Deuteronomy 4
David Barton of Wall Builders has very convincingly demonstrated that the founding fathers of the USA based much of their concepts of government and the formation of our constitution upon principles of Scripture. While my son was serving Iraq, he developed a relationship with the interpreter assigned to his unit. His interpreter was very impressed with the way our government was established. He asked Brice for some books on the history and founding of our country. We were able to send him some of David Barton’s books on government. What would cause such a man to desire to learn more about our country, a country which many of his religion have called America, “the great Satan?” What is attractive about America?
Although I cannot find the source, the following quote is generally attributed to French political philosopher and historian de Tocqueville (about 1835):
I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers, and it was not there…in her fertile fields and boundless forests, and it was not there…in her rich mines and her vast world commerce, and it was not there…in her democratic Congress and her matchless Constitution, and it was not there. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because America is good; and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.
Whether or not he said or wrote it, it is still a great statement, filled with some truth. Its truth is found in the Scripture. The principle is found in what God promised to the nation of Israel that their admirers would say of them.
7“For what great nation is there that has God so near to it, as the Lord our God is to us, for whatever reason we may call upon Him? 8“And what great nation is there that has such statutes and righteous judgments as are in all this law which I set before you this day?
While this is a promise to the Nation of Israel and not the USA, the principle is there. When we follow His righteous judgments, life goes well for us. That is part of His glory. If you do the principles, they work whether you believe the principle giver or not. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
John 12:1-26
We come to John’s account of the triumphal entry. Can you imagine the thrill the disciples had as they approached Jerusalem. Thousands of people were streaming out to welcome Jesus! They were quoting part, Psalm 118:25, 26, of the Hallel which indicates they believed Him to be the Messiah, the Christ. Surely this fueled the thoughts of the twelve that the Messianic kingdom was about to be established. The exhilaration of the moment must have been overpowering! It is interesting that John introduces it with Mary anointing Jesus’ feet. Jesus announces that she has done it for His burial.
John tells us of the plot to kill Lazarus. Amazing isn’t it? Some people can have all the evidence in the world in front of them, but if it does not fit their world view, they will not believe. So it is with those who sought to kill Lazarus and would eventually kill Jesus. So John introduces the Triumphal entry with warnings and plots of death and he concludes the telling with Jesus’ admonition that it was now time to for Him to be glorified. Now had I been a disciple then and heard that statement, my natural reaction would have been, "Wow! He has presented Himself as King, as Messiah! The Kingdom will begin soon. What else could He mean that the Son of Man was going to be glorified. And I am going to be in His cabinet!"
But the glory that Jesus spoke of did not include an immediate earthly coronation nor an immediate visible kingdom. Yes the apostles would serve in His cabinet. But no, it would not involve high level affairs of state meetings in grand palaces such as king Herod's palace. Glory meant dying. Jesus' glory meant their following Him into death to grand visions of importance and palaces so that they might serve others. Jesus' glory was first the cross then the resurrection. Someday His glory will come to earth in its fullness. But right now His glory is the cross and the resurrection. Our glory is to follow Him there! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Monday, May 31, 2010
May 30, 2010
May 30 John 11:28-57
Have you ever had disappointment with God? Sure you have. You thought the Lord's glory was such that He would intervene in a certain way if you requested Him to intervene. Then He did not intervene. What happened? For some, the disappointment is so great that they walk away from the situation in disbelief. Mary and Martha were disappointed in Jesus. They had sent to Him for help when their brother Lazarus was sick and dying. Jesus delayed. Lazarus died. Mary expressed her disappointment with Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died." It’s your fault God! If, if, if, if!!!
Jesus was not untouched by the emotion. Verse 35, the shortest verse in the Bible, says, "Jesus wept." Why did Jesus cry? After all, He had purposely delayed so that Lazarus could die. I think there are various reasons why Jesus cried:
1. He was pained by the fact that even His closest friends could not see beyond the terror of the moment and grasp His glory.
2. He really felt the agony of Mary and Martha as they mourned the deep loss of their brother.
3. He mourned that He was going to have to call Lazarus, His friend, back out of paradise into this world of pain. He knew that Lazarus would have to travel through the experience of dying one more time.
4. He cried for joy knowing that they would have opportunity to learn that He could raise them from the dead.
So, there are at least 4 reasons why Jesus wept. I think they were all part of this deeply emotional moment. Our Lord is deeply emotional. Have you ever thought of Him as having strong emotions and that those emotions are part of His glory? I tend to think of Him as a very stoic--what will be will be. But Jesus was alive with emotions. No, they did not over rule His intellect or His spirit but He felt strongly what He felt. The next time you are grieving over a loved one, remember He grieves for your loss probably more strongly than you do. But He also knows the joy that person is experiencing-if they knew Him. He simultaneously rejoices with them as He grieves for you. He strongly desires that you to see His glory in this situation. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
Have you ever had disappointment with God? Sure you have. You thought the Lord's glory was such that He would intervene in a certain way if you requested Him to intervene. Then He did not intervene. What happened? For some, the disappointment is so great that they walk away from the situation in disbelief. Mary and Martha were disappointed in Jesus. They had sent to Him for help when their brother Lazarus was sick and dying. Jesus delayed. Lazarus died. Mary expressed her disappointment with Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died." It’s your fault God! If, if, if, if!!!
Jesus was not untouched by the emotion. Verse 35, the shortest verse in the Bible, says, "Jesus wept." Why did Jesus cry? After all, He had purposely delayed so that Lazarus could die. I think there are various reasons why Jesus cried:
1. He was pained by the fact that even His closest friends could not see beyond the terror of the moment and grasp His glory.
2. He really felt the agony of Mary and Martha as they mourned the deep loss of their brother.
3. He mourned that He was going to have to call Lazarus, His friend, back out of paradise into this world of pain. He knew that Lazarus would have to travel through the experience of dying one more time.
4. He cried for joy knowing that they would have opportunity to learn that He could raise them from the dead.
So, there are at least 4 reasons why Jesus wept. I think they were all part of this deeply emotional moment. Our Lord is deeply emotional. Have you ever thought of Him as having strong emotions and that those emotions are part of His glory? I tend to think of Him as a very stoic--what will be will be. But Jesus was alive with emotions. No, they did not over rule His intellect or His spirit but He felt strongly what He felt. The next time you are grieving over a loved one, remember He grieves for your loss probably more strongly than you do. But He also knows the joy that person is experiencing-if they knew Him. He simultaneously rejoices with them as He grieves for you. He strongly desires that you to see His glory in this situation. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
May 29, 2010
May 29 John 11:1-27
I have had both the privilege and the burden of preaching at funerals. It is a high privilege to preach the funeral of a godly saint who has gone on into the presence of the Lord. They have preceded us into the land of the truly living. Our world is alive and wondrous indeed but it is also at the same time dead and horrible. In the presence of the Lord is true life, life that pulsates, throbs, thrives and is unending. He is life in itself. To know Him is to live. So when a believer dies, it is nothing less than a graduation into greater life and really so much more than we can imagine.
Jesus said, “Whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.” Yet, every person who has believed in Him has died. What is he talking about? Obviously He is talking about the final resurrection. He is the resurrection and the life. We have this sure promise. This life is only a prelude to life. Or maybe I should say, “This death is only a prelude to life.” For those who know Him we will one day enter into life that makes this one pale in comparison. It will be better than any thing that we could have imagined. It will be because He is the resurrection and the life.
I have also had the burden of preaching at funerals. It is extremely difficult to preach at a funeral when you cannot honestly tell the mourners, “This person is in heaven enjoying the resurrection life of the Lord Jesus Christ.” Where is the glory of Jesus here? The Father has given all judgment to the Son. The Son is glorified in that He will be the judge of those who refused to believe in Him. He is always just. He is always fair. He will glorify Himself in that judgment. And yes there will be those to whom He will say, “Depart from Me. I never knew you.” He will raise those who refuse to believe in Him to go where they have chosen to go—eternally separated from Him. He is just in sending them where they have chosen to go. The glory of Jesus is that He is merciful and just to us all, all of the time. Now that is glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
I have had both the privilege and the burden of preaching at funerals. It is a high privilege to preach the funeral of a godly saint who has gone on into the presence of the Lord. They have preceded us into the land of the truly living. Our world is alive and wondrous indeed but it is also at the same time dead and horrible. In the presence of the Lord is true life, life that pulsates, throbs, thrives and is unending. He is life in itself. To know Him is to live. So when a believer dies, it is nothing less than a graduation into greater life and really so much more than we can imagine.
Jesus said, “Whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.” Yet, every person who has believed in Him has died. What is he talking about? Obviously He is talking about the final resurrection. He is the resurrection and the life. We have this sure promise. This life is only a prelude to life. Or maybe I should say, “This death is only a prelude to life.” For those who know Him we will one day enter into life that makes this one pale in comparison. It will be better than any thing that we could have imagined. It will be because He is the resurrection and the life.
I have also had the burden of preaching at funerals. It is extremely difficult to preach at a funeral when you cannot honestly tell the mourners, “This person is in heaven enjoying the resurrection life of the Lord Jesus Christ.” Where is the glory of Jesus here? The Father has given all judgment to the Son. The Son is glorified in that He will be the judge of those who refused to believe in Him. He is always just. He is always fair. He will glorify Himself in that judgment. And yes there will be those to whom He will say, “Depart from Me. I never knew you.” He will raise those who refuse to believe in Him to go where they have chosen to go—eternally separated from Him. He is just in sending them where they have chosen to go. The glory of Jesus is that He is merciful and just to us all, all of the time. Now that is glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
Friday, May 28, 2010
May 28, 2010
May 28, 2010 Deuteronomy 1
“I alone am not able to bear you.” As Moses was recounting the administrative and leadership problems of leading 2million+ people, we are reminded of a time when the strain of leadership was more than he could bear. Are there times in your lives when you feel stretched like a rubber band? Do the limits of your abilities feel like they are being squashed by the preponderance of demands weighing upon you? From the testimony of Moses, the Lord provided help for him so that he was able to bear it. His glory includes His provision such that when we are being squashed by our responsibilities or circumstances that He provides a way out. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
John 10:22-42
I was in McDonald’s with Liam the other day. A man was also there with his daughter who was about Liam’s age. While they played, the man began to express what was in his mind. As the conversation unfolded he began to talk about his niece who seemed to make one bad choice after another. He talked a lot about how some people’s problems are simply because they make one bad choice after another. I eventually waded in and said, “Have you ever made the choice to trust Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.”
He quickly replied, “Yes, but I am not religious.” Then he went on to explain what he meant by that. As he meandered on in his soliloquy, it became obvious to me, but not to him, that actually he was religious but had never made the choice to trust Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. By being not religious he meant that had a hard time believing the Bible and that Jesus Christ really was who He claimed to be and that He had risen from the dead. My thought is, “How can one trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior if you think He is a mere man and that He is still dead?” I don’t know about you but I wouldn’t trust a dead man to save me. That is the height of spiritual suicide. On the other hand, to be religious is to follow a certain path in the hope of obtaining right standing with God. This man felt that as long as he did what he thought was right that, if there was a God, that God would receive Him. Now that is religion!
Jesus makes some astonishing claims in today’s passage. He says, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” This man did not hear the voice of Jesus. He did not follow him. The glory of Jesus is that He does not leave us as orphans. When we trust Him as Lord and Savior, He gives us His Holy Spirit. Through the Holy Spirit and through the written Word of God, all those who have trusted Him can hear His voice. When we hear His voice, we follow Him. This does not necessarily mean that every step of every day we always follow Him. But rather it means that if we truly are His sheep, over the course of time we can look back and see that He has kept us in some kind of close proximity to Him. As wicked as my heart is, that is truly amazing.
Jesus says, “I and My Father are one.” You cannot get a better claim to Divinity than that. He uses the neuter pronoun for one rather than the masculine pronoun. The classical explanation for this is that Jesus is referring to the essence of the Father and the Son are the same, they are one. His claim is not to be in the person of the Father, otherwise He would have used the masculine pronoun and there would have been no room for the Trinity as we understand it. Had He used the masculine pronoun, Jesus would have been claiming to be the person of the Father. As it is, He is claiming to be God (one in essence) but different in person. This is the glory of Jesus, He is God.
Jesus calls us to believe on Him not only on the basis of His claims but also His works. He says, “Believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.” He is the one who turned water into wine. He demanded purity in worship. He discerned the hearts of men. He called the social pariah to Himself. He healed the Nobleman’s son. He healed the man who was infirm for 38 years. He fed five thousand with five loaves and two fish. He walked on the sea. He forced men to acknowledge their sin in front of the woman caught in adultery. He healed the man born blind. He raised Lazarus from the dead. But His greatest work was done upon the cross and in the resurrection. His resurrection was the sign, the work upon which He calls us to believe in Him. This is the glory of Jesus. He has defeated sin and death. He lives again to evermore intercede for us! Now that is glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
P.S. I wish I could say that I was able to introduce the man at McDonald’s to the Lord Jesus. But it was apparent that he was more interested in expressing his own thoughts than gazing upon the glory of Jesus. Let us not be that way.
“I alone am not able to bear you.” As Moses was recounting the administrative and leadership problems of leading 2million+ people, we are reminded of a time when the strain of leadership was more than he could bear. Are there times in your lives when you feel stretched like a rubber band? Do the limits of your abilities feel like they are being squashed by the preponderance of demands weighing upon you? From the testimony of Moses, the Lord provided help for him so that he was able to bear it. His glory includes His provision such that when we are being squashed by our responsibilities or circumstances that He provides a way out. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
John 10:22-42
I was in McDonald’s with Liam the other day. A man was also there with his daughter who was about Liam’s age. While they played, the man began to express what was in his mind. As the conversation unfolded he began to talk about his niece who seemed to make one bad choice after another. He talked a lot about how some people’s problems are simply because they make one bad choice after another. I eventually waded in and said, “Have you ever made the choice to trust Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.”
He quickly replied, “Yes, but I am not religious.” Then he went on to explain what he meant by that. As he meandered on in his soliloquy, it became obvious to me, but not to him, that actually he was religious but had never made the choice to trust Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. By being not religious he meant that had a hard time believing the Bible and that Jesus Christ really was who He claimed to be and that He had risen from the dead. My thought is, “How can one trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior if you think He is a mere man and that He is still dead?” I don’t know about you but I wouldn’t trust a dead man to save me. That is the height of spiritual suicide. On the other hand, to be religious is to follow a certain path in the hope of obtaining right standing with God. This man felt that as long as he did what he thought was right that, if there was a God, that God would receive Him. Now that is religion!
Jesus makes some astonishing claims in today’s passage. He says, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” This man did not hear the voice of Jesus. He did not follow him. The glory of Jesus is that He does not leave us as orphans. When we trust Him as Lord and Savior, He gives us His Holy Spirit. Through the Holy Spirit and through the written Word of God, all those who have trusted Him can hear His voice. When we hear His voice, we follow Him. This does not necessarily mean that every step of every day we always follow Him. But rather it means that if we truly are His sheep, over the course of time we can look back and see that He has kept us in some kind of close proximity to Him. As wicked as my heart is, that is truly amazing.
Jesus says, “I and My Father are one.” You cannot get a better claim to Divinity than that. He uses the neuter pronoun for one rather than the masculine pronoun. The classical explanation for this is that Jesus is referring to the essence of the Father and the Son are the same, they are one. His claim is not to be in the person of the Father, otherwise He would have used the masculine pronoun and there would have been no room for the Trinity as we understand it. Had He used the masculine pronoun, Jesus would have been claiming to be the person of the Father. As it is, He is claiming to be God (one in essence) but different in person. This is the glory of Jesus, He is God.
Jesus calls us to believe on Him not only on the basis of His claims but also His works. He says, “Believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.” He is the one who turned water into wine. He demanded purity in worship. He discerned the hearts of men. He called the social pariah to Himself. He healed the Nobleman’s son. He healed the man who was infirm for 38 years. He fed five thousand with five loaves and two fish. He walked on the sea. He forced men to acknowledge their sin in front of the woman caught in adultery. He healed the man born blind. He raised Lazarus from the dead. But His greatest work was done upon the cross and in the resurrection. His resurrection was the sign, the work upon which He calls us to believe in Him. This is the glory of Jesus. He has defeated sin and death. He lives again to evermore intercede for us! Now that is glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
P.S. I wish I could say that I was able to introduce the man at McDonald’s to the Lord Jesus. But it was apparent that he was more interested in expressing his own thoughts than gazing upon the glory of Jesus. Let us not be that way.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
May 27, 2010
John 10:1-21
Man, talk about switching gears in the middle of a conversation and using mixed metaphors! One moment Jesus is talking about light and sight, and the next moment He is talking about sheep and shepherds. That is just like the Lord. There is so much about Him that it spins the mind to keep up with Him. Those who step into His light and permit their sin to be burned away, He calls His sheep. He is the doorkeeper into the sheepfold. He is the shepherd. We are His property. He seeks to bring us abundant life. He knows us intimately. He lays down His life for us. He picks His life up again. Now that is power!
Everything that humans desire can be found in Him. We desire wealth. As the shepherd, He owns it all. We desire health. As the shepherd, He knows how to heal us. We desire life. As the Eternal shepherd, He both lays down His life and picks it up again and does the same for us. We desire intimacy with others. As the shepherd, He knows us and gives us the ability to come to know Him. We desire food. As the shepherd, He leads us through the dry land to green pastures. We desire security. As the shepherd, when we stay next to Him He protects us from our enemies. We desire power. As the shepherd, He has the power to raise us from the dead. Our last enemy that He will defeat is death. I cannot think of any greater power than to be able to raise a sinner from the dead--pure and undefiled.
I am fifty-five years old now. I can truly say that He is faithful in providing what I need. He is indeed the Good Shepherd. That is glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Man, talk about switching gears in the middle of a conversation and using mixed metaphors! One moment Jesus is talking about light and sight, and the next moment He is talking about sheep and shepherds. That is just like the Lord. There is so much about Him that it spins the mind to keep up with Him. Those who step into His light and permit their sin to be burned away, He calls His sheep. He is the doorkeeper into the sheepfold. He is the shepherd. We are His property. He seeks to bring us abundant life. He knows us intimately. He lays down His life for us. He picks His life up again. Now that is power!
Everything that humans desire can be found in Him. We desire wealth. As the shepherd, He owns it all. We desire health. As the shepherd, He knows how to heal us. We desire life. As the Eternal shepherd, He both lays down His life and picks it up again and does the same for us. We desire intimacy with others. As the shepherd, He knows us and gives us the ability to come to know Him. We desire food. As the shepherd, He leads us through the dry land to green pastures. We desire security. As the shepherd, when we stay next to Him He protects us from our enemies. We desire power. As the shepherd, He has the power to raise us from the dead. Our last enemy that He will defeat is death. I cannot think of any greater power than to be able to raise a sinner from the dead--pure and undefiled.
I am fifty-five years old now. I can truly say that He is faithful in providing what I need. He is indeed the Good Shepherd. That is glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
May 26, 2010
Numbers 35
Life is precious to our Lord. Since it is precious, when a life is taken, it is a very serious thing. Something must happen, but what if it is inadvertent? The Lord makes provision for that. But what about willful shedding of blood?
So you shall not pollute the land where you are; for blood defiles the land, and no atonement can be made for the land, for the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it. 34‘Therefore do not defile the land which you inhabit, in the midst of which I dwell; for I the Lord dwell among the children of Israel
That is scary when we consider the words of Jesus that if we hate our brother, it is equivalent to murder. But He made provision for it. He took our murder upon Himself and His innocent blood was shed in our place. Thus the land no longer cries out concerning our guilt. His blood satisfies the wrath of God. That is indeed amazing. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
John 9:24-41
We continue today with this theme of the blind who see spiritually and the physically sighted being blind. There is a famous quote of C.S. Lewis that runs something like this:
Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon; or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about him being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.
In our day and age, there are a lot of people who want to talk about how good Jesus was but will refuse to call Him Lord. Here is one of those Gospel stories where His claim to Deity is extremely obvious. Jesus makes it obvious as to who He is. The blind man is called to question by the council. He asks a question that I believe is half-honest and half-filled with sarcasm, "Do you also want to become His disciples?"
The council replies, "We do not know where this man is from."
The formerly blind man is incredulous. One thing is clear; Jesus is from God. Otherwise, He could do nothing. The council couldn't deal with the simple logic. So, they had the formerly blind man excommunicated. When Jesus heard what they had done, He immediately went and found the man. (There always seems to be that special place in Jesus' heart for those who are persecuted for His sake. As Stephen was being stoned to death, he saw Jesus standing in heaven. Usually visions of the throne room of God describe Jesus sitting on His throne; for Stephen, He stood.) For the blind man, Jesus revealed Himself to him. The Son of God came into the world to make the blind sighted and the sighted blind. The spiritually sighted see their sin in the light of Jesus. They present it to Him and He burns it away with His light, His glory burns it away. The spiritually blind never see their sin. They never present it to Him. Their sin remains. Do you see your sin burn away in the light of His glory? Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
Life is precious to our Lord. Since it is precious, when a life is taken, it is a very serious thing. Something must happen, but what if it is inadvertent? The Lord makes provision for that. But what about willful shedding of blood?
So you shall not pollute the land where you are; for blood defiles the land, and no atonement can be made for the land, for the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it. 34‘Therefore do not defile the land which you inhabit, in the midst of which I dwell; for I the Lord dwell among the children of Israel
That is scary when we consider the words of Jesus that if we hate our brother, it is equivalent to murder. But He made provision for it. He took our murder upon Himself and His innocent blood was shed in our place. Thus the land no longer cries out concerning our guilt. His blood satisfies the wrath of God. That is indeed amazing. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
John 9:24-41
We continue today with this theme of the blind who see spiritually and the physically sighted being blind. There is a famous quote of C.S. Lewis that runs something like this:
Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon; or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about him being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.
In our day and age, there are a lot of people who want to talk about how good Jesus was but will refuse to call Him Lord. Here is one of those Gospel stories where His claim to Deity is extremely obvious. Jesus makes it obvious as to who He is. The blind man is called to question by the council. He asks a question that I believe is half-honest and half-filled with sarcasm, "Do you also want to become His disciples?"
The council replies, "We do not know where this man is from."
The formerly blind man is incredulous. One thing is clear; Jesus is from God. Otherwise, He could do nothing. The council couldn't deal with the simple logic. So, they had the formerly blind man excommunicated. When Jesus heard what they had done, He immediately went and found the man. (There always seems to be that special place in Jesus' heart for those who are persecuted for His sake. As Stephen was being stoned to death, he saw Jesus standing in heaven. Usually visions of the throne room of God describe Jesus sitting on His throne; for Stephen, He stood.) For the blind man, Jesus revealed Himself to him. The Son of God came into the world to make the blind sighted and the sighted blind. The spiritually sighted see their sin in the light of Jesus. They present it to Him and He burns it away with His light, His glory burns it away. The spiritually blind never see their sin. They never present it to Him. Their sin remains. Do you see your sin burn away in the light of His glory? Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John
May 25, 2010
Numbers 34
One of the books that I have been gradually reading the last few years is Angie Debo’s A History of the Indians of the United States. It is indeed a fascinating book. It is amazing the number of atrocities that we have committed against each other. One thing is consistent in the relationship between those of European descent and Native American descent. It is that the white man has consistently taken away the land of the Native American. Usually it was with compensation, albeit usually inadequate and forced. This chapter gives Israel permanent ownership of the land to Israel. Unlike the US government, the Lord does not go back on His treaties. The Lord has promised Israel the land for ever. There is one stipulation though. The right to dwell in the land is linked to obedience. His gifts are never recalled. The right to enjoy them are linked to obedience. Isn’t He something? Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
John 9:1-23
"If you do not believe this story, ask the blind man, he saw it all." There are many folk poems of which we cannot completely trace their origin, and they have many versions. You probably recognize the line I opened with from such a poem. Throughout literature and even in the Bible, the figure of the blind man often stands for one who sees spiritually while the physically sighted are ones who are blind spiritually. It is a similar case in this true story of Jesus healing the blind man.
The man was blind from birth. He had never seen the face of his mother or father. He had never seen colors. He had no clue concerning the color of the dirt throughout the streets of Jerusalem. He had no clue of the beautiful buildings of the temple of Jerusalem. He had no idea of the beauty of the Mount of Olives when it was green from recent rains. His was a life of learning how to navigate through the streets by paces, sounds and scents. After having been healed by Jesus by this unusual healing technique, do you suppose he recognized his parents before they spoke? I wonder, what was that first meeting like. Suppose he walked in the house, looked straight at his mother and said, "Look mom! No cane!" Can you imagine the thrill that his parents experienced? They had the double whammy of their son's disability and the cultural mindset that his disability was their punishment for some sin, which they had committed. Now both were gone. Jesus had healed them.
The man was spiritually sighted enough to know that Jesus was from God; therefore, he would take his stand with Jesus. His parents were dumbfounded. For years they had to deal with gossip concerning what sin they had possibly committed in order for their son to have received this punishment. Now, that social stigma was no longer visible. They were not willing to go on the line risking being put out of the synagogue for something in which they had no part. They simply referred people back to their son. After all he was of legal age. Jesus had lit the world of this one man who was born blind. And his parents were cautiously entering the light.
Jesus always lights our world, if we will enter it. That is the glory of His nature. Now, that light doesn't always reveal what we expect. Do you suppose the blind man was surprised at what he saw or how his parents reacted? I tend to think that he was amazed by some of it, and some of it he already knew instinctively. But afterward he saw reality. It was no longer an imagined thing. When we enter the light of Jesus, some of what we see is truly amazing. Some of it we already knew instinctively. When we step into the light of Jesus, we see the ugliness of our sin. We already knew instinctively its ugliness. What amazes us are two things 1) how horribly ugly it is and 2) how beautiful and amazing His grace is. We are amazed that He would bear such ugliness upon the cross in our place. We are stamped with the amazement of His love for us. It is like His light burns away the sin replacing it with the beauty of His love. The result from Him is a desire to be pure in all things. That is why Paul tells us to examine ourselves lest we be reprobate. If there is no desire to be pure as He is pure, I have news for you; you are not standing in the light. Come on in! Bask in it! It’s great! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor
One of the books that I have been gradually reading the last few years is Angie Debo’s A History of the Indians of the United States. It is indeed a fascinating book. It is amazing the number of atrocities that we have committed against each other. One thing is consistent in the relationship between those of European descent and Native American descent. It is that the white man has consistently taken away the land of the Native American. Usually it was with compensation, albeit usually inadequate and forced. This chapter gives Israel permanent ownership of the land to Israel. Unlike the US government, the Lord does not go back on His treaties. The Lord has promised Israel the land for ever. There is one stipulation though. The right to dwell in the land is linked to obedience. His gifts are never recalled. The right to enjoy them are linked to obedience. Isn’t He something? Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john
John 9:1-23
"If you do not believe this story, ask the blind man, he saw it all." There are many folk poems of which we cannot completely trace their origin, and they have many versions. You probably recognize the line I opened with from such a poem. Throughout literature and even in the Bible, the figure of the blind man often stands for one who sees spiritually while the physically sighted are ones who are blind spiritually. It is a similar case in this true story of Jesus healing the blind man.
The man was blind from birth. He had never seen the face of his mother or father. He had never seen colors. He had no clue concerning the color of the dirt throughout the streets of Jerusalem. He had no clue of the beautiful buildings of the temple of Jerusalem. He had no idea of the beauty of the Mount of Olives when it was green from recent rains. His was a life of learning how to navigate through the streets by paces, sounds and scents. After having been healed by Jesus by this unusual healing technique, do you suppose he recognized his parents before they spoke? I wonder, what was that first meeting like. Suppose he walked in the house, looked straight at his mother and said, "Look mom! No cane!" Can you imagine the thrill that his parents experienced? They had the double whammy of their son's disability and the cultural mindset that his disability was their punishment for some sin, which they had committed. Now both were gone. Jesus had healed them.
The man was spiritually sighted enough to know that Jesus was from God; therefore, he would take his stand with Jesus. His parents were dumbfounded. For years they had to deal with gossip concerning what sin they had possibly committed in order for their son to have received this punishment. Now, that social stigma was no longer visible. They were not willing to go on the line risking being put out of the synagogue for something in which they had no part. They simply referred people back to their son. After all he was of legal age. Jesus had lit the world of this one man who was born blind. And his parents were cautiously entering the light.
Jesus always lights our world, if we will enter it. That is the glory of His nature. Now, that light doesn't always reveal what we expect. Do you suppose the blind man was surprised at what he saw or how his parents reacted? I tend to think that he was amazed by some of it, and some of it he already knew instinctively. But afterward he saw reality. It was no longer an imagined thing. When we enter the light of Jesus, some of what we see is truly amazing. Some of it we already knew instinctively. When we step into the light of Jesus, we see the ugliness of our sin. We already knew instinctively its ugliness. What amazes us are two things 1) how horribly ugly it is and 2) how beautiful and amazing His grace is. We are amazed that He would bear such ugliness upon the cross in our place. We are stamped with the amazement of His love for us. It is like His light burns away the sin replacing it with the beauty of His love. The result from Him is a desire to be pure in all things. That is why Paul tells us to examine ourselves lest we be reprobate. If there is no desire to be pure as He is pure, I have news for you; you are not standing in the light. Come on in! Bask in it! It’s great! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)