Mountain Top Musings

2012-02-11T03:55:00.001-08:00

THE HOUSE OF GOD

"They are to make a sanctuary for Me so that I may dwell among them. (Exodus 25:8 HCSB)

God demands and deserves our worship. Being a God so immense, that not even the heavens can contain Him, it is impossible that a church building can. He transcends all things, fills all things--He is all in all. There is nowhere you can go, that He is not there. This is the Being we worship.

But, we are finite creatures, locked into time and space. While God is everywhere, we must be somewhere, so that I need a meeting place with God--a sacred space where I can worship the Infinite One.

Can I not worship God anywhere? Can I not encounter Him in the fields and woods, by the lake or the ocean, since He is just as much there as anywhere. You could, you should, but would you? We are easily distracted. Do we associate the stream with praising God or catching fish? Will we look to the heavens while sitting in a beach chair or observe a child chasing a beach ball across the sand?

Please, don't misunderstand what I am saying. I recognize that wherever we go and whatever we may experience, there is an occasion for our hearts to be directed toward the Lord and draw near to Him in seasons of intimacy with the Creator.

Yet, worship is also not confined to the individual, but is done in the context of community. We are to gather together in corporate celebration of who God is and what He has done. That requires a meeting place.

Thus, God directed Israel to construct a sanctuary--in this case an elaborate tent. When they moved, the tent would be taken down and taken with them. When they stopped to camp, it was to be set up in the middle, for worship was to be central in the national life.

Is worship at the core of your life journey? How often do you find yourself in the company of fellow believers expressing gratitude to God? When you are physically attending, are you fully present--your mind and heart engaged on the truth? Do you mindlessly mouth the stanzas of the song or do they come gushing from the heart? When someone leads in prayer, do you pray or zone out? As the Word of God is proclaimed do you consume it with a ravenous appetite or do you look quickly from the text to your wrist watch, wondering, "What's for lunch?"

Worship is important to God. That ought to make it important to you. It will be the order of eternity. We should get used to it now. Let us gather tomorrow, praying that the Lord will rend the heavens and come down in power and glory. I am desperate for that! God willing, I will be there to meet God in the sanctuary. I don't want to miss it! Don't you dare!

2012-02-10T04:20:00.000-08:00

INTO THE GLORY

"The Lord said to Moses, 'Come up to Me on the mountain and stay there so that I may give you the stone tablets with the law and commandments I have written for their instruction.' When Moses went up the mountain, the cloud covered it. The glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day He called to Moses from the cloud. The appearance of the Lord's glory to the Israelites was like a consuming fire on the mountaintop." (Exodus 24:12, 15-17 HCSB)

I'll never forget a phone call I received four years ago. One of our church members had two tickets to the ACC Basketball Tournament in Charlotte and wondered if I could work it out to go! Are you kidding me? Does a cat have a tail? It was awesome! I saw my favorite team--the Tar Heels--win that championship, led by the great Tyler Hansbrough! Unforgettable!

Have you ever been invited to go to such a big-time event?

The invitation Moses received, surpasses such by an incomparable measure. He was summoned to come be God's guest on His holy mountain. Moses was invited into the glory--the fiery cloud that rested atop Mt. Sinai--to be taught by the LORD! Incredible! Indescribable!

For forty days and nights, that man of God, would be immersed in wondrous glory. It was transformational! For a period of time, his skin literally shone, basking in the light of that experience. But, the rest of the Jews could only speculate. They weren't invited. In fact, to approach the holy mountain was a fearful thing and to touch it was to meet a horrible death.

But, that was the other side of Calvary!

On this side, we are now invited to come into the glory--not just the preacher, not merely a select few, like Peter, James and John on the Mountain of Transfiguration--but every child of God! We do not come with trembling knees, as a servant to a tyrant, but are invited to come confidently, "Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time." (Hebrews 4:16 HCSB). We are summoned as sons to the Father!

You see that first mountain was full of frightening thunder and lightning--a mountain quaking in God's majestic presence. That was Sinai--and it represents the Old Covenant of the Law--which can only condemn us as sinners.

But, all that has changed because of another Mountain called Calvary! It was there the perfect Man absorbed the lightning bolts of God's wrath, as that mountain shook. He was excluded, that we might be included. He experienced the fierceness of judgment that we who place our faith in Him can experience the freedom of justification!

We are summoned to enter the glory!

Already, it is transforming us. That glory which changed Moses did not last. It began to diminish. Yet, the glory we can gaze upon grows daily. Paul saw that brilliance when He met Jesus, and consistently looked unto Him, becoming an even more radiant Christian. It is something every believer should experience and the Apostle wrote of it:

"Now if the ministry of death, chiseled in letters on stones, came with glory, so that the Israelites were not able to look directly at Moses' face because of the glory from his face-a fading [glory]- how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness overflows with even more glory. In fact, what had been glorious is not glorious now by comparison because of the glory that surpasses it. For if what was fading away was glorious, what endures will be even more glorious.

Therefore, having such a hope, we use great boldness. [We are] not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face so that the Israelites could not stare at the the end of what was fading away, but their minds were closed. For to this day, at the reading of the old covenant, the same veil remains; it is not lifted, because it is set aside [only] in Christ. Even to this day, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their hearts, but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. We all, with unveiled faces, are looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit." (2 Corinthians 3:7-18 HCSB)

So, the glory grows until one golden daybreak we are summoned into the fullest glory of eternity!

"When by His grace I shall look on His face,

That will be glory, be glory for me." (Charles Gabriel)

Glory!

2012-02-09T02:55:00.000-08:00

BORN TO SOAR

" 'You have seen what I did to the Egyptians and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to Me. Now if you will listen to Me and carefully keep My covenant, you will be My own possession out of all the peoples, although all the earth is Mine," (Exodus 19:4, 5 HCSB)

The baby eagle is born to soar. It is the work of the parent to prepare the little one. It was time for Israel to spread her wings. God’s people—like the eagle are born to soar!

In chapter nineteen of Exodus, we find God calling His children to rise to fulfill their potential. He has some choice lessons to teach them—to get them out of the nest, as it were. He instructs them concerning reward, conveying responsibility and commanding reverence.

Here is a word concerning REWARD--We are a special treasure (v.1-5).

“In the third month, on the same day [of the month] that the Israelites had left the land of Egypt, they entered the Wilderness of Sinai. After they departed from Rephidim, they entered the Wilderness of Sinai and camped in the wilderness, and Israel camped there in front of the mountain.

Moses went up [the mountain] to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain: ‘This is what you must say to the house of Jacob, and explain to the Israelites: “You have seen what I did to the Egyptians and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to Me. Now if you will listen to Me and carefully keep My covenant, you will be My own possession out of all the peoples, although all the earth is Mine…” (Exodus 19:1-5 HCSB)

God’s reward to His people was His grace. He delivered them from bondage and birthed them into new life. So, He has done for us, in saving us from sin and bringing us into new life in Christ.

God’s reward from His people is our growth. God has the rewarding experience of seeing us learn to fly! All parents know the joy of seeing our children learn new things and watching them grow up. We treasure those moments! So, our Heavenly Father is delighted when we begin to flap our wings—even feebly, at first—for we are growing into the potential for which He has chosen us.

But, these words Moses was to share with the fledgling nation were not just about reward. There is a word conveying RESPONSIBILITY—We have a sacred task (v.6-9).

“and you will be My kingdom of priests and My holy nation.” These are the words that you are to say to the Israelites.’

After Moses came back, he summoned the elders of the people and set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him. Then all the people responded together, ‘We will do all that the Lord has spoken.’ So Moses brought the people's words back to the Lord.

The Lord said to Moses, ‘I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear when I speak with you and will always believe you.’ Then Moses reported the people's words to the Lord.” (Exodus 19:6-9 HCSB)

We teach children responsibility. It is an indispensable lesson. As they develop, they will bear more and more responsibility. This is true in spiritual maturity, as well.

God’s people have a great responsibility to represent God to others. We are His priests. God did not choose Israel to convey a smug self-righteousness as though they were better than the other nations. He set them apart as a holy nation, so that His light would shine as a beacon from them.

When people see us, they need to see the God whom we represent. A newborn eagle looks very little like the majestic bird it will become, but as it matures it begins to look like the eagle that birthed it. So, as we grow up, the Christian is more and more like Christ. Others should see Jesus in us.

God’s people have a grave responsibility to reach others for God. This is what a priest does. He is an advocate—a mediator. Israel was to call the nations to repentance and reconciliation with God. Sadly, they didn’t grow up—always childishly, selfishly squawking for God to care for them, wholly unconcerned about others. If we grow and soar to our potential, we recognize that we have been chosen to be instruments of inclusion. We are God’s special people because we have been given a sacred task—the Great Commission.

So, Israel would soar if they heeded God’s call concerning reward and conveying responsibility. Furthermore, there is a word commanding REVERENCE—We need a sanctifying trust (v.10-25).

“And the Lord told Moses, ‘Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. They must wash their clothes and be prepared by the third day, for on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. Put boundaries for the people all around the [mountain] and say: Be careful that you don't go up on the mountain or touch its base. Anyone who touches the mountain will be put to death. No hand may touch him; instead he will be stoned or shot [with arrows]. No animal or man will live. When the ram's horn sounds a long blast, they may go up the mountain.’

Then Moses came down from the mountain to the people and consecrated them, and they washed their clothes. He said to the people, ‘Be prepared by the third day. Do not have sexual relations with women.’

On the third day, when morning came, there was thunder and lightning, a thick cloud on the mountain, and a loud trumpet sound, so that all the people in the camp shuddered. Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was completely enveloped in smoke because the Lord came down on it in fire. Its smoke went up like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain shook violently. As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and God answered him in the thunder.

The Lord came down on Mount Sinai at the top of the mountain. Then the Lord summoned Moses to the top of the mountain, and he went up. The Lord directed Moses, ‘Go down and warn the people not to break through to see the Lord; otherwise many of them will die. Even the priests who come near the Lord must purify themselves or the Lord will break out [in anger] against them.’

But Moses responded to the Lord, ‘The people cannot come up Mount Sinai, since You warned us: Put a boundary around the mountain and consider it holy.’ And the Lord replied to him, ‘Go down and come back with Aaron. But the priests and the people must not break through to come up to the Lord, or He will break out [in anger] against them.’ So Moses went down to the people and told them.” (Exodus 19:10-25 HCSB)

Could you imagine an eaglet attacking a mature eagle? Would you imagine that it would foul its nest? So, Israel was to respect the holiness of God. They were to be clean when they approached Him. It is wonderful that we have such a loving relationship with God, but we must never make this an excuse for a lack of respect. He remains God—and we are not.

I am an adult now. But, God still expects me to honor my father. That is commanded. If we are to show such respect to a fallen human being, what ought we to do concerning our Holy, Heavenly Father?

Perhaps you have heard the Grecian mythical story of Icarus.

Along with his father, Daedalus, the two were imprisoned on Crete. Daedalus devised two pairs of wings that they might escape. The father warned his son, however, to follow his line of flight—to fly neither too high toward the sun, lest the wax which held the feathers in place would melt, nor too low near the sea, lest the moisture dampen the wings and make them too heavy to fly.

He didn’t listen to his father. The thrill of flying overcame him, and he rose higher and higher, throwing caution to the wind that lifted him. Too late, he realized he had climbed too high, the wax melted, the feathers fell off and he plummeted into the sea and drowned.

In our desire to soar—let us be sure we respect the flight pattern God has established for us. We arrogantly ignore it to our own peril. Lucifer was not content to soar where God had placed the lofty angel. He wanted a higher throne—God’s—and thus he fell and became Satan.

Do you want to soar? We were born for that purpose. Learn these lessons and you may!

2012-02-08T04:22:00.000-08:00

NO SHORTCUTS

"When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them along the road to the land of the Philistines, even though it was nearby; for God said, "The people will change their minds and return to Egypt if they face war." So He led the people around toward the Red Sea along the road of the wilderness. And the Israelites left the land of Egypt in battle formation." (Exodus 13:17, 18 HCSB)

It seems as though most every "shortcut" I have taken wound up costing me more time--and fuel. Shortcuts aren't all they are cracked up to be!

The fact is, there are no shortcuts on the pilgrim pathway we are called to travel. Our progress toward the Celestial City above is filled with twists and turns--steep, rough, narrow; sometimes descending into dark valleys, traversing raging floods, pitfalls where we could stumble and foes ready to pounce on us. It is--to borrow from the Beatles, "The Long and Winding Road."

Israel found this out soon enough. When they left Egypt, bound for the Promised Land, they must have felt like they were walking on air--the heavy chains of slavery left behind. "A 'hop, skip and a jump' and we'll be in that land flowing with milk and honey," they must have thought. Yet, it would be forty years before they would finally reach their destination. While, it is certain, God didn't intend for them to be wandering in the wilderness that long, He did direct them there for a little season of development of their faith, which, regrettably, became a lifespan of discipline for their unbelief.

There are no shortcuts to spiritual maturity. There is no magic pill we can take to grow up overnight. We can't climb on a rocket, we must plod step by step.

Israel was led by God to a detour, dead end and dry hole!

There was a virtual interstate highway that ran out of Egypt and into Canaan, right up the Gaza Strip. But, there was a problem. It would run head on into Philistine territory--those stubborn people who would become Israel's intransigent enemy. God was building an army, but they weren't ready for a fight like that! They hadn't gone to basic training! So God took them on a detour. It was their spiritual bootcamp!

Honestly, detours are no fun. I am not a patient man. When I go on a trip, I want to get there as soon as possible. I don't even like to stop for gas, or other necessities, because then people are passing me! It may be though, that the detour that irritated me, prevented me from being in a wreck down the road. Can we learn to wait on the Lord--to trust Him and be patient? The recipe for a saint doesn't call for a microwave, but a crock pot!

God leads us on detours--and, strange as it may seem even to dead ends! That's where God brought His people:

" 'Tell the Israelites to turn back and camp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea; you must camp in front of Baal-zephon, facing it by the sea. Pharaoh will say of the Israelites: They are wandering around the land in confusion; the wilderness has boxed them in. I will harden Pharaoh's heart so that he will pursue them. Then I will receive glory by means of Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am Yahweh.' So the Israelites did this." (Exodus 14:2-4 HCSB)

There is nothing like turning down a road and reading a sign, "No Thru Street"! Israel was caught between the devil and the deep Red Sea. God had led them into a dead end and Pharaoh's army was coming to make them dead and bring their freedom to an end!

But, it is when we reach the end of our natural ability that we experience God's supernatural activity! The Lord would accomplish two things that day---a victory for His people, in opening up a way when there seemed to be no way, and a defeat for their enemy, in collapsing the wall of water on Pharaoh's army--all for His glory! The cries of fear would give way to celebrations of faith!

Maybe you feel like you are in a dead-end relationship, job or some other barrier you've hit. Meanwhile, Satan is breathing down your neck! Get ready--God is going to teach you something. You may soon see a deliverance that will be a turning point in your life! The One who brings us to it, will bring us through it!

God led His people not only on a detour and a dead end, but to a dry hole!

"Then Moses led Israel on from the Red Sea, and they went out to the Wilderness of Shur. They journeyed for three days in the wilderness without finding water. They came to Marah, but they could not drink the water at Marah because it was bitter-that is why it was named Marah. The people grumbled to Moses, 'What are we going to drink?' " (Exodus 15:22-24 HCSB)

We often think that if we are experiencing adversity, we must be out of God's will. That can happen. But, it may be that we are exactly where God has led us--where He wants us. He does it to test us. Will we trust Him?

"So he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. When he threw it into the water, the water became drinkable.

He made a statute and ordinance for them at Marah and He tested them there. He said, 'If you will carefully obey the Lord your God, do what is right in His eyes, pay attention to His commands, and keep all His statutes, I will not inflict any illnesses on you that I inflicted on the Egyptians. For I am Yahweh who heals you.'

Then they came to Elim, where there were 12 springs of water and 70 date palms, and they camped there by the waters." (Exodus 15:25-27 HCSB)

There was an oasis just a bit further down the road! Not only springs, but shade; not only drinks to quench thirst, but dates to satisfy hunger! We want to give up, gripe on and go back when we face difficulty. It was a constant pattern for Israel. It would eventually cost that generation an opportunity to reach the abundant life God desired for them. Don't let shortages of resources cause you a shortage of faith.

Spiritual dry times will come by God's design. Keep walking, keep thirsting--and when you are desperate enough, God will lead you to wells of blessing!

" 'For I know the plans I have for you'-[this is] the Lord's declaration-'plans for [your] welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. You will call to Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.' " (Jeremiah 29:11-13 HCSB)

This is the way we must go.

There are no shortcuts.

2012-02-06T17:20:00.001-08:00

NO CONDEMNATION

"Then there will be a great cry of anguish through all the land of Egypt such as never was before, or ever will be again. But against all the Israelites, whether man or beast, not [even] a dog will snarl, so that you may know that Yahweh makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel." (Exodus 11:6, 7 HCSB)

Double jeopardy--being tried for the same offense after having been previously acquitted--our legal system forbids it according to the Fifth Amendment of the United States Constitution. Likewise, it is forbidden in the Supreme Court of Heaven!

In Christ, each believer has died to sin. Christ has paid the penalty for our iniquity. He endured hell that we need not go there. Our vital union with Him has brought us acquittal. We can never be tried for our sins. That is why Paul could boldly affirm, "Therefore, no condemnation now exists for those in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1 HCSB). Literally, there is no judgment for our sins.

This is a consistent teaching throughout Scripture.

We see the distinction made between the Egyptians and the Israelites here. If you think that the difference was in the Egyptians' evil practices and the Jews' inherent goodness, you have not read Scripture very clearly. The Hebrews could be just as vile as the pagans--we are all sinners--but it was that Israel would apply the blood of the lamb and the Egyptians would not. That meant judgment would pass over the Jews, but fall on the Egyptians.

God made the distinction between those righteous through faith and those condemned through unbelief. So, we read in Genesis that Enoch is raptured out of the world before the judgment of the flood comes, and Noah is preserved securely in the ark during the flood. Fire will consume the sinners of Sodom, while Lot will be virtually driven from that city because he was a believer. Lot was a backslider, yet a saved man.

Then, in the plagues God brought upon Egypt, He made a distinction with His covenant people.

"But if you will not let My people go, then I will send swarms of flies against you, your officials, your people, and your houses. The Egyptians' houses will swarm with flies, and so will the land where they live. But on that day I will give special treatment to the land of Goshen, where My people are living; no flies will be there. This way you will know that I, Yahweh, am in the land. I will make a distinction between My people and your people. This sign will take place tomorrow." (Exodus 8:21-23 HCSB)

"then the Lord's hand will bring a severe plague against your livestock in the field-the horses, donkeys, camels, herds, and flocks. But the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing of all that the Israelites own will die." (Exodus 9:3, 4 HCSB)

"Throughout the land of Egypt, the hail struck down everything in the field, both man and beast. The hail beat down every plant of the field and shattered every tree in the field. The only place it didn't hail was in the land of Goshen where the Israelites were." (Exodus 9:25, 26 HCSB)

"So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was thick darkness throughout the land of Egypt for three days. One person could not see another, and for three days they did not move from where they were. Yet all the Israelites had light where they lived." (Exodus 10:22, 23 HCSB)

"and every firstborn [male] in the land of Egypt will die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne to the firstborn of the servant girl who is behind the millstones, as well as every firstborn of the livestock. Then there will be a great cry of anguish through all the land of Egypt such as never was before, or ever will be again. But against all the Israelites, whether man or beast, not [even] a dog will snarl, so that you may know that Yahweh makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel." (Exodus 11:5-7 HCSB)

When God disclosed to Abraham that His wrath was to be poured out on Sodom and Gomorra, Abraham knew that his nephew, Lot, and his family, were in the city and we read, "Abraham stepped forward and said, 'Will You really sweep away the righteous with the wicked? ... You could not possibly do such a thing: to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. You could not possibly do that! Won't the Judge of all the earth do what is just?' " (Genesis 18:23, 25 HCSB)

In a future day, God will judge the world with cataclysmic events--a seven year span known as the tribulation period. Before that judgment falls, God will catch out His church. Christ will come for His Bride--the dead in Christ resurrected and the living saints raptured. With the restraining power of the church, in-dwelt by the Holy Spirit removed, the spirit of antichrist, ever present will be fully manifested in the Antichrist. He himself is one of God's judgments. Man rejected the true Messiah and craves another more to their own liking. God will give the world what they want and a time of unprecedented horror will enclose the earth with plagues akin to those which befell the Egyptians--except in a wider scope and greater severity. Weigh the words of Paul the Apostle,

"Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to Him: We ask you, brothers, not to be easily upset in mind or troubled, either by a spirit or by a message or by a letter as if from us, alleging that the Day of the Lord has come. Don't let anyone deceive you in any way. For [that day] will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction. He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he sits in God's sanctuary, publicizing that he himself is God.

Don't you remember that when I was still with you I told you about this? And you know what currently restrains [him], so that he will be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, but the one now restraining will do so until he is out of the way, and then the lawless one will be revealed. The Lord Jesus will destroy him with the breath of His mouth and will bring him to nothing with the brightness of His coming. The coming [of the lawless one] is based on Satan's working, with all kinds of false miracles, signs, and wonders, and with every unrighteous deception among those who are perishing. [They perish] because they did not accept the love of the truth in order to be saved. For this reason God sends them a strong delusion so that they will believe what is false, so that all will be condemned-those who did not believe the truth but enjoyed unrighteousness." (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 HCSB)

As God's people--possessing the righteousness which is by faith in the blood of the Lamb--we do not look for the condemnation of the world, but the consummation of the age; we wait not for the Antichrist, but we watch for Jesus Christ; we do not take the mark of the Beast, but have the mark of the believer; our destiny is not destruction, but deliverance; we don't anticipate horror, but hope.

"We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, concerning those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who have no hope. Since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, in the same way God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep through Jesus. For we say this to you by a revelation from the Lord: We who are still alive at the Lord's coming will certainly have no advantage over those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the archangel's voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are still alive will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words." (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 HCSB)

2012-02-06T04:27:00.000-08:00

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH

"So Moses went back to the Lord and asked, 'Lord, why have You caused trouble for this people? And why did You ever send me? Ever since I went in to Pharaoh to speak in Your name he has caused trouble for this people, and You haven't delivered Your people at all.' " (Exodus 5:22, 23 HCSB)

The day after--the day after the Super Bowl, that is. After America's largest spectacle on football's biggest stage, I am left to ponder my playing days--albeit on a much smaller scale. It was 1971, and I was on the A.C. Reynolds Rockets' roster. It seems like yesterday. I can still remember the locker room where we put on the pads--gladiators of the gridiron. The coaches had posted motivational signs--handwritten with a black magic marker on white poster board--that were intended to "fire us up." One that was prominently displayed, near my cubicle, proclaimed, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going!"

So, out I went--all 145 pounds of me, yet tough as nails--and often found the going tough. There was nothing like getting in the way of a speeding locomotive called a fullback, who was bigger and faster than you, and bringing him to the ground--getting up with his cleat marks all over you, since he decided the closest distance was in a straight line, that he made toward the end zone. He didn't try to evade you, but steamroll you. Still, I could recall the coach's inspiring words, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going."

Apparently, the opposing team had read the same quotes. So, it boiled down to talent. After four quarters of this pounding, most often we walked off the field bruised and beaten. The Rockets sometime crashed and burned in those days. Then, shedding pads, rubbing bruises and bandaging contusions, as I headed to the showers in an attempt to wash off the stench of defeat, there awaited the wondrous quote, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." It was mockery! I wanted to puke.

Maybe, Moses felt the same way.

He had marched onto Pharaoh's home turf and demanded that Egypt's king release his fellow Hebrews. God had sent him and what did Moses expect? Surely, Pharaoh would do as God demanded. Moses had his team fired up and they were ready to head out in victory. What met Moses on his way to the goal was a bone-jarring tackle that drove him into the ground!

"Later, Moses and Aaron went in and said to Pharaoh, 'This is what Yahweh, the God of Israel, says: Let My people go, so that they may hold a festival for Me in the wilderness.'

But Pharaoh responded, 'Who is Yahweh that I should obey Him by letting Israel go? I do not know [anything about] Yahweh, and besides, I will not let Israel go.' " (Exodus 5:1, 2 HCSB)

On top of that, the tyrant does some trash-talking and calls the Jews a bunch of slackers! If they have time to sacrifice to God, then they have too much time on their hands--and so Pharaoh will show these goof-offs as he demands the same quota of bricks, even though they must now gather their own straw to make them. It is a virtually impossible task, and when they fail to do it, their foremen beat them mercilessly!

The fans were not happy with the quarterback! They boo him as he leaves the field. Not only did he fail to throw a touchdown--he had been intercepted--a pick six for the other team.

"When they left Pharaoh, they confronted Moses and Aaron, who stood [waiting] to meet them. 'May the Lord take note of you and judge,' they said to them, 'because you have made us reek in front of Pharaoh and his officials-putting a sword in their hand to kill us!' "(Exodus 5:20, 21 HCSB)

They were ready for a new quarterback.

Moses wanted to discuss the game plan with the Coach.

The Coach isn't in a panic. We may be; God never is. The game plan hasn't changed. Moses just needed to trust the Lord and execute the plays--even, when the going gets tough. It always will. We have a foe on the other side of the field.

When the going gets tough, there are three fundamentals to tenaciously cling to. God tells Moses to reflect on His presence, recall all His promises and rely on His provision.

"But the LORD replied to Moses, 'Now you are going to see what I will do to Pharaoh: he will let them go because of My strong hand; he will drive them out of his land because of My strong hand.' " (Exodus 6:1 HCSB)

When the going gets tough for us, we must reflect on God's presence. Four times, God says, "I am." Moses is reminded of who has sent him and that He will be with Him.

"Then God spoke to Moses, telling him, 'I am Yahweh. I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty, but I did not reveal My name Yahweh to them. ... Therefore tell the Israelites: I am Yahweh, and I will deliver you from the forced labor of the Egyptians and free you from slavery to them. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and great acts of judgment. I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. You will know that I am Yahweh your God, who delivered you from the forced labor of the Egyptians. I will bring you to the land that I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you as a possession. I am Yahweh.' " (Exodus 6:2, 3, 6-8 HCSB)

He is all powerful--El Shaddai "God Almighty." The Hebrew title God takes for Himself reminds us that the One who is with us is far stronger than the one who stands against us! He is all sufficient--"Yahweh" is His name. He revealed Himself to Moses as, "I AM"--and He is all in all. There is nothing we need that He is not present to provide in Himself.

When the going gets tough for us, we must recall all God's promises. Twice God says, "I have." Moses is reminded of God's covenant with His people and that His word is His bond.

"Furthermore, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are forcing to work as slaves, and I have remembered My covenant." (Exodus 6:5 HCSB)

He has heard our cry, "I have heard the groaning." He is not ignoring your problems. He is vitally interested in them and involved in solving them. He has heeded His covenant, "I have remembered My covenant." Like Israel, we are the covenant people of God. His name and His glory are bound up in us. He will not fail us!

When the going gets tough for us, we must rely on God's provision. Seven times God says, "I will" Moses is reminded of God's purposes and that His will cannot be thwarted.

"Therefore tell the Israelites: I am Yahweh, and I will deliver you from the forced labor of the Egyptians and free you from slavery to them. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and great acts of judgment. I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. You will know that I am Yahweh your God, who delivered you from the forced labor of the Egyptians. I will bring you to the land that I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you as a possession. I am Yahweh." (Exodus 6:6-8 HCSB)

He will overcome our opponent, "Now you are going to see what I will do to Pharaoh." Is the enemy stronger than we are? Who is this pipsqueak compared to God? He will lift our burdens, "I will deliver you from the forced labor." The burdens might be too heavy for us, but we can cast all our care on the Lord, for He cares for us. He will redeem our life, "I will redeem you." If God has taken care of your greatest need--forgiveness of sin--with His greatest provision--redemption from sin--how will He fail to meet every lesser need? He will possess His people, "I will take you as My people." Our heavenly Father loves us! He will personally be involved, "I will be your God." He doesn't just send in a play from the coach's box above--He takes the field with us! He will bring us victory, "I will bring you to the land." From the start of the game until the final play, God leads us to victory! He will give us reward, "I will give it to you as a possession." Today, the New York Giants bask in the glory of a championship and possess the Lombardi Trophy--Super Bowl winners. What a day is promised when earth's clock reaches zero in the countdown and we enter heaven with the accolades heaped on us and we take the victor's crown! Then we will lay our trophies at Jesus' feet--the One who made it all possible. Hallelujah!

So, if today the going gets tough, forget the nonsense about getting tough yourself. When the going gets tough, do what Moses did--get going to God. His presence, promises and provision is enough--more than enough.

We will not pull out the game on a final, frantic touchdown drive as we saw Eli Manning engineer. It is going to be a beat down of the devil--not even close!

2012-02-04T07:31:00.000-08:00

THE WAY OUT

"The Israelites' cry for help has come to Me, and I have also seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. Therefore, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh so that you may lead My people, the Israelites, out of Egypt." (Exodus 3:9, 10 HCSB)

"Exodus" is a word that means "departure." That identifies what the second book of the Bible is about--the way out. It is a fascinating narrative of Hebrew history, but much more--it is a rich illustration of God's redemptive work.

The first chapter presents to us a CAPTIVITY.

"So the Egyptians assigned taskmasters over the Israelites to oppress them with forced labor. They built Pithom and Rameses as supply cities for Pharaoh. But the more they oppressed them, the more they multiplied and spread so that the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites. They worked the Israelites ruthlessly and made their lives bitter with difficult labor in brick and mortar and in all kinds of fieldwork. They ruthlessly imposed all this work on them." (Exodus 1:11-14 HCSB)

Jacob's family prospered in Egypt under the care of Joseph, who had risen to a place of prominence and power under Pharaoh. But, Joseph died and eventually so did the memory of him. So, there came a cruel king to reign over Egypt who felt the burgeoning population of Israelis to be a clear and present danger to him. He would take whatever means necessary to hold onto the reins of power. The Jews were ruthlessly enslaved. Despite this, God continued to multiply His chosen people. The edict then came from the tyrant that any male child born to the Hebrews was to be thrown into the Nile River---crocodile food.

They needed a way out.

So, do we.

Their physical condition mirrors our spiritual state. We are enslaved--not to the Egyptians, but to evil. We are born into this world as sinners, and do Satan's bidding. The sentence of death hangs over us--the second death in hell. We need a way out! But, we are helpless to save ourselves.

The second chapter provides to us a CHILD.

"Now a man from the family of Levi married a Levite woman. The woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son; when she saw that he was beautiful, she hid him for three months. But when she could no longer hide him, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with asphalt and pitch. She placed the child in it and set it among the reeds by the bank of the Nile. Then his sister stood at a distance in order to see what would happen to him.

Pharaoh's daughter went down to bathe at the Nile while her servant girls walked along the riverbank. Seeing the basket among the reeds, she sent her slave girl to get it. When she opened it, she saw the child-a little boy, crying. She felt sorry for him and said, 'This is one of the Hebrew boys.'

Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, 'Should I go and call a woman from the Hebrews to nurse the boy for you?'

'Go,' Pharaoh's daughter told her. So the girl went and called the boy's mother. Then Pharaoh's daughter said to her, 'Take this child and nurse him for me, and I will pay your wages.' So the woman took the boy and nursed him. When the child grew older, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, 'Because,' she said, 'I drew him out of the water.' " (Exodus 2:1-10 HCSB)

Through a merging of heavenly intervention and human instrumentality, a child was born who would one day bring his people out. They needed a savior and God would send one. Moses was a miracle baby!

In a far greater way, God provided us with the Savior to bring us out of our bondage to iniquity. He intervened, by implanting in the womb of a virgin, One who would be our deliverer. Jesus--that would be His name--for He would save His people from their sins!

The third chapter proclaims to us a CALL.

"Then the Lord said, 'I have observed the misery of My people in Egypt, and have heard them crying out because of their oppressors, and I know about their sufferings. I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and to bring them from that land to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey-the territory of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. The Israelites' cry for help has come to Me, and I have also seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. Therefore, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh so that you may lead My people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.' " (Exodus 3:7-10 HCSB)

God not only provided a deliverer in Moses, he prepared the deliverer for his mission. Then, there came that day, when this chosen instrument was summoned to fulfill his life purpose. To this end, he was born. Moses had a sense that he carried a special assignment from God. As he matured, he grew in his understanding of the need for someone to lead the people out of Egypt. In God's time, he was summoned to the task.

Jesus knew that His Father had sent Him to be the Savior of the world. At the age of twelve, we hear Him saying to Joseph and Mary, "Didn't you know that I had to be in My Father's house?" (Luke 2:49b HCSB). But, the time had not come. As Moses submitted to his vocation as a shepherd, and through the discipline of daily duty was suited for his calling, so Jesus lived as a faithful Son, plying His trade in the carpenter's shop until He would be set forth as the Good Shepherd to lead His people out.

The fourth chapter portrays to us a CONFIRMATION.

"Then Moses and Aaron went and assembled all the elders of the Israelites. Aaron repeated everything the Lord had said to Moses and performed the signs before the people. The people believed, and when they heard that the Lord had paid attention to them and that He had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped." (Exodus 4:29-31 HCSB)

Moses could show up and make a claim that God had sent him--anybody could. The issue would be: is there evidence to back it up? God would confirm His call to Moses by miraculous signs and wonders.

There came a day, when a Man stood among others who were to be immersed by John the Baptist, in the Jordan River. He looked like the others, but wasn't like the others. They were sinners, but He was not. Yet, it was for that very crowd that He had come--to bring them out of sin. Rising out of the water, following His baptism, the Spirit descends upon Jesus, identifying Him as the Savior, the voice of the Father commending Him as the Son--He was now ready to fulfill His mission. He would do that which no man had ever done--walking on water, raising the dead, driving out demons, stopping storms with a command, opening blind eyes, unstopping deaf ears, loosing the tongue of the mute, strengthening crippled limbs, transforming water into wine and cleansing the leprous. He was unique--the only Begotten Son.

Moses prophesied that God would raise up, someday, One like him who would lead the flock of God (see Deuteronomy 18:15-18). Jesus was the fulfillment of that--like Moses, but far greater than Moses (read Hebrews 3:1-19).

Moses came to lead the people out. Jesus said, "I am the Way." Moses came to teach the truth. Jesus said, "I am...the Truth." Moses came to lead the people to new life. Jesus said, "I am...the Life" (John 14:6).

In this connection, it is interesting to read of how Moses, along with Elijah, appeared with Jesus on the mountain of Christ's transfiguration. Do you know what they were talking about? Christ's EXODUS! "They appeared in glory and were speaking of His death, which He was about to accomplish in Jerusalem." (Luke 9:31 HCSB) The Greek word rendered "death" is literally "exodus"!

The way out--Jesus--the one way, the only way--He is our blessed Redeemer!

2012-02-03T03:45:00.000-08:00

HAPPILY EVER AFTER

"So the Lord blessed the last part of Job's life more than the first." (Job 42:12a HCSB)

We love fairy tales. In fairy tales, always we get to the end, "and they lived happily ever after." But, life isn't exactly like that, is it? Ask Job. He had the storybook life. Living on easy street...healthy, wealthy and wise...he had it all...and lost it. His field of dreams turned into a graveyard of nightmares...or so it seemed. But the final chapters take us to a different conclusion: Job did live happily ever after!

The all-wise, all-powerful, all-loving Father in heaven had a plan that could not be thwarted. Job would testify, "I know that You can do anything and no plan of Yours can be thwarted." (Job 42:2 HCSB) We may be sure that those plans are for our good and His glory--and no demon of hell can impede them!

Now, don't read this the wrong way. Job experienced great hardship, heartache and horror, but saw all this turned around in this lifetime on earth...and that can happen to us. But, not always. More often than not, it may await eternity. Living happily EVER AFTER describes the bliss of the HEREAFTER!

With blessed assurance, I can promise you, that no matter what struggles you go through in life--and you may be stuck in the middle of a whirlwind of woe right now--it is going to get better, someday--if you are a child of the King. It is impossible for me to predict when, I only can be confident of what--happily ever after!

Then, "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will no longer exist; grief, crying, and pain will exist no longer, because the previous things have passed away. Then the One seated on the throne said, 'Look! I am making everything new.' " (Revelation 21:4-5a HCSB)

And, they lived happily ever after!

2012-02-02T04:01:00.001-08:00

GOD IS GOD, AND I AM NOT

"The Lord answered Job:

'Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct [Him]?

Let him who argues with God give an answer.'

Then Job answered the Lord:

'I am so insignificant. How can I answer You?

I place my hand over my mouth.' " (Job 40:1-4 HCSB)

There is an unforgettable scene in the movie, "Rudy." Rudy is a physically limited athlete, with the heart of a lion, who wants more than anything in life to be a Notre Dame football player. For that to happen, he needs a miracle. So we find him, in the chapel, seeking one. Rudy looks for reinforcement and answers from Father Cavanaugh. The old priest tells Rudy, "Son, in thirty five years of religious studies, I've come up with only two hard, incontrovertible facts: there is a God...and I'm not Him."

I would argue there are more certainties than those two, but those are definitely two indisputable truths--and indispensable ones. As the Book of Job reaches its climax, the suffering saint is confronted with this reality. God is God, and Job is not.

The tables turn. Job has been full of questions. He has begged for an audience with God. He has pent up within him a torrent of arguments, swollen by the emotions of indignation, pushing against the dike of his mouth, about to burst forth in a flood before God.

So, God shows up.

Does Job have questions? God has more! Does Job want God to stand before him? Job is summoned to appear before God! Does Job have so much to say to God? After God speaks to him, Job claps his hand over his mouth! He is reminded of what we all must admit, "There is a God...and I'm not Him."

Can we rest in that?

There are more insights from Scripture which will help us know the nature of God. We see His presence and power in the world He has created. We see His plan and principles in the Word He has inspired. We sense His purpose and peace in the wellspring of our conscience He has fashioned. A reading of Psalm 19 reminds us of that. There is much of God--His works and words, His will and His ways--that we may know, because He is a God who has revealed Himself in the stars, the Scriptures and in our soul.

Still, there are answers that remain elusive.

If we are honest, we must admit that God transcends our finite thinking. Another man--so brilliant, with such dramatic experiences with God, which furnished him with a breath-taking breadth of knowledge--even had to admit there are these limitations. Here is what he wrote:

"Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God!

How unsearchable His judgments and untraceable His ways!

For who has known the mind of the Lord?

Or who has been His counselor?

Or who has ever first given to Him,

and has to be repaid?

For from Him and through Him

and to Him are all things.

To Him be the glory forever. Amen." (Romans 11:33-36 HCSB)

That's what the Apostle Paul concluded.

God is God, and I am not.

Well, shut my mouth!

2012-01-31T21:28:00.001-08:00

THE BOTTOM LINE

"Therefore listen to me, you men of understanding. It is impossible for God [to do] wrong, and [for] the Almighty [to act] unjustly." (Job 34:10 HCSB)

Elihu has been like a volcano. The young man has sat dormant, listening, while the cycles of verbal fencing between Job and his three accusers have gone thrust and parry, and the force of emotion increasing each time. Elihu has been silent. He knows that it is not polite for a young man to speak in the presence of his elders, but he feels a rumble deep in the crevices of his heart---a fire grows within. Pressure builds and builds, until an eruption of words pours out from his indignant soul.

He can no longer contain himself. He is angry at Job's friends for their unsubstantiated attacks on Job's character, but is also upset at Job's defensiveness. In particular, he thinks that Job should have been defending God's character, rather than focusing on defending his own.

Elihu doesn't have all the answers either, but he thinks he does. Such is the rashness of passion in youth. I recall when I first entered the ministry--I smugly thought I had everything figured out. I went to Fruitland Baptist Bible Institute and my head was brim-full of Biblical insight, accordingly. What arrogance--and what ignorance!

But, just because Elihu did not know as much as he thought he knew, does not mean that what he did know was wrong. In fact, he understood the bottom line. Job's friends may be wrong in their conclusions and Job may be wrong in his reactions, but God is never wrong in any fashion!

Sometimes, what God may do, or refuse to do, might appear unjust, but it is only the appearance--an illusion--for acting unjustly is an impossibility with God! That's the bottom line. We may struggle with this. Our understanding can be so lacking. If God decided to explain His ways at times, it would be like trying to explain trigonometry to a turtle, or Einstein's theory of relativity to an amoeba!

Trust Him when you don't understand. Don't doubt in the dark what He has told you in the light. Spurgeon said it this way, "God is too good to be unkind, too wise to be mistaken, when we cannot trace His hand, we can always trust His heart."

That is the bottom line!

2012-01-31T05:08:00.000-08:00

THE PROOF OF THE PUDDING

"let God weigh me in accurate scales,

and He will recognize my integrity." (Job 31:6 HCSB)

In 1615, Cervantes wrote in Don Quixote that "the proof of the pudding is the eating." It is an expression meaning "results are what count; the quality of something can only be judged by the evidence." The Bible says, "But someone will say, 'You have faith, and I have works.' Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith from my works." (James 2:18 HCSB)

Job was condemned by his "comforters." Their reasoning was, "God is good. God punishes sin. Job is suffering. He is being punished by God. Job is a sinner who deserves what he gets." Satan is like a prosecuting attorney. Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar are summoned to testify against him. God is the judge.

As the courtroom drama unfolds, there are arguments and rebuttals. Job pleads for a defense attorney and none appears. "I wish that someone might arbitrate between a man and God just as a man [pleads] for his friend." (Job 16:21 HCSB) So, it is up to Job to make a defense--and in his final argument he serves up, "the proof of the pudding."

Others had spoken well of him: "When I went out to the city gate and took my seat in the town square, the young men saw me and withdrew, while older men stood to their feet. City officials stopped talking and covered their mouths with [their] hands. The noblemen's voices were hushed, and their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths. When they heard me, they blessed me, and when they saw me, they spoke well of me." (Job 29:7-11 HCSB)

He had helped the helpless: "For I rescued the poor man who cried out for help, and the fatherless child who had no one to support him. The dying man blessed me, and I made the widow's heart rejoice. I clothed myself in righteousness and it enveloped me; my just decisions were like a robe and a turban. I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame. I was a father to the needy, and I examined the case of the stranger. I shattered the fangs of the unjust and snatched the prey from his teeth." (Job 29:12-17 HCSB) "If I have refused the wishes of the poor or let the widow's eyes go blind, if I have eaten my few crumbs alone without letting the fatherless eat any of it--for from my youth, I raised him as [his] father, and since the day I was born I guided the widow--if I have seen anyone dying for lack of clothing or a needy person without a cloak, if he did not bless m while warming himself with the fleece from my sheep, if I ever cast my vote against a fatherless child when I saw that I had support in the [city] gate, then let my shoulder blade fall from my back, and my arm be pulled from its socket." (Job 31:16-22 HCSB)

He grieved over the suffering of others: "Have I not wept for those who have fallen on hard times? Has my soul not grieved for the needy?" (Job 30:25 HCSB)

He recognized the danger of sexual sin and scrupulously shunned it: "I have made a covenant with my eyes. How then could I look at a young woman? If my step has turned from the way, my heart has followed my eyes, or impurity has stained my hands, let someone else eat what I have sown, and let my crops be uprooted. If my heart has been seduced by [my neighbor's] wife or I have lurked at his door, let my own wife grind [grain] for another man, and let other men sleep with her. For that would be a disgrace; it would be a crime deserving punishment. For it is a fire that consumes down to Abaddon; it would destroy my entire harvest." (Job 31:1, 7-12 HCSB)

He was just in dealing with his employees: "If I have dismissed the case of my male or female servants when they made a complaint against me, what could I do when God stands up [to judge]? How should I answer Him when He calls [me] to account? Did not the One who made me in the womb also make them? Did not the same God form us both in the womb?" (Job 31:13-15 HCSB)

He was free from idolatrous materialism: "If I placed my confidence in gold or called fine gold my trust, if I have rejoiced because my wealth is great or because my own hand has acquired [so] much, if I have gazed at the sun when it was shining or at the moon moving in splendor, so that my heart was secretly enticed and I threw them a kiss, this would also be a crime deserving punishment, for I would have denied God above." (Job 31:24-28 HCSB)

He did not hate his enemies: "Have I rejoiced over my enemy's distress, or become excited when trouble came his way? I have not allowed my mouth to sin by asking for his life with a curse." (Job 31:29, 30 HCSB)

He practiced hospitality: "Haven't the members of my household said, 'Who is there who has not had enough to eat at Job's table?' No stranger had to spend the night on the street, for I opened my door to the traveler." (Job 31:31, 32 HCSB)

He confessed his sin when needed and did not practice self-righteous hypocrisy: "Have I covered my transgressions as others do by hiding my guilt in my heart, because I greatly feared the crowds, and the contempt of the clans terrified me, so I grew silent and would not go outside?" (Job 31:33, 34 HCSB)

The proof of the pudding is the eating--Job's profession was matched by his performance. We are saved by faith alone, but faith that saves is never alone.

If you were on trial for being a Christian, is there enough evidence to convict you?

2012-01-30T04:04:00.001-08:00

THE BIGGEST QUESTION

"How can a person be justified before God?

How can one born of woman be pure?" (Job 25:4 HCSB)

Job is a book filled with questions. The one which Job repeats constantly is, "Why?" Why would God allow him to suffer despite his faithfulness to Him? Why do the wicked seem to get off the hook?

His "friends" thought they knew the answer. Job suffered because he was being punished. They wrongfully and repeatedly leveled this hurtful accusation.

While the answers given by Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar are off-target, there is a question asked that hits the bull's eye, "How can a person be justified before God?" That is the biggest question of all--not the why question, but the how question!

We want to know, "Why do bad things happen to good people?"

Job was good--relatively speaking. He was a godly man. Compared to other men, he stood head and shoulders above them. We would not want to join the chorus of critics that condemned him falsely. Yet, we must also face that compared to God's standard of righteousness, Job was not a sinless man--none are.

Jesus declared, "There is only One who is good." (Matthew 19:17b HCSB) Only God is utterly, absolutely good. David stated, " All have turned away; all alike have become corrupt. There is no one who does good, not even one. (Psalm 14:3 HCSB) Paul underscores this fact in the first three chapters of Romans--an indictment of humanity's crimes against heaven--where he quotes that Psalm and concludes, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23 HCSB)

Even Job knew that. It is why he offered a sacrifice and prayed continually for his children. "For Job thought: Perhaps my children have sinned, having cursed God in their hearts. This was Job's regular practice." (Job 1:5b HCSB) Even if he knew of no overt sin they had committed, he knew that lurking down in the human heart are evils that may never surface, but which cannot be hidden from a holy God.

It was in Job. It is in me. Sin is in us all--and God doesn't grade on the curve. On Judgement Day, we will not be evaluated compared to other men, but according to a flawless God. No matter how hard we may have tried--no matter how many Jewish traditions we have kept, how faithfully we have honored the five pillars of Islam, how many door to door witnesses to Jehovah we've presented, how many mission trips we've made on our bicycle, how often we've repeated, "Hail Mary" or what positions we held in the Baptist church--none of it is enough. The question persists, "How can a person be justified before God?"

There is only one answer. Jesus is that answer! God in the flesh, conceived in a virgin's womb without a sin nature, born into this world and having lived a sinless life, fulfilling all the righteous demands of God, making Himself an offering for our sin, rising for our justification, ascending to intercede for us, sending His Spirit to change us from the inside out, and completing that transformation into His image when he returns! By faith in Jesus Christ, His work cancels our sin debt and His perfect righteousness is deposited to our account! Have you received Him?

The biggest question of all is asked, "How can a person be justified before God?

How can one born of woman be pure?" (Job 25:4 HCSB)

The question has but one answer, "He made the One who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Corinthians 5:21 HCSB)

2012-01-28T07:27:00.000-08:00

THE REFINER'S FIRE

"Yet He knows the way I have taken; when He has tested me, I will emerge as pure gold." (Job 23:10 HCSB)

Gold is a valuable commodity. During the refining process, the gold is heated, so that the slag--contaminants--can be drawn off, and all that remains is the precious metal. The gold is not harmed by the fire--only refined.

For the child of God, faith is the precious spiritual commodity we must have. The profession of faith will be tested by the fire. If it is real, it will endure. More than that, faith is not only proven, but purified in the fire.

Peter spoke to Christians' who were facing persecution, when he said, "You rejoice in this, though now for a short time you have had to struggle in various trials so that the genuineness of your faith--more valuable than gold, which perishes though refined by fire-may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 1:6, 7 HCSB)

Job finds some meaning and encouragement in this truth. There is an occasional shaft of light that breaks through the somber clouds of his confusion. He describes his trials in terms of gold being smelted. His conviction is that his faith will emerge unharmed. His three friends were accusing him of being a hypocrite. They were convinced Job was an egregious sinner and that was why he was suffering. Job knew better--and most importantly Job knew that God was aware of the reality of his faith.

Even in the best of us, however, there remains the contamination of sin to some degree. You can't walk through a coal mine without getting some black on you, and you cannot walk through this dirty world and be totally pure. But, God is refining us, and He uses the fiery trial to purify us. In salvation, the Lord has extracted gold ore from the world, but there remains residue of the world to be extracted from the ore--and that is the work of sanctification.

The hymn writer, John Keith captured this thought in a stanza of "How Firm a Foundation" thusly:

“When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,

My grace, all-sufficient, shall be thy supply;

The flame shall not harm thee; I only design

Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine."

Are you in a fiery trial today? One thing is certain, God will use this to refine you. If your faith is genuine, all that will remain is precious material--so malleable--that will be shaped into the very likeness of Jesus Christ--placed on display in glory someday--a trophy of grace!

2012-01-27T06:49:00.000-08:00

WHEN GOOD THINGS HAPPEN TO BAD PEOPLE

"Why do the wicked continue to live, growing old and becoming powerful? Their children are established while they are still alive, and their descendants, before their eyes. Their homes are secure and free of fear; no rod from God [strikes] them. Their bulls breed without fail; their cows calve and do not miscarry. They let their little ones run around like lambs; their children skip about, singing to the tambourine and lyre and rejoicing at the sound of the flute. They spend their days in prosperity and go down to Sheol in peace. Yet they say to God: 'Leave us alone! We don't want to know Your ways. Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him, and what will we gain by pleading with Him?' " (Job 21:7-15 HCSB)

The question, "Why do bad things happen to good people?" is a difficult one--a scenario so often seen, that a best-selling book was written by a Jewish rabbi twenty years ago--still reprinted and read today. The answers given in that volume are not adequate, but that someone is trying to solve the puzzle is understandable. Job wrestled with putting it altogether. It seemed there were always some pieces missing.

Another question, just as thorny, is this, "Why do good things happen to bad people?" I suppose someone has written a book about that also. But, the author hasn't been interviewed on Oprah, nor has it made the New York Times best-seller list, so far as I know. No one wants to think they are bad! So, the laws of supply and demand take effect.

Nevertheless, it is another dilemma for Job. The conventional wisdom of that day was that good people were blessed of God--physical health, large family, financial prosperity--all a reward from God. Conversely, the bad people were smitten with sickness, their children died, they were destitute--all a retribution from God.

It sounds reasonable. But, it isn't so! We can point to many examples of godly souls who suffered incredibly--and to awful people who had it all!

Who are the celebrities today? Who is living lavishly? Who holds the reins of power? Who indulges in the pleasures this world brings?

Sure, there is the occasional Tim Tebow who emerges. But, that's what claims our attention--someone who has sincere faith, yet has a measure of earthly success is such a rarity. For every Tebow, there are hundreds--thousands--of people who haven't a thought for God, yet, seemingly, not a care in the world. There are many whose notoriety and prosperity come from their defiance of God! Atheists become best-selling authors and godless comedians who mock all that is holy are household names. Does the name Bill Maher ring a bell?

Why do good things happen to bad people?

Job wondered. Years later, the Psalmist did. It nearly undermined his faith! Ponder this:

"God is indeed good to Israel,

to the pure in heart.

But as for me, my feet almost slipped;

my steps nearly went astray.

For I envied the arrogant;

I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

They have an easy time until they die,

and their bodies are well fed.

They are not in trouble like others;

they are not afflicted like most people.

Therefore, pride is their necklace,

and violence covers them like a garment.

Their eyes bulge out from fatness;

the imaginations of their hearts run wild.

They mock, and they speak maliciously;

they arrogantly threaten oppression.

They set their mouths against heaven,

and their tongues strut across the earth.

Therefore His people turn to them

and drink in their overflowing words.

The wicked say, 'How can God know?

Does the Most High know everything?'

Look at them-the wicked!

They are always at ease,

and they increase their wealth.

Did I purify my heart

and wash my hands in innocence for nothing?

For I am afflicted all day long

and punished every morning." (Psalm 73:1-14 HCSB)

Asaph echoes Job's sentiment. We still wonder. But, Job would ultimately find strength in the presence of the Lord--not all the solutions to the problem, but strength to face the perplexity. So did Asaph. Here is what the Psalmist did:

"If I had decided to say these things [aloud],

I would have betrayed Your people.

When I tried to understand all this,

it seemed hopeless

until I entered God's sanctuary.

Then I understood their destiny

Indeed, You put them in slippery places;

You make them fall into ruin.

How suddenly they become a desolation!

They come to an end, swept away by terrors.

Like one waking from a dream,

Lord, when arising, You will despise their image.

When I became embittered

and my innermost being was wounded,

I was stupid and didn't understand;

I was an unthinking animal toward You.

Yet I am always with You;

You hold my right hand.

You guide me with Your counsel,

and afterward You will take me up in glory.

Who do I have in heaven but You?

And I desire nothing on earth but You.

My flesh and my heart may fail,

but God is the strength of my heart,

my portion forever.

Those far from You will certainly perish;

You destroy all who are unfaithful to You.

But as for me, God's presence is my good.

I have made the Lord God my refuge,

so I can tell about all You do." (Psalm 73:15-28 HCSB)

All the "hell" the people of God will know is in this fleeting mortal existence. All the "heaven" the wicked will know is on earth. Which one would you rather experience?

We can deny self, and die to the world, as we take up the cross to follow Jesus, coming to the end and rejoice, "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us." (Romans 8:18 HCSB)

Would you rather be this man Jesus told about?

"There was a rich man who would dress in purple and fine linen, feasting lavishly every day. But a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, was left at his gate. He longed to be filled with what fell from the rich man's table, but instead the dogs would come and lick his sores. One day the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. And being in torment in Hades, he looked up and saw Abraham a long way off, with Lazarus at his side. 'Father Abraham!' he called out, 'Have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this flame!'

"'Son,' Abraham said, 'remember that during your life you received your good things, just as Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here, while you are in agony. Besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us and you, so that those who want to pass over from here to you cannot; neither can those from there cross over to us.' " (Luke 16:19-26 HCSB)

2012-01-26T03:15:00.000-08:00

JESUS ANSWERS JOB

"When a man dies, will he come back to life? [If so,] I would wait all the days of my struggle until my relief comes. (Job 14:14 HCSB)

Vexed and perplexed--Job searches for hope and seemingly can find none. It has been said that a man can live without many things, but he cannot live without hope. Sifting through the remains of his once blissful life, all this suffering man can feel is that he is abandoned in his misery. Where is God? Why doesn't He come?

Looking beyond the vale of tears, Job doesn't see God, just a grave--the blackness filling his mind with a dread futility. "My spirit is broken. My days are extinguished. A graveyard awaits me." (Job 17:1 HCSB)

He thinks about a tree. Job has seen them cut down, an old stump all that remains, apparently lifeless. But, he has seen that, come spring, green shoots push up from the old trunk. In process of time, the tree lives again. But, Job is not a tree. Is there any hope for him?

It isn't just his impending death that concerns him. His children have died. Job wonders if he has looked into their faces for the last time. The pain of that possibility is unbearable. Listen to his pitiful conclusion,

"My days have slipped by;

my plans have been ruined,

even the things dear to my heart.

They turned night into day

and [made] light [seem] near in the face of darkness.

If I await Sheol as my home,

spread out my bed in darkness,

and say to corruption: You are my father,

and to the maggot: My mother or my sister,

where then is my hope?

Who can see [any] hope for me?" (Job 17:11-15 HCSB)

There is hope! We know something that Job did not. There is an answer to Job's question! Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me, even if he dies, will live." (John 11:25 HCSB)

Standing at the graveside of His dear friend Lazarus, looking into the tear-filled eyes of Lazarus' sister, Martha, Jesus hears Job's question wrapped in different phraseology and voiced in a feminine tone. "God, where are You? Why don't You come to help?" That was what Job wondered. Martha had sent word to summon the Healer when her brother became ill. "Jesus where were You? Why didn't You come sooner?"

Martha's theology wasn't incorrect, just incomplete. She thought resurrection was only a future event. Jesus corrected her. Yes, a future event will come at the end of time, but there was more--resurrection was present in a Person! Standing before her was the One who was life itself. Jesus is the Lord of life, death and eternity. He has absolute authority, and to prove it He summons Lazarus--dead for four days--from the tomb with a cry of command, "After He said this, He shouted with a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come out!' " (John 11:43 HCSB)

Lifeless eyes popped open, rigid muscles flexed, empty lungs sucked in air as a still heart began to thump in the chest of a body bound in burial garb. Lazarus lived!

At last, Job had an answer to his question.

Christ came into this world to die for our sins, and rise to justify us before God. A rugged cross, an empty tomb and the blessed assurance is, "Because I live, you will live too." (John 14:19 HCSB)

Hope cannot die!

2012-01-25T06:01:00.000-08:00

LOOKING FOR ANSWERS
"Wisdom and strength belong to God;
counsel and understanding are His." (Job 12:13 HCSB)

Why?

It's the nagging question. It's the burr in our saddle, the pebble in our shoe, the mosquito buzzing in our ear. We never can seem to escape it. It's the elephant in the room.

It was Job's question--and how can we blame him? He had been a man devoted to God--one of the best ever--and it seemed God had abandoned him. Have you ever felt that way?

We don't like to acknowledge such thoughts. We do our best to avoid the dog of doubt nipping at our heels. We hear it barking, but do our best to ignore it. Our deep fear is that we will discover it isn't a bothersome chihuahua, but is actually a lion that will devour us with despair!

For Job, let's face it, that's what it had become. This consuming question, "Why?" was a ravenous roar--and there was nowhere to run in the dense jungle of his depression.

Why? Why? Why? Like a drumbeat of doom it echoes ever louder in the mind.

Why does a drunk ram his car into a family van--the drunk staggers away from the wreck unharmed, while a little child is dead in the mangled wreckage? Why do families grieve still over Ron and Nicole, who were carved up like meat in a butcher's shop, left to die in a pool of blood, while O.J. walks away smiling smugly? Why is a baby stillborn to loving parents who prayed for that child? Why does a godly, young man, with so much potential, die as a result of a horrible accident--despite the prayers of many who begged God for healing? Why does God allow an obscure old pastor, who has served God fervently all his life, to wither away in a dirty nursing home alone, while some smiling, young tele-evangelist basks in celebrity, bathed in luxury whose preaching doesn't hold a thimbleful of Gospel? Why?

It is asked thousands, perhaps millions of times everyday.

Job asked.

His friends answered.

Eliphaz answers from experience. He says,

"A word was brought to me in secret;
my ears caught a whisper of it.
Among unsettling thoughts from visions in the night,
when deep sleep descends on men,
fear and trembling came over me
and made all my bones shake.
A wind passed by me,
and I shuddered with fear.
[A figure] stood there,
but I could not recognize its appearance;
a form loomed before my eyes.
I heard a quiet voice:
'Can a person be more righteous than God,
or a man more pure than his Maker?' " (Job 4:12-17 HCSB)

This mystical encounter had provided the answer. Job was suffering because he was a sinner. But, Eliphaz was wrong. Experience is a very subjective thing. We are warned that the angel that appears may not be sent from God, but may be Satan in disguise (see 2 Cor.11:13-15). We are warned to "test the spirits, whether they are of God" (1 John 4:1). If the subjective experience cannot be validated by objective truth, it must be rejected--no matter how emotionally enticing it sounds.

A man grew up in a house near a train station. Everyday, he would hear the train whistle sound and then the locomotive would begin to pull the cars down the tracks. In his experience, the sound always preceded the movement. He concluded that the whistle was what powered the engine.

The second "expert" answers from tradition. Bildad states,

"For ask the previous generation,
and pay attention to what their fathers discovered,
since we were [born only] yesterday and know nothing.
Our days on earth are but a shadow.
Will they not teach you and tell you
and speak from their understanding?" (Job 8:8-10 HCSB)

Traditions are handed down from one generation to the next. Some of the traditions may be true but they are woefully inadequate as the measure of truth.

A newly married couple were about to enjoy their first meal together in their modest little apartment. She wanted it to be memorable. Her husband watched and began to salivate as she placed a delicious ham on the counter and got out the pan to cook it. His expression quickly gave way to horror, as he saw her take a knife and cut off the ham hock and pitch it in the trash can! "What are you doing? That's good meat you're throwing away!" Her answer, "Mother always did this." He couldn't wait until his next visit to the in-laws to ask her mother why she cut off and threw away the ham hock. His mother-in-law answered, "My Mom always did." The mystery deepened. Eventually, at a family reunion, the young man was able to ask the old cook about this puzzling tradition. "Oh, I only had one pan to cook the ham in and it was too small to hold the whole thing."

A third expert shares with Job from reason. Intellect can furnish the answer according to Zophar. Here is his hypothesis,

"Should this stream of words go unanswered
and such a talker be acquitted?
Should your babbling put others to silence,
so that you can keep on ridiculing
with no one to humiliate you?
You have said, 'My teaching is sound,
and I am pure in Your sight.'
But if only God would speak
and declare His case against you,
He would show you the secrets of wisdom,
for true wisdom has two sides.
Know then that God has chosen to overlook some of your sin." (Job 11:2-6 HCSB)

Unlike the brilliant Zophar, Job is like "a stupid man" (Job 11:12). This "friend" sees Job's complaint as empty talk, ill-informed, lacking logic. He needs to learn, face the facts, examine the facets of the issue and he will solve the puzzle.

The problem is that we don't always have all the facts, and we take the facts we have and reason to the wrong conclusion. That's why Zophar deduced that Job was responsible for his suffering. Yet, that was patently false.

Three blind men were asked to describe an elephant. One grabbed the elephant's leg and said, "An elephant looks like a tree trunk." The second one felt the elephant's ear and argued, "No, the elephant looks like a giant fan." The third rubbed his hands up and down the elephant's trunk and dogmatically stated, "You are both wrong! The elephant looks like a snake." They had facts, but their deductions were incorrect.

Job knows where to look for answers--to look to God and divine revelation. "Wisdom and strength belong to God; counsel and understanding are His." (Job 12:13 HCSB) There is the one true source of wisdom. While it is true that Job didn't have many answers, at least he knew where to look. We, having this book about Job, and given these insights, have even more answers--not all we want, but all we need.

Admittedly we will say with Paul, "For now we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, as I am fully known." (1 Corinthians 13:12 HCSB). There is still some mystery about the "why" question of suffering. We'll understand it better, bye and bye. But, let not the mystery of the why override the ministry of the Word. What we do now know for certain strengthens our faith to face what we don't yet know.

[Thanks to Ralph Neighbor, Jr. who first exposed me to these concepts nearly three decades ago in "The Survival Kit for New Christians."]

2012-01-24T04:01:00.000-08:00

THE TAPESTRY OF LIFE
"My days pass more swiftly than a weaver's shuttle; they come to an end without hope." (Job 7:6 HCSB)

Despair can wrap its icy hands around your throat and choke out every ounce of hope--or so it seems. Job felt that way.

We might say, "You shouldn't feel that way! There is always hope in God!" Indeed--but wasn't that the issue? He couldn't seem to find God. Job was convinced he had more questions than answers, more problems than solutions, more troubles than comfort, more burdens than strength. It is too easy to sit aloof from someone else's misery, read about it in a book, know in hindsight how it all started and ended, and judge the one who crumpled under the trial. I wonder how I would have handled it. I hope none of us ever have to find out! But we may, to some degree or another. There will always be some--and often many--dark threads in the warp and woof of life's weaving.

Several times, Job uses picturesque phrases to underscore the frailty of humanity and the gravity of mortality. One such description is of the weaver's shuttle. He has seen a weaver at the loom, quickly moving the shuttle back and forth to create a tapestry of woven thread. Such was the fabric of his life--fragile as cloth, fleeting as the shuttle.

Perhaps you feel like Job. You have come to a place in life where there are burdens that have crushed you to the ground. You look up and all you see is a confused mass of tangled threads and you can make no sense of it all.

Underneath the loom, that's the way it is. If we could only see the other side! God is the weaver. His skillful hands hold the shuttle. His mind has conceived the most glorious tapestry. To Him, it all makes sense. When completed, the child of God can rest assured he or she will be a masterpiece put on display in heaven. If we could only see from God's perspective!

I heard an old preacher years ago quote a poem at a funeral of a textile worker, so appropriate for one who had labored at the loom. It captures this concept quite well:

Life is But a Weaving

My life is but a weaving
Between my God and me.
I cannot choose the colors
He weaveth steadily.
Oft’ times He weaveth sorrow;
And I in foolish pride
Forget He sees the upper
And I the underside.
Not ‘til the loom is silent
And the shuttles cease to fly
Will God unroll the canvas
And reveal the reason why.
The dark threads are as needful
In the weaver’s skillful hand
As the threads of gold and silver
In the pattern He has planned
He knows, He loves, He cares;
Nothing this truth can dim.
He gives the very best to those
Who leave the choice to Him.

If today dawns bright for you, with birds singing and not a cloud in the sky, be glad! I rejoice with you. The thread is a rich color.

But, if dark clouds hang over you like a funeral shroud and you are wrestling with doubt and depression--finding yourself pinned to the mat and wondering if you are down for the count--maybe these words can bring a whisper of grace to your heart and help you struggle on for another day. I pray for you. The thread is a dark hue.

Woven together, this is the tapestry of life.

2012-01-23T06:28:00.000-08:00

BEHIND THE SCENES
"Then the Lord said to Satan, 'Have you considered My servant Job? No one else on earth is like him, a man of perfect integrity, who fears God and turns away from evil.'
Satan answered the Lord, 'Does Job fear God for nothing? Haven't You placed a hedge around him, his household, and everything he owns? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out Your hand and strike everything he owns, and he will surely curse You to Your face.'
'Very well,' the Lord told Satan, 'everything he owns is in your power. However, you must not lay a hand on Job [himself].' So Satan left the Lord's presence." (Job 1:8-12 HCSB)

Last summer, my wife and I attended the nation's oldest outdoor drama, "The Lost Colony." Based on the story of the mysterious disappearance of the first English colony in America, it was a most enjoyable evening for us, as we saw this theatrical presentation of those events which happened on North Carolina's coast. Our focus was on the action, music, battles between settlers and natives--drawing us into the story itself. It was quite a production! But, behind the scenes, many people were at work to pull off the play. If you could see behind the scenes, you would find technicians operating lights and sound, you would find those directing the action, actors and actresses making wardrobe changes, sets being moved, props put in place--hundreds of people making it possible for the events on stage.

There is a divine drama played out in the book of Job. The story line is not hard to grasp: a good man is beset with heartache, questions God, is misunderstood and wrongfully accused as having brought all this upon himself, and, in the end, is comforted by God. It is a familiar story--on a smaller scale admittedly for most--to one degree or other, this story has been played out again and again on the stage of history. It may be akin to what you are going through now.

But, it is what happens behind the scenes that is vital to understanding the action on stage. God takes us backstage to show us that there is a spiritual dimension, where angels and demons move, and over it all a sovereign God directs the events to bring about His sometimes inscrutable purposes. While we may yet have significant questions about why a good God allows suffering, there are insights given which buttress our faith to withstand the barrage of doubts unleashed when we encounter this dilemma.

One answer we find is that there are no easy answers. We see what happened, we just aren't fully sure as to why it happened. It is likely we know more about occurrences behind the scenes than even Job did. But, we wish to know more.

I can tell you about the disappearance of the Lost Colony. It is a fact that Virginia Dare was the first English child born in America. What happened to her and the other colonists is a mystery. The supposition given in the performance we witnessed is plausible. But, there are some things we don't know. There are some mysteries about the ways of God also.

But, there are some things we do know. There are some theories of suffering which are blasted out of the water by this book:
1) We suffer because of our own personal sin. It is true that suffering is a condition because of living in a world under the curse of sin, and even that suffering can be attributed at times as a direct choice we have made to disobey God. That wasn't the case with Job. He is seen as a man of remarkable spiritual character.
2) Suffering occurs because of Satan. We see Satan had a role in this, but he didn't initiate it--God did. The devil could do nothing which God didn't permit.
3) God is good, but not great. There are those who will not deny that God is good, but they say He can't control everything. It is the basic argument in Rabbi Harold Kushner's popular book, "When Bad Things Happen to Good People." But, God is clearly portrayed in Job--as in the rest of Scripture--as great. He is seen as the Creator, the Lord of all seated in universal dominion possessing infinite wisdom and power.
4) God is great, but not good. He could do something about suffering, but chooses not to do so. He has set the universe in motion and now pulls the puppet strings to entertain Himself--even at the cost of human misery--an almighty tyrant. The book of Job, while underscoring that God reigns over all, still shows Him as vitally concerned, intimately acquainted and directly involved in the heartaches of humanity.

Pat answers, pious platitudes and the like are unsatisfactory. There are some things we don't know. There are real issues we wrestle with, particularly when we are taken from the audience and become part of the drama--and suffering strikes us and those we love.

As we sift through the rubble that was left when disaster struck Job like a tornado, we will find treasures of truth here and there which we will cherish for their help. Best of all, God will show up in the whirlwind, and Job will discover that what we really need is not answers, but God--and that knowing Him is enough to know.

2012-01-21T08:32:00.000-08:00

SCANDALOUS GRACE
"Israel settled in the land of Egypt, in the region of Goshen. They acquired property in it and became fruitful and very numerous." (Genesis 47:27 HCSB) "These are the tribes of Israel, 12 in all, and this was what their father said to them. He blessed them, and he blessed each one with a suitable blessing." (Genesis 49:28 HCSB)

Simply shocking--scandalous even--that is the behavior we witness in Genesis. That this would be true of a wicked world before God swept them away in the judgment of the flood or of the perverse populace of Sodom that God consumed with fire is not altogether surprising, but the portrait painted of the people God chose to build His nation--it's mind boggling! We are hit right between the eyes with God's scandalous grace.

Noah gets drunk. Abraham sleeps with his wife's slave. Isaac lies. Jacob cheats. The sons of Israel are violent and vile in their conduct, except for Joseph. These are the people God chooses to redeem. Scandalous!

But, that is the nature of grace. It is what makes grace to be grace. It is God's unmerited favor bestowed on undeserving sinners. That is what we all are. Grace is what we all need. Grace is what we can never earn. The external effort cannot hide the internal evil. The best we can do is try to hide our shame behind a garment of fig leaves, cling to a log while it rains for forty days, build a tower to try to reach heaven--to no avail. Only grace can clothe us in righteousness, secure us in the ark of salvation and place a ladder that extends down to us from heaven.

Adam and Eve being driven from the garden---that's not scandalous. We would expect that. God reaching out to them and clothing them. God giving a promise that through this sinful woman's descendant the Savior would be born--that's scandalous.

Humanity thumbing its nose at God and being drowned in the deluge--that's not scandalous. We would say it's sad, but not startling. It's a just sentence from a Holy God. Noah finding grace in the eyes of the LORD and his family being preserved on the ark, realizing that even though Noah was a faithful man, he was also a flawed man, along with his boys--that fact highlighted in him lying naked in a drunken stupor in his tent and one of his sons mocking him. That's scandalous.

Sodom, so depraved that the name has become synonymous with perversion, for that city to be consumed in God's furious fire--that's not scandalous. For Lot to be forcibly removed and not perishing with them, considering what a carnal, compromiser he was--that's scandalous.

It is the scandalous grace of God.

So, here is the conniving rascal named Jacob. If parents were seeking a model for good behavior to instruct their children, they would not choose Jacob! But God chose Jacob to be the father of the twelve tribes of Israel. What of those sons? Not such promising material from which to construct a nation! Just consider some of their prospective fruit grounded in the root of past behavior and present nature.
Here is a sampling:

Reuben, you are my firstborn,
my strength and the firstfruits of my virility,
excelling in prominence, excelling in power.
Turbulent as water, you will no longer excel,
because you got into your father's bed
and you defiled it-he got into my bed.

Simeon and Levi are brothers;
their knives are vicious weapons.

Dan will judge his people
as one of the tribes of Israel.
He will be a snake by the road,
a viper beside the path,
that bites the horses' heels
so that its rider falls backward. (Genesis 49:3-5, 16, 17 HCSB)

God decided to build a chosen people from rotten timber. Scandalous!

We, the people of the New Covenant, should be exceedingly grateful--for that is what God is still doing. John Newton captured the concept in that most beloved hymn, "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me."

I am Jacob. So are you. In our heart, if sometimes restrained in our actions, resides shameful thoughts, sinful desires, shocking attitudes. God knows what we are often loathe to admit. He sees what we hide beneath the veneer of respectability. Yet, He loves us. He sent His Son to die for us--the only perfect Man paying the penalty for sinners! He saves us and gives us true righteousness in the same way He did for Abraham, Isaac and Jacob--by faith in Him. "Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness." (Genesis 15:6 HCSB)

That's grace abounding to the chief of sinners--the scandal of grace!

2012-01-20T08:48:00.001-08:00

EVERYWHERE YOU GO
"That night God spoke to Israel in a vision: 'Jacob, Jacob!' He said.
And Jacob replied, 'Here I am.'
God said, 'I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you back. Joseph will put his hands on your eyes.' " (Genesis 46:2-4 HCSB)

Everywhere you go, God is already there. Theologians have a term for that--God is omnipresent. But it is not just a doctrinal proposition to lodge in our head, it is a dynamic principle to lift up our heart! As we near the end of our study in Genesis, surely there are so many things we have swirling around in our thoughts, so many feelings rushing through our soul, yet at the core of all we find God--ruling over all we find God--everywhere we see His hand. Often, we hear His voice.

Jacob did. This old man has not had an easy life. Many of the wounds were self-inflicted--the consequence of poor choices. God used the chisel of chastisement to knock off the rough edges and the sandpaper of sorrow to polish him. When we find him nearing the end of his days, there is still more grinding to be done. But, Jacob has come a long way. God loved him too much to leave him alone. After all, the LORD had promised, " 'Look, I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go. I will bring you back to this land, for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.' When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he said, 'Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.' " (Genesis 28:15, 16 HCSB) He is there, even when we are unaware. God had been faithful to Jacob, even though Jacob had repeatedly been unfaithful to God. There were stretches of time when Jacob was so wrapped up in himself that he virtually ignored the Lord. Still, God never ignored him.

Genesis begins with God. He speaks everything into existence. What He does not do is send the world spinning into space and sit aloof watching from a distance as things evolve over eons of time from some primordial ooze by hit and miss, random mutation, survival of the fittest, natural selection, until we reach mankind. What He does not do is casually observe the developments of human history, detached from those events. As we read Genesis, we see God everywhere, intimately acquainted with all that concerns us. God is in the garden walking with Adam and Eve. When they sin, He reaches out to them and in their nakedness clothes them. Cain kills his brother and God confronts him. God secures Noah in the ark, while he judges the world for their blatant wickedness. The Scripture speaks of Him coming down to deal with Babel and Sodom. He calls Abraham and enters into a covenant relationship with him and his sons after him--Isaac and Jacob. When Joseph is removed from his earthly father's presence, his Heavenly Father is with him--in the pit, in the prison and then in the palace. From start to finish of this book we see a God who is there!

He has said, "I will never leave you or forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5)

When you cry, He is there to grieve with you and comfort you. When you toss and turn at night with a heart of anxiety, He watches over you and gives you peace. When you go to the doctor's office for a report you dread, the Great Physician accompanies you. When you walk into the boss's office and he hands you a pink slip, Jehovah Jireh--the LORD our Provider is there. In good times and bad, days that make us glad and those that make us sad, sitting in a waiting room celebrating a newborn's arrival or standing in a graveyard crying at a loved one's departure--everywhere you go, God is there. I love the way the old hymn expresses it:

"Never a trial that He is not there,
Never a burden that He doth not bear;
Never a sorrow that He doth not share,
Moment by moment, I'm under His care.

Never a heartache, and never a groan,
Never a teardrop, and never a moan;
Never a danger but there on the throne
Moment by moment He thinks of His own.

Never a weakness that He doth not feel,
Never a sickness that He cannot heal;
Moment by moment, in woe or in weal,
Jesus, my Savior, abides with me still.

Moment by moment I'm kept in His love,
Moment by moment I've life from above;
Looking to Jesus till glory doth shine;
Moment by moment, O Lord, I am Thine." (Daniel Whittle)

Everywhere you go, look for Him. He is there. Look for Him and the glory will break upon you!

2012-01-19T04:12:00.001-08:00

THE ROLLER COASTER
"Then Pharaoh said to his servants, 'Can we find anyone like this, a man who has God's spirit in him?' So Pharaoh said to Joseph, 'Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one as intelligent and wise as you are. You will be over my house, and all my people will obey your commands. Only with regard to the throne will I be greater than you.' " (Genesis 41:38-40 HCSB)

Life can be a roller coaster with its ups and downs--a speeding ride that we can respond to with screams of terror or shouts of exhilaration. I suppose in large measure, our response to the hills and thrills depends on our confidence in: 1) The designer of the ride; 2) The director of the ride; 3) The destination of the ride. If we know the one who designed it has built it well and equipped it for safety, that the one who has buckled us in has his hand on the switch directing the ride, constantly monitoring everything, and that the purpose of the ride is to bring you to the destination with no harm with a rewarding experience, then you can strap in, hang on and enjoy the rush!

Joseph experienced the roller coaster of life. The chain of God's blessing began to pull him up the hill as a youngster and it was a steady climb toward the sky. He was strapped in, wearing his colored tunic, object of his father's favor and up, up, up he went. Joseph was a teenager and appeared to be at the top--then came the steep drop. His hateful brothers seize him, strip his garment, shove him into a pit and sell him into slavery--down, down he went--all the way to Egypt!

It was a breathtaking change of circumstances, enough to make the strongest heart pound and make you want to close your eyes and scream. But then, the ride began to go back up, another ascent--not as high to be sure--but Joseph begins to succeed even as a slave in Potiphar's house. Relaxing for a moment, catching his breath and then with a scorned woman's false accusation, the bottom drops out again--flying down another hill and into a dark tunnel, Joseph finds himself in a dismal dungeon. It seems the ride will go on forever.

Then, abruptly, everything changes again. Joseph is out of the darkness and into the light, another hill and he is racing into into the sun. Life's roller coaster has taken him from the pit to the pinnacle, from a prison to a palace, from being a slave to becoming a sovereign. God designed the ride, His hand was always on the switch. He had him securely strapped in with His almighty love. This was no runaway train which would derail in a deadly crash! The Lord had this delightful end in mind. Surely, adrenalin surging, Joseph now laughed, "Wow! what a ride!"

In fact, he has so much fun with it, that he decides to design a roller coaster for his brothers! Won't they be surprised! Did Joseph get a chuckle over watching the panic on their faces as they flew down the hill? He knew that in the end that they too would enjoy the ride--eventually.

Life is a roller coaster. When you are climbing, look around and take in the scenery, but don't be caught off guard if suddenly the bottom drops out. Don't give in to fear, but have faith in the Designer of the ride. He is directing it. You will not fly out of the coaster! When you reach the end of it and disembark in heaven, for an eternal day of amusement, you will raise your hands in exuberance and give a shout that reverberates joyfully through the New Jerusalem, "Wow! What a ride!"

2012-01-18T05:10:00.001-08:00

DON'T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER
"So Joseph was there in prison. But the Lord was with Joseph and extended kindness to him." (Genesis 39:20b, 21a HCSB)

It's easy to do. You meet someone, form a first impression and then find out later that they are nothing like what you judged them to be. Then, there are circumstances in life, that when they occur we make an instant evaluation of them, only to discover that the opposite is true. You don't judge a book by its cover.

This truth is written large in a Book that can be judged by its cover--the Holy Bible. It is a Book that is different from any other. It is God's Book and reveals to us the story behind the story as only an all-knowing and all-powerful Being, whose sovereign purposes cannot be thwarted, can do. So many of the circumstances and actions we see unfolding in this divine drama look on the surface to be good, but then turn out bad. Other times what seems terrible is transformed into terrific. In the Good Book we discover that for every other, you don't judge a book by its cover.

Nowhere is this seen more vividly than in Genesis 38-40. It is a sordid saga of sex and lies--of deception and dungeon. But in the dark shadows, a dim Figure stands, directing events so that when man does his worst, the Sovereign Lord does His best. The New Testament puts it this way, "We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28 HCSB) You don't judge a book by its cover.

In Genesis 38, we learn that failure can become God's avenue. The moral failings documented there concerning Judah's family are shocking. The story which unfolds in these verses reads like some steamy soap opera. But the most arresting part is the realization that this family tree, with all its rotten fruit, would produce One by the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior! Tamar, who dresses like a prostitute, to deceive her father-in-law Judah to have sex with her is impregnated by him and then is listed in the genealogy of Jesus (Matthew 1:3)! The deeds were wicked indeed. The consequences of sin are ever present. Still, where sin abounds, grace much more abounds. You don't judge a book by its cover.

In Genesis 39, we find that mistreatment can yield God's advancement. Joseph was enslaved in Egypt because of the mistreatment by his brothers who hated him. So, what did God do? He advanced Joseph to a position of responsibility in his master's service. Then, because Joseph rejected the adulterous proposition of Potiphar's wife, she falsely accuses him of trying to rape her and Joseph is thrown into prison. Talk about mistreatment! So, what does God do? The Lord advances Joseph to supervisory status of the other prisoners! What at first seems like setbacks turn into stepping stones to promotion. Joseph is in prison, but the Lord is with him. You don't judge a book by its cover.

In Genesis 40, we see that disappointments can be God's appointments. I don't know what happened--perhaps Pharaoh's butler spilt wine on his carpet, maybe the baker burned the biscuits. All I know is that there were a couple of fellows with pretty cushy jobs in the palace that wound up disappointing their boss and being disappointed themselves, as they found themselves in the bowels of the prison. The disappointment was God's appointment. It just so happened they ended up in a cell with Joseph. Then each had a vivid, bewildering dream. The Lord revealed its meaning to Joseph. The baker would be disappointed--his dream meant his death. Pharaoh would have him executed. Better news was given to the butler. He would get his old job back. Ecstatic, he promises to put in a good word to Pharaoh on Joseph's behalf. Joseph must have thought that things were finally going to turn around for him after much disappointment. Instead of deliverance, what he received was more disappointment! The chapter closes with these sad words, "Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph; he forgot him." (Genesis 40:23 HCSB) Although that is the end of the chapter, it isn't the end of the story. The disappointment would become God's appointment. Don't judge a book by its cover!

So, what are you staring at today? Failure--your own or someone else's? Mistreatment? Disappointment? You reached for the stars, but find yourself behind bars--a prisoner of circumstances. All about you are the shards of broken dreams. God hasn't abandoned you. He is with you in the darkness, as he was with Joseph. Don't judge a book by is cover.

2012-01-17T02:45:00.000-08:00

COMING HOME
"God said to Jacob, 'Get up! Go to Bethel and settle there. Build an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.' " (Genesis 35:1 HCSB)

There's no place like home.

NBC News related the story last year about Prince, Myrna Carillo's dog, who wandered off for five long years. Myrna married, had two boys and moved four times during that period. According to the report "Prince showed up on her doorstep... Myrna immediately recognized the furry dog, and more impressively, the dog recognized her. Prince is already bonding with Myrna's sons, and is reacquainting himself with his rediscovered family."

There is no place like home!

Jacob and his family were headed back home--back to Bethel--back to the "house of God" for so the name of the place signified. Jacob is older, wiser, and carries more than a few scars from his years of wandering. But, God has called him to come home.

You may recall that Bethel was the place where Jacob had his first dramatic encounter with God. His first night away from home, he saw a stairway to heaven--angels ascending and descending--and God appeared to him, spoke to him and gave assurance of covenant blessing, "Look, I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go. I will bring you back to this land, for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." (Genesis 28:15 HCSB) Jacob made some promises to be faithful to the God who would be faithful to him.

Decades passed. The vision faded and vows were forgotten. Jacob didn't mean to--he just got so busy making a living that he forgot about making a life. He got a job, got married--twice--fathered a gaggle of kids. Gradually, subtly, he had wandered away from God. That is usually how it happens, isn't it? I've witnessed it scores of times. Someone relates to me this moving experience with God. They make effusive promises of serving Him. Then they miss a Sunday--or two--attendance gets sporadic. Out of concern you talk to them. "Oh, I really miss church! It's been crazy. My schedule... (INSERT EXCUSE HERE) but I'm coming back soon." Most are still gone. It can happen to me--to any of us. The downgrade is so gradual that you don't realize how fast you are going until the brakes give way and you run off the road!

Jacob may have lost sight of God, but God never lost sight of him! The loving Father would not leave his prodigal son alone. He unleashed the hounds of heaven to track him down--the dogs of discipline bringing him to his knees. The Lord virtually seized him by the collar, reminding Jacob of who He was and to whom Jacob belonged. That was recorded in Genesis 32. A golden opportunity to get out of the pig pen and rebuild the altar at Bethel presented itself. A fresh start looked so hopeful. He's back in the neighborhood. He intends to get all the way home. He's limping that direction.

But sinful habits are stubborn things. Surely almost home is close enough. Jacob hunkers down among the heathen in Canaan. It was a disaster! His family suffered most for their father's failed spiritual leadership. They plunged into violence and vileness--lives marked by immorality and idolatry. That is often the case.

Still God was faithful. Jacob may have broken his promises--and become a broken man accordingly--but God cannot break His. It had been a while since it is recorded that Jacob had spoken to the Lord, so God shatters the silence with a summons, "It's time to come home--back to Bethel--back to the house of God, the place of faded vision and forgotten vows!"

You don't make the trip with a load of junk! The baggage of a sinful past must be buried. "So Jacob said to his family and all who were with him, 'Get rid of the foreign gods that are among you. Purify yourselves and change your clothes.' " (Genesis 35:2 HCSB) This is repentance.

" 'We must get up and go to Bethel. I will build an altar there to the God who answered me in my day of distress. He has been with me everywhere I have gone.' Jacob built an altar there and called the place God of Bethel because it was there that God had revealed Himself to him when he was fleeing from his brother." (Genesis 35:3, 7 HCSB) That is revival.

Isn't it time to return back to the house of God? Isn't it time to remove the idols and soiled garments and restore your spiritual leadership in the family? Isn't it time to rebuild the personal altar so long neglected? Isn't it time to revive the vision and renew the vows?

"I’ve wandered far away from God,
Now I’m coming home;
The paths of sin too long I’ve trod,
Lord, I’m coming home.
I’ve wasted many precious years,
Now I’m coming home;
I now repent with bitter tears,
Lord, I’m coming home.
I’m tired of sin and straying, Lord,
Now I’m coming home;
I’ll trust Thy love, believe Thy word,
Lord, I’m coming home.
My soul is sick, my heart is sore,
Now I’m coming home;
My strength renew, my home restore,
Lord, I’m coming home.
Coming home, coming home,
Nevermore to roam;
Open wide Thine arms of love,
Lord, I’m coming home." (William J. Kirkpatrick).

There's no place like home!

2012-01-16T11:17:00.000-08:00

BROKEN TO BE BLESSED
"Jacob then named the place Peniel, 'For I have seen God face to face,' [he said,] 'and I have been delivered.' The sun shone on him as he passed by Penuel--limping because of his hip." (Genesis 32:30, 31 HCSB)

Jacob was broken to be blessed; crippled to be crowned.

God is the Potter and we are the clay. He will shape us according to His design for us. When He puts us on the wheel, He begins to apply the pressure of circumstances--sometimes gently caressing the clay and often more firmly. The Potter may even have to break us and start over.

This lesson was learned in art class. I recall some measure of joy as I began to mold the wet clay, spinning on the wheel, the clay beginning to yield to my hands--a vessel taking shape. Then, to my dismay, it started to come apart! Some grit had gotten mixed in with the clay and to continue meant the impurity had to be removed, the clay broken down, and starting the process again.

That was what God had to do to Jacob. The man had such stubbornness in him; the schemer always had a plan percolating in his cranium. No matter whether it was God's will or even if it was God's will, but done in the wrong way--Jacob had an agenda and he was going to achieve it. He wanted God's blessing and like so many of us was able to rationalize that what Jacob desired was according to God's plan. This folly was not just a lapse, it was a lifestyle--stubborn grit embedded in the human clay. To be the vessel God would use to bless the world, the Potter would have to break him.

It happened one dark night. Jacob's mood was darker still. He sat alone, bowed under a burden of doubt, his mind muddled with fear. What to do? How could he find a way out of this corner he had painted himself into? Esau was on the road to meet him--the brother whom he had cheated--this sibling he had fled Canaan to escape from--with his violent, vengeful hands longing to be put around Jacob's throat. The reports were that a small army was with him. With Jacob, there were mostly women and a lot of children. The odds were stacked against him.

Those thoughts were suddenly interrupted when strong hands did grab him! Jacob reacted instinctively to the threat. He did what he always did--he fought back. Surely, it was Esau come to get even.

No--not Esau, neither one of Esau's men--it was God Himself--taking the form He sometimes did in the Old Testament era, as the Angel of the Lord. The wrestling bout was a microcosm of the patriarch's life--wrestling with the will of God, clay resisting the Potter's hand. It was time to break Jacob.

Why did God not quickly impose His will on the man? Surely, He had the power to overcome Jacob! Yet, God condescends to wrestle with Jacob. It had been that way for decades, but now it was coming to the final round. God wants to do more than overpower Jacob and have him cry, "Uncle! Uncle!" God wants his heart, his love, his worship and for him instead to cry, "Father|"

The decisive moment comes as God puts Jacob's hip out of joint. The wrestling match essentially over--the grappler became a clinger, the fighter became a beggar. Jacob is a defeated, desperate man--right where God wanted him!

"What's your name?" That was the Lord's question. He wasn't seeking information; God was soliciting confession. So the answer comes: I am a cheat, a scoundrel, the twister, supplanter, heel-grabber--Jacob. That was his name--that was his nature. But, that night everything changed! God changed his name to Israel--the Prince of power with God--and, more importantly, that signified his change of nature. God still had some shaping to do--more pressure to apply--but, now He has good clay.

A new day dawns! Jacob--Israel--walks on the rest of life's journey with a limp. Every step was a painful reminder of the transformation in his life. Each step was to be a step of faith and not self-reliance. He was broken to be blessed; crippled to be crowned.

That painful circumstance in your life, the frustrated plans, the family strife, the financial struggle, the physical sickness--it could be a host of things--pressures you have prayed and asked God to remove. The prayer is unanswered and the blessing has been withdrawn. Maybe. It might be that your prayer is being answered in a better way and the blessing you desire is coming disguised as a burden. The darkest night in your life may yield to the dawn of your brightest day! It did for Jacob.

2012-01-14T08:10:00.000-08:00

YOU'VE MADE YOUR BED, NOW LIE IN IT
"Jacob left Beer-sheba and went toward Haran. He reached a certain place and spent the night there because the sun had set. He took one of the stones from the place, put it there at his head, and lay down in that place." (Genesis 28:10, 11 HCSB)

It was a hard bed--a mattress of sod, a rock for a pillow and covered with a blanket of dew. Jacob had made his bed--now he would have to lie in it.

There are consequences for our actions. In Biblical vernacular, we reap what we sow. For most of his life, Jacob would work diligently to scheme his way around this principle. It came naturally for him. God would eventually break him--but it would be a long and painful process.

Perhaps you have been the recipient of a special gift called "the strong-willed child." Days were marked with discipline. It was a battle over everything! If you are currently trying to raise such a child, he or she is likely climbing over you as you wrestle with him or her in exasperation, vainly trying to read these words--a Tasmanian devil on your lap!

That was Jacob. He entered the world by grabbing his twin brother's heel. Esau might be the first-born, but Jacob would fight him over it. Conniving, plotting, cheating--whatever it took--he wanted the birthright and the blessing, which came to the eldest son. He got it. God had foreordained it. But, rather than rely on the Lord to fulfill His will in His way, Jacob would "take the bull by the horns." He could have adopted the Frank Sinatra lyrics as his theme song, "I did it my way!"

He made his bed, now he would have to lie in it.

Conspiring with his mother, concealing his identity from his father, cheating his brother--that made for a hard bed. Jacob left home, leaving behind a disappointed father, a broken-hearted mother and a brother seething with fury. Jacob was a "mama's boy" but he would never see his mother again. It would be many years before Jacob would finally make it back home. His dear mother would be long dead.

He made his bed, now he would have to lie in it.

Jacob finds his way to kinfolk in Haran. There things seem to work according to plan--at first. He chooses a bride--a beauty named Rachel. But, Rachel has a father--Laban--every bit the scoundrel that Jacob was. Rachel also has a sister--Leah--as plain as her sister was pretty and to no one's surprise still unmarried. Laban would fix that. The wedding is over, the "bride" is waiting in a dark tent to consummate the marriage. Jacob waits up the next morning--surprise! It was Leah! The cheater has been cheated; the deceiver deceived. You reap what you sow.

Make your choices today carefully--prayerfully. Submit to God's will rather than strive for your will. When you make your bed, you will have to lie in it.

2012-01-13T08:32:00.000-08:00

THE STANDARD FOR SERVANTS
"Abraham said to his servant, the elder of his household who managed all he owned, 'Place your hand under my thigh, and I will have you swear by the Lord, God of heaven and God of earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I live, but will go to my land and my family to take a wife for my son Isaac.' " (Genesis 24:2-4 HCSB)

Eliezer was Abraham's servant--and it would be difficult to find one more faithful. He provides a model for all who would serve the Lord.

His qualities are on display in Genesis 24. There he is sent by Abraham on a mission to seek a bride for his son. God is doing that--sending us out to find a bride for His Son. Paul explained his assignment in a similar way when he said, "For I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy, because I have promised you in marriage to one husband-to present a pure virgin to Christ." (2 Corinthians 11:2 HCSB)

Eliezer sets the standard for servants in his PREPARATION. His faithfulness in little things had prepared him for the larger task. He had consistently served his master in the mundane activities of the daily grind. This is why he had risen to be the senior steward of all Abraham's many servants. You will not be ready for the big assignment until you have proven reliable in the smaller ones.

We see his standard in his PASSION. There is no hesitation in his response. Abraham calls and Eliezer enthusiastically embraces the mission. He doesn't pause to question, or to seek excuses. His life was about service. He ate, drank and breathed devotion to his master. What I have seen often in Christian service is people who know in their head what they should be doing, but often lack in their heart the passion for serving. It requires both knowledge and zeal. Knowledge without zeal means you don't show up. Zeal without knowledge means you will blow up. Zeal with knowledge means you will grow up. Do you have a passion to perform for the Master?

There is the standard set in his PRAYER. He seeks God's direction. Over and again we find Eliezer calling upon the Lord. Humble reliance upon God marked him. When Christ commissioned His disciples to go into the world and seek His bride, He commanded them first to wait for the power of the Holy Spirit. So, they prayed and the power came. It was a church birthed, bathed and built in prayer--and the world was turned upside down! We don't need better methods today, we need better men--men and women of prayer!

Then we see Eliezer's PERCEPTION. Arriving at a strategic spot, he waits--and watches. He is looking to see where God is moving and then he will move. He spots Rebekah, casts out the bait, she bites and he reels her in! What a catch! Think about the people Jesus saw: some fishermen tending their nets, a tax-collector doing his work, a thirsty woman drawing water, a crippled man begging for help, a short fellow perched in a tree--and so many more. That perception led to transformation! Christ's followers did likewise. Peter and John see a cripple begging outside the temple, Philip sees a man reading the Scripture while riding in a chariot, Barnabas sees the gracious activity of God among Gentiles and Paul sees pagans worshipping at the altar of an unknown God they need to know. Jesus said, "Open your eyes and look at the fields, for they are ready for harvest." (John 4:35b HCSB)

We hear Eliezer set the standard in his PROCLAMATION. He has some good news to share! Isaac--a most eligible bachelor--is presenting a marriage proposal to a potential bride through his servant. Thus, we go with a message of love to the world, calling people into a relationship with Christ. Like Eliezer, we cannot limit our audience to our neighborhood, but be willing to journey far and wide. God has sent us into the highways and by-ways of life to invite people to the great marriage supper.

Abraham's superlative servant shows his PERSISTENCE. From start to finish, his journey was arduous without assurance of success. But, we find him pressing on. Even after finding Rebekah, her brother Laban tries to slow things down, but Eliezer feels such an urgency about completing his assignment that he persists and insists on a decision. Seeking souls to bring to Jesus will not be an easy job. There will be plenty of opportunities to give up. One of the subtle temptations is procrastination. "I know I need to share the Gospel with my Dad." "I'm going to talk to my neighbor about Christ--soon." But delayed obedience is disobedience. Your persistence will not guarantee a favorable response--no more than Eliezer could have been certain of it--but, failure is assured if we don't make the effort!

Mark the model of Eliezer's PRESENTATION. He presents gracious gifts--riches and robes. "Then he brought out objects of silver and gold, and garments, and gave [them] to Rebekah. He also gave precious gifts to her brother and her mother." (Genesis 24:53 HCSB) As we share the Gospel we are calling people to new life in which they will be rewarded with the riches of God's grace and robed in the righteousness of God's justification. Best of all, he presents a beauty to the bridegroom. It was love at first sight! What joy the old servant must have felt in a job well done!

That is the temporal joy of the servant of God and the eternal bliss he or she will know when we have been faithful. Let us go and do likewise!

2012-01-12T07:21:00.000-08:00

PILGRIM PATHS
"And Abraham lived as a foreigner in the land of the Philistines for many days." (Genesis 21:34 HCSB)

"But it's not Thanksgiving!" you might be thinking. When we hear the word "pilgrim" you may tend to think of people who wore stove top hats with belt buckles on them, who took their blunderbuss and shot a turkey, then invited the Indians to join them for a Thanksgiving feast. Those were pilgrims, but not for those reasons. These had come to the New World fleeing religious persecution, traveling so many weary miles with a longing to worship God according to the dictates of their conscience. They had the sense they were being directed by God and moved out in faith and obedience. That's what pilgrims do. That's what Abraham did.

"By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed and went out to a place he was going to receive as an inheritance. He went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he stayed as a foreigner in the land of promise, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, co-heirs of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God." (Hebrews 11:8-10 HCSB)

The lives of the patriarchs--Abraham, Isaac and Jacob--are marked by their movement from place to place--strangers in a strange land, tumbleweeds blown by the winds of God's will. Always on the ready to pull up the tent pegs, pack up and head out--ever with the longing for their real home in heaven--these are pilgrim paths.

Those paths take Abraham and his family into several places and differing challenges in Genesis 20-23. The pilgrim paths lead them into peril, promise, provision and pain, each with its unique crossroad between crisis and opportunity--an occasion for the pilgrim's progress or regress.

Genesis 20 is about LIES. We've heard this song before. "It's deja vu, all over again," as Yogi Berra said. "From there Abraham traveled to the region of the Negev and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While he lived in Gerar, Abraham said about his wife Sarah, 'She is my sister.' So Abimelech king of Gerar had Sarah brought to him." (Genesis 20:1, 2 HCSB)

It was the same devilish dead-end Abraham had taken before (see 12:10-19) and he winds up in the same ditch! Thankfully, God pulled him out again. We may react in shock. The liberal and skeptic scornfully says this is just another version of the same story. The reality is that we are slow to learn. Our head can be so hard and our heart so unbelieving. Sin is a stubborn thing. Once certain patterns develop in us, it is easy to slip into that rut again. Like an old logging road, where heavy trucks travel repeatedly, the driver doesn't have to try to get the wheels in the ruts. It's easy. As pilgrims we will face repeated detours and dead-ends. We had best heed the warning of the children's song, "Be careful little feet, where you go!"

Genesis 21 is about LAUGHS. "Abraham was 100 years old when his son Isaac was born to him. Sarah said, 'God has made me laugh, and everyone who hears will laugh with me.' She also said, 'Who would have told Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne a son for him in his old age.' " (Genesis 21:5-7 HCSB)

What did they name the boy? Laughter! That is what the name Isaac means. When God promised Abraham that he would have a son in his old age, Sarah was eavesdropping, and laughed scornfully at the possibility (18:10-15). Now, a year later, the old couple is giggling with delight as they look into the face of "Laughter." God gets the last laugh! There is more laughter in the chapter--not of those being merry, but one bringing mockery. Ishmael scorns his younger half-brother. There is strife in the home. Hagar is driven out. The conflict continues to this day between the descendants of Isaac and Ishmael--the Jews and Arabs. That struggle hasn't brought any smiles, but a lot of sorrows across the years--many tears! But, again, God will get the last laugh. Peace will come to the Middle East (and the world) when the Prince of Peace, Jesus of Abraham's seed returns and reconciles His brethren to God and to each other in the Millennium. The church has a role in this today as we share the Gospel with Jews and Arabs and the laughter resounds, "there will be joy in heaven over one sinner who repents" (Luke 15:7a).

Genesis 22 is about LOVES. "After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, 'Abraham!' 'Here I am,' he answered. 'Take your son,' He said, 'your only [son] Isaac, whom you love, go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.' " (Genesis 22:1, 2 HCSB)

How Abraham loved Isaac! The test: did he love God more? God demands that there be no higher love. Jesus said that to love God with all our being was the Great Commandment. We must love Him so exclusively and extravagantly that even love for family would seem as hate in comparison (Luke 14:26). God isn't really asking us to love family less, just to love Him most. The greatest gift we can give our children is a life sold out to God. This opens up the avenue of God's provision. Abraham passed the test and God revealed Himself as Jehovah Jireh--the LORD our Provider (22:14). It is an incredible picture of substitutionary atonement--of God providing a sacrifice in Isaac's place--a preview of the Father's love for us in giving His only Son to save us--all on another mountain--not Moriah, but Golgotha! Give Him your love--your life! "Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship." (Romans 12:1 HCSB)

Genesis 23 is about LOSSES. "Sarah died in Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her." (Genesis 23:2 HCSB)

It was the loss of a darling wife for Abraham and of a dear mother for Isaac. The pilgrim path sooner or later takes us into the cemetery. Being people of faith doesn't shield us from the sorrows of our frail mortality. God will wipe away the tears, but that is because there are tears needing to be dried. We are grateful for the grace that sustains us in the graveyard and for the glory that awaits in the heavens--but we are not home yet. We are pilgrims, looking for a city--the New Jerusalem whose Builder is God. We look for a city, but often through eyes dimmed by tears. Press on pilgrim! God walks with you!

"While we walk the pilgrim pathway,
Clouds will overspread the sky;
But, when trav'ling days are over,
Not a shadow, not a sigh.
When we all get to heaven,
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
We'll sing and shout the victory!" (Eliza Hewitt)

2012-01-11T10:16:00.000-08:00

THE TIPPING POINT
"Then out of the sky the Lord rained burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah from the Lord." (Genesis 19:24 HCSB)

Malcom Gladwell wrote a best-selling book called, "The Tipping Point." He draws the theme from the realm of physics and sociology where the word is used, as he frames it, "the moment of critical mass, the threshold, the boiling point." In terms of societal change, Gladwell wrote, "ideas and products and messages and behaviors spread like viruses do."

In the nineteenth chapter of Genesis, we see that Sodom had exceeded the tipping point. Evil had become an epidemic--a virus of vileness that cried out to the heavens for judgment. The disease, untreated, was terminal.

When a culture surrenders all pretense of decency and embraces deviancy as normalcy --even giving it celebrity--that society has reached the tipping point. Without timely and thorough repentance--a tipping point in turning to God from sin--judgment is inevitable. That was Sodom, where homosexuality had become synonymous with the city. This is the tipping point. Paul wrote,
For God's wrath is revealed from heaven against all godlessness and unrighteousness of people who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth, since what can be known about God is evident among them, because God has shown it to them. For His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what He has made. As a result, people are without excuse. For though they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God or show gratitude. Instead, their thinking became nonsense, and their senseless minds were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man, birds, four-footed animals, and reptiles.
Therefore God delivered them over in the cravings of their hearts to sexual impurity, so that their bodies were degraded among themselves. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served something created instead of the Creator, who is praised forever. Amen.
This is why God delivered them over to degrading passions. For even their females exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. The males in the same way also left natural relations with females and were inflamed in their lust for one another. Males committed shameless acts with males and received in their own persons the appropriate penalty of their error.
And because they did not think it worthwhile to acknowledge God, God delivered them over to a worthless mind to do what is morally wrong. They are filled with all unrighteousness, evil, greed, and wickedness. They are full of envy, murder, quarrels, deceit, and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, arrogant, proud, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, and unmerciful. Although they know full well God's just sentence-that those who practice such things deserve to die-they not only do them, but even applaud others who practice them. (Romans 1:18-32 HCSB)
Can we read this and deny that America is at the tipping point? We are marching toward the abyss. We are perhaps teetering on the brink.

That's the bad news--but, there is one golden shaft of sunlight that breaks though the clouds. Abraham interceded for Sodom. He prayed for God to spare the city for the sake of Lot and his family who dwelt there. God said that if in the perverse populace only ten righteous people might be present, He would withhold His wrath! This is the hope--the difference God's people can make--as they function as light in a dark world. It doesn't take many to make a difference. They must begin to lead the nation to the tipping point of spiritual awakening.

The problem in Sodom wasn't really the corrupt culture, so much as a carnal "Christian." Lot had miserably failed to lead even his own family to faith, much less influence the city for God. Will such nauseating lukewarmness be the mark of our generation of church members? Lukewarm is comfortable. We become like our environment--not disturbed about the conduct of the world and the world not disquieted about the claims of the church. Old Vance Havner said it this way, "Baptists are many, but not much."

We are at the tipping point.

2012-01-10T09:49:00.000-08:00

TWO STEPS FORWARD, ONE STEP BACK

"After these events, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: 'Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield; your reward will be very great.' ...Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness." (Genesis 15:1, 6 HCSB)

Change is a part of life. We may like the change, resist the change, ignore the change, but we cannot avoid it. Change happens. The only decision we have is how we will respond to it. That will determine whether the change takes us forward or backward.

This is what we are seeing in the life of Abraham and Sarah. God uprooted them from home, planted them in Canaan and gave them the promise of fruitfulness. All seemed well until famine came and from there they fled to Egypt--driven by fear rather than being directed by faith. Returning back to the Promised Land, they settle into the daily round and blessing starts to flow. But, the prosperity brings potential strife between Abraham and his nephew Lot over the shortage of pasture. The next thing you know, the kinsmen part company. Nothing ever stays the same. Today will bring changes for you and for me. Whether they move us forward in faith or our steps falter in fear depends on our choice in those inevitable changes.

For Abraham it seems he takes two steps forward and one step back. He trusts God--mostly. He fails God--occasionally. Overall he makes progress--gaining ground in his journey toward the Celestial City, but sometimes taking a detour and even a dead end. Then it's time to turn around and get back on the right road. Thankfully, he had GPS (God's Providential Steering) to put him back on course. That is so descriptive of our own experience!

In chapters fourteen through sixteen of Genesis, we see this pattern in Abraham's progress. He takes two steps forward and one step back.

He steps forward with a courageous response of faith in chapter fourteen. Abraham received the report that his nephew Lot was taken in battle. Lot had moved near Sodom for financial advantage, but didn't stop with being in proximity to the wicked city. He and his family took up occupancy. Lot is gradually being pulled into the world--assimilated. Though a backslider, he was a believer and his crisis was meant by God for correction--discipline by a loving Father to his wayward child. Abraham acts with courageous faith, raising his own militia and marching out to rescue his kin. There are many of God's people who are held captive by the enemy. We ought to respond as Abraham did. "Brothers, if someone is caught in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual should restore such a person with a gentle spirit, watching out for yourselves so you also won't be tempted." (Galatians 6:1 HCSB)

He steps forward in a covenant relationship of faith in chapter fifteen. Abraham refuses the corrupting offer of reward from Sodom's vile rulers. God is pleased! God assures him that He is the reward! Abraham receives the promise by faith and enters a covenant of grace. "Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness." (Genesis 15:6 HCSB) Nothing is more important than to be in a right standing before God. The New Testament uses this verse to underscore that this is the only way--a personal relationship with God through faith.

But, he steps back in a consequential rejection of faith in chapter sixteen. Pressured by his wife, Abraham decides to help God out. God has promised a baby to this old couple--and still no infant son has arrived. According to the custom of that culture, a servant could become surrogate parent and the child become the heir. "You've got to put feet to your prayer!" Perhaps that was the thinking. While there can at times be an element of truth to that--in this case it was an absolute disaster! It seemed at first as though God had blessed this scheme. Hagar has Ishmael. Abraham has a son. Things degenerated from that point, and the world still suffers the sad consequences of this rash action. Later, when Isaac was born to Abraham and Sarah, the half-brothers get into conflict--and their descendants have been fighting ever since: Ishmael's descendants, the Arabs and Isaac's line, the Jews! Choices have consequences and what may seem at the time to be a small thing can have enormous implications!

We would do well to follow the counsel of the old hymn:

"Have faith in God when your pray'rs are unanswered,

Your earnest plea He will never forget;

Wait on the Lord, trust His Word and be patient,

Have faith in God, He'll answer yet." (B.B. McKinney)

2012-01-09T07:51:00.000-08:00

DEALING WITH DIFFICULTIES

"There was a famine in the land, so Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine in the land was severe." (Genesis 12:10 HCSB)

"and there was quarreling between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land." (Genesis 13:7 HCSB)

Faith untested is faith unproven. It is rather easy to profess faith when one walks through a lush meadow--a gentle breeze carrying the fragrance of flowers and the lyrics of larks to us--beneath an unclouded sky. The challenge is to possess faith when we must climb a steep, rocky path--a howling storm assailing us! While we thank God for the times of tranquility, we had better be prepared for the days of difficulty. The latter will come to those who purpose to walk by faith.

And so, the test arrives. God will permit it. In His sovereign wisdom, He allows the difficulties to develop us. Faith is hammered out on the anvil of adversity and forged in the fires of difficulty. Faith is such a precious thing that God will do what it takes--painful as it may be--to form such a faith. The devil is also keenly aware of the potential of the man or woman who taps into the power and provision of God by faith. Thus, the flip side of the test is the intent of Satan in the difficulty--not to develop faith, but destroy it! When we walk by faith, the rocks on the road will either become stepping stones or stumbling blocks--depending on our response.

In Genesis twelve, we find Abraham and Sarah beginning a journey of faith. God has called them to a new land--a new life, really--and off they go, trusting in His Word. They arrive safely and appear to abide serenely. Wherever they pitch their tent, Abraham builds an altar. Communion with God is a consistent experience. How blessed--and how brief! We discover the Sunday pinnacle of praise is followed by the Monday valley of problems. Faith is always tested.

The blessedness of Canaan is supplanted by the barrenness of famine! Abraham soon encounters a difficult problem, as documented in the last half of chapter twelve. Difficult problems call for endurance--for not rushing into hasty decisions, but abiding in faith. But, Abraham did not. He foolishly chose to walk by sight instead of faith--and the results were costly--nearly catastrophic!

He goes down to Egypt. It is always "down" when you follow your own path rather than God's. Abraham drags his wife into danger with him. The effects of our choices are never limited to us, and when we stray from faith, it is those closest to us who suffer most for it. His disbelief leads to deception and the discrediting of his testimony. How could a pagan king believe anything a hypocrite like Abraham would claim about God? In fact, without the intervention of God, the blessing God intended to bring upon the world through Abraham is in jeopardy as his wife has become part of a heathen harem! Of course, God proved faithful even when His servant proved faithless. God is true when every man is a liar. His will, ultimately, cannot be thwarted. But that doesn't mean we may not suffer consequences from our folly.

Abraham was a saved man, but not a sinless man. None of us are. Yet, even though there was not perfection in his faith, there was progression in his faith. Back in Canaan, we find him facing more difficulty. This time, not so much a difficult problem as a difficult person. The need wasn't endurance by not rushing into a hasty decision to the problem, as in Genesis twelve, but the need of forbearance by not responding with a hateful action to the person in chapter thirteen.

It is a record of strife and stress--again played out on the public stage where the heathen are watching. This time, Abraham chooses to walk by faith and not by sight. He refuses to assert his rights, but accepts his responsibilities. The end result is the reward of God! Faith rests in the Lord's promises.

Lot, on the other hand, walks by sight--leaning on human reason rather than seeking heavenly revelation. Abraham's nephew never bothers to pray, nor defer back to his uncle. Why look a gift horse in the mouth? But, there is this matter of Sodom. The pasture was just what Lot needed for material prosperity--so, what if some of the neighbors had a bad reputation? We know how that worked out.

So, here we are, assured that difficult problems and difficult people will arise suddenly like a thunderstorm bursting on your summer picnic. You have no choice about whether your faith will be tested--it always will. You do have a choice in whether you will pass or fail the test. It is smart to learn from your mistakes, but smarter to learn from the mistakes of others. What have you learned from Abraham and Lot's decisions? Bear this in mind, "so that the genuineness of your faith-more valuable than gold, which perishes though refined by fire-may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 1:7 HCSB)

2012-01-07T07:23:00.001-08:00

THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING

"Cush fathered Nimrod, who was the first powerful man on earth. He was a powerful hunter in the sight of the Lord. That is why it is said, 'Like Nimrod, a powerful hunter in the sight of the Lord.' His kingdom started with Babylon, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar." (Genesis 10:8-10 HCSB)

The first sin was not committed on earth, but in heaven. A beautiful, brilliant being named Lucifer decided he deserved to have a throne and be as God. With that wicked thought entertained and embraced, Satan was spawned. We find the old Serpent, the Devil, then seducing Eve, with the same appeal: "Eat the fruit. You will become as God." She took the bait, took a bite and shared it with her husband. The catastrophic consequences were immense and immediate, with their implications known on a global scale still felt today. The ripples of ruin have reached our shores.

Of all the effects of this evil choice, the pattern of thinking that persists and permeates human life is that of the demand for autonomy. In our arrogance, we think we can be God. We can direct our own lives, chart our own course, pull ourselves up by our bootstraps and storm heaven's gates--really, we believe that we can pull heaven down to earth and build utopia here. All we need is to think globally, find the right government leader, bond together under a common religion of tolerance, promote uniformity and as one we can have heaven on earth! "ALL ONE" "COEXIST"--the bumper sticker mantra.

It is not a new concept. In the early chapters of Genesis, we meet the man who would be king. Nimrod was his name. Babylon was his capital. Empire was his passion. We see he was a natural leader--charismatic, powerful--a man who knew what he wanted and how to get it. The tower of Babel became the great symbol of his global vision. Who needs God? Why wait for heaven? Narcissism reached the apex of arrogance in Nimrod. That spirit is woven into the warp and woof of fallen humanity. It is the attitude expressed in William Henley's poem, "Invictus."

Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeonings of chance

My head is bloody, but unbow'd.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

Looms but the Horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years

Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate:

I am the captain of my soul.

That is the spirit of Nimrod. It persists. The founders of our nation recognized the danger and established a government with separation of powers--providing checks and balances against the tyranny of one man seizing too much power--the man who would be king. The erosion of that foundation brings grave peril. In every generation, Satan has his hand-picked man--the man who would be king.

Scripture is clear that a new Nimrod is on the way. He is called the Antichrist in 1 John, the Man of Lawlessness and Son of Destruction in 2 Thessalonians, and the Beast in Revelation. Jesus warned, "I have come in My Father's name, yet you don't accept Me. If someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him." (John 5:43 HCSB).

What will bring the new Nimrod to power? A nuclear exchange, war in the Middle East, a global pandemic, a worldwide financial meltdown, widespread natural disasters--or a combination of these? The world will clamor for a messiah waiting in the wings--a man of charming personality and commanding oratory who says, "I have the answer," and the world swoons and submits.

And what does God think of it? The same as ever--He tolerates no rival! The building of Babel ends in judgment!

"After this I saw another angel with great authority coming down from heaven, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. He cried in a mighty voice:

It has fallen,

Babylon the Great has fallen!

She has become a dwelling for demons,

a haunt for every unclean spirit,

a haunt for every unclean bird,

and a haunt for every unclean and despicable beast.

For all the nations have drunk

the wine of her sexual immorality,

which brings wrath.

The kings of the earth

have committed sexual immorality with her,

and the merchants of the earth

have grown wealthy from her excessive luxury.

Then I heard another voice from heaven:

Come out of her, My people,

so that you will not share in her sins

or receive any of her plagues.

For her sins are piled up to heaven,

and God has remembered her crimes.

Pay her back the way she also paid,

and double it according to her works.

In the cup in which she mixed,

mix a double portion for her.

As much as she glorified herself and lived luxuriously,

give her that much torment and grief,

for she says in her heart,

'I sit as a queen;

I am not a widow,

and I will never see grief.'

For this reason her plagues will come in one day-

death and grief and famine.

She will be burned up with fire,

because the Lord God who judges her is mighty." (Revelation 18:1-8 HCSB)

2012-01-06T06:16:00.001-08:00

TRACING THE RAINBOW THROUGH THE RAIN

"I have placed My bow in the clouds, and it will be a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth." (Genesis 9:13 HCSB)

The rainbow requires the rain.

Rainbows are naturally occurring phenomena, as sun shines through drops of water in the atmosphere, which function as a prism, breaking down the light spectrum into the beautiful, multi-colored hues. It would seem that Noah and his family saw the first rainbow, since it was likely it had never rained before! God designed a "sprinkler system" that made earth a lush paradise when He fashioned the world. "No shrub of the field had yet [grown] on the land, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the Lord God had not made it rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground. But water would come out of the ground and water the entire surface of the land." (Genesis 2:5, 6 HCSB) God broke up this gardening marvel, unleashing the vast reservoirs of subterranean water, which was as much responsible for the flood as the deluge that poured down from the sky, "In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the sources of the watery depths burst open, the floodgates of the sky were opened" (Genesis 7:11 HCSB).

When Noah emerged from the ark, God revealed the rainbow as a symbol of His faithful love--His covenant of grace--the promise to never send a global flood again. But, the rainbow required the rain.

So, are you in a storm in your life today? Maybe the winds are strong and the waves are surging. Adversity, affliction, antagonism--other difficult circumstances--are surrounding you. We wish the storm would have never come. Why did God allow it?

God didn't prevent Noah from experiencing the storm, but preserved him through the storm! A person of faith--and Noah was a great and godly man--isn't granted immunity from storms. The difference is that the same circumstances that drowned the sinners, delivered the saints. The wicked went under the same flood that lifted up the ark!

If God brought you to it, He will bring you through it. Rainbows require rain--but they also demand something else--sunshine on the other side! God is faithful to His promise. In the dark days, wait on Him, secure in His love. You may be shut into a tempestuous time, but you are shut up in Christ--our ark of safety. He has a purpose. The storm which rose so suddenly will one day be over. The peals of thunder will be replaced by the singing of birds! May God give us eyes of faith to trace the rainbow through the rain.

2012-01-05T05:01:00.000-08:00

AGAINST THE TIDE

"These are the family records of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among his contemporaries; Noah walked with God. ...Then the Lord said to Noah, 'Enter the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you [alone] are righteous before Me in this generation.'" (Genesis 6:9, 7:1 HCSB)

You think you have it rough!

What about Noah? How hard was it for him to stand for God? He had to stand alone! He had no church where he could meet with other believers for encouragement. There was no Christian radio to listen to, no internet where he might read a daily devotional--none of the resources we have at our disposal to buttress our faith. Yet, he stood against the tide. Before the flood came in judgment, and God scoured the earth clean of its spiritual and moral filth, a tide of utter depravity had already swept across the planet. Every waking moment of every day, Noah had to stand against the tide.

It wasn't easy. It never has been. If you purpose to live holy in this ungodly age, you are going to face great pressure--increasingly so. Jesus warned that one sign which would mark the nearness of His return and the judgment to follow would be conditions as those Noah endured. Isn't that what our world is looking like, more and more? A tsunami of evil is surging around us. But, we can stand against the tide. We must. Noah did!

All Noah had was God--but, He is enough! As the Apostle John declared, "You are from God, little children, and you have conquered them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." (1 John 4:4 HCSB). There was an inner strength that flowed from the grace of God within Noah, unleashed by faith, built by a daily walk with God. If you walk with God, you are going against the tide.

It was a difficult path, but it brought him into the ark--and Noah brought his family with him--all of them! You think it tough to raise godly kids today? Imagine the challenges Mr. and Mrs. Noah faced! But they did it--and God will help us. He will stand by us, if we stand with him. When the screams of those outside the ark were only silenced by the rushing water and rumbling thunder, Noah looked around at his family huddled near him--warm, dry, secure--and was thankful to God that by His grace he had stood against the tide.

2012-01-04T04:13:00.000-08:00

NOT JUST ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE

"He drove man out and stationed the cherubim and the flaming, whirling sword east of the garden of Eden to guard the way to the tree of life." (Genesis 3:24 HCSB)

It began like any other day--a perfect day--with sun shining through the cool morning mist, making the drops of dew that dotted every blade of grass sparkle like diamonds. The birds that filled the trees, burst into a chorus of praise to announce the arrival of this wondrous day--and they all were. The fragrance of every variety of flower imaginable--all in brilliant bloom--pervaded the garden with their perfume. The bees drew out their sweet nectar--but they never felt the need to sting anyone. There were no thorns on the roses--no weeds intertwining the delicate stems of nature's bouquet choking them. The king of beasts shook his majestic mane, yawned, blinked at the sun beaming through the lush limbs of the branches above, sought more shade, rolled over and drifted back to sleep while two lambs frolicked nearby. One of them, drew close and playfully nudged the lion with his cold, wet nose. There was no fear--there never was--in this garden of absolute harmony. Eden! It was just another day in paradise.

Adam opened his eyes. He stretched, sat up and looked around. Smiling, he reached over and gently stroked the face of a stunning beauty--her whose face had not a blemish nor wrinkle. It was the dawn of another glorious day--each one remarkable--and now time to rise because they had an appointment. In the coolness of the morning, the Creator would come to walk with them in the garden. That was the joy of joys as they listened, learned and laughed with the Lord God strolling along. It was just another day in paradise!

That is what Adam and Eve expected. But, not this day. There was another creature--a serpent with skin brightly painted, his voice melodious, walking near the tree of forbidden fruit. Yes--walking--because that's what serpents did in paradise. But this serpent was dangerous--filled with a malignant spirit; its body housing the hater of God--the rebel, Satan. It was time for him to strike. He coiled with anticipation, mind whirling, plot forming. It was not just another day in paradise.

You know how it turned out. Adam and Eve were turned out. They turned from God and to their own way. Everything changed that day. The foulness of evil brought consequences immediately and the effects like an evil epidemic have now ravaged the planet--paradise lost. Now, each day brings sweat, suffering, strife and sorrow. Death reigns; judgment looms. Guilt, shame, the blame game--paradise lost.

But, where sin abounds, grace does much more abound! Paradise taken; promise given. The Seed of woman would crush the serpent's head one day. The tree of life removed would be restored and the terror of death overcome by His death--and resurrection!

So, this Seed of woman--Mary's virgin born Son, the Son of God, would walk into another garden, bow in submission, take upon His shoulders all the sins of all the sons of men across the sweep of time, carry them to the pinnacle of a skull-shaped hill where there would be another tree. On that tree Jesus would hang, pay the price for our sin and in His pain take away the sting of death.

A blood-drenched cross, an empty tomb--and through faith in Christ, once more everything changes! There is coming another golden daybreak--all shadows forever banished, tears forever gone--where into that eternal day, the children of God will be welcomed back to walk with our Maker in unbridled joy, unbroken peace and unfathomable love! The lion lies down with the lamb. It's always that way. Just another day in paradise.

Just another day in paradise? What a day that will be--and it never ends--a truly perfect day!

2012-01-03T03:32:00.000-08:00

HISTORY: HIS STORY, GOD'S GLORY

"May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in His works." (Psalm 104:31)

History is His story--the story of God. George Guthrie in "Reader's Guide to the Bible" suggests that "God is the hero of the story." The Bible is a Book about God. While it is true that we can see the hand of God in all the events of human history--it is when we view them through the lens of Scripture that we see the story behind the story. We can, as it were, "read between the lines." But, when we come to the sacred history of the Word of God, all we need to do is read the lines! There is no cryptic code to break--God is clearly seen!

God is a God of revelation. He desires to communicate with us and has designed us with the capacity to commune with Him. All of His creatures were fashioned with the intent of bringing Him glory, but of all His artistry, men and women are His masterpiece! We are for His glory and more--we can share His glory! How awesome is that!

Such a thrill stirred the heart of the psalmist to burst into praise in the lyrics of Psalm 104. He gazes back through the corridor of time, to the time when time began and the golden dawn of earth's history, as God spoke all things into existence--and it is not the existence of the marvels of creation that captivates him, but the Creator who is the object of his attention and affection. So it should be for us.

Do not look at creation and miss the Creator. Do not look at history and fail to see it as His story. Do not read the Bible routinely, but expect to meet God in its pages. To God be the glory!

2012-01-02T03:55:00.000-08:00

A NEW YEAR: A NEW YOU

As we encounter God in the opening chapters of the Bible, we see Him moving systematically, purposefully and creatively. Each day of that first incredible week builds one on top of the other, until it is capped off with the pinnacle of His creation--humanity. Each day commences with God saying, "Let there be" and the power of His Word is unleashed to do a new thing--a glorious thing! Each day concludes with God's assessment, "God saw that it was good." There is one notable exception--a superlative is added with the fashioning of the man and woman and the completion of God's creative activity: "it was very good."

All was intended to get to that point--to prepare air for man to breathe, water to drink, material to build with, food to consume, a mate to share it all with as they would fill the earth with their kind, to the glory of God!

So, God has a purpose for your life--a master plan He has prepared. His Word, spoken into your life can powerfully bring it about. Every resource needed to be all God wants you to be is yours in Christ--the One engaged in that beginning, beginning a fresh work in you--and it will be a good work--a very good work indeed! As you daily come in humble submission to His Word, the same Spirit which hovered over creation will teach you and form you into God's image. This will be a new year and bring a new you! How exciting!

Here is the promise: "I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." (Philippians 1:6)

2011-11-21T03:27:00.000-08:00

THE DIFFERENCE THAT MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE

“Two men look out through the same bars: One sees the mud and one the stars.”
(Frank Langbridge)

So, what makes the difference? Certainly not their position—for both men are locked up in a prison. They peer beyond the bars—and see something totally different. The difference isn’t in position, but perspective.

Solomon described life viewed without the eternal reference point: “under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:3). Now, he wasn’t a man in a prison, but a palace. The king knew pleasure, power and possessions which would mark him as the richest man in the world. But his soul was completely bankrupt and when he viewed all the “stuff” from a carnal perspective concluded it to all be “vanity” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). It is the recurring discordant note of despair sung in this dirge of Solomon.

Surely it was a similar point of view which washed over Hamlet like a tsunami of disillusionment when he moaned, “To be or not to be: that is the question” (Shakespeare). Essentially he looks out of his prison bars of problems and sees mud. He concludes that life is misery and death is mystery. Life is relentless in its difficulties as waves constantly rolling in—and death might even be worse—particularly if one ends his own life and might face eternal condemnation. Who knows? He is torn between two options and neither one good.

Compare that with the perspective of another man who writes—quite literally—from a prison. He states with incredible confidence—even celebration,

“For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account…for your progress and joy in the faith.” (Philippians 1:21-25, ESV).

The Apostle Paul concludes that life is ministry and death is majesty. Life is relentless to be sure, but when viewed from an eternal perspective, those same tides that sweep over one and drown him, are seen to also roll out and bear the other man on a voyage of great adventure—ultimately to the most exotic destination! He is torn between two options and both are glorious!

What makes the difference? Perspective—oh yes—but that only leads us to question why the two viewpoints are so radically opposed. The old general of the faith, Paul, joyfully puts his finger on it. (That finger, by the way, is attached to a hand, and the hand to a wrist, and the wrist to a manacle and the manacle to a chain and the chain to a stone wall, yet he is irrepressibly free in his spirit to see the stars and soar to them!) What makes the difference? He tells us in one word—one name—and it is: “Christ.” Because he can state that Jesus is the source, substance and sum of his life, then he can add that death is great gain: “far better.”

Centuries later, C.S. Lewis stated it this way, “Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither.” That is the difference that makes the difference—all these words to get to the living Word: CHRIST. He is our fixed point of reference by which we can sail safely across turbulent tides and arrive home. Knowing Him as Lord and Savior is the difference that makes all the difference.

(With thanks to Stuart Briscoe who in his memoir, “Flowing Streams” discusses a sermon by Paul Rees on pages 88-89 that was a magnificent message on a Monday morning!)

2011-07-19T14:08:00.000-07:00

WHAT THE MAN WHO HAS EVERYTHING NEEDS

There is a Scandinavian fable about a young spider that made his way into a barn one day. From a slender thread he descended from a rafter high aloft. He began to spin his intricate web and as time went on he grew fat and prospered. It was a very productive corner of the barn with an ample supply of juicy flies—as you might imagine. One day, he looked admiringly around his wondrous web, and yet was taken aback when he saw a stray thread—one that reached up into the darkness high above him—disappearing into nothingness. “What use is that?” he thought, and reached out and snipped the thread—and when he did, his entire world collapsed!

That is what happened to Solomon! He was a wise young king who became a foolish old ruler. In his early days, the slender thread that bound him to heaven reached into the sky and the blessings of God flowed down, as Solomon’s worship flowed up. He prospered more than any before him—or since. His wealth was staggering, his power immense, his fame renowned—he had it all! Until the day he forgot about God, severed the connection to heaven and his world caved in.

The bitter, depressing record of that era is found in Ecclesiastes. The tone is set immediately:

1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. 2 Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. 3 What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun? (1:1-3 ESV)

The phrases, “Vanity of vanities” and “under the sun” are sprinkled throughout the book. Life is vain—futile—empty and devoid of meaning when it is viewed merely from a natural perspective. If anyone might have found satisfaction from the things of the world, it should have been Solomon. He had it all! Wine—the best and much of it, women—a harem of a thousand beauties, and song—not a CD, but live performers! He had magnificent estates and much education—lands and libraries. He sought fulfillment in his work and wealth.

But, it was all vanity!

It would not be a stretch to say that he actually considered suicide—what did he have to live for?

What is it that the man that has everything needs? God!

There is a hole in our soul that only God can fill. Nothing else fits—only Jesus satisfies.

But, the old backslider found the way back as he sifted through the rubble of his ruinous rebellion. Among the ashes, he finds the treasure of truth. At the end of Ecclesiastes the light of wisdom breaks through:

13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all. 14 For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil. (12:13-14 NKJV)

Dear reader—do you have Jesus? If not, you need Him—desperately. Don’t wait too late! If you have received Him, then keep the cord of communion intact lest you fall like Solomon! If one who had such encounters with God, had a superb upbringing by a great champion of faith named David, and was blessed with such wisdom could fall, then any of us can! Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God—trust in His grace.

This is what the man who has everything needs!

2011-01-22T10:54:00.000-08:00

THE BITTER COLD

This morning I went and stood for an hour on the sidewalk outside the abortion clinic--to keep a vigil on behalf of those tiny ones whose little eyes will never see the light of day. I was there to give voice to the voiceless--whose silent screams will be unheard as the cruel instruments of death invade the sanctuary of their mother's womb. Of course, God hears--and that should put a chill down the spine of us all.

It was a bitterly cold day, in the lower 20's--and matched the icy hearts of those who would butcher a baby for a few bucks. My fingers and toes got so cold, that they began to sting with pain--a pain that persisted for fifteen minutes after departing in the warmth of my car. But, as I rubbed my hands together and patted my feet on the pavement, it led me to think how this pain was nothing compared to the suffering which the unborn go through before their brief sojourn on earth is terminated. The pain in my extremities is nothing compared to the extreme pain in the hearts of mothers as they weigh the harsh reality of their choice in days to come--haunted by the grim specter of doing that which is so contrary to every maternal impulse. Of course, no pain will be like that of eternal torment for unrepentant butchers who brutalize these innocents. Maybe they are desensitized to it. All I know is that the murderer who faces God with blood on their hands and without the blood of Christ on their hearts will have an awakening of the senses beyond anything they have ever known--and wish for endless ages it were not so.

For all involved we offer our pity and our prayers.

We pray for a nation and wonder how much longer God can resist roaring from heaven to answer the cry for vengeance that pleads with Him from a blood-soaked soil. May God have mercy on us all!

If we had more hot tears, more fervent pleas, might it melt the cold hearts that conspire in this tragedy of cosmic proportions?

2010-12-22T03:57:00.000-08:00

THE DISQUIETING MESSAGE FROM BETHLEHEM'S STABLE

The world tolerates the Baby in the manger--to some degree. Oh, they would do away with Him altogether, if they could--maybe gradually phasing Him out by placing a creche in the middle of a holiday display from various religions and secular traditions--but being rid of Him entirely, eventually, or altered so much as to be unrecognizable. Yet, if the world must recognize Him at all, they will consign Him to a cradle of straw as a cherubic infant. That is not particularly threatening, nor intimidating.

The problem rises when they consider what the Baby grew up to be! The life that He lived, the words that He spoke, the death that He died, the resurrection He experienced, the authority He claims, and the judgment He will decree--that is the disquieting message from Bethlehem's stable. The world would ignore or be slightly amused if only He only came as the Babe of Bethlehem, but they are not very happy with One who is coming again as King of kings and Lord of lords!

When Jesus came the first time, the world shoved Him off into a stable and shoved His crucified corpse into a sepulchre sealed with a stone. But, He wouldn't stay dead, so that when He comes the second time, He will do the shoving--into the Lake of Fire--the judgment of all who reject Him. That's what the world hates about Him. They just want to be left alone, and He will not permit it. If they could just stow Him away as an Infant in a manger scene, along with all the other decorations hidden in a box in the attic, only to drag out on special occasions!

That cannot be done. It isn't an option. One day every eye shall see Him, every knee will bow to Him and every tongue confess He is Lord. He has conquered. He will reign. That is the disquieting message from Bethlehem's stable.

2010-09-22T07:14:00.000-07:00

HARVEST TIME

It’s that wonderful time of year when the harvest is gathered. Summer has come to an end and fall has begun. The last of the crops must be claimed or they will be lost when the first blast of cold air comes to the mountains. There is no time to delay—it’s harvest time!

That is true in the spiritual realm also. Listen to these sad words:
“The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved!” (Jeremiah 8:20)

How tragic—the horror of missed opportunity! Jesus intimated that one soul is more valuable than the entire world--and some of those lost souls are our family, friends, fellow workers and classmates.

It’s harvest time!

This verse from the prophet Jeremiah, reminds us of:

• THE PRIORITY OF THE HARVEST “The harvest is past…” It’s all about the harvest! There are many things we do on earth that are important—singing God’s praises; communicating with Him; being with His people; serving Him, and the like. While not minimizing any of those activities, we will be able to do those in heaven. Something we won’t be able to do is to lead a lost soul to faith in Christ. Shouldn’t we make this a priority while we have opportunity?
• THE PRESERVATION OF THE HARVEST “the summer is ended…” There is a deadline and if the harvest of souls is not completed, they are lost—forever. We must gather them while we can. Is there someone you know who needs Christ? What are you doing to reach them?
• THE PERIL TO THE HARVEST “we are not saved!” Not saved! Not saved! Not saved! Too late! There is no second chance beyond this world. When we are called out to meet God—and that call can come without warning—we must be ready to meet Him. Heaven or hell—eternal joy or everlasting judgment—await that decision.

Sunday, November 7, is “Harvest Time” at Pole Creek! It is the Sunday the time changes and we roll the clock back an hour, for an extra hour of sleep. Statistics show that other than Easter it is the Sunday of the year with the highest attendance. It is a great Sunday for you to invite lost souls you know to come, pray for them, cultivate them, and bring them in to hear the Gospel. Jesus is still mighty to save! Now is the time to get to work in the field!

It’s HARVEST TIME!

2010-09-15T13:26:00.000-07:00

STARVING THE FLESH
SHAPE UP!

Listen to the Apostle Paul’s demand to get in shape, “Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy” (Romans 10:13). There are things that will be detrimental to your physical health, and the things listed here will be deleterious to your spiritual health.

Revelry is a word for a wild party. Sadly, some folks don’t make it to the celebration of worship with the saints on Sunday morning because of the carousing in wantonness with the sinful on Saturday night! It’s hard to focus on God Sunday morning if your eyes are bloodshot from the night before.

Drunkenness is another danger Paul warns about. Alcohol will make you see double and think half! It is easy for liquor to become your lord. It mastered me at one time, but I don’t need it; I’ve found Jesus to give boundless joy—and you don’t have a hangover the next day!

Then there is lewdness and lust—nakedness and nastiness. The first term has to do with sexual acts and the latter with sensual attitudes. Sex within marriage is a wonderful gift of God, but outside it become defiling and destructive. Hollywood doesn’t set the standard for the child of God—heaven does! We are called to holiness!

Then there is strife and envy. Some of us who may not consume alcohol and commit adultery may excuse our failure to control anger! We may not be a drunk, or debauched, but if we are divisive that is defiling too! And what about envy? What about wanting what others have—jealousy and covetousness—vile vices of the heart!

I hope for the sake of your physical health that you are in good condition. It is beneficial. But, above all, listen to this, “exercise yourself toward godliness. For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having a promise of the life that now is and that which is to come” (1 Timothy 4:7b-8).

Shape up!

2010-09-13T14:25:00.001-07:00

STARVING THE FLESH
DRESS UP!

Once you get up, you don’t go out until you dress up. It’s time to get out of your pajamas and put on your uniform. Paul says in Romans 13:12b, “cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.” You’re going to war! You’re headed into hostile territory and you need to be clothed for combat.

What is this armor of light? It is being clothed with Christ, “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ,” (v.14a).

Clothes adorn us—they are visible. Everywhere we go, we have them on. So, others should see Christ on display as we move through the world. When people look at you and me, do they see Jesus?

Dress up!

2010-09-09T06:51:00.000-07:00

STARVING THE FLESH
GET UP!

You can wake up, but then reach over, hit the snooze alarm and go back to sleep! It’s important to wake up, but then you need to get up! “The night is far spent, the day is at hand.” So, Paul wrote with urgency in Romans 13:12.

There are some days that it’s exciting to get up and get with it, but some others it’s a chore. It can be that way on Sunday morning. There was a fellow whose wife called to him, “Sweetheart, time to get up and get ready for church.” He grunted and said, “I don’t feel like it.” She said, “Come on now, you’ve got to get ready.” He groaned and pulled the blanket over his head, “Tell me one reason why!” She said, “Because you’re the pastor!”

I believe we have had some members lose the battle of the blankets and have been mastered by the mattress on Sunday mornings! You won’t get up because you feel like it, but it is an act of the will. It is a discipline. Time to go to work!

Old Vance Havner said, “There is anarchy in the world, apostasy in the church and apathy in the pew.” How true! I’ve had to shake my kids to get them up. I’m trying to do that to you today.

GET UP! NOW!

2010-09-08T17:05:00.000-07:00

STARVING THE FLESH
WAKE UP!

In 1775, the British troops intended to board boats and under cover of darkness slip across the river and attack Concord and Lexington. But someone was awake and alert—Paul Revere! Away he sped on horseback, sounding the alarm, “The regulars are coming out!” meaning that the regular British army was on the march. The colonial militia turned back the Redcoats. It was a critical moment in America’s march to freedom.

We are in such a critical hour today. The battle we face is spiritual in nature and against the forces of hell. I want to be a spiritual Paul Revere, calling you to wake up! That’s what another Paul, the Apostle said in Romans 13:11, “And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.”

He says, “knowing the time” that is, to have spiritual perception. When I was a teenager, the pop music group, Chicago had a hit song that asked the question, “Does anybody really know what time it is? Does anybody really care?” Well, we better know and we better care that, “now it is high time to awake out of sleep!”

There was an old farm couple, that went to sleep one night and something went wrong with the grandfather clock. It chimed thirteen! The old fellow yelled, “Get up Martha, it’s later than it’s ever been before!” It is! That’s what Paul says, “for now is our salvation nearer than when we first believed.”

He’s talking about the consummation of salvation—when we all get to heaven. I believe things are winding up in this world and what we do for Christ is an urgent matter! But even if Christ doesn’t return in our lifetime, we have a limited allotment of days and we can’t afford to be sleeping when we out to be serving! We’ve snuggled down in our padded pews and the devil has sung us a lullaby of deception.

I heard of a man called on to pray at the end of the service. He was a shy guy and he panicked. It seemed an eternity and he couldn’t say a word—just petrified. His wife whispered, “Just pray something” and he said, “Now, I lay me down to sleep.” Apparently the church has got that prayer down pat!

Wake up!

2010-09-07T14:13:00.000-07:00

STARVING THE FLESH

Several months ago, my wife Marilyn and I decided it was time to modify our lifestyle. We went on the South Beach diet. Over a period of time, the excess pounds went away. But, we’ve lost weight on diets before, only to go back to eating and putting the pounds back on.

This time, we’ve learned a discipline of three things: we weigh regularly so the pounds don’t creep back, adjust by cutting back when needed and keeping track of carbohydrates. If a food is high in carbs, we either don’t eat it, or take a small portion. We watch sugar intake—no sweet drinks—and I used to insist that my tea would ooze out of the pitcher like syrup!

But, this message isn’t about that kind of weight loss—it’s about the spiritual disciplines needed to live the transformed life; not about high impact aerobics, but high-impact spirituality. It’s about starving the fleshly, sinful appetites, so as not to become spiritually flabby. What kinds of disciplines are needed for that?

These are suggested in Paul’s thirteenth chapter of his letter to the Romans, verses eight through fourteen:

8 Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.
9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
11 And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.
12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.
13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in
lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.
14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

That will be our formula for starving the flesh and nourishing the spirit within, which we will set on the table before you, God willing, this week.

2010-08-25T05:59:00.000-07:00

GOD AND GOVERNMENT
THE REASON FOR GOVERNMENT

God has instituted human government for two primary reasons: to restrain the wicked and to reward the worthy. Paul has written:

2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.
3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same.
4 For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. (Romans 13:2-4)

The negative dimension for God ordained government is TO RESTRAIN THE WICKED. There is an argument over whether you can or cannot legislate morality. There are points to be made on each side. Every law is a legislation of morality in the sense that it says there is a conduct that is bad, and therefore, a conduct that is good. But the other side is, that such laws cannot impose morality, but really are legislation against immorality. Law cannot make us good—only God can make us good, but law can help restrain the evil. A law can’t make you love your neighbor, but it can tell you not to kill them. A law can’t make you honest, but it can tell you not to steal. The government authority has powers of punishment to enforce those laws. Sadly, our legal system has become a place for coddling criminals rather than convicting them! Such government has abandoned the reason it exists!

The positive dimension of God appointed government is TO REWARD THE WORTHY. While it is true that government can’t make us good, it can provide motivation for good behavior by rewarding it. Our military gives medals for those who distinguish themselves in service. The Congress has special citations for those who contribute much to the well-being of society. One of the ways government rewards productivity is financial incentive. But ours is doing just the opposite, punishing the successful and bailing out the failing!

Government works best when it does these two things—when it is limited in scope and laser-like in focus. When it goes beyond those bounds, it becomes an oppressive system. Our founders said it well in the preamble to the United States Constitution, that government exists to, “provide for the common defense” and to “promote the general Welfare.” The founding fathers were so wise—they didn’t say, to “provide the general welfare” but to “promote” it. We have become a nation bogged down and bankrupted by bureaucracy in the attempt to provide welfare for every citizen—an impossibility! The common defense is provided by restraining those who do wickedly and the general welfare is promoted by rewarding those who do well. That’s reasonable—and it’s biblical! Too bad most politicians don’t understand that today, and the tragedy is that too few American voters know enough to vote those in who do understand and vote out those who don’t.

2010-08-25T05:05:00.000-07:00

GOD AND GOVERNMENT
THE ROOT OF GOVERNMENT

Clearly, human government is rooted in God’s design and decree. This is taught from Genesis to Revelation in direct precept and implied principle. One such instance is Romans 13:1, which states, “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.” So, God has appointed human government. As I have been appointed by God to direct the affairs of this church as your minister, so government has been ordained by God to direct the affairs of state as your minister. Three times in Romans 13:4-6, the Apostle declares that government is our minister for good.

Even though there are various kinds of government, and some of these are better than others, any government is better than no government, for that is anarchy! Anarchy is the most horrible condition—no rules, no restraint, utter chaos—a catastrophe beyond all description. The government Paul called on Christians to submit to was led by the depraved despot Nero, seated upon the throne of world empire, and yet, the Apostle commanded Christians to honor him as one appointed to his place by God. In fact, we are told that there is none in power except by the sovereign choice of God. He raises rulers, replaces rulers, reforms rulers, and rejects rulers. God rules the rulers!

Consider what the Bible says concerning the Pharaoh of Egypt during Moses’ day, “For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, ‘For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.’ ” (Romans 9:17). Then, we have these statements concerning Nebuchadnezzar, the tyrant of Babylon,

37 You, O king, are a king of kings. For the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power,strength, and glory;
38 and wherever the children of men dwell, or the beasts of the field and the birds of the heaven, He has given them into your hand, and has made you ruler over them all— you are this head of gold.
39 But after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours; then another, a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth.
40 And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything; and like iron that crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others.
41 Whereas you saw the feet and toes,partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of the iron shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay.
42 And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile.
43 As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay.
44 And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.
45 Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold—the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure.” (Daniel 2:37-45)

Further, we have the case of Christ on trial before the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate. As you recall, the ruler is baffled that Jesus refuses to defend himself, and the accusations are met only with silence. Exasperated, Pilate cries, “Do you not know that I have the power to crucify You, and power to release You?” (John 19:10), but Christ answers, “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above.” (John 19:11).

Sin in its basic and basest form is a rejection of authority and embracing of autonomy. In the garden, Adam rejected the authority placed over him because he wanted to be a god himself. In the first empire, Babel, the people sought to bring themselves up to heaven by building a tower. This spirit marks the sinful heart of man. But, the child of God has repented of this and shows it by subjection to authority. A Christian is to be a model citizen. Even government leaders are under God’s authority and better not forget!

2010-08-23T07:54:00.000-07:00

GOD AND GOVERNMENT

A Christian is a citizen of two kingdoms. Our ultimate allegiance is to Christ as our Lord, but as an expression of that we give allegiance to our country and its laws. We are in the world, but not of the world. That is, we are not to be corrupted by the world through living according to the warped views of sinful man, but we are to be connected to the world to impact the culture with the righteous Word of God. All humanity needs the salt and light which believers are to bring to bear on life—permeating the society, touching every realm of experience.

Jesus told us to, “Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and unto God, the things that are God’s.” Be careful how you read that. We tend to compartmentalize life—to separate the secular and the sacred—when these two are integrated. All of life for the child of God is sacred—and this would include the political. Paul tells us the relationship of God and government in his teaching found in the opening verses of the thirteenth chapter of Romans. Here’s what he wrote:

1 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.
2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.
3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same.
4 For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.
5 Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake.
6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers attending continually to this very thing.
7 Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor. (Romans 13:1-7)

We will explore these truths further throughout this week, God willing.

2010-08-19T13:16:00.000-07:00

GETTING ALONG WITH DIFFICULT PEOPLE
OUR RESPONSIBILITY TOWARD ALL HUMANITY AND OUR RESTRAINT THROUGH OUR HOPE

It has been said,

“To live up above with saints that we love—that will be glory;
But to dwell here below, with saints that we know—that’s another story!”

That is so true. In fact, the Christian life is even more difficult that that—as hard as that may seem. We have a responsibility to get along with even the wicked of the world! Look at Paul’s words in Romans 12:18-21,

18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.
19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.
20 Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a
drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

There is then, OUR RESPONSIBILITY TOWARD ALL HUMANITY (v.18)

Make every effort to get along with others—whether in the church or in the community, among the Christian or the carnal. The reality is that you cannot guarantee others will respond peaceably to you. But, you can do all that you can do. This doesn’t mean we compromise our standards or doctrines, but even when we must take a stand we speak the truth in love. Too many church folk are “pugnacious.” They are always looking for a fight.

Further, we find, OUR RESTRAINT THROUGH OUR HOPE (v.19-21)

Have you ever heard this, “Don’t get mad—get even!”? That appeals to our flesh. It is not the way of God. There is to be restraint rather than retaliation. Such restraint rests in the hope that God sees all, is in control and will take care of it.

This is:

• HOPE IN THE VENGEANCE OF GOD (v.19) God can handle it better than you—and He will—because He is a just God.
• HOPE IN THE VIRTUE OF GRACE (v.20) God gives us grace. We don’t get what we deserve. That’s the same virtue we are to display.
• HOPE IN THE VICTORY OF GOOD (v.21) We may choose to compromise with evil and become part of it; or contend with evil and act like the world; or—and here’s the Christian response—conquer it with good!

There are some difficult problems coming your way—and, some difficult people! But God has promised His grace is sufficient for us.

2010-08-18T09:39:00.000-07:00

GETTING ALONG WITH DIFFICULT PEOPLE
OUR RELATIONSHIP TO THE HUMBLE AND REGARD FOR THE HONORABLE

There are difficulties in life—there’s no denying it! Sometimes there are difficult problems, and sometimes there are difficult people. The church is immune from neither and so Scripture addresses both. Paul is directly speaking to the matter of getting along with difficult people in Romans 12:14-21. Consider these words:

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.
16 Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.
17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.
18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.
19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.
20 Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Two kinds of people we will deal with according to verses sixteen and seventeen are the humble and the honorable. Several related truths are connected to these central principles.

OUR RELATIONSHIP TO THE HUMBLE (v.16)

In America, we love celebrity. We want to read about the lifestyles of the rich and famous. Do you know a “name-dropper,” someone who has met or is related to some famous person, and they have to tell you all about it? Scripture challenges us to do just the opposite—to seek out the humble. It is what God does. Notice these verses:

26 For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.
27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;
28 and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are,
29 that no flesh should glory in His presence.
30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption—
31 that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:26-31)

Jesus picked a motley crew of fishermen, a tax-collector—riff-raff. In fact, God despises arrogance—it is the very spirit of the devil!

Self-promotion leads to schism. The undercurrent here is a church in Rome composed of citizens and slaves; Jewish and Gentile converts. Harmony was to be the goal. Conceit and an inflated view of one’s own opinion sounds a discordant note.

OUR REGARD FOR THE HONORABLE (v.17)

A bulldog can win a fight with a skunk, but it’s not worth it! Trying to get even with others only pulls us down with them. The way to invest your time and energy is in lifting others up and in the process you are blessed as well.

Concentrate on that which is good and honorable. Spend time doing the good things and you’ll have no time left for doing the evil things. If you look for good in someone long enough you can generally find it.

Note this important last phrase, “in the sight of all men.” The world is watching—and our credibility as a Christian is at stake by how we treat our fellowman. Dealing with difficult people in a godly way is a powerful testimony to God’s grace.

2010-08-17T13:33:00.000-07:00

GETTING ALONG WITH DIFFICULT PEOPLE
OUR REJOICING WITH THE HAPPY AND OUR RESPONSE TO THE HURTING

Paul shows us the way to get along with difficult people in Romans 12:14-21. We all need the help because we all know difficult people—and sometimes we are those difficult people! Today, we consider two types of people that may give us difficulty: the happy and the hurting. With these we are commanded to, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep” (v.15).

OUR REJOICING WITH THE HAPPY: “Rejoice with those who rejoice…” (v.15a).

That sounds simple enough compared to the previously stated expectation of responding with love to the hateful (v.14), but actually it is not quite as easy as it seems. Again, it is our nature to rejoice when something makes us happy, but can we rejoice with others who have found happiness? Aren’t we tempted to think, “Why did they get that job promotion, when I’m more deserving?” “Why did God answer their prayer, but He doesn’t answer mine?” Covetousness can soon capture our heart and instead of rejoicing with those who rejoice, we seek a reason to find fault and criticize. Rejoicing can give way to resentment.

OUR RESPONSE TO THE HURTING: “weep with those who weep” (v.15b).

We don’t like to hear crying. It makes us uncomfortable. It reminds us of our own pain. But we are to weep with those that weep. This is what we call empathy—putting ourselves into the shoes of another and feeling what they feel—their tears to mingle with ours. Life is full of heartaches and when another weeps with us, that sorrow seems half as heavy, because another is helping bear that burden. Notice it isn’t so much what we express with words, but weeping that is called for.

Job faced a tidal wave of trouble. At first, his friends came and just sat with him—and that was good. But then in the midst of his misery and unanswered perplexity, Job’s friends tried to defend God and explain it all, winding up blaming Job for the calamity. Job then called them, “miserable comforters.” They were! Weep with the weeping—that’s the best thing you can do—the ministry of your presence and pity. They don’t need your profundity—at least not then.

The shortest verse in Scripture is no less powerful for its brevity. It simply states, “Jesus wept.” Here is the Son of God at the graveside of his dear friend Lazarus and alongside the beloved sisters Mary and Martha. What does He do in their grief? He joins them. He weeps with the weepers. So should we.

Several weeks ago, I visited with my eldest son, Chris, wife Amber and family. One evening we went to Applebee’s for supper and a lady came by with balloons that she would make into animals. Spotting the kiddos—and grandpa—at the table, she made sure to stop by, and I saw pinned to her shirt a button, “I make balloon animals for tips!” Here was some easy money for her. What’s a Papa to do? Every child had to have an animal. Makayla, granddaughter, age 10, got a dog; Jacob, grandson, age 5, an orange tiger, and Sam, grandson, age 3, a tiger—a blue tiger. After the meal, we headed to Walmart and the balloon animals were left in the car, since Mom knew they would be either lost or popped in the store. Despite the good intentions, when we came back to the car—the dog was fine, the orange tiger intact, but the blue tiger was deflated, except for its head. Little Sam was upset, of course. But then, the sweetest thing happened. Jacob reached over to his younger sibling and said, “I’m sorry Sam, you can play with my balloon.” It melted my heart—such pure love!

That’s how Christians need to care for each other. Learn to say with a child’s sincerity to someone who has experienced loss, “I’m sorry. You can play with my balloon.”

2010-08-16T12:19:00.000-07:00

GETTING ALONG WITH DIFFICULT PEOPLE
OUR RESPONSE TO THE HATEFUL

Diamonds are formed when a lump of coal is subjected to prolonged heat and pressure. God is in the business of shaping His children into precious gems that will sparkle both now and for eternity. He does this the same way as forming a diamond—in this pressure cooker world—and often the source of that heat and pressure is difficult people. People can be so abrasive, but we need to think of them as heavenly sandpaper meant to polish us! Paul the Apostle speaks to the subject of getting along with difficult people in Romans 12:14-21. Here’s what he says,

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.
16 Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.
17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.
18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.
19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.
20 Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Paul was one who had learned how to deal with difficult people and so is uniquely qualified to help us.

Consider first, OUR RESPONSE TO THE HATEFUL, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.” (v.14) All Paul is doing here is echoing our Lord’s teaching from the Sermon on the Mount. There Jesus said, “Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven…” (Matt.5:44-45a).

You see, in my natural state, as a son of Adam, my response to hateful people is to return that hatred. If someone curses me, it is instinctive to curse them back. But, if I am indeed a son of God, my response is to be like that of the Heavenly Father—to be merciful and forgiving, loving and kind. This is how the perfect Son of God lived and I am to become more and more like Him. See Him hanging in agony on the cross, His tormentors lathering Him with spittle and covering Him with curses, as they tread underfoot His precious blood. Hear Him speaking in mercy from the cross concerning these cruel mockers, “Father, forgive them!” This is to be our response to the hateful and by the indwelling of Christ’s life, it can be done!

2010-08-12T06:33:00.000-07:00

CAN YOU SPOT A CHRISTIAN?
PATIENT HOPE

You can spot a Christian by the hope that exudes from them. Peter writes, “always be ready to give defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15b). That conveys the expectation that a true child of God will exhibit such a patient hope that others demand an explanation. Peter’s fellow Apostle, Paul, put it like this, “rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer” (Romans 12:12).

What is so incredible about this hope that it can only be found in one who is born-again?

There is the action of “rejoicing in hope.” Rejoicing is a verb—an act of the will bringing an activity of worship. It springs from the well of hope inside that recognizes that no matter how bad things may be, there is always the promise of better days, and no matter how wonderful things may be, that the best is yet to come! This isn’t mere wishful thinking, but confident assurance rooted in the character of God. In the midst of trials, one stands upon the promises and lifts the hands and heart to heaven with a resounding, “Hallelujah!”

This hope is incredibly supernatural, in that there is the attitude of being “patient in tribulation.” Jesus said in John 16:33, “In this world you will have tribulation” (and who can deny that?) “but be of good cheer” (and how can we do that?) “I have overcome the world” (and thus we can declare that!). Jesus said it; believe it and embrace it! That kind of hope will generate a patient endurance of trials, much like a woman in labor, who though not enjoying but enduring the birth pains, does so in anticipation of the joyful deliverance!

Such hope is strengthened in the application of “continuing steadfastly in prayer.” A consistent time spent in the presence of God, staying until heartache dissipates and hope radiates, in the environment of prayer. There we gaze into the face of God, we abide in the presence of Christ, we are aided by the Comforter, and having knelt in weakness, we rise in power—the very hope of glory flooding our being!

Is this statement true of you, “our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3)? Is that hope alive in you?

That is how you spot a Christian!

2010-08-11T09:21:00.000-07:00

CAN YOU SPOT A CHRISTIAN?
PASSIONATE SERVICE

Christians are servants of God. That is a clear mark that enables us to spot a true Christian. It is unthinkable that someone could have repented of their sin and experienced regeneration without submission to Christ’s service. What do we think it means for Christ to be our Lord? The Apostle Paul says this in Romans 12:11, “not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.”

The service we render is to be passionate. It isn’t to be viewed as drudgery, but as delightful. What a privilege we have to serve the Lord! Diligence is called for—a meticulous devotion to whole-hearted obedience. We are to be careful not to have lackadaisical attitudes or lagging actions, but to plunge zealously into Kingdom business.

This means to be fervent in spirit. That is, not mere outward conformity—going through the motions—doing our duty. It is an inward compulsion—a spark that ignites one with fire to get the job done and to do it right and to get it right the first time. This service means to spend and be spent to the glory of God.

In heaven, there will be an extension and elevation of our service, “His servants shall serve Him” (Revelation 22:3). If we don’t begin to serve God down here, what makes us think that we are going to up there?

2010-08-10T13:20:00.001-07:00

CAN YOU SPOT A CHRISTIAN?
PERSONAL AFFECTION

If you have attended church for very long, it is likely you have heard this, “If you were on trial for being a Christian, is there enough evidence to convict you?” It is a cliché—but still worth considering. This is the point Paul is making in Romans 12:9-13:

9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.
10 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;
11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;
12 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;
13 distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.

As we noted in our last lesson, you can identify a Christian by five “spots:”

PURE LOVE

PERSONAL AFFECTION

PASSIONATE SERVICE

PATIENT HOPE

PRACTICAL HELP

We have discussed the first spot of PURE LOVE and now move to the second: PERSONAL AFFECTION. Here’s how it’s framed in Romans 12:10, “Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another.”

The milk of human kindness has curdled in most folks. People are caustic and not compassionate; hot-headed rather than coolly collected. Crudeness and rudeness—abrasiveness and anger—mark so many in the world today. Yet, the child of God is to exhibit kindness and affection. When people think of you, would the word, “kind” come to mind?

Love compels us to be caring for others. This is called, “brotherly love” as there is nothing sensual or sexual suggested here. Men and women are to love each other with this kind of affection—as brothers and sisters in the household of faith.

This kind of love means that we honor others. We see them as God sees them, as people of value, created in His image. Instead of being self-seeking, we give others preferential treatment.

When I express these qualities, a portrait comes to mind. I see Jesus. This is how He lived, and served, bled and died—and if I am His follower, then His example should be evident in me.

Is it?

2010-08-10T13:20:00.000-07:00

As we noted in our last lesson, you can identify a Christian by five “spots:”

PURE LOVE
PERSONAL AFFECTION
PASSIONATE SERVICE
PATIENT HOPE
PRACTICAL HELP

We have discussed the first spot of PURE LOVE and now move to the second: PERSONAL AFFECTION. Here’s how it’s framed in Romans 12:10, “Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another.”

The milk of human kindness has curdled in most folks. People are caustic and not compassionate; hot-headed rather than coolly collected. Crudeness and rudeness—abrasiveness and anger—mark so many in the world today. Yet, the child of God is to exhibit kindness and affection. When people think of you, would the word, “kind” come to mind?

Love compels us to be caring for others. This is called, “brotherly love” as there is nothing sensual or sexual suggested here. Men and women are to love each other with this kind of affection—as brothers and sisters in the household of faith.

This kind of love means that we honor others. We see them as God sees them, as people of value, created in His image. Instead of being self-seeking, we give others preferential treatment.

When I express these qualities, a portrait comes to mind. I see Jesus. This is how He lived, and served, bled and died—and if I am His follower, then His example should be evident in me.

Is it?

2010-08-09T14:18:00.000-07:00

CAN YOU SPOT A CHRISTIAN?
PURE LOVE

If it were possible to put a group of church members into a barrel with a group of unbelievers, shake them up and pour them all out—would it be possible to spot the Christians? I’m afraid that there is little appreciable difference in worldview, actions and attitudes, and sorting one out from the other would be exceedingly difficult. Such a thing ought never be! There should be some distinguishing marks of a genuine Christian. Several of these are suggested in a list of commands given by the Apostle Paul in Romans 12:9-13,

9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.
10 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;
11 not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;
12 rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;
13 distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.

As you can tell a leopard by his spots, so there are five “spots” that identify the Christian:

PURE LOVE
PERSONAL AFFECTION
PASSIONATE SERVICE
PATIENT HOPE
PRACTICAL HELP

Today, let’s focus on PURE LOVE. Paul says, “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.” (Romans 12:9)

Love can be feigned. Sometimes spouses find their mate has been going through the motions of fidelity, when it is a fraud. Their love has been given to another. Many Old Testament prophets charged the people of God with spiritual adultery—with their lips claiming love for God while their hearts were far from Him. Judas was such a hypocrite. He was numbered with the Apostles. He placed a kiss on the Master’s cheek—but it was the foulest treachery. He abhorred the cross and clung to the coins.

Pure love is without hypocrisy. It is real. It is exclusive. This is the most important commandment of all Jesus said—to love God with all our being. If we love Him, then we will loathe evil. All that is good will become our great obsession, for all that is good is of God, and when we find that good, we will hold onto it tenaciously.

Can you spot this pure love in your life—and would others affirm it?

2010-08-05T07:09:00.000-07:00

BUILDING UP THE BODY
THE SERVICE OF BODY BUILDING GIFTS

Paul introduces the section on these body building gifts by stressing, “Having then gifts…let us use them” (Romans 12:6). He gets right to the practical nature of the gifts—not something of mysticism, but something of ministry. Our attitude must transform from demanding our rights that the church serve us, to accepting our responsibilities in church service.

THERE IS OBEDIENCE.

In calling us to get to work, the Lord isn’t offering a suggestion, but giving a commandment. It is simply a matter of deciding whether you are going to live for service or live for self and sin! If you don’t have a ministry in and through the church—why not?

There are certain expectations that I have as a father for our children. There are chores to do around the house. Now, while the kids would rather play and goof around than work, I have told them that our house isn’t a democracy but a dictatorship! This is true of the church—and, of course, I am not speaking of the pastor being a dictator! Jesus Christ is THE head of HIS church. Utilizing our gifts in the service of building up the body is strictly a matter of obedience.

THERE IS OPPORTUNITY.

If you are born-again into the family of God, you have received one of the gifts listed in Romans 12:6-8.

6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith;
7 or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching;
8 he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

There is the gift of prophecy—not about foretelling the future, but forth-telling the truth. Members of the body with this gift are like the immune system detecting the invasion of unsound doctrine or immoral conduct.

There’s the gift of ministry, and these people are the hands of the body. They use their gifts in practical acts of service. These see what needs to be done, roll up their sleeves and just do it.

Then, there is the gift of teaching. Here are members who are disciplined students of the Word—systematic in preparation and presentation. They are the mouths of the body, who communicate to us so we may understand God’s Word.

Further, there’s the gift of exhortation. These are the nerves of the body that stimulate activity and get the members to respond. These are motivators in the church. This is my primary spiritual gift. So, if I get on your nerves—I’m only doing my job!

Paul lists the gift of giving. These usually have the ability to make money and always have the willingness to share it. These are the eyes and ears of the body that see need and hear hurt that must be met.

He also writes of the gift of leadership. These have an administrative gift, being the mind of the body. They know how all the other members need to work together and direct them as a unit for the good of the whole. These are big-picture folks who can organize ministry.

There’s the gift of mercy. Such have great compassion. They are the heart of the body.

The late Dr. Adrian Rogers gave a classic illustration of how this works in a practical way at a church fellowship meal. Someone, carrying a big tray of food, drops it.

The prophet immediately says, “You need to be careful. I knew that was going to happen.”

The one with the gift of ministry responds, “Let me help you clean that up.”

The teacher states, “Here’s why that happened.”

The exhorter declares, “Next time I’m sure you’ll get it right!”

The one with the gift of giving says, “Food is expensive. Let’s chip in and pay for that.”

The leader quickly decrees, “Bob, grab a mop. Sally, get some more food from the kitchen.”

Then the one with the gift of mercy sympathetically states, “Oh, I’m so sorry, you spilled that! You must feel terrible!”

Which of those gifted people were needed? Everyone! All of them together enable the body to function in a healthy way.

So—have you discovered your spiritual gift? Are you developing your spiritual gift? Have you deployed your spiritual gift? Christ is watching, the church is waiting, but are you working?

2010-08-04T07:22:00.000-07:00

BUILDING UP THE BODY
THE SPHERE OF BODY BUILDING GIFTS

A key phrase, that is found in Romans 12:5, and indeed throughout the New Testament, helps us understand the operation of spiritual gifts, “so we, being many, are one body in Christ.” The local church is the visible expression of Christ’s body to the world. It is how He accomplishes His work. Participation in a local church is the sphere where God builds you up in maturity and sends you out in ministry.

Consider how IN THE BODY WE HAVE DIVERSITY, “For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function…” (Romans 12:4).

So the church is one body, but many members. Just as our physical body has different organs and systems that work together to insure the health of the whole, so God has designed the body of Christ. The value and contribution of each member must be acknowledged. Diversity must be embraced and differences must not bring dissension or the body’s health deteriorates, strength dissipates and death may culminate. This happens in churches all the time—how tragic!

Furthermore IN THE BODY WE HAVE DEPENDENCY, “so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.” (Romans 12:5)

The parts of my physical body cannot survive independently of one another. We need each other! My body can adapt when some organs are missing, but it doesn’t function as well. Pole Creek will never be all that God wants it to be unless you are involved—each member doing their share.

If not you—who? If not now—when?

2010-08-04T05:41:00.001-07:00

DOG DAYS

Are you familiar with the expression?

"Dog Days" are the hottest, most sultry days of summer. In the northern hemisphere, they usually fall between early July and early September…. Dog Days can also define a time period or event that is very hot or stagnant, or marked by dull lack of progress. The name comes from the ancient belief that Sirius, also called the Dog Star, was somehow responsible for the hot weather.

We are in the “Dog Days” literally and figuratively! It’s time to shake out of the doldrums and get back to making some progress. Spiritual stagnation can never be the will of God. As a mariner comes into dead calm, and prays for a fresh wind to blow, so we must set our sails and cry out to God for the wind of heaven to come!

I understand that it is hard to build any momentum in the life of the church during summer. It can be a season to catch your breath and God is not opposed to that—after all He designed the concept of Sabbath! We need a vacation from time to time. I’ve taken one myself.

But now, the summer is nearly spent and it’s time for what comes at the end of summer—the season of harvest! There is work to do in the Lord’s field and it is now time to roll up our sleeves and let scriptural inspiration move us to spiritual perspiration!

I want to challenge you to reconnect to your church family. Don’t let a time of being away become a trend of being absent. Habits of worship, Bible study, prayer, witnessing and giving are holy habits—spiritual disciplines that need consistency if there is to be maturity. Bad habits can become ingrained easily, too, if we let them. We are creatures of habit, aren’t we?

The Lord Jesus who walked the weary way to Calvary, wounded and bleeding, to die for us, deserves our absolute allegiance and affections. His mission to the world calls us to give and go that all may hear the good news that Jesus saves.

God has done, is doing and will do great things through Pole Creek, but that means that each of us needs to do what we can. A little lad’s lunch—only five loaves and two fish—placed in the hands of Christ can feed thousands!

Let’s seek God’s blessing in unprecedented ways! I’m dog-tired of dog days!

2010-08-03T11:05:00.000-07:00

BUILDING UP THE BODY
THE SOURCE OF BODY BUILDING GIFTS

Paul, an Apostle of Jesus Christ, tells us in Romans 12:3, that God Himself is the source of spiritual gifts that build up the Body of Christ, His church, “For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.” Give attention to the phrase, “God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.”

This means:

NO ROOM FOR BOASTING: IT’S GRACE!
None of us deserve the gifts we have—that’s what makes it grace. They are, after all, gifts! We aren’t to boast about our gifts. There’s no room for spiritual swagger. Some gifts are more visible than others, but none is more vital than the others. Our service isn’t about building our ego, but building the body!

Further, we find:

NO REASON FOR BELITTLING: YOU’RE GIFTED!
Every child of God is a gifted child! That’s not bragging--it’s a fact. While Paul warns us about thinking too highly of ourselves, there is a way we ought to think of ourselves. It’s wrong to be proud, but it is also wrong to poormouth! Many of us limit what God wants to do through us because we focus on our puny ability rather than God’s powerful availability.

2010-08-02T12:44:00.000-07:00

BUILDING UP THE BODY

A little girl overheard a discussion in church about the difference between the clergy and the laity. She said, “I know the difference! The clergy get paid for doing good and the laity are good for nothing!” I suspect that’s true in a lot of churches—and the problem isn’t necessarily lazy laity—though it might be—but much of the problem could be confused clergy. They don’t know what they are supposed to be doing and they are doing that very efficiently! It shouldn’t surprise us that a lot of local bodies of believers are very sick, for the pastors are guilty of spiritual malpractice.

The Bible is to govern the way we do church—are we agreed?

Here’s a dramatic illustration of how the church is to be organized to do the ministry:

1 Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution.
2 Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables.
3 Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business;
4 but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch,
6 whom they set before the apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them.
7 Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith. (Acts 6:1-7)

The leadership base was expanded and exponential growth ensued. With this, there would be even more need for more ministries and God’s directive to that end was given through the pen of the Apostle Paul, “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ…” (Ephesians 4:11-12).

The “clergy” are not the professionals hired to do the work of the ministry, but are called and gifted of God to equip the members to do their ministry. Here is how Paul puts it in Romans 12:3-8:

3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.
4 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function,
5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.
6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith;
7 or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching;
8 he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

The New Testament teaches throughout that the body of Christ is built as believers discover, develop and deploy their spiritual gifts. Do you know your gift? Are your using it?

2010-07-29T07:21:00.000-07:00

TRANSFORMERS
THE DEFINITE DEMONSTRATION

The will of God can be known—if we seek to find it and follow it. God is delighted to reveal His will for us, if we only delight to be ruled by it. It is a mark of the transformed life. Paul underscored this in Romans 12:2, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (emphasis added).

THE WILL OF GOD IS PROVABLE “that you may prove…”
The Greek word is dokimazo which means “to recognize as genuine after examination.” As we say it, “the proof of the pudding is in the eating.” A true inner transformation will always be proven by an outer demonstration.

THE WILL OF GOD IS PALATABLE “good...”
Why do we think the will of God a bitter pill to swallow? The Psalmist exhorted, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!” Dare we think that an infinitely wise and utterly loving God would be capable of willing anything for us other than our good?

THE WILL OF GOD IS POSSIBLE “acceptable...”
God would only ask us to accept the possible. It may well be difficult, but it is doable. He will give you the grace to do what you ought to do.

God’s will is found in His Word. Start there. We always wonder about, “Should I marry and whom should I marry?” “Should I go to college and where?” “Should I take this job or that job?” We get bogged down in a myriad of minutia—and I am not saying that any detail of our life shouldn’t be scrutinized for God’s desire in it. Rather, I am saying that if we aren’t careful, we lose sight of the forest for the trees. God has many clear principles to guide us in His Word—a roadmap for the essential matters of life. Get it into your mind so you can have renewed thinking and you’ll be amazed at the clarity concerning God’s will you’ll discover.

THE WILL OF GOD IS PERFECT “perfect will of God.”
The word means to be brought to completion. It is that which Jesus declared from the cross, “It is finished!” Flawlessly and faithfully, Christ fully accomplished His mission from His Father. Although we will not always do it impeccably, we can finish well. This was Paul’s testimony. He would write, just before his martyrdom, “I have fought a good fight; I have finished my course; I have kept the faith.” Now, we can do likewise. By the way, God’s will is perfectly suited for you—as He has designed you.

Scripture calls us to be transformed into Christ’s likeness. According to Romans 12:2, this requires a decisive denial, a deliberate discipline and a definite demonstration. Are you right now proving what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God?

2010-07-28T07:15:00.000-07:00

TRANSFORMERS
THE DELIBERATE DISCIPLINE

Scripture calls us to be transformed into Christ’s likeness. According to Romans 12 :2, this requires a decisive denial, “And do not be conformed to this world…” and a deliberate discipline, “but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

It has been said that nature abhors a vacuum. Something is going to fill the space between your ears. Something is going to fill the void in your heart. It isn’t enough to try to keep out the world’s garbage—you must welcome the truth that will transform your life.

There is THE POTENTIAL OF LIFE CHANGE to be “transformed.”

You know, they seem to be making kids brighter these days. At least, my grandchildren are particularly brilliant! My little six year old, Josie, the other day popped up and said, “Nana, I know a word that means change—metamorphosis.” Then she went on to explain the metamorphosis of an ugly old caterpillar wriggling across the ground, becoming a beautiful butterfly flitting through the air. That word comes from the Greek word used by Paul, “transformed.”

Another time it is used in the New Testament is the transfiguration of Jesus—it is the same word. You recall the story, don’t you? Jesus takes Peter, James and John onto a high mountain where what He was on the inside manifests itself on the outside—the hidden glory radiating from Him. Looking at Jesus during the days of His earthly pilgrimage was not to detect anything imposing or unusual about His appearance. He looked like the typical Jewish man of His era. There was no halo or anything of that nature. Jesus was 100% man—but, He was also 100% God! It is just that His deity was often hidden behind the veil of flesh. On the mountain of transfiguration, that changed, and for a brief shining moment, the veil was pulled back and His glory shone out.

There is the potential for Christ in you, to be seen from you—His life manifest in our flesh. A father was explaining to his little boy about what it meant to be a Christian. He mentioned that it means Jesus comes to live in you. The lad asked, “Isn’t Jesus bigger than me?” “Oh, yes,” his father replied. To which the youngster in wide-eyed wonder asked, “But, Daddy, if Jesus comes to live inside me, won’t He stick out?” He sure will! If Christ is in you, then He should be evident.

Further there is THE PROCESS FOR LIFE CHANGE in the “renewing of your mind.”

God has given us a fabulous computer called the mind. That is where life change takes place. Recently I experienced the crash of my hard drive on my laptop. All I could do to fix it was to run System Restore. When completed, I had to begin to download files and reload programs. We are born with a defective hard drive. At salvation, God does System Restore. But then we can allow the world’s malware and Satan’s viruses to infect our computer. What we need is the ant-virus software of Scripture and the firewall of prayer to guard our minds! As we read, meditate on and yield to God’s Word, our mind is renewed—like optimizing the performance and defragmenting your hard disk on the computer. Regular maintenance is required!

Whatever you program into that computer is what you are going to get out of it. You cannot continually look at the world’s movies, listen to the world’s music and love the world’s manner without being squeezed into the world’s mold. It is such a gradual process: like the way water in a riverbed wears away a rock, or the frog in a kettle. Have you heard that? Place a frog in a kettle of hot water and he’ll jump out. But let him be in cool water and gradually turn up the heat and he’ll sit there and cook!

Are you a Trekkie (a devotee of Star Trek for the uninitiated)? In the series, there is an alien race called the Borg. They all look the same, talk the same, serve the same goals—all part of the collective consciousness. Their stated intent is, “Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated.” Their objective is to assimilate every being into the Borg, to conform them to the Collective. That’s science fiction, but the reality is that this is what the world system is doing.

Resistance is demanded, however! It will not be futile! There are places a child of God shouldn’t go and things he shouldn’t look at or listen to. You say, “I have the right!” Do you? Again I remind you of the context, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” (Romans12:1). Then, weigh this, “For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1 Corinthians 6:20) We must instead take into the windows of the soul (our eyes and ears) the Word of God—that will renew us and transform us. This is a process too! It won’t happen overnight. It involves effort—discipline and devotion. It’s not about conforming to a set of rules, however; it’s about genuine transformation from the inside out. The third time this Greek word is used in describing this spiritual metamorphosis is in 2 Corinthians 3:18, “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

Is Jesus sticking out?

2010-07-27T08:23:00.000-07:00

TRANSFORMERS
THE DECISIVE DENIAL

That Christians are to be transformed is clear, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” That’s what the Bible commands in Romans 12:2. But how to do it, may not be as understandable.

The first component is what I call, THE DECISIVE DENIAL. Paul writes, “do not be conformed to this world.” That requires a decisive act and it results in a denial of self.

Yet, we must underscore that sheer willpower alone is insufficient. We can commit all we want and all we have and that commitment will falter almost immediately due to our own frailty. The Christian life demands the very life of Christ and His grace and power to enable us to live obediently. Our human resolve isn’t enough. We need heavenly resources. Thank God, we have them in His indwelling Spirit!

Still, the flip-side to this is that God will not transform us apart from our willingness to yield to Him. His transforming touch is available, but must be appropriated by our surrender. You dare not isolate this verse from the context of Romans 12:1, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”

Yesterday, we introduced this concept of transformers by talking about Transformers—the robots of the old cartoon series and recent movie sequels. The fact is: we are not robots! God doesn’t program us, push a button and, suddenly, we are transformed. There must be a decision and that is to stand tall against the world, by leaning all upon the Lord. If you do not make a decisive denial of the world’s standards, you will be conformed to the world.

This is due to THE PERIL TO CONFORM WE WILL FACE. It is vital to know what we mean by “the world.” Literally, it means the “age” and refers to this present evil age of rebellion against God, where Satan is called, “The god of this world (age)” (2 Cor.4:4). John MacArthur says that the world is “the sum of the demonic-human philosophy of life.” The Apostle John helps define the world in 1 John 2:15-18:

15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.
17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
18 Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.

The world is marked by hedonism: the love of pleasure, “the lust of the flesh”; by materialism: the love of possessions, “the lust of the eyes”; by egotism: the love of position, “the pride of life”—an unholy trinity of money, sex and power. Many have surrendered to this foe.

So, there will be THE PRESSURE TO CONFORM WE MUST FIGHT. The Greek term suggests an external pressure like squeezing something into a mold. That’s what the world is constantly seeking to do—to twist your mind into accepting its warped values, to bend your heart to pursuing its wicked vices, to shape your life into a mangled moral mess of no use to God. The world is pressuring you to spend your time on carnal pleasure, to spend your treasure on material possessions, and to spend your talent on egotistical promotion of self. You must say, “No!” in the power of the Holy Spirit.

2010-07-26T07:04:00.000-07:00

TRANSFORMERS

It was 1984 and my oldest son, Chris, was six years old at the time. He became mesmerized by a new cartoon, imported from Japan, called, “Transformers.” The show began with, “Transformers, more than meets the eye! Transformers, robots in disguise.” In the show, the Transformers were giant robots from space that looked like cars, trucks or planes, but then would transform into Autobots to fight the evil Decepticons that were trying to take over the earth.

But, that’s kid’s stuff. What I am talking about this week is the serious business of what you are on the inside, as a Christian, transforming you, so that becomes the expression of your life on the outside. Consider these words from the pen of the Apostle Paul, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what it that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2)

Something or someone is going to shape your life, and Paul tells us in this text that we will either be conformed to the world or transformed by the Word. The choice is ours. How can we be transformed? Stay tuned for tomorrow’s episode of Transformers!

2010-07-22T07:00:00.000-07:00

SURRENDERED TO THE SAVIOR
THE RESULTS OF SURRENDER

According to the Apostle Paul we are to surrender our all to the Savior. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” (Romans 12:1) To make a claim that one is surrendered to the Savior is relatively easy. Talk is a cheap thing. To demonstrate it is the chief thing! There are at least three results that follow absolute surrender to Christ which are found in this verse.

There will be acceptable WORK FOR GOD “service.”
Surrender means we report for duty. We will serve God doing anything, anywhere, anytime He directs us. In the language of the current sports season, we get out of the dugout and onto the diamond. Are you sitting on the bench or are you in the game? Surrender yields service!

There will be acceptable WORSHIP OF GOD “spiritual worship” (ESV)
The words can also be translated this way. The OT saints brought their sacrifices as an act of worship. Presenting our bodies to Him is the ultimate in worship. He gets our minds engaged in meditating on Him and His Word, our mouths open in prayer and praise, our hearts filled with love and joy, and our hands ready to respond in giving and serving. Worship is never about just taking in, but having freely received, to freely give.

There will be acceptable WITNESS TO GOD “living sacrifice...”
The world will take notice of such a life. It cannot fail to impact the world. By this we bear testimony of our estimation of the worth of Christ’s sacrifice. We judge the worth of something, by what a person is willing to pay. When my faith costs me nothing, it isn’t credible. Such has no power to transform a life.

Are there tangible proofs that you are surrendered to the Savior?

2010-07-21T07:03:00.000-07:00

SURRENDERED TO THE SAVIOR
THE REQUIREMENTS OF SURRENDER

How can we look at the cross and consider all that God has done for us and fail to surrender ourselves to Him? But, you may be wondering what does it mean to surrender to Him? There are four requirements suggested implied in Paul’s exhortation in Romans 12:1, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”

A COMPLETE SACRIFICE "present your bodies"
We yield our entire being, particularly our body as an instrument in God’s hands to accomplish His work in the world. Christ didn’t die only to save our souls, but to redeem the total person. He wants to use your eyes to see hurting humanity, your ears to hear their cries, your heart to care for them, your feet to go to them, your hands to help them and your lips to tell them why.

A CONSTANT SACRIFICE “a living sacrifice…”
This is a commitment from which there is no turning back—it is living, ongoing. Constantly we surrender—a thousand times a day; when faced with God’s will or our will, we choose to follow Him. “Present” is a definite act—once for all never to return to self-centered living, but “living” is a daily attitude.—ongoing in keeping all on the altar in self-sacrifice.

A CONSECRATED SACRIFICE “holy...”
The sacrifices God demanded in the Old Testament were to be without blemish. They were not acceptable if they were not holy. Repentance from sin is to accompany resignation in sacrifice. I’ll give you an example of what I’m talking about. Last Saturday night, we went to Flat Rock Grille with a couple of our fine church members, Alan and Monica Young. Let’s suppose that as the waiter brought the order, I noticed that I didn’t have any silverware. Now, I am quite capable of eating food with my fingers, but my wife frowns on that in public! So, I request some utensils from our server. He reaches over to the table beside us, where a family has just left eating, picks up a fork, holds it up and says, “This one has some food on it—I’ll wipe it off” and he wipes it on his pant leg and hands it to me! My response is, “I don’t just want a fork—I want a clean one!” God doesn’t want a sacrifice contaminated by sin, but consecrated in sanctification.

A COMMENDABLE SACRIFICE “acceptable to God…”
The Pharisees brought offerings to God, but they were motivated by the applause of man. Rather than commend them, Christ condemned them. God doesn’t just judge us by the outward appearance. He looks at the heart. What is the motive for our surrender? God doesn’t just judge the outward expression of devotion, but the inward motivation. It isn’t just actions, but attitudes that He evaluates. Our service isn’t to be about our glory, but His. We aren’t out to make a name for ourselves, but to magnify the name of Christ.

This is what God requires. Offer yourself today as a living sacrifice—complete, constant, consecrated and commendable.

2010-07-20T10:29:00.000-07:00

SURRENDERED TO THE SAVIOR
THE REASONS FOR SURRENDER

The Apostle Paul calls us to surrender to the Savior in Romans 12:1. He says, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” I believe that he is suggesting three reasons for absolute surrender.

The first reason is BECAUSE IT IS REQUESTED “I beseech you…” Although Paul might have spoken with the authority of an Apostle and demanded it, instead he stoops as a beggar and pleads for it. He knew that love cannot be coerced. It must be freely given. Christ will knock at your heart’s door and plead with you, but He won’t break it down. How can you shut up your heart from surrender to Him?

The second reason is BECAUSE IT IS RESPONSIVE “therefore…by the mercies of God…” This verse marks a transition in the thrust of Paul’s letter. The Apostle has for eleven chapters directed us to the manifold mercies of God. He has spoken of the greatness of God’s grace in saving wretched sinners like we are! Now, we can respond to those mercies. We love Him for He first loved us!

The third reason is BECAUSE IT IS RATIONAL “your reasonable service.” Do we think God is asking too much? Do we respond to the call to absolute surrender with, “Lord, be reasonable!” The Lord is not being unreasonable in demanding we surrender all. Don’t you know that you have nothing apart from Him? Don’t you understand that He surrendered everything to give you eternal life? The only rational thing to do is to surrender everything to Him!

The time to do it is today—right NOW!

2010-07-19T11:03:00.000-07:00

SURRENDERED TO THE SAVIOR

It was the early 1700’s, when a young aristocrat named Nikolas Zinzendorf viewed a painting by Domenico Feti called “Ecce Homo” (“Behold the Man”). He read the words beneath, “I have done this for you; what have you done for me?” As his gaze was transfixed on the painting, his heart was transformed by the message. He committed his life to Christ and started a great missions movement, which still has an impact today.

Over a century later, a young lady, Frances Havergal, saw the same picture with similar effect. Having the heart of a poet, her expression of gratitude became a hymn that still challenges us today,

“I gave my life for thee,
My precious blood I shed,
That thou might’st ransomed be,
And quickened from the dead;
I gave, I gave my life for thee,
What hast thou given for me?”

That is the point Paul presents in Romans 12:1, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”

“I have done this for you; what have you done for me?”

2010-07-17T09:07:00.000-07:00

NO ONE LIKE GOD
AN INCOMPREHENSIBLE WAY and AN INFINITE WEIGHT

There is no one like God! That is the conclusion of a man who likely had more insight into God than any mere mortal—who had been blinded by that glory—Paul, the Apostle. Meditate on these remarkable words,

33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!
34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become His counselor?”
35 “Or who has first given to Him And it shall be repaid to him?”
36 For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen. (Romans 11:33-36)

AN INCOMPREHENSIBLE WAY “His ways past finding out!” (v.33)
The Greek language paints a picture of a hound losing the scent of its prey or a guide losing the sight of the path. Thus we cannot fully trace the footprints of God’s sovereign steps. You cannot understand all the ways of God.

• HE NEEDS THE COUNSEL OF NONE (v.34) We think we are so smart—we are as fleas trying to understand calculus. Who do we think we are to give God advice? What hubris! How pompous! To claim to fully understand God is to show how little we do understand Him! Job’s friends tried to explain to Job the inexplicable and although Job had greater insight, his thoughts and speech eventually crossed the line as well. This godly man demanded an audience with God, and when he got it, he had to shut up as God said, “Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge. Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me.” (Job 38:2-3) God doesn’t answer to us—but we answer to Him!
• HE NEEDS THE CONTRIBUTION OF NONE (v.35) If you had to buy Bill Gates a birthday present, what could you give him? Tough task! So, what can you give God? God needs nothing. He owns it all. He owes us nothing. He doesn’t need us, but we need Him. God without us is still God, but without God we’re nothing! God identifies Himself as “I AM THAT I AM.” He is all; He is everything—self-existent, self-sufficient, self-sustaining. God isn’t into hand-wringing! If God doesn’t come through, we’re through, but He isn’t desperately waiting for our service or our tithe. He, in His grace, extends an invitation for us to join Him in His work. That is in order to bless us with the privilege, not to enable God to do that which He could not do Himself!

AN INFINITE WEIGHT “to whom be glory forever.” (v.36)
All the universe exists and moves to this end—the glory (Greek: doxa, from which we get doxology) of God and God alone. The Hebrew term is kabod, the word for “weight” and speaks to the gravity of His being. Don’t take God lightly! But that’s much of what contemporary church culture does! We get too chummy with God. He’s not the “man upstairs” and Jesus isn’t your “buddy.” How flip and glib we can be when we speak of the thrice Holy One!

• HE IS THE SOURCE OF ALL THINGS “of Him…” Nothing exists apart from Him. He called it all into being by a spoken word! Imagine grace like a river—God is the fountain from which it springs.
• HE IS THE SUSTAINER OF ALL THINGS “through Him…” He is also the channel through which grace flows. He holds all things together by the word of His power, and apart from His sustaining glory, everything would fly apart!
• HE IS THE SUM OF ALL THINGS “to Him are all things…” God is the boundless sea into which all things flow. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:28, “that God may be all in all.” Since His glory is the primary purpose of all things, then His glory should be our preeminent passion.

And all God’s people must joyfully join with Paul’s final word in this chapter, “Amen!”

2010-07-16T17:32:00.000-07:00

NO ONE LIKE GOD
AN INDESCRIBABLE WORK

Paul the Apostle breathlessly testified of God, “How unsearchable are His judgments…” (Romans 11:33). This has to do with the decisions, decrees and deeds of God. It speaks of His activity—an indescribable work!

God issues a decree and none can thwart it. His intentions will be fulfilled though men fail, though wickedness seems to prevail, though all the hosts of hell assail. God renders a judgment and His will cannot be altered.

Everything He does is right because He can do no other. Should God act in a way that is not right then He would not be God! So, you want me to explain all that God does, and why? I cannot! No one can! If we could, then we would be God!

Spurgeon had to right when he stated, "God is too good to be unkind, too wise to be mistaken and, when you cannot trace His hand, you can always trust His heart." Faith rests in this promise, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).

2010-07-15T19:15:00.001-07:00

THE PARABLE OF THE TALENTS REVISITED—A FRACTURED FAIRY TALE

There was a President, who newly elected, took a long journey from Chicago to Washington, D.C. He called his fellow Americans to tune in to his State of the Union speech that he might speak of all the bounty with which they had been blessed, but had squandered during the previous administration, through lack of government regulation and programs.

One citizen was a white collar owner of a small family business, another was a blue collar worker trying to meet his family’s needs, and yet another, though poor, was healthy and blessed with the opportunity to make something of his life.

The small businessman invested wisely, worked diligently and became the owner of a Fortune 500 company.

The blue-collar worker scrimped and saved and worked overtime in order to start his own business.

The other man frittered away his opportunity and decided that society was mistreating him, the rich were taking advantage of him and government owed him a living, so he sat around and did nothing—except when he wanted to party, which he always seemed to have time and money to do.

After many days and several trips to the golf course, the President had a press conference from the Oval Office.

He chided the man who had become successful in building a large corporation as being greedy and unconcerned for the poor—not giving his fair share to the government. “I will place you in a higher tax bracket until we bring you to the level of the poor man,” said the all-wise, all-caring President.

Likewise, he scolded the middle class worker who had struggled so long to begin his own little business, for he too had so much more than the poor man and was self-centered according to the President—not giving his fair share to the government, either. “I will raise your taxes also (though not as high as the wealthy man) until we bring you to the level of the poor man,” said the all-wise, all-caring President.

Turning to the poor man, the compassionate President heard him say, “Life has been unfair to me. My welfare check doesn’t go as far as it used to. Gas prices from greedy oil companies make it expensive to fill up my Mercedes. It is hard to make ends meet when big screen TV’s and cable bills are so expensive, not to mention the cost of liquor. I worked for a rich man for a few days and he expected me to be on time and work hard and it was just more than my nervous condition could bear. If I have to work, a government job would be much better.”

To the man who wasted his days in lethargy and his nights with lotteries, liquor and ladies, the President said, “Life has indeed been unfair to you. The educational system has failed you. Greedy corporations have taken advantage of you. Society owes you, but has neglected you. Even if you had a government job, the wealthy bankers where you deposit your money would take it and stuff their own pockets with profits. We will take from the rich and the middle class and give it to you, so there may truly be equality in America at last. We will also remember the plight of the poor in oppressed nations around the world and do all we can to destroy the businesses of America so we can become a third-world country also. At the end of the day, it’s all about equality.” Thus spoke the all-wise, all-caring President as he flawlessly read his teleprompter before the fawning media.

“For to everyone who has, more will be taken, and he will have little; but from him who produces little, we will give a little more,” thus said the all-wise, all-caring President as he departed for another vacation.

“And put the profitable citizen into prison. I’m sure he is abusing the system.”

Then across the once-fruited plain, there was weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth.

(With apologies to Saint Matthew and the Rocky and Bullwinkle Show)

DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed are those of Dennis Thurman and are not intended to represent the opinions and viewpoints of Pole Creek Baptist Church. Neither should these be construed as a benediction on the rich and condemnation of the poor. There are greedy rich people and honorable poor people. Some of God’s special saints live on meager funds—disabled, disadvantaged—doubtless the case. Others may prosper materially and be bankrupt morally and spiritually. Also, there is not disrespect intended for the office of the Presidency which God has commanded Christians to honor and obey, as well as pray for—which I have done this morning already. What is intended is to show how this parable of Christ has been turned on its head by the current administration.

2010-07-15T16:12:00.000-07:00

NO ONE LIKE GOD
AN INEXHAUSTIBLE WISDOM

The other day, at the conclusion of my message, one of our members tried to tell me something. I say “tried” because I wasn’t getting it. The problem wasn’t with them—it was with me! I said to them what I have told others, “By the end of my sermon every brain cell I have is exhausted!” That will never approach being said of God! Paul exclaims in Romans 11:33a, “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!”

Knowledge is the information God possesses and wisdom is the application of what He knows. One may have knowledge and use it as cunning to do evil. God not only has knowledge but out of His righteous character can only apply that knowledge in doing right—and that is wisdom.

God is omniscient. He has never learned anything. He has never discovered anything. He has never been surprised by anything.

I am convinced this is one reason many try to avoid thinking about God—you cannot fool Him. He knows all about you. If you are living in sin, this is a disquieting thought!

But, it is also a comforting thing. He knows what you need before you ask—even before the need arises. He sees the tears that dampen your pillow in the dark. He documents the work done for Him that no one else may notice or reward. He can guide you in the right way for He is flawless in His knowledge and wisdom. Drink deeply of that knowledge and wisdom—it is an inexhaustible supply!

2010-07-14T04:24:00.000-07:00

NO ONE LIKE GOD
AN INCALCULABLE WEALTH

Paul has spoken in Romans of the riches of God’s goodness—even to sinners, “Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?” (2:4, emphasis added). The Apostle has written about the riches of God’s glory—to the saved, “and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory” (9:23, emphasis added). He has told of the riches of God’s grace—to all who believe, “For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.” (10:12, emphasis added). Further, Paul underscored the riches of God’s government—His plan for Jews and Gentiles, “Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness!” (11:12, emphasis added). These are the incalculable riches of redemption that Paul would have us gaze upon as he opens the treasure chest of truth in Romans 11:33, and breathtakingly comments, “Oh, the depth of the riches…!” (emphasis added)

How can you place a dollar value on that? It is ours through Christ! The Apostle’s extensive vocabulary failed in its ability to calculate its worth and said this,

8 To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,
9 and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ;
10 to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places,
11 according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord (Eph.3:8-11, emphasis added)

Worship is my response to the worth of God. It is a worth so incalculable that it will require all eternity to declare it. Why don’t we get started today?

2010-07-13T07:04:00.000-07:00

NO ONE LIKE GOD
AN IMMEASURABLE WONDER

Paul—this brilliant thinker—is overwhelmed at the thought of God’s greatness as He considers it in Romans 11:33-36. He ecstatically utters, “Oh, the depth….” The Apostle is swept away. We ought to be!

Spurgeon, likewise a superior intellect, whose sermons are still read centuries after their delivery, declared, “The highest science, the loftiest speculation, the mightiest philosophy, which can ever engage the attention of the child of God, is the name, the nature, the person, the work, the doings, and the existence of the great God whom he calls his Father.”

Paul has jumped into a boundless ocean of grace, and plunged into the lowest depth where the mercy of God reaches the vilest sinner, and marvels that God’s glory and love is an unfathomable sea. This is the experience of one who encounters God as He truly is, rather than a false God we design with our futile philosophy.

There is a point of penetrating the depths of the ocean beyond which a human cannot dive—the pressure becomes more than the body can stand. That is true in our understanding of God—we can go so far and no farther. God told Moses, “No man can see my face and live.” Our humanity would wither before the brightness of His full glory. It is inexpressible! It is immeasurable!

My son, Caleb, asked me the other day to imagine a color outside the spectrum of light. I would not have even thought to consider such a thing, but that is the way his mind works! I cannot envision a color like that, and neither can you. Thus it is with the immeasurable wonder of God. Our highest and noblest thoughts cannot imagine all that He is. He goes beyond that—far beyond. While I can’t fully come to grips in my head with all that He is, I can be gripped in my heart by the truth of His greatness! May it be so, for each of us today!

Be reminded:
“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” (A.W.Tozer).

2010-07-12T11:45:00.000-07:00

NO ONE LIKE GOD

“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” (A.W.Tozer).

What comes into your mind when you think about God? I am afraid that many of us try to shape God in our image. We take human attributes and raise them to a superior level—which is what people have done from antiquity in pagan worship. That is what the Bible calls idolatry.

While we are made in God’s image, to turn that on its head and try to make God in our image is to first of all degrade God and then likewise ourselves, for we become like that which we worship. Listen to these words,

4 Their idols are silver and gold, The work of men’s hands.
5 They have mouths, but they do not speak; Eyes they have, but they do not see;
6 They have ears, but they do not hear; Noses they have, but they do not smell;
7 They have hands, but they do not handle; Feet they have, but they do not walk;
Nor do they mutter through their throat.
8 Those who make them are like them; So is everyone who trusts in them. (Psalm 115:4-8, emphasis added)

So, if God isn’t just a highly exalted man, how are we to think of Him?

It is hard to describe God, because He is indescribable. There is no one like God. He defies explanation. It is impossible to fully know Him. It is the height of arrogance to suppose that we can fully comprehend all that an infinite Being is—someone so “other than” we are—so far above and beyond. But, we are to think of Him, and think of Him as He truly is, for in so doing our thoughts are elevated and we become more like Him. Worship is our response to our thoughts of God.

For eleven chapters, Paul has presented us the most comprehensive and systematic theology to be found in the New Testament. In today’s church we want to give doctrine a wink and leap to the practical—doing stuff. We don’t meditate on truth, and because we don’t think deeply, our work for God, rather ends up in self-glory and has no eternal value and spiritual power. In contrast, when we are gripped with God’s glory, we see Him—even though as Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13, it is through a dark glass—and the spirit of worship is first kindled in us and then follows work! Don’t jump into Romans 12 and the following chapters of practical application, until you first are grounded in doctrinal education, with the pivot point being worshipful adoration.

Here’s where theology becomes doxology! Now by doxology we don’t just mean the hymn that begins, “Praise God from whom all blessings flow…” as wonderful as that doxology is. The Greek word for glory is doxa and combined with logos meaning “word” you have the term doxology, defined as speaking of God’s glory! Paul does that in Romans 11:33-36,

33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!
34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become His counselor?”
35 “Or who has first given to Him And it shall be repaid to him?”
36 For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.

This is where theology becomes doxology!

2010-07-08T13:17:00.000-07:00

Sinful Confidence
from Kairos Journal 7/08/10 edition

4 Do not trust in deceptive words and say, “This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD!” . . . 9 Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods
you have not known, 10 and then come and stand before me in this house, which bears my Name, and say “We are safe”—safe to do all these detestable things?

Jeremiah 7:4, 9-10 (NIV)

Religious devotion without moral obedience is worthless. It is hypocrisy. The Church can never expect God to bless and establish her as long as she is engulfed by her own sin.

The Lord commanded Jeremiah to preach this message at the gate of the temple, probably at one of Israel’s great national feasts. He addressed a people who had relied on outward devotion to temple worship while living corrupt and sinful lives. In the course of the sermon, Jeremiah mentioned their breaking almost every one of the Ten Commandments (v. 9).

They had twisted one of God’s promises, making their sinful confidence all the more evil. God had said He would protect Jerusalem from the king of Assyria (Isa. 37:35); they had turned the promise into a standing guarantee. They committed all the evil they desired and hid behind the temple walls, crying: “This is the temple of the Lord! We are safe!”

God was infuriated by their arrogant rebellion and called them to repentance. If they would change their ways, He would allow them to live. If they would not, all the judgments Jeremiah had prophesied would crush them.

In God’s eyes, sin had eclipsed the Israelites’ religious observance. They had even begun to worship false gods, rejecting their very identity as the people of God. How was Israel to be a light to the Gentiles, when she was worshipping the same gods and committing the same sins as those around her?

Christians today are rocked back on their heels. They have lost the ability to engage the culture, because they have nothing different to offer. Many churches, sometimes even consciously, are influenced by the world’s values. They go about their religious routine, all the while taking compromising lessons from the world and peddling the gospel and their programs with slick marketing techniques. Nothing sets them apart, yet they continue to believe they are indispensable merely because they vainly repeat that they are “the church of the Lord, the church of the Lord, the church of the Lord!”

Such churches must repent of surrendering their position as the light of the world. God has no obligation to preserve a congregation or denomination which defiles His Name. If they insist on cozying up to the world, they should not be surprised if they find themselves, like Israel, judged and scattered.

2010-07-08T06:37:00.000-07:00

GOD’S JUDGMENT ON A NATION
THE DESTINY OF AMERICA: Practical Application

John’s vision recorded in Revelation 6:12-17 doesn’t describe America specifically, but it does speak to any nation that rebels against God.

12 I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood.
13 And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind.
14 Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place.
15 And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains,
16 and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!
17 For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

That day will certainly come for all the nations that forget God.

As I look to America’s future, I fear for this land. There are three great concerns I have:

SPIRITUAL DECLINE
Bottom line—we’ve rejected God. We mock Him and flaunt His laws. Following the destruction of the World Trade Center Towers on 9/11 there was a dramatic increase in church attendance, but now it is worse then before. It is as though we were roused from slumber, and have rolled back over into a deeper sleep. Even in the church there has come the great falling away. If that light is dimming, how dark is the world becoming!

FINANCIAL DEPRESSION
I don’t know how a financial collapse is avoided. It would take a miracle for us to survive—and God is capable—yet, why should He bail us out? A financial meltdown here will drag down the whole world economy and the ensuing anarchy will pave the way for Antichrist. The Bible is clear—it isn’t a question of if, but only when.

MORAL DEGENERATION
There are enemies abroad to be sure, but the greatest danger is from the enemy within. America is not so much threatened by the woodpeckers on the outside of our borders, as by the termites inside them. A malignant moral cancer is eating away at our soul, draining away our moral life force.

These are the choices: revival or ruin; repentance or retribution.

Old Ben Franklin wasn’t a Christian. He was a deist. Still, he had a moral framework and an understanding of Scripture perhaps greater than that possessed by most pew sitters today. It seemed that America would be a miscarriage—never seeing the light of day as the Continental Congress quibbled and quarreled. Here is the solution Franklin proposed:

“I have lived, sir, a long time; and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth, that God governs in the affairs of men! And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid? —We have been assured, sir, in the sacred writings that, ‘except the Lord build the house they labor in vain that build it.’ I firmly believe this; and I also believe, that without his concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel: We shall be divided by our little partial local interests, our projects will be confounded, and we ourselves shall be become a reproach and a by-word down to future ages. I therefore beg leave to move, that henceforth prayers, imploring the assistance of heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations, be held in this assembly every morning before we proceed to business; and that one or more of the clergy of this city be requested to officiate in that service.”

Pray—pray--pray! God is still on the throne, and He may not be finished with us yet! Jonah came preaching, “Forty days and Nineveh shall be destroyed!” But they repented, revival came and a reprieve was granted, as God stayed His wrath for a space. He can do it again, if we will turn to Him with all our hearts!

2010-07-07T13:47:00.000-07:00

GOD’S JUDGMENT ON A NATION
THE DOWNFALL OF ROME: Historical Illustration

Daniel prophesied of the rise and fall of four great empires: Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome. In chapter four, verses twenty through twenty-seven, we read of Babylon’s king Nebuchadnezzar and the judgment that came on him.

20 “The tree that you saw, which grew and became strong, whose height reached to the heavens and which could be seen by all the earth,
21 whose leaves were lovely and its fruit abundant, in which was food for all, under which the beasts of the field dwelt, and in whose branches the birds of the heaven had their home—
22 it is you, O king, who have grown and become strong; for your greatness has grown and reaches to the heavens, and your dominion to the end of the earth.
23 “And inasmuch as the king saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave its stump and roots in the earth, bound with a band of iron and bronze in the tender grass of the field; let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let him graze with the beasts of the field, till seven times pass over him’;
24 this is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High,which has come upon my lord the king:
25 They shall drive you from men, your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make you eat grass like oxen. They shall wet you with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses.
26 “And inasmuch as they gave the command to leave the stump and roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be assured to you, after you come to know that Heaven rules.
27 Therefore, O king, let my advice be acceptable to you; break off your sins by being righteous, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. Perhaps there may be a lengthening of your prosperity.”

Nebuchadnezzar’s arrogant spirit is representative of all pagan rulers, including the Caesars who governed Rome. As has been well said, “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” At the pinnacle of earthly power stood Rome. Never was there an empire like Imperial Rome. Now, we can learn from history or we will be doomed to repeat it.

Consider THE FACTORS BEHIND ROME’S RISE.

o Strong Families—Rome was founded on high moral standards. Each father was respected as head of the family and saw to it that the principle of authority was inculcated, along with other important principles and character qualities.

o Home Education—Parents were responsible for education. This further strengthened family ties and the transmitting of family values and civic and moral virtues.

o Economic Prosperity—Strong families led to strong finances. It has been said that, “All roads lead to Rome,” and on those roads, you would have found vast wealth flowing its way into the city. Rome’s armies prevailed and gathered the spoils of victory.

Further note THE FAILURES BEHIND ROME’S DEMISE.

o Family Breakdown—As Rome prospered, educated Greeks were hired to teach children and with it they brought their humanistic philosophy, filling a younger generation with false ideas that would unravel the fabric of the family.

o Excessive Taxation, Inflation, Trade Deficit, Socialism—By the first century, authority had moved from the parents to the state, and with big government came all this economic chaos with catastrophic unemployment. The state created a multitude of government jobs. The poisonous flower of the welfare state was in full bloom.

o Pleasure Addiction—Sports, the gladiatorial contest of the Coliseum, the Circus—all these spectacles became a national obsession. The citizens could not get enough and the government was happy to feed the addiction to keep the populace under control.

o Extreme Cost of Maintaining Defense, Infrastructure—The Empire was so vast, roads, bridges and buildings so many, that keeping up the army and infrastructure bankrupted them.

o Moral Decline, Crime—Perversion and vice; drunkenness and debauchery flourished. Crime increased exponentially.

o Failure of Immigrants to Assimilate—the borders were not guarded—whether it be the Vandals, Visigoths, Huns or some other barbarian horde, they flooded into the land and they did not assimilate into the Roman culture. There was no common bond to hold them together—not even a common language. These were named barbarians because their speech sounded like, “bar bar” to the Romans.

o Government Corruption, Excess—Time would fail us to list the flaws of the leaders. Good taste would prevent us from detailing their perversions. Let’s just say that some of the vilest rulers who ever held power were found in ancient Rome. Incest, sodomy, and the like were routinely practice in the palace.

By no means is this list exhaustive--there were other contributing factors, but these were primary and most illustrative. Does any of this sound familiar?

So, where are we headed in America?

2010-07-06T14:02:00.000-07:00

GOD’S JUDGMENT ON A NATION
THE DISCIPLINE OF ISRAEL: Biblical Exposition

Israel had a great privilege of being God’s chosen people—yet, with great privilege comes great responsibility. They failed to be faithful to their covenant with a God who was so faithful to Him.

In Deuteronomy 11:26-28, we hear this challenge from God,

26 “Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse:
27 the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you today;
28 and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way which I command you today, to go after other gods which you have not known.

But, despite the warnings from God, Israel turned from Him.

The SINS THAT CAUSED DISCIPLINE were those God had forbidden them to practice in Deuteronomy 27:14-26.

14 “And the Levites shall speak with a loud voice and say to all the men of Israel:
15 ‘Cursed is the one who makes a carved or molded image, an abomination to the Lord, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and sets it up in secret.’ “And all the people shall answer and say, ‘Amen!’
16 ‘Cursed is the one who treats his father or his mother with contempt.’ “And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’
17 ‘Cursed is the one who moves his neighbor’s landmark.’ “And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’
18 ‘Cursed is the one who makes the blind to wander off the road.’ “And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’
19 ‘Cursed is the one who perverts the justice due the stranger, the fatherless, and widow.’ “And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’
20 ‘Cursed is the one who lies with his father’s wife, because he has uncovered his father’s bed.’ “And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’
21 ‘Cursed is the one who lies with any kind of animal.’ “And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’
22 ‘Cursed is the one who lies with his sister, the daughter of his father or the daughter of his mother.’ “And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’
23 ‘Cursed is the one who lies with his mother-in-law.’ “And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’
24 ‘Cursed is the one who attacks his neighbor secretly.’ “And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’
25 ‘Cursed is the one who takes a bribe to slay an innocent person.’ “And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’
26 ‘Cursed is the one who does not confirm all the words of this law.’ “And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’ ”

When the Jews entered the Promised Land, the tribes were divided—part to stand on Mt. Gerizim and proclaim blessing and part on Mt. Ebal and pronounce cursing. What sins would bring a curse on the nation?

o Idolatry (v.15)
o Disrespect for Parents (v.16)
o Failure to Honor Property Rights (v.17)
o Abusing the Handicapped (v.18)
o Injustice to Aliens, Orphans and Widows (v.19)
o Sexual Sins (v.20-23)
o Violence (v.24-25)

Do we not see a proliferation of these sins in America today?

The SIGNS THAT CONFIRMED DISCIPLINE are listed in Deuteronomy 28:15-68. When a nation is visited with the judgment of God there is:

o Disease

21 The Lord will make the plague cling to you until He has consumed you from the land which you are going to possess.
22 The Lord will strike you with consumption, with fever, with inflammation, with severe burning fever, with the sword, with scorching, and with mildew; they shall pursue you until you perish.
35 The Lord will strike you in the knees and on the legs with severe boils which cannot be healed, and from the sole of your foot to the top of your head.
(v.21-22, 27, 35)

o Drought

23 And your heavens which are over your head shall be bronze, and the earth which is under you shall be iron.
24 The Lord will change the rain of your land to powder and dust; from the heaven it shall come down on you until you are destroyed. (v.23-24)

o Defeat

25 “The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies; you shall go out one way against them and flee seven ways before them; and you shall become troublesome to all the kingdoms of the earth.
26 Your carcasses shall be food for all the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and no one shall frighten them away. (v.25-26)

o Depression: Both emotional & economic.

28 The Lord will strike you with madness and blindness and confusion of
heart.
29 And you shall grope at noonday, as a blind man gropes in darkness; you shall not prosper in your ways; you shall be only oppressed and plundered continually, and no one shall save you.
42 Locusts shall consume all your trees and the produce of your land. (v.28-29, 42)

o Destruction

30 “You shall betroth a wife, but another man shall lie with her; you shall build a house, but you shall not dwell in it; you shall plant a vineyard, but shall not gather its grapes.
31 Your ox shall be slaughtered before your eyes, but you shall not eat of it; your donkey shall be violently taken away from before you, and shall not be restored to you; your sheep shall be given to your enemies, and you shall have no one to rescue them.
32 Your sons and your daughters shall be given to another people, and your eyes shall look and fail with longing for them all day long; and there shall be no strength in your hand.
33 A nation whom you have not known shall eat the fruit of your land and the produce of your labor, and you shall be only oppressed and crushed continually.
34 So you shall be driven mad because of the sight which your eyes see. (v.30-34)

o Decline

36 The Lord will bring you and the king whom you set over you to a nation which neither you nor your fathers have known, and there you shall serve other gods—wood and stone.
37 And you shall become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword among all nations where the Lord will drive you.
38 “You shall carry much seed out to the field but gather little in, for the locust shall consume it.
39 You shall plant vineyards and tend them, but you shall neither drink of the wine nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them.
40 You shall have olive trees throughout all your territory, but you shall not anoint yourself with the oil; for your olives shall drop off.
41 You shall beget sons and daughters, but they shall not be yours; for they shall go into captivity. (v.36-41)

o Debt

43 “The alien who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower.
44 He shall lend to you, but you shall not lend to him; he shall be the head, and you shall be the tail.
45 “Moreover all these curses shall come upon you and pursue and overtake you, until you are destroyed, because you did not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which He commanded you.
46 And they shall be upon you for a sign and a wonder, and on your descendants
forever. (v.43-46)

After reading this, one must wonder if we are not already experiencing the judgment of God in America!

2010-07-05T12:35:00.000-07:00

GOD’S JUDGMENT ON A NATION

God judges nations.

Scripture warns, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,” ( Ps.33:12). The opposite holds true as well, “The wicked shall be turned into hell and all the nations that forget God.” (Ps.9:17). God told the nation of Israel, “I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live.” (Deut.30:19).

As we just celebrated America’s birthday, how many more such birthdays can we expect to see if we continue to defy God?

George Mason, The father of the Bill of Rights, speaking at the Constitutional Convention declared: "As nations cannot be rewarded or punished in the next world, so they must be in this. By an inevitable chain of causes and effects, Providence punishes national sins by national calamities."

Thomas Jefferson understood this and said, “I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that his justice cannot sleep forever.” This is the same man who is credited for building the so-called wall of separation of church and state. We have allowed liberals to re-write our history and activist judges to strip away our Christian heritage. Obviously, Jefferson never intended this divorce between God and government as radical secularists promote today in his name.

Look at what the first Supreme Court justice, John Jay said, “Whether our religion permits Christians to vote for infidel rulers is a question which merits more consideration than it seems yet to have generally received either from the clergy or the laity. It appears to me that what the prophet said to Jehoshaphat about his attachment to Ahab ["Shouldest thou help the ungodly and love them that hate the Lord?" 2 Chronicles 19:2] affords a salutary lesson.” A man like this today would be laughed out of Washington, branded a right-wing nut. Look at the caliber of person we’re getting ready to put on our Highest Court today—how far we have fallen! As I watch the questioning of the nominee, by the Senate of Elena Kagan, I am reminded of the bar scene in Star Wars. I wonder what planet these creatures are from!

Let’s hear this solemn warning from another one of our Founding Fathers, “No people will tamely surrender their Liberties, nor can any be easily subdued, when knowledge is diffused and Virtue is preserved. On the Contrary, when People are universally ignorant, and debauched in their Manners, they will sink under their own weight without the Aid of foreign Invaders." ~Samuel Adams.

Paul wrote in Romans 11 concerning the judgment of God on the nation of Israel. He also warned the Gentiles that if they chose the same wicked road, they would face the same wrathful result. The Scripture says,

17 And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree,
18 do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.
19 You will say then, “Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.”
20 Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear.
21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. (v.17-21)

2010-07-02T15:06:00.000-07:00

THE PROMISED EXALTATION OF A CHOSEN PEOPLE
THE REDEMPTION OF ISRAEL: Covenant Blessing

On the day that God called Abraham out of idolatry and Abraham responded in faith, God entered into a covenant of grace with that man and his descendants. The covenant was renewed with Abraham’s son Isaac and his son Jacob. It was extended and expanded with David beyond just the racial lines to the royal lines. Those covenant promises have not been revoked! They cannot be! Paul emphatically states, “For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Rom.11:29). Should God break the covenant, that would make Him either a deliberate deceiver, unreliable to keep His promise, or at the least, an impotent God, incapable of keeping His promise.

God is not through with the Jew! Look at the promise of Romans 10:13, “For ‘whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.’ ” Do you believe God will keep His word? Now, consider the promise of Romans 11:26, “And so all Israel will be saved.” Do you doubt that? You can’t have one without the other.

Early in church history, anti-Semitism came creeping into the church. Where the church had been exclusively Jewish at its start, it became almost exclusively Gentile. Satan saw an opportunity to attack Israel—those he hates. Do you wonder why there is such hatred for Jews? It is because they are God’s chosen—and the devil despises them. Several heresies became entrenched in the church. One of these is that Israel has been replaced by the church—a new spiritual Israel. Augustine was a powerful proponent of this. Later, with the Reformation, and the revival of the church, many key doctrines were recovered, especially justification by faith, yet Luther took a hard turn toward anti-Semitism and most of the Reformers likewise advocated replacement theology—and still many who subscribe to Reformed Theology do today.

Now, a new wave of anti-Semitism is sweeping the world. Pope Benedict recently decried what he calls Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land and attacked Bible-believing Christians for supporting Israel. Well, I get my direction from God, not the Pope. The world is turning against the Jews—even our government. This is all part of the end-times events predicted in the Scripture. But, the promise is given of Israel’s future deliverance. There will come a time when they will receive Christ as their Messiah. This will usher in earth’s golden age at Christ’s return. How exciting that will be!

Mediate on the grace of God that not only saves a prodigal person, but a profligate people, as you ponder these truths:

25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.
26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob;
27 For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins.”
28 Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers.
29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.
30 For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience,
31 even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy.
32 For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all. (Romans 11:25-32)

2010-07-01T06:44:00.000-07:00

THE PROMISED EXALTATION OF A CHOSEN PEOPLE
THE REPROOF OF ISRAEL: Continually Barren

Paul reaches into the realm of agriculture to illustrate a spiritual principle in Romans 11:11-24:

11 I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles.
12 Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness!
13 For I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry,
14 if by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh and save some of them.
15 For if their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?
16 For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches.
17 And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree,
18 do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.
19 You will say then, “Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.”
20 Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear.
21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either.
22 Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off.
23 And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.
24 For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?

Our salvation has Jewish roots—the law that convicts us and serves as our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ (Gal.3:24) was given through Israel. The Savior who converts us and sacrificed as our substitute to bring us to God was a Jew. The Apostles who communicated the Scripture in testimony of the Gospel were Jews. Thank God for the seed of Abraham!

The best way we can show our gratitude for them is by sharing the Gospel with them. Often you will hear that we shouldn’t share the Gospel with Jews. They call it proselytizing. So what? I’m just returning the favor! The fact is, I was proselytized by the Jews! I’m a Christian today because of the outreach of Jewish missionaries 2000 years ago whose message at last reached my ears as it traveled down through the corridor of time.

The Apostle tells us that Abraham’s family is God’s cultivated olive tree. We Gentiles are branches of a wild olive tree, according to Paul—so, don’t be arrogant. The branches of the unbelieving Jews were broken off and Gentile branches were grafted in. Now that’s grace!

Why was Israel judged? God reproved them for the barrenness of unbelief. He looks for fruit! The Jews of that day professed to be children of God, but there was no fruit. It isn’t enough to declare our faith—we must demonstrate it—or it’s not faith at all—it’s mere fantasy.

That applies to Gentiles, as well as Jews—those within the church as well as those outside it.

31 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.
32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.
33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.
34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in;
36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?
38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You?
39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’
40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:
42 for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink;
43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’
44 “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’
45 Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’
46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
(Matthew 25:31-46)

2010-06-30T08:45:00.000-07:00

THE PROMISED EXALTATION OF A CHOSEN PEOPLE
THE REMAINDER OF ISRAEL: Currently Blinded

The sad story of the nation of Israel is one of repeatedly turning away from God. That is a synopsis of the Old Testament. God sent prophet after prophet calling on them to repent, but they rejected the light. Finally, He sent His Son, as the Light of the World, and they sought to extinguish Him by snuffing Him out on the cross, and sealing His lifeless corpse in the darkness of a tomb. But, He wouldn’t stay dead! In the dawn of Resurrection Morning, God raised Him from the dead. Still, the Jews refused to believe the witness. The disciples took the testimony into the synagogues and were met with hate from most—all but a remnant of spiritual Israel who received the Messiah.

You cannot do that without it having a spiritually deadening effect. Think of the way a callus develops. As you are working with that shovel or post-hole diggers, the skin of your hand blisters and pain ensues. Yet, if you press through the pain, and keep working day after day, the pain lessens and a callus develops. You can stick a pin into that hardened flesh and be impervious to pain. That happens to our souls—when we are pricked by the Holy Spirit—the pain of conviction of sin—and then resist those pangs of conscience, little by little a judicial hardness sets in,until one gets beyond feeling.

It happened to Israel.

7 What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded.
8 Just as it is written: “God has given them a spirit of stupor, Eyes that they should not see And ears that they should not hear, To this very day.”
9 And David says: “Let their table become a snare and a trap, A stumbling block and a recompense to them.
10 Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see, And bow down their back
always.” (Rom.11:7-10)

But, hear this solemn warning: that isn’t just true of a nation, but of an individual also. The Bible says, “Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts,” (Heb.3:15). One of the devil’s deadliest ploys is procrastination. He says something like this, “Sure you need to be saved. Of course, you are going to be saved—just not today. Tomorrow will be soon enough.” And we listen to the serpent’s forked tongue and reject the still, small voice of God. Then the next day, and the next…always tomorrow and for most, tomorrow never comes. Friend, this is the most urgent matter we face! It is far more important than life and death—it’s a matter of heaven and hell!

2010-06-29T12:02:00.000-07:00

THE PROMISED EXALTATION OF A CHOSEN PEOPLE
THE REMNANT OF ISRAEL: Christian Believers

When the church was birthed on the Day of Pentecost it was exclusively Jewish. A Jew named Peter preached of a Jewish Messiah, Jesus, and about 3,000 Jews from all over the world were converted. But, as the disciples obeyed the Great Commission, and the Gospel broke through barrier after barrier—first Samaria, then among the Gentiles, fewer and fewer Jews made up a significant percentage of the church—the flood of Gentile converts filled the ranks. Also, the hostility of the Jews to Christianity increased and hardness set in. Yet, God has never lacked a remnant of Jews who were not only descended from Abraham physically, but were spiritual Israel also, having the faith of Abraham. Here’s what the Apostle wrote in Romans 11:1-6,

1 I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.
2 God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying,
3 “Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life”?
4 But what does the divine response say to him? “I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”
5 Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace.
6 And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.

We know of Paul’s deep passion for His kinsmen (9:1-3) and his devoted prayer for them (10:1). God rewarded his intensity and intercession with souls from the seed of Abraham. Though the harvest was small, it was still there.

The Apostle illustrates this with the incident where Elijah thought he was the only one still true to God in the days of the reign of wicked Ahab and Jezebel. The prophet had a pity party and in his frustration prayed to die. God corrected his error and told him there were 7,000 that were still faithful to Jehovah. God knew who they were and where they were. The fact is, God knows those who are His and calls them to salvation.

I’m wondering, do we exhibit passion and express prayer targeted to reach the Jews for Jesus? There is a remnant that is reachable!

2010-06-28T07:12:00.000-07:00

THE PROMISED EXALTATION OF A CHOSEN PEOPLE

It would only take one word to convince me of the existence of God and the authority of Scripture. That word is: Israel. There is no explanation how the Jews have survived and thrived unless God exists and the Bible is true. Consider the fact that Jews make up less than a quarter of 1% of the world’s population.

Despite these miniscule numbers they have claimed major attention as a people.

They have known more prejudice and persecution than any other race. While all races have periodically known such problems, and some more than others,as concerning the Jews, it is absolutely disproportionate—off the scale! This can only be explained by spiritual reasons, for it makes no rational sense. There is both the wrath of Satan against them and the discipline of God to them.

The three most influential people in the history of humanity are all Jews: Moses, Jesus and Marx, and of course, Jesus stands at the pinnacle—a simple carpenter from Nazareth—a working class Jew of His day. How can you explain this? God exists and His Word is true.

Constantly, this little nation is at the center of world events. Anything that happens in Israel grabs the world spotlight. Why? They are God’s chosen people! Paul wants us to know in Romans chapter eleven that God is not through with the Jew!

“I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not!” (Romans 11:1a). We will see how Israel fits into God’s unfolding drama of redemption in this week’s studies.

2010-06-21T15:15:00.000-07:00

THE PRESENT EVANGELIZATION OF A CHOSEN PEOPLE
THE RESISTANCE TO THE GOSPEL

Paul tells us in the concluding verses of Romans chapter ten, concerning the resistance our Gospel message meets,

18 But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed: “Their sound has gone out to all the earth, And their words to the ends of the world.”
19 But I say, did Israel not know? First Moses says: “I will provoke you to jealousy by those who are not a nation, I will move you to anger by a foolish nation.”
20 But Isaiah is very bold and says: “I was found by those who did not seek Me; I was made manifest to those who did not ask for Me.”
21 But to Israel he says: “All day long I have stretched out My hands To a disobedient and contrary people.” (v.18-21)

This is the primary reason we don’t do a better job of evangelism: it costs so much—maybe everything! There will always be opposition from the devil and the resistance of sinners to the message. Evangelism is exceedingly hard work!

The Gospel meets resistance because of the DARKNESS THAT REJECTS THE LIGHT (v.18-19). According to the Apostle, all people have some light and are responsible for what they do know, but the darkness of sin leads people to reject the light. Our minds are darkened by sin. I have shared simple Gospel message as plainly as I knew how and it was like those listening were in a fog—they just didn’t get it!

The Gospel also meets resistance because of the DISOBEDIENCE THAT REJECTS THE LORD (v.20-21). God reaches out to those who aren’t looking and speaks to those who aren’t asking. He reaches out even to the most resistant. So must we! The very person we brand unreachable may be won to faith in Christ—such is the remarkable power of the Gospel.

2010-06-21T15:00:00.000-07:00

THE PRESENT EVANGELIZATION OF A CHOSEN PEOPLE
THE RECEPTION OF THE GOSPEL

Since the Bible clearly teaches that it is faith in Christ alone that saves us, how can we have faith to receive Christ and believe in Him. Where does such faith come from? It is the gift of God’s grace—as is all of salvation. The Word of God is given and it creates faith in the hearts of those who will receive it.

This is THE MESSAGE TO SHARE.

8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach):
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”
12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is
rich to all who call upon Him.
13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:8-13)

Everybody needs to know!

The late Adrian Rogers shared an illustration from the sinking of the ocean liner, Titanic:

On the Titanic, there were passengers who were rich and poor; young and old, male and female. Some traveled in the luxury of first class while others were in a small berth in the bowels of that ship—but after it sunk, there were in the end only 2 classes of people which the newspaper reports gave: those listed as saved or lost! Some are going to hell first class, others are in the lower deck; there are some working hard at staying afloat while others are lounging in luxury. But all need the Savior—and thank God whoever will may come!

Believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead; confess with your mouth that Christ is Lord! He will not fail to hear you—this is the promise—whoever! There are none so good that they need not be saved and none so bad that they cannot be saved! Everybody needs to hear the message.

God directs THE MEANS FOR SHARING.

14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how
shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear
without a preacher?
15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!”
16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?”
17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:14-17)

You see the logic, don’t you?

You won’t call on someone unless you believe in them and you can’t believe in someone you haven’t heard about and you can’t hear about someone without a witness and you can’t have a witness unless someone sends them! It is a beautiful thing to go and tell the good news! God sends us to the unbelieving with a Word that they may believe. We don’t dare let the Great Commission become the great omission!

Recently, David Platt spoke at the Southern Baptist Pastors’ Conference. You should go online and find the message and listen to it all! There were a few points that were particularly poignant

“With 6,418 people groups we would not spend our dollars as we do, if we really believed the Good News of the Gospel…
Success is not how many people coming into your building, but how many are going out to do missions…
Do you believe that the Word of God empowered by the Spirit of God is enough to accomplish great things in this world?
Unreached people groups only have enough knowledge of God to damn them to hell.
Over 1.6 billion people with hell as their only option!”

Are we making ourselves available for God to use us to make an eternal difference in someone?

2010-06-21T14:30:00.000-07:00

THE PRESENT EVANGELIZATION OF A CHOSEN PEOPLE
THE REASON FOR THE GOSPEL

What would you consider the greatest need of the human race? The reason for the Gospel is wrapped up in the answer to that question. If man’s greatest need were for knowledge, God would have sent an educator. If it were for technology, He would have sent an engineer. If it were for finance, God would have sent an economist. If any of those were our greatest need, then there is really no reason for the Gospel. Our greatest need, however, is for forgiveness of sin and so God sent a Savior! That is the reason for the Gospel. We need to hear the Gospel message. We need to hear it desperately, and Paul, knowing this, proclaimed it passionately.

That is the church’s mission still. There is no plan B—only plan A—that is for the church to share the good news of eternal life through the Son.

We must share the Gospel because of IGNORANCE OF THE RIGHTEOUSNESS REQUIRED. Paul addresses this in Romans 10:1-4,

1 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.
2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.
3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.
4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

Israel was ignorant of God’s way of righteousness. They thought that through their own effort at keeping the law, they could be saved. That is the thinking of most people in our world today. But, there was no reason for Christ to come and live the life He did and die the death He died if we could work our way to heaven.

Paul says that, “Christ has become the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes,” (v.4). He lived a perfect life and died in our place—meeting all God’s righteous demands. Yet, so many fail to respond to the Gospel because we are blinded by unbelief. It takes a miracle to give sight to the blind—that’s why Paul prayed, “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved,” (v.1) and we need to pray similarly. Salvation requires a supernatural act of God. I can’t save anyone, but God wants to use me to reach them. Do you have a burden for the lost? Do you plead for their souls? I dare you to pray for lost souls and see what happens! Listen to the way we pray, however. It is usually an organ recital, and so much about physical need. That’s not necessarily wrong, but that involves life and death—while the Gospel involves heaven and hell! We spend more time trying to keep the saints out of heaven than trying to keep the lost out of hell!

We must share the Gospel because of the IMPOSSIBILITY OF THE RIGHTEOUSNESS REQUIRED. That is the next matter which Paul presents:

5 For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, “The man who
does those things shall live by them.”
6 But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down from above)
7 or, “ ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). (Rom.10:5-7)

It isn’t just difficult to be righteous enough to get to heaven—it’s impossible! Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount that unless our righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees we will not enter the Kingdom of God. Now those folks were extremely religious. I dare say none reading these words is their equal—and certainly none exceed them—the very thing Jesus demands. A friend of mine on the internet, Mark Lamprecht whom I know on Twitter as @hereiblog, put it this way, “The question is not, ‘Am I good enough to be a Christian?’ Rather the question is, ‘Am I good enough not to be?’ " You don’t have to be relatively good as compared to man, but utterly good as compared to God! That is impossible. The Apostle wants to know would you be good enough to reach up to heaven and bring Christ down or qualify to raise Him from the dead. No! And you don’t have to—Christ came for you and rose to justify you. This is the righteousness that comes by faith and only by faith in Christ!

2010-06-21T13:52:00.001-07:00

THE PRESENT EVANGELIZATION OF A CHOSEN PEOPLE

This past weekend, we celebrated Father’s Day—and that is a good thing. I’ll tell you an even better thing—I was able to visit with my Christian father. I am so thankful I was raised in A Christian home. That is a great privilege—and if you experienced that, it is impossible to express how much an advantage that is to lead us to Christ.

But, we must remember that God has no grandchildren! Even those raised in a Christian home must receive Christ, personally, as their Lord and Savior. This was the issue that Paul was confronting in trying to reach his countrymen. The Jews of the first century were convinced that it was enough to be physical descendants of Father Abraham, but Paul tells us that it is the faith of Abraham that makes one a child of God.

Here is the reality: whether Jew or Gentile—all people of the world are lost without Christ and are on their way to eternal misery. That’s the bad news.

The good news is that God allows U turns by responding to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If you have been to a Bible-believing church at all, you have heard the term, “Gospel” many times. But, do we know that it means? The word means, “Good news.” The glad tidings are that Jesus saves! That is good news, indeed.

2010-06-17T07:34:00.000-07:00

THE PAST ELECTION OF A CHOSEN PEOPLE:
INTERPRETATION OF GOD’S SOVEREIGN CHOICE

Paul anticipates arguments against the teaching of election and answers them in Romans 9:19-33. We may not be able to fully understand this doctrine, but we must attempt to interpret it in light of what the Holy Spirit teaches us. The Apostle interprets the doctrine of election as revealing God’s glorious power, His generous patience and His gracious provision. This much is plainly presented.

Election points to GOD’S GLORIOUS POWER.

19 You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?”
20 But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?”
21 Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor? (Rom.9:19-21)

God has absolute power as a potter has with the clay. We are formed of the same common clay—depraved dust that we are in our natural state. If God were only just, then He would form us all to be chamber pots. That is, we are all fit for destruction due to our sinfulness. Yet, He is not only just, but merciful, and so He forms the undeserving into beautiful vases to display His glory—from the same dirt! Yet, we must not press an illustration beyond the single point intended. Humans are sentient beings, made in the image of God, though admittedly that image is marred by sin. So God doesn’t just randomly make a vessel for honor and throw a bunch of others aside indiscriminately—breaking them without concern—as vessels for dishonor. God has the right to do as He pleases, but He always pleases to do what is right.

Election points to GOD’S GENEROUS PATIENCE.

22 What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction,
23 and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory,
24 even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?(Rom.9:22-24)
God is so patient. He even pleads persistently with those that He knows will reject Him. God is “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pet.3:9). He knows those that will come to Him. He knows those who will reject Him and it grieves Him. Jesus knew Judas would betray Him, yet it is evident that the Lord loved Him, and gave the treacherous disciple an opportunity to do the right thing. He chose perdition. There are those who choose their will rather than God’s will.

Election points to GOD’S GRACIOUS PROVISION.

25 As He says also in Hosea: “I will call them My people, who were not My people, And her beloved, who was not beloved.”
26 “And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ There they shall be called sons of the living God.”
27 Isaiah also cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, The remnant will be saved.
28 For He will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness, Because the Lord will make a short work upon the earth.”
29 And as Isaiah said before: “Unless the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, We would have become like Sodom, And we would have been made like Gomorrah.”
30 What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith;
31 but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness.
32 Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone.
33 As it is written: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, And whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” (Rom.9:25-33)

God has provided grace for salvation to all who place their faith in Christ. Those who hear the Gospel and respond to its power by turning from sin to Christ are the elect. In Paul’s ministry, many Gentiles were responding and a remnant of Jews.

25 As He says also in Hosea: “I will call them My people, who were not My people, And her beloved, who was not beloved.”
26 “And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ There they shall be called sons of the living God.”
27 Isaiah also cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, The remnant will be saved.
28 For He will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness, Because the Lord will make a short work upon the earth.”
29 And as Isaiah said before: “Unless the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, We would have become like Sodom, And we would have been made like Gomorrah.” (v.25-29).

That is still true today. Very few physical descendants of Abraham become part of the true Israel through the faith of Abraham—and the righteousness that comes from that faith.

Why is it that so many Gentiles were embracing the Gospel? It was God’s grace that amazed them! The Gentiles weren’t looking for God but God sought them, “What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith,” (v.30). Israel thought God owed them and thus missed the way of faith, “but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness.” (v.31). Why would the Jews be amazed by grace, when they felt entitled to salvation because of their own goodness? In fact, they stumbled on Christ, “Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone. As it is written: ‘Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, And whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.’ ” (v.32-33). He wasn’t the kind of Messiah they were looking for and they were scandalized by the cross.

What about you? Have you understood that you cannot be saved apart from God’s gracious provision on the cross? Have you in utter desperation called upon Christ as the only way of salvation? If not—do it now!