The title of this blog may lead you to think I am writing about the internet. Who knew Jesus was going to deal with such a subject :-)? While we may relate to "the net" that way, when Jesus spoke this parable, the people understood that He was dealing with fishing.
"Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
(Matthew 13:47-50)
While some parables are not explained to us in some cases, in this case Jesus gives us the parable and then tells us its meaning. It is a simple parable that is intended to convey a picture of the end of time, when this physical world ends and God ushers in the "new heaven and new earth".
Jesus tells us that the end will be like when a fisherman casts a net into the water and pulls it up filled with all kinds of fish. The fisherman sits down and sorts through the fish in the net and separates out the good fish from the bad fish.
This next weekend several of us (men from our church) are going fishing on the Carolina coast. Undoubtedly, we will pull in all kinds of fish and will judge which to keep and which to throw back. Some fish are good to eat while others are not. Hopefully, some of the men going are better at making that decision than I am. While I may not be able to decide which fish are keepers and which are best to throw away, God is the perfect judge and He will not make any mistakes.
When the end comes, Jesus will return one last time, though the scripture teaches he will never set foot on this earth again. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) He will call the dead back to life and then call the living to be changed and together they will meet Him in the air and they will be with Him forever. I know many of you have been taught other things from prophecy, but this is the clearest picture of what is going to happen that the Bible provides. So for me, this is what I believe. With this scripture, no interpretation of symbolic language and pictures is needed. Simple, straight forward.... Jesus is coming back to claim His people and take them to heaven with Him.
What about those that don't belong to Him? This parable gives the clear answer to that question. The good fish are kept and the bad fish are thrown away. I know that it is not politically correct these days to speak so plainly, but Jesus wasn't concerned about political correctness. He was concerned about truth and telling everyone about it. Here it is.... if you are a good fish (the righteous) you are put into the cooler and you get to go home with Him. If you are a bad fish (the wicked) then you are thrown into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. That is the truth that is contained in Jesus message.
There is a movement afoot these days to reinterpret scripture and to remove the concept of hell. Some now say that hell is just being separated from God, while others say that hell is being destroyed eternally in death. They say there is no hell and that there is no eternal punishment. They ask questions like "what kind of God would eternally punish someone in a lake of fire?”
In all things, let us allow God's word have the final say. What does the Bible teach about these things? There are many scriptures that deal with the end of time, but for simplicity sake, let's look at one... Mark 9:43-44.
“If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched— where‘ Their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched."
Jesus tells us just how serious to take hell. If our hand is causing us to sin, cut it off. Now I don't believe Jesus is advocating chopping off our hands; rather, He is saying that whatever is causing us to sin, whatever is causing us to be separated from God leads to eternal punishment in hell and must be dealt with. This sin must be removed from our lives or it will lead to eternal punishment in "the fire that shall never be quenched" where our "worm does not die". The picture here is of the wicked being cast into eternal fires that burn them but never consume them.
With this picture firmly in our minds, may we approach the Father with thankfulness, knowing that our sins have been dealt with by His Son. Jesus went to the cross and bore our sins so that we, through His sacrifice can escape the fires of hell. Without Him our destination is sure and with Him our home is guaranteed. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:57) Read verses 56 and 58 also.
The question Jesus is asking us today is this, "what kind of fish are we?” Where will I spend eternity, with Him or away from Him? Only obedience to the gospel will provide the escape from an eternity in hell. (2 Thessalonians 1:8, 1 Peter 4:17) If you have not done so, obey the gospel today... place your trust in the risen Savior, repent of your sins, confess His name before men, be immersed into Him through baptism for the forgiveness of your sins and live a life as His devoted disciple. That is what everyone did in the early church. Don't take my word for it, read through the book of Acts and do what they did. May God richly bless us as we study His Word and may He give us courage to be obedient?
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Abundance of the Heart
"Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment." (Matthew 12:33-36)
Jesus speaks clearly. He doesn't shade the truth and he doesn't use words that are hard to understand. He is the Word, so it makes sense that he speaks in a way the communicates His message plainly.
As His ministry grew and He became popular with the people, the religious leaders of the day, the Pharisees began to despise Him. He was taking away their followers and they didn't like it. Additionally, He would look them in the eye and condemn their conduct. They began to say that Jesus was able to perform miracles because He was aligned with Satan. Jesus tells them that it would be ridiculous for Him to drive our demons if He was an agent of Beelzebub. He puts it like this... "If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?" (v 26)
After he deals with their accusation, He teaches them and others about the Spirit and His impact on those that believe. He uses the example of a fruit tree, saying that if the tree is good, the fruit will be good and if the tree is bad, the fruit will be bad. Then He looks the Pharisees full in the face and calls them a brood of vipers. (I like His honesty) He tells them that you can tell a lot about a person by watching their conduct and listening to their words. He says that our actions and our speech are a product of who we are inside. He calls it ... "the abundance of the heart".
Some translations use the term overflow instead of abundance, either word conveys the idea that who we are cannot be hidden for long. Our conversation and deeds will sooner or later demonstrate the reality of our heart. He says that out of the overflow, we speak; out of the overflow we act. It is as if, who we are cannot be contained, but will burst forth from us and reveal the very nature of our souls. That thought can be a little intimidating to me. I know that my actions have demonstrated many times that Jesus still has a lot of work to do in me.
Maybe you are in the same place. If you read further in the text, you will see that one day, Judgement Day, we will give an for every careless word that we have spoken. Now how are you feeling? In 2 Corinthians 10:5 we read...we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. This verse is specifically dealing with dealing with arguments against God, but if we are to take those thoughts captive, are we not also to deal with thoughts within ourselves that produce bad behavior and bad speech? Are we not to "transformed by the renewing of our minds"? I know I have read that somewhere. Romans 12:2)
As Christians, as His disciples we have the Holy Spirit living within us to produce transformation. Through His Spirit and His Word, who we are inside begins to change and so what we think and how we act and what we say begins to change. Our old thoughts are taken captive and God gives us a new mind with new thoughts. You might even say that we are born again, with a new father and a new life, with a new purpose and out of the abundance of the heart we speak and act.
Take the time to ask someone about your fruit. Is it good or bad? Check your heart. How do you speak or act? God promises change to those that are obedient to Him. Something is overflowing from your heart, something overflows from every heart. If we continually feast on good stuff, then we are filled with good stuff and the same with evil. May we stay in His presence, in His Word and with His people and we will be filled to overflowing with His goodness.
Jesus speaks clearly. He doesn't shade the truth and he doesn't use words that are hard to understand. He is the Word, so it makes sense that he speaks in a way the communicates His message plainly.
As His ministry grew and He became popular with the people, the religious leaders of the day, the Pharisees began to despise Him. He was taking away their followers and they didn't like it. Additionally, He would look them in the eye and condemn their conduct. They began to say that Jesus was able to perform miracles because He was aligned with Satan. Jesus tells them that it would be ridiculous for Him to drive our demons if He was an agent of Beelzebub. He puts it like this... "If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?" (v 26)
After he deals with their accusation, He teaches them and others about the Spirit and His impact on those that believe. He uses the example of a fruit tree, saying that if the tree is good, the fruit will be good and if the tree is bad, the fruit will be bad. Then He looks the Pharisees full in the face and calls them a brood of vipers. (I like His honesty) He tells them that you can tell a lot about a person by watching their conduct and listening to their words. He says that our actions and our speech are a product of who we are inside. He calls it ... "the abundance of the heart".
Some translations use the term overflow instead of abundance, either word conveys the idea that who we are cannot be hidden for long. Our conversation and deeds will sooner or later demonstrate the reality of our heart. He says that out of the overflow, we speak; out of the overflow we act. It is as if, who we are cannot be contained, but will burst forth from us and reveal the very nature of our souls. That thought can be a little intimidating to me. I know that my actions have demonstrated many times that Jesus still has a lot of work to do in me.
Maybe you are in the same place. If you read further in the text, you will see that one day, Judgement Day, we will give an for every careless word that we have spoken. Now how are you feeling? In 2 Corinthians 10:5 we read...we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. This verse is specifically dealing with dealing with arguments against God, but if we are to take those thoughts captive, are we not also to deal with thoughts within ourselves that produce bad behavior and bad speech? Are we not to "transformed by the renewing of our minds"? I know I have read that somewhere. Romans 12:2)
As Christians, as His disciples we have the Holy Spirit living within us to produce transformation. Through His Spirit and His Word, who we are inside begins to change and so what we think and how we act and what we say begins to change. Our old thoughts are taken captive and God gives us a new mind with new thoughts. You might even say that we are born again, with a new father and a new life, with a new purpose and out of the abundance of the heart we speak and act.
Take the time to ask someone about your fruit. Is it good or bad? Check your heart. How do you speak or act? God promises change to those that are obedient to Him. Something is overflowing from your heart, something overflows from every heart. If we continually feast on good stuff, then we are filled with good stuff and the same with evil. May we stay in His presence, in His Word and with His people and we will be filled to overflowing with His goodness.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Sabbath Was Made For Man
(Mark 2:23-28)
In these verses, Jesus and His disciples are walking through a grainfield on the Sabbath and they are pulling off the heads of the grain and eating it. It was Saturday and they were hungry. So they ate. The Pharisees saw this and accused Jesus and His followers of breaking the Law.
The Law said to remember the Sabbath and to keep it holy and that man was to do no work on that day. (Exodus 20:8-10) Humans determined what God meant by that. They had added to the Law a number of "oral" laws that were intended to clarify the meaning of the command. (As if God needed our help to say what He means to say) The Sabbath was given by God to provide a day of rest for people and to remind them of all that God had done for them. People in turn, with good motives no doubt began to bind on others their definition of "work".
Jesus in Mark 2:27 says, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath." I believe His point is that God created the Sabbath to benefit people; to give them rest and clarity of mind. People then took His command and twisted it into some legalistic burden that man was to keep. In other words, man was here first and God gave him a day of rest, with the distorted view being that God created the Sabbath and then created man for it.
The point is simply this..... God has provided us a book of instruction (we call it the Bible) that is given for our benefit. It is not just a book of commands to keep in order to please God, rather it is guidance for living a life filled with joy. Jesus said "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." Go back and read John 1. He is the Word, and so the Word came that we might have the abundant life! Whether we understand it or not, every single command throughout the Bible is given for our benefit.
Take a moment to contemplate that idea. If you, if we truly grasp that God's commands were given to benefit us, it changes our entire outlook towards His Word. Suddenly, it is no longer a book of rules to be kept in order to get the prize when we die; rather, it becomes God's love letter to us. No longer are we checklist keepers; we become the bride of the Lamb. (Rev 19:6-8) The Jews got it wrong. They turned His instruction into a list of dos and don'ts and thought by keeping the list perfectly that He would be pleased. What they missed was that God is pleased when His people are faithful and by being faithful, they would be blessed and the world would see Him through them.
Nothing has changed in God's plan or nature. Yes, we live under a New Covenant and yes, we are no longer under the Old Testament law, but God still desires us to be faithful to Him. His promise is that blessings will flow to those that live by His word. When we depart from His path, we will suffer the consequences. His way is "the way" that leads to the abundant life and any other path leads to something less. Jesus tells us that He is "the way" and that "no one comes to the Father except through me". (John 14:6) He still intends for the world to see Him through us. When we live out our lives by His plan and our lives are filled with the joy that only He can bring, the world sees Him.
"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness."
(2 Peter 1:3) Through our knowledge of Him, we are given everything we need! His glory and goodness call us into a life of faithfulness in which we are given everything we need for life. It's not bookkeeping, it's a relationship. We are the bride and He is the groom! He is not an IRS agent checking to see if we have an error on our returns. He is the groom and what groom would treat his bride like that? Through our relationship with Him, all of our errors are taken care of by Him. (1 John 1:7)
"The Sabbath was made for man". God's Word is for our benefit. We receive the blessing when we live faithfully by His instruction and we pay the price when we choose to follow our own wisdom. May we reconsider how we approach His love letter and begin to see that everything He has written is an extension of His love for each of us. May God richly bless you as you live out your faith.
In these verses, Jesus and His disciples are walking through a grainfield on the Sabbath and they are pulling off the heads of the grain and eating it. It was Saturday and they were hungry. So they ate. The Pharisees saw this and accused Jesus and His followers of breaking the Law.
The Law said to remember the Sabbath and to keep it holy and that man was to do no work on that day. (Exodus 20:8-10) Humans determined what God meant by that. They had added to the Law a number of "oral" laws that were intended to clarify the meaning of the command. (As if God needed our help to say what He means to say) The Sabbath was given by God to provide a day of rest for people and to remind them of all that God had done for them. People in turn, with good motives no doubt began to bind on others their definition of "work".
Jesus in Mark 2:27 says, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath." I believe His point is that God created the Sabbath to benefit people; to give them rest and clarity of mind. People then took His command and twisted it into some legalistic burden that man was to keep. In other words, man was here first and God gave him a day of rest, with the distorted view being that God created the Sabbath and then created man for it.
The point is simply this..... God has provided us a book of instruction (we call it the Bible) that is given for our benefit. It is not just a book of commands to keep in order to please God, rather it is guidance for living a life filled with joy. Jesus said "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." Go back and read John 1. He is the Word, and so the Word came that we might have the abundant life! Whether we understand it or not, every single command throughout the Bible is given for our benefit.
Take a moment to contemplate that idea. If you, if we truly grasp that God's commands were given to benefit us, it changes our entire outlook towards His Word. Suddenly, it is no longer a book of rules to be kept in order to get the prize when we die; rather, it becomes God's love letter to us. No longer are we checklist keepers; we become the bride of the Lamb. (Rev 19:6-8) The Jews got it wrong. They turned His instruction into a list of dos and don'ts and thought by keeping the list perfectly that He would be pleased. What they missed was that God is pleased when His people are faithful and by being faithful, they would be blessed and the world would see Him through them.
Nothing has changed in God's plan or nature. Yes, we live under a New Covenant and yes, we are no longer under the Old Testament law, but God still desires us to be faithful to Him. His promise is that blessings will flow to those that live by His word. When we depart from His path, we will suffer the consequences. His way is "the way" that leads to the abundant life and any other path leads to something less. Jesus tells us that He is "the way" and that "no one comes to the Father except through me". (John 14:6) He still intends for the world to see Him through us. When we live out our lives by His plan and our lives are filled with the joy that only He can bring, the world sees Him.
"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness."
(2 Peter 1:3) Through our knowledge of Him, we are given everything we need! His glory and goodness call us into a life of faithfulness in which we are given everything we need for life. It's not bookkeeping, it's a relationship. We are the bride and He is the groom! He is not an IRS agent checking to see if we have an error on our returns. He is the groom and what groom would treat his bride like that? Through our relationship with Him, all of our errors are taken care of by Him. (1 John 1:7)
"The Sabbath was made for man". God's Word is for our benefit. We receive the blessing when we live faithfully by His instruction and we pay the price when we choose to follow our own wisdom. May we reconsider how we approach His love letter and begin to see that everything He has written is an extension of His love for each of us. May God richly bless you as you live out your faith.
Monday, October 17, 2011
The Word
John begins his gospel account with a salute back to Genesis...In the beginning. (I must admit that after nearly ten months in the Old Testament, it was a ray of sunshine (or Sonshine) to open up my reading and find that I had entered the New Testament)
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. (John 1:1,2)
John begins his gospel account by letting us know some deep truths about Jesus. First, he tells us that Jesus is the "Word". Not "a" word or "some" word, but "The Word". Jesus is called many things in the Bible, the lamb, the light, the Son, the Alpha and Omega, etc., but John introduces us to Him as the Word or even better… the Logos. In about 600BC, a Greek philosopher was the first to use the word Logos and used it to designate "the divine reason or plan which coordinates a changing universe". John uses it to designate the being that spoke everything into existence.
These two verses put to bed two major theological controversies that exist today. First, Jesus was there with God in the beginning; before there was time or creation, Jesus was. Jesus is not a created being; rather He is "the being" that created. (Col 1:16) Jesus was there with the Father and the Spirit and through his words, spoke everything into existence. (John 1:18) Second, Jesus was and is God. Jesus was "with God", and he "was God". A modern day translation renders that statement like this ... "the Word was a god". There is no basis for this change in translation. The exact same word is used in both instances, so why would you translate them differently just a few words apart, unless you are trying to promote a doctrine.
Then we get to verse 14 and are given the best news that man has ever heard. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. That is almost too good to be true. God put on the flesh of humanity and came down here to live with us. And we got to behold His glory.
Sometimes I can get jealous of others. In general, I would not like to have lived in this world 2000 years ago, but to meet Jesus, it would be worth it. President Obama visited my old high school today and my son and daughter got to see him. They waited hours yesterday to get a ticket and hours today to get in to see him. And that was for a 20 minute speech from a man that we elected President! What would it have been like to meet the son of God? Would I have waited hours in line to get a ticket to see him, God in the flesh? You bet!
It was exciting for President Obama to visit Wilkes County, but nothing like God putting on his human suit and making his visit to his creation. That is big news, that is news that really makes a change... even change you can believe in. John gives us a great first chapter to kick off his telling of the gospel, or as it really should be called.... the good news. God the son, took on flesh, left his home in heaven and came to live among mankind. The "One and Only" came for us to see his glory and show us how to live out our lives in ways that bring Him glory. He came to make God known to us. Good news? Great news!
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. (John 1:1,2)
John begins his gospel account by letting us know some deep truths about Jesus. First, he tells us that Jesus is the "Word". Not "a" word or "some" word, but "The Word". Jesus is called many things in the Bible, the lamb, the light, the Son, the Alpha and Omega, etc., but John introduces us to Him as the Word or even better… the Logos. In about 600BC, a Greek philosopher was the first to use the word Logos and used it to designate "the divine reason or plan which coordinates a changing universe". John uses it to designate the being that spoke everything into existence.
These two verses put to bed two major theological controversies that exist today. First, Jesus was there with God in the beginning; before there was time or creation, Jesus was. Jesus is not a created being; rather He is "the being" that created. (Col 1:16) Jesus was there with the Father and the Spirit and through his words, spoke everything into existence. (John 1:18) Second, Jesus was and is God. Jesus was "with God", and he "was God". A modern day translation renders that statement like this ... "the Word was a god". There is no basis for this change in translation. The exact same word is used in both instances, so why would you translate them differently just a few words apart, unless you are trying to promote a doctrine.
Then we get to verse 14 and are given the best news that man has ever heard. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. That is almost too good to be true. God put on the flesh of humanity and came down here to live with us. And we got to behold His glory.
Sometimes I can get jealous of others. In general, I would not like to have lived in this world 2000 years ago, but to meet Jesus, it would be worth it. President Obama visited my old high school today and my son and daughter got to see him. They waited hours yesterday to get a ticket and hours today to get in to see him. And that was for a 20 minute speech from a man that we elected President! What would it have been like to meet the son of God? Would I have waited hours in line to get a ticket to see him, God in the flesh? You bet!
It was exciting for President Obama to visit Wilkes County, but nothing like God putting on his human suit and making his visit to his creation. That is big news, that is news that really makes a change... even change you can believe in. John gives us a great first chapter to kick off his telling of the gospel, or as it really should be called.... the good news. God the son, took on flesh, left his home in heaven and came to live among mankind. The "One and Only" came for us to see his glory and show us how to live out our lives in ways that bring Him glory. He came to make God known to us. Good news? Great news!
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Rely On Him
Today I am taking a little detour from our trip through God's word. (besides today's reading was a long list of genealogies)
Sometimes life really closes in on you. You expect that as children of God that He would make sure that our lives were.... well, easy. Wouldn't that be nice; give your life to Christ and no more troubles, no more headaches, just easy street.
Paul knew a little about this. Over and over again, he was in difficult situations, life closed in on him. As he put it...Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. (2 Corinthians 11:24-26)
When I read about what he endured, I question how I would have held up under such constant difficulty. Then I stop and look at what people I love are dealing with and I admire that their faith, their trust is in God and He is seeing them through. How does a parent of three beautiful children deal with the destruction of one of children's marriage and family? Being a parent myself and knowing the pain of watching those that you love the most hurt the worst, I understand her desperation. We want our children to be happier than we have ever been. So what do we say to this?
Jesus put it this way...“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) He warns us that we must expect trouble. While at home here in this world, our lives will be difficult. Sometimes, following Him makes it even more so. But because we know this in advance, we are to approach our troubles with an attitude of peace. "Peace that passes understanding". Our hope is in the Lord! Not in our friends, not in our families, not in our preachers or teachers; but in the Lord, our hope is in the Lord. Our hope is in the Lord. He overcame the world and because our hope is in Him, so will we!
I like the way Paul put it....."And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort. We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead." (2 Corinthians 1:7-9)
We share in suffering like him and we share in comfort like him. And then he sheds a little light on the subject of suffering and what it is all about. Paul says that they encountered difficulty in this life so that we would learn to rely on God rather than themselves. When things are going great, we forget about God. We have it all under control. What will be the end of the family problem, God knows. And because He knows, we can rely on Him. And when we rely on Him, we are at peace, we receive His comfort. Remember, he was the one that was asleep in the boat while the storms of life raged. He had the power to calm the waves then and he has the power to calm life’s storms today.
May we rely on Him. Whatever comes in this life, we have the promise of peace and comfort. To the wonderful mom dealing with a family tragedy, God loves you, your family loves you, and your church family loves you. Rely on Him, Jesus loves you and He will calm the storm.
Sometimes life really closes in on you. You expect that as children of God that He would make sure that our lives were.... well, easy. Wouldn't that be nice; give your life to Christ and no more troubles, no more headaches, just easy street.
Paul knew a little about this. Over and over again, he was in difficult situations, life closed in on him. As he put it...Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. (2 Corinthians 11:24-26)
When I read about what he endured, I question how I would have held up under such constant difficulty. Then I stop and look at what people I love are dealing with and I admire that their faith, their trust is in God and He is seeing them through. How does a parent of three beautiful children deal with the destruction of one of children's marriage and family? Being a parent myself and knowing the pain of watching those that you love the most hurt the worst, I understand her desperation. We want our children to be happier than we have ever been. So what do we say to this?
Jesus put it this way...“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) He warns us that we must expect trouble. While at home here in this world, our lives will be difficult. Sometimes, following Him makes it even more so. But because we know this in advance, we are to approach our troubles with an attitude of peace. "Peace that passes understanding". Our hope is in the Lord! Not in our friends, not in our families, not in our preachers or teachers; but in the Lord, our hope is in the Lord. Our hope is in the Lord. He overcame the world and because our hope is in Him, so will we!
I like the way Paul put it....."And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort. We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead." (2 Corinthians 1:7-9)
We share in suffering like him and we share in comfort like him. And then he sheds a little light on the subject of suffering and what it is all about. Paul says that they encountered difficulty in this life so that we would learn to rely on God rather than themselves. When things are going great, we forget about God. We have it all under control. What will be the end of the family problem, God knows. And because He knows, we can rely on Him. And when we rely on Him, we are at peace, we receive His comfort. Remember, he was the one that was asleep in the boat while the storms of life raged. He had the power to calm the waves then and he has the power to calm life’s storms today.
May we rely on Him. Whatever comes in this life, we have the promise of peace and comfort. To the wonderful mom dealing with a family tragedy, God loves you, your family loves you, and your church family loves you. Rely on Him, Jesus loves you and He will calm the storm.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Divorce, Breaking Faith
Malachi concludes his scolding of the Israelites with a lesson on divorce. After correcting them on their offerings, teaching and marriages, he wraps up his four part lesson on unfaithfulness with instruction on divorce and it's consequences. It makes sense that when people no longer regard God's authority in how they worship, what they teach or who they marry, that they will pay a price in their personal lives. And so, we are told that they are experiencing an epidemic of divorce. God calls it "breaking faith" with your spouse. "Breaking faith".
Another thing you do: You flood the LORD’s altar with tears. You weep and wail because he no longer pays attention to your offerings or accepts them with pleasure from your hands. You ask, “Why?” It is because the LORD is acting as the witness between you and the wife of your youth, because you have broken faith with her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant.
Has not the LORD made them one? In flesh and spirit they are his. And why one? Because he was seeking godly offspring. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith with the wife of your youth. “I hate divorce,” says the LORD God of Israel (Malachi 2:13-16)
Get the idea? God says He will not "pay attention to our offerings or accept them" if we have "broken faith" with our spouses, or as He puts it; our partner, the spouse of our marriage "covenant". It is almost as if He is comparing marriage to His covenant with the Israelites and divorce to their unfaithfulness to Him. Wait, that is exactly what He is doing. God is saying that a marriage makes the couple one in flesh and spirit and that as such they belong to Him. In addition, He says that through them, the married couple, he seeks Godly offspring.
His plan is clear, two people make a marriage covenant and through them a Godly family is formed. His plan for man is then demonstrated through these Godly families and they show His love to the world. That is His plan. Man's plan is a little different. Man's plan is to stay married as long as it is what he wants or until something or someone better comes along. His plan is to "covenant" with his wife as long as it suits him. Her plan is to keep faith with her husband as long as it is what she wants.
I have witnessed the pain of divorce in friends and family and I have seen the devastation that divorce brings to lives. No mystery here as to why God "hates divorce". Men and women are devastated and children are permanently harmed. Families are forever changed and the family unit destroyed. It is heart breaking to see the suffering that comes with a divorce, both short term and long. It has generational consequences.
But on top of that, our witness for God is destroyed. He calls us into the covenant of marriage and tells us that marriage is for life. He tells us that we are to be the example of what it looks like to be in covenant with Him; what it looks like to have faith. Then we walk away form our commitment and leave behind the family that God created. We "break faith". And when we do that, God "no longer pays attention to our offerings or accepts them with pleasure from our hands". That sounds serious, doesn't it?
God's people are called to be different. We are to be the "light of the world" (Matthew 5:14). Our marriages are to be the best in the world. Our families are to reflect the covenant of God. No doubt, marriage is sometimes difficult. Every relationship has it's ups and downs. That is life! Sometimes our relationship with God is difficult. It will have it's ups and downs. The question is..... "will we break faith?". Will we maintain our relationships no matter what or will we accept the world's view and cash it in?
May we determine, as His people to "keep faith" in our marriages. Our relationship with God depends on our commitment to our spouses and to Him. Take time today to renew your covenant with your mate; let him, let her know that no matter what comes, you are in it for life! Your children will thank you.
Another thing you do: You flood the LORD’s altar with tears. You weep and wail because he no longer pays attention to your offerings or accepts them with pleasure from your hands. You ask, “Why?” It is because the LORD is acting as the witness between you and the wife of your youth, because you have broken faith with her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant.
Has not the LORD made them one? In flesh and spirit they are his. And why one? Because he was seeking godly offspring. So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith with the wife of your youth. “I hate divorce,” says the LORD God of Israel (Malachi 2:13-16)
Get the idea? God says He will not "pay attention to our offerings or accept them" if we have "broken faith" with our spouses, or as He puts it; our partner, the spouse of our marriage "covenant". It is almost as if He is comparing marriage to His covenant with the Israelites and divorce to their unfaithfulness to Him. Wait, that is exactly what He is doing. God is saying that a marriage makes the couple one in flesh and spirit and that as such they belong to Him. In addition, He says that through them, the married couple, he seeks Godly offspring.
His plan is clear, two people make a marriage covenant and through them a Godly family is formed. His plan for man is then demonstrated through these Godly families and they show His love to the world. That is His plan. Man's plan is a little different. Man's plan is to stay married as long as it is what he wants or until something or someone better comes along. His plan is to "covenant" with his wife as long as it suits him. Her plan is to keep faith with her husband as long as it is what she wants.
I have witnessed the pain of divorce in friends and family and I have seen the devastation that divorce brings to lives. No mystery here as to why God "hates divorce". Men and women are devastated and children are permanently harmed. Families are forever changed and the family unit destroyed. It is heart breaking to see the suffering that comes with a divorce, both short term and long. It has generational consequences.
But on top of that, our witness for God is destroyed. He calls us into the covenant of marriage and tells us that marriage is for life. He tells us that we are to be the example of what it looks like to be in covenant with Him; what it looks like to have faith. Then we walk away form our commitment and leave behind the family that God created. We "break faith". And when we do that, God "no longer pays attention to our offerings or accepts them with pleasure from our hands". That sounds serious, doesn't it?
God's people are called to be different. We are to be the "light of the world" (Matthew 5:14). Our marriages are to be the best in the world. Our families are to reflect the covenant of God. No doubt, marriage is sometimes difficult. Every relationship has it's ups and downs. That is life! Sometimes our relationship with God is difficult. It will have it's ups and downs. The question is..... "will we break faith?". Will we maintain our relationships no matter what or will we accept the world's view and cash it in?
May we determine, as His people to "keep faith" in our marriages. Our relationship with God depends on our commitment to our spouses and to Him. Take time today to renew your covenant with your mate; let him, let her know that no matter what comes, you are in it for life! Your children will thank you.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Intermarriage
Malachi has scolded the Israelites for offering blemished sacrifices. He next lays into the priests for their improper teaching. The third thing that he brings to light is that God's people had intermarried with those that were not part of His chosen people. After their return to the Promised Land, the Israelites had taken wives and husbands from people that were not in covenant with God. So what's the big deal? I mean "you can't control who you fall in love with"; and besides "maybe they could influence them and they would turn to the true God". Sound familiar?
"Judah has broken faith. A detestable thing has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem: Judah has desecrated the sanctuary the LORD loves, by marrying the daughter of a foreign god. As for the man who does this, whoever he may be, may the LORD cut him off from the tents of Jacob—even though he brings offerings to the LORD Almighty." (Malachi 2:11-12)
To understand why God feels this way, one only has to look back and the results that have come when God's people chose to marry outside of His people. Over and over, His people were pulled away from Him by those that they had married. The influence that a wife or husband has on their spouse is almost complete. How long can a person withstand the constant chipping away at their faith? On the other hand, how strong can a person be when their life mate shares their beliefs and they encourage one another?
And then there are the children. God knows that the next generation of believers is greatly dependant on the last. A home united in their belief in God will be a place that “brings them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord". (Ephesians 6:4) The home and marriage is God's invention and as such serves His purposes. When we start messing with His recipe for success, we get bad results. Just ask Solomon. Or David.
God does not pull any punches when it comes to His feeling about intermarriage. He says that they will be "cut off from the tents of Jacob". In other words, marrying someone that is outside of the "household of faith" will result in them being removed from God's family. He does not want their influence to permeate His people. That sounds a little drastic, doesn't it! But when you consider the seriousness of the eternal consequences of unfaithfulness on us and our children and future generations, maybe, just maybe God knows what He is talking about. His plan was and is for His people to be a light to the world.
"Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?" (2 Corinthians 6:14-15) Some would argue that these verses are not addressing marriage, but what relationship is more of a yoking together? No matter what, the principle is certainly the same, as Christians, when we choose our life mate; we should look for a believer. Even beyond that, we should look for a believer with our same beliefs. If not, conflict is sure to arise as you try to work through your differences. Confusion will reign in a home where the husbands and wives cannot agree on spiritual matters and the children will suffer the consequences.
A couple of closing thoughts, Paul instructs the mate who becomes a Christian to remain with the unbelieving spouse, as long as the unbeliever will remain with them. (1 Cor 7:12-15) The Bible doesn't speak specifically to the modern day issue of same sex marriages. The reason is same sex marriage did not exist. Marriage was understood to be between a man and a woman. Every teaching in the Bible dealing with marriage addresses male and female. Sexual relations between people of the same sex are dealt with in both the Old and New Testaments and it is called sin. (1 Timothy 1:9-11, Lev 18:22, Lev 20:13) While this might not be a popular teaching these days, God has spoken on the issue and in all matters, He settles it.
As for intermarriage, God calls His children to be united with those of common faith. May we teach our children and grandchildren to look for a mate from within the body of Christ. They will be blessed and their children will be blessed and so on and so on. :-)
"Judah has broken faith. A detestable thing has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem: Judah has desecrated the sanctuary the LORD loves, by marrying the daughter of a foreign god. As for the man who does this, whoever he may be, may the LORD cut him off from the tents of Jacob—even though he brings offerings to the LORD Almighty." (Malachi 2:11-12)
To understand why God feels this way, one only has to look back and the results that have come when God's people chose to marry outside of His people. Over and over, His people were pulled away from Him by those that they had married. The influence that a wife or husband has on their spouse is almost complete. How long can a person withstand the constant chipping away at their faith? On the other hand, how strong can a person be when their life mate shares their beliefs and they encourage one another?
And then there are the children. God knows that the next generation of believers is greatly dependant on the last. A home united in their belief in God will be a place that “brings them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord". (Ephesians 6:4) The home and marriage is God's invention and as such serves His purposes. When we start messing with His recipe for success, we get bad results. Just ask Solomon. Or David.
God does not pull any punches when it comes to His feeling about intermarriage. He says that they will be "cut off from the tents of Jacob". In other words, marrying someone that is outside of the "household of faith" will result in them being removed from God's family. He does not want their influence to permeate His people. That sounds a little drastic, doesn't it! But when you consider the seriousness of the eternal consequences of unfaithfulness on us and our children and future generations, maybe, just maybe God knows what He is talking about. His plan was and is for His people to be a light to the world.
"Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?" (2 Corinthians 6:14-15) Some would argue that these verses are not addressing marriage, but what relationship is more of a yoking together? No matter what, the principle is certainly the same, as Christians, when we choose our life mate; we should look for a believer. Even beyond that, we should look for a believer with our same beliefs. If not, conflict is sure to arise as you try to work through your differences. Confusion will reign in a home where the husbands and wives cannot agree on spiritual matters and the children will suffer the consequences.
A couple of closing thoughts, Paul instructs the mate who becomes a Christian to remain with the unbelieving spouse, as long as the unbeliever will remain with them. (1 Cor 7:12-15) The Bible doesn't speak specifically to the modern day issue of same sex marriages. The reason is same sex marriage did not exist. Marriage was understood to be between a man and a woman. Every teaching in the Bible dealing with marriage addresses male and female. Sexual relations between people of the same sex are dealt with in both the Old and New Testaments and it is called sin. (1 Timothy 1:9-11, Lev 18:22, Lev 20:13) While this might not be a popular teaching these days, God has spoken on the issue and in all matters, He settles it.
As for intermarriage, God calls His children to be united with those of common faith. May we teach our children and grandchildren to look for a mate from within the body of Christ. They will be blessed and their children will be blessed and so on and so on. :-)
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Unfaithful Priests
(Malachi 2:1-9)
Malachi finishes his prophecy concerning sacrifices and quickly turns to the unfaithful priests. God depends on the priests to teach truth and call His people to faithfulness. Malachi puts it this way..."True instruction was in his mouth and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and turned many from sin. For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, and from his mouth men should seek instruction—because he is the messenger of the LORD Almighty." (Vv 6, 7)
Discouragement had infected the priesthood! And when the leaders are discouraged, the people are not far behind. God tells them that they are the source of problems that His people are suffering. "But you have turned from the way and by your teaching have caused many to stumble". (V 8) The priests had been given the responsibility to teach and care for God's people and they had failed to keep His covenant with them.
So what does this have to do with us? Paul put it this way in Ephesians 4... "It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up". (Vv 11, 12) God still uses people to accomplish His work. He gave us preachers and teachers. He gave us evangelists. He gave us pastors. Just as in the Old Testament, God provides those that are dedicated to His teaching and administration to meet the needs of His people. Without those that teach and preach and care for us, we are "like sheep without a shepherd". We become easy prey for the "lion looking for someone to devour". (1 Peter 5:8)
In his letter to Titus, Paul gives the "qualifications" of an elder or pastor. He brings the point home very clearly..."He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it." (V 9) Just like the priest of old, the elder is to teach and encourage using God's "trustworthy message". When His people hear that message, they are encouraged. When they go astray, the "trustworthy message" will refute their error.
We live in an age where God's message is preached less and less and man's wisdom is elevated to equal status with the wisdom that is from God. Who says alcoholism is a disease? (Gal 5:21, Rom 13:13, Titus 2:3)Who says that homosexuals were born that way? (1 Cor 6:9) Who says "one way is just as good as another"? (John 14:6) I will tell you.... man says it and because he says it over and over, it becomes accepted. God has already settled everything in His word. Unfortunately, the "priests" have quit teaching it. They have "turned from the way" and by their teaching "have caused many to stumble". While it might not be popular to teach God's "trustworthy" word anymore, it is the only thing that brings us wisdom and understanding. (1 Cor 2:13)
May we put aside man's wisdom and determine to hold onto the truth contained in His word. With honest and open hearts, may we begin again the journey that God has called us to, whether it is popular or not!
Malachi finishes his prophecy concerning sacrifices and quickly turns to the unfaithful priests. God depends on the priests to teach truth and call His people to faithfulness. Malachi puts it this way..."True instruction was in his mouth and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and turned many from sin. For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, and from his mouth men should seek instruction—because he is the messenger of the LORD Almighty." (Vv 6, 7)
Discouragement had infected the priesthood! And when the leaders are discouraged, the people are not far behind. God tells them that they are the source of problems that His people are suffering. "But you have turned from the way and by your teaching have caused many to stumble". (V 8) The priests had been given the responsibility to teach and care for God's people and they had failed to keep His covenant with them.
So what does this have to do with us? Paul put it this way in Ephesians 4... "It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up". (Vv 11, 12) God still uses people to accomplish His work. He gave us preachers and teachers. He gave us evangelists. He gave us pastors. Just as in the Old Testament, God provides those that are dedicated to His teaching and administration to meet the needs of His people. Without those that teach and preach and care for us, we are "like sheep without a shepherd". We become easy prey for the "lion looking for someone to devour". (1 Peter 5:8)
In his letter to Titus, Paul gives the "qualifications" of an elder or pastor. He brings the point home very clearly..."He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it." (V 9) Just like the priest of old, the elder is to teach and encourage using God's "trustworthy message". When His people hear that message, they are encouraged. When they go astray, the "trustworthy message" will refute their error.
We live in an age where God's message is preached less and less and man's wisdom is elevated to equal status with the wisdom that is from God. Who says alcoholism is a disease? (Gal 5:21, Rom 13:13, Titus 2:3)Who says that homosexuals were born that way? (1 Cor 6:9) Who says "one way is just as good as another"? (John 14:6) I will tell you.... man says it and because he says it over and over, it becomes accepted. God has already settled everything in His word. Unfortunately, the "priests" have quit teaching it. They have "turned from the way" and by their teaching "have caused many to stumble". While it might not be popular to teach God's "trustworthy" word anymore, it is the only thing that brings us wisdom and understanding. (1 Cor 2:13)
May we put aside man's wisdom and determine to hold onto the truth contained in His word. With honest and open hearts, may we begin again the journey that God has called us to, whether it is popular or not!
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Blemished Sacrifices
The book of Malachi begins sweet enough... "I have loved you" says the LORD. What a blessing to receive that kind word from God... "I have loved you". But sometimes love requires that truth be spoken and discipline be administered and so God transitions from His reassurance to His rebuke.
The people of Israel had become disillusioned with the progress of the return, restoration and rebuilding of their nation. Because they weren't satisfied with the progress being made, they began to turn away from God. They decided that if God wasn't going to give them His best, they would withhold their best from Him. Sort of a quid pro qo. If God wasn't going to do things the way they wanted them done, then they wouldn't do things the way He wanted them done. (sounds like a recipe for disaster to me)
God chastises them for their conduct in four areas; 1. Blemished sacrifices, 2. Lack of teaching about Him, 3. Marrying those outside the kingdom and 4. Rampant divorce. To put is simply, the people were not offering their best, they weren't being taught God's law, they were marrying people that would lead them astray and they were breaking the covenant of marriage and destroying the family. (thankfully, this is not a problem today)
Over the next few days, we will look a little deeper at each of these four areas of unfaithfulness. Today, blemished sacrifices. The people were bringing their blind, crippled or diseased animals to offer to God in sacrifice. His requirements were that the animals offered to him would be their best, without blemish; but because God had not "come through" in the way that they wanted Him to, they withheld their best. (Take the time here to read Malachi 1:6-14)
I really like God's response; He makes things so clear for us..."Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?” says the LORD Almighty." (v 8) He breaks it down in a way that they could not misunderstand; "hey, do you think your ruler down there would accept this kind of offering?” Then He brings out the big guns...."Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would not light useless fires on my altar! I am not pleased with you,” says the LORD Almighty, and I will accept no offering from your hands". Just shut the doors of the church building and stop your worthless worship.
You get the idea... bringing God anything but our best is a problem. Under the new covenant that Christ established, the sacrifice of animals was done away with because Jesus sacrifice was perfect, once for all. So what are we to do? What do we offer now? Thankfully God continues to speak clearly.... "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship." (Romans 12:1) No more blemished sacrifices, no more lambs with broken legs or disease; God calls on us to offer ourselves as living sacrifices. We are to live lives that honor Him, serve Him. We are to be "holy and pleasing" to Him! All that we are and all that we have and all that we will become, we are to place on the alter as a "living sacrifice" to Him. Anything less is a "blemished sacrifice" and we know how He feels about those.
May each of us determine to evaluate the offering that we have placed on the alter before our God. Have we given Him our everything and is our everything being lived out in such a way that brings him glory and honor? Think about it. God bless.
The people of Israel had become disillusioned with the progress of the return, restoration and rebuilding of their nation. Because they weren't satisfied with the progress being made, they began to turn away from God. They decided that if God wasn't going to give them His best, they would withhold their best from Him. Sort of a quid pro qo. If God wasn't going to do things the way they wanted them done, then they wouldn't do things the way He wanted them done. (sounds like a recipe for disaster to me)
God chastises them for their conduct in four areas; 1. Blemished sacrifices, 2. Lack of teaching about Him, 3. Marrying those outside the kingdom and 4. Rampant divorce. To put is simply, the people were not offering their best, they weren't being taught God's law, they were marrying people that would lead them astray and they were breaking the covenant of marriage and destroying the family. (thankfully, this is not a problem today)
Over the next few days, we will look a little deeper at each of these four areas of unfaithfulness. Today, blemished sacrifices. The people were bringing their blind, crippled or diseased animals to offer to God in sacrifice. His requirements were that the animals offered to him would be their best, without blemish; but because God had not "come through" in the way that they wanted Him to, they withheld their best. (Take the time here to read Malachi 1:6-14)
I really like God's response; He makes things so clear for us..."Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?” says the LORD Almighty." (v 8) He breaks it down in a way that they could not misunderstand; "hey, do you think your ruler down there would accept this kind of offering?” Then He brings out the big guns...."Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would not light useless fires on my altar! I am not pleased with you,” says the LORD Almighty, and I will accept no offering from your hands". Just shut the doors of the church building and stop your worthless worship.
You get the idea... bringing God anything but our best is a problem. Under the new covenant that Christ established, the sacrifice of animals was done away with because Jesus sacrifice was perfect, once for all. So what are we to do? What do we offer now? Thankfully God continues to speak clearly.... "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship." (Romans 12:1) No more blemished sacrifices, no more lambs with broken legs or disease; God calls on us to offer ourselves as living sacrifices. We are to live lives that honor Him, serve Him. We are to be "holy and pleasing" to Him! All that we are and all that we have and all that we will become, we are to place on the alter as a "living sacrifice" to Him. Anything less is a "blemished sacrifice" and we know how He feels about those.
May each of us determine to evaluate the offering that we have placed on the alter before our God. Have we given Him our everything and is our everything being lived out in such a way that brings him glory and honor? Think about it. God bless.
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