A Warning Ahead Of Time

Mark 13:14-23

Many people like to know what is coming in the days ahead.  We like to know the weather forecast several days in advance, along with knowing what’s going on around town in advance.  Sometimes when we don’t know what to expect in advance we can get worried.  Because people like to know what will happen in the future, there is a proliferation of fortune tellers, astrologers, and other prognosticators in many cities.  In our Scripture today the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, gives us a glimpse of some of the things that will truly happen in the last days before His triumphant return.  Let’s take a quick look at some of the things that Jesus said would happen in those days.

As our passage opens, Jesus spoke about the “abomination of desolation” which the prophet Daniel had spoken about (Daniel 11:31; Daniel 12:11).  Daniel’s prophecy of this abomination has two fulfillments.  The first was through the Greek emperor Antiochus IV.  The Greek empire, founded by Alexander the Great, ruled over much of the Balkan peninsula, parts of North Africa, and most of western Asia, including Israel.  Antiochus IV, who ruled the empire from 175 - 164 BC, had a particular hatred for the Jewish people and religion.  In 167 BC he defiled the rebuilt Second Temple in Jerusalem, setting upon the altar statues of Zeus, and sacrificing a pig upon the altar.  He also forced the priests to eat swine flesh.  This was the abomination of desolation Daniel foretold.  Jesus predicted that this will happen again (vs. 14).  Someone similar to Antiochus IV, who also has a particularly vehement hatred for God’s people, will commit a similar abomination, some type of vile sacrilege.  Many believe that the Temple will be rebuilt again in Jerusalem, and that in the last days the Antichrist will similarly defile that Temple.

Jesus describes the days that will follow as being particularly severe for believers, for God’s people (vs. 15-18).   The Antichrist and his followers will persecute Christians so severely that they will need to flee for their lives, sometimes so quickly that they won’t be able to take all of their belongings with them.  Jesus warns them that they won’t even be able to return to their homes for extra clothes.  It will also be particularly difficult for pregnant women, and if it is wintertime.

This time, the Lord Jesus stated, is a time of such great tribulation, that it will be the worst in human history (vs. 19-20).  We might think that the days of World War II were especially bad.  Some here have either fought in or lived through other wars, and they were bad.  However, Jesus said that this time, coming shortly before His return at His Second Coming, will be the worst in human history.  God has mercy, though, and for the sake of His children He will shorten those days.

Jesus then warned us to not be fooled and deceived by people posing as false messiahs and prophets (vs. 21-23).  There have always been people who have posed as great religious leaders, but their message is false.  Unsuspecting people, particularly those who are Biblically illiterate, who don’t know their Scriptures, will fall for these false prophets messages.  Jesus warns us to not be deceived.  We need to be vigilant and discerning who is teaching good and solid Biblical doctrine and who is teaching heresy and other false messages in order to avoid deception.  The way to do that is by getting into God’s Word and studying it, and through prayer, relying on the Holy Spirit.

Those who are alive at that time should not be taken by surprise when these events happen.  Jesus has told us about them beforehand (vs. 23).  He has warned us to be prepared, to understand the signs and stay faithful.  He has warned us to stay vigilant and discerning with the Antichrist and false teachers.  We can trust in God’s sovereignty.  As Christians, we can trust that He is in control, and that He has promised to shorten these days for the sake of His Blood-bought children.

Don't Abandon The Faith

Hebrews 10:31-39

It goes without saying that being persecuted is a terrible thing to go through, whether it is because of who you are or what you believe in.  No one wants to go through attacks of any sort, whether physically, verbally, or economically.  There are many places around the world where Christians are suffering varying degrees of persecution, and this has been the case since the early days of the Apostles.  Our New Testament reading for this week highlights the persecution that some Christians in the early days of the Church endured, and the encouragement they were given to carry on faithfully for the Lord.

The Epistle to the Hebrews was written primarily to Jewish Christians, men and women who had converted from a Jewish background to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as their Messiah.  Many of these new believers’ families turned against them when they became Christians, particularly those in Israel and Judah.  Many of them were disowned by their families and disinherited.  If the new believer was a married woman and her husband wasn’t, her husband often would divorce her, kick her out of the house, and keep her children from her.  If she could, she might go back to her family, but often they had also disowned her.  If they were a male, he often was fired from his job if his employer was Jewish, and then found it difficult to get another job, thus bringing financial hardship on his family.  Because Israel was occupied by the Romans, and a part of the Roman empire, they did not have the authority to put anyone to death, however that wouldn’t stop angry neighbors and family members from making other covert attacks against a Jewish convert to Christianity, such as burning down their house or physically assaulting them when the law was looking the other way.

Because of these frequent persecutions, some of these new believers were becoming quite discouraged.  Some were even considering going back to their former Jewish faith.  They figured that by doing so they might get their job back, their family might accept them back again, and it would end the attacks.

The unknown author of this epistle warned them not to do this.  He proceeded to send them much encouragement while they endured the oppression and mistreatment they were going through.  He urged them to remember the times in the past.  Shortly after they were saved they went through a similar time of persecution, where they were reproached and went through tribulations (vs. 32-33).   In those days they even uplifted and gave support and cheer to others going through similar treatment, including that author while he was imprisoned (vs. 34).  They didn’t allow the fact that many of them had their belongings taken to bother them, as they knew that their true reward was in heaven (Matthew 6:19-21).

However, now years of harsh persecution was wearing them down.  The writer had reason to believe that some were going to cast away their faith.  He warned them not to do this, as after they had endured, they would receive God’s promise (vs. 35-36).  Jesus is coming back.  It may be a little while, he wrote, but He will not tarry, He will not delay any longer than is decreed in heaven (vs. 37).  He warned them that God is not pleased with any who draw back, away from their faith (vs. 38).  He wants to believe that they are not those who abandon their faith to damnation, but instead are genuinely saved, true believers (vs. 39).

Are any of you enduring persecution for your faith, or are going through some other heavy struggle that is causing you to think twice about your faith, and perhaps are tempted to just turn away from your beliefs?  Like these early Christians, hold on to your faith.  Don’t be one who draws back.  Hold on to the fact that God is still on His throne, and that we know Jesus will come again!

You Can Have A Good Inheritance

Psalm 16

Many parents, if they can afford to, will try to leave a nice inheritance to their children.  Every so often in the news we hear of this or that celebrity or Wall Street business tycoon dying, and then leaving a very sizable inheritance to their children.  Then there are many who have very little that they can leave to their children, and neither did they receive much from their parents, either.  However, if one is a Christian, our Heavenly Father has promised us a good inheritance.  The Apostle Paul writes about that often in his Epistles, and here in the Psalms we see this promise, as well.

Psalm 16 was written by David, and it’s unsure when he wrote it, quite possibly before he became king.  During the early years of his adult life David spent much of his time living on the run from the murderous plots of King Saul.  He would not have had the opportunity to earn a living in the traditional way.  David would likely have had to depend upon the Lord and the generosity of others for his daily needs.  Did he have any inheritance from his father?  We know that David had several older brothers, and was the youngest son.  Though his father was not particularly poor, it’s not likely that he was very wealthy either.  In Jewish culture at the time, the eldest son got a much bigger portion of the inheritance, and then the remainder was divided among the rest of the family.  David’s father seemed very dismissive of his youngest son, David, not even thinking him worth being there when the prophet Samuel came to the family and asked for the family to be gathered (I Samuel 16:5, 11).  David seems to have had lingering feelings of rejection by his parents, as we see in Psalm 27:10.  However, David knew that he had a glorious inheritance through his Heavenly Father (vs. 5-6).

You, too, might not have any earthly inheritance from your parents or family.  Perhaps they had nothing to leave you, or they were estranged from you, or all you were left were bad memories and hurts.  Yet with Yahweh as your Father, you can say with David that He is your inheritance and that you have a good inheritance!

We might feel that we have valid reasons for feeling dissatisfied with the circumstances in our life.  David might have too during the years prior to becoming king, the years he was ignored in his family, being treated like he was unimportant, and the years on the run for his life from the murderous intentions of Saul.  Our view of changing circumstances and contentment is a personal choice.  The way we view our circumstances is more important than the circumstances themselves.  When we go through some very difficult times we have the choice to either sit and wallow in our misery, or to get up and through the power and strength of our ever-present Savior, face the problem.  That is what the Apostle Paul did (Philippians 4:11).  He knew that with Jesus, he could be content whether things were going good or not.  When we draw our ultimate satisfaction from God, who never changes, we can be content despite our circumstances.  Lasting satisfaction can be found only with Him.  When all we have is God, we have all we need.

Although we live in this world, we belong to the kingdom of God, which is diametrically opposed to the system of this world.  (John 17:16; I John 2:15-17).  The Lord can and will give us joy when we turn to Him, and His joy will give us strength day by day, no matter our circumstances (Nehemiah 8:10).  The level of our joy determines the level of our strength.

In closing we should always remember that God’s goodness is not dependent upon our circumstances.  It is always accessible, even when life is filled with difficulties and hardships.  He is our inheritance!

Stand True To The End

Daniel 12

Sometimes as one looks around at the world today, one might get very discouraged.  Things are bad, and only seem to be getting worse and worse.  Not only are conditions all around the world bad, in just about every individual country, they are certainly locally, as well.  Crime has increased, especially violent crime.  And much as the working-poor struggle they can’t break free from poverty.  On top of all that, the persecution of Christians, whether subtly or openly, continues unabated.  We may think that someone is a pessimist if they say that things are only going to get worse, but it’s true.  Things are going to get worse.  However, that is not the final ending.  Believers are promised a great victory in Jesus, which is not only recorded in the final book of the Bible, Revelation, but also in various passages scattered throughout the Bible.  Our Old Testament Scripture in the Book of Daniel is one such passage.

Our Scripture comes from the Book of Daniel.  Daniel, as you may recall, was a Jewish man who, as a young man or youth, had been taken captive into Babylon when that empire had overrun and destroyed the Kingdom of Judah.  Because of his great godly wisdom, he rose to high positions in the empire, yet always remaining faithful to Yahweh.  Now, towards the end of his long life, he has some visions or prophecies of end-times, and what will happen to God’s people.  As our Scripture opens, we read of Michael, a great prince of God’s people (vs. 1).  This is referring to the archangel Michael, who is chief among the angels, and a great warrior against Satan in the spiritual realm.  Daniel relays that there will be a terrible time of trouble, and God’s people will be horribly persecuted.  We see Christians persecuted today in various places, but it will be even worse then.

At the end of the tribulation period there will be a resurrection of the dead (vs. 2).  Those who are believers and followers of the Lord Jesus will receive everlasting life.  Those who are not will receive everlasting contempt.  Their time has run out, and God now has nothing but contempt, abhorrence, and aversion for them.

Daniel continues by stating that those who are wise and those who share the message of salvation, leading others to the Lord, will shine like stars in heaven (vs. 3).  Daniel is to seal the scroll, indicating that the full understanding of these prophecies will be revealed in the end times (vs. 4). The prophet saw visions of angelic beings who question how long this time shall last (vs. 5-7).  The “time, times, and half a time” is thought to be about 3 ½ years, a time often called the Great Tribulation, a period of severe persecution for Christians right before Christ’s return.

As our Scripture continues, we read that believers will continue, standing pure and true, through great trials, while the wicked will continue their wickedness and rejection of God (vs. 8-10).  At some date before the end of this time it is believed that the Temple will have been rebuilt, as the daily sacrifices will be ordered to stop, and a great abomination and affront to God will be set up (vs. 11-13).  Those who stay true to the Lord till the end, though, will be blessed.

As we see in this chapter, though there are terrible trials and tribulations that will come for God’s people, we see that we will be delivered and rewarded if we stand true to Jesus.  God encourages us to live wisely, remain faithful during these difficult times, and also to continue to tell others about salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ.

No matter how dismal things may look in the world today, and no matter how worse they become in the future, no matter how strong Satan’s attacks may seem, God has the ultimate victory.  If you have a relationship with God through saving faith in His Son, Jesus, you have that victory, too.  If you don’t, please repent of your sins and call upon the Lord Jesus, accepting Him as your Savior today!

Two Mites

Mark 12:38-44

Do you ever catch yourself taking a peek at what other people put in the offering plate when it is passed in church?  Most of us would have to admit that we do on occasion.   We all know of some people who, if they are giving a large amount, will make sure those banknotes are opened, face up, right on the top and center.  However, if they give a small amount, that banknote is folded and placed in a corner.  Back in the day when people used checks more often, that would also be put face up if it was written for a large amount.  It might come as a surprise to some to know that one day Jesus spent a bit of time watching what people put in the offering at the Temple, and observing how much or how little they gave.  Our Gospel reading today records this event, and let’s take a look at what God’s Word says.

As our Scripture opens, we read how Jesus gave a condemnation and warning of the scribes of His day (vs. 38-40).  Some might wonder exactly who the scribes were.  The scribes in the New Testament at the time of Jesus were highly educated Jewish scholars and legal experts, in both Old Testament religious and civil laws.  They were responsible for copying and interpreting the Scriptures, and they also drafted legal documents for people.  The scribes were usually associated with the Pharisees, and many were part of the Sanhedrin, which was like the Jewish supreme court in Jerusalem.

Jesus pronounced a condemnation on many in this group.  Though, just like there were a few Pharisees that secretly followed Jesus, and after the Resurrection and Ascension joined the disciples as believers, there were a few scribes that also secretly followed Him.  However, most scribes and Pharisees did not believe.  Jesus condemned the hypocrisy and pride that the scribes had.  Though they had their noses in the Scriptures all day, the Words of God had not sunk in any deeper than that.  How many people today are just as outwardly religious, and seemingly know the Bible, but are just as spiritually lost as the scribes?  The scribes, along with the Pharisees opposed Jesus, their Messiah so much, the two groups did all they could to see that He was crucified.

After Jesus spoke out against the scribes, He went into the Temple to where the treasury boxes were located, which were containers that people would place their monetary offerings.  Jesus took a seat nearby where He could observe the people when they gave (vs. 41-44).  He saw the rich, and how they outwardly gave a lot of money, some probably making sure that others noticed their gifts.  And then there were poorer folk, whose offerings were not nearly as much.  They would not have wanted to draw attention to their giving.

As Jesus watched, a poor widow came up to the offering box, and put in just two mites, which today wouldn’t even equal a penny.  We might scoff at that, wondering why she is even bothering to give that.  It’s not that her gift could even buy a stick of incense.  However, Jesus called His disciples over and pointed out to them what she did, not to embarrass her, but to commend her gift.  Why would He do that, and not commend those who gave large amounts?

As we read, this woman was a poor widow.  Most widows in those days were poor, many even destitute.  In those days there was no such thing as a retirement plan, no monthly pension payments from a good job.  An elderly husband and wife lived off of what they might have been able to save, and unless one was very wealthy, that would be very little.  One worked until one died.  There were very few jobs available for women, so when a woman’s husband died, if they were younger and lucky, they would try to remarry someone.  Hopefully a widow might have a son or two, and they could go live with them.  If not, they were out of luck, and reduced to begging.

That was the case with this poor widow.  Yet she made her way to the Temple in order to give to God what little she had.  This woman was destitute, yet she gave what she had to God, and He noticed.  Jesus knew her condition, and gave her great praise.  He pointed out that though the rich gave large amounts, their gifts did not hurt their wallets.  They weren’t going to go home and eat a dry bread crust.  However this woman’s gift, though tiny, was all she had.  Even though she didn’t know how she was going to live from day to day, she made sure she gave to God.

I am sure that God made sure to provide for her, just as He makes sure to provide for us.  We do not need to fear when we give to God.  Jesus always takes care of His own.

A Copy Or The Original

Hebrews 9:24-28

Do you have a replica or a reproduction of something famous?  Some people have a reproduction of a famous work of art in their homes.  I have a very inexpensive copy of Van Gogh’s  Starry Night, as it is one of my favorite paintings.  The original is worth well over $100 million dollars!  Mine is worth under $10.  Even a very well done reproduction of that, or any number of other famous paintings, are never as good or worth as much as the original.  People can often buy copies of famous documents at museum gift shops, and they aren’t worth much, not like the original.  Even buildings are sometimes reproduced.  There is a ½ sized replica of the Leaning Tower of Pisa in a northern suburb of Chicago.  As nice as that might be, it’s not the same as seeing the original.  In our Scripture for today from the Book of Hebrews, we read about replicas or copies, and how the replica is never as good as the original.

In the Old Testament we read of how Yahweh gave Moses careful instructions of how to make the Tabernacle, and everything that was to be contained therein, especially the Ark of the Covenant.  Later during the reign of King Solomon, special care was taken in following the instructions in building the Temple.  These were copies or replicas of what is heaven.  As the author of Hebrews continues with his theme of showing how Jesus is superior than things from the Old Testament, he states that Jesus didn’t enter the Holy Place, or Holy of Holies in the Temple, but instead actually entered into the presence of God to atone for our sins (vs. 24).  The original in heaven, in the presence of God, is far better than any copy on earth!

Every year the Jewish High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies with the blood of a lamb to put upon the Ark of the Covenant to pray for God’s forgiveness of the sins of the people.  The priest had to do this every year on the Day of Atonement, year after year after year.  The High Priest and the sacrificial lamb were a copy of what Jesus would do with His sacrificial death on the cross, and shedding His Blood for our sins.  Jesus was the original and the high priests, lambs, and Tabernacle or Temple were all copies.  Otherwise Jesus would have to die over and over (vs. 25-26).  Every year the priests would bring blood sacrifices, but as we read in Hebrews 10:4, it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins, which is why the sacrifices are continually repeated.  However, Jesus’ death was sufficient, and would never need to be repeated again.

As the author continues, he states that it is appointed for everyone to die, and then will follow the judgment (vs. 27).  Until the date of Jesus’ second return and the rapture, every single one of us will die.  There is no escaping that.  Many people live as though they will live forever, with never a thought about their eternal destiny.  However, the day of their death will eventually come, and after that there will be a reckoning.  The Day of Judgment will come for all of us.  Do we live our life with that in mind?  There are no second chances or “do-overs”, in other words, there is no reincarnation.

For those who have accepted the Lord Jesus as their Savior, we can look forward to that day without fear (vs. 28).  He bore our sins, and when we accept Him as our Savior, we receive His free gift of salvation, and we no longer have to bear the penalty of our sins, as His Blood cleanses us from them.  Rather than live in fear and dread of death and the Judgment afterwards, we can eagerly await Jesus’ return.

Do you know the Lord Jesus as your personal Savior?  Can you await His return with eagerness?  Or have you placed your trust in some clever copy or replica?  Many people have thought that they had an original, only to be told that it was just a copy, or even a forgery, and it was worth nothing.  Putting your faith and trust in anything but Jesus Christ will get you nowhere, and will bring great disappointment on that Day of Judgment which is coming for everyone, so turn to Him today!

Watch My Mouth

Psalm 141

Oops!  I did it again!  I opened my mouth and let some words slip out that I shouldn’t have.  Has that happened to you?  It sure has happened to me more often than I wish.  If only there was a trap at my mouth to catch every word before they got out, where I could check them over first, and hold back ones that on second thought I know aren’t advisable to say.  Could you use such a device?  This is something that King David wished he had, and was something he actually prayed the Lord would help him with.  We read about this in our psalm for this week.

Our psalm, one of the many that King David wrote, begins with the king’s prayer to the Lord.  David’s life was often like a roller coaster ride, a lot of rapid ups and downs, and quickly whipping around problems right and left.  In all of these he knew that he needed God’s help, and he often prayed to Him, calling out for Him to listen to his voice (vs. 1).  David compared his prayers rising up to God like the smoke of incense rising into the air (vs. 2).  I love the smell of church incense, just like in a dimly lit medieval monastery.  Our prayers do rise up to God like incense, as we read in Revelation 5:8 and Revelation 8:3-4.

God loves to hear our prayers.  They are like bowls of incense, a pleasing aroma to the Lord.  Our prayers, even the “little ones” do not bother Him.  God wants us to pray constantly (I Thessalonians 5:17), and to pray about everything in our lives (Philippians 4:6).  He cares about every detail in our life.  Don’t believe the lie that your concerns aren’t worth His time.

As King David continued, he confessed to the Lord that he knows that his mouth sometimes gets him into trouble (vs. 3).  He opened his mouth and let slip words he wished he hadn’t said.  David asked the Lord to set a guard before his mouth, right at his lips, so no wrong words could escape.  Living in royal palaces, he probably had guards at many of the doors.  They would stand there with heavy staff and spears in their hands, ready to block the entrance for unwelcome people, or the exit for people the king wished to detain.  Nothing could get in or out without royal approval.

Just as David prayed, we are to be very careful with what we say at all times.  Words are powerful.  They can build people up, and they can also tear them down.  It’s so easy to say a damaging word.  Imagine that royal guard standing watch at your mouth.  Every word must pass inspection before it can come out.  This is a good prayer for the beginning of each day.

David continued through the rest of the psalm praying that the Lord would keep him from following the ways of the wicked.  Unless one escapes to a monastery, it is impossible to live a life without running into some disreputable people now and then.  However, we don’t want to let their ways influence us, and this was David’s prayer (vs. 4).  This is a prayer that also echoes the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:13), where we pray to not be led into temptation, and be delivered from the evil one.  If we are not careful, we can easily find ourselves slipping down sin’s slope, soon careening out of control.

Though we read how important it is to steer clear of the influence and ways of the wicked, we are also instructed to accept the counsel of righteous and godly people (vs. 5).  When they seek to give us godly counsel and correction, we should not take offense, nor tell them to leave us alone and get lost.  God tells us here to accept their words, as in reality it is kindness.  A true friend will gently correct us when we need it (Proverbs 27:6).  A false friend either doesn’t care, they are not invested enough in our lives to notice, or are deep in their own sins.

As we close up Psalm 141, we should take its lessons to heart in our lives.  Let’s carefully watch our words, watch who we associate with, and to accept the correction of those we know are good and godly examples.  Then our prayers can rise to the Lord as sweet-smelling incense!

God Always Provides Enough

I Kings 17:8-16

If someone needed your help or assistance, would you help them out?  Most of us like to think that we would.  However, what if by helping them, that would use up the very last of your resources?  By helping them, you would be spending or giving the very last dollar you had, or the very last bite of food you had.  Would you do it then?  This is the dilemma that the woman in our Scripture today faced.  Would she give her very last?  Would we?  Let’s see what lessons the Lord can teach us today.

Our Old Testament Scripture passage is a chapter out of the life of one of my all-time favorite people from the Bible, the Prophet Elijah.  Elijah was a prophet of Yahweh, who preached His message to the people of the northern Kingdom of Israel during the reign of King Ahab.  Because of the people’s sins the Lord judged them by causing a nation-wide drought, where no rain fell for several years.  This naturally upset the people, including King Ahab, and his life was in danger, so Elijah had to flee out into the wilderness where God provided for his daily needs for a few years.

Eventually the brook Elijah was staying near dried up, so the Lord sent him to the Phoenician city of Zarephath, a city in Gentile, pagan territory (vs. 8-10).  This was a journey about 100 miles away.  Elijah was walking, and he was still a “wanted man”, so coming out of hiding meant really trusting God for his safety.  When the prophet arrived at the city border, he met a widow who was out gathering some sticks in order to start a cooking fire in her house.  Elijah was tired, hungry, and thirsty, and he asked the woman for a drink of water and a bite to eat (vs. 10-11).  The widow answered that she only had enough for a small bite for herself and her son (vs. 12).  They were going to eat that, and then prepare to die of starvation.  This long drought had caused famine throughout the area, and the widow had given up hope of living.  Elijah responded by telling her to do as he asked, and she would not starve, nor die (vs. 13-14).  So here we are.  Would the woman give her very last bite of food to a stranger?  Would she believe his word and step out in faith?  Would I?  Would you?

That was a rather bold statement for Elijah to make.  First, the Phoenicians were no friends of Israel.  Why would he expect the widow would help him?  And then, what if the woman did as he requested and God did not replenish her food supply, and she died?  Elijah had faith in the Lord that He would provide for the woman, even though she was a Gentile, if she had faith in the Lord, as well.  He had confidence to say what he did to the widow during a famine because he had lived a life of faith, and had proved God to be faithful.

Elijah asked the widow for the one thing that she couldn’t spare.  Giving up her little resource, she could now only lean on God.  She was pushed beyond her limit to endure.  She was out of food and without any options.  God was now ready to work a miracle for her, but she needed to trust Him and be obedient.  This woman’s obedience to God’s command through Elijah brought her deliverance.  God never asks you for what you don’t have.  He only asks you for what you want to keep for yourself.  Elijah rebuked the fear in the woman, and told her to give what she had.  In return God supplied what she needed.

Most of us would rather that God would provide in abundance long before our resources are depleted, rather than just enough for each day.  God, though, tells us to trust Him.  When we feel trapped by our circumstances, and feel certain that what we have will not be enough, God can work miracles.  God strengthens us to continue using what little we have, trusting that with His help it will be enough.

Are you afraid that your jar of flour will one day be empty and your jug of oil will fail?  According to the Word of God, if believers in Jesus trust and obey Him, this will not be the case.  God’s grace and mercy will last through all of your necessities.  You can never exhaust the infinite mercies of God.  He hears us when we are scraping the bottom of the barrel.  All else may be gone, but Jesus remains, and His Word declares that our every need will be supplied.

Love God, Love Your Neighbor

Mark 12:28-34

The Bible is a big book.  Those who commit to reading through the whole Bible usually take about a year to do so.  It is not something one can do in just a couple of days.  Considering all of God’s laws and rules contained therein, it is easy to understand why one of the scribes asked Jesus which of these laws of God were the most important ones.  Our Scripture today gives the answer that Jesus told him.

Our Scripture takes place shortly after Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, and just a few days before His crucifixion.  His enemies were gathering together to try and find a way to entrap Jesus into saying something that they could arrest Him for, and then hopefully execute Him over.  After Jesus told the parable of the wicked vinedressers in response to the Pharisees comments, also wisely responding to their trick question about paying taxes to Caesar, and then gave a good answer to the Sadducees hypothetical question about the resurrection, a scribe came up to Jesus with another question, hoping to entrap Him in His words.  He asked Jesus that out of all the many laws and commandments given in the Scriptures, which one was the most important (vs. 28).

Jesus’ response comes from Deuteronomy 6:4-5, where it states that the Lord God is one, and to love Him with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength (vs. 29-30).  Jesus also then added a second great commandment, that we need to love our neighbor as yourself (vs. 31).  Though, like the others, this scribe was probably trying to trip Jesus up with His answers, he knew that Jesus answered correctly, and that there was nothing that could be brought against Him with this answer (vs. 32-33).

Let’s look at the first of the two commandments that Jesus said were the greatest ones.  It reads “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.”   How can one show that they love God?  Jesus gives us the answer when He gave His discourse to the disciples right before the Last Supper.  He told them that if they love Him they will keep His commandments (John 14:15).  In other words, if we genuinely love God we will obey the Bible, God’s Word, which is where we would find His commands.  Jesus didn’t say that if we love Him, we will only obey those commands that we happen to like or agree with, or only those which align with the current world’s view and philosophy.  He said that we will keep or obey His commandments if we truly love Him.

The second greatest commandment states, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  Jesus basically restated this in Matthew 7:12 where He gives us the Golden Rule, to do unto others as we would have them do unto us.  When someone had asked Jesus who their neighbor was, He gave us the parable of the Good Samaritan to show us who our neighbor really is (Luke 10:25-37).

Jesus did not give us any exceptions to this rule, either.  He didn’t say to love only our nice neighbors, only those who agree with our opinions, only those of the same race or nationality as yourself.  It also isn’t just the folks who live literally next door to us, but instead it is everyone around us, everyone we come in contact with.

This is a difficult one, as this might sometimes include loving our enemy.  It means forgiving them the wrong that they have done to us.  We all say that forgiveness is great until we have something to forgive, especially if it is something huge, like murder, abuse against a child, etc.  Again, whether we like it or not, or whether we agree with it or not, Jesus said loving our neighbor, which includes our enemies, is the second greatest commandment.

These two commandments sum up the Ten Commandments that God gave to Moses.  The first four commandments have to do with our relationship with God, just as this first commandment does.  The last six commandments have to do with our relationship with others, just as this second one does.  We can only truly follow these two through the power of the Holy Spirit who indwells all true believers.  Let’s commit to loving the Lord God will all of our hearts, minds, and strength, and loving our neighbor as we do ourselves.

A Better High Priest

Hebrews 7:23-28

Suppose you had to run a race, and it was permissible for you to call on someone else to run for you, who would you pick?  And even though it is generally never permitted, let’s just suppose for a moment that it was okay for you to call on someone else to take a test for you, who would you pick?  Naturally you would pick the fastest runner you knew.  Or you would pick the smartest person you could find in math, or science, or whatever subject the test was.  You would not pick a runner who was just as slow as you, nor someone who struggled just as much in math as you.  We each have a similar problem in the spiritual realm, as each of us has a sin-debt that we cannot pay.  Who can we turn to in order to help us?  Our Scripture from the Book of Hebrews today looks into this.

Every man, woman, and child has a sin nature which we inherited from our first ancestor, Adam.  And our own sinful inclination leads us into sin every day.  Sin requires a blood sacrifice to bring forgiveness, and God set out the laws for this in His Word, the Bible.  During the days of the Old Testament the Jewish people had a priesthood which came from the house of Aaron, from the tribe of Levi, and they performed the sacrifices necessary for sins.  However, there were some problems with this priesthood.  Let’s look at what they were and how the Lord Jesus proves to be the answer, and a better High Priest.

First, each of these priests, including the high priests, were temporary.  Being ordinary humans, they lived and died like everyone else (vs. 23).  Multiple priests were needed over time.  However, Jesus lives forever, and has a permanent priesthood.  Because He is superior, He is able to save completely (vs. 24).

Secondly, these human priests were sinners, themselves, as we all are.  They were no different.  They had to first bring sacrifices for their own sins before they could offer sacrifices for anyone else’s sins (vs. 27).  How could someone who is equally a sinner as I am make atonement for my sins?  Over the course of time throughout the Old Testament there were some high priests who fell into grave sin, including mixing the worship of Yahweh with that of pagan gods.  Would I want someone who failed a class to take the test for me?  That wouldn’t be smart.  So why would I want someone who was equally, or possibly even more sinful than myself, to make sacrifices for my sins?  Thankfully this is where the Lord Jesus steps in as a High Priest who is holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners (vs. 26).  He had no sin of His own to make a sacrifice of forgiveness for, so He is able to fully atone for my sins.

These sacrifices given by the Jewish priests needed to be offered over and over again.  The sacrifice of Jesus is unique and sufficient, never to be repeated.  This is because Jesus Christ is both our Great High Priest and also the perfect sacrifice.

Another blessing of having the Lord Jesus Christ as our Great High Priest is that He is in heaven now making intercession for us (vs. 25).  Sometimes we might feel all alone, and wonder if there is anyone praying for us.  We can rest assured that Jesus is praying for us right now!  The storms in our life may get rough, and the clouds get dark, but Jesus is praying for us.  When temptations come and we are tried on every side, Jesus is praying for us.  We don’t ever need to be afraid, because Jesus is praying for us.  Jesus offers unending intercession on our behalf.

Jesus’ death on the cross for our sins opened the way for us to have immediate, unhindered access and admittance to the Father’s presence (vs. 28).  When Jesus finished His work in making the final priestly sacrifice, the veil in the Temple, which closed off the Holy of Holies from man, was torn in two (Mark 15:38).  Access to God was now open to all who believe in Jesus as Savior.

Scripture points us to Jesus as the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6).  Through Jesus we have access to God.  He is not a temporary or weak Savior.  He continually intercedes for us He continues to mark a clear and safe trail for us in life.

A Clean Walk

Psalm 119:1-16

When we go for a walk it’s always good to keep an eye on our pathway to make sure that we observe what lies on the path ahead.  No one wants to land face first in a muddy puddle!  Little children might enjoy getting all muddy, but as adults that is usually not what we like, and we do what we can to avoid the dirt along our pathway.  How about in our spiritual walk as believers and followers of the Lord Jesus?  Every one of us has slipped and fallen in our Christian walk, some into a giant mud puddle of sin, getting spiritually filthy.  How can we avoid this?  Our psalm for this week speaks of how we can cleanse our ways to avoid sin.  Let’s take a look.

Psalm 119 is the longest psalm, as well as the longest chapter in the Bible.  The author is unknown.  Some believe that it was King David, while many others think that it might have been written by the scribe and priest Ezra, the writer and main character in the Old Testament book of his name.  The psalm is one of nine acrostic psalms in the Bible.  It is divided into 22 sections, each of eight verses which begin with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet.  Each of the 176 verses speak of the author’s desire to follow and obey God’s laws and commandments.  It is here, in these opening two segments, that we find out how to keep clean while walking on the pathway of our Christian life.

All throughout this psalm the author urges his readers to keep following God’s laws and ways.  When we do, God promises to give His favor and to bless our life (vs 1-2).  Unhappiness is caused by an individual’s self-will and sinful disobedience.  When we live according to our own ideas and values, we will always run into trouble.  When we conform our lives to what Jesus wants, we will find the blessings He promises.

We might wonder how we can faithfully follow God’s commands.  As mentioned at the start, we are apt to slip and fall in our spiritual walk with the Lord.  First, we must realize that in our own strength we cannot do anything.  The only way is through the righteousness of the Lord Jesus, which we receive when we accept Jesus as Savior.  Once we have done that, we need to commit to following the Lord each and every day.  How is that accomplished?

God’s Word gives us a way to overcome sin, which we can see in the second part of our passage.  First, we need to spend time reading and meditating on Scripture, and then obeying what we read (vs. 9-10).  Then, we need to be prepared for temptation at any place or time by storing Scripture in our heart and mind (vs. 11).  God promises great joy and peace when we know His Word (vs. 14).  We need to take time to attune our heart and mind to the Word of God (vs. 15).

God takes disobedience seriously because the consequences are so grave.  Wise men and women will choose to live by His Word and obey Him (vs. 9).  When we put God’s Word in our heart, we are less likely to stray into sin, and if we do, we are more likely to get out of that sin, and get back in line with Him (vs. 11).  Strong repeated doses of God’s Word injected into our hearts will fight the disease of sin.  As this psalm repeatedly states throughout each of its many verses, we must ponder, study, and memorize God’s Word.

The world today may tell us that if we have enough money and riches, all of our problems will be solved.  That is not the message that God gives us in His Word, as stated in many places, including in our Scripture today (vs. 14).  Money is not the answer to all of our needs.  A spiritual treasure is so much more important, which God will give as we walk in obedience to His Word.

In closing, let us keep our eyes fixed on God’s commands.  They form the path that we should follow.  The better we know God, the better we can choose the right path.

Do You Want God's Promises?

Deuteronomy 6:1-9

Every once in a while we run across someone who is upset because they didn’t get the reward at the end of some type of contest.  Then it’s pointed out to them that they didn’t follow the rules, or follow them correctly, and thus did not qualify for the reward.  We see this when people play games.  Someone wants to win, but they didn’t follow the rules so they are disqualified.  This even holds with something like a recipe or putting a piece of furniture together.  If we want to get the correct results we must follow the instructions properly.  If we acknowledge this to be the case, then why do people get upset when they don’t receive some of the Biblical promises we read of in the Bible, or some of His blessings?   In our Scripture today from the Book of Deuteronomy, we read of something the Lord wants us to do, and then the resultant blessings we will receive if we obey.

As the people of Israel were preparing to enter into the Promised Land after years of traveling through the wilderness, Moses gave them some final instructions, which are contained in the Book of Deuteronomy.  As the passage opens, Moses told the people that the Lord had given them commandments, statutes, and judgments, many of which were restated in Deuteronomy, and that the people were to follow them when they entered into the land the Lord gave them (vs. 1).  They were to fear the Lord (vs. 2), which means holding Him in respectful honor, love, and obedience, acknowledging that God is God, and we are His creation.  Godly fear leads to careful obedience.  We need to fear the Lord as long as we live.  The most obvious way to do so is by obeying His Word.  The fear of God is connected with worship of the one true God.

The Lord promised that if His people would keep His statutes and commandments, and teach them to their children and grandchildren, He would prolong their days in the land He was giving them, that He would multiply them, and give them a land flowing with milk and honey (vs. 2-3).  Here we plainly see, that if we follow His commands correctly, doing exactly as He says, then we will receive what He has promised.  However, if we don’t, then we cannot expect to receive what was promised.  Too many people think otherwise, feeling they can live however they choose, doing whatever they want, and feel the Lord should bless them anyway.  That’s not how things work.

Verse 4 of our Scripture is a very important one for observant and Orthodox Jewish people.  It is known by the Jewish people as the Shema.  This verse is one which is recited twice a day, in the morning and evening, and often as the last words they speak before death.  This confession of their faith was a declaration of Yahweh as one Lord and God, against the polytheism of the neighboring nations.

Moses continues with some serious and important instructions for the people of Israel, and also for us today.  He told the people to keep God’s Words in their hearts (vs. 6).  Many Orthodox Jewish men today will wear tefillin or phylacteries upon their arms and foreheads when they pray as a way to follow verse 8.  These are small leather boxes which are strapped on with leather straps, and contain small scrolls containing portions of the Torah.  Christians today do not wear these, but it is very important for us to read the Bible each day, studying, meditating upon it, and memorizing it.  This way we are able to keep God’s Word in our heart.

Our Scripture passage also tells us to instruct our children about God and His Word the Bible (vs. 7).  Today’s philosophy says that people should not teach their children about God, and then when they are older they can decide on their own what they want to believe.  That is the devil’s philosophy.  We need to teach our children about the Lord Jesus, and salvation through His Blood.  We need to talk about God’s Word with our families each and every day.  If we don’t tell our children about Jesus, and instruct them in God’s Word, we can be sure that the world will instruct them in the ways of the devil.

In closing, we need to see that God’s commandments are so important to us, that we are supposed to put them at the center of our household, discussing and meditating on them each day.  When we do that, we will receive all that the Lord has promised us in His Word.

Bartimaeus

Mark 10:46-52

Sometimes we may pray and hope for something from the Lord, something that is not sinful or wrong in any way, yet nonetheless, others just try to shut us up.  “Shut up!  Don’t pray for that!  Don’t bother God with that!  Who do you think you are?”  Those are some of the things that they might say to us when we pray our heart’s desire to the Lord.  So what do you do?  Do you keep quiet, like they so rudely told you to?  Our Gospel today relates the account of someone who had others tell him to keep quiet, as well.  Let’s see what his story is, and what he did.

As our Scripture opens, Jesus and His followers were leaving the city of Jericho where He had been ministering.  Sitting at the roadside near the main street in and out of the city was a blind man named Bartimaeus.  We don’t know how long this man had been blind.  However, in those days there were no resources for the blind.  There were no schools for blind children.  There were no jobs that a blind person could hold.  And unless they came from a wealthy family who could financially take care of them, they were forced to beg.  That is what Bartimaeus was doing when Jesus came by.

Sitting at the roadside near the entrance and exit of the city would have been a rather good spot, as there would have been a fair amount of traffic.  This day, though, Bartimaeus heard an unusual amount of ruckus, and he must have asked some people what was going on.  The people told him that Jesus of Nazareth would be passing by as He left the city (vs. 46-47).  Bartimaeus had heard of Jesus before.  He had heard that He was a healer, and had even restored the sight to a number of blind people.  That gave this blind man hope.  Bartimaeus must have hoped that if Jesus had done that for others, then perhaps He would do that for himself.

Now was his chance.  Jesus would soon be gone, so he had no time to waste.  Right away, not knowing exactly where Jesus was, Bartimaeus cried out “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”  He knew who Jesus was.  The Messiah was prophesied to be of the lineage of King David, and this blind beggar believed that this was who Jesus was.  He knew that Jesus had the power to heal him, so he wasted no time in calling for Him.  However, others in the crowd did not want some noisy beggar making a disturbance, and told him to be quiet (vs. 48).  Did that stop Bartimaeus?  It might have stopped some people, but it didn’t stop him.  He cried out all the more, and his persistence got the attention of Jesus.  The Savior called him over, and Bartimaeus threw aside his beggar’s cloak, as he knew he wouldn’t need that anymore (vs. 50).

Jesus asked the blind man what he wanted.  Jesus knew what he wanted, as that would be fairly obvious, but He wanted him to state it, to make the request, which he did.  Immediately his vision was healed, and Bartimaeus followed Jesus as He journeyed on towards Jerusalem and all that would happen there (vs. 51-52).

God does not mind specific prayers.  In fact, here with Bartimaeus, Jesus asked for a specific answer to His request.  “What do you want Me to do for you?”  We don’t need to beat around the bush with God.  He is not impressed by a flurry of fancy words.  He is listening to what our heart is saying.  Jesus showed compassion to Bartimaeus, and affirmed his faith.  He wants us to come to Him without questions and pain.  Don’t allow trials to cloud your thinking about God’s deep concern for you.  Bartimaeus could have given up hope, but fortunately he didn’t.  Answer His call to you, and bring your burdens to Him.

The crowds had tried to stop this poor blind beggar.  They had wanted to shut him up, to push him back into his corner, unseen and unheard.  However, he wouldn’t let them, and neither should we.  Don’t let anyone stop you from receiving what God has for you.  When Bartimaeus called out to Jesus, they told him to shut up.  Sometimes they will to us, as well.  Instead, he cried all the louder.  When doubters start knocking at your door, telling you that Jesus doesn’t do this or that anymore, proclaim Hebrews 13:8, that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  The same Jesus who answered Bartimaeus’ cry, and asked him what he wanted, calls to you today.

Even though Bartimaeus was blind, he could see by faith who Jesus was.  The crowds had physical sight, but they were blind to His teachings, especially about compassion and mercy.  Let’s have the faith of Bartimaeus, and not be one who would push someone away from the Savior through ignorance or lack of caring or concern.

From Milk To Meat

Hebrews 5:12 - 6:1, 9 - 12

When parents bring home a new baby, family and friends may have a celebratory party for the new family.  Perhaps the new uncle is cooking up some steaks on the backyard barbecue.  Everyone will sit down to enjoy the nice dinner.  The newborn baby may be in the arms of mother or father, or another relative, but the baby is not taking part in this delicious meal in their honor.  Nobody would dare give this little baby a nice piece of steak!  All they can have is milk for four to six months before soft or pureed food is added to their diet.  However, when that child is school age and older, if they are still only having milk, there is something wrong.  Our Scripture today from the Book of Hebrews gives a similar analogy for how Christians need to grow spiritually beyond the basics.

Just like with physical babies, spiritual babies, those who are newly saved, can only handle spiritual milk.  These would be the basic principles of salvation, such as Jesus dying on the cross for our sins, His resurrection on the third day, the Bible being the inerrant Word of God, etc.  As the weeks and months pass after one is saved, they should be growing spiritually, just as a newborn baby grows.  Soon the baby is rolling over, then learning to sit up, crawl, and then stand before the first year is over.  And importantly, as we read here, they learn to eat solid food.  Many of these believers the author was writing to were stunted in their spiritual growth.  Spiritually they were still drinking milk when they should have been way beyond that.  They should be teaching other new believers, but instead they were needing to be taught themselves (Hebrews 5:12).

As a baby grows, their muscles develop and gain strength to crawl, stand, and then walk.  If they never moved their muscles, they would not have the strength to do this.  If you’ve ever broken an arm or leg and had it immobilized in a cast, you might remember how weak that limb was when the cast came off.  The muscles had begun to atrophy.  In order to counteract that you need to exercise those muscles.  Our spiritual muscles can also atrophy quickly when we don’t use them.  Spiritual exercises, such as Bible reading, prayer, and obedience, are more important than physical exercise.

One sign of spiritual immaturity is failing to distinguish good from evil (Hebrews 5:14).  A spiritually mature Christian, one who is eating “meat”, will show discernment.  Discernment knows that there is a line separating between good and evil.  It acts like an umpire in life.  One with discernment has skill and accuracy in reading character, and will detect and identify the real truth  Discernment reads between the lines of the visible.  It is cultivated by saturating the heart and mind with Scripture.

Another sign of spiritual maturity is that of having a degree of patience (Hebrews 6:12).  Patience is available through the power of the Holy Spirit.  It allows us to have the mindset that says we are willing to let go of immediate gratification and wait for God to supply our needs.  Patience reveals itself when we are willing to wait without frustration while suffering, or experiencing a strong desire.  Patience means accepting whatever the Lord chooses to give or not give, and willingly receiving it on His timetable.

The author felt that he could expect better things from those he was writing to, that they could handle meat, and not just milk (Hebrews 6:9).  He then closes this passage with reminding them that God is not unjust, He will remember all that they have done and suffered for Him (Hebrews 6:10).  God is faithful to take special note of those who serve Him.  He is faithful.  He is steadfast in His allegiance to His people.  God will not leave us in the lurch.  He is firm in His adherence to His promises.  God keeps His Word.  He is not fickle.  God does not have hot and cold temperamental moods.  Let us be faithful to Him.  Let us go on past the baby bottle of milk and on to the spiritual steak dinner!

How Long, Lord?

Psalm 13

“How much longer?”  Most of us who have had children can remember when they were younger they would cry out this complaint, often on a long drive.  Adults, too, can cry out that lament, as no one likes to wait.  There are situations that are much more serious than just waiting for the end of a long and boring drive, or even a long line at the store!  Many of us have gone through, or are currently going through some troubles that seem to be lasting forever.  There just doesn’t seem to be an end.  We feel so discouraged and forgotten, even by God.  That is the theme of today’s psalm.  Let’s look into this Scripture and find some encouragement.

Psalm 13 is one of the many psalms that David wrote.  It is quite evident as we read through the psalms that he wrote, and through both I and II Samuel, that David went through many, many trials and troubles.  In his youth things seemed to be going well for him.  As a youth, Samuel came and anointed him to be the future king.  That is certainly a positive!  Then he was called to come to court as a musician for King Saul.  That would have been a nice plus on anyone’s resume.  And then he was the one to bring down the giant enemy warrior Goliath with a stone and slingshot!  Then things took a turn, and King Saul became insanely jealous of David.  He spent many years trying to kill David, hunting him down, and David had to flee, living on the run, constantly in fear for his life.  We might think that things would improve when he became king, but David had to flee his capital Jerusalem when his son Absalom orchestrated an ill-fated coup.  It could have been any of these events which led David to compose this psalm.

David spent many years on the run from King Saul, and I think it is likely that the psalm was written then.  For years Saul hounded David like a hunter chases after his prey. (I Samuel 26:20).  Four times in the first two verses David cried out “How long”.  This had been going on for so long that he was beginning to wonder if the Lord had forgotten about him, if He was hiding from him.  Sometimes some problems that we have been dealing with seem to go on for so long that we might also think that God has forgotten about us, and our enemies will get the victory.  So we cry with David, “How long, Lord?”

When believers have a period of time where they feel abandoned by God, where they question if He is there, or cares about them, some have called this the “dark night of the soul”.  This was a term that was first used by St. John of the Cross (1542-1591) a Carmelite priest and monk.  Other saints of God, such as St. Paul of the Cross (1694-1775), St. Therese of Lisieux (1873-1891), and St. Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938) are just some who have experienced such times in their faith.  Like they did, we can trust that God’s love for us will never waver or change.

Often prolonged afflictions vex us, as well.  We want sudden solutions.  However, some things we face will not be fixed.  They can only be borne.  God wants us to engage with Him in our struggles  He understands us as no one else can.  When we’re waiting for God to resolve a difficult situation, it’s easy to get discouraged.  Satan tells us that God has forgotten us and things will never change.  We are tempted to give in to despair.

One of the purposes of the psalms is to show us how to honestly cry out in our pain, even when we feel forgotten and helpless.  In Psalm 13, David goes from being on his face in misery (vs. 1-2), to being on his knees in prayer (vs. 3-4), to being on his feet rejoicing (vs. 5-6).  David focused on all he knew of God’s love.  He reminded himself of past blessings, and deliberately praised God, who he knew would not forget him.

Sufferings can persist, but like David, we can sing in the midst of our trials.  David knew he was God’s child.  God’s love stands when all else fails.

God's Arm Is Not Shortened

Isaiah 59:1-19

The cries of the distressed rise up, but they seem to land on deaf ears.  Is there a reason why they receive no response?  Is it because the one they cry to is not there?  Is it because that one is unable to bring them relief, or perhaps does not care?  These are some of the questions that some of the people of Judah asked both the prophet Isaiah and the Lord when it seemed their prayers were not being answered.  Many today ask the same questions.  What was the Lord’s response?  Our Scripture gives His answer.

Depending upon who the king was at the time, the Kingdom of Judah swayed back and forth in their allegiance to Yahweh.  Many of the people mixed the worship of the Lord with that of pagan gods and goddesses, with some completely abandoning Him.  Only a few were completely faithful to the Lord.  But when troubles arose, they would pray to Him for deliverance, and they wondered why God was not responding.   Some of them wondered out loud if perhaps Yahweh wasn’t strong enough, or had lost strength since the days of the past.  Maybe He just wasn’t listening, others said.

Yahweh answered through His prophet Isaiah, and told the people that it wasn’t that He wasn’t strong enough nor deaf (vs. 1).  His arms were just as long and strong as they always were.  The reason was that the people’s sins had come between them and Himself.  If there is repeated unconfessed and unrepentant sin in our life, God will not hear or answer our prayers (Psalm 66:18).  And God will never tolerate or excuse the worship of Him combined with that of false religions, such as Buddhism, Hinduism, or any neo-pagan religions.  This was what the people were involved in, along with unrepented sins (vs. 3-5).

The false religious leaders had led the people astray.  Isaiah compares them to people who hatch venomous snake’s eggs, which bring forth a baby snake who is ready to bite right from birth (vs. 5).  They are also compared to a spider weaving her web.  A spider’s web is a marvel of seduction.  With cunning the spider weaves the web to trap unsuspecting insects and small animals.  False religions are like a venomous snake’s egg or a spider’s web, equally seductive, but hiding potentially lethal danger.  The false leaders make their lies appear to be true, so we need to be on alert, aware, and wise.  Rather than being the truth, and being something that can clothe us with Godly wisdom and salvation, these false religions and philosophies are as worthless as trying to clothe oneself with a spider’s web, and their paths lead to evil and sin (vs. 6-8).

The Lord God tries to call the people back to Himself, and to get their attention.  He tries to get us to listen to Him.  However, all too often they are blind and deaf, or like dead men, like corpses (vs. 10).  They are seemingly trying to find the right way in life, but can’t find their way.  The justice and righteousness that they profess they want is far away (vs. 9, 11).  Why is that?  Isaiah answers that it is because they have multiplied sins which they refuse to let go of (vs. 12-13).  They have sinned against the Lord so justice, righteousness, and answered prayer will be far away.

This does not please the Lord.  He is not happy when people are lost in their sins.  Therefore, God Himself brought salvation to mankind by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, clothed with salvation and righteousness (vs. 15-19).  When we accept the Lord as our Savior, when we fear His Name, we can call upon Him, and He will hear us.  He will also protect us when the enemy comes in upon us like a flood (vs. 19).  When the presence of the Lord overshadows you, there is nothing that the enemy can do to harm you.  God will rise up and scatter him.  His presence covers and protects us on every side.  The Lord goes before us into every battle, and He is our rear-guard.  He is ever watchful.

In closing, let’s look back one more time at the opening verse of our Scripture passage.  When the people were wondering why God did not seem to hear or answer their prayers, rather than suspect that the fault would lie with themselves, they felt the fault lay with the Lord, that He was weak, His arms or hands were “too short”.  As we have seen, the Lord does hear and is attentive to the prayers and cries of His children, those who have a relationship with Him through the Blood of the Lord Jesus.  No disaster can put us beyond God’s help.  When we are frightened in the dark, trapped by poor choices, or over our heads in trouble, God’s arm is long enough to reach us.  He is not too weak, and we are never beyond His reach.  As the Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 8:38-39, nothing can separate God’s Blood-bought children from Him!

James And John's Request

Mark 10:35-45

You have probably heard of patronage jobs.  We see this a lot in bigger cities and many county governments.  Someone does a politician a favor, helps in his campaign, or contributes money, and they or someone in their family is then given a job.  Usually these are good jobs, often with a pension, sometimes even a “no show” or “no work” job.  This sometimes happens within big corporations, where favoritism and nepotism play a lot in who gets promoted or given certain jobs rather than the hard-working fellow.  There is the old saying “It’s not what you know, but who you know” in getting certain jobs.  In our Gospel passage today we see a couple of the disciples looking for some patronage positions.  Did they get their request?  Let’s take a look.

As our Scripture opens, the two brothers James and John came up to Jesus with a request.  They had something to ask Him, and they didn’t beat around the bush or hesitate, but came right to the point.  They believed that Jesus was going to come to Glory one day, and at that time they wanted the prized positions of sitting at His right and left hand (vs. 35-37).  There was no shyness or reticence with these two!

Historically, the positions of sitting at the right and left hand of a king, a pharaoh, or an emperor, were special positions.  It was a spot of power and of trust.  These mighty rulers would not just give them to anyone.  Instead they were usually given to good friends of the monarch, hopefully someone who was wise.  They might have a lot of money to help finance the monarch, and might also have some military power.  Just like with a political or corporate patronage job, these brothers James and John felt that they could get these two enviable positions.  After all, they were part of Jesus’ inner circle of closest disciples, which also included Peter, who witnessed the Transfiguration, and a few other private miracles, such as raising the daughter of Jairus.

Jesus questioned the two brothers.  Were they capable and willing to suffer and die for their faith, for their Lord?  Could they “drink the same cup” that Jesus was about to do?  They quickly stated that they could (vs. 38-39).  Jesus promised that they indeed would, but that those positions were not for Him to give out but instead were for those who the Father had prepared it for (vs. 39-40).  The other disciples were angry with the two for thinking they should be given special spots, possibly quietly thinking that instead they should get those spots (vs. 41).

The Lord used this opportunity to teach the twelve that, contrary to what the world thinks, if one wants to be great, they need to become a servant to others (vs. 42-45).  The world thinks that being great is having a lot of money, a lot of power, a lofty position.  However in God’s sight, the greatest are the least, those who are humble and lowly in spirit, those who are willing to take the lowliest spots, and are servants to others.

A popular philosophy and teaching is to think about yourself first and foremost - do something for yourself, or with yourself, or to yourself.  That is different from the model and message that Jesus gave us.  He said to be a servant, and give yourself to others.  Paul echoed that in Philippians 2:3-4.  Don’t let selfishness and conceit control you.  Instead, have humility of mind.

Jesus modeled that, by giving of Himself, both throughout His life, and then in His death for our salvation.  Salvation has three “s’s”.  Sacrifice - salvation comes through the death of Jesus.  Substitution - Jesus died instead of us.  Satisfaction - Jesus’ death fulfilled the justice of God, as God’s justice was “satisfied”.

Did the brothers James and John live up to their claim that they could drink the same cup that the Lord Jesus would?   Were they willing and able to suffer for their Savior?  As we read in the Book of Acts, aside from the betrayer Judas, James was the first of the apostles to die.  King Herod Agrippa had him put to death by a sword (Acts 12:1-2).  His brother John, on the other hand, was the only apostle besides the betrayer who did not suffer martyrdom.  After a lifetime of ministry and serving others, as Jesus had instructed His followers to do, John was banished to the island of Patmos in the Aegean Sea, which was used as a Roman penal colony at the time.  It is there that John is believed to have died.  Like these two brothers, are we willing and able to give our all for the Savior?

 

A Two-Edged Sword

Hebrews 4:12-16

Have you heard temptation calling your name lately?  All of us will face different temptations on a regular basis, and we have various levels of success in fighting them off.  For some it’s the lure of watching something on TV or the internet that we shouldn’t.  For others it’s something in the refrigerator calling our name, that we know we shouldn’t eat.  Or the lure of illicit drugs, or having a violent temper.  Whatever our temptations are, we have various ways of trying to fight it off.  Our Scripture today gives us one sure way to fight these.  Let’s look into what the Lord can teach us.

When we have temptations it is often helpful to talk with someone who has gone through the same thing we are going through.  That is part of the basis for the success of groups like Alcoholics Anonymous.  For us believers, the best way to overcome temptation is to look at the One who has dealt with every temptation successfully and consistently, and that would be the Lord Jesus Christ.  How did He deal with the temptations He was faced with, temptations that Satan threw in His path?  Jesus was tempted in every way that we are today.  However, the big difference is that He never succumbed to those temptations (vs. 15).  Jesus used Scripture and only Scripture to resist Satan’s temptations.  He didn’t use His own wit or His own power.

When one country seeks to fight off an enemy who is attacking them, they want to use powerful weapons.  We have an enemy to fight, and that is Satan and all the temptations he brings.  The best weapon to use is the same one that Jesus used, the Word of God.  We read here that God’s Word is powerful, and sharper than a two-edged sword (vs. 12).  A two-edged sword is sharp on both sides, and will cut in any direction you use it.  God’s Word, when properly applied, can cut off any temptation that comes.

It always helps to have our weapons prepared and ready when we need them.  The best way to have God’s Word, our spiritual sword, ready when temptations come is to have appropriate verses and passages memorized.  Memorizing Scripture can transform our life.  It doesn’t necessarily change circumstances, but it will give us something to hold on to when the storms come.  God’s Word is our sword to fight back Satan’s lies.  If we believe that the Bible is the living Word of the One True God, we won’t just read it, we’ll obey it and let it change our life.

Being in prayer is also a weapon that we can use.  God doesn’t care if our prayers are poetic or intellectual, or even grammatically correct.  He listens to our heart.  However, when we pray using Scripture that we’ve read and even memorized, we can pray God’s Words right back to Him.  There is something special about praying Scripture.  These are God’s Words, and we can pray them back to Him.  Through our belief and faith in the death of the Lord Jesus as payment for our sins, we can approach the throne of Almighty God (vs. 16).

The author of Hebrews instructs us to hold fast to our confession (vs. 14).  Whatever we talk about is our confession.  If we are continually confessing how much trouble the devil is causing, our words will ring true.  When the Bible tells us to hold fast our profession we are being told to hold on with faith to what the Bible says about our situation - the kind of faith that does not let go!

When we feel alone and that no one understands, we forget that Jesus became fully human, and experienced life as we do.  He was tempted as we are.  He dealt with grief, sadness, had joy and happiness.  The only thing Jesus didn’t experience was sin.  However, because He paid the price of sin, He knew the suffering of sin’s consequences.

No matter what we are facing, Jesus identifies with our circumstance, and He feels every single thing we’re experiencing.  He is our Great High Priest.