Look Up

“And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” (Lu 21:28 AV)

It is too easy to keep our heads down and become preoccupied with the evil that is covering this world!  It is too easy to become overwhelmed or worse, depressed because we see a dark cloud gathering on the horizon!  The LORD is coming back.  The closer He is to His return, the more the forces of evil will gain in their strength.  We see this all around us.  Substance abuse is killing our citizens.  The sodomites are close to taking control of our nation’s institutions and churches.  Schools are no longer safe as the godless indoctrinate our young people against the LORD and His laws.  Open debauchery is no longer the exception.  It has become the rule.  The worst of it all is there is no interest in the things of God nor a concern over eternal destiny.  There is every reason for the saints of God to hang their heads!  But we don’t have to!

Jesus encourage us the closer He is to His coming, the more we need to look up!  Not down!  All these things are happening because the LORD wishes to allow mankind every opportunity to reject Him.  The consequence of that rejection is resolute judgment.  It has to happen.  However, as the saints of God, we can see the coming storm and know that our redemption draws nigh.

For me, it is a two-edged sword.  Evil is not something I wish to see!  Years ago, while serving as an interim Pastor, there was a former deacon who was in complete rebellion.  He hated me and the church so much that he brought his work to church, briefcase and all, and did office work while the preaching was going on.  It gave me a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach!  This is how I feel when I meditate on the condition of the world and the body of Christ.  It is pure evil.  Time for us to look up!  Our redemption draweth nigh!

It Has To Be You

“And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible.” (Lu 1:36-37 AV)

There were plenty of holy priests to use as a father to the prophet that would precede Christ.  No doubt, Zacharias and Elizabeth were as devout and righteous as others.  Yet, there was one factor they had that others did not.  The element of impossibility.   The LORD deliberately kept Elizabeth from conceiving all her life so that at the right moment, she and her husband could be a work of God’s grace and miracle as a sign for a virgin who would conceive the Savior of the world.  The fruitlessness of these two were a work of the Holy Spirit!

When the Spirit encouraged me to entertain the other possibilities, they just wouldn’t do.  A couple in their thirties conceiving John the Baptist would not do.  There would be nothing out of the ordinary at the conception and birth of a son to a younger couple.  A newlywed couple certainly wouldn’t do.  They would be expected to be expecting.  Even though each conception is the hand of a God who still creates; a miracle in its own right; this sort of thing happens every day.  But when a couple in their old age and beyond the age of conception, conceive, this doesn’t happen every day!

“It has to be you” comes to mind.  There is a debate on the sovereignty of God that I often pointless.  Can God use others of those who are chosen refuse?  Obviously.  God uses the Gentiles precisely because the Jews rejected Christ.  Yet, there are times when the LORD allows or causes others to be put in a place where only they could pull off what the LORD wished.  Esther comes to mind.  There are times when it “has to be you” and only you!  God has chosen you for a purpose unique to yourself.  Finding that place brings meaning and purpose.  A joy that follows!  It has to be you!

Came For a Bath

“But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap:” (Mal 3:2 AV)

We may look at this and see only judgment seated in wrath.  But there is another way of looking at it.  Note the fullers’ soap.  Both the refiner’s fire and fuller’s soap seek to accomplish the same thing.  They seek to cleanse and purify.  The fuller was a worker in fabric.  His soap was distinctly designed to whiten.  Hence, when the question is posed, “…who may abide in the day of his coming…” does not suggest judgment for the purpose of destruction.  Otherwise, there would be no fuller’s soap.  The question is posed to suggest the LORD is coming to clean those who are in need of it. 

Remember when OxiClean was sold on infomercials?  Who can forget Billy Mays selling us such a miracle product?  Why, all one had to do is put a white t-shirt stained with every imaginable stain into a swirling pool of water fortified with OxiClean, and it would come out white as snow!  Stain after stain would be defeated at the mighty power of this miracle product.

This is the point of the question.  No one will abide the perfect standard of the holiness of God!  No one!  We all need a bath in the fuller’s soap.  We all need to be cleansed from serious ailments of sin by the refiner’s fire.  This is why Christ came!  This is why He came the first time!  He came to show us how far we had fallen and offer to cleanse us by His own blood. That was His first coming.   If we reject the purpose of the first coming, we will suffer in the next coming.  There will be no refiner’s fire.  There will be no fuller’s soap.  Only the wrath of God on those who reject the free gift of salvation in Christ!

Keep Not Silent

“I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the LORD, keep not silence,” (Isa 62:6 AV)

The temptation to keep silent grows greater the more people do not listen.  The more the message is rejected, the less motivated the messengers are to declare it.  The more it is ignored, the less purpose is seen in preaching it.  Yet, the LORD is very specific here.  Keep not silence. 

An analogy came to mind.  Imagine Noah has he is building the boat.  No doubt the beginning and the end was the time of greatest preaching.  The beginning, while the frame was assembled, the congregation was in full sight of Noah and his sons.  Preaching to the crowd would have been easy.  They were right out there in the open is the building of the Ark with all the activity could not be hid.  However, once framed in, the vast majority of the work would have been on the inside.  Noah and his sons would have to deliberately cease their inside work to preach to the congregation passing by.  It would have been difficult to stay motivated to preach without and audience passing by.  But then came the end of the project.  When they had to assemble the animals two by two.  This required them to be out and among the people again.  Preaching picked up.  The closer the floods of judgment came, the more involved in their world Noah and his sons became.  This is what the church must find herself doing!

There is this sense among the body of Christ the LORD is returning shortly, and as a result, the world is less responsive to the gospel message.  This may indeed be true.  But what we are doing is comparing the past with the present and defining a decline as a foregone failure.  As a result, we are declining to be aggressive in our witness around us.  This is just the opposite of what we are instructed to do.  We have allowed circumstances to dictate our outreach.  Noah went out and got the animals.  We need to go out and bring the gospel more and more into the homes and neighborhoods of the lost!  Never ceasing!  Never keeping silent!  Always abounding in the work of the LORD!

Merry Christmas

“Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah. In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land. In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The LORD our righteousness.” (Jer 33:14-16 AV)

I am so grateful the LORD kept His promise to Israel even if Israel rejected to offer!  God foresaw what the people of Israel would do.  He knew they would reject and crucify Him.  Yet, He sent Him anyway!  Why?  Two-fold!  To give the wonderful people of Judah the opportunity to accept their Messiah and to offer to the Gentiles the same!  Salvation!  What a grand thing that God keeps His promises because if the disappointment over Israel’s rebellion broke the covenant between the Father and His nation, none of us would have had the opportunity for salvation!

Merry Christmas!  What a wonderful day to call to remembrance and unbroken promise of redemption to wicked mankind.  A promise made way back in the garden of Eden!   A promise formed in the eons of eternity past before any single cell was created that the Son would come to Earth as a child, suffer as a man, endure the persecution of rebellious, and die for wickedness of all!  What a gift!  And that gift was all based on a promise.  A promise that could not be broken no matter how horrible God’s creation was to Him!  A promise born out of eternal love for the souls of mankind.  A promise founded upon His integrity, faithfulness, and mercy!  A promise that is available to all who will simple repent of their sin, placing their trust in the finished work of Calvary, and calling upon Him to save!

Only Tow Directions

“For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.” (Pr 24:16 AV)

This one is hard to explain.  The Spirit has spoken to my heart to compare the just man and the wicked man.  The just man falls, but rises again.  The wicked falls, and falls again.  In other words, there is no neutral ground.  When one falls, he will either rise back up and learn from it, or he will continue the downward progression of failure.

To put it in a lighter tone, one cannot help but get a little out of hand this time of year with the sweets that are laying around.  Lisa has this snack table set up in the dinning room.  It has all sorts of baked goods, candy, and other snackable items.  The problem is, once you pass that table and grab a Christmas cookie, it doesn’t stop.  Then comes the buckeyes, the hard tack candy, or the ginger-snaps.  Specially if you’re trying to stay on a healthy diet or not spoil one’s dinner, taking one little bite starts one down a spiral that often ends with an upset stomach.   In short, the just man knows when to stop and turn around.  The wicked just keep going until circumstances require one stop.

There is a little of both in us.  I remember when my brother and I tried out smoking.  We stole a pack of my mom’s cigarettes and hid in the tree house.  We didn’t know that you were only supposed to smoke one at a time and perhaps wait a while.  We chain smoked that pack.  We were sicker than a dog!  Then there was the time I tried out drinking.  This was after I accepted Christ.  The LORD didn’t let that get to far until He almost killed me!  If we desire to walk with God, we need to know when to stop and turn around.  Time to rise out of that which is spiraling and out of control!  If we seek to be that just man, then we have to rise above and apart from our sin!  Only two directions to go.  There is no staying neutral!

No Stress Future!

“Man’s goings are of the LORD; how can a man then understand his own way?” (Pr 20:24 AV)

Precisely!  If the LORD controls all things, including our future, then how are we any more in control of it than He allows?  If my goings are already determined by the immutable counsel of an all-knowing God, then how are we inclined to believe we determine our own destiny?  If a sovereign God whose wisdom is, and always will be, beyond our ability to comprehend can plan and put in place those events He chooses to occur in our lives, how are we even entertaining the possibility that we know where we are going or even how we are going to get there?

Yes, our future is a culmination of our choices.  But thing about this for a moment.  All our choices were within a certain structure of limited possibilities.  For instance, I cannot bare a child so a choice to be with child is not a possible choice.  I am not very athletic, so when I pitched little league (and was relatively successful at that age) a choice to pursue a career in baseball was not a realistic one.  Although I was an above average student in grade school, high school, and college, I was not exceptional.  A career in higher education was not my future.  We have choices.  But those choices are limited by the opportunity God allows.

This should actually be a source of great comfort to us!  The plan of God is one with boundaries.  It is one with constraints.  We can take comfort in knowing that we have the ability to screw up our lives but not the ability to screw them up to the complete destruction of God’s sovereign plan.  We can also take comfort that when there are future choices to be made, if we are walking with the LORD, these choices will be limited and in perfect communion with God’s plan for us.  NO STRESS!  I don’t need to know the future.  I don’t need to understand what the LORD is doing.  Only He does!  And He does!

Complete Obedience With a Heart

“And he said unto me, Son of man, the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever, and my holy name, shall the house of Israel no more defile, neither they, nor their kings, by their whoredom, nor by the carcases of their kings in their high places.” (Eze 43:7 AV)

There are two factors to consider here.  That is, the means by which perfect obedience will be accomplished.  There are two ways in which a guarantee of perfect obedience can be accomplished.  The first is the promise of a rod of iron.  The book of Revelation as well as other places tell us that when Christ comes, the will rule with a rod of iron.  Absolute rule with no compromise.  However, the Old Testament is replete with the promise of a new heart.  The LORD will take away the stoney heart of the Jewish nation and give them a new heart.  This new heart will hate sin!  This new heart will have the free-will desire to walk in obedience to the law of God.  It is this second means which I wish to consider this morning.

If we are saved, then the LORD gave us this new heart.  This new heart desires to comply to the word of God.  We do not walk in obedience nearly as much as we should, but there still is a new part of us that desires to do so.  Paul wrote of this conflict in Romans chapter seven.  We still have to battle the old man.  It is part of our human experience until the day we die.  It reminds me of a cartoon that I saw years ago.  In fact, the same theme was in several.  It plagued Tom (the cat) in Tom & Jerry.  It pestered Foghorn Leghorn.  It manifested itself in the Sheepdog and Coyote.  The There would be episodes wherein one of the characters would have a battle of the heart.  On one shoulder would be an angelic representation of himself while on the other would be a devilish representation.  Both would speak into the ears attempting to lead the individual character down their perspective paths.  Almost always, the devilish character won out.  It was more natural and amusing.

There will come a time when our wicked hearts will be no longer.  There will be a time when there will be no conflict of conscience.  We will always do the right thing because we want to do the right thing!  Just like Israel who will be permanently transformed, those who have trusted in Christ will enjoy the same liberty!  Liberty from this conflict of conscience.  Rid of the evil, wicked, selfish part of us which Christ slew on Calvary’s cross!  Romans chapter six tells us it is dead.  Yet we keep resurrecting it!  One of these days, it will be dead forever!

There is always hope!

“Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts. Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel.” (Eze 37:11-12 AV)

Just when one thinks that all things are hopeless, it could get worse.  Yet, as bad as it can get, nothing is beyond the God of ‘possible’.  This vision of Ezekiel is calls the vision of the dry bones.  These bones were dry, without flesh, and bleached by the sun.  Beyond any hope of ever coming to life again.  As Ezekiel was instructed to do, he gazed upon these bones.  The LORD built flesh upon those bones.  When they were fully formed men, He breathed the breath of life into those bones.  These bones represented and will represent, the spiritual condition of the nation of Israel prior to the coming of Christ.  If the LORD is able to spiritually resurrect a dead nation that had rejected Christ the first time around, surely, He can resurrect a nation that once was the center of Christianity!

Our churches have tried promotions and programs.  We have tried one new cutting-edge idea after another.  What we have never consistently used in the furtherance of the gospel is faith!  Ezekiel, and by extension Israel, are asked to do is believe that in the driest and deadest of all conditions, God can and will resurrect His people!  We have to have an enthusiastic faith that shows to the world there is life!  We are not dead!  God can turn around the absolutely impossible!  Think about it!  Science can 3D print inanimate objects.  It can create simulated life.  What it can never do is create life from nothing.  This is and always will be an only God thing!  Several years ago, my son and I came across human remains while hunting in the woods.  There were bleach white.  The poor soul’s clothes including his sneakers were still there.  It was as if he simply laid down to take a nap and expired.  I remember the bleach white condition of his remains.  What a sight it would have been had the LORD resurrected this poor fellow back to a condition better than he ever was before!

If God can do this with Israel, surely, He can do this with a life or a church!  We just have to see the possibility!  We just have to see the God of the impossible doing the impossible!  There is hope as long as the LORD lives!  And He always will!

Private Thoughts are Not Private

“And the Spirit of the LORD fell upon me, and said unto me, Speak; Thus saith the LORD; Thus have ye said, O house of Israel: for I know the things that come into your mind, [every one of] them.” (Eze 11:5 AV)

We use the term “private thoughts” in many different ways.  We describe a journal as a record of our private thoughts.  These thoughts are to be honored and not revealed.  Some times we talk to ourselves and when asked what we said, we respond they were just private thoughts.  To discover another’s private thoughts are to violate the individual him or herself.  There is an implied liberty in private thoughts.  The right to have thoughts one probably shouldn’t have yet we feel entitled to express them in a private manner just because we have them.  With the LORD, there are no private thoughts.  Every thought, feeling, and attitude are known to the God who knows all!

As a child, I never really got into the whole ‘journal’ thing.  I may have tried it once.  Perhaps a few pages of a diary.  But after a few weeks, it got to be more of a chore than anything else.  And besides, once the expression was made and there were no more feelings to record, things began to be made up.  Or, worse, we accessed the deepest and darkest part of our heart and manufactured thoughts and feelings that were not there to begin with!  If we would consider that this diary will be found and read by everyone with whom we had an issue, the diary would never have been written.

Now, consider the LORD!  He knows all our thoughts!  Whatever enters our minds, He is aware of!  Every thought of impurity, guile, envy, jealousy, malice, or unholiness; God knows it all!  Even if we entertain sin, yet never act upon it, God still knows.  That diary is open as it is being written!  This is why Paul tells us to bring every thought into captivity!  Just remember, God knows!  And, God remembers!

God's Simple Gifts

“Better [is] little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith.” (Pr 15:16 AV)

An important verse at this time of year!  It amazes me the transformation of Christmas from a sacred holiday to a material one!  It used to be the Charlie Brown Christmas was the Christmas special everyone watched.  Now, Santa Claus is the focus of every house.  Even in those professing their love for Christ!  Go figure!

We were watching “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” last night and the opening five or ten minutes perfectly illustrates what we have all become.  Christ is not even mentioned in that whole film!  Growing up, we didn’t have much.  My parents did a saintly job of providing all they could for their large family.  We may not have had all that we wanted.  But there was no lack of all that we needed.  And is come ways, I think we were more blessed and content because of it.  When it came to Christmas, my parents went out of their way to remind us of the sacredness of the holiday.  Many believe the advent wreath is a Catholic tradition, but it actually started in the 15^th century among German Lutherans.  There are four weeks of lighting candles and scripture readings.  These readings emphasized the sinful condition of man and the need of a redeemer.  Interspersed was other passages regarding the promises and prophesies of the coming of Christ and the actual Christmas event as recorded in Luke.  For four weeks, our minds were not on toys and gifts, but on Jesus Christ as our redeemer.  Our practice was that church came first.  On Christmas morning, we would all get dressed and got off to church.   Then, after we uncovered Baby Jesus in the manger scene and Dad said a prayer, we got to the gifts.

What we have done is made Christ of less value than any item we may ever receive.  As a child, we would get come chocolate and apples in our stockings.  Today, some stocking stuffers are more than what is under the tree.  When we did get to the tree, we would have three gifts.  One from each grandparent and one for our parents.  That was it.  Those were the good times.  What we did have was ten brothers and sisters to play with and share gifts.  What we did have is imagination.  What we did have is a thankful heart that God was the center of our tradition and holiday and not some gift that would eventually be discarded.  We are truly blessed no matter what is under the tree!

Turn Aside To See

“Mine eyes do fail with tears, my bowels are troubled, my liver is poured upon the earth, for the destruction of the daughter of my people; because the children and the sucklings swoon in the streets of the city.” (La 2:11 AV)

What Jeremiah saw in the aftermath of the Babylonian invasion disturbed him greatly.  It affected him physically.  It made him sick to see the result of chastisement from the LORD.  Surely, we would think that placed in the same set of circumstances, we would react the same way.  Yet, it might not be the case.  Let me explain.

We are inundated with news of tragedy.  No matter how large or how small, the news attempts to tug at our heart strings over misfortune.  We feed off it.  We want to feel what others are feeling.  The problem with a constant exposer to tragedy is we become a little calloused towards it.  We see images of war from fields afar with all the blood and gore allowed by the FCC.  We learn of a terrorist taking advantage of a situation where others are hurt or a mass shooting in a state halfway around the nation.  We read of impaired drivers losing control of their vehicles only to take another’s life.  There are police reports which appear weekly telling us of substance abuse, theft, and worse of all, child neglect or abuse.  There is tragedy upon tragedy.  It is the new norm.  So, when we see our own saints go down with life altering choices, how stirred are we at their situation?  Yes, there is little we can do if they do not want our help.  But there is prayer!  There is a kind word or a text that might encourage.  There is a simple touch that lets them know they are not forgotten and they are loved.

Our tear ducts have dried up.  We can hold our meal down.  We are more interested in the score of our favorite sports team then we are the unfortunate situation of our fellow believer who has fallen off the grid.  We are so preoccupied with our own family we forget the situation of another’s all it takes is what the good Samaritan did.  He turned aside to see!  He stopped and looked!  He allowed it to bother him!

Call Their Bluff!

“Now it came to pass, when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that the LORD had commanded [him] to speak unto all the people, that the priests and the prophets and all the people took him, saying, Thou shalt surely die.  Why hast thou prophesied in the name of the LORD, saying, This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate without an inhabitant? And all the people were gathered against Jeremiah in the house of the LORD.” (Jer 26:8,9 AV) Then Jeremiah said…  “As for me, behold, I [am] in your hand: do with me as seemeth good and meet unto you. But know ye for certain, that if ye put me to death, ye shall surely bring innocent blood upon yourselves, and upon this city, and upon the inhabitants thereof: for of a truth the LORD hath sent me unto you to speak all these words in your ears. Then said the princes and all the people unto the priests and to the prophets; This man [is] not worthy to die: for he hath spoken to us in the name of the LORD our God.” (Jer 26:14-16 AV)

Sometimes all it takes is calling the Devil’s bluff!  Big words, no action!  The people, priests, and prophets tried to intimidate the man of God into silence.  All he did was tell them it wouldn’t change his calling!  If there were going to kill him, they were going to kill him!  He wasn’t daring them to kill him.  He was simply accepting it as a possibility and that if he was, he had a clear conscience.  If they were going to kill him, he could face the LORD knowing he did his job.  They would be the ones to have to account to the LORD for the murder of His prophet.

We give up way to easy!  We compromise way too soon!  I say we do what we should do and suffer whatever consequences may come our way!  If the devil threatens our liberty or life, so be it.  He was going to take it anyway. Better we stand and call his bluff.  If he is bluffing, we might just get him to back off.  The world is the same.  Sue us! What can you possibly do.  The only reason the world persecutes the believer is because it gains it something.  If there is no gain, then it stops.

Time to grow a bit of a backbone!  Time to call the bluff!  Time to say we are not afraid to suffer for the cause of Christ!  Time to say that eternity, and not the world, is the final say in all that matters!

Maybe?

“Then the LORD said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land. For, lo, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith the LORD; and they shall come, and they shall set every one his throne at the entering of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls thereof round about, and against all the cities of Judah.” (Jer 1:14-15 AV)

Could we be seeing a precursor to a fulfilment of prophecy happening right before our eyes?  The President of the United States will be, or has already, recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel with plans to move his embassy there.  What if other nations follow?  Would this be a fulfillment of the passage above?  If so, how close are we to the return of the LORD?  Perhaps in our lifetime?

When I was younger, prophecy held no interest to me.  I saw way too much arbitrary interpretation and application of it and enough arguments between prophecy buffs to dissuade me from taking it seriously.  However, there is crown promised to those who have a passion for the return of the LORD to His kingdom.  “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” (2Ti 4:8 AV)

Now, there have been many speculations that have definitely not been a fulfilment of prophecy.  The most notable was the EU as the ten-nation confederation.  They are way beyond ten.  There was the RCC being the one world religion.  Yet, they are not the largest religious organization in the world and Ishmael’s descendants will never convert.  So, could the above verses be a prophecy of the recognizing of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel?  Maybe not.  But just perhaps maybe it is!

Satisfaction Guaranteed

“He shall see of the travail of his soul, [and] shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.” (Isa 53:11 AV)

The Bible clearly tells us the LORD is not pleased with the death of the wicked.  He would much rather save the wicked than to damn them.  Yet, He is satisfied.  He is satisfied with the knowledge He did what He could to save them.  He is satisfied that His soul was in travail.  He is satisfied there was no greater act of love that could have been shown and every opportunity to repent and receive would be offered to them.  He is satisfied!

There is another way to look at it, too.  Even if only one person accepted Christ, He would have been satisfied.  That shows the value of the individual soul to the LORD Jesus Christ.  He is not a numbers guy.  He is not pessimistic that unless all come to Him, His death meant little.  Sure, the LORD’s heart breaks at the thought of any soul who rejects Him.  But equally so, He is satisfied at the prospect of each individual who does come to Him!

As preachers, we could learn a lot from this attitude.  Sometimes we allow ourselves to focus on the failures and fail to see the successes.  If we are pure numbers guys, then we are all failures.  Less come to Christ then those who don’t.  And significantly so.  Less walk with God when they do get saved than those who don’t walk with God.  Less surrender for service than those who don’t.  At His death, Christ only had three!  One disciple and two ladies.  Yet, He hung on the Cross satisfied!  As long as we do all that we can do, then we should be satisfied.  Otherwise, we are telling those who are faithful that they are not enough!

Law is Honorable

“The LORD is well pleased for his righteousness’ sake; he will magnify the law, and make [it] honourable.” (Isa 42:21 AV)

Just because mankind has ignored the laws of God doesn’t mean the LORD has.  It may take some time, but the LORD will make His law relevant again.

There is an interesting phenomenon occurring in our nation.  Sexual harassment is all over the place. At least those being accused of it are.  It started with accusations leveled against a very conservative senatorial candidate from the state of Alabama.  The left went after him with all sorts of accusations.  Mostly false.  However, this tactic has backfired.  Now, the perverts on the left are being outed.  From a famous movie director to a leftist news-anchor to a well-loved congressman, this accusation is far reaching and broad.  Intended to sink professing Christians and conservatives, it seems the left is guiltier of the very thing which they are trying to pin on their competition.  It just goes to show the truth of the verse above.  God’s law is supreme and no one is above it.

This should really strike some fear into our hearts.  Fear that the LORD will not hide nor relax the law no matter who we are.  The law will be honorable again.  The law will be pre-eminent.  The law will be magnified so that mankind will be subject to it again.  No exceptions.  No do overs.  No bending of the rules to accommodate individual liberty.  The law will be honorable again.  It will be a good thing.  A right thing. A righteous thing.  A thing to be admired and followed.

One can tell a lot about himself by how he looks at the law.  Does he see it as an obstruction or inconvenience?  Does he see it as a duty?  Or, does he see it as something honorable which should be pursued?  It is that third level which we should aspire to!

An Equal Opportunity Condition

“To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him? The workman melteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and casteth silver chains. He that [is] so impoverished that he hath no oblation chooseth a tree [that] will not rot; he seeketh unto him a cunning workman to prepare a graven image, [that] shall not be moved.” (Isa 40:18-20 AV)

What first struck me was the term impoverished.  In fact, they are so impoverished.  At first glance, taking the verse by itself, I thought that poverty might be a cause for idolatry.  If a person is poor, maybe they are more apt to fall into unbelief or sin.  However, the previous verse states the wealthy do the same.  Their idols are of precious metals.  The impoverished make their idols out of wood.  Both make them.  Idolatry and sin are not relegated to one class above the next.  Sin and unbelief is an equal opportunity condition.

There is a program that has caught the imagination of this country.  It is called Live PD.  A program that follows different law enforcement agencies throughout the country.  What fascinates most is the complete lack of reality on the part of most perps.  A total disconnect from the world around them.  Their logic is at the fourth-grade level.  There is no moral compass.  No brain processes.  No reality.  One wonders how they got that way.  It was and still is, sin.  Then, we compare the professionalism of the police against those with whom they are dealing and assume the police are completely moral and normal.  This is not true.  The drug addict may worship his substance. But the law-abiding citizen has his idols, too.  That police officer, no matter how professional he may be, is still a sinner in need of redemption!

This should change the way we look at people.  It doesn’t matter how well they are dressed or how poorly they appear.  They are lost and without Christ.  It doesn’t matter if the are addicted to crack or a Starbucks latte, they are in need of Christ.  It doesn’t matter if they earn six figures or are on food stamps, they need Christ!  All men everywhere need Christ!

No Celebrities at Calvary

“Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we [him] no more.” (2Co 5:16 AV)

The context here is the ambassadorship of every believer to the lost around them.  Paul is saying he no longer sees men as he once did.  He does not know them after the manner of flesh, but rather, as they all are – lost souls in need of Christ.  He no longer interacts with men as society would demand.  He respects men for their position’s sake, but he does not idolize them or revere them to the point of being unable to witness to them.  Just as he can no longer consider the LORD Jesus in the manner in which he knew him – in the flesh – he can no longer see others as he once saw them.  Jesus Christ is not glorified.  He no longer retains the limit human body He once inhabited.  Paul can no longer know Jesus Christ after the flesh.  But as He is – the King of kings and LORD of lords – the only wise potentate!

It is interesting what happens when the saint walks with God.  We are not all that impressed with the fame of man.  Years ago, my sons and I caddied at an exclusive golf club.  In doing so, we had the privilege of meeting and working for some very well-known golfers.  Luke Donald, Phil Mickelson, Jim Lovell, and a retired Chicago Bears football player were the most well-known.  There were others.  A part owner of the Cleveland Browns, a top executive with CBS, and enough multi-millionaires to shake a stick at.  However, the longer one caddies for these men, the more one realizes they are not all that much different than anyone else.  They are still a soul for whom Christ died.

I don’t know if the LORD was able to use me to reach any of them.  Yet, one thing I always mentioned.  When they asked of my family and occupation, I readily told them I was a bi-vocational Baptist pastor who worked with folks in the inner-city.  It gave an open door to witness to them.  Who knows what the LORD did with the few years at the club?  One thing is for sure, we can no longer know men after the flesh.  After the spirit, yes.  After the flesh, no.

Turn On The LIGHT!

“For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.” (Lu 2:30-32 AV)

A wonderful description of the ministry of Christ!  A light!  A light gives hope and direction.   A light illuminates the dark, ridding the soul of all fears.  A light gives warmth is a cold, dark, and foreboding world.  If the days or nights seem hopeless, a sole candle in the middle of the room gives an air of comfort.  Jesus is that light that lightens the Gentiles.

I was seventeen years old and the LORD turned my world upside down.  Moving away from all my friends and working more hours that a senior in high school should, I soon found myself confused and with no purpose in life.  Having attended three different high schools, it soon become awfully lonely.  With teachers and counselors pressuring me to come up with a plan for life, there was nothing on the horizon that gave any answers.  It was so bad, I was toying with ending it all.

Then a miracle happened.  Someone at work began to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.  At first, I rejected it because it went contrary to what I had always believed.  I had always believed it took effort on my part, good works so to speak, in order to go to heaven and have a relationship with God.  The Bible says something completely different.  After months of wrestling with what to do with Christ, the Holy Spirit was successful in convicting my heart and encouraging me to put all my trust and faith in Jesus Christ and Him alone!  Praise be to God.

Finally, there was a peace like I had never experienced before.  There was hope!  The LORD had as yet given me a direction and specific purpose in life, but with the communication lines now open, it would only be a matter of time until the LORD did so for me!  There was a light at the end of the tunnel.  Soon, the tunnel wouldn’t even exist!  He is that light!  Trust Him today!

What Simple Obedience Looks Like

“And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.” (Lu 1:38 AV)

Mary’s simple obedience without objection is amazing.  No wonder the LORD chose her.  He needed someone who would submit by faith with no objection in order to parent the Son of God!  Mary asked only one question of Gabriel.  “How shall this thing be seeing I know no man.”  This was not a question of submission.  Rather, a question of process.  Perhaps she was asking so that she could encourage Joseph to marry her sooner.  There is nothing in her tone of voice that would suggest she had one sliver of objection to the LORD’s will for her.  One realizes that giving birth was the sole definition of a woman’s purpose in life at the time of the LORD’s coming.  Ladies would stress rather deeply if they were married without children.  But this is being with child out of wedlock with no guarantees of how Joseph and society would respond.  Joseph could have put her away and she would have been known as a whorish woman.  All of Jewish society could have shunned her.  And, maybe they did!  All of that never entered the mind, or if it did, it was never voiced as a concern.  This obedience is the highest of all! No saintly role model ever did outperform Mary’s simple obedience.

When the LORD asks us to do something difficult, we hem and haw.  If we don’t have all the answers and there is a predictable hard road ahead, we question if the LORD really knows what He is doing.  We would have a  come-a-part if the LORD would ask us to suffer possible shame at the direction which He intended.  We would find any and all objections why it could not be done.  We would fire off one reason after another why it should be us.  Moses comes to mind.  That is our natural response.  We cannot speak.  We are not a natural leader.  We can choose someone better than the LORD can.

Mary utters the simple words.  Let it be done to thy handmaid as you wish.  What a statement of complete and unobjectionable submission.  Something we could all learn and apply!

Pounding Tenderness

“And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins, Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,” (Lu 1:76-78 AV)

I thought this was slightly ironic when compared to John’s preaching towards the Pharisees!  Haha!  When one considers the tone of the message and the accusations leveled at the Pharisees, it hardly reminds one of tender mercy.  However, as we saw in a previous entry, there are only two styles of preaching; fear and compassion.  In either case, it results in the tender mercy of God being the desired outcome.

I remember my Mom giving us a chore. It was beating to death a cube stake in the hopes it could be eaten.  She gave us this little hammer that had teeth on both heads.  We would sprinkle a little seasoning in it then beat it to a pulp.  This little kitchen hammer was called a tenderizer.  Today, we can use spices (compassion) or the hammer (fear).  It all depends on how tough we are at the time.

Years ago, we used to have really hard preaching.  Really pointed.  Penetrating to the soul.  Yes, some of it was over the top.  There were preachers who believed that if they made someone made, it was Holy Ghost conviction.  Yet, most of the hard preaching was not.  We have become so sensitive that we cannot endure the chastening and rebuke of the LORD from the pulpit.  Guilty as charged!  There was a time when I could not endure it.

There is something the child of God must remember.  There are times we are not as tender to the leading and instruction of the Holy Ghost as we would like to believe.  I can personally attest to that!  There are and were times when the obvious escapes us.  As a preacher, there are times when the sheep cannot take a hint and sometimes one must be extremely blunt.  All these blunt times are still considered the tenderness of God!  His mercy to try to fix us!  Praise God for these ‘tender’ times.

His Judgement is Not Blind!

“And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.” (Isa 11:2-4 AV)

What a wonderful and comforting truth to know that the LORD will judge according to what is and not what is perceived!  This passage is a millennial passage.  It speaks of the nature of Christ’s government.  An absolutely righteous judgment that knows what is and is not limited to what can be seen or heard.  The LORD knows the intent of the heart.  The LORD knows the motive.  The LORD knows what was really done that no one else can see.  The LORD is not limited to the words another utters, but rather, can see the heart which would have said what it was thinking if an ear were provided.  He sees and knows it all and will judge accordingly!

One of the greatest challenges is to referee and argument between siblings.  As a parent, we were not there when it started.  We could not see what was done or said in real time.  We have to try to discern the truth filtered from the bias of each combatant.  There are many times when this is impossible.  Our children resent us because our judgment was not perfect.  There were times when a brother and I would get into trouble.  Yet, the one caught at the time would receive the greater condemnation.  If it were me, I would storm up to my room and brood on my bed about how unfair my parents were.  If I was the one who got off easier, I would gloat!

This will never happen with Christ.  Even now, the LORD knows it all.  He knows what we are all thinking and doing.  If we are harming another, Christ knows about it!  If we are thinking of harming another, Christ knows about it!  If we are on the other side of that harm, Christ knows all about it.  He even knows things that we cannot know!  The judge of the Earth will do right!

Share and Apple with Your Enemy

“In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, [was there] the tree of life, which bare twelve [manner of] fruits, [and] yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree [were] for the healing of the nations.” (Re 22:2 AV)

I had a question regarding this passage that was very profound.   If there is no more sorrow or pain, why would there be a need for healing?  Excellent question.  It caused me to search out the word “…healing…” to see what was meant.  The Greek word is therapeia from which we get the English word, therapy.  We may have a glorified body and not physical sickness a possibility, but, there will be memories of which we must deal.  What I think some of the commentators suggest is this tree of life wherein the nations heal one another is a place where folks will meet for the purpose of mutual fellowship and edification.  It may just be the place where we meet and have to, once and for all, release one another from the bitterness we have harbored all these years.  It will be a place where we finally realize all those injustices were not that big of a deal and as Joseph learned, God meant them for our own good.  It will be a place where personal differences, which were removed at the point of glorification, are verbalized with those whom we disagree. It will be a place of emotional and social healing.  A place of therapy!

 There have been times when my parents would send two arguing siblings to the same bedroom to figure things out.  We wouldn’t be allowed to come out for any reason, including to eat, unless we had buried the hatchet.  If it is one thing that saints know how to do with complete unity, it is to eat!  Put a pot luck on and all the petty differences we shared are all of a sudden forgotten.  The LORD knows this.  He can remove the sin nature; which He will when we arrive home.  But He cannot force us to reconcile our differences.  With the sin nature removed, reconciliation will be a joyful pursuit.

But herein is the application.  If we will not reconcile, it is because of sin in our own heart and not necessarily what the other has done.  Why not confess our bitterness now and reap the rewards of restored fellowship rather than wait for the tree of life?  We will have to reconcile eventually.  No reconciliation, no heaven!  You and I will reconcile!  So, why not make our own little tree of life in our churches that forgiveness might be granted and we can once again walk in unity?

Moving Day

“And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.” (Re 18:4-6 AV)

The context is the judgment of Babylon.  The angel is warning all those who know the LORD to come out of her.  Like Lot, they must come out because judgment is coming.  More importantly, they must come out because of the filth of the sin!  An interesting side note here is the absence of the condition of judgment upon Babylon as there was on Sodom and Gomorrah.  God could not judge Sodom and Gomorrah while Lot was there.  There is no condition mentioned above.  That is beside the point.  The point is separation.  God’s people should flee the very appearance of sin!  They should not go anywhere near it lest it touches us.  We should flee from it and ask the LORD to take vengeance upon it.

There are places a saint should not be even though he or she may not participate directly in any sin involved.  When I lived in Chicago, I became a Cubs fan.  A rather ardent one at that.  The reason why may be a little strange.  But nonetheless, goes to our point.  My wife and I enjoyed several games at the home of the White Sox.  But the inter-inning music was loud rock music.  They served beer there and it wasn’t out of the ordinary to witness drunken behavior.  But when one went to Wrigley, at the time, they did not serve alcohol.  The music was an old-fashioned organ.  It was truly family friendly.  I don’t go to hockey games anymore because of the loud acid rock music. There are simply some places that I don’t go to because of the extra-curricular activity that one is exposed to.  Just this past year, at a state fair, there was a couple who decided to make a public spectacle of intimacy right in front of a stadium of people!

It is time for the saints to separate themselves from an ever increasingly wicked world!  Not only that, but desire the judgment of God upon it!  Come LORD Jesus and establish righteousness once and for all!  Bring holiness and purity!  Bind the hands of Satan and reign in holiness!  Please, Lord, come!

Taking Control

“And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.” (Re 11:16-17 AV)

The statement of eternity!  The four and twenty elders, representing the church, praise the LORD for asserting His absolute right to reign without the interference of His creation.  God has been, and always will be, in complete control.  Nothing happens without His consent.  That doesn’t mean He causes all things.  It just means He knows what will happen and uses it according to His divine plan.  This also means He has allowed the liberty of His creation to participate in the events He has determined will happen.  The choices of free agents like Satan and men are in the design of His perfect will.  However, there will come a time when this liberty is severely constrained and consequences for choices come unabated upon the actors.  He will take back His creation from the influence of evil and will reign completely according to the laws of His holiness!  This is for what the 24 elders are praising the LORD!

With seven brothers and three sisters, chaos was a regularly occurring theme in our family.  Specially when we got together in an attempt to play. It often got out of hand.  We were wise to keep it down and not destroy anything or anyone in the process because it meant Dad had to get involved.  Just his presence alone seemed to solve a lot of issues.  One of these times didn’t involve play, but rather, a chore we shared.  We rummaged through other people’s garbage and collected glass, which in turn, we smashed and sold to the recycler.  It was our job, usually three of us, to smash the glass and store it in barrels.  This wouldn’t take a whole lot of time.  But it was a chore no one liked to do.  Arguments often ensued and what should have taken an hour easily mushroomed into three or four hours.  My father would often come to the garage door and peer inside.  As he did, we would get quiet and resume working together.

The church so desperately desires for the LORD’s return that He might set in order the chaos caused by sin!  We want His rod of iron so that sin will cease and peace will blossom.  We want the LORD to take back His kingdom, locking the adversary up, so that all of mankind might enjoy the blessings of God’s grace!  Come LORD Jesus!  Come!

Eye Hath Not Seen

“And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:” (Re 1:17 AV)

To get the full impact of this statement, it would behoove us to recall certain facts of the past.  John the Apostle walked with Christ for 3.5 years.  He was named the disciple whom Jesus loved.  It was not uncommon to read of John sitting at the side of Christ as an intimate friend.  This same John would witness the transfigured Christ at the mount with Moses and Elijah.  He would see Jesus shine as bright as the morning sun.  This same John would see the resurrected Christ very early in the morning on the first day of the week.  He would see the resurrected Christ for 40 days following the resurrection and he would also see Jesus taken up into heaven.  John saw all these appearances of Christ, yet it was this one that moved him to almost die.  This speaks to the person and deity of the LORD Jesus Christ.  How different than the Jesus portrayed by the contemporary saint!

Years ago, I was obligated to attend a service at a contemporary church.  I fully expected the type of music which would eventually come across the sound system.  But something else happened that illustrates the flawed image which the contemporary saint has of the LORD Jesus Christ.  The artist meant well.  He was trying to minister to people who were hurting.  A contemporary song was playing over the sound system and a blank   canvass on an easel were uncovered.  A painter came out and over the length of a contemporary piece of music, he painted the laughing Jesus.  It is a rather well know piece which many have seen.  The problem with this image are multiple.  But the one that sticks in my mind is the image of our Savior which the carnal community wish to portray.  They emphasize the humanity of Christ to the exclusion of His divinity!  They make Him as common as they possibly can, ignoring that fact that Jesus is as much God as He was man.  They have this idea of high fiving Jesus or seeing Him as He was on earth when they meet in heaven.

However, the one disciple who was closest to him and knew him best fell flat on his face as one dead!  When John saw Jesus Christ, there was no laughing Jesus, high fives, bear hugs, or tattered old robes.  He is so transfigured that the closest person to him fell flat was one who was dead!  This is the Christ that we should seek to worship and know!  This is the Christ that is missing from our churches and pulpits.  This Christ is the Christ that will transform lives into righteousness and holiness!  This is the Christ that belongs front and center!  This is the Christ whom we will meet!

Soul-winning is a ministry

“As every man hath received the gift, [even so] minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” (1Pe 4:10 AV)

No mystery here!  As we have received so freely the gift of salvation by the grace of God, we need to minister the same to others.  We have made soul-winning a program and project to the point that we have forgotten what winning souls is all about.  It is not a goal to be reached.  It is not a number to tally.  It is not a map to fill in or a race to be finished.  Soul-winning is first and foremost a ministry.  If we were to understand this, we might have better results when we do go soul-winning.

Years ago, the church of which I was a member, used this program knocked on doors with the pretext of conducting a survey.  The survey would probe into a person’s religious beliefs and would end up with an invitation to hear the gospel.  It was misleading because we really didn’t care about their responses until the very last question.  And those who took the survey could figure this out really quick.  There is nothing wrong with a systematic method of reaching one’s Jerusalem.  Paul went from house to house.  He had a plan.  He went to Mars Hill.  He went to the Synagogue upon entering a new city.  There is nothing wrong with maps, promotions, or programs.  These offer discipline and structure.  But they should not be an end in themselves.  We can get so structured that we forget soul-winning is first and foremost, ministry.

Our problem is overcoming our knowledge the lost need this ministry against their own blindness towards it.  They do not know they need this ministry.  We need to open their eyes to a need which they may not even understand they need.  This takes grace and love.  This takes patience and endurance.  This takes the deep conviction that soul-winning is a ministry and not a goal!

Rejecting Opportunity is Sin!

“Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth [it] not, to him it is sin.” (Jas 4:17 AV)

This verse is often quotes separate and apart from its context.  The principle is still the same.  If we know something is right to do, the we should do it.  If we do not do what we know to be right to do, then it is sin.  This is the simplest and most strait forward meaning of this verse.  However, the real power behind the verse is found in the context of the brevity of life.  James remarks that one’s life is but a vapor that soon passes away.  He then warns against bragging on tomorrow.  Making plans as though nothing will change and tomorrow will come.  Yet, the LORD may have a different plan.  Tomorrow may not come.  Our life may be over soon. Therefore, if one knows to do the right thing, he should do it because not to do it is sin and there is limited time.

Opportunity may come around only once.  Yesterday, we had the privilege to share a meal with our Missionaries to Germany.  When we were leaving, the cashier wanted to talk.  It was a Wednesday and therefore, a lot was on my plate.  Setting up for Kids’ Klub, running the bus, and setting up for the missionary all with about thirty minutes in which to accomplish it.  Needless to say, ministry to this soul was not on my mind because time was of the essence.  Yet, the missionary took the needed five minutes and as a result, we were able to give him a tract with the gospel clearly inside.

Time is limited.  Opportunities are limited.  Knowing what the right thing is comes first.  Knowing it is the right thing to take an opportunity is important.  Knowing also that time and opportunities are limited is wisdom.  Too many times we take too much time and the opportunity to do right passes us by.  If that is the case, God calls that sin!