31 May 2010
Psalm 41, 52; Eccles. 2:1-15; Gal. 1:1-17; Matt. 13:44-52

The writer, presumably Solomon, says that he has had it all, experienced everything, and all is vanity and nothing more. Solomon, we are told in the book of 1 Kings, indeed had it all, his wealth and wisdom were great and he had all manner of concubines and wives, if anyone would truly know that all was vanity or a chasing after the wind, it was Solomon. It seems, however, that no one can get this particular bit of wisdom second hand, we all desire these things for ourselves. Sometimes I wonder just how many people truly delight themselves in and are content in the Lord so great is our appetite for other things. It isn’t wrong to enjoy the things of this world, just wrong to find our satisfaction and contentment in them.

Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to earthly things, a treasure in a field or a pearl of great price, in order to encourage his hearers and us to seek after it and to know its true value. After these two little parables, He tells them that the kingdom of heaven requires righteousness, there will be a sorting out at the end when the kingdom comes, the evil will be separated from the righteous. We must pursue the kingdom by pursuing righteousness, entrance is not a default of the system. We tend to think of whether we have been good enough to get in when good isn’t the standard at all, it is righteousness, did we live in such a way that our lives revealed our faith. The only way to measure faith is to evaluate life, did we live out our faith? If we say we believe and yet our lives don’t reveal that faith, it would be difficult to say that we had faith at all. If we say we believe that the switch on the wall turns on a light but we never act on that belief then why would anyone who didn’t know that truth believe it based on the testimony of your words? As GK Chesterton said, “The Christian faith has never been tried and found wanting, it has been found difficult and left untried.”

After his normal greeting, Paul’s anger flashes with the Galatians as he defends the Gospel. This is the most abrupt transition we see anywhere in Paul’s writing and his most passionate letter of outrage. That someone was preaching a different “gospel” and the Galatians were receiving it as true and rejecting the truth has Paul in high dudgeon. The only plausible explanation is that they have failed to understand the truth well enough. How could you reject the Gospel of grace and turn to a works-based system? Paul is forced to defend not only the Gospel as revelation and not of human origin, but his own apostolicity and conversion. If we are willing to accept some substitute for the Gospel, whether works or orienting our lives around some other principle, making more money, sex, or whatever may appeal to us, our values are clearly out of line with God’s.

I am like a green olive tree
in the house of God.
I trust in the steadfast love of God
for ever and ever.
I will thank you for ever,
because of what you have done.
In the presence of the faithful
I will proclaim your name, for it is good.

30 May 2010
Psalm 146, 147; Job 38:1-11,42:1-5; Rev. 19:4-16; John 1:29-34

After all of Job’s posturing and desire to have a hearing before the Lord when God shows up, Job’s heart melts within him. The Lord asks Job many questions, of which this lesson gives us only a few. The questions demonstrate the majesty and power of God and bring into light the gulf between God and man. Job is able to see two things, one the paucity of his own understanding and two that the God who created all things and who sustains all things cares enough about him to reveal Himself to His creation, Job. In light of this revelation, Job is humbled. It is interesting that Job says that formerly he had only heard of God and now he has seen Him. The revelation of these chapters is all questions, not visual revelation, yet Job says that in all this he has seen God. Sometimes the words create a picture that is as much visual as auditory and in the words we see God afresh.

John the Baptist here speaks of seeing and understanding. He says that the Spirit promised that he would see a dove descending on one whom he would baptize and would remain on Him. He has seen that vision realized in Jesus’ baptism and now he has taken up a new proclamation, behold the Lamb of God! What John meant by that title would be interesting to know as his proclamation was of one who would come and judge the nations and Israel herself. Did John know that the Lamb of God would be sacrificed for the life of the world? John’s proclamation of Jesus is clear although no one would have understood what it all meant at the time, no one expected the cross.

John sees the coming of the Lord in judgment on sin. The judgment of God on Babylon is complete and now comes both judgment and salvation. The time of the end has come, the marriage supper of the Lamb, and the rider on the white horse, Jesus, appears to return for the end game. In the final few verses John tells us several names for Jesus: faithful and true, the Word of God, King of kings and Lord of lords. John had spent three years with Jesus and has also seen the Lamb looking like it was slain appearing before the throne in Revelation 5 and yet here we see a different Jesus as He comes in power and might to bring an end to Satan’s power and to rule the new creation. John is clearly impressed with this figure that he now sees for the first time.

Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God all my life long.

29 May 2010
Psalm 30, 32; Prov. 25:15-28; 1 Tim. 6:6-21; Matt. 13:36-43

If your enemies are hungry, give them bread to eat; and if they are thirsty, give them water to drink; for you will heap coals of fire on their heads, and the Lord will reward you. Jesus says we are to love our enemies, calls us to a higher standard of love than it seems evident in the commandments but it is fully in keeping with this proverb. The way of the cross is the way of loving your enemies. Paul says that Jesus died for us while we were yet enemies of the cross and Paul should know, he was one of those enemies. Loving your enemies was modeled by Jesus in self-sacrficial love and yet at the same time, He was willing to engage in some rough dialogue with them because truth matters. We need to know and maintain the truth in our love. We cannot love someone without telling them the truth about themselves, about God and about eternal life in Christ alone. It is not loving to leave out important information about eternity.

It is truly comforting to know that in the end even the causes of sin will be destroyed. What will it seem like to love someone or something intrinsically and not for some potential benefit for ourselves? I think that the love we now have will seem petty compared to the true love with which God loves us and loves His creation. It will break our hearts to see how well we could have loved and been loved. When all my selfishness and desires find their fulfillment and I am set free from that tangled mess of self-absorption and concern for the future I wonder what real life will be like.

Paul warns Timothy about keeping his focus. Temptations of the world, particularly the desire for wealth, are in view. The love of money is the root of all evil, he says. Have truer words ever been spoken? I know that as a young man I was willing to cut corners and take shortcuts if it brought me closer to my goals of having more money and making more money. I was willing to overlook ethical problems in order to get where I wanted to go and I paid a price by taking a job with a man I didn’t trust who later committed fraud to further his own agenda. He offered me the golden apple and I took it, later to spend nearly two years searching for work due to our association. The only fix is to keep our eyes fixed on Him and to learn and know with everything in us that there is nothing that has greater worth than what He has promised.

Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints,
and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger is but for a moment,
and his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may tarry for the night,
but joy comes with the morning.

28 May 2010
Psalm 31; Prov. 23:19-21,29-24:2; 1 Tim. 5:17-25; Matt. 13:31-35

Solomon warns against the “eat, drink and be merry” philosophy of life, Epicureanism. Clearly the dangers of excess alcohol consumption are in view here, along with gluttony. This is not some nebulous warning, it is definite and clear that we are to be careful and moderate in our consumption of the fruits of the earth, not dulling our senses and our minds. These are for our enjoyment and sustenance but not for ultimate pleasure and sustenance. The prophetic word I quoted yesterday from Isaiah 55 begins with Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?” We are not to be satisfied with the things of earth, no matter how good they may be, we were meant to be satisfied with the Lord and the things of eternity.

We make our judgments on things based on their significance at the wrong point in time. A mustard seed and the amount of yeast that goes into making bread seem insignificant to the larger whole at the time but the effect they each produce is great. Our judgments are based on appearances and we need to get beyond that appearance and have the patience to wait to discern what God may be doing in the situation. I know of a church that had been in our town for decades and was struggling along until the right moment in God’s timing and it exploded into a mega-church with ministries that reach all aspects of life. The church where we formerly served had been in existence over 200 years before it suddenly came to life and grew to ten times its former size in a season of less than 15 years. The Lord knows that small isn’t always insignificant.

Paul gives instructions for how to deal with church discipline and with the treatment of elders. We must be careful with discipline of elders (pastors and other leaders) to ensure that jealousy isn’t the real issue. Paul says that we must receive the testimony of several in order to establish a charge against an elder. Paul also speaks of sin in the final two verses in such a way as to remind his young charge that, even though he is to rebuke sin and the sinner who persists in sin, that some sins are conspicuous and some are hidden and yet all are ultimately judged. We have no trouble being vocal about public sin while we know that in our own lives there is sin that remains hidden from the world. Jesus spoke of this in Matthew 7 when he speaks of not being willing to help another with the splinter in their eye until we deal with the log in our own. We are to deal ruthlessly with sin in the church and to be equally ruthless with the sin in our own lives.

Oh, how abundant is your goodness,
which you have stored up for those who fear you
and worked for those who take refuge in you,
in the sight of the children of mankind!
In the cover of your presence you hide them
from the plots of men;
you store them in your shelter
from the strife of tongues.

27 May 2010
Psalm 37:1-18; Prov. 21:30-22:6; 1 Tim. 4:1-16; Matt. 13:24-30

No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel, can avail against the Lord. Ever tried reasoning with God in prayer? Job tried it and then God showed up and asked a great many questions and suddenly Job realized there was just no reasoning with the One who created all things. What he realized is what Isaiah said for God in his prophecy, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” The sovereignty of God is a comforting reality, He’s got the whole world in His hands. The long view of life, from eternity and into eternity if you will, allows us to rest in that thought. Trusting in the one whose thoughts and ways are higher than ours and who has declared the depth of His love for us in the death of His only begotten Son should allow us to be comforted and have peace from our fears.

The master in the parable takes the long view. The parable is a devastating one in that there is a mixed crop now in the field and they look alike with one important exception, at the time of harvest the weeds or tares are barren. The stalk and leaves look the same as they grow but there is no fruit produced. At that time it is a simple matter of removing the tares and destroying them. The workers have anxiety over what the enemy has done while the master is calm and collected and patient. As the old commercial for Paul Masson wines said, “We will sell no wine before its time.” So the master in the parable waits to discern, content to allow the tares to remain among the wheat until it is obvious which is which. The Lord knows the difference between the two but He waits until it is obvious to all.

Paul comforts Timothy concerning false teachers, reminding him that such were prophesied for the end times, in which we have lived since the coming of Jesus. All that was before Him was prelude and all that follows is postlude. Paul tells his disciple how to live in that time awaiting His coming, trusting in the word of God and the Spirit of God to discern between spirits, devoting himself to the reading, exhorting and teaching of the Word. He also reminds Timothy that training in godliness is, in fact, practice for eternity. He urges him to take the long view, keep his eye on the goal and not concern himself with the tares. Paul always remembered that there was but one thing needful and kept his focus no matter what the external circumstances of life.

I will trust in the LORD, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
I will delight myself in the LORD,
and he will give me the desires of my heart.

26 May 2010
Psalm 38; Prov. 17:1-20; 1 Tim. 3:1-16; Matt. 12:43-50

The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, but the Lord tests the heart. We can show forth many good things in our lives, speak fine truths with our lips and yet our hearts may not participate. We have learned well enough that there are things you do and things you don’t do and things you say and things you don’t say. Most of us have a sense of these things and keep ourselves in check. Some are more plain-spoken and more willing to act on impulse, even those that are wrong, than others. As the crucible and furnace expose all the impurities in silver and gold, so does the testing of our heart by the Lord expose all the impurities (sins) in our hearts. When we are put under pressure and the heat of difficulty is on us, do we reveal a pure heart, one like Jesus’ that says from the cross, “Father, forgive them”?

Those who are like Jesus, doing the will of the Father, are those He is willing to call family. He has spoken of evil spirits and the necessity of filling our hearts with good things, in order that there is no room for those evil things to return. It is not enough to be saved and cleansed, the process of becoming Christ-like requires us, once we have been saved, to fill our hearts, minds and lives with Him. It is a constant work of identifying, confessing, repenting and re-filling in order to maintain forward progress in the Christian life. When His mother and siblings come to see Him here, He speaks of family in a new way. Doing is as important as believing. Doing reveals at what level we truly believe.

This passage, which gives qualifications for leaders in the church, speaks the same truth about doing and believing. Bishops or overseers and deacons must be believers and teachers of truth but most of the qualifications have to do with conduct of their lives. Their beliefs must also control their actions. It is important that we show forth in our lives what we proclaim with our lips as the world both sees and hears. If the world were blind we could live as our impulses allow and if it were deaf we could speak from arrogance, pride, anger, and malice, but God gave both eyes and ears and we must remember that all that we do is a testimony to Him whose Name we claim.

Do not forsake me, O LORD!
O my God, be not far from me!
Make haste to help me,
O Lord, my salvation!

25 May 2010
Psalm 26, 28; Prov. 15:16-33; 1 Tim. 1:18-2:8; Matt. 12:33-42

The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom, and humility goes before honor. We don’t like the word fear so we replace it with something else yet with all the words in our language, fear is the one that most captures the Hebrew word. It is not simply love or respect or worship that is being conveyed, it is indeed fear. How can we not first apprehend God in fear at His power? He spoke all things into being and all things obeyed His command and were as He intended. In Egypt He did signs and wonders demonstrating His power. The first encounter of the people at the mountain in Exodus is a fearsome one of thunder and lightning. The Psalms are full of images of His power (see Psalm 19 for instance). The disciples learned that the wind and waves obeyed Jesus and in that moment they experienced holy fear. We do begin at the level of fear to come to worship and praise Him. We learn from there of the love of God, that His power has always been held in abeyance and that grace and mercy have triumphed over judgment but we must first understand that His judgments are not only righteous, they are real. What He can do and has the right to do allows us to see His mercy and grace in not doing those things.

Jesus speaks of judgment and if we reject Him we have brought judgment on ourselves. Both the people of Nineveh and the queen of the south (Sheba), though they were not people of the covenant understood something of God. The people of Nineveh repented when the wayward prophet Jonah delivered the message of God. The queen recognized that there was something unusual in the wisdom of Solomon, that it was an unearthly wisdom, its source must have been God. They were more perceptive than those who saw Jesus, saw the works He was doing, heard His teaching, and rejected Him. They no longer feared, they thought that they had God all worked out, that if they practiced religion flawlessly that was all that truly mattered. Are we still asking Him to prove Himself to us?

Paul tells Timothy to pray for everyone, including those who rule in government. These would have been at best indifferent to Christians and at worst, hostile. Remember in Acts 19 there was a riot at Ephesus as it was a major center for worship of the goddess Diana and those who made idols to her roused up a mob against Paul. Timothy was not in friendly territory. Paul reminds him, however, that God wants everyone to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth. Paul speaks of two men whom he has turned over to satan as they have rejected conscience and their faith has turned shipwreck. These seem to be two who have known the Lord but who have turned away on some matter(s). It is important that we love the world that is in darkness and pray for those who do not know the Lord. Our attitude towards the world is to be like Jesus’, who accepted its disapprobation and told His disciples to expect persecution as well in His Name. We pray for those outside the faith and hold accountable those who claim to be Christians.

Blessed be the LORD!
For he has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy.
The LORD is my strength and my shield;
in him my heart trusts, and I am helped;
my heart exults,
and with my song I give thanks to him.

24 May 2010
Psalm 25; Prov. 10:1-12; 1 Tim. 1:1-17; Matt. 12:22-32

Wisdom isn’t just head knowledge, it is a life lived out according to that knowledge. Wisdom is important to the extent we live from it rather than living from impulse or desire. It is knowing what is truly desirable and true wisdom comes from only one source. We, however, tend to be like our first parents, seeking wisdom from sources other than the One source who truly knows everything. Our lives are meant to be lived according to the wisdom we have gained from Him. It is easy to lapse into worldly wisdom and seek the wrong ends, true wisdom is getting teleology right. Before we can use a thing rightly we must understand the end for which it was designed. If we keep our focus on the end, the glory of God, we can get true wisdom by asking Him what will accomplish that end.

Jesus makes a very logical argument. Does it make any sense that He could be working in the power of satan by casting out satan? That is the argument the Pharisees are making and Jesus quickly exposes its fallacy and dispatches it, leaving very few options for determining His true identity. What is this blasphemy against the Holy Spirit? It is, in context, the attributing the works of God through the Spirit to the evil one. We are called to make right judgments and it is clear that it requires much prayer in order to do just that. Simon, in yesterday’s lesson from Acts, wanted the Spirit for personal gain rather than God’s glory. It is important in our judgment that we measure by the concept I spoke of in the first paragraph today, teleology. We must judge based on who gets the glory for the action, God or a man. Jesus and the apostles never seem to have profited by their deeds, Paul says he worked in order that he not be a financial burden to the churches, these men clearly did what they did for one reason, to bring glory to God.

Paul argues teleology concerning all things. The law is good, “if one uses it legitimately.” He encourages Timothy to counter false or misleading teaching with divine instruction if “the aim of such instruction is love that comes from a pure heart, a good conscience, and sincere faith.” Paul says he was the “foremost” sinner but even that had a purpose, that it would reveal the divine patience, that all sinners would know that if one like Paul could receive mercy and be saved then surely there was hope for them. What is the ultimate result of theology, doxology, the praise of God, “To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

Make me to know your ways, O LORD;
teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all the day long.

23 May 2010
Psalm 148, 149, 150; Prov. 9:1-12 ; Acts 8:14-25; Luke 10:25-28, 38-42

Lay aside immaturity and live and walk in the way of insight. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. If we would grow up to maturity and become truly wise, we would set our lives on gaining knowledge of God. It only makes sense actually. If there is a God who created all things then true knowledge is not in knowing about all things, it is in the knowledge of God if such knowledge is possible. It isn’t wrong to know about all things but the higher knowledge is the knowledge of the One who created them all. What we know is that He wants to be known and has chosen, in Jesus Christ, to make Himself known as the Word made flesh, the fulfillment of the Word made known to and through Moses, the prophets, and others.

Both the stories in the Gospel have the same message. The lawyer wants to know how to inherit eternal life and is told to know God, by loving Him with all that is within you. Martha wants Mary to help her in serving the guests but Jesus tells her that Mary has chosen the better part, sitting at His feet learning. His comment that there is only one thing needed and that Martha is distracted by many things is instructive for us. Are we focused on that one thing that is necessary? We tend to be very distracted and there is a cost to that distraction. We keep ourselves from that which gives us life. This is a message that Jesus preached constantly, from Matthew 6, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you,” to the Last Supper when He told the disciples that they were to abide in Him.

Peter and John go out to Samaria to complete the work that was begun by Philip’s evangelism. The work was actually begun by Jesus and Peter and John were witnesses. John tells the story in the fourth chapter of his Gospel. The Samaritans were those who believed that they were the true Israel, worshiping in the right place. Jesus told the woman that salvation is from the Jews, a statement that had the potential to be a deal-breaker for her and her people, but in Jesus they saw something that allowed them to accept this hard truth. They were prepared for the harvest that would come and here the apostles see that harvest for which they did not work but are allowed to participate in the reaping. Simon wants some of what he perceives to be magic for his own benefit and Peter rebukes him strongly. We don’t need magic, we need mature wisdom, we need the Lord.

Praise the LORD!Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens!
Praise him for his mighty deeds;
praise him according to his excellent greatness!
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!

22 May 2010
Psalm 107:33-43, 108: Ezek. 36:22-27; Eph. 6:10-24; Matt. 9:18-26

In Egypt the Lord acted on behalf of His people and that He might get glory in the eyes of the Egyptians, this time He announces through Ezekiel that He will act in defense of His Name. Through their sin they have defamed His Name and now the time will come when He will act sovereignly to restore the honor of that Name in the eyes not only of Israel but of the entire world. Again, He says that this time it will not simply be done to them externally, but the work will be an internal work, giving a new heart to replace the heart of stone. The work of the Holy Spirit is an amazing work of God in the life of a believer and it is an ongoing work that requires our cooperation to work with Him in preparing our hearts to receive more and more of Him. Generally, we have about as much as we want, we are rarely hungering and thirsting for more. If you haven’t asked for more of Him lately, why not today?

The power of Jesus to heal is shown to all in the region. Surely this woman’s problem was well known as it would have required her to keep away from the synagogue and temple so long as the bleeding continued. Her need for community would have been great and as one with chronic pain, her desire for this to end would have been equally great. She risked everything on this Jesus, believing that touching his cloak would do the trick. Her impulsive act would have rendered Jesus unclean in the process and anyone else with whom He then came into contact. Again, the dilemma arises when she is made clean by that contact. Cleanliness only went one way, contact between clean and unclean only defiled that which was clean. Here, she was made clean, which means…He must be holy. Having done this, Jesus raises the synagogue ruler’s child to life. Just a day in the life of Jesus.

Paul speaks of the armor of God that is necessary for a Christian to live in the knowledge that we have an enemy. The most important thing we need is the awareness of an enemy, most of us give little thought to that reality. Then, we need to know how to defend ourselves against that enemy and here Paul tells us the weapons we possess, most of which are defensive to protect ourselves from attack. The picture he presents is a soldier armed for battle and prepared for anything that might come against us. All these require us to arm ourselves with the Spirit of God so that we might know how to use them well in our service to Him.

Your steadfast love is great above the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
Let your glory be over all the earth!
That your beloved ones may be delivered,
give salvation by your right hand and answer me!

21 May 2010
Psalm 102; Jer. 31:27-34; Eph. 5:1-20; Matt. 9:9-17

The new covenant is announced through Jeremiah. The promise of the Lord is to write the law on our hearts and the knowledge of the Lord will be within us. The Spirit enables us to have understanding that is greater than any of the teachers who had come before Jesus or who teach now but do not have the Spirit. The giving of the Spirit is something that is difficult to esteem highly enough. Other than Jesus Himself, the Spirit is the most valuable gift a Christian can receive. The Spirit allows us to have access to the mind and the wisdom of God all the time if we will lean on and rest in Him. We have the very Spirit of God living in us to teach us, guide us, direct us and empower us in all aspects of our lives. Everyone who is in Christ has access to that same Spirit, without distinction to class, color, educational attainment or financial ability. Some of the wisest Christians I have ever met are people the world overlooks for one reason or another. There is truly no distinction for those who are in Christ Jesus.

The new wine has come. Jesus uses those parables to attempt to explain how He differs from all that has come before. The Pharisees question the disciples first on their eating with tax-collectors and sinners, Matthew’s friends. The attempt was surely to divide the group by suggesting that this teacher could not be important because he associated with the worst sort of people, seemingly indifferent to their lifestyle. Jesus announces that his mission is different, quoting the word of God to them regarding mercy rather than sacrifice. The disciples of John are taken more seriously and given a more thorough answer and revelation of who Jesus is in the scheme of things. He is truly claiming to be something different and even in this answer is laying the groundwork for his departure.

Paul tells the Ephesians that their lives are to be different from the past and from those around them. They are new creations in Christ and therefore all about their lives should tell the difference. He speaks of finding out what is pleasing to the Lord and doing it, living no longer as unwise but as wise, disassociating themselves from the ways of the world. They are to live as those guided by the Holy Spirit to a new manner of life, a life characterized by real joy and thanksgiving, not riotous joy induced by debauchery for which there is later remorse and guilt, but the joy that comes only from the Spirit.

Hear my prayer, O LORD;let my cry come to you!
Do not hide your face from me
in the day of my distress!
Incline your ear to me;
answer me speedily in the day when I call!

20 May 2010
Psalm 105:1-22; Zech. 4:1-14; Eph..4:17-32; Matt. 9:1-8

The picture of the two lamps in Zechariah is a picture of the outpouring of the Spirit. The lamps are supplied directly from the source rather than by the priests who would replenish the oil in the lamps in the temple. Since Pentecost and the fulfillment of the vision of Joel, Zechariah’s vision has been possible if we would remain connected to the source of the Spirit. The work of remaining connected is the work of abiding in the vine that Jesus spoke of in John 15. Why do we allow ourselves to get disconnected from the source so easily?

Did Jesus simply want to be provocative by declaring the paralytic’s sins forgiven? He was regularly provocative in what He did and said but never simply for the sake of being provocative. Here, it seems likely that the greatest real need this man had was forgiveness of sins. It is quite possible that the paralysis was connected with something he had done. There are many cases of illness that have their roots in a psychological cause rather than a physical one. Dealing with the primary problem makes possible the healing of the secondary problem. The best diagnosticians know to first determine the primary problem and here, it seems, the primary problem was spiritual not physical.

Paul diagnoses that wicked lifestyles are a result of a spiritual problem. The Gentiles are alienated from God and therefore desensitized to His Spirit which leads to licentious behavior. Conscience is one thing, the Holy Spirit in us is quite another. Many things of which our conscience fails to convict us are sinful behaviors which the Spirit must convict us of in order to bring us to true Godliness. Our consciences have also participated in the fall. Paul’s premise is that we were made for and capable of living lives of righteousness but we must do two things, rely on the Holy Spirit and then live in obedience to Him. Righteousness is an active life, not a passive one, it requires our effort. As Dallas Willard has said, “Grace is opposed to earning, not effort.”

Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name;
make known his deeds among the peoples!
Sing to him, sing praises to him;
tell of all his wondrous works!
Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!

19 May 2010
Psalm 101, 109; Isa. 4:2-6; Eph. 4:1-16; Matt. 8:28-34

Isaiah has a vision of the future glory of Zion. He sees not the restoration of what was once but a greater glory than has ever been. What he describes is similar to the vision John has in the Revelation he was given on Patmos. They both see a new Jerusalem where nothing sinful or evil remains, all that is unholy has been burned away in judgment and swept from the face of the earth. The new Jerusalem is the permanent abode of the Lord and all who dwell there receive His protection and bask in His glory. This is the answer to the petition in the Lord’s prayer, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

Jesus brings the kingdom to the country of the Gerasenes and the people are afraid. His power is great to overthrow this demonic force and they aren’t sure it is safe to have one with this kind of power around. Everything about this scene begs the question, why did Jesus come here. He doesn’t say why they have crossed over here and He only does this one thing. It seems that He has come for these men (only one man is described by the other synoptic). He has come to a Gentile country, gone among the tombs, dealt with demons and come near to pigs. There are not many more images of unclean we could get in one brief scene and it would be difficult to imagine a rabbi or priest going there but Jesus had a mission and purpose. The kingdom of God has come near and they have rejected it.

Paul has a vision of the church as the harbinger of the new creation. He sees a people united in love and peace. His vision is the same as Jesus’ from the prayer in John 17, that we would be one as He and the Father are one and that this bond of unity would be the Holy Spirit working in us. What Paul also describes is that one body, the church, working in the power of the Holy Spirit, putting into use the gifts for ministry in order that together we can reveal Jesus to the world, that the world would see Him in us, working in and through the lives of ordinary people to accomplish great things. The picture Isaiah gave was the cloud from the Exodus over the new Jerusalem as the symbol of the presence of God, Paul’s sign is the Holy Spirit in us, God dwelling in us, and the extraordinary work that is possible when we submit our lives and our gifts to His use.

With my mouth I will give great thanks to the LORD;
I will praise him in the midst of the throng.
For he stands at the right hand of the needy one,
to save him from those who condemn his soul to death.

18 May 2010
Psalm 97, 99; 1 Sam. 16:1-13a; Eph. 3:14-21; Matt. 8:18-27

Saul has failed to obey the clear word of the Lord in re the Amalekites and has therefore been rejected by the Lord as king over Israel. Why does the Lord not simply take his life? Instead Samuel is sent to the house of Jesse to anoint one of the sons of this man. The Lord does not tell Samuel which son he will anoint as the next king of Israel, often we are given one piece of instruction at a time so that we will develop the habit of constant prayer and reliance on Him. As the sons of Jesse pass before Samuel he is tempted to anoint each in his turn and after the last has come and the Lord has said no to each, Samuel must surely have wondered if the whole thing was a fool’s errand before asking if these were all the sons. David was an afterthought even to his father, shepherding the sheep, but the Lord knew the heart of this one and chose him. We tend to make the same kinds of mistakes all the time in the church today, judging by the world’s standards rather than hearing God.

Jesus won’t take commitments that aren’t complete. Several offer to follow but Jesus is looking for those who follow knowing the cost and without looking back. What we don’t understand is that we have it comfortable and follow from a safe distance and what Jesus is looking for are those who are willing to leave comfort behind and follow closely. The disciples get an object lesson in what it means to follow and to believe as He comes to them in the midst of a storm and speaks to the wind, and it obeys! Who are they following? Even they have not yet understood who this is that has called them.

Paul’s prayer is for the Ephesians to know the fullness of God, both in knowledge and in their lives. He asks for strength and power and love in the indwelling of Christ in their hearts. Those things are for living. He also asks for comprehension but acknowledges that the comprehension they need is beyond knowledge, it is comprehension of truth that transcends what our minds can contain. The knowledge and love of God is greater than anything on earth. God is a concept that we can scarcely begin to understand with our minds and the love that brought Jesus to take on flesh and die for us is greater love than we can imagine. The benefits of His death and passion for us will likely stagger our imagination when we finally see Him. Are we prepared to yield fully to Him in order to see His power working in us?

Let them praise your great and awesome name!
Holy is he!
The King in his might loves justice.
You have established equity;
you have executed justice
and righteousness in Jacob.
Exalt the LORD our God;
worship at his footstool!
Holy is he!

17 May 2010
Psalm 89:1-18; Joshua 1:1-9; Eph. 3:1-13; Matt. 8:5-17

Three times in these nine verses the Lord tells Joshua to be strong and courageous. In Deuteronomy 31 Moses had commissioned Joshua to be his successor and had used these same words as he encouraged him to step into the anointing of God. In fact, Moses had promised in that same passage that God would be with Joshua and the Lord had promised it as well. Why does Joshua, of all people, have to be told to be strong and courageous so many times? He was one of two who said that they should enter the land to conquer it forty years before, surely this man had no fear. The move from aide-de-camp to leader is a large one. Leaders have a greater burden than assistants and they need a different variety of courage, they bear the responsibility for the people, they make the final decisions and must live with the consequences. Joshua is promised success here but is also cautioned to be careful where he puts his feet, neither right nor left, but where the Lord tells him to go. He is to be the first leader whose responsibility it is to be under the book of the Law.

The faith of the centurion is remarkable. His confession is that he leads men and they do what he tells them to do. His confession of Jesus is that he believes that illness will obey Jesus in the same way his men obey him. Jesus’ response was to marvel at the faith of this Gentile in light of the unbelief He saw among the Israelites. I had a friend who pastured a church for “seekers” in Oklahoma City several years ago. One Sunday a month he had a group of people from the church with prophetic gifts come forward and speak words to the congregation, words of knowledge typically for someone or someones in the church. I asked my friend if this was “seeker-sensitive” and his response was that he had found people outside the church were typically more open to a big God than people inside the church. We are often lulled to sleep by our comfortable theological boxing in of God in ways that keep us from seeing His greatness.

Paul speaks of himself as a prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of the Gentiles. He was a man taught to see the Gentiles, non-Jews, as of lesser value in the grand scheme of things. He was taught to take great pride in his chosenness and that was all undone in the flash of a moment on the road to Damascus. The Pharisee of Pharisees had become the one who took salvation to the Gentiles. Paul was a man whose entire worldview and self-understanding were radically altered and instead of resisting, Paul devoted the rest of his life to the mission. Are we willing to allow God to re-direct our thoughts and our steps in this way? Are we ready to become a prisoner of Christ Jesus, a servant of the Gospel, for the sake of others? Can we live our lives inside out for the sake of the Gospel as Jesus did, as the apostles did, and as Paul did?

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.
Blessed are the people who know the festal shout,
who walk, O LORD, in the light of your face,
who exult in your name all the day
and in your righteousness are exalted.
For you are the glory of their strength;
by your favor our horn is exalted.

16 May 2010
Psalm 66, 67; Exod. 3:1-12; Heb. 12:18-29; Luke 10:17-24

We see a change in Moses from the brash younger man who charged in to save the Israelites. This Moses, after years of tending sheep, has one simple question for the Lord, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” The answer he receives in reply is that the Lord will be with him and will bring him back to this place. Moses has learned an important lesson along the way, if the Lord doesn’t go with you, don’t go. He is now ready to lead the people because he won’t be doing it from strength but from weakness and dependence on the Lord. He knows that on his own he will fail in the work, but with the Lord nothing is impossible.

The disciples have their first experience of the Holy Spirit working in them. They begin to see the possibilities, a foretaste of what is to come in their lives. It is as though Jesus was a mother of baby birds allowing them to test their wings a bit as they grow into a new way of being, knowing that one day they will indeed be doing the work themselves. He is quick to point them from potential pride and wrong focus, telling them to rejoice in salvation. Jesus’ joy matches the disciples it seems as He exults in their success, and gives all the glory to the Father. Do we have the attitude of joy when someone else is used in ministry?

In Jesus we are allowed to come near to God in a way that the people were not when they came to the mountain in fulfillment of the promise God made to Moses in our first reading today. That first day God drew Moses to the mountain with the burning bush and yet warned him to take off his shoes as this was holy ground. In Exodus 19 when they return to that place we see exactly what is described here in verses 18-20 of this reading. Jesus beckons us to Himself and we need not fear for He has not called us to judge us but to a covenant relationship with Him. Nonetheless, the holiness and righteousness of God is not diminished and we must indeed understand that judgment is part of the equation, we cannot enter lightly into His presence, we must come at the bidding of Jesus and washed in His blood.

Shout for joy to God, all the earth;
sing the glory of his name;
give to him glorious praise!
Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds!
So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you.
All the earth worships you
and sings praises to you;
they sing praises to your name."

15 May 2010
Psalm 87, 90; Num. 11:16-17,24-29; Eph. 2:11-22; Matt. 7:28-8:4

Moses gets some help. As the leader of hundreds of thousands of people it would be hard to imagine how Moses could possibly have done the job. It is difficult to lead even a small church all alone, let alone this many people caravanning about the desert whose needs for food, water, sanitation, rest, etc. had to be provided. Here God gives some relief to Moses by setting His Spirit on seventy of the elders and two who no one saw coming. All prophesy as an indication that they have indeed received the Spirit, whatever that looks like as none of it is recorded. Two others, Eldad and Medad, prophesy in the camp, away from the outpouring of the Spirit on the seventy. Joshua’s jealousy is for Moses as leader but Moses rightly responds that his hope would be for all of God’s people to be filled with the Spirit. Little did he know that was God’s plan for the fullness of time.

Jesus heals a leper, showing his authority was not simply in teaching but in doing. It is always wonderful to hear a teacher who knows her subject intimately. First hand accounts of something are always better than not. Here, and in all of the teaching of the law that we have in the Gospels, we see Jesus interacting with the law in ways that astound those who hear Him as though He were understanding it at a level not humanly possible for the other teachers. As He heals the leper, He sends the man to the priest to certify the cure according to the law as a testimony to the priest as to who was the healer. In essence, Jesus is one outside the camp.

Jesus has brought in those who were outside. His work on behalf of the Gentiles is extraordinary, giving us hope and making us part of the chosen ones of God. We have been joined to the household of God in Christ Jesus. Peter saw this work in the household of Cornelius when the Spirit was given to the Gentiles as to Eldad and Medad, but it took a good long while for the Jewish believers to accept the Gentiles as full members of the house. We must always be prepared to receive new people who were formerly at enmity with us into the household of God. God is doing a work in the camp and outside the camp but it is one God, one Spirit, one Lord who is working.

Lord, you have been our dwelling place
in all generations.
Before the mountains were brought forth,
or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

14 May 2010
Psalm 85, 86; 1 Sam. 2:1-10; Eph. 2:1-10; Matt. 7:22-27

Hannah’s prayer is answered and she sings with joy to the Lord who has heard her and delivered her from barrenness. Is this the way we typically respond to answered prayer? After years of being scorned and taunted by her rival, the other wife of Elkanah for her failure to bear him children, God has granted her request and given her a child of her own, Samuel, whom she has promised to Him. Barrenness was interpreted as a sign that God had forsaken her, that she was somehow unacceptable to Him. The pride of a man and woman’s union was to be fruitful and multiply, obedience to the command. The ability to be fruitful is itself a blessing from God and in this failure, Hannah was rejected by God until the day came when she became pregnant. Realizing that God’s favor was on her after so many years of rejection was indeed cause for this type of celebration.

The key to this passage is the last word Jesus speaks in the first paragraph. Why would he deny knowing those who had done great things in his Name? The answer is the word “evildoers.” The people who did these things were evildoers and in their acts they are condemned. The parable makes clear that hearing Jesus’ words is not enough, acting on them, righteousness, right belief followed by right action. It isn’t enough to have good theological belief, we must act on what we have heard, be doers of the word and not hearers only. What we do matters and here Jesus says it matters eternally.

Our works proved who we really are and we were dead in sin before grace arrived. We have been mercifully saved by grace from the death our sins deserved. Without Jesus not one of us has any hope of eternal life. Nothing we had done or would have done merited the divine favor shown us, it was a sovereign choice and work of God. Paul says, however, “we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.” Living out our salvation, the new life we have been given as gift, is important.

There is none like you among the gods, O Lord,
nor are there any works like yours.
All the nations you have made shall come
and worship before you, O Lord,
and shall glorify your name.
For you are great and do wondrous things;
you alone are God.

13 May 2010
Ascension Day
Psalm 8, 47; Dan. 7:9-14; Heb. 2:5-18; Matt. 28:16-20

This passage from Daniel is an amazing vision of the Son of Man. It very closely parallels Revelation 5 of the lamb looking like it was slain coming to the throne and being offered the worship of heaven on par with God. These two scenes in heaven complete the picture from Acts 1 of Jesus’ ascension. He disappears into the clouds and these passages tell us what happens next. It is a wonderful picture Daniel gives us of the victorious Christ receiving His throne after the defeat of the beast. Christ has won the day in heaven, the enemy has been defeated but he fights on here on earth for a season until he is ultimately cast down into his own eternal prison.

The Great Commission is given to baptize and make disciples. A disciple is one who has accepted a particular teacher as master and lord and sets about the task of learning and adopting all that the teacher has to offer. Jesus’ instructions to His own disciples here are to teach others to obey all He has taught them. They have little latitude in what they teach and how they make disciples. They are making disciples of Jesus, not themselves, and His promise is that He will be with them and us to the end of the age as we go about the work we have been given to do. He has ascended to heaven and the right hand of the Father yet He is present to us in the power and person of the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us to do all that we have been given to do.

Jesus elevated our humanity. We are, for a little while, lower than the angels but Jesus taking on flesh and becoming like us shows us the great regard our Father has for us who bear His image. He became like us so that we can become like Him. The anthropocentric view of humankind is proven to be a Godly view of creation. He became like us completely, in all our weaknesses and suffering in this life. He didn’t simply appear to suffer, He actually did and then took all of that with Him to the throne. We know that we have a God who cares deeply enough about us to come among us, to suffer and die for us and now forever lives with the Father in heaven, understanding our weaknesses and interceding for those He came to save and redeem.

Sing praises to God, sing praises!
Sing praises to our King, sing praises!
For God is the King of all the earth;
sing praises with a psalm!
God reigns over the nations;
God sits on his holy throne.

12 May 2010
Psalm 119:97-120; Lev. 26:27-42; Eph. 1:1-10; Matt. 22:41-46

Reading this passage from Leviticus you get the impression the Lord knew His people would break covenant and turn away from Him. Of course He knew that and He told them what would happen when they were unfaithful. They would be able to look to the word and see that all that befell them had been promised in advance and that the Lord was faithful and true to His Word. They could also know that this judgment wasn’t final but was contingent on their willingness to acknowledge the fault was their own, that God was righteous in His judgment and that there was hope if they truly repented, turned away from the direction they were headed and began to follow Him again. The same promise holds true for us today, if we confess our sins, acknowledge Him as the righteous judge and turn around in life to follow Him, He will forgive our sins and watch over our lives for blessing.

The question seems simple and straightforward, “Whose son is Messiah?” The easy and scriptural answer is David. Jesus, however, questions their ability to interpret Scripture with this question. There is an important principle at work here in interpretation, it all runs through Jesus. We can’t literally find Him in all the words of the Bible, some of it really has nothing to do with Him at all in any direct way, but when we search for ultimate truth as, for instance, in the identification of Messiah, we must take Him into account. They would have no way of knowing that Jesus was pointing to the virgin birth here, He was a son of David in the sense that Joseph was from the tribe of David, Judah, but Joseph wasn’t truly His father in the biological sense. He uses Himself as the interpretive key for the passage but only indirectly in this instance. His wisdom is higher than ours.

The sovereignty of God is here taught by Paul to the Ephesians. All the work of redemption belongs to Him. The pronouns in Ephesians 1 tell us everything. Notice how the words “he”, “his” and “him” are used in this passage. He blessed, He chose, He destined, He lavished grace upon us, He has made known to us the mystery of his will. We are His children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of His glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood. Is there any room for pride? There is only room for praise and thanksgiving to the One who has done all these things. We have received grace, mercy and love, are we not filled with gratitude and joy?

Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies,
for it is ever with me.
I have more understanding than all my teachers,
for your testimonies are my meditation.
I understand more than the aged,
for I keep your precepts.

11 May 2010
Psalm 78:1-39; Lev. 26:1-20; 1 Tim. 2:1-6; Matt. 13:18-23

The promises of God for faithfulness are blessing beyond belief; rains in season, abundance in harvests, peace in the land, He will make them fruitful and multiply them, maintain the covenant, and make His dwelling among them. The promises of God for unfaithfulness are frightening to consider: terror upon them, consumption and fever, the wasting away of life, crops that are eaten by the enemy, He will set His face against them, enemies ruling over them, devastation and destruction. The choice seems simple, it was no different in the beginning and we chose badly then. How do we fail so? Faithful obedience is not our forte, it takes careful, constant attention to life to be followers of the Lord.

The parable of the soils explained. Our need is for the ground of our hearts and minds to be broken up, improved and allowed to be cleared of all that works against fruitfulness. It is a long hard process to reclaim land for fruitfulness and we must remember that we are a work in progress and will be until we leave this life behind. The glory of that which is eternal is something we must always keep before us as we work together with Him to become like Him. It requires three basic things for ground to be improved in the spiritual life: the Word dwelling richly in us through study and meditation, the prayer of acceptance of the goodness of God and His will to be done in our lives, and the disciplines necessary to re-train us towards godliness.

Paul urges prayers for leaders so that they might know the truth, rule wisely and allow us to live peaceable and quiet lives. It couldn’t have been easy for the churches to have heeded this command from Paul as they lived in times and places where the church was powerless and vulnerable. We in the west are seeing our hegemony come to an end it seems as the culture becomes less and less enchanted with the Christian story. In some ways that is a good thing because for too long we have allowed ourselves to believe that being vaguely Christian is somehow acceptable to God and Christians have failed to be salt and light to the world. We need to get back to the basics of faithful obedience as a witness to the ones who point to a different way of being, the hope of glory.

I will open my mouth in a parable;
I will utter dark sayings from of old,
things that we have heard and known,
that our fathers have told us.
We will not hide them from their children,
but tell to the coming generation
the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might,
and the wonders that he has done.

10 May 2010
Psalm 80; Lev. 25:35-55; Col. 1:9-14; Matt. 13:1-16

What would it have looked like if a resident alien chose to become a Jew? They were to be a light to the nations, to show what it meant to be a people under God and a community of brothers to one another, coming, as they did, from one family. If resident aliens saw what God intended how could they not choose to become Jews and then what of their servitude? The questions get complicated but Israel was essentially the model community established by God and under His law. They were never to see each other as less than children of one Father and to treat one another accordingly. The parent was to ensure the family was not dysfunctional. We, the church, are to be that model community in our day. How are we doing with that?

The hardness of our hearts is amazing. This parable can be called the parable of the soils and in it I see in my life that the Lord not only sows the seed but has also been hard at work preparing the rocky ground of my heart to receive the seed in such a way that some harvest is garnered. The soil determines the yield and I know that He is always working to improve the ground of my heart and that much work remains to be done. We must recognize that reality and allow Him to do the work only He can do by the power of the Holy Spirit and to cooperate with Him by willingly giving Him the right to work and by working ourselves to maintain the ground he has reclaimed so that it not go back to its original state. Pray through the parable, asking God to show you: the birds that eat the seed that you might recognize them and drive them away as Abraham had to do when cutting the covenant, the rocks that make the ground hard and unreceptive to His Word, and the thorns which choke out the new growth of righteousness and joy in your life.

Paul tells the Colossians that he prays for them to be filled with spiritual gifts so that they may live skillfully and in keeping with the will of God. The gifts of wisdom and understanding are so that they may lead lives worthy of God, pleasing to Him and which will allow them to bear fruit. The gift of strength is that they may patiently await His coming and live lives of joyful thanks to Him who has redeemed them. This issue of redemption is clearly evident here and the principle refers back to the lesson from Leviticus where a near kinsman redeems his kin from slavery to resident aliens. Here we see Jesus redeeming us from sin and death and transferring us from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. We once were slaves to sin and now we have been set free by the power of the Holy Spirit through faith in the one righteous man who ever lived, Jesus.

Let your hand be on the man of your right hand,
the son of man whom you have made strong for yourself!
Then we shall not turn back from you;
give us life, and we will call upon your name!
Restore us, O LORD God of hosts!
Let your face shine, that we may be saved!

9 May 2010
Psalm 93, 96; Lev. 25:1-17; James 1:2-8,16-18; Luke 12:13-21

The Lord gives Moses instructions for the Sabbath and Jubilee years. These two commandments, as much as any of the other pieces of the law, will distinguish the Jews from everyone else. They are to live in radical trust such that every seventh year the land is to lie fallow and they are to live off the abundance of all that they have from the six prior years and whatever grows wild or natural in that seventh year. Every fifty years they are to do the same but they are also to give the land back to its original owners who have been given the land by the Lord in perpetuity. If anyone has lost his land due to an inability to pay debts, or has mortgaged the land, it is returned in this year. Mortgages were actually to be based on the productive capacity of the land for the number of years remaining until the jubilee year for this reason. Elsewhere, the Lord has said that the land actually belongs to Him, it is given as a leasehold to the people who serve Him. When they are sent into exile, it is partly to allow the land to rest for all the Sabbath and jubilees they have neglected. From the beginning the prosperity gospel has been a danger for the church, we like the stuff under creation.

The Sabbath and Jubilee years would have prevented an accumulation of wealth in some ways as they would also have limited the poverty among the people. Here, Jesus is first asked to divide an inheritance, something teachers were regularly asked to do as the laws were based on Biblical principles rather than in secular law. Jesus rejects the request for its basis in greed, the question is only asked if more is desired. He follows his answer with a parable meant for all who would hear. The man in the parable has been greatly blessed but his response to that blessing is to build bigger barns in which to store the abundance. Jesus says that instead we are to rest and be satisfied not in the provision but in the provider.

James speaks of how we bear up under testing and the necessity of faith. Faith is in the one who is the giver of every perfect gift, the one in whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. He is faithful and true to His nature revealed long ago on the mountain to Moses in Exodus 34 and more fully in the person of Jesus who promised that whatever we ask in His Name will be given to us. We can depend on receiving as we ask but what we ask for in His Name matters also. He is the one who taught the parable above and also the Lord’s prayer with the petition for daily bread as the Israelites in the wilderness received manna as their daily bread. What are you seeking from the Lord? Are we asking for that which will exalt Him and more fully form us into His image or are we seeking more of the stuff of earth?

Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength!
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
bring an offering, and come into his courts!
Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness;
tremble before him, all the earth!

8 May 2010
Psalm 75, 76; Lev. 23:23-44; 2 Thess. 3:1-18; Matt. 7:13-21

The Feast of Booths or Tabernacles, is meant to recall the time in the wilderness, when they had no permanent homes of their own. It is interesting that the festivals always call the people not simply to remember the events of history in word alone but also by physical means. They are to build booths and live as their ancestors lived in the wilderness. Learning theory today will say that we remember best when we use multi-sensory means to teach. It seems God knew that all along. Today, observant Jews build booths in which to live during this festival, denying themselves the comforts of modern life in order to identify with their ancestors and immerse themselves in the story of God’s action on their behalf, remembering also that for forty years they lived this way, because of disobedience and lack of faith.

The narrow gate is commended for entering the kingdom. In John 10 Jesus says He is the gate or doorway to the sheepfold. The narrow way is the way of the cross, the way of death to self and life in Him. The Israelites had to enter the Land on God’s terms and in God’s way, their failure to follow led to the wilderness years. We must find our way through the narrow gate that is Jesus. Jesus says, once again, that it is not our words of confession alone that allow us to enter the kingdom, it is those who confess with their lips and obey with their lives who are received into the kingdom. We have too often taken someone’s confession of faith, their “conversion” and never told them that obedience matters. We need to remind them that baptism is simply the beginning of the life of faith and that what you do from here forward matters with respect to your salvation.

Paul continues to rebuke those who are unwilling to work, calling them busybodies. Apparently, they were waiting for the coming of Christ but not hearing His words on how to watch and wait. Jesus gave several parables on waiting, such as the parable of the ten virgins, some of whose lamps went out for lack of oil because they hadn’t prepared to wait so long and the parable of the talents given to a king’s servants as he went away for a time and on his return, expected to receive an investment return on the talents. Paul says that he gave them an example of how to wait well, working to make his own living while also preaching the Gospel whenever the opportunity arose. We are called to stay busy in our lives and not become busybodies who spend our time stirring the pot. Jesus has left us with more than enough to do as we await His return.

We give thanks to you, O God;
we give thanks, for your name is near.
We recount your wondrous deeds.
I will declare it forever;
I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.

7 May 2010
Psalm 106:1-18; Lev. 23:1-22; 2 Thess. 2:1-17; Matt. 7:1-12

The instructions for the festivals are given, including Passover and the Feast of Weeks which we know as Pentecost. Passover and the festival of unleavened bread are to remind the people of the mighty acts of God in bringing the people out of Egypt, the Exodus. The Feast of weeks is for the purpose of reminding them that all that they have is theirs simply by the grace of God who redeemed them from Egypt and then gave them the land with all its abundance. The firstfruits belong to Him as a perpetual reminder that it is His lovingkindness that is the source of all. On the day of Pentecost in the church we see the firstfruits of the new kingdom which is a non-geographic kingdom in some respects but is truly a supra-geographic kingdom in reality, the whole earth is truly His and the fullness thereof.

The warning against judgment is often misquoted and misapplied. It does not forbid judgment of any kind, we are clearly to judge sinful behavior, but we judge with a right standard, a Biblical one. We are not able to judge the soul of another and we are not to be characterized by judgmentalism. We need always to be wary of our own sinfulness, as the first part of the sermon has shown us. Verse 7 and following return to the theme from yesterday, ask, seek, knock. We are called to be seekers always, the riches of the kingdom of God and the knowledge of God are inexhaustible. Our encouragement for seeking is that if we do seek Him our prayers will be answered. The passage ends with the Golden Rule, which Jesus says is the law and the prophets, a profound and fascinating statement.

Paul comforts his readers about the end of things by assuring them that the end has not come yet. He has apparently taught extensively about the end as he refers to his teaching in this passage. He speaks of the man of lawlessness who is a law and a god unto himself. We need not be deceived in the interim by anyone or anything as we have both the Word and the Holy Spirit. We need to depend on these great gifts of God to see us through to the end, standing firm in them and trusting God. We need to be a people of the Word, the Spirit, and of prayer to ask for the gift of a discerning spirit and mind to know and hold fast to truth. We are those who are the firstfruits of the harvest that will come at the end of the age, those devoted to God.

Praise the LORD! Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever!
Who can utter the mighty deeds of the LORD,
or declare all his praise?
Blessed are they who observe justice,
who do righteousness at all times!

6 May 2010
Psalm 71; Lev. 19:26-37; 2 Thess. 1:1-12; Matt. 6:25-34

The first three verses are all related in that they are related to the ritualistic practices of others. The prohibitions are clearly related not to the practices themselves but to their intention, like Paul speaking of eating meat sacrificed to idols. These would have been religious practices of other nations and they are prohibited on that ground. We would say the same about certain symbols in our own day that are associated with other religions. We are not to turn to wizards or mediums as we have direct access to the Lord in prayer, seeking knowledge from any other source is similar to the first sin in the garden. The law regarding treatment of aliens is remarkable in that they are to be treated as citizens, elsewhere the Lord tells them that there is one law for all in the Land, Israelites and aliens alike. Almost nowhere else was this true at the time. The people are commanded to love aliens and citizens alike, thus the question “Who is my neighbor?” which precedes the parable of the Good Samaritan is not a valid one.

This Gospel passage has to be one of the most appreciated but least lived out passages in the Bible. Jesus is calling us to radical trust in all aspects of our lives, particularly economically. His call is to simplicity and trust in a way that He also lived and did His best to teach the disciples. When He sent them out on mission He told them to take nothing with them as they went, to trust that the Father would supply all they would need. When He gave them the Great Commission He did not promise that the Father would give them money with which to do the work, He promised His Spirit would be with them and us always, even to the end of the age. Do we trust the Lord for the resources we need in our lives? Are we committed to His purpose with all our hearts? The promises here are for those who seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness with all their hearts, single-mindedness like Jesus and Paul.

Paul is a bit grumpy about those who are persecuting the church in Thessalonica, “it is indeed just of God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to give relief to the afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.” He is angry that they are being persecuted and suffering but says that this is all for their benefit eternally. His words are meant to keep them focused on the end, to take their eyes of the present suffering in the secure hope of the coming again in glory of Jesus. We need to hear those words in both good times and difficult times, keep the end in mind always.

In you, O LORD, do I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame!
In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;
incline your ear to me, and save me!
Be to me a rock of refuge,
to which I may continually come;
you have given the command to save me,
for you are my rock and my fortress.

5 May 2010
Psalm 72; Lev. 19:1-18; 1 Thess. 5:12-28; Matt. 6:19-24

Instructions regarding the commandments are given. Most of this material relates to how to love the neighbor. The issue and nature of social justice is taken up with respect to how to care for the least of these among us, including the poor, the deaf, and the blind. It was a law in the land that the edges of the fields not be harvested but rather left for the poor who had no land of their own. In addition, all the land reverted to the original owners every fifty years, so there should not have been permanent poverty among them. Ruth was one who benefited from the laws concerning the edges and gleanings of the field. Boaz allowed her to go behind his laborers and pick up the gleanings, that which they missed, and instructed them to leave a bit more. One of the principles embedded was the concept of what is justice, and it is don’t favor the poor or defer to the great, socioeconomics isn’t a basis for preference.

Jesus gives instructions on how to relate to worldly things. We are told not to store up treasures on earth for they are not eternal, but rather to store up treasures in heaven. Our value systems need constantly to be examined in order to keep them in line with God’s. Our attachment to things of earth tells us that we agree with God concerning His creation’s goodness even though we only experience it in its fallen state. Jesus never owned anything that we know of and his attitude towards these things should help us to know that those things that are eternal are the things that truly have value. His words concerning serving two masters are clear and from experience I know them to be true.

Paul’s attitude towards those among them whom he refers to as idlers is instructive. He has no use for someone who is able to work but will not and he does have value for someone who is willing to work. His instructions to them concerning their spiritual lives is no less important, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances.” We are called to set our hearts on Him always and if we follow these instructions, we will see our values changes.

Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,
who alone does wondrous things.
Blessed be his glorious name forever;
may the whole earth be filled with his glory!

4 May 2010
Psalm 61, 62; Lev. 16:20-34; 1 Thess. 5:1-11; Matt. 6:7-15

We see here the instructions for the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur. Aaron is to bring two goats, one sacrificed for the sin of the people and the other released into the wilderness. If the goat returned to the camp it was a sign that the Lord had not accepted their offering and their guilt remained. This one day a year the high priest entered the holy of holies to throw blood onto the ark of the covenant, keeping the judgments of God on the sin of the people covered. This statue was and is binding in perpetuity for the Jews. Today, with no temple, the day is kept as a complete Sabbath of mourning for sin.

Jesus teaches His disciples to pray. Do we pray this prayer earnestly? If Jesus taught us to pray, should we not believe that this is a prayer that blesses the Lord, a prayer He will hear if it comes from our heart? The prayer begins with hallowing or setting apart the Name of God, continues with a plea for the coming of God’s kingdom and the establishment of His will on earth as it is established in heaven. Do we yearn for the coming of the kingdom because we see the effects of sin in this life, a despoiled creation, enmity and violence abounding? Moving on, in this life we need Him to provide our daily bread and it should be a time of thanksgiving every time we place a morsel of food into our mouths, all I have needed thy hand hath provided, great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me. From contemplating the effect of sin on the perfect creation we are moved to consider our own sinfulness and compelled to ask forgiveness for our sins and in recognition of our sinfulness moved also to forgive others who are simply, like us. Finally, the prayer asks to be spared the day of trial and delivery from the evil one, not generically evil. It recognizes we have an enemy from whom we need deliverance and protection.

The petitions that begin and end the Lord’s Prayer are in view here in this passage from 1 Thessalonians. Paul speaks of the coming of the kingdom of God as a day of great dread but a day also to be welcomed by Christians. We should pray for the coming of the kingdom but also do all we can to prepare both ourselves and the world to welcome that day. We should grieve over the judgment of others, friends and enemies alike in that day, and seek to proclaim the Good News of salvation with all that is within us. We should also look forward to that day with great anticipation as all of creation is liberated forever from the bondage of sin. Our prayer for deliverance from evil and spared from the time of trial is met in Jesus. We know that those petitions have been answered in the death and resurrection of Jesus and yet we still must struggle with temptation and the continuing assaults of the enemy, confident in both our salvation and in the power of the Holy Spirit in us to resist temptation.

For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,
for my hope is from you.
You only are my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
On God rests my salvation and my glory;
my mighty rock, my refuge is God.

3 May 2010
Psalm 56, 57; Lev. 16:1-19; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; Matt. 6:1-6,16-18

The passage from Leviticus begins with an abrupt statement that the sons of Aaron have died. The story of this is found in Numbers 3, the two sons of Aaron offered “strange fire” before the Lord. A better translation might be “unauthorized fire.” The Lord provided the fire for the altar of sacrifice and it was the responsibility of the priests to keep that fire stoked and burning always. The sons seem to have brought fire from an altar of another “god” and mingled it with the Lord’s fire and for this they lost their lives. Priests/pastors have an obligation in our New Testament days to do the same as has always been required of those who would serve, not to bring “strange fire” to their people. We have an obligation to keep the faith once delivered to the saints and not mingle other religions or faith with it. Because they died in defiance of the Lord’s command, Aaron is commanded not to grieve over these two.

Our works of piety are for the eyes of the Lord, not the eyes and approval of the world. It isn’t always possible, perhaps, to avoid the world knowing what we do in His Name, but the principle remains. It is easy to take pride in our work for the Lord, to have wrong motives for our service. Jesus calls us to a life that is characterized by these things: giving alms (providing for the poor), prayer and fasting, but to do so in a way that does not call attention to either the works or to ourselves in doing them.

Paul encourages the Thessalonians to grieve for those who have died as those with hope of the resurrection. We are not to mourn as the world mourns, but even in death and grief we are to be distinct from the world. Jesus wept at the tomb of Lazarus for anger over death and the grave, the product of eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil rather than the tree of life. It is human to grieve the loss of those we love, but as Christians we have the assurance that if they were in Christ we will be gloriously and eternally reunited with them. Grief is human but Christ has given us the hope and promise of life, so we know that there will come a day when we will never be parted.

I must perform my vows to you, O God;
I will render thank offerings to you.
For you have delivered my soul from death,
yes, my feet from falling,
that I may walk before God
in the light of life.

2 May 2010
Psalm 24, 29; Lev. 8:1-13,30-36; Heb. 12:1-14; Luke 4:16-30

The beginning of the priesthood; the consecration and ordination of Aaron and his sons. The garments have been made in accordance with the Lord’s instructions and now the time has come to vest and invest the priesthood. Moses takes charge of the ceremony according to God’s word to him and performs all the rituals necessary to complete the work. Sacrifices are offered for atonement of the sins of the priests themselves which must be done in order for them to serve in the role of intercessors for the sins of the people. No one may approach the glory of the Lord without their own sins having been dealt with, the priests are no exception. I am personally thankful that no one comes up to me on Sunday morning and throws blood on my garments prior to the beginning of worship, but it is an important part of my personal preparation to come before the Lord on Sunday and confess my sins and ask for forgiveness prior to vesting for worship. Until that work is done I have no right to put on a white robe and stand before the congregation.

Jesus boldly announces His purpose. It is an extraordinary statement to claim that you are the fulfillment of a six hundred year old prophetic word, it begs proof and it invites those who hear it to see if He does these things. It also begs for faith in Him if He indeed does them. The people speak well of Him and then seem to realize they know Him, “Isn’t this Joseph’s boy?” Doubt has suddenly crept in based on what they think they know. We know that the answer is that biologically Jesus isn’t Joseph’s son. Jesus speaks directly into their doubts by raising the issue of God’s work with Gentiles through Elijah and Elisha in their hometowns, indicating that perhaps those closest to these great prophets were lacking in faith, just as these here are. In saying this, Jesus is making another comparison that is likely to anger them, with the great prophets of Israel’s past. In just a few minutes it seems the mood of the crowd went from “all speaking well of him” to rage. Truth hurts.

Jesus knew when He set out on this journey how it would end. He didn’t want us to be ignorant of our own fate if we chose to follow in His footsteps, telling the disciples they would be persecuted and that their walk would be taking up the cross. We are called to run the race knowing the hardships that might come our way. An expectation of health and wealth was completely foreign to those who followed Jesus, in fact their expectation was that life would be more difficult for choosing to follow. They expected to be disciplined in order to train them in righteousness. The writer encourages his flock to lift up their drooping hands and strengthen their weak knees so that they can continue to follow and run the race set before them in order that they might see the Lord at the finish line waiting for them.

Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness.

1 May 2010
Psalm 55; Exod. 40:18-38; 1 Thess. 4:1-12; Matt. 5:38-48

It would be difficult to imagine the solemnity with which Moses performed all the tasks we see him doing in this reading. He was the man who handled everything and set the tabernacle worship up all alone. To carry the ark, the lampstand, the altar, the table and all the accoutrements of worship that were prescribed by the Lord and then, when the work was complete, to see the glory of the Lord fill the tent so richly that Moses could no longer enter, would have been to know the pleasure of God in your work. It certainly would give a new meaning to the work of the altar guild to experience such wonder.

The old law of an eye for an eye is completely turned on its head. It is not retribution that is commanded but peace and non-violence. One distinction here to draw is that these instructions are for how to deal with evildoers. Too often in the church we encourage people to act this way towards other believers when in fact those instructions are quite different. The excuse, “That’s just how he/she is” is too often used when we should be demanding that Christians act in accord with their claims. Jesus is teaching in this sermon a completely counter-cultural way of life that would have shocked most of his hearers, loving enemies and praying for those who persecute us. He says, however, that this is to be the way of life for His followers and true children of God. As we saw during Holy Week, He lived out most of this for us so that we can see that He practiced what He preached. By the Holy Spirit this way of life is possible for us as well.

Again, Paul calls for holiness and he also defines what he means by this word. He says that fornication, sex outside the bonds of marriage, is part of the definition as it exhibits control over our bodies and passions. The definition also includes exploiting or wronging a brother or sister. We are not to use others for our own gratification or our own purposes, people are the image of God, not variables in an economic or sexual equation. We need to recall that all that we do, as Moses, is service to God. The way we treat one another shows our recognition of Him and of Him in the other who is made in His image.

Give ear to my prayer, O God,
and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy!
Attend to me, and answer me.
You redeem my soul in safety
from the battle that I wage,