A Simple Declaration

“And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.” (Joh 20:28 AV)

 

A very simple profession of faith and submission.  Thomas gets a few knocks now and then for taking his time in accepting the truth of the resurrection.  But when he does, he really does!  The statement above is not a simple one-off.  It is not a simple statement uttered because there was nothing else to say.  Thomas’ profession of faith is as deep as it gets.  We may wonder why he doubted as he did.  But no one can dispute the absolutely sound and complete declaration of who Jesus is in five words or less.  When I read this verse this morning, I could not help but be reminded of the topic at hand in our Wednesday evening prayer meeting.  We are studying the person of Jesus.  Not necessarily in a doctrinal way, but more in a personal way.  Our hope and prayer are that we develop a deeper understanding and appreciation of the person of Jesus Christ so that when we meet Him, we are already deeply in love with Him.

Many elections ago, I remember a particular presidential debate and a specific moment in that debate that pretty much sealed the loser’s fate.  I cannot recall who the two opponents were, but I want to think it was President Ronald Reagan and his second opponent.  The challenger continuously addressed the sitting President by his first name only.  Not only that, but he used the shortened form of his first name.  This challenger spoke down to a sitting president and addressed him as though they had been familiar acquaintances for their entire lives.  The moderator said nothing about it.  Nor was the challenger corrected.  Our sitting president took this insult with a grain of salt.  He let it slide for a good bit of the debate.  However, when the opportunity arose, he said something I will never forget.  The topic at hand was to the advantage of the challenger.  But, the challenger was misrepresenting the facts as we knew them and accusing the sitting president of a falsehood.  This challenger was not answering the moderator’s question as much as he was trying to bait our President to react in an unpresidential way.  After our President answered the question at hand and responded to the challenger's rebuttal, our President did something that forever changed the trajectory of the debate and campaign.  The challenger did not stop with a rebuttal.  He personally addressed our President again by his shortened first name and directly challenged our President. To which our President said, “It is not Mr. Reagan or Ron from you.  It is President Reagan.  And you will address me as such for the remainder of this debate.”  You could have heard a pin drop.  In that simple statement, all rebellion from the challenger to the moderator to the audience was squelched.  The simple statement of what and who he has put an air of respect in the hearts of all those who sat there listening.

When I see Thomas’ profession of faith, I wonder to myself what my impression of the LORD Jesus Christ resides in my heart?  Do I always see and think of Him as my Lord and my God?  Coming from a faith tradition that stressed the humanity of Christ over the divinity of Christ, there has been quite an adjustment.  We can study about our LORD.  We can write papers on His divine attributes.  But there is a difference between knowing doctrine about Christ and seeing Him as He truly is.  He is indeed our Lord and our God.  The LORD Jesus may have come in the form of a man.  He may have had a human nature, but that doesn’t change the fact of His divinity.  Jesus is both Lord and God.  He is no led God than the Father.  We are told to pray to the Father because it is the will of the Father we are addressing.  Yet, we can still pray to the Son as both LORD and God.  I appreciate Thomas’ simple words above.  These words of acknowledgment and worship need to be on my lips more than they ever have before and in the hearts of those who claim His name.

So, You Say You Believe?

"Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou camest forth from God.” (Joh 16:30 AV)

 

These words are words from the disciples.  After Jesus explained more directly and fully His relationship to the Father and His eternal origin, the disciples were able to accept the truth as completely true.  They were grateful the LORD spoke to them plainly without parables, allegory, or metaphysically.  Once the LORD Jesus taught them in words and terms they could clearly understand, all doubt seemed to disappear.  However, after they spoke these words, our LORD revealed the unfortunate reality that soon, they would abandon Him as He was crucified at the cross of Calvary.  Even though it would seem they were sincere in their statement above (and I think they truly were), living out what one knows is true is quite a different matter, altogether.  They professed that Jesus Christ is the one and only Son of God come to earth that He might make disciples unto Himself and the Father.  They were fully convinced of it.  Yet, when this faith was tested, it failed.   At least the first time.

I have a brother who is one French fry short of a happy meal.  He is not playing with a full deck.  This brother of mine doesn’t seem to understand that are acceptable risks, and there are risks that no normal human being would take.  He wanted to grow us and learn to fly a helicopter.  As one special forces pilot said, “As soon as the helicopter comes off the assembly line, it is seeking ways in which to kill you.”  This dear brother of mine did something his seven brothers and three sisters had enough sense to avoid.  He learned to parachute!  No rational person would jump out of a perfectly good airplane at 5-10 thousand feet with a tablecloth strapped to his back.  But he did!  The rest of us went to see him jump.  Many times.  Each time, he safely touched down with no bodily injuries to speak of.  Facts of physics and life experience revealed to him that parachuting was perfectly safe.  The facts could be understood and accepted. The proof could be overwhelming.  The sincerity of belief could be oceans deep.  There comes a time when what we know to be true is tested under adverse conditions.  It is at that time when our faith matures.

Let us be clear.  There is no reason to be critical of the disciples here.  They were at least willing to assent to the fact of who Jesus claimed to be and follow Him in His earthly ministry.  They had enough faith in the truth to take a certain level of risk.  This observation is not one of criticism in any way, shape, or form.  What they believed was, in fact, being lived out.  They clearly were not afraid to ally themselves to the Son of God in a time when the nation was systematically rejecting Him.  Let us give credit where credit is due.  They had enough faith to leave family and friends to follow the Miracle worker.  They didn’t care what the scribes and Pharisees said about Him.  As long as they were learning, growing, and experiencing the miracles of the Messiah, their belief was plenty strong.  However, the LORD always wishes to make faith stronger.  There isn’t a ceiling in the area of spiritual maturity.  Strong faith must grow all the stronger.  When they professed their faith in Jesus as their Messiah, little did they know that faith would be tested.  And tested it must be.  So, let us admire the disciples for their statement of faith.  It was sincere.  It was true.  It was laudable.  But it had to grow deeper.

Peace That Never Wanes

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (Joh 14:27 AV)

 

There are two kinds of peace.  There is the peace that the world gives.  Then there is the peace that Jesus gives.  The world can give peace in many ways.  The songs of a bird, the sound of a running brook, or a crackling fire in the evening can all bring a sense of peace.  Good music can bring peace.  Friendships can bring peace.  All of these things, however, can be disrupted.  The birds seem to stop their singing if there is a hawk or eagle in the air.  A running brook becomes less peaceful with a swarm of mosquitoes.  A slight shift of the wind and the one enjoying a campfire is scrambling for fresh air.  Good music must eventually end.  And, friendships can run sour at the unfortunate falling away which some do.  But the peace that comes from Jesus is permanent.  This peace is founded in faith.  As long as we have faith in the person of Jesus Christ, then our peace remains.

Now, be kind.  I am not a drug addict.  Don’t be a hater.  Just let me explain and you’ll see where I am going with this.  As someone of my age is required to do every so often, I had a colonoscopy about five years back.  There is a lot of anxiety the first time one goes through this test.  It is not something one looks forward to.  As someone who prides their modesty, a colonoscopy is the absence of all modesty.  I mentioned this to my mother and she put me at ease.  She said the worst part of the colonoscopy is the preparatory period just before it.  And she was absolutely right.  When the day came, they had me prepare and dress accordingly.  Then I was wheeled into the exam room and the anesthesiologist hooked up the IV.  I have had surgery twice before.  They put me under by breathing in the drug.  But this was different.  The drug was administered by IV.  Now, this is where you need to show some grace!  I had never felt something like this before.  As the doctor was introducing the drug into the IV, he spoke to me about what I would experience.  It happened so quickly, I don’t think I heard all of it.  A wave of sleep washed over me like a tidal wave.  I felt awesome!  In less than ten seconds, I was out.  But the feeling that washed over me was something I wish I could experience every time I lay down to sleep.  What a miracle.  The peace that washed over me was like nothing else.  However, one of the side effects was a headache.  After waking up, I had a doozy.  It lasted all day and there wasn’t any pill known to man that could take it away.  That peace was wonderful; while I had it.  However, when the temporary peace wore off, there were consequences.

When we trust the LORD for our soul, He gives us peace that can never be taken away.  In fact, this same gospel records words of our LORD that intimate the only way we lose our joy is if we give it away.  If our hearts are troubled, or we fear, it is not because of our circumstances.  Circumstances are never unique to only us.  Countless other human beings have, or will, experience similar circumstances in life.  If we fear or are troubled, our problem is faith and relationship.  We fail to trust the LORD for our life as much as we trusted Him for our soul.  Or, we simply have wandered too far away for His presence to bring us that peace.  The wors above are no lie.  Jesus did not say them just to make us feel better.  He said them because they are the truth.  Our LORD has given us peace that can never be taken away.  If we are troubled or afraid it is all on us.

He Will Never Flee

“The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.” (Joh 10:13-14 AV)

 

The implication here is simple.  A hireling will not care for the sheep if a greater threat is perceived than the hireling is willing to face.  It is implied the hireling loves his own life and safety more than the sheep.  This is not so with Jesus.  He loves His sheep more than He loves Himself.  When a threat is perceived, He faces that threat for the sake of the sheep.  This He did at Calvary’s cross.  There is an application here for those called into full-time Christian service.  That being, your love for the sheep should be greater than anxiety over a perceived threat.  Yet, the most comforting thought that could apply to us all is the fact that Jesus Christ is not threatened by anything or anyone.  Thus, He will not flee.

A story is told of a hospital that was in peril.  In the center of a hurricane threat, this hospital was taking on water rather quickly.  The lower floors had been evacuated and patients removed to a different location.  However, one important patient was recovering from an organ transplant who was on the top floor.  With that patience was a tradesman to keep electricity coming, a nursing staff, and the patient’s doctor.  As the water rose, it was determined the mechanical structure of the building was going to fail.  All needed to be evacuated.  However, this patient was too weak to move.  Now wanted all to lose their lives, the tradesman and nursing staff were evacuated.  That left the doctor, patient, and rescue personnel.  What made this event even more dramatic was the identity of the patient.  He was a well-known and ruthless criminal who was responsible for hundreds of deaths as well as countless crimes.  There was no redeemable value to him.  At least where society was concerned.  The rescue personnel pled with the doctor to evacuate.  This sorry excuse for a human being was not worth his life.  But, he wouldn’t.  All others left this patience.  I may have done so myself.  But this doctor cared for his patient more than he cared for his own life.  He would stay by his patient’s side no matter what.

We have one greater than any doctor or herdsman.  We have a Savior who will never leave us nor forsake us.  Paul said,  “For I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state.” (Php 2:20 KJB)  We are hirelings.  We will not care for someone, no matter how dedicated we are, as Jesus would.  There is no comparison.  When we feel as though life is too difficult to handle, Jesus is there.  When we feel all alone, let us remember that Jesus is always there.  There is no reason He would ever leave.  If we are at fault, then He patiently waits for our repentance, ready to reconcile us to Himself once again.  There is no reason to feel abandoned or alone.  If we know Jesus Christ as our Savior, this simply is not the case.  The Good Shephard knows His sheep.  And we know Him.

What Are We Working At?

“Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?” (Joh 6:28 AV)

 

This is a great question.  One that everyone, especially the saints, should be asking.  The question was sincere.  But it was also a bit misinformed.  Our Savior’s reply was to accept Him as their Savior and Messiah.  Only then could they work the works of God.  For the lost, there is a clear application.  If we are to live in the power of God, it starts with confession of sin and the acceptance of Jesus as our Savior.  Once that occurs, we can then ask the question above in sincerity AND truth.  It is a good question.  It points to our goals and desires in life.  What do we want the most?  Do we want to do the works of God?  Or, are we content to do the works of the flesh?  Do we want to be used of the Holy Spirit in ways that impact our world far more than that which we can do in our own power?  What is it that we want to do?  The question above may have been posed a bit too prematurely by the one asking it, but it is still a great question.

When you are younger, you aspire to many things.  Watching those who are well in talents of their own, the young person wishes to grow up and do what he observes others doing.  Perhaps a pro athlete impresses the youngster and he desires to accomplish more than his role model.  Maybe this young person when to a classical concert and was impressed at the lead violinist.  He or she dreams of one day performing in a concert much like the one he or she is attending.  Perhaps other role models inspire a young person.  A teacher; a law enforcement officer; a medical professional; a lawyer; or even a preacher.  They see what this proficient individual can accomplish and sets a goal of doing the same.  The important thing is to foster this desire in a young person.  My youngest went from athlete to law enforcement to engineer to the ministry.  He has desires.  He wanted to do something with his life.  He still does.  He is not content to simply exist.  He wants more than that.  This is what we are thinking of this morning.

Do we have a burning desire to do the works of God?  Do we want to see our neighborhoods transformed because we took the time to speak with our neighbors?  Do we want to see an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our pulpits and pews so much so that the zeal of an entire congregation ramped up beyond our imagination?  What do we want to do?  What is it that we aspire to?  Do we even care?  Are we so temporally minded that the biggest aspiration is providing for our temporal needs?   Where are those who see life as bigger than it appears?  Where are the visionaries?  Where are the movers and shakers?  Where are those who are so filled with ambition for the gospel kingdom that they will not rest until God calls them home?  It used to be years ago, the entire church would come out for soul-winning.  It used to be no matter where one went, a gospel tract would be lying around.  Where has it all gone?  It starts with desire.  Do we desire to do the works of God?  These people did and it changed the world.

Communal Rewards

“And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.” (Joh 4:36 AV)

 

Reaching a soul for Christ is often a team effort.  The one to plant the seed may not be the one to pluck the fruit.  The one to reap a soul for Christ often does so at the expense of another’s efforts.  In the human economy, the one who plucks the fruit is the one who is rewarded.  Either with nourishment which the fruit provides or profit in the selling thereof.  If the sower is a different person than the reaper, the sower receives nothing more than a fair wage for his labor.  However, in God’s economy, He sees no difference between the sower and the reaper.  Both are rewarded for their service to the name of the LORD Jesus Christ.  This is important to remember as much of our labor falls in the category of sowing.  Much seed must be scattered.  Only one type of soil will bring that seed to maturity.  This means the vast majority of those with whom we will speak will reject the gospel.  But there is another application here.

The LORD was very good to me and those who worked a booth at our State Fair this year.  The LORD allowed me to lead a young man to His grace.  But I wasn’t the one who had the greatest influence on this young man.  He came to the fair with two relatives.  He shared a parent goes to a gospel-preaching church.  When I began to work with him, one of his relatives told him, “that is what I’ve been trying to tell you.”  His other relative told this man, “Listen really closely to what he has to tell you.  You need this.”  This told me there was much groundwork laid by other faithful servants to his young man.  Perhaps many years of witnessing, perhaps several years of faithful Sunday school instruction, and definitely sharing Christ's love by his relatives all played a part in his decision to trust Christ.  As the one who had the privilege of being at the new birth of this young man, I am eternally grateful for the sowers.  The fruit which the Spirit allowed me to pluck was the result of much work that went in beforehand.  If we are fortunate enough to be the one who is present at the new birth of another, we should be thankful for all those unknown saints who made it possible.

What an encouragement this truth is.  During the state fair, we handed out 14,000 tracts to people who were willing to take them.  We actually spoke to almost that many as well.  The vast majority turned down the opportunity to have the gospel explained to them.  But some did not.  Even if no one came to Christ, 14,000 souls had the gospel either placed in their hands or had it explained to them.  Of those who had the gospel placed in their hands, no doubt some will come to Christ.  It may be soon.  It may be many years down the line.  But we know the Bible promises the word of God will not return void.  God knows what we do for His glory.  Whether we sow or reap, rejoicing can be shared because a soul came to Christ by the ministry of the Holy Spirit through us!

Rejoicing In Hope

“Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;” (Ro 12:12 AV)

 

Let’s face it, the world is doing everything it can to eradicate hope.  People are not happy.  There seems to be nothing to look forward to.  Just when it seems there might be light at the end of the tunnel, our leaders and news agencies report new and more alarming mayhem.  If it is not one thing, it is another.  Not that what is being reported is of no concern.  Of course, there should be a concern.  The Bible tells us of the foolishness of those who see the evil before them and pass on as though it is not there.  There needs to be a dose of reality.  Rainbows and unicorns are no way to live.  This is not to what Paul is referring to.  By using the word ‘hope’ before the word ‘rejoicing’ suggests present circumstances are not ideal.   That is why we need hope.  If life was perfect, there would be no need for hope.  Our rejoicing, as difficult as it might be right now, must be founded upon hope.  That being the hope of what is to come.

My mother was a special kind of person.  She made a huge effort to do for her family those little things that made life special.  I think I relayed the memory of a made-to-order breakfast most Sunday mornings.  Mine was eggs in a hat.  That is where the cook will take a slice of bread and toast it on one side.  He will then cut a round hole in the center.  The cut-out will be flipped over and toasted on the other side.  The untoasted slice of bread will be flipped over and an egg broken in the center.  The toasted cut-out will be placed over the egg.  Once the remaining side is toasted, remove it to a plate.  YUM.  What made Mom’s breakfasts so special was that she seemed to have a knack when we were having an extra difficult time of life.  She also made homemade hot chocolate on the stove.  With milk and melted chocolate from a double broiler mixing in some heavy cream or steamed milk!  Awesome.  This tradition was extra special on Sunday mornings after a paper route delivery through several feet of snow.  We would come in drenched and exhausted.  As we trudged along with thousands of pounds of newspapers uphill both ways, we had the thought of Mom’s hot chocolate in our minds.  It was that hope of the homemade hot chocolate that got us through our assigned task with somewhat of a smile on our faces.

When Paul shares his testimony as rejoicing in hope, there are a few things we can take away from his words.  First, we are told to rejoice.  Rejoicing is the hallmark of the saint.  Regardless of the times in which we live, we are asked to rejoice.  Rejoicing, in part,  is what draws the world to Christ.  Second, we are to rejoice because of what is to come.  Not necessarily what currently is.  Sure, we can rejoice for much of what is.  We can rejoice that our sins are forgiven.  We can rejoice in the fact that we are eternally secure.  We can rejoice that we have fellowship with others.  We can rejoice with the wonderful families God has bestowed.  There is much to rejoice over.  But our greatest course of joy is, and always will be, that which is to come.  Our present fallen and cursed world will never get better.  That being until Christ returns.  Eternity is what we have to look forward to.  Not a perfect life.  No matter what the world does, it cannot take away the future!  Praise be to God.

Time To Weep

“And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,” (Lu 19:41 AV)

 

Jerusalem had a sordid history.  It was the glory of Israel for a few hundred years.  But it was also the city that slew the prophets and killed our Savior.  Jerusalem was the city of the great Temple of Solomon.  It was a masterpiece of God’s design meant to attract neighboring Gentile nations to the glory of God.  This it did.  A few generations.  Then the Temple became a stumbling block.   Pride in its workmanship by the Hebrews, and rejection of it by neighboring nations, led Israel down a path of idolatry.  When Jesus beheld the city of Jerusalem, He beheld it in the condition of which it was.  A rebellious city filled with religious tradition that separated itself from God their Creator.  When Jesus wept over Jerusalem, He wept over their spiritual condition as one of doom and in need of a redeemer.  He wept over the city because there was a great need and they could not see it.  He wept over the city because within its walls were tens of thousands of people who wanted nothing to do with their own salvation.  They would reject Christ and the city would be destroyed less than forty years later.

There are a few cities built in precarious places.  There are those built in flood plains and we wonder why?  Why does anyone choose to live there?  Anytime there is a hurricane, homes and whole neighborhoods are destroyed.  Some choose to live in areas with frequent mud or rock slides.  Why?  The nightly news shows pictures of homes being swept out to sea because rain softened the earth beneath.  Or, there are those cities built along a fault line.  These cities are in the news quite often.  Each time there are tremors great than five, the news relays the unfortunate loss of life.  We watch these news stories and it is hard to summon grief over the tremendous losses others face because our human nature feels if someone knowingly put themselves in harm's way or was not wise in planning out their lives, then empathy is not that easily offered.  We can even look at our own cities and find ourselves a little complacent at the plight of those who suffer within.  In our callous and human way of thinking, we would simply ask why those people still live there?  Or, as I have heard some unthinking and uncaring messengers (I think of 9/11) state a city deserves what it gets because of the multitude of sin within.  But this is not what Jesus did.  He wept over a city that did not deserve God’s grace, much less a tear shed over its condition.

I live in a rather large city.  1.4 million in our county.  That is a lot of people.  Like any large city, we have our share of problems.  However, if one were to do a little research, per capita, our large city is no different than the suburbs.  When we look out our windows or mingle among the public, what do we see?  Do we see a drunk who is inconveniencing us and displaying behavior our children don’t need to see?  Or, do we see a soul for whom Christ died?  When we go shopping, what do we see?  Do we see rude fellow shoppers who cut us off or won’t let us grab an item off the shelf?  Or do we see people whose lives revolve around the temporal with no concern for their eternal soul?  When we drive the roads and are forced to avert our eyes from a girl or lady dressed like a street-walker, do we react in disgust or anger?  Or do we feel pity for that soul because she is missing out on a blessed life she could have with Jesus as her Savior?  What of the drug addict?  What of the gang member?  What of the school-age children who have nothing better to do than to cause trouble?  What do we see and how do we react?  Jesus wept over it.  He was moved to sorrow at the condition of His beloved capital city.  He loved it so much He was willing to die for it.

Cacophony of Comfort

“When I said, My foot slippeth; thy mercy, O LORD, held me up. In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul.” (Ps 94:18-19 AV)

 

I truly needed these verses this morning.  What the Spirit highlighted for me is verse nineteen.  My thoughts are indeed a multitude of thoughts.  These thoughts can be of all kinds.  These thoughts can be wrong, or perhaps injurious to hope and faith.  Pessimism, negativity, and doubt creep in.  These thoughts are not thoughts of comfort.  So, as the Spirit leads, I mused on an intimation here.  We all have many thoughts.  We all have a multitude of thoughts.  These thoughts can take on a life of their own.  But it is suggested by the writer that the multitude of much of his thought life brings comfort to his soul.  This would suggest a purposeful and disciplined thought life.  This would suggest his thought life does not go on and on without some boundaries in place.  These boundaries are boundaries that result in comfort.

State fairs are kind of fun.  We are not into all the rides and games.  My wife and I enjoy some of the animal competitions and window shopping among the hundreds of vendors.  Sampling the fair food is also an enjoyable experience.  That is unless there is no off button.  Then one might become rather ill from all the fare that entered our stomachs.  When one walks the fair, it is hard to have your mind on anything else.  There are hawkers all over the place.  They are trying to earn a living by selling you something.  There is that part of the fair, both in the expos center and outside on the grounds, where products one can only find at a fair or online are offered.  The fair is a great time to pick up some of those unique products that one would normally purchase to save on shipping and handling. Aisle after aisle has booths set up, selling everything from fried ice cream to dish towels.  There are so many people and so much going on, it is a great place to forget all your troubles.  With that much mental input flooding the mind via your eyes, nose, and ears, that which might be troubling the mind is soon put in the back of the mind as to not be a trouble.

That which determines the condition of our soul is that which is mused over in the mind.  What we dwell on determines how we feel.  If we dwell on troubles or trials, then we become despondent or depressed.  If we dwell on injustice, we become angry and bitter.  If we dwell on our needs, we become envious or anxious.  The emotions we feel are determined by what we think.  Our psalmist explains exactly how to overcome and spirit that lacks comfort.  It is our thought life.  I have a book in my library that is a collection of verses arranged by topic rather than canonically.  When there are emotions I deal with or situations of life that might have my soul in knots, that book is a great comfort to me.  I can read specific bible verses that address my situation and the result is comfort.  The psalmist states it is in the multitude of his thoughts.  Which means the majority of them.  He seeks truth that will bring comfort and chooses to dwell on that truth rather than the circumstances which might have the opposite effect.

The Joy Over One

“I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.” (Lu 15:7 AV)

 

No context is needed here, either.  Pretty straightforward.  Our LORD reminds us just how joy-filled heaven is when a lost soul comes to Christ.  Three is joy in heaven over even one soul that repents and comes to Him than over ninety-nine souls that are living in the righteousness of Christ.  The context around this statement is the story of the prodigal.  In particular, the righteous son is in view here, too.  He never rejoiced that his backslidden brother came back home. He remained in the fields, working out his bitterness behind a shepherd's crook.  What a pity.  When the household with his father’s friend was celebrating the return of a son they thought was dead, this bitter brother was brooding over it all.  There should be great rejoicing at the salvation of a soul. So much more than any other event in the life of a saint or church.  When even one soul comes to Christ, there should be great rejoicing that resonates throughout the body of Christ.  There should be a great joy.

Our assistant pastor has seven children.  They just had their last about a year ago.  Their oldest is a junior in college and the youngest is a year old.  What is truly remarkable when one watches this family is how each child treats the baby.  There is no animosity.  There are no sibling rivalries.  There is only joy in this young boy’s life.  This young man has so much attention, he doesn’t know what to do with himself.  Each of his siblings is actively involved in his entertainment, training, and support. And it shows.  This little guy is so secure that his personality is blossoming.  He is not trying to search for himself.  He interacts with his siblings as though he has always been there.  There is no fighting.  There is no aggression.  And when this little man is in the room, he is the center of attention.  His siblings do not compete.  They are thrilled this young guy is there and rejoice with him as they enjoy life together.

Just a week ago, our state fair ended.  The booth I volunteer with had the privilege to lead almost 100 people to professions in Christ.  The LORD was gracious enough to allow me to lead a young man to a saving knowledge of Jesus.  This should result in great rejoicing.  If heaven is rejoicing, then the church should as well.  Leading someone to Christ is the greatest experience a saint could share.  It is like having a child.  It is a joy that seems to never fade.  The years of bassinettes and diapers are long gone.  But my sons are forever a joy to my heart.  Without them, my life would be a lot emptier.  So, too, is the winning of the lost to Crist.  If we are not living in the joy of even one soul coming to Christ, then we have lost the wonder of what it means to serve the LORD.  We need our joy back!

In Line With Jesus Christ

“He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth.” (Lu 11:23 AV)

 

Pretty straightforward.  No need for extensive explaining or complex context exploration.  Jesus Christ is very clear here.  There is no middle ground, either.  Either an individual is working for the glory of God, or against it.  There is no acceptable neutral position.  If an individual is not with Jesus, he or she is against Him.  If a person is not gathering souls into the kingdom, they are scattering them further away.  This truth is not all that hard to understand.  This simple truth can only be applied one way.  That is, get on board with the LORD Jesus and work for His pleasure.

Working in a factory, there were little adjustments needed to make a line run smoothly.  One of the machines we used was affectionately called the UBE.  That stands for Universal Bread Equipment.  We used this machine to feed our product into the packaging in which one might find it on the shelf.  One the way down the line, the bag was closed and a twist tie was applied.  There was a brush that gathered the bag into the twist tie machine so the tail could be bunched and tied.  Sounds kind of simple.  But it is not.  Unless that tail entered the machine completely flat and spread out, it could easily become bunched.  If that happened, you would have a jam that would shut down the whole line.  To solve this problem, there were a series of fans that manipulated the tail into the shape that the brushes would accept.  These fans were not easy to adjust.  Too much airflow would cause a backdraft.  If the airflow was off by a simple fraction, the product could fly everywhere.  These fans had to be precisely placed so airflow was in the direction of the path of the product and of such volume as to flatten the tail without making it flutter.  Adjustments were very fine.  If the airflow was not in agreement with the direction of the product, the product would scatter.  These fans had to be in unison with the overall objective.  One little maladjustment and the opposite would happen.

When it comes to the priorities and heartbeat of our LORD and Savior, it is the same principle.  If we are not living or serving in concert with His plan, then we are working against it.  If the fan spoken of above did not work at all, it would cause problems.  It would be in the way of a fan that would do the job.  Remaining on the sidelines is not an option.  Doing our dead-level best to learn of the heart of Christ and working in unison with what He has in mind is the only way to say we are followers of Christ.  Our churches are filled with fans that are not working or are slightly off course.  It is time to get that slight adjustment, or maybe even a new motor so that we are not working against that which Jesus Christ desires.

Straight Ahead

“And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Lu 9:62 AV)

 

Here is a standard placed upon all who would walk with God. Without getting too doctrinally deep, the kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom wherein those who accept Christ walk with God.  The kingdom of heaven is the physical kingdom promised to Abraham and his descendants.  Sometimes the terms are interchangeable.  This is so because to enter into the physical kingdom of the Messiah, one must accept Him as Savior.  In other words, at the inception of the millennial kingdom, the kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven are the same.  What we do want to consider this morning is the condition upon which one would be considered fit for the kingdom of God.  This does not mean salvation is works-based.  Someone can be in the kingdom, yet not fit for it.  This is the understanding.  Those who are looking back to the pleasure of the past as better than the cost of the present, are not fit for it.

Something of which my dear wife will remind me of is how much I drift while driving when my attention is placed elsewhere.  Especially during deer or turkey season when I am seeking prey.  As any true hunter will do, he will scan the fields for a glimpse of his next meal.  He scans and looks for any indication this new site might produce results.  However, he is also looking for a glimpse of any prey whether they would be in my plans or not.  Looking for a massive twelve-pointer is always of the highest priority.  More so than staying in between the white and yellow lines.  Seeing a large tom strut is far more important than getting side-swiped by another driver.  She just doesn’t understand.  Depending on the habits of the driver, the drift will be either towards his quarry or away from it.  Either way, the drift will keep the driver from staying on a straight path forward.  As attention is diverted from the obvious goal ahead, the goal is never reached.  If my wife did not strenuously object to my diverted attention, we would end up in a ditch.

When it comes to the kingdom of God, there is a clear goal ahead.  That goal is Christlikeness.  Our objective is to yield to the ministry of the Holy Spirit and surrender to the transformative nature of His power unto the likeness of Jesus Christ.  We are to yield to the influence of the Holy Spirit to further the kingdom.  As we yield to the control of the Holy Spirit, we are used by Him to share the love of Christ with others.  This takes striving towards a predetermined end.  A goal or purpose, if you will.  The point our Savior is trying to make is losing our focus makes us unfit for the kingdom of God.  We cannot be used to glorify Him.  We are not the believer we should be.  We cannot be used to share the love of Christ with others.  By looking back, we inadvertently or negligently circle back.  We become ineffective and even lose ground.  We can cause damage to ourselves and others.  Forward is the only direction in which we can go.

There Will Be Laughter

“Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh.” (Lu 6:21 AV)

 

That’s really good to hear!  We have forgotten how to laugh.  The joy has been surrendered.  Our world is filled with bad news and woe.  This is how the Devil wishes to keep it.   The more discouraged and despondent we are, the better he likes it.  We have wars to worry about.  A disease that is rampant and those who report it only concentrates on the worst-case scenario.  Prices are rising.  Financial collapse is on the horizon.  It seems as though there is little to smile at nowadays.  Hardships are coming on the church.  Real soon.  It will start with health concerns.  God’s people will be held to a standard that makes fellowship nearly impossible.  It will grow with warped enforcement of non-discrimination laws.  Freedom of speech and religion, the very foundation of our entire human government, will be taken away.  There will be much to weep over.  But Jesus promises those who weep will have a day wherein laughter will be the norm.  There is coming an eternity when all hardships are over and joy is the only thing we will feel!

My mother passed away three years ago this past March.  The day she passed, most of her children were in town.  The facility where she lay was very nice.  It was a hospice house with four bedrooms and two large sitting rooms.  As she was living out her last few days, our rather large family had a wonderful visit.  We swapped memories of days gone by.  Some memories are riddled with fond emotions like holidays, weather, or mealtime.  Other stories were those one could not help but laugh when they were shared.  Stories of bare-buttocks brothers going through airport security because the diaper he was wearing was far too heavy to stay above his hips.  Stories of my mother’s escapades or hilarious reactions to life were common.  My mother had a way of processing life that kept life more than tolerable.  She was a diffuser.  She knew how to take an intense situation and diffuse it so we could endure hardship.  Then the day came when we had to say goodbye.  There was a fair amount of weeping.  It was rough.  But a different tone took shape at the meal that followed her interment.  There was laughing again.  This seems to be the norm.  I have had the honor of officiating several funerals.  Each one ends the same.  A communal meal where loved ones share fond memories of the departed.  There is laugher again.  A therapeutic supplied by the Spirit of God to heal a great loss.

There are and will be many sorrows that come in this life.  Just ask Job.  These sorrows are temporary.  These sorrows pass with the years.  There is always joy in the morning.  There may be tears in the evening, but joy comes in the morning.  My mother is greatly missed.  Now that my father has also passed, there is a sense of loneliness that is hard to describe.  Not necessarily personal loneliness.  Rather, a sense that a large part of who and what I am has ended.  A definition that does not seem to be so relevant.  One thing I do know, however, is that if those whom I miss so greatly have placed their faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior, we will have an eternity of fellowship with them.  No sad goodbyes.  No tears or heartaches.  Only sweet fellowship with eternal laughter over the blessings which God bestowed.  We may have to weep now.  But it will not always be that way.  There will be eternal laughter over the blessings of God.  Many of which we were unaware of at the time.  Weeping is part of this life.  But it will have no part in the next.

Never Easy

“Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.” (Lu 3:2 AV)

 

I couldn’t help but listen to the Spirit as He impressed upon my mind and heart the nature of ministry through the experience of John the Baptist.  His ministry started a bit rough.  Led into the wilderness by the Spirit of God, the LORD prepared him to be the forerunner of the Messiah.  In the wilderness, his diet consisted of whatever he could find, including locusts and wild honey.  His raiment was itchy camel’s skin clothing that had to be as hot as it was rough.  This rough start is what made him bold enough to confront the ruling classes of Israel.  From the religious to the political, John did not hold back.  Once his ministry of baptism came to an end, John turned his attention to addressing the ruling class. Specifically, John confronted Herod’s adultery.  Herod married his divorced sister-in-law while her first husband was still alive.  For this, he lost his head.  John’s whole life and ministry were not easy.  Yet, it is what the LORD had designed for him.

As a hospital chaplain, I worked with doctors of all sorts.  From emergency room doctors to specialists and all others in between, it was a privilege to serve as part of the health care team.  It wasn’t out of the ordinary to visit with them and learn of their experiences.  From the beginning of their college careers to their present-day choice of practice, their stories are somewhat similar.  Over a decade of education followed by an internship requiring days without sleep, their stories were of hard work, deprivation, and sacrifice.  Most look at doctors as a privileged class who are overpaid for their services.  Seldom does the public take the time to learn what it took for them to arrive at the position which they currently hold.  My last doctor is a case in point.  He graduated from medical school and was thrust into an internship for about five years.  He then served as an emergency room doctor where he gained wonderful clinical and diagnostic skills.  It wasn’t until he was in his forties that he was finally able to open a private practice.  Twenty plus years of hard work and training, incurring mountains of debt for that training; he now enjoys the fruits of his labor and can live a relatively stable life.  Service to others comes at a cost.  This cost is neither known nor appreciated by those who have little knowledge of it.

But, our devotion is not addressed to those who are served.  Rather, to those who are called to serve or are serving.  Service to God and others is not easy.  Nor does it come easy.  Seldom does it stay easy.  It costs.  Often, dearly.  John the Baptist had a greater impact than he would ever know and died alone at the hand of a vindictive adulterer.  All the work that he did to bring the hearts of the people to their Messiah when three-plus years later, they would kill the very Messiah that had previously accepted.  One would look at his ministry and label it a failure.  Just a house of cards, one might say.  A flash in the pan that never really took root.  When it comes to ministry, it is not the superficial that determines success.  It is faithfulness to that which God has called the servant.  There will be heartaches along the way.  John suffered from a bout of second-guessing.  We may, too.  The point is, the ministry is seldom easy and only those who will endure through the hardest times of it will be in the center of God’s will.

Praying a "Nevertheless'

“And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.” (Mr 14:36 AV)

 

In this prayer of our LORD, we see a perfect balance between God’s attributes and His decrees.  Indeed, all things are physically possible.  However, all things are not morally or ethically possible.  That for which our Savior prays is for another possibility by which the sins of mankind might be absolved.  Jesus Christ hates sin so much, the thought of taking them upon himself was repulsive.  Jesus knows He must endure the cup of God’s wrath for the sins of mankind.  It is that cup He wishes to replace with a better alternative.  He knows the Father is able and capable of doing this.  After all, it is the Father who created all things and possesses all power.  Surely, if it can be done, then God the Father can do it.  Nevertheless, the Father and Son determined before the world began the means of the redemption of mankind.  That redemption must include suffering the wrath of the Father.  Stating the truth of God’s omnipotence but balancing that truth with God’s decrees, is the proper way of approaching the throne of grace.

Like most children, when I was young I felt my dad could do anything.  There wasn’t any kind of fix I would get into which he could not resolve.  However, there were times when our situation demanded he specifically did not intervene.  There were times he pushed us beyond what we thought we could handle and did not cut short the experience.  There were other times he required of us something which was a deep heald value of his, and there was nothing we could do to dissuade him from that value.  One of those values was certain course selections during our High School career.  A senior in High School had much liberty in course selection.  However, my father required we take four years of math and science even if we could swap it out with an elective.  He allowed me to swap out chemistry for computer science (praise the LORD) but I was not going to forego science in my senior year and had to double up.  Even though my father could have relaxed his requirement, he did not.  He had the power to take away something he had predetermined.  Even though our grades might suffer, what he had decided was final.  When petitioning my father, we always had to have in the back of our minds that his word was final and we had better have the attitude of humility to accept what that decision might be.

This is the lesson our Savior is teaching us.  Even though God had the power to change something we desire for Him to change, this does not mean He will.  When Jesus raised the option, His humanity came in conflict with His divinity and sought an acceptable alternative to the wrath of the Father.  Knowing His Father could, did not mean that He would.  And in doing so, the Savior surrendered to the perfect will of the Father no matter how distasteful it might seem.  When we go to the Father and seek His intervention, do we keep in the forefront of our minds the reality it may not be the will of the Father to grant us our petition?  And if not, are we resigned to whatever the will of the Father might be?  When Jesus said, “nevertheless, not what I wilt”, He had totally resigned Himself to what the Father had already decreed.  This should be our attitude no matter the request.  We can seek God’s favor in one direction, but if God says no, we need to cheerfully accept it as it is.  The perfect will of God.