Those Fiery Trials

I Peter 4:12-19

Did anyone ever tell you that once you became a Christian, once you gave your heart and life to the Lord Jesus, everything would be just rosy?  That your life would be smooth sailing from then on?  You might have been told that only those in sin or unbelievers suffer difficulties, but not the godly.  That teaching, which is one of several that the “health-wealth” preachers espouse, is false.  True, godly Christians from the time of the Apostles to today have often suffered, and gone through all kinds of difficult trials.  In our Scripture for today, the Apostle Peter reminds us that trials and suffering are going to come, and Christians, including godly believers who are living for the Lord, are not immune to them.

The epistle of I Peter was written to believers who were going through persecution from both the unsaved Jewish people and from pagans.  Some of them had been driven out of their homes by unbelieving family members.  Many had lost their jobs and incomes for their faith.  They had been dragged into court and had judgments given against them because they were Christians.  These people Peter was writing to were surprised and discouraged because of this.  Perhaps someone had told them that by becoming a Christian, all their problems would disappear.  Peter told them that this was not a true or accurate teaching.  He told them that the trials they were going through were not to be considered unusual or odd (vs. 12).

Our trials are not unique.  Many others have experienced the same thing.  As we read through the Bible, we see how many went through all sorts of trials, such as Joseph, Jeremiah, Stephen, and Paul.  From the days of the early church, through the centuries following, and on to today, Christians have suffered all types of adversities and persecutions.  When we are persecuted for our faith, we are partners in the same suffering that Jesus endured (vs. 13).  When a believer suffers, God’s presence especially rests with him, and God will bless them with strength and endurance (vs. 14).

Peter warns us that we need to be careful that we are not suffering because of some wrongdoing that we have done (s. 15).  This was God’s instruction back then, and is the same today.  If we do something wrong at work, such as helping ourselves to company funds or merchandise, get caught and then fired, we can’t say that we were being persecuted for our faith.  If we cause a fight in the neighborhood, and the police fine us or put us in jail overnight, we can’t say that they did that because we were a Christian.

However, if we are persecuted because we spread the message of Jesus, and take a stand for His Word, Peter says we are blessed, and should not be ashamed (vs 14, 16).  Jesus spoke of just such persecution for our faith, calling those who endure such as blessed (Matthew 5:11-12).  Whenever we suffer because of our faith and loyalty to Jesus, He will be with us all the way.  When Peter and John were persecuted for preaching the Gospel, they rejoiced because they knew God approved of their work (Acts 5:40-42).  Insults and rejection because of Jesus means there is evidence of Christ in our lives.

God also has a purpose in the trials of our life.  He can use trials to cleanse and purify us.  Adversity will often drive us closer to God.  We begin to focus on Him, and see things from His perspective.  God also uses trials to test our faith, endurance, and devotion to Him.  Hardship and tribulation in our life will also show us God’s power to sustain us through them.

Peter continues by telling us that God’s judgment on mankind begins with believers in order to purify the Church (vs. 17).  If God will judge His own, how much more will He judge the unsaved?  One is only saved by trusting in Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross.  If that sacrifice is rejected and spurned, where does that leave these people?  There is no other hope for them (vs. 18).

In looking back over this Scripture passage, we see that there are four attitudes that we should have in order to be triumphant during persecution.  We need to expect that such persecution will happen to believers (vs. 12).  Next, we should rejoice in God while enduring it (vs. 13-14).  Then we should evaluate the cause of it, making sure that it is not caused by any wrongdoing of ours (vs. 15-18).  And then finally we need to entrust what we are going through to God (vs. 19).

Victory For Our King

Psalm 47

Many of us watched coverage of the coronation of Charles III, King of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth nations on May 6th.  The streets of London were filled with cheering crowds to welcome the new king.  From newsreel footage I’ve seen, the same occurred 70 years prior when his mother, Queen Elizabeth II was crowned.  The people of the country want to show their love and support to their new monarch.  Back in the past, in the days when kings would go forth to war with their armies, there would be similar scenes of cheer and support when he would return in triumph.  The king would often lead his conquered enemies in subjection.  Our psalm today gives a description of the Lord God as our King, with His people singing His praise and cheer.  Let’s see what we can learn.

This psalm was one of several which were written by the Sons of Korah, a branch of the Levites, descended from Moses’ cousin, Korah.  Korah died with Dathan, Abiram, and their families when they revolted against the leadership of Moses (Numbers 16:1-40).  The Sons of Korah, along with the people of Israel, were familiar with scenes of joy and cheer when a king would return victorious from battles.  This occurred so often during the reign of King David, and later kings, as well.  And the day of the king’s coronation, whether it was David, Solomon, or a later king, was always a time of celebration.

The Sons of Korah took their memories and experiences of witnessing cheers for their physical, human kings, and transferred it to singing praises to the Lord God, who is the great King over all the earth (vs. 2, 7).  The psalmist proclaims that God is not just their personal king, but that He also reigns over all the nations, the universe, even.

This past Thursday, May 18th, many Christian denominations celebrated the feast day of the Ascension, which occurs 40 days after Easter.  That day commemorates the day that the Lord Jesus returned to heaven.  There He is seated at the right hand of God, upon His heavenly throne, crowned King of the whole creation.  We remember the grandeur and ceremony of the coronation of King Charles.  That is nothing compared to the coronation of Jesus upon His heavenly throne!  Our psalm speaks of God going up with a shout and the sound of a trumpet, with the whole world singing praises (vs. 5-7).  When Jesus ascended into heaven, it was as a King going forth in triumph, triumph over His enemy Satan, and all of his minions.

Jesus defeated Satan at the cross, when He shed His Blood and died for our sins, rising victoriously on the third day.  The Ascension and taking His seat at God’s right hand further emphasized Satan’s defeat.  When Jesus returns, all of Satan’s control and influence here on earth will be over.  Satan’s power will be completely subdued.

When He returns, all nations will bow in reverence to the Lord Jesus.  Right now we do not see that.  Most countries, if not all of them, are in rebellion against Jesus and His Holy Word.  Most people around the world disregard Him, scorn Him, toss His Word behind them as they follow a path of more and more sin and debauchery.  Those who follow Jesus are treated with equal scorn.  However, just like the conquering king, when Jesus returns these nations and people will be put under His feet, like the subdued enemies of a conquered country are (vs. 3).

In ancient times, when the leaders of a conquered country came to show their homage and allegiance to the victorious king, they would often bring their weapons, their swords and shields, sometimes their flag or banner, and lay them at the feet of the victor.  In closing his psalm, this son of Korah, relates how all of the shields of the earth belong to God.  He is the victorious King of all the earth.  We may not see it now, as so much of the world shakes their fists in defiance against Jesus, but He will hold their shields in victory.

On that day we, as believers and followers of the Lord Jesus, can clap our hands and shout with triumph for our Savior (vs. 1).  Jesus is seated upon His throne, and will reign, greatly exalted, over all nations.  We will celebrate His kingship over all the earth.

Some Last Words

Acts 1:1-11

If one searches the internet, one can find several lists of some famous last words given by people right before they died.  Scanning these lists we can find some very interesting last words.  Sometimes these are important words, sometimes confusing or just nonsense.  Last words aren’t always given before a death.  Here in the U.S., and in several other countries high schools and universities often have a valedictorian who gives a type of farewell speech at the graduation ceremonies.  In the past, before the days of computer zoom chats, or even telephones and quick travel, if a family member or friend moved any great distance away, it was quite conceivable that they would never see or talk to one another again.  The moment of their parting would be a type of last, final words.  These last words can be important, and words to treasure.  In our Scripture today we read of Jesus’ physical parting from His disciples, and the final, last words He spoke to them.  Let’s take a look at what Jesus chose to say before He physically left earth.

On the third day after His crucifixion, Jesus rose from the dead.  For forty days following His resurrection, He met and taught His followers (vs. 1-3).  During these days Jesus taught His disciples everything necessary to carry on His work.  Then Jesus led them to the Mount of Olives, just to the east of Jerusalem.  It was there that He gave them some final words and directions.

The first thing that the Lord Jesus told the disciples was a promise of sending the Holy Spirit, and that they were to wait for this outpouring, the baptism of the Spirit, while remaining in Jerusalem (vs. 4-5).  The disciples had to wait until Pentecost for the Holy Spirit to come.  Today believers receive the Holy Spirit as soon as they are saved.  This didn’t happen immediately after Jesus ascended into heaven, which is why Jesus told them to wait.  Rarely does God do things immediately.  They were to remain in Jerusalem and patiently wait.  Ten days later the Holy Spirit came upon them.  Most of us can’t wait ten minutes for our food to cook, let alone wait ten days!  Yet so often that is what God wants us to do - wait, wait and pray.

The disciples then asked the Lord if it was at this time that He would restore the kingdom to Israel (vs. 6-7).  Many of the Jewish people had believed that the coming Messiah would be a strong, powerful political leader who would restore power and authority to the Jewish people, kicking Rome, and any other ruling powers, out of Israel.  Some of the disciples were still believing this.  However, this was not the type of Messiah that God sent.  Another of Jesus’ final words was to tell us that we will not know the exact dates of God’s timetable.  Yes, one day Jesus will return, and all power on earth will come into His hands, but as He said, we do not know when that will be.  We should not believe anyone who says they do.

Jesus proceeded to give another final, and important instruction.  He told them that after the Holy Spirit came upon them, they were to be His witnesses, bringing His message of salvation to the whole world (vs. 8).  The disciples’ mission was to spread the Gospel as the Holy Spirit empowered them.  They were to witness, both in their own home neighborhoods, and then on out into the world.

Those early disciples were simple folk, with no advanced education.  They were fishermen and other basic, honest jobs.  They did not have any powerful, influential careers.  Satan will try to tell you that you aren’t qualified to share the Gospel.  He will use others to say that since you don’t have advanced theological university degrees that you best keep quiet.  However, God tells us all to spread the Gospel, and He gives us the power through His Holy Spirit.  The power that comes from the Holy Spirit will bring courage, boldness, confidence, insight, ability, and authority.

As our Scripture draws to a close, we read how Jesus ascended up into heaven (vs. 9-11).  God the Father took Jesus in His resurrection Body from this world to be seated at His rightful place at the Father’s right hand.  If Jesus had remained on earth, His physical presence would have limited the spread of the Gospel, because the Holy Spirit could only be sent after He returned to heaven (John 16:7).  Also, while Jesus was physically on earth, He could only be in one place at a time.  After He was taken up to heaven, He could send the Holy Spirit, enabling Him to be present everywhere.

One day Jesus will return to earth, to the Mount of Olives, in the same way He ascended with clouds, to set up His Kingdom.  We should be ready for His sudden return (I Thessalonians 5:2), not by standing around looking into the sky, but by working diligently to share the Gospel

A Branch On The Vine

John 15:1-8

After a strong storm we sometimes see branches from trees and bushes that have broken off of the main plant and are strewn on the ground.  Often they still have their green leaves still on them.  Within a day or so, though, those leaves have withered up and died.  The wood, too, dries up and quickly becomes dead wood, as well.  We see this in all plants.  When cut off from the main plant, the branch quickly dies. This occurrence in nature is something that the Lord Jesus spoke about to His disciples, which we read in our Scripture for today.

One plant that was fairly common in the countryside during Biblical times, and one we see a lot today in various parts of the world, are grapevines.  When I was a child, our next-door neighbor grew grapes in his backyard, and even made his own wine.  The scenario that Jesus described for His disciples was one that they could easily understand.  Grapes were a very significant commodity at the time of the New Testament, as production of wine was very important.

Jesus’ disciples knew that having fruitful vines was vital.  A good vinedresser, gardener, and those who care for fruit trees know the importance of keeping the plants or trees well-pruned.  A branch that isn’t producing well is often cut back so that it will produce more, and one that doesn’t bear fruit is cut off.  Sometimes when we see a gardener working on a plant or tree, pruning back fruitless branches, or ones that aren’t doing as well as they could, we might think that they will kill the plant, but they know what they are doing.  By chopping away here and cutting back there, a good vinedresser can bring about a fruitful crop through his careful pruning.

In our Scripture, Jesus told His disciples that He is the vine, and that His followers are the branches.  God wants His children to bear fruit for Him.  The fruit we bear is what we do for His kingdom, such as witnessing and leading others to Christ, doing the work that He has given us to do in His Church or for His kingdom.  God the Father is the vinedresser, and He is always looking over the plants to make sure that each branch is doing what it should, which is to be producing fruit.

As a good vinedresser, when God sees a branch that is not bearing any fruit, He gets rid of that dead wood so that the living fruit-bearing branches can thrive (vs. 2).  The dead wood is a picture of apostates, those who presume to be Christians, but don’t have true saving faith.  They will be taken away in judgment.  They have never had the life of Christ flowing through them, just as the fruitful vines do have His life in them.  Unfruitful branches can infect the plant.  They must be removed.

The Lord God also does pruning on the branches that do have life in them, but which are not producing fruit up to par.  Just like the vinedresser and gardener, God removes all things in the believer’s life that hinders fruit-bearing.  He cuts away sin and hindrances that drain a spiritual life.  God cuts back branches to promote growth.  He also sometimes disciplines us to strengthen our character and faith.

How do we remain a fruitful vine?  Jesus tells us that to be fruitful we must abide in Him (vs. 4-5).  A branch cannot bear fruit on its own.  People cannot sanctify or save themselves on their own.  The branch must stay rooted to the plant.  We must be rooted in Jesus.  We must allow Jesus to live His life in and through us.  Stay close to Jesus, like a branch attached to the vine.  Apart from Him we will only be unfruitful, and even wither and die.  He is the vine, our support, the stability of our faith.  If we cut ourselves off of the root system, our faith will shrivel.

The abiding believer is the only legitimate believer.  Judgment awaits the branches that are cut off, the unbelievers (vs. 6).  A strong and healthy branch, securely connected to the vine, may bend under trials, but it will never break.  Look exclusively to Jesus and what He has done for us at the cross, and you will abide and stay securely on the vine.

The Eyes Of The Lord Are On Us

I Peter 3:8-12

When you know that you are being watched, does your behavior change?   Do you act one way when you know your boss is around, but another when he isn’t?  When you were younger, did you act one way when your parents or teacher were there, but another when you knew they were out?   Plenty of people do.  We may think that there are times when no one is watching us, but as Christians, we know that the Lord is always watching what we do and how we treat others, and listening to what we say.  In our Scripture today from I Peter, the Apostle reminds us of this, encouraging us to good behavior.

Today’s verses are a brief reminder to Christians of how, as followers of the Lord Jesus, our behavior should be towards one another.   Peter starts off this passage by telling us that we need to be of one mind (vs. 8).  He’s not telling us that we need to sacrifice being doctrinally sound.  God’s Word never wants us to forsake good sound doctrine, allowing in heretical teachings, just in order to get along.  However in other areas, in areas that are not fundamental doctrines, we should show love towards our Christian brothers and sisters.  We are a family.  We should be tender-hearted, kind, caring and compassionate to each other.  Peter tells us to be courteous, and be friendly-minded to each other.

Do we see this type of genuine caring among church members every Sunday morning?  We should see this, caring, not just on Sunday mornings, but throughout the week, as well.  Way too often in a church, especially in larger churches, but also in smaller ones, as well, we barely give a nod of the head to anyone other than our special close friends, let alone know or care what they are going through..  How often are we feuding among each other over trivial matters, as any periodic church board meeting can attest.  Christians should be examples of peace and unity, not disruption and disharmony.

How should a Christian act when someone does them wrong, whether it is from another Christian, or an unsaved person?  God’s Word tells us here that we should not return evil or reviling treatment (harsh criticism or verbally abusive treatment) to those who have given that to us (vs. 9).  That is not easy to do, as our natural tendency would be to lash out and give that person the same treatment they gave us.  However, rather than seeking our own vengeance, we are to bless.  We extend forgiveness, and wishes of well-being to those who have unjustly wronged us.  Believers are to pay back wrongs by praying for the offender.  Revenge is unacceptable, as is insulting people.  Jesus wants us to act the opposite way that the world would act, which is how He did when He stood before the Sanhedrin and before Pontius Pilate.

Next Peter encourages us to watch what we say, to guard our tongue (vs. 10).  The Bible continually warns us that it is extremely important to guard what we say.  David gave us a similar message in Psalm 141:3, as well as James in his epistle (James 3:2-13).  A response given to others in anger or in spite, or words filled with lies or deceit, will only cause dissension.  God’s Word tells us that our tongue has the power of life and death (Proverbs 18:21).  We can build up others by what we say to them, and even give them words of life when we share the message of Jesus, or we can tear them down and destroy them by what we say.  Both our words and our behavior should cultivate and support peace and goodness (vs. 11).

Peter reminds us that God is watching believers (vs. 12).  He will bless those who trust and obey Him, but He disapproves and will punish those who don’t.  As Christians, if we willfully continue to disobey the Lord, we won’t lose our salvation, but He is not obligated to continue to bless us.

In closing, as we look over our Scripture passage again , we see that there are some key traits that should be in every group of believers.  We should have harmony among ourselves, pursuing the same goals.  We should show sympathy to each other, being responsive to other believers' needs.  Christians should show love for each other, treating each other as brothers and sisters, being compassionate, sensitive, and caring for each other.  And Christians should show humility, encouraging one another, and rejoicing in each other's success.  Do we show these traits, both in our personal life, and in our church fellowship?  Remember, the eyes of the Lord are on us.

Weather In The Bible

Psalm 148:7-14

Since childhood I have had an amateur interest in weather.  Whenever there is a thunderstorm I will often go out onto my front porch and watch the storm clouds, the wind, and the lightning.  I have learned to identify all the different types of clouds, and what types of weather they are associated with.   I am certainly not alone in this interest.   Even the Bible often speaks about the different aspects of weather, including in our psalm for today.  Let’s take a look at these verses, and several others in the Bible, where types of weather are mentioned.

Living in the Chicago area, in the Midwest part of the U.S., I see a lot of different weather all throughout the year.  We get quite cold in the winter, with generally a lot of snow.  Blizzards, with blowing and drifting snow is not uncommon.  Thunderstorms are very common from spring through the fall, with the spectacular storm clouds and lightning.  And along with thunderstorms often comes the threat of tornadoes and occasionally hailstorms.  The only real weather event that Chicago is not subject to would be hurricanes, though when a severe hurricane hits the gulf coast, we sometimes end up having storms that were brought about by it.

Our portion of Psalm 148 tells of all parts of creation giving praise to the Lord God.  We read of all types of animals that praise the Lord (vs. 7, 10).  Plants, trees, mountains and hills sing their praise (vs. 9).  The Scripture also records all types of people, as well, that bring the Lord praise (vs. 11-12).  This is wonderful to proclaim, and we see this in many psalms, and other parts of the Bible.  The one that piques my interest today is that of verse 8, where we read that fire, hail, snow, clouds, and stormy wind bring praise to the Lord.

All throughout Scripture we see that God sovereignly oversees weather.  He uses each of these events to accomplish His will.  God used fire to speak to Moses when He spoke from the burning bush (Exodus 3:2).  He led the people of Israel through the wilderness by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (Exodus 13:21-22).  With regards to weather, fire could be described as lightning.  King David, a prolific poet and psalmist, has many times described strong storms as acts of God, including sending lightning to scatter His enemies (II Samuel 22:15; Psalm 144:6).   Centuries later, the Prophet Zechariah also tells how the Lord uses lightning against His enemies like arrows (Zechariah 9:14).  Jesus said that God will send lightning from one part of the sky to the other when He returns (Matthew 24:27; Luke 17:24).

God has used hail many times for His purposes.  The seventh of the ten plagues against Egypt was a plague of hail (Exodus 9:13-35).  When Joshua and the armies of Israel came into their land, God fought for them with hailstones (Joshua 10:11).  Prophets also describe how God used hail in judgment (Isaiah 28:2, 17; Haggai 2:17).  During the Tribulation, God will again judge mankind with great hailstones (Revelation 8:7; 16:21).

Snow is mentioned several times in Scripture, along with cold, and that it is sent by the Lord (Psalm 147:16-17).  Frequently, though, snow is mentioned in the Bible with regards to its whiteness, and as a comparison in how when we come to the Lord in repentance of our sins, we can be washed as white as snow (Psalm 51:7; Isaiah 1:18).

We see clouds throughout Scripture.  God was in the pillar of cloud, leading Israel through the wilderness (Exodus 13:21-22).  There are several verses in the Bible that either explicitly or alludes to the fact that God rides upon the clouds or upon a whirlwind, which could be similar to a tornado (Psalm 104:3; Isaiah 19:1; Isaiah 66:15).  God used a whirlwind to take Elijah up to heaven (II Kings 2:1-11), and He spoke to Job out of a whirlwind (Job 38:1, 40:6).  We see several times in the Gospels where the Lord Jesus calmed the storms over the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 8:23-27; 14:22-33).

I hope you enjoyed this very brief look at some meteorological events recorded in the Bible.  If you like weather as much as I do, there are many other passages in God’s Word that speak of this topic.  All of creation, including the weather, praises and serves the Lord.

Paul And The Athenians

Acts 17:22-31

Our Scripture for this morning continues in the book of Acts from last week.  Last week we looked at how Paul was preaching the Gospel of Jesus in the Greek city of Thessalonica, in northern Greece.  However, after just a few short weeks he was run out of town by the leaders of the synagogue there.  Paul then moved on to the smaller village of Berea, where he also began preaching the Gospel.  When those in Thessalonica heard he was preaching in Berea, they hurried there, and under threat of harm, chased him out from there, too.  Now, as our Scripture opens today, we find Paul in the city of Athens.

Paul was waiting for his companions to arrive, which would be several days, and while waiting, he didn’t want to waste any time just sitting around.  There were souls in this city, just like everywhere, and they needed to hear the message of Jesus and be saved.  He would use this time of waiting to do what the Lord called him to do, spread the saving message of Jesus.  Paul’s usual practice when coming to any community to preach was to go to a local synagogue and begin witnessing that Jesus was the promised Messiah.  Then as the message spread, he would witness to both Jews and Gentiles.  However, here in Athens, there was no synagogue to attend, and very few Jewish people to begin his ministry with.  Paul would need to use a different approach to reach these Athenians.

When Paul ministered to people, he came to them where they were intellectually when witnessing about God.  He would start at a point they could understand.  For the Jews, it was from Old Testament Scriptures.  For pagan Gentiles, it was nature and creation.  If Paul started witnessing to pagans by quoting from the Old Testament, it would not have been very effective.  Few Gentiles had much, if any, acquaintance with those Scriptures, and that wouldn’t have been the best, most effective way to reach them.

When we speak to people about Jesus, we may have one way that we feel the most comfortable in using, and that way might work for some people.  However, sometimes we need to change our approach to comfortably and effectively reach others. Paul knew he needed to find common ground with the intellectual Athenians, and that was through their religious nature, and their love and appreciation of the world around them.

In his walks around the city while waiting for his friends, Paul had noticed a shrine to “the unknown god” (vs. 23).  Having an astute mind, he thought this was just the key he needed when witnessing.  He would introduce them to the true God, one that was previously unknown to them!  Paul was not endorsing this pagan god, but was using the inscription as a point of entry to begin witnessing.  The apostle then proceeded on by establishing some common ground with them, emphasizing what they could agree on about God, the One who created all things (vs. 24-29).

Paul emphasized that God created mankind, and that all men are equal in His sight, since all came from one man, Adam (vs. 26).  Most Jews did not bother to witness to Gentiles, as they believed that God did not care for them, and many Greeks would have felt their scorn.  Paul, though, told them that this was not so.  He also told them that no man had any excuse for not knowing about God because He has revealed Himself in man’s conscience and in the physical world (vs. 27).

The Apostle did not stay on the topic of nature, though.  He was certainly not pushing a worship of nature.  He moved his message right along, on to Jesus, His death for us, and His resurrection (vs. 30-31).  That is the most important thing to remember when witnessing to others.  We may start at one point, some common ground, or a particular interest that the other person may have, but then the conversation must come around to Jesus and His sacrifice for us on the cross.

Paul knew that the Lord wanted him to bring the message of Jesus to everyone he came into contact with, and he knew his methods would have to change, depending on who he was with.  However, each method would always end with telling them the one and only important thing, and that was Jesus, and salvation through Him.