Let God Be Magnified

Everyone –

With the spotlight on the Obama campaign there has been more and more information about the “Black Liberation Theology” that has surfaced. It is essentially a radical theology that suggests that God is the God of the “oppressed”, i.e. blacks, or he is a God of racism. James Cone, who is considered the founder of this theology, describes a bit of this theology:

Excerpts From: http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=64828

”’The black theologian must reject any conception of God which stifles black self-determination by picturing God as a God of all peoples. Either God is identified with the oppressed to the point that their experience becomes God’s experience, or God is a God of racism,’ writes Cone in his defining book, Black Theology of Liberation. The blackness of God means that God has made the oppressed condition God’s own condition. This is the essence of the biblical revelation,’ Cone argues.”

Pastor Wright, of Obama’s church, is in the spotlight as a leader of this movement. I feel terrible for the people of the black community who don’t subscribe to this radical theology (which is not Biblical) because they are labeled as haters of themselves and the black community by Wright:

”’Wright denounces ‘colored preachers’ who don’t subscribe to black liberation theology as people who “hate themselves, who hate Black people, who desperately want to be white and who write and say stupid things in public to make ‘Masa’ feel safer.”’”

“’The April 2007 Trumpet features an article by black-liberation theologian Obery M. Hendricks Jr., who attacks conservative Christians as emulating those who killed Jesus, rather than following the practice of Jesus himself,’ notes Kurtz.

‘Many good church-going folk have been deluded into behaving like modern-day Pharisees and Sadducees when they think they’re really being good Christians,’ contends Hendricks, who writes in Trumpet that these believers have become ‘like the false prophets of Baal.

‘George Bush and his unwitting prophets of Baal may well prove to be the foremost distorters of the true practice of Jesus’ Gospel of peace, liberation, and love ever seen in modern times,’ writes Hendricks.”

Finally, Barack Obama said something that was rather interesting and is a growing concern within the Christian community. That is, that there is more than one way to heaven and therefore to God. There is the false belief circulating that all paths lead to God. “God is loving, God is kind, He would never reject those who earnestly seek Him even if it is through Mormonism or Islam or Buddhism,” they say. But they’re wrong.

Obama said in a 2004 interview with the Chicago Sun-Times that:

“I’m rooted in the Christian tradition. I believe that there are many paths to the same place, and that is a belief that there is a higher power, a belief that we are connected as a people.”

This same sentiment was echoed by Joel Osteen in a July 2005 interview with Larry King who refused to stand up for Jesus and proclaim Him the only way to God:

“KING: What if you’re Jewish or Muslim, you don’t accept Christ at all?

OSTEEN: You know, I’m very careful about saying who would and wouldn’t go to heaven. I don’t know …

KING: If you believe you have to believe in Christ? They’re wrong, aren’t they?

OSTEEN: Well, I don’t know if I believe they’re wrong. I believe here’s what the Bible teaches and from the Christian faith this is what I believe. But I just think that only God with judge a person’s heart. I spent a lot of time in India with my father. I don’t know all about their religion. But I know they love God. And I don’t know. I’ve seen their sincerity. So I don’t know. I know for me, and what the Bible teaches, I want to have a relationship with Jesus.”

The root of the issue is not Black Liberation Theology specifically but the lack of conviction that we as Christians have toward God, generally. We are afraid to stand on God’s Word because we feel that we be made fun of or be perceived as “closed-minded” or “right-wingers” or out of touch with the World. What is wrong with ascribing glory to the Son and proclaiming Him the way to the Father? He says it of Himself:

“Jesus said, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Me.’” – John 14:6

Or how can we deny the Word of God when it is written of Jesus:

“And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under Heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” – Acts 4:12

So Black Liberation Theology accentuates the innate problem that exists in mainstream Christianity. We are afraid to stand up to these people who distort the Gospel to their own desires (2 Timothy 4:3-5) and therefore dishonor and disgrace God Himself. If we allow this theology to perpetuate itself unhindered within our society long enough it becomes truth. A lie that is allowed to live long enough eventually becomes truth.

I think the root of our issue that we don’t know our own Scriptures well enough to defend. We resort to “well I think” or “I feel” theology rather than being able to find Scripture like John 14:6 or Acts 4:12. What we say or think doesn’t matter. What He says is everything.

Do you believe what the Word of God says? Or to you is it outdated and not current with today? If you believe in what it says, which I hope you do, then you should feel confident in standing on the Rock which is the Word of God given to man. It wasn’t just given to us to make us feel good. Among other things, it was given to us to show us what God desires in no uncertain terms. If you believe, as the Scriptures plainly say, that only through Jesus will we ever be reconciled to God and therefore have eternal fellowship with Him then tell others that confidently. The Word of God can be rejected by men (and it will) but it can never be defeated. We see this when Jesus is revealed in all His glory at the end of the Tribulation where He is described as having a sharp sword coming out of His mouth which is the Word of God:

“From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. … And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.” – Revelation 19:15,21

“The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of God stands forever.” – Isaiah 40:8

I encourage you to know His Word. He desires that we know it (Jesus to the Father: “Your Word is truth…” – John 17:17). He is worth defending. He is worth knowing about. He is worth everything. He gave everything so that we might be with Him where He is so that we may always be with the Lord. Don’t be ashamed of Him. Stand up to the bullies who distort His truth. Build your house upon the rock rather than the sand so that when the hard times come (and they will) you may stand firm knowing that the truth that is revealed to you is THE truth. Fear God and not men.

Later Eriek

Everyone –

My last blog posting contained this quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer:

“We must learn to know the Scriptures again, as the Reformers and our fathers knew them. We must not grudge the time and the work it takes. We must know the Scriptures first and foremost for the sake of our salvation. But besides this, there are ample reasons that make this requirement exceedingly urgent. How, for example, shall we ever attain certainty and confidence in our personal and church activity if we do not stand on solid Biblical ground? It is not our heart that determines our course, but God’s Word. But who in this day has any proper understanding of the need for scriptural proof? How often we hear innumerable arguments ‘from life’ and ‘from experience’ put forward as the basis for most crucial decisions, but the argument of Scripture is missing. And this authority would perhaps point exactly in the opposite direction. It is not surprising, of course, that the person who attempts to cast discredit upon their wisdom should be the one who himself does not seriously read, know, and study the Scriptures. But one who will not learn to handle the Bible for himself is not an evangelical Christian.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer, “Life Together,” pp. 54,55

He makes a convicting point in his book about Christian love and how it can only be defined through the Word of God. For God has left us an example in Jesus Christ, as well as the Apostles, of the love that is spiritual rather than human. He surmises, correctly, that we cannot not truly love the way Christ loves by coming to the definition on our own terms. Man is darkened by sin and therefore his thoughts, actions, and deeds are all muddied by that sin. No one seeks after God….no not one. And if man is darkened, then the Word of God is foolishness to him before God, through the Holy Spirit, quickens him and allows him to cry out to God and receive forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ. It is only at that time that the Word makes sense (..”combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words…”).

So why don’t we read it more?

In the current chapter I’m reading on “Community” and the blessings of that fellowship in true Christian love. And this love can only be defined in God’s Word. And if we don’t read God’s Word then we don’t know how to really love and therefore the love with which we end up loving is conceived in the mind of man which will, by definition, falls short of the love God.

In the following statements, Bonhoeffer shows just how important the Word of God is for it defines who we ought to be and why. I thought you might glean some blessings from them. Enjoy:

“…the Christian is the man who no longer seeks his salvation, his deliverance, his justification in himself, but in Jesus Christ alone. He knows that God’s Word in Jesus Christ pronounces him guilty, even when he does not feel his guilt, and God’s Word in Jesus Christ pronounces him not guilty and righteous, even when he does not feel that he is righteous at all. The Christian no longer lives of himself, by his own claims and his own justification, but by God’s claims and God’s justification. He lives wholly by God’s Word pronounced upon him, whether that Word declares him guilty or innocent.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer, “Life Together,” pp. 21-22

“But God has put this Word into the mouth of men in order that it may be communicated to other men. When once person is struck by the Word, he speaks it to others.” – Bonhoeffer, p. 22

“What love is, only Christ tells in his Word. Contrary to all my own opinions and convictions, Jesus Christ will tell me what love toward the brethren really is. Therefore, spiritual love is bound solely to the Word of Jesus Christ. Where Christ bids me to maintain fellowship for the sake of love, I will maintain it. Where his truth enjoins me to dissolve a fellowship for love’s sake, there I will dissolve it, despite all the protests of my human love. Because spiritual love does not desire but rather serves, it loves an enemy as a brother. It originates neither in the brother nor in the enemy but in Christ from his Word. Human love can never understand spiritual love, for spiritual love is from above; it is something completely strange, new, and incomprehensible to all earthly love.” – Bonhoeffer, p. 35

“As only Christ can speak to me in such a way that I may be saved, so others, too, can be saved only by Christ himself. This means that I must release the other person from every attempt of mine to regulate, coerce, and dominate him with my love. The other person needs to retain his independence of me; to loved for what he is, as one for whom Christ became man, died, and rose again, for whom Christ bought forgiveness of sins and eternal life. Because Christ has long since acted decisively for my brother, before I could begin to act, I must leave him his freedom in Christ’s; I must meet him only as the person that he already is in Christ’s eyes. This is the meaning of the proposition that we can meet others only through the mediation of Christ. Human love constructs its own image of the other person, of what he is and what he should become. It takes the life of the other person into its own hands. Spiritual love recognizes the true image of the other person which he has received from Jesus Christ; the image that Jesus Christ himself embodied and would stamp upon all men. Therefore, spiritual love proves itself in that everything it says and does commends Christ.” – Bonhoeffer, p. 36

Later Eriek

Everyone –

“Now when the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to test him with difficult questions.” – 1 Kings 10:1

If you could ask for one thing of the Lord what would it be?

That was the opportunity presented to Solomon shortly after the death of his father, David. In a dream God came to Solomon and told him, “Ask what you wish me to give you.” (1 Kings 3:5c). After praising Him and relating to Him his concern, Solomon asks,

“…give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?” – 1 Kings 3:10a

What was God’s response? It was one filled with joy and honor as of a proud Father:

“Because you have asked this thing and have not asked for yourself long life, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have you asked for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself discernment to understand justice, behold, I have done according to your words. Behold, I have given you a wise and discerning heart, so that there has been no one like you before you, nor shall one like you arise after you.” – 1 Kings 3:11,12

It was this wisdom that the Queen of Sheba came to observe. She had heard about it but had come from afar to see for herself if it was true. But what she found was not exactly as she had expected – it was far more:

“Then she said to the king, ‘It was a true report which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom. Nevertheless I did not believe the reports, until I came and my eyes had seen it. And behold, the half was not told me. You exceed in wisdom and prosperity the report that I heard.’” – 1 Kings 10:6,7

But when she says “your words and wisdom” she really means, “God’s words and wisdom” for it was He who gave it to Solomon. The words that he spoke and the wisdom he possessed were all a gift of God and from God. So when we read in the book of Proverbs the insight of Solomon we are reading the true instruction from God. For Solomon’s words are inspired as the Scriptures plainly prove:

“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” – 2 Timothy 3:16,17

I think that the purpose and effect of God’s word is stated nicely by Solomon:

“My son, if you will receive my words And treasure my commandments within you, Make your ear attentive to wisdom, Incline your heart to understanding; For if you cry for discernment, Lift your voice for understanding; If you seek her as silver And search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will discern the fear of the Lord And discover the knowledge of God.” – Proverbs 2:1-5

It is any wonder, then, that those who heard the very instruction of God were blessed as the Queen of Sheba pointed out?:

“How blessed are your men, how blessed are these your servants who stand before you continually and hear your wisdom.” – 1 Kings 10:8

Can we draw a parallel between the servants of Solomon and us today? For if they were blessed by listening to Solomon – God’s inspired instruction – should we be any less blessed through reading His recorded Word?

Notice two things about the servants and then compare them to yourself:

1. They stood before him continually

- these men were constantly in “the Word” through Solomon. Can you say that about yourself? Do you ever wonder why you feel spiritually empty or distant from God? Have you considered that you haven’t spent enough time in His presence through His Word? These men were there CONSISTENTLY. How often are you there?

2. They heard the wisdom

- notice they didn’t say, “listened to the wisdom.” There is a difference here. These men not only listened to it but they applied and absorbed it – they heard it. It is not enough to check the box and read God’s Word (listening). We are instructed to dwell upon the word of the Lord (hearing):

“Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” – Colossians 3:16

In one of the final prayers that Jesus made to the Father on our behalf He asked Him for this:

“Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.” – John 17:17

One of Jesus’ final requests and desires was that we, His servants and followers, might dwell upon the Word of God for instruction, guidance, and righteousness. By pursuing these we will “renew our mind” and make our ways His ways and thereby, step by step, become more Christ-like in our attitudes, thoughts, and actions. It was the desire of our Lord that we read His word – should we then deny our Lord and reject His desire?

I’ll leave you with this final thought by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He was a German Christian whose life was ruled by this overwhelming truth: “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer was hanged for his witness for Christ by the Germans on Sunday, April 9, 1945. He was a true man of Christ and he had this to say about the study of God’s Word:

“We must learn to know the Scriptures again, as the Reformers and our fathers knew them. We must not grudge the time and the work it takes. We must know the Scriptures first and foremost for the sake of our salvation. But besides this, there are ample reasons that make this requirement exceedingly urgent. How, for example, shall we ever attain certainty and confidence in our personal and church activity if we do not stand on solid Biblical ground? It is not our heart that determines our course, but God’s Word. But who in this day has any proper understanding of the need for scriptural proof? How often we hear innumerable arguments ‘from life’ and ‘from experience’ put forward as the basis for most crucial decisions, but the argument of Scripture is missing. And this authority would perhaps point exactly in the opposite direction. It is not surprising, of course, that the person who attempts to cast discredit upon their wisdom should be the one who himself does not seriously read, know, and study the Scriptures. But one who will not learn to handle the Bible for himself is not an evangelical Christian.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer, “Life Together,” pp. 54,55

Later Eriek

Everyone –

I just finished reading Mistaken Identity by Van Ryn, Cerak, and Tab.

It’s amazing. Go read it now. It will change your life.

It’s the story of two girls along with their five friends involved in a car accident on their way back from a Bible Camp. The two girls, Whitney Cerak and Laura Van Ryn, had their identities mistaken at the scene of the horrific crash that took the lives of everyone but one. It’s the one, Whitney, that this book centers on. For over five weeks she was mistakenly identified as Laura Van Ryn and it wasn’t until she started her rehab that the mistake was discovered that changed forever the lives of two families.

What I found absolutely encouraging and touching is their transparent love for God through His Son Jesus Christ. They constantly honor Him by showing how they depended and relied upon Him during these trials. The Prologue written by the two families sets the tone that will permeate the rest of the book:

“It is a horrible thing to lose a child. Yet even in the midst of the worst tragedies, God reveals Himself. These are not just words we use to keep our spirits up during difficult days. We have experienced this revelation for ourselves. Above all things, this is the message we hope to convey. This is a story about God’s grace and His love for us that transcends the worst this world can dish out.”

I think that which impacted me most was the faith lived out by these families. As Tony Evan’s has said, and I paraphrase, “Many Christians want to audit the Christian life as they would audit a college class. They want all the information and they want to know all that the Bible teaches but when it comes time to take the test they’re afraid. They’re content just knowing. But knowing is just knowledge and worthless until you put it into action and live it out.” These families live out their faith. It is probably the greatest witness we can give the secular world and to each other and these families shine. They would probably tell you that they’re just doing the best that they can and what they do is nothing special. But it is. To many of us LIVING the life is much different than KNOWING the life.

One final note to make. We are all taught that there is a “Purpose” to our life. Everyone is seeking their purpose and they feel discontent until they do. We’ve been told to try and find it. This is a question that Whitney Cerak asks herself at the end of the book as she questions why she survived and the others didn’t. Her insight is dead on perfect:

“At the end of [Saving Private Ryan] Tom Hank’s character says to Private Ryan with his dying breath something like, “Earn this.” It’s like he’s telling Private Ryan to do something special with his life that it will make the other soldiers’ deaths worth it. That’s kind of how I felt when people told me how God must have some great purpose in mind for me. I started to think that if I didn’t do something amazing with my life, then I was letting God and everyone in the accident down. One day I was having coffee with a friend named Brad, and I told him a little about how I’d been feeling. In response, he read me a story from the Old Testament book of 1 Kings. In the story, a prophet named Elijah goes out in the desert to talk to God. He’s waiting for God when he hears this giant windstorm that is so strong in tears rocks apart. But God isn’t in the windstorm. Then there’s an earthquake, but God isn’t in the earthquake. Then there’s a fire, but God isn’t in the fire. Finally, he hears a gentle whisper, and he realizes it’s God. Another friend had read the same story to me during my freshman year, so I knew God was telling me something through it. I realized that instead of thinking that my life has to be some big windstorm or earthquake for God, perhaps I only have to let Him whisper gently through my life. That story made me realize I don’t have to accomplish some giant thing for God. If I’m just a camp counselor who makes the difference in the life of one person, or if I’m just a mom who loves her children and tells them about Jesus, that’s enough. It took a little while, but I finally figured out that God’s purpose is for me to let Him do whatever He wants in my life, big or small. Being a part of writing this book may be the last ‘big’ thing I ever do, and I’m fine with that.”

While reading through the book of Romans, this exact point is made. We are alive in Christ and put away the things of the flesh. With this life that we live for and through Christ our purpose is to bear fruit for Him:

“I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification. … Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.” – Romans 6:19; 7:4

That’s it. Bear fruit. How and in what manner and in what quantity is up to God. If we stay in His word and obey Him (He is Savior and Lord after all) how can we not bear fruit for Him?

So go out and buy Mistaken Identity. Your life will be blessed by going through this amazing experience with the Cerak and Van Ryn families. Mine was.

Later Eriek

“As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, ‘YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.’” – 1 Peter 1:14-16

“For I am the Lord who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God; thus you shall be holy, for I am holy.” – Leviticus 11:45

As we start the new year we bring with us old habits that we wish we could change, amend, or get rid of all together. Many times that thing that we struggle with and that which causes sin in our lives we wish we could remove from our midst. Maybe it was the use of profanity in our speech (Colossians 3:8), sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 6:18), drinking in an uncontrolled manner (Ephesians 5:18) or any numerous things that we do that we wish we hadn’t (Romans 7:14-25). But the mere fact that we realize our sin, and that it bothers us, is a blessing and proof that God is working in our lives.

The truth of the matter is that before Christ, if we had done those things they would not have bothered us at all. In fact, we would have enjoyed them and had given “hearty approval” to those who did the same (Romans 1:32). So the blessing is the conviction of the Holy Spirit and the chastisement from God:

“And He [the Holy Spirit], when He comes, will convict the world of sin and righteousness and judgment;” – John 16:8

“It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?” – Hebrews 12:7

So what is the purpose of all the “pain” of suffering when we do wrong? What is God’s purpose for it?

A) to share in His holiness

B) to yield the peaceful fruit of righteousness

“For they [our earthly fathers] disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.” – Hebrews 12:10,11

Remember: Be Holy as I am Holy.

If we can wrap our heads around those two points and see their significance then I believe our desire to sin will dramatically decrease. When those two points become your goals in life, then the cravings of the flesh will loose their bite and through the power of the Holy Spirit you will be able to resist the temptation to sin because you desire a greater prize worth striving for: holiness and righteousness.

Reality check: sin will always be at the door knocking to come in. The question becomes, “Will you answer that door?” The first time you do not answer the door it’s really hard. But each time after that it becomes a little easier. It will get to the point where that sin doesn’t overpower you anymore. But you will still have to endure the temptation always, but the strength of that temptation will decrease with time. That is the victory we have in Christ: to endure the temptation and through His power and grace overcome it.

“No temptation has overtaken you but such is as common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.” – 1 Corinthians 10:13

So as we go into 2008 let us go confidently. Desire to live a life that pleases the Lord. Desire to overcome the sin that repeatedly comes at you. Focus on God and desire to share in His holiness and desire the peaceful fruit of righteousness. Peaceful in the sense that you will feel full of joy and love rather than disappointment or sadness. Desire to be a slave to Christ rather than a slave to sin. When you are free in Christ you are indeed free and have the resources of the eternal, omnipotent God at your disposal:

“Jesus answered them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.’” – John 8:34-36

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” – John 10:27

The phrase “Follow Me” is one that Jesus used frequently. With those two words He summed up His desire for those that call Him both Lord and Savior. Usually, the Savior part is easy. But many times we forget about the Lordship that Jesus carries. So what does it mean to “follow” Jesus and what does it mean for me?

Notice that He doesn’t say, “I’ll back you up. I’m right behind you! Walk in front of Me and I’ll take care of you.” Rather, He takes the posture of leadership. He asks us to follow Him which necessitates that He is in front. He does not ask us to do anything that He Himself is not willing to do. He sets this up in the book of John when He says,

“If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent great than the one who sent him.” – John 13:14-16

Jesus Himself points out that the life He lived here on earth was as an example for us to follow. I’ve always maintained that if it was good enough for Jesus it should be good enough for us. We are definitely not greater than our Master. I think we would all agree upon that. But it becomes more difficult to want to agree with it when you read things like this:

“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.” – John 15:18-20

In the book of Mark there is a key sequence of events that take place that can sum up the believers life. They are as follows:

“Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’ As He was going along by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.’ Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.” – Mark 1:14 – 18

Now, there are many things to focus on in this passage, but I think for our purposes the order of events is imperative:

1. Jesus sought out those that are His (“going along the sea”)

2. Jesus called out to them (“repent and believe” and “follow Me”)

3. They responded positively (“immediately”)

4. They followed Him

This is exactly the experience that a person has when they experience Salvation. The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin and need of a savior, we hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and we respond to its calling and are pulled out of darkness and into the light by God. But it is the final aspect that interests me.

What does it mean to “follow” Jesus?

There are approximately 16 verses in which Jesus says “follow Me.” In Matthew 4:19 and Mark 1:17 He says it to Simon and Andrew. In Matthew 9:9, Mark 2:14, and Luke 5:27 He calls out to Matthew. And finally in John 1:43 we see Him call out to Philip with this phrase.

It is the other instances where we can glean what is involved when we follow Jesus.

1. We are to proclaim the Kingdom of God

“And He said to another, ‘Follow Me.’ But he said, ‘Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.’ But He said to him, ‘Allow the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go an proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God.’” – Luke 9:59,60

Jesus was not trying to be rude when He stated this. He was merely casting light on the importance of proclaiming the life giving gospel of God rather than dealing with those whom you are unable to help. Also, by using this extreme example He was stressing how important it is to tell others of the good news. After all, it is the great commission that He bestowed upon us in Matthew 28:19,20.

2. We must walk away from our past way of living and turn towards righteousness and godliness for Jesus

“Another also said, “I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home.’ But Jesus said to him, ‘No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.’” – Luke 9:61,62

This statement by Jesus was made immediately following and in the same context of His admonition to proclaim the Gospel to all. He is merely saying that once you decide to follow Jesus (“putting his hand to the plow”) we should not look back to our former life and yearn for it. Remember what happened to Israel when they were called out of Egypt. Once they waked away from Egypt, which is a metaphor for the world, they began to grumble and moan. They kept complaining to Moses to let them return to Egypt (the world) because they didn’t like where they were. God, in His wrath, denied them passage to the promised land (Canaan) and made them wonder the desert for 40 years until that generation that yearned for Egypt died. They were not fit to enter into the land of Canaan.

Likewise, we are not fit for the Kingdom if we continually yearn for what we were. We are supposed to walk away from those things that are unrighteous, unholy, and sinful. However, it will not happen overnight but it should be the continual and deliberate pursuit on the part of the believer. It is what is called Progressive Sanctification – the process of turning more and more away from the darkness to the light through the power and support of the Holy Spirit. It is the process in which we desire to become more Christ-like.

3. We must not be ashamed of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and publicly acknowledge who He is to others

“And He was saying to them all, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.” – Luke 9:23

When a prisoner was condemned under Roman rule, they were required to carry their cross through the public streets as an affirmation of their guilt. In essence, they were admitting that the Roman Empire was right and that he was wrong.

Similarly, Jesus asks us to carry our cross. The cross represents the necessity for the atoning work that Jesus did for us on the cross. By carrying our cross we admit that Jesus was right that we needed a savior for we could not atone for our sins in and of ourselves. It was only through the perfect obedience and perfect blood of the spotless Lamb that we are saved. By carrying our cross we demonstrate to others whose we are and we show others that we are not ashamed of the Gospel for, as John writes, “it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16). Finally, notice that it is asked of us to carry our cross “daily” and not when it is convenient or when we are only around believers.

4. We must live sacrificially for and unto God

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal. If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.” – John 12:24-26

Jesus is speaking of our priority of love. Do we put God ahead of all else – our families, our friends, ourself? Or do we put something ahead of Him – idolatry?

Since we were unable to save ourselves it is logical to believe that we cannot do great things in and of ourself for God apart from God. We must make Him the priority – for through Him and in Him all things flow. He is the root, we are the vine. Without Him, we cannot bear anything for Him.

5. We must not cling to those things that are temporary, but look upon those things that are eternal

“As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and asked Him, ‘Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments, “DO NO MURDER, DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, DO NOT STEAL, DO NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS, Do not defraud, HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER.”’ And he said to Him, ‘Teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth up.’ Looking at him, Jesus felt love for him and said to him, ‘One thing you lack; go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.’ But at these words he was saddened, and he went away grieving, for he was one who owned much property.” – Mark 10:17-22

The pursuit of possessions or the love of possessions can hinder us from being useful to God. When we decide to follow Jesus, we prioritize Him above all else. Ask yourself this question: is there anything that you would not give up if were asked of you by God? What about your life? That is the ultimate possession, isn’t it? Nevertheless, it is something that He has given to us and can, at His whim, take it away. As Lot says, and I paraphrase a bit, “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” There should be nothing in a believer’s life that he/she would not give to the Lord if they were to ask it of us.

6. We need to follow Him even when we don’t know (or if we think we know) where He will take us

”’Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old,you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go.’ Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, ‘Follow Me!’ Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them (i.e. John); the one who also had leaned back on His bosom at the supper and said, ‘Lord, who is the one who betrays You?’ So Peter seeing him said to Jesus, ‘Lord, and what about this man?’ Jesus said to him, ‘If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!’” – John 21:18-22

We see that Peter shown how he would die for the Lord. In typical Peter fashion, he spoke before he thought and asked essentially, “Well, what about John? Is he going to die like this too? It’s unfair!” But we see that Jesus rebuked him.

We don’t know where our Lord will lead us. Today could be our final day on earth. It could be tomorrow or it could be 60 years from now. We have no real control over that. We are told only to “Follow Me.” And we should say, “Yes, Lord.” But realize that there is no where that our Lord Jesus Christ would ask us to go that He hasn’t already been.

If Jesus is truly the Lord and Savior of your life then really let Him be Lord. It’s easy to let Him be Savior but our love for Him really shines when we let Him be Lord of our life. Remember what He said in the beginning?

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” – John 10:27

Do you hear Him?

later Eriek

Everyone -

It’s been six years since the World Trade Center, and America, was attacked. And we still have a hole in the ground. It’s a shame.

America, in this day and age, is so confounded by bipartisan bickering that we have been unable to honor the fallen properly. There are many who want to put up a shrine to those fallen – but how do you design that shrine so that no one is “offended” or “left out”? There are others who argue that the architect isn’t of a certain race or color or their religious background isn’t politically correct – but people from all races, creeds, religions and ideas were killed in those towers. The terrorists who carried this out didn’t care. They were too blind with hate and drunk with blood to care. They wanted to make a statement no matter what the cost. In that moment, they were as egocentric as anyone could ever become.

We live in a day where we are dominated by “Relativism” where black and white do not exist but are blended into some sort of gray. No longer does “1+1=2” since there may be someone who might argue that they “don’t think” that is the right answer. So we are stuck in this area where truth is relative and personal rather than….truth.

But what did you expect? We have taken God out of the equation by allowing truth to slide to opinion. We’ve come to an extreme case of liberalism where we start to say things like, “I don’t agree with what Bobby is doing, but who am I to tell him what to do?” Or, “I don’t agree with homosexuality/abortion/pornography, but that is my opinion and I can’t force it onto another person. That is their choice and as long as it doesn’t affect me, then it’s ok.”

Well it’s not ok.

And we do have a right to tell people that what they are doing is wrong.

There are truths and there is black and white.

Christians can have personal opinions but what should really matter to them is what God says about it.

That is the beauty of God. He has preserved His Word for a reason. It’s not just some “historical account” that is there to guide us. God has revealed Himself through His Word and the standards He expects of us. Sin separates us from God. Do you think He’d write a book that gave a half-hazard account of what is and is not sin? Do you think He’d go through the trouble is sending His Son to die for our sin and then leave us with no idea what “sin” was? Never.

As Paul expresses,

“What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting is the Law had not said, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COVET.’” – Romans 7:7

All throughout the Old Testament we see what God thinks of sin. In the New Testament He tells us what He thinks about sinners. In either case, sin is revealed. God’s Word is truth. We can rest on it. No longer do we have to say, “I think” about something. We can say, “This is what God says” about it.

God’s word stands firm. There is no avoiding or dodging it. Sin is sin. You are condemned under sin unless you are free through the Son.

Israel had just begun to enter the land of promise that God was giving them – Canaan. One barrier they had was the River Jordan that, as this time of year, was overflowing her banks. God instructed the Israelites to allow the men who were carrying the Ark of the Covenant (where God dwelled for Israel) to step into the Jordan River and cross. It was told them that when the Priests stepped into the waters that the Jordan River would recede and they would walk on dry ground and pass safely. Notice, however, that God did not dry the waters and then they had the faith to cross – they had to step out in faith and God then dried the waters.

After they got to the other side of the river God said the gather stones from within the Jordan River to act as a memorial:

“Now when all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord spoke to Joshua, saying, ‘Take for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man from each tribe, and command them saying, “Take up for yourselves twelve stones from here out of the middle of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet are standing firm, and carry them over with you and lay then down in the lodging place where you will lodge tonight.” So Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed from the sons of Israel, one man from each tribe; and Joshua said to them, ‘Cross again to the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan, and each of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel. Let this be a sign among you, so that when your children ask later, saying, “What do these stones mean to you?” then you shall say to them, “Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off.” So these stones shall become a memorial to the sons of Israel forever.’” – Joshua 4:1-7

It is in this light that I feel like the Twin Towers in New York City should be rebuilt as they were before – but only better and more glorious. To build a shrine to the fallen would be a nice gesture, but to rebuild the Twin Towers would be a slap in the face to those who dared to attack us. It would show the unity of this country and the determination we have, the resolve we have, to fight the good fight against those who wish to do harm to not only us, but the who world. We must rebuild. But we will not be able to do so until we are united and strong. Most of all, it will mean nothing unless we bring God back into His proper place – first. A country without God is doomed. If there is no fear of God then there is likewise no respect for Him or His standard of righteousness and holiness.

The Twin Towers, if rebuilt, could be our stones that we stack as a memorial. Not only to the people who have fallen, but to the God of the Universe to whom we owe everything. Further in the book of Joshua, it is elaborated as to why the stones are important:

“For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed, just as the Lord your God had done to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed; that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, so that you may fear the Lord your God forever.” – Joshua 4:23,24

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” say Proverbs 1:7. There is a difference between knowledge and understanding. Knowledge is just being aware of the information. Understanding and Wisdom are the application of said knowledge.

We need the fear of the Lord. To see why, read Proverbs 2.

later Eriek

Everyone -

My wife and I just got back from Jamaica. It was wonderful. But what is so frustrating and interesting at the same time is how so much poverty and so much luxury can co-exist in the same area.

After you land at the airport it takes you about 2 hours (or more) to reach your resort. Along the way all you see are these half-completed homes and shacks that look like they may fall with the next hurricane (and these shacks are completed!). These homes are made out of concrete and are usually two stories each. They look like they might be the size of a very nice two-story apartment if the individual rooms were separated from each other. As you look at the homes, they generally have reinforcement wire sticking out like a Rastafarian’s hair that had been dreaded for about 10 years. There are pillars that stand alone holding nothing but the sun as it rises and falls. These homes will one day be beautiful structures, but as they are they stand as a reminder of the poverty and difficulty life brings to a Jamaican. Yeah mon.

!

As we were coming home the bus driver explained why these concrete homes were so incomplete. The cost of the average home is around $15,000 US dollars which is a terribly large sum of money for these people. And the average mortgage has an interest rate of around 40%! So it’s no wonder not many are unable to own homes. But it turns out that these people will work off of cash and build their home little by little as they have allowance. He said sometimes it takes around 20 years to complete a house and often the job is passed onto the next generation in the family.

Imagine the patience and dedication!

Isn’t this just like our Father? This reminds me of how He is building up His church and His people little by little and in His way and on His time.

“For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building. According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” – 1 Corinthians 3:9-11

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” – Ephesians 2:10

“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.” – Ephesians 2:19-22

This idea of the “cornerstone” being a metaphor for Jesus or the coming Messiah (same thing) is an important concept that God uses over and over. In the Old Testament is it used three times with this meaning:

Psalm 118:22; Isaiah 28:16; Zechariah 10:4

And this idea obviously had a considerable impact on the Apostles and disciples of Jesus as they used it seven times in the New Testament in reference to Him:

Matthew 21:42; Mark 12:10; Luke 20:17; Acts 4:11; Ephesians 2:20; 1 Peter 2:6; 1 Peter 2:7

It’s importance is obvious. Anything that is not based upon the foundation of Jesus Christ that has already been established is futile and worthless. In fact, all that exists has been made through Him:

“All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.” – John 1:3

Most of all, Christianity is based upon Him. He is the object by which all else is measured. He is the foundation by which all decisions are made. He is the support upon which all rests and all depend for without Him none would be saved:

“And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” – Acts 4:12

Is He your cornerstone? What part are you playing in this building He is making? Are you watching it being made or are you participating in it’s construction? And most of all, since He may not return in our lifetime (come, Lord Jesus), is this building we are making going to be a generational affair? What do your children know of Him? What do your friends know of Him?

“Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men.” – Colossians 3:23

Take care, Eriek

PS: please pray for those on Jamaica. As of this writing Hurricane Dean is about 24 hours from hitting the island with the most fierce wind that Jamaica has ever had – sustained winds of 150mph from a potential Category 4 hurricane.

As I was preparing for a lesson something struck me as odd. In the book of Judges, there are five instances where, as the text declares, Israel “did evil in the sight of the Lord.” After each of these instances, we see that God “sold them into the hand” of a king or strengthened that king so that they would rule over Israel as a punishment for their disobedience:

Judges 3:8,14

Judges 3:12

Judges 4:1-3

Judges 6:1-6

Judges 13:1

In each case after having been sold into the hands of their enemies by God, we see that Israel cries out to the Lord. In response to these cries, He, in His grace and mercy, sends a Judge to help them. These cries from Israel are true in all cases but the final instance in Judges 13:1 which is what got me thinking.

In this case, Israel does not cry out to God yet He sends a deliverer named Samson. Now many of us have heard the story of Samson and his strength as he toppled a temple by pushing aside two columns crushing all those who were inside, including himself. But why, in this case, didn’t Israel cry out to God and why, therefore, did He send a deliverer?

A little analysis and background would be helpful here.

Starting in Judges 13:2 we see that a family of the tribe of Dan was to be blessed with a special child – Samson. The woman is instructed by the angel of the Lord not to drink “wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing” (Judges 13:4). Why? Because the angel of the Lord has told her that he is to be a special child called out by the Lord:

“For behold, you shall conceive and give birth to a son, and no razor shall come upon his head, for the boy shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines.” – Judges 13:5

Now, at a surface level, who does that remind you of? Perhaps Jesus?

There are some interesting parallels that develop here. But first we need to look and understand what a Nazirite was and did. Let’s go to Numbers.

The fundamental issue with the vow of an Israelite who decides to become a Nazirite was total dedication to the Lord (Numbers 6:2). He was to abstain from a multitude of items that would render him unclean or not pure such as those listed in verses 3-12 such as:

1. not eating anything produced at all by the grape vine (including seeds and skin)

2. he shall not cut his hair all the days of his vow

3. he shall not go near a dead person (even family members)

Now when you get down to particular rules and regulation, the parallels between Jesus and Samson begin to break down. But that’s to be expected – Jesus is God and these are vows of men. But when you look at the overarching themes of both Samson’s dedication and Jesus’ dedication it paints an interesting picture.

Themes

A. Both Jesus and Samson were born to woman who was barren and had no children:

“There was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren and had no children.” – Judges 13:2

“Mary said to the angel, ‘How an this be, since I am a virgin?’” – Luke 1:34

B. In both cases, the birth of the male child was proclaimed by an angel of the Lord:

“For behold, you shall conceive and give birth to a son, and no razor shall come upon his head, for the boy shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines.” – Judges 13:5

“The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” – Luke 1:30-33

C. Their titles are similar enough suggest that to a Jewish person, one term would have reminded them of the other:

“So he told her all that was in his heart and said to her, ‘A razor has never come on my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb.’” – Judges 13:17a

“and came and lived in a city called Nazareth. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets: ‘He shall be called a Nazarene.’” – Matthew 2:23

D. A complete dedication to God is assumed and required for their roles:

...He shall be hold until the days are fulfilled for which he separated himself to the Lord…” – Numbers 6:5b

“I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.” – John 5:30

While the associations are admittedly loose, the parallels are interesting. And there is one final bit that could be considered although it is weak when analyzed deeper. And that is this: when the days of his vow are over, the Nazirite is required to bring a sacrifice to the tent of meeting:

“Now this is the law of the Nazirite when his days of his separation are fulfilled, he shall bring the offering to the doorway of the tent of meeting.” – Numbers 6:13

What is interesting, is the type of sacrifices required by the Nazirite:

“He shall present his offering to the Lord: one male lamb a year old without defect for a burnt offering and one ewe-lamb a year old without defect for a sin offering and one ram without defect for a peace offering, and a basket of unleavened cakes of fine flour mixed with oil and unleavened wafers spread with oil, along with their grain offering and their drink offering.” – Numbers 6:14,15

Do you remember what John the Baptist said of Jesus when he first saw Him?

“The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, ‘Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.’” – John 1:29

And what does the book of Hebrews say about the quality of the sacrifice of Jesus?

“how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” – Hebrews 9:14

So we see, then, that Jesus was the fulfillment of the Levitical Law that called for the sacrifice of the male lamb without defect for both/either a sin or burnt offering (Leviticus 9:3; Exodus 12:5) that typified or pointed to Christ. And we see that there are other aspects of the Nazirite’s vow fulfillment that typify Christ:

a) the death of Christ on the cross as the Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7),

b) the believer’s holy walk and complete break from the old life, pictured by the absence of leaven (1 Corinthians 5:7,8) (others think the unleavened bread pictures the sinless humanity of Christ),

c) the resurrection of Christ as prefigured by the firstfruits of the barley harvest (1 Corinthians 15:20-23)

(NOTE: for more information on these topics check out these links:)

Three Sacrifices

Grain Offering – Salt

Burnt Offerings

All of these are contained in some fashion in the requirements of the Nazirite when his days of his vow are fulfilled.

Concluding Thoughts

So why did God send Samson when Israel didn’t cry out for help after they “did evil in the sight of the Lord”? While not definitive, the illustration of the Nazirite has some interesting similarities to the sacrifice of the Nazarene, our Lord Jesus Christ. In this case, after the Old Testament closed there was a period of 400 years where there were no recorded prophetic utterances. During this time Israel fell more and more wayward from God and his statutes and commandments. There is no record of Israel crying out to God for help or, for that matter, the desire to have help. But in God’s grace and mercy He sent His Son to save us. We didn’t ask for it. We don’t deserve it. Yet, He loves us so much that He provided a way for us to avoid the His righteous and justified wrath through His Son Jesus Christ our Lord. How wonderful He is!

“For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even die. But God demonstrates His own love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.” – Romans 5:6-11

The Following is a sermon that the great theologian J. Dwight Pentecost gave at the Dallas Theological Seminary Chapel service. It has some amazing insight on the relationship between the Temple of God and His people. He contrasts the Old Testament Temple with that of the New Testament Temple – us.

So as the Tabernacle of the nation Israel was to reveal the Father, our role, as believers, is to reveal the Father to a world in darkness. Through which we carry on the ministry of Jesus Christ who was sent first, and in part, to reveal the Father.

A New Temple

Given by J. Dwight Pentecost September 1, 2006 at Dallas Theological Seminary Chapel Service

“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.” – 1 Corinthians 6:19.20

Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you.

You are a temple in which God dwells.

Background:

“He erected the court all around the tabernacle and the altar, and hung up the veil for the gateway of the court. Thus Moses finished his work.” – Exodus 40:33

Moses was giving careful instruction about the erection and formation of the Tabernacle. Piece by piece the articles of furniture were installed. When he finished the work a cloud covered the congregation and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. Moses was not able to enter because of the glory of the Lord.

“who alone possess immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.” – 1 Timothy 6:16

Paul writes that God dwells in light into which no man can enter.

“Shekinah.” The outshining of the essential glory that belongs to the God of Glory.

Saul of Tarsus on his way to Damascus saw a great light shining from Heaven and such was its brilliance that he was left blinded.

It was the brilliance of the outshining of the glory of God.

The Synoptic Gospels and their story of the Transfiguration: they exhaust language to try and describe the brilliance of the outshining of the face and of the clothing of Jesus Christ.

The glory that filled the Tabernacle was probably no less than the light that blinded Saul or that radiated from the person of Jesus Christ at His transfiguration.

The light that emanated above the mercy seat transfigured and transformed the Tabernacle so that as men approached the Tabernacle they realized that the transformed building was the channel through which God was revealing Himself to the nation Israel.

He’s a God of glory.

That was the edifice through which God was revealing Himself – His nature, His character – to the nation that He had redeemed by blood from bondage.

“There I will meet with you; and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, I will speak to you about all that I will give you in commandment from the sons of Israel.” – Exodus 25:22

The Tabernacle was designed to be a meeting place between God and His redeemed people. And in connection with the erection of the Tabernacle God had made it very clear, “I will meet with you there.”

It was not meant to attract the nation to itself but became the transformed vehicle through which God revealed Himself.

“For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside.
I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God
Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.” – Psalm 84:10

We can see why David could write so graphically, so beautifully, so gloriously about the power of His God. The doorkeeper is not a casual visitor at the door for he positions himself at the door and takes that door a his place of residence.

David had such a glorious concept of God because he spent time in God’s presence and what which was transfiguring and transforming the physical building was transforming David himself.

He’s learning of God and he can pass that on in the songs that he wrote to be sung to the praise and glory of God.

In the New Testament Jesus Christ came into the world to reveal the Father:

“No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.” – John 1:18

Explained = declared = introduced = revealed.

Jesus Christ’s ministry up the point of His death was not to provide a sacrifice for sins because we were not saved by the life of Christ but by His words and by His works.

Jesus was revealing the Father.

“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” – John 1:14 (dwelt = tabernacled)

He came and “tabernacled” among us. So that the physical body of Christ becomes the channel through which the God of all glory revealed Himself to those whom He’d come to save.

Jesus fulfilled that which the Tabernacle was a prototype, a foreshadow – to reveal the Father.

And when Jesus was challenged about His claim to be the Son of God in John 8:28 He said (paraphrase) “my words and my works are a revelation of My Father because they aren’t My words but My Father’s words, and not My works but My Father’s works.”

“Philip said to Him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.’” – John 14:8

Jesus said to him (paraphrase), “everything I did it wasn’t I doing it, it was the Father doing it. The Father was revealing Himself through My works.”

In John 17 we see Jesus as He is about to move on to the cross and the world still needs a revelation of the Father because they’re in darkness – (paraphrase) “For the same reason that You sent me into the world I now, in turn, send them into the world.”

The work of redemption was not to be done by the twelve who would disseminate the message concerning the Son of God – that could only be accomplished by death. But He is setting them apart to carry on the work that He was first of all sent into the world to do – that is to reveal the Father.

And for that same reason He sends them into the world – to make the Father known.

How would it be done?

In the book of Acts the twelve are duplicating the miracles that Jesus performed. These miracles were not only to convince the nation that Jesus is the Son of God, but through those very miracles to reveal the nature and character of His Father.

It is in this light that Paul is saying to these Corinthians (remember 1 Corinthians 6:19,20 from beginning). God has placed you where you are in order that you might be a tabernacle through which God reveals Himself, makes Himself known, so that man will not be attracted to the Tabernacle, the Temple, but will be attracted to the person who is revealing Himself through you.

This essentially means that every believer is a Theologian – a revealer of God.

“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;” – John 14:16

Jesus promises believers will be indwelt by the Holy Spirit.

“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. … In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.” – John 14:18.20

Jesus promises believers will be indwelt by the Son.

“Jesus answered and said to him, ‘If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.’” – John 15:23

Jesus promised believers will be indwelt by the Father.

And the Triune God who set apart the Tabernacle to be a channel through which God revealed Himself to the people of Israel has set you apart to be the channel through which He reveals Himself, makes Himself known, displays His glory. Not that people would be attracted to the Tabernacle but to the God who indwells it.

This brings us to face a very serious question.

You who are married:
If your spouse were asked to write out her concept of God through what she sees of Him in you, what would be the nature of her theology?

You who are parents:
If your children got the concept of God from what they see you doing and listening to what you say how far short, what the Scripture reveals about God, would their disclosure reveal?

To you who are students:
If your classmates receive their concept of God by what they hear you say, see you do, what would their concept be?

That is why Peter says we are living epistles read and known by all men:

“You are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by all men;” – 2 Corinthians 3:2

It is the desire of God the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit so to live through you, and speak through you that They use you as They used the Tabernacle to reveal His indescribable glory to the nation He redeemed from bondage.

You are theologians. How are you living out what the Bible describes as the “character of God”?

“And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about Him spread through all the surrounding district. And He began teaching in their synagogues and was praised by all. And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written,

‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He annointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor.
He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives,
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set free those who are oppressed,
To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.’

And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, ‘Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’” – Luke 4:14-21

It was customary in the synagogues of Jesus’ day that a guest speaker would give the lesson to all those present. First a section of the Law and the Prophets was read and then the speaker would sit down to give the lesson that might tie them both together. This was the case in which our Lord found Himself on this day. It is obvious that Jesus was highly thought of within the Jewish circles since He was “being glorified” in the synagogues in which He taught and it seemed that He was a consistent attender to these synagogues since it was His custom (verse 16).

While what the Lord proclaimed is amazing – “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” – what I find rather interesting is why He stopped where He did. For notice what the next verse is from Isaiah 61 in which He read:

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
Because the Lord has anointed me
To bring good news to the afflicted;
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to captives
And freedom to prisoners;
To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord
And the day of vengeance of our God;” – Isaiah 61:1,2

Ahhhhhh. Why did He stop there? Judgment is reserved for the Son as the Father has given it to Him as Jesus testifies:

“For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father.” – John 5:22,23

When Jesus came to this earth, He came to set up His kingdom as promised in the Old Testament prophets. Do you remember what John the Baptist proclaimed before Jesus’ ministry began?

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” – Matthew 3:2

He didn’t come for the cross. As J. Dwight Pentecost so effectively says,

“Jesus Christ’s ministry up the point of His death was not to provide a sacrifice for sins because we were not saved by the life of Christ by by His words and His works. Jesus was revealing the Father.”

“And His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.” – John 1:16-18

So Jesus was revealing the Father as He desired to set up His Kingdom. However, Israel rejected, once again, a prophet of God as He testifies:

“But as for Israel He says, ‘All the day long I have stretched out My hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.” – Romans 10:21

What Jesus showed by stopping short from finishing off Isaiah 61 was that His work would be divided into two advents. In His first advent He would do those things written in Isaiah 61:1-2a and in His second advent He will accomplish those things in verses 2b-3. Make no mistake Jesus will return in victory and for judgment. For His holiness demands judgment. Oh what a glorious day it will be when these words come true:

“And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean (note: that’s us!), were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe on on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” – Revelation 19:11-17

Amen! Hallelujah! It will be a great day. But in His grace, He marks out a day that those who do not know Christ can escape His righteous and just wrath: Today (Hebrews 4:7). For with regards to Jesus,

“there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” – Acts 4:12

If you truly believe that, then tell others about Jesus. Share with then the Gospel. Proclaim to the captives that there is liberty in Jesus Christ and that we can find rest in Him. God is wonderful and awesome and gracious and kind. Let others know what you know.

later Eriek

“Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands; and in the midst of I saw one like the son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash.” – Revelation 1:12,13

The lampstands represent the churches in seven distinct areas of the Roman province of Asia during the time of Christ. We see here, then, Christ standing in the midst of the churches. For at one point of His ministry while on earth He says, “I am the light of the world” and then before He went away He said to His disciples, “You are the light of the world.” We are to shine for Him here while He is away. The light from the lampstands here is the light that we must shine on the world while He is away. And in this verse, we see Christ standing in the midst of His church.

“So we see that this One in the midst is the Son of Man, yet God Himself. The Lord Jesus Christ has that double character, and His place is always in the midst. Jesus in the midst! No company of believers deserves to be called a Christian company that does not give Him that place. But, ‘Where two or three are gathered together in My name,’ He says, ‘there I am in the midst.’ You remember when He hung on the cross, between two thieves, He saved one of them who turned to Him in faith. When He rose from the dead, and His disciples were gathered together in the upper room, ‘There came Jesus and stood in the midst.’ In the 5th chapter of the Revelation, John looked and saw the Lamb, ‘in the midst of the throne, in the midst of the elders, and in the midst of the living creatures.’ This is the place that ever belongs to our Lord Jesus – the central place, the preeminent place. God must have Jesus in the midst.” (Ironside, “Revelation,” p. 28)

…

This is so true. We must always have Jesus as the focus of our lives. Every action, reaction, and decision should focus on Christ. Our Father puts Him in the center of all things, should we do no less? Give the glory to Him that He deserves. Do what you do for Him!

Later

Eriek

The following is a letter that I saw on the desk of a physician that I know in Bryan, Texas. He said it was a patient that he had and the experience that she had while sick.

This morning as I was resting in bed, I experienced extraordinary dreams or twilight sleep visions. I felt sensations within my body that were indescribable. By merely touching any place on my body, I was filled internally with joy, ecstasy, complete serenity. Then I saw myself being greeted by Dad, Mom and others I couldn’t identify, but which were surrounded by love, peace and smiles, and joy. Then I saw and felt myself being drawn closer and hugged in enveloping soft folds of material which were like a robe. I felt arms around me hugging me tightly and softly stroking my body. I saw this occurring as though I was standing off to the side and yet I could feel and experience what I was seeing. Then I saw that it was Jesus smiling at me while lightly touching my face. There was such complete love, joy and I see it in my mind still. I know this vision is now mine to call on when I need it or want it. I am filled with love, never before experienced. This is a gift for me. I am blessed. I am grateful. I will pass these feelings which are divine and holy as best I can, when I can. Never will I share this with anyone for it is a heavenly gift which defies explanation. I am so happy for I am LOVED. Thank you Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit for this blessing.

Knowing his will, letting go, trusting, believing, obeying. I am consumed in love, peace and joy. I want to fill my mind with good and joyful information, to dwell on God’s works instead of man’s, and where possible to pass on the serenity and joy of life. I want to remember to let God’s words out to those in need. I am surrounded by angels and I watch for them, listen to them and let my faith transform fear. Anger solves nothing and poisons the air. I want to daily pass on love and laughter, joy and comfort where and to whom I am able to do so. When in doubt, smile. Believe in what’s happening and share it with all.

This is all a miracle. Thank you. I am filled with love.

- This was written in her own hand by Betty Lee Keehan on the day of her death, April 24th, 2003.

Everyone –

I was listening to a sermon the other day and there was an interesting bit of information that I thought we could all use. The pastor was discussing the Temple which was the place where God dwelled during the time of the Old Testament Israel. Only the priests could minister directly before the Ark of the Covenant above which the glory of the Lord would present Himself. However, Israel would come to the Temple to worship God because that is where He was. But, as you walked up to the Temple one of the first things you would encounter would be the altar where they made the sacrifice of the animals to atone for sin or the various other offenses where God required a sacrifice. It was meant to reinforce the price for sin and how grievous sin really was as a offense to God.

The important thing here is the fact that before the priests could go into the Temple to worship there was always an offering for sin that had to be made. You could not approach the Ark without first passing by the altar for sin offerings. Likewise, in our worship, we must admit to the sin before we may have that relationship with God. The sacrifice of the animal for the Israelite is comparable to our confession of our sin to God. It purifies us and cleanses us so that as we go to the Lord in prayer the sin that is behind us doesn’t weigh us down as we approach the glory before us.

“Seek the Lord while He may be found;
Call upon Him while He is near.
Let the wicked forsake his way
And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
And let him return to the Lord,
And He will have compassion on him,
And to our God,
For He will abundantly pardon.” – Isaiah 55:6,7

“Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called ‘Today,’ so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” – Hebrews 3:12,13

Come to the Lord while it is still ‘today’ for ‘tomorrow’ may come and there will be no opportunity. While these verses speak more to the unbeliever or to the one who has walked away or strayed from the faith, it still is relevant to us. For the longer we go without praying, the longer we go without confession, the further away God feels to us and the more worldly we become. It’s that close relationship between the believer and God that sustains us through the hard times. There is comfort in submitting and humbling yourself under the hand of the Lord. Confession allows us to submit and humble ourselves before God. It confirms He is in control and reassures that He is our Lord. Many times He is just our Savior and hardly ever our Lord. But His Lordship is just as important as His role as Savior.

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my Yoke is easy and My burden is light.” – Matthew 11:28-30

I encourage you to confess your sin before God. Admit to Him that you have fallen short of what He desires. It will strengthen your relationship with Him and bring you to a place where your love for Him is deeper.

“Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory, blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.” – Jude 25

Later

Eriek

Everyone –

I was reading this morning in 2 Samuel 7 a prayer that David offered up to God. It was after David realized that he lived in all these wonderful places and yet the Ark of God, where God dwelled, lived in a tent. The Ark had been moved around from place to place over the last few years and there was some conviction on David’s heart. But when he decided to build a proper place for the Ark of God, He asked him not to do so (verse 7). For God had never asked to have a “house of cedar” before when the Ark was being shuffled around. Instead, God comes back and blesses David with a magnificent blessing (vss. 8-16) (which, by the way, is a prophetic word about Jesus ultimately, but for the immediate future it was fulfilled by David’s son, Solomon).

But what really caught me is the prayer that David offers back to God in verses 18-29. Many times when we think about prayer we think of a laundry list of things we need from God that day. David’s prayer was a reminder that prayer, while it can be used for supplication in time of need, should really be focused upon God and His character/personality/holiness, etc. This is especially true when He reveals a little bit more of Himself to you through His word or His creation. I believe that when the moment hits that you understand a little more about the greatness of God you can’t help but praise Him for all that He is because that revelation is so awesome that you have to let Him know. Ever had that happen to you? I think that is what David is doing here. David has so much, and then he wants to take care of God, but then God comes back and blesses Him more. David is then in awe and lets God know how much he loves Him.

So as we pray to God today, make sure there is as much praise as you can give Him because He deserves it. He loves to hear praises sung to Him. And I believe that there is a special blessing for our spirit that comes with praising God. It puts our heart and focus on the right things – God, and take them focus off of the wrong things – the world. God is altogether sufficient for everything we encounter. Let Him know how much you love Him.

Take care

Eriek