage of the firstborn son was sustained. While the practice had fallen into some discredit at the time of Jesus, the Sadducees sought to use it to insult the Pharisees, and to trick Jesus, and to catch Him in an inconsistency in His theology. Using a hypothetical situation of 7 brothers each in turn marrying the childless woman until they all died and no children were ever produced, they thought they had Jesus trapped. Now, the Sadducees didn't believe in the resurrection. They sought to use this whole argument as a means of ridicule of Jesus.
Jesus brought them up short by revealing the true problem rather than following the typical lines of debate that would have been followed between Sadducees and Pharisees. The brunt of His argument was, "You do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God!" The Sadducees had fallen into the trap of trying to explain the Scripture by the culture rather than explaining the culture by the Scripture. The whole underlying basis for Revelation itself is a living relationship between God and man. Jesus quotes Exodus 3:6,15, part of the Pentateuch, the only part of the Bible that the Sadducees considered to be God's word, "I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob."
Scripture is a real record of the power of God's working in the past in His relationships with real people. He worked uniquely with each individual. The power of God is such that He is not limited to always doing the same thing in the same way every time. Human culture establishes norms that say this is the way life works. He did it this way with Moses; therefore, He will do it this way with us. God says, "I am infinite, to what will you compare Me?" He operates on the principles of His own character, which is the same yesterday, today and forever, but the individual outworking of those principles is often different for individual people. He only called one man to make an ark. He only called one man to leave his home to a land that He would show him. He led only one man through slavery, prison to the height of power in Egypt. He only spoke to one man through a burning bush. We like to cling to methods because they are safe and familiar. He says, "Cling to Me." And He amazes us with His creativity! He often scares us because He is different in His method every time. But that is what makes Him so glorious. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
A friend of mine recently asked me, “Why is it that we seem to pick some portions of the law to say that we must obey it, while others we ignore?” That is a very good question. It has an answer that at times is simple and at times is complex. The simple answer is that Christ came to fulfill the law, not to destroy it. The simple answer is that the law came to reveal sin. The complexity of it is that at times different passages seem to be in contradiction of each other. Theologians have tried to explain the answer to my friend’s question for thousands of years. For example, part of today’s passage was used by some Southern pastors prior to the “War of Northern Aggression” as a defense of the institution of slavery. Yet the driving force behind the abolition movement of the north was the pastors who used the Scripture to argue that slavery was an immoral institution. Those two forces added to the heat that produced the Civil War. Did God desire the Civil War? I don’t think so. But His wrath is displayed in the terror it produced.
Part of the problem is that there were different kinds of law. There was ceremonial, moral, and civil law. There is casuistic law (giving case examples) and apodictic (you shall not . . .) law. When the Lord gave the law, He moved in and out of the different kinds of law without telling us, “Okay listen up! Now we are going to talk about ceremonial law,” nor did He say, “Now that we are done with the ceremonial law, let’s talk about civil law.” No, they are somewhat mixed together. In short the ceremonial law spoke of the ministry of Christ. He fulfilled those ceremonial laws in His death burial and resurrection. They are fulfilled in us as we trust and obey His finished work. What about civil law? The civil law was for Israel in the land. It was God’s way of teaching them how His people should live with each other. In a culture of extremism Israel need to learn how to moderate their justice as they developed as a new country. Since we are not the nation of Israel living in the land, we do not always follow the literal law. Rather we look for the principle behind the law and look for proper applications of that principle. What about moral law? It seems to me that moral law is binding for all times and cultures and we should observe that moral law. The difficulty is in determining which kind is each and how to fulfill it.
But where is the glory of God in all of this? His glory is seen in that He patiently stoops down to help us understand the depths of our depravity. In today’s passage we see that He communicates that we each have a responsibility to work. If we do not work or handle our finances properly, it leads to bondage. But bondage is not to be permanent! Even in bondage, He makes provision for our freedom! In this passage we see His protective desire for those who cannot protect themselves (the female servant). In this passage we see His demand that we respect and honor our parents. In this passage we see that justice is to be equal. Retribution is not to be greater than the crime. In this passage we see the demand for personal responsibility. Where is the glory of God in this? He is glorious because He wades into the muck of our sin and helps us sort it out. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Mark 12:1-27
How often do we make decisions or hold attitudes based upon tradition rather than the glory of God? Levirate marriage was an understood practice where the younger brother would marry the oldest brother's widow when she was childless. It was a practice that sought to ensure that the lineage of the firstborn son was sustained. While the practice had fallen into some discredit at the time of Jesus, the Sadducees sought to use it to insult the Pharisees, and to trick Jesus, and to catch Him in an inconsistency in His theology. Using a hypothetical situation of 7 brothers each in turn marrying the childless woman until they all died and no children were ever produced, they thought they had Jesus trapped. Now, the Sadducees didn't believe in the resurrection. They sought to use this whole argument as a means of ridicule of Jesus.
Jesus brought them up short by revealing the true problem rather than following the typical lines of debate that would have been followed between Sadducees and Pharisees. The brunt of His argument was, "You do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God!" The Sadducees had fallen into the trap of trying to explain the Scripture by the culture rather than explaining the culture by the Scripture. The whole underlying basis for Revelation itself is a living relationship between God and man. Jesus quotes Exodus 3:6,15, part of the Pentateuch, the only part of the Bible that the Sadducees considered to be God's word, "I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob."
Scripture is a real record of the power of God's working in the past in His relationships with real people. He worked uniquely with each individual. The power of God is such that He is not limited to always doing the same thing in the same way every time. Human culture establishes norms that say this is the way life works. He did it this way with Moses; therefore, He will do it this way with us. God says, "I am infinite, to what will you compare Me?" He operates on the principles of His own character, which is the same yesterday, today and forever, but the individual outworking of those principles is often different for individual people. He only called one man to make an ark. He only called one man to leave his home to a land that He would show him. He led only one man through slavery, prison to the height of power in Egypt. He only spoke to one man through a burning bush. We like to cling to methods because they are safe and familiar. He says, "Cling to Me." And He amazes us with His creativity! He often scares us because He is different in His method every time. But that is what makes Him so glorious. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
March 9, 2010
Exodus 20
Here we are at one of the best known passages of the Bible and the most disobeyed. What does it mean to have no other gods before Him? Many years ago my bride and I stood before a minister of the Gospel and gave vows to each other to love each other uniquely and supremely as husband and wife till death parted us. Suppose I came home and found that she had added other husbands to her list. In this bedroom Jerry resided. In that bedroom Wilbur took up residence. In another bedroom was George. And me? Well, I am rich; I could go find a motel to stay in somewhere. After all she could maybe have a chat with me for about 30-60 minutes once a week—if she felt like not reading a book. I could not accept that. I would divorce her. I want a relationship with her. I don’t want to be held at a distance.
But wait! That analogy is not strong enough. Jerry, Wilbur or George might actually be better for her than me. So for the analogy’s sake, what if she replaced them with rooms filled with the following. In one room she dedicated a large screen TV that continuously played movies featuring me in my best moments (it would be a short movie) in one continuous loop. Suppose she dedicated another room to numerous statues and busts of me in various walks of life revealing my greatness (yuck. . . ). In another room she had all the recordings of my best sermons playing one right after another so that she could never forget what a great orator I am (ha. . .). But even that does not reflect the passage. Suppose, in order to catch my greatness she used animals or planets to reflect what I was like. So in the TV room she had wonderful nature videos playing as a representation of what I was like. In another room she reproduced wonderful sounds of nature to represent who I am. Another room might be filled with the scents of nature to reflect my wonderfulness (I hope she wouldn’t choose a skunk). Other rooms might be filled with animals that remind her of me. Suppose I came home, and she ignored me. She was two busy watching my videos or caressing my statues or enjoying my scents or stroking the animals that remind her of me. In her mind it was enough that I would watch her in these activities. I’d send her to a mental institution. I want a relationship with her. I don’t want to be held at a distance. It would be insulting to me that she would desire those things over me.
But wait! What if she daily went for a walk downtown. What if, she told all the merchants, “My husband wants this merchandise. My husband wants that merchandise. Here is my husband’s credit card. He’ll take care of it all.” What if in every conversation she threw out my name as if it were some common slur. What if her use of my name became associated with emptiness and meaninglessness?, What right would she have to daily drag my name into the ground by making promises that I had no intention of keeping or in frivolous use that degraded me in the community? It would be insulting to me and an indication that she had no intention to live up to the honor of my name.
But wait! What if I had communicated with her that at least once a week that as much as possible, I would like for her to cease her normal activities to spend that day resting and focusing upon me? But instead of spending it with me, she sought other persons to be with or other things to do. After all, it was the only day of the week that she had for herself. What if I told her that that day would be a special sign to all other people that we were husband and wife? Yet she spent that day pursuing other relationships. Well after all, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise to me. I mean, she had already spent her week filling her life with things that were less than me. It would be an insult to me that she preferred them over me.
This analogy falls far short for the very reason that I could never be compared to the greatness of the glory of our God. The gap that exists between me and any videos, statues, sound recordings, animals or planets to represent me etc. is much closer than the gap that exists between the glory of God and anything with which we may want to represent Him or replace Him. After all, He is the infinite Creator and everything else is His creation. The right with which I have to request my wife’s affections are far less than the right with which He possesses to command my affections toward Him. After all, He is the infinite Creator and I am His creation. Yet in breaking these first four of the ten commandments, this is how we how we treat God. This is how we view His glory. That is why we must seek to see His glory every day and share it with others. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Mark 11:19-33
I lived briefly in Norman, Oklahoma. My house sat on 8.5 acres. For exercise I used to jog the fence perimeter of my land a couple of times each morning. We had a peach tree right next to the fence. When the peaches became ripe, I would stop on my way by and pick a peach or two to eat for breakfast. I love tree ripened peaches. Those peaches were small and wormy but they had good flavor. Something happened later in the year and the tree withered and died.
Other than the cross, did Jesus ever have any mountains to move? I mean really, He is the Man of Glory. If faith moves mountains, why did He curse the fig tree rather than blessing it so that it would produce fruit? There are some things that Jesus can do but will not do. He could force us to receive Him, but He woos us to Himself. He could force us to love Him, but He chooses to enable us to love. He could force us to bear the fruit of the Spirit, but He chooses to make His Spirit available to us so that we may permit His life flow in us.
When Jesus came to the nation at the Triumphal entry and presented Himself as King, He had the power to make Himself King. But He let the religious leaders reject Him. They should have borne the fruit of joyful reception to their King, but it was not there. If the leaders of His people will not receive Him as King, then how will He set up His Kingdom? If the leaders of His people will not recognize the source of His authority and power, then how can He become king? Now there is a mountain of a conundrum.
The glory of Jesus is that He can move mountains! Sometimes you have to remove a tree in order to get a tree that produces fruit. He cursed the fruitless fig tree and used that as an illustration for the disciples about the value of faith and prayer. But wouldn't it have been better to have blessed it to make it produce fruit rather than curse it and make it wither? Jesus had a mountain to move here. He came as the King of kings, but the leaders of His subjects refused to receive Him. Sometimes you have to remove a tree to get a tree that produces fruit. Sometimes you have to remove some people from a congregation to get a congregation that produces fruit.
The glory of Jesus is that He can move mountains! Sometimes you have to forgive those who stand in the way in order move the mountain. Do you suppose Jesus forgave those leaders for rejecting Him? I know that on the cross He cried out, "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they do." He in turn instructs us to forgive in order that we may experience forgiveness. The implication is that then we will have what we pray for.
Jesus wants to produce fruit in us. What mountains are in the way? Is it unbelief? Is it unforgiveness? What mountains are in your way? Believe and they'll be removed. I miss my peach tree. Maybe I'll plant another this week. A few years from now I should have some fruit. Do you suppose that Jesus misses fruit in us? Do you have anyone you need to forgive? Jesus can empower you to move that mountain. That is part of His glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Here we are at one of the best known passages of the Bible and the most disobeyed. What does it mean to have no other gods before Him? Many years ago my bride and I stood before a minister of the Gospel and gave vows to each other to love each other uniquely and supremely as husband and wife till death parted us. Suppose I came home and found that she had added other husbands to her list. In this bedroom Jerry resided. In that bedroom Wilbur took up residence. In another bedroom was George. And me? Well, I am rich; I could go find a motel to stay in somewhere. After all she could maybe have a chat with me for about 30-60 minutes once a week—if she felt like not reading a book. I could not accept that. I would divorce her. I want a relationship with her. I don’t want to be held at a distance.
But wait! That analogy is not strong enough. Jerry, Wilbur or George might actually be better for her than me. So for the analogy’s sake, what if she replaced them with rooms filled with the following. In one room she dedicated a large screen TV that continuously played movies featuring me in my best moments (it would be a short movie) in one continuous loop. Suppose she dedicated another room to numerous statues and busts of me in various walks of life revealing my greatness (yuck. . . ). In another room she had all the recordings of my best sermons playing one right after another so that she could never forget what a great orator I am (ha. . .). But even that does not reflect the passage. Suppose, in order to catch my greatness she used animals or planets to reflect what I was like. So in the TV room she had wonderful nature videos playing as a representation of what I was like. In another room she reproduced wonderful sounds of nature to represent who I am. Another room might be filled with the scents of nature to reflect my wonderfulness (I hope she wouldn’t choose a skunk). Other rooms might be filled with animals that remind her of me. Suppose I came home, and she ignored me. She was two busy watching my videos or caressing my statues or enjoying my scents or stroking the animals that remind her of me. In her mind it was enough that I would watch her in these activities. I’d send her to a mental institution. I want a relationship with her. I don’t want to be held at a distance. It would be insulting to me that she would desire those things over me.
But wait! What if she daily went for a walk downtown. What if, she told all the merchants, “My husband wants this merchandise. My husband wants that merchandise. Here is my husband’s credit card. He’ll take care of it all.” What if in every conversation she threw out my name as if it were some common slur. What if her use of my name became associated with emptiness and meaninglessness?, What right would she have to daily drag my name into the ground by making promises that I had no intention of keeping or in frivolous use that degraded me in the community? It would be insulting to me and an indication that she had no intention to live up to the honor of my name.
But wait! What if I had communicated with her that at least once a week that as much as possible, I would like for her to cease her normal activities to spend that day resting and focusing upon me? But instead of spending it with me, she sought other persons to be with or other things to do. After all, it was the only day of the week that she had for herself. What if I told her that that day would be a special sign to all other people that we were husband and wife? Yet she spent that day pursuing other relationships. Well after all, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise to me. I mean, she had already spent her week filling her life with things that were less than me. It would be an insult to me that she preferred them over me.
This analogy falls far short for the very reason that I could never be compared to the greatness of the glory of our God. The gap that exists between me and any videos, statues, sound recordings, animals or planets to represent me etc. is much closer than the gap that exists between the glory of God and anything with which we may want to represent Him or replace Him. After all, He is the infinite Creator and everything else is His creation. The right with which I have to request my wife’s affections are far less than the right with which He possesses to command my affections toward Him. After all, He is the infinite Creator and I am His creation. Yet in breaking these first four of the ten commandments, this is how we how we treat God. This is how we view His glory. That is why we must seek to see His glory every day and share it with others. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Mark 11:19-33
I lived briefly in Norman, Oklahoma. My house sat on 8.5 acres. For exercise I used to jog the fence perimeter of my land a couple of times each morning. We had a peach tree right next to the fence. When the peaches became ripe, I would stop on my way by and pick a peach or two to eat for breakfast. I love tree ripened peaches. Those peaches were small and wormy but they had good flavor. Something happened later in the year and the tree withered and died.
Other than the cross, did Jesus ever have any mountains to move? I mean really, He is the Man of Glory. If faith moves mountains, why did He curse the fig tree rather than blessing it so that it would produce fruit? There are some things that Jesus can do but will not do. He could force us to receive Him, but He woos us to Himself. He could force us to love Him, but He chooses to enable us to love. He could force us to bear the fruit of the Spirit, but He chooses to make His Spirit available to us so that we may permit His life flow in us.
When Jesus came to the nation at the Triumphal entry and presented Himself as King, He had the power to make Himself King. But He let the religious leaders reject Him. They should have borne the fruit of joyful reception to their King, but it was not there. If the leaders of His people will not receive Him as King, then how will He set up His Kingdom? If the leaders of His people will not recognize the source of His authority and power, then how can He become king? Now there is a mountain of a conundrum.
The glory of Jesus is that He can move mountains! Sometimes you have to remove a tree in order to get a tree that produces fruit. He cursed the fruitless fig tree and used that as an illustration for the disciples about the value of faith and prayer. But wouldn't it have been better to have blessed it to make it produce fruit rather than curse it and make it wither? Jesus had a mountain to move here. He came as the King of kings, but the leaders of His subjects refused to receive Him. Sometimes you have to remove a tree to get a tree that produces fruit. Sometimes you have to remove some people from a congregation to get a congregation that produces fruit.
The glory of Jesus is that He can move mountains! Sometimes you have to forgive those who stand in the way in order move the mountain. Do you suppose Jesus forgave those leaders for rejecting Him? I know that on the cross He cried out, "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they do." He in turn instructs us to forgive in order that we may experience forgiveness. The implication is that then we will have what we pray for.
Jesus wants to produce fruit in us. What mountains are in the way? Is it unbelief? Is it unforgiveness? What mountains are in your way? Believe and they'll be removed. I miss my peach tree. Maybe I'll plant another this week. A few years from now I should have some fruit. Do you suppose that Jesus misses fruit in us? Do you have anyone you need to forgive? Jesus can empower you to move that mountain. That is part of His glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Monday, March 8, 2010
March 8, 2010
Exodus 19
It was during the beginning of the recession of 1980. I was working the second shift in gray iron machining. The company had already shut down the second shift in die cast. Die cast was right next to gray iron machining, and the lights were all off back there. During lunch break, I decided to go for a walk. As I passed by the vats of molten aluminum, I couldn’t help but to stop and stare into the glowing liquid metal. There was just something awesome about the glowing heat of the molten metal. There was something purifying about it. I am sure the die cast guys, who worked there regularly, didn’t get this sense. The familiarity and having the lights on probably took away the awe. But for me, it was mesmerizing. There is something purifying about fire.
The Lord called Israel to be a Kingdom of Priests, His own special treasure. In order to experience this privilege they needed to be pure. How was this purity to come. It was both their act and God’s act. His act in response their purifying themselves was to reveal Himself in smoke, lightning, quakes and fire. Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly. Is that awesome or what?
He still calls us today to be His Kingdom of Priests, His own special treasure. He descends upon us to place His glory in us so that others may see His glory and be drawn to Him. How does He purify us? Consider this, “Our God is a consuming fire.” What is He burning away in us? Now that is how His glory is seen in us. Sometimes it is a painful experience. Sometimes it is an exquisite experience. What a privilege to be in his presence and be purified by Him. Lord, purify me and make me clean. Burn away my desires to hang on to the things of this world. Let me gaze into the glowing, purifying fire of Your presence. Refine me as one of Your priests so that others may be brought to You. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Mark 11:1-18
It was called the Big Dipper. The amusement park was Springlake in Oklahoma City. I had never ridden a roller coaster before. My dad was sitting next to me because I wasn't tall enough to ride by myself. We began the first ascent. There was sound of the "chink, chink, chink" of the chain and safety latches pulling the coaster up the hill. It was amazing as we began the slow ascent to the first hill how quickly everything below became smaller. At the top it looked taller than I had imagined. It was huge! Then all of a sudden we began hurling down the valley. It was the first time ever that I had experienced such strong "G" forces. It was wild! Then we hit bottom and although the acceleration ceased, the speed did not. We were shooting toward the top of the highest hill at neck breaking speed. Plummeting down this hill I again felt the thrill of acceleration. The compression of my body at the depth of the valley was tremendous. The speed was now incredible as we approached the third but shorter hill. Cresting the top of this hill, my little body lost contact with the seat and I literally wondered if I was being ejected from the car. As quickly as I lost contact, I felt a hand on the back of my neck pushing me back down in the seat. It was my dad. He was keeping me where I belonged. The ride continued with more twists and turns highs and lows, but none were as exhilarating as that third hill, where it had not been for my dad, I would have lost my seat.
As Jesus revealed His glory to His disciples there were many highs and lows. Certainly the Mount of Transfiguration was a large hill that gave the disciples much momentum. The miracles He performed were continuous hills, storing up energy within them for one catastrophic descent toward the crucifixion. Jesus' resolute determination to go to Jerusalem where death awaited Him was a fearful valley for the disciples but they had too much kinetic energy stored up in them now. They couldn't, and probably wouldn't if they could, get off of the ride. They arrive at the highest hill of Jesus' ministry. It is His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. As they ascend to Jerusalem from the Kidron Valley the crowds have heard of His arrival. They storm out to meet Him. Here is the Man who makes the lame to walk, the dumb to talk, the deaf to hear, the blind to see, the dead to live again, the demon possessed set free, the multitudes fed, the wind and the sea be still and who speaks with authority that no other man can speak. This can only be the glory of the Messiah. They throng Him with their adoration. They recognize Him as the rightful occupant of the throne of David. Their plea is "Hosanna!" or "Lord, save!" But the ride doesn't stop here. There are some valleys and hills ahead, a big valley in front of them. But the sight from this hill is fantastic. The speed and momentum is unstoppable! But Jesus knows that with this kind of glory, there should be some fruit ready to be picked from the nation. There is none and the descent into the valley begins.
The day is late. He returns to Bethany to for the night. On the way He passes a fruitless fig tree. As a prophetic act toward Jerusalem, He curses the tree. Where does one channel all of the energy of the glory of Jesus into productive works which change the world? It begins in the corporate prayer courts of His people. The next morning He visits the temple. In the court of the Gentiles, a place where all nations should have come to pray, instead of finding a prayer meeting He finds a business, dishonest business at that. He casts out the business men. The plot to destroy Him quickens as the downhill energy is released.
The glory of Jesus in our lives is that which builds up spiritual energy. How does one channel it? It is best channeled in our corporate prayer meetings. As we find the strength of the glory of His presence, His Holy Spirit clothes us with power to take the life giving flow of His water of life into valleys of the thirsty people below. He comes searching for people who long for Him together in prayer and let their find of Him flow out to people below. Instead He finds a people intent on business as usual--if the people below want water they can come to our service and buy it. It takes a resurrection to get us out of the valley of lost inertia.
But I think our Lord specializes in resurrections. So much so that at the next hill we'll need His hand to keep us in our seats. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
It was during the beginning of the recession of 1980. I was working the second shift in gray iron machining. The company had already shut down the second shift in die cast. Die cast was right next to gray iron machining, and the lights were all off back there. During lunch break, I decided to go for a walk. As I passed by the vats of molten aluminum, I couldn’t help but to stop and stare into the glowing liquid metal. There was just something awesome about the glowing heat of the molten metal. There was something purifying about it. I am sure the die cast guys, who worked there regularly, didn’t get this sense. The familiarity and having the lights on probably took away the awe. But for me, it was mesmerizing. There is something purifying about fire.
The Lord called Israel to be a Kingdom of Priests, His own special treasure. In order to experience this privilege they needed to be pure. How was this purity to come. It was both their act and God’s act. His act in response their purifying themselves was to reveal Himself in smoke, lightning, quakes and fire. Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly. Is that awesome or what?
He still calls us today to be His Kingdom of Priests, His own special treasure. He descends upon us to place His glory in us so that others may see His glory and be drawn to Him. How does He purify us? Consider this, “Our God is a consuming fire.” What is He burning away in us? Now that is how His glory is seen in us. Sometimes it is a painful experience. Sometimes it is an exquisite experience. What a privilege to be in his presence and be purified by Him. Lord, purify me and make me clean. Burn away my desires to hang on to the things of this world. Let me gaze into the glowing, purifying fire of Your presence. Refine me as one of Your priests so that others may be brought to You. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Mark 11:1-18
It was called the Big Dipper. The amusement park was Springlake in Oklahoma City. I had never ridden a roller coaster before. My dad was sitting next to me because I wasn't tall enough to ride by myself. We began the first ascent. There was sound of the "chink, chink, chink" of the chain and safety latches pulling the coaster up the hill. It was amazing as we began the slow ascent to the first hill how quickly everything below became smaller. At the top it looked taller than I had imagined. It was huge! Then all of a sudden we began hurling down the valley. It was the first time ever that I had experienced such strong "G" forces. It was wild! Then we hit bottom and although the acceleration ceased, the speed did not. We were shooting toward the top of the highest hill at neck breaking speed. Plummeting down this hill I again felt the thrill of acceleration. The compression of my body at the depth of the valley was tremendous. The speed was now incredible as we approached the third but shorter hill. Cresting the top of this hill, my little body lost contact with the seat and I literally wondered if I was being ejected from the car. As quickly as I lost contact, I felt a hand on the back of my neck pushing me back down in the seat. It was my dad. He was keeping me where I belonged. The ride continued with more twists and turns highs and lows, but none were as exhilarating as that third hill, where it had not been for my dad, I would have lost my seat.
As Jesus revealed His glory to His disciples there were many highs and lows. Certainly the Mount of Transfiguration was a large hill that gave the disciples much momentum. The miracles He performed were continuous hills, storing up energy within them for one catastrophic descent toward the crucifixion. Jesus' resolute determination to go to Jerusalem where death awaited Him was a fearful valley for the disciples but they had too much kinetic energy stored up in them now. They couldn't, and probably wouldn't if they could, get off of the ride. They arrive at the highest hill of Jesus' ministry. It is His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. As they ascend to Jerusalem from the Kidron Valley the crowds have heard of His arrival. They storm out to meet Him. Here is the Man who makes the lame to walk, the dumb to talk, the deaf to hear, the blind to see, the dead to live again, the demon possessed set free, the multitudes fed, the wind and the sea be still and who speaks with authority that no other man can speak. This can only be the glory of the Messiah. They throng Him with their adoration. They recognize Him as the rightful occupant of the throne of David. Their plea is "Hosanna!" or "Lord, save!" But the ride doesn't stop here. There are some valleys and hills ahead, a big valley in front of them. But the sight from this hill is fantastic. The speed and momentum is unstoppable! But Jesus knows that with this kind of glory, there should be some fruit ready to be picked from the nation. There is none and the descent into the valley begins.
The day is late. He returns to Bethany to for the night. On the way He passes a fruitless fig tree. As a prophetic act toward Jerusalem, He curses the tree. Where does one channel all of the energy of the glory of Jesus into productive works which change the world? It begins in the corporate prayer courts of His people. The next morning He visits the temple. In the court of the Gentiles, a place where all nations should have come to pray, instead of finding a prayer meeting He finds a business, dishonest business at that. He casts out the business men. The plot to destroy Him quickens as the downhill energy is released.
The glory of Jesus in our lives is that which builds up spiritual energy. How does one channel it? It is best channeled in our corporate prayer meetings. As we find the strength of the glory of His presence, His Holy Spirit clothes us with power to take the life giving flow of His water of life into valleys of the thirsty people below. He comes searching for people who long for Him together in prayer and let their find of Him flow out to people below. Instead He finds a people intent on business as usual--if the people below want water they can come to our service and buy it. It takes a resurrection to get us out of the valley of lost inertia.
But I think our Lord specializes in resurrections. So much so that at the next hill we'll need His hand to keep us in our seats. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
Sunday, March 7, 2010
March 7, 2010
Exodus 18
10And Jethro said, “Blessed be the Lord, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh, and who has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. 11“Now I know that the Lord is greater than all the gods; for in the very thing in which they behaved proudly, He was above them.”
How was it that the Egyptians had behaved proudly? Sure they were proud in that they thought they could enslave God’s people with impunity, but what was the basis of their pride that they could ever embrace such a thought? Was it not their security that they established for themselves because of the situation in which they found themselves? The consistency with which the Nile River overflowed its banks and brought them agricultural stability caused them to trust in the Nile’s consistency. They eventually assigned a god-like status to the Nile and worshipped that god. With each of the ten plagues we could make the same investigation and conclude that they had come to worship the god of their situation that enabled them to have such a comfortable living. They were proud of their advanced society. Their advancement, in their reasoning, made them worthy of subjugating other human being to accomplish their will.
How did the Lord demonstrate His superiority over all the gods? He judged each and every one of their gods with the plagues. In so doing He caused all Egypt to know and even the surrounding nations to know that He was above them. Does the Lord desire to do the same today to the gods of our culture? If so, how do you think He might do it? How does He want to use me or you? Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Mark 10:32-52
I woke up from a dream. It was not a good dream. I was only 5 or 6 years old. Moving from the dream to the conscious state was a process. The plaster of Paris images on the wall were at first monsters, part of my dream. Then, I realized that I was awake, and I was in bed. I looked around and none of my older brothers were there. I could hear the TV down stairs. I was alone. It was dark. I had just awakened from a not-good dream, but to get downstairs meant that I had to walk by two attic doors to the stair case. Attics were always bad places in my dreams. Monsters lurked in there. On the other hand, I didn't think I could lie in my bed and wait for them to come out. Yes, even as an adult, I can really relate to Monsters Inc. I got out of bed, crept by the attic doorways and flew downstairs. I made it to the others and no monster touched me or even showed its face as I made my descent. I was safe at last.
Courage is defined in my dictionary as being fearless or brave. I think that is the wrong definition. I believe courage is taking the right action in spite of the fear that you have of the consequences of the action. Probably the most courageous thing that I could have done was to have laid aside my fears in bed and gone back to sleep. I did the second most courageous thing, I walked past the attic doors to find safety downstairs. The least courageous thing that I could have done would have been to call for my mother to come save me.
Jesus was making the ascent up to Jerusalem (from below sea level in the Jordan valley to the mountains of Jerusalem). Mark records 4 times previous to this that Jesus told the disciples that the elders, chief priests and scribes would make Him suffer and kill Him. Jerusalem is the place where the majority of the elders, chief priest and scribes reside. Notably they were amazed and fearful as they ascended to Jerusalem. Why would Jesus consciously ascend into danger? They still didn't understand the other side of Jesus' glory, the side that chose to die for us that we might live. For the fifth time Mark records Jesus telling them that He is going to His impending death.
How many times has Jesus had to warn me about something? I guess I am just as hard headed as James and John. They were still focused on the 'good side' of Jesus' glory. So they make this outlandish request of Jesus. He doesn't turn them down. He just makes sure they know what they are asking. This story motivated Earl Marlatt in 1926 to pen the words to the hymn Are Ye Able.
“Are ye able,” said the Master, “To be crucified with Me?”
“Yea,” the sturdy dreamers answered, “To the death we follow Thee.”
Refrain
Lord, we are able. Our spirits are Thine. Remold them, make us, like Thee, divine. Thy guiding radiance above us shall be a beacon to God, to love and loyalty.
Are you able to relinquish purple dreams of power and fame, to go down into the Garden, or to die a death of shame?
Refrain
Are ye able, when the anguish racks your mind and heart with pain, to forgive the souls who wrong you, who would make your striving vain?
Refrain
Are ye able to remember, when a thief lifts up his eyes, that his pardoned soul is worthy of a place in paradise?
Refrain
Are ye able when the shadows close around you with the sod, to believe that spirit triumphs, to commend your soul to God?
Refrain
Are ye able? Still the Master whispers down eternity, and heroic spirits answer, now as then in Galilee.
Refrain
Jesus made James and John able. James was beheaded for the sake of Jesus. John died an old man in exile for his testimony of the Lord Jesus. They knew both the 'good' side of His glory and the 'bad' side of His glory. Knowing the glory of the Lord, the 'good and bad' sides usually enables me to make courageous choices. Maybe I do not always make the most courageous or even the wisest choices, but at least they are choices that get me past the attic doorways of my life, past the faces of the spiritual monsters who pretend that they have power over me. One day I will slip up the staircase and be safe at last in the glory of my Lord. There I will realize that no monster ever touched me. The faces that I saw were only plaster paris molds of a monster wanna be. The only power they ever had was when I took my eyes off of my glorious Lord. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
10And Jethro said, “Blessed be the Lord, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh, and who has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. 11“Now I know that the Lord is greater than all the gods; for in the very thing in which they behaved proudly, He was above them.”
How was it that the Egyptians had behaved proudly? Sure they were proud in that they thought they could enslave God’s people with impunity, but what was the basis of their pride that they could ever embrace such a thought? Was it not their security that they established for themselves because of the situation in which they found themselves? The consistency with which the Nile River overflowed its banks and brought them agricultural stability caused them to trust in the Nile’s consistency. They eventually assigned a god-like status to the Nile and worshipped that god. With each of the ten plagues we could make the same investigation and conclude that they had come to worship the god of their situation that enabled them to have such a comfortable living. They were proud of their advanced society. Their advancement, in their reasoning, made them worthy of subjugating other human being to accomplish their will.
How did the Lord demonstrate His superiority over all the gods? He judged each and every one of their gods with the plagues. In so doing He caused all Egypt to know and even the surrounding nations to know that He was above them. Does the Lord desire to do the same today to the gods of our culture? If so, how do you think He might do it? How does He want to use me or you? Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Mark 10:32-52
I woke up from a dream. It was not a good dream. I was only 5 or 6 years old. Moving from the dream to the conscious state was a process. The plaster of Paris images on the wall were at first monsters, part of my dream. Then, I realized that I was awake, and I was in bed. I looked around and none of my older brothers were there. I could hear the TV down stairs. I was alone. It was dark. I had just awakened from a not-good dream, but to get downstairs meant that I had to walk by two attic doors to the stair case. Attics were always bad places in my dreams. Monsters lurked in there. On the other hand, I didn't think I could lie in my bed and wait for them to come out. Yes, even as an adult, I can really relate to Monsters Inc. I got out of bed, crept by the attic doorways and flew downstairs. I made it to the others and no monster touched me or even showed its face as I made my descent. I was safe at last.
Courage is defined in my dictionary as being fearless or brave. I think that is the wrong definition. I believe courage is taking the right action in spite of the fear that you have of the consequences of the action. Probably the most courageous thing that I could have done was to have laid aside my fears in bed and gone back to sleep. I did the second most courageous thing, I walked past the attic doors to find safety downstairs. The least courageous thing that I could have done would have been to call for my mother to come save me.
Jesus was making the ascent up to Jerusalem (from below sea level in the Jordan valley to the mountains of Jerusalem). Mark records 4 times previous to this that Jesus told the disciples that the elders, chief priests and scribes would make Him suffer and kill Him. Jerusalem is the place where the majority of the elders, chief priest and scribes reside. Notably they were amazed and fearful as they ascended to Jerusalem. Why would Jesus consciously ascend into danger? They still didn't understand the other side of Jesus' glory, the side that chose to die for us that we might live. For the fifth time Mark records Jesus telling them that He is going to His impending death.
How many times has Jesus had to warn me about something? I guess I am just as hard headed as James and John. They were still focused on the 'good side' of Jesus' glory. So they make this outlandish request of Jesus. He doesn't turn them down. He just makes sure they know what they are asking. This story motivated Earl Marlatt in 1926 to pen the words to the hymn Are Ye Able.
“Are ye able,” said the Master, “To be crucified with Me?”
“Yea,” the sturdy dreamers answered, “To the death we follow Thee.”
Refrain
Lord, we are able. Our spirits are Thine. Remold them, make us, like Thee, divine. Thy guiding radiance above us shall be a beacon to God, to love and loyalty.
Are you able to relinquish purple dreams of power and fame, to go down into the Garden, or to die a death of shame?
Refrain
Are ye able, when the anguish racks your mind and heart with pain, to forgive the souls who wrong you, who would make your striving vain?
Refrain
Are ye able to remember, when a thief lifts up his eyes, that his pardoned soul is worthy of a place in paradise?
Refrain
Are ye able when the shadows close around you with the sod, to believe that spirit triumphs, to commend your soul to God?
Refrain
Are ye able? Still the Master whispers down eternity, and heroic spirits answer, now as then in Galilee.
Refrain
Jesus made James and John able. James was beheaded for the sake of Jesus. John died an old man in exile for his testimony of the Lord Jesus. They knew both the 'good' side of His glory and the 'bad' side of His glory. Knowing the glory of the Lord, the 'good and bad' sides usually enables me to make courageous choices. Maybe I do not always make the most courageous or even the wisest choices, but at least they are choices that get me past the attic doorways of my life, past the faces of the spiritual monsters who pretend that they have power over me. One day I will slip up the staircase and be safe at last in the glory of my Lord. There I will realize that no monster ever touched me. The faces that I saw were only plaster paris molds of a monster wanna be. The only power they ever had was when I took my eyes off of my glorious Lord. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
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